What's New in LM Pro?

Jumpstart:  Check the animated demos

(Viewing tips.)
Late news: LM PIM - a simple alternative interface for LM Pro users
LM PIM is a simple program that works on your LM Pro database. It is interface is conventional (contrasting that of LM Pro) and it adds special views and data structures for "Tasks", "Contacts" and "Appointments". This means that that you now have an option keep your personal planning in LM and combine it with your extensive database of text fragments.

 

LM 2000 users find many improvements and added functionality throughout the program. Here are the highlights.

Revamped Interface
You'll first notice that the colors are softer (though you can change to other color schemes if you wish). The new icons are better. Though LM has always had icons in its pop-up menus, now there are more of them. This mainly benefits those to whom English is a second language, but it also makes LM more intuitive and easier-to-learn for all. A great number of detail improvements in the user interface make LM more safe and easy to use. Many popup menus have been added for text treatment and searching.


Advanced text item search
The Search window features complex logical "and" and "or " searches. Both keywords and LM Item texts are targeted. A concordancer window highlights the result of text searches.


Search external files linked to your projects
Search, not only the text within your database items, but also the text in files integrated with the database via project-links. LM tells you which connected files contain your search string and where to find it in them.


Import text as an LM Outline
A complete LM outline with items and projects can be created from a flat text file. A markup similar to that in the LM2TXT utility is used. The outline can be restructured before import in a tree window.


Import data directly from databases
A special wizard assists you in the import from a database (through "ODBC" of Windows). The input can be directed either to LM Items or to LM XML structures. ("References").


Create eBooks in OEBPS format
LM Outline output can be extended to the official W3C "OEBPS" format, complete with cover, images, table of contents, keyword index and bibliographical references.  Four freeware programs that read OEPS or convert it to MS Reader or PDA eBook format are supported (that is, their divergencies from standard OEBPS are covered.)


Notes & References System
Attach notes and bibliographical references to your items. Customize the data tree and the printed layout of your exported documents.


Standard Text Replacement Utility
Find-and-replace multiple search strings of characters and invisible elements (such as carriage-returns). LM remembers you list of replacements, so you don't have to recreate it every time.


Sort items in alphnumerical or edit-date order.


Synchronized Outline Backups
Back-up outlines with your database files. You can also back-up the documents referenced by your projects, profiles, wallpapers and other such files in an extended backup routine that gives you added control and automatically bypasses programs and other files it makes no sense to back-up.


The "title" field replaces project name in outlines
An extra field "title" in the LM projects window can be used to change titles in outlines without having to change the project id. Projects are sorted by timestamp or title.


Integration with UAS and WordWeb
Type with the smart autocompletion services of FlashPeak's UltimaShell Autocompletion Server (UAS). It automatically learns and auto-completes words and phrases as you type, intelligently weighing frequency and recency to anticipate your needs. It also auto-expands your library of custom shorthands.

Wordweb integerates with LM in a similar way and gives you great look-up help while writing in LM.


Batch Project-Link Redirect
You can move the LM program directory without breaking all the project-links involved. Project files in subdirectory \project\ are listed without path prefix (relative addresses). In case you want to change other file paths after a program reinstallation, there is a special utility for that.


Portable HTML document output
Your outline HTML document output now includes pictures, their captions, your references, and a keyword index, which are automatically formatted to your specifications.

Printing outlines in which each item's keywords appear
In addition, you can now see all an associated concept's keywords right in the Item window — without having to open the Concept window.


Extended desktop with mouse-wheel scrolling and navigator palette
Work on an Extended Desktop of up to 10,000 by 10,000 pixels. Move objects or your viewing field great distances across it with precision and ease. Even better: Use an extra monitor.
Mousewheel action now defined in most LM objects.


Database Tree
Get an overview of your growing list of projects in the Database Tree of all your projects sorted by category.

Optional display pane in the Project window's Tree View
Display the information associated with the highlighted topic in an optional display pane on the right side of the Project window. In the screen shot below, you see the Display Pane on the right. It is split to display a text file associated with this project/topic in the upper part and the concatenated text of the project's database items in the lower part.

In the next screen shot, the selected project is a bibliographical reference. So, the Reference form appears in the upper part of the the Display Pane, and the texts of all the items it is connected to appear in the lower part.

Here the highlighted project is a link to a local folder. Click the semaphore and the folder appears in the Display Pane. Click a file or folder in it, and Windows Explorer opens it for you.

Here the highlighted project is connected to a Web file.


Import and Export data via XML
Export Dictionary words, items, concepts, or all desktop items. LM adds special pop-up menu commands that send the data to the Export Directories you define. The vehicle is Extensible Markup Language (XML) thus enabling data transfer from one database to another. When LM opens (and at periodical intervals), it automatically detects an XML data file in its program directory and absorbs the information in it.
In version 2.2 XML data in the project window can be exported (passed between LM instances).

User profiles
Create and save various display-and-options profiles. For example, make one the ideal working desktop for creating documents, another for collecting research information, and yet another for brainstorming ideas.

Simplified treatment of language settings
Adapting to other languages is now much easier than before. The program displays your current language/character set with the database location information.

Tables subsystem
Create and display items as cells in a grid or spreadsheet. Drag concepts to row and column headers: LM populates the cells with the appropriate items from your database. Alternatively, create new items in cells: LM automatically assigns the appropriate concepts to them. Query your database with this tool. Better yet, use it as a brainstormer by comparing abstract concepts to see what interesting things your Literary Machine comes up with!

LM Maps window
The LM Map window has graphical contents in combination with LM Items.  The items can be connected with lines (rather like an "organizational chart"). The underlying bitmap provides a background. A screen capture tool was added.


Microsoft EXCEL spreadsheet export and import

Import and work with Microsoft Excel worksheets (XLS-files).The Excel Data Import Wizard makes importing spreadsheet data a snap.

Dictionary, Project, and Table tool bars
Optional tool bars put the most frequently used commands at your fingertips.


Recognition of common inflections through wild-card word-endings
Run searches that find all a word's inflections automatically. Just use wild-card characters in your Dictionary word's Inflection list. Then, drop any inflection of that word as a flyword on the Dictionary; your Dictionary scrolls to the appropriate entry for you.

Frozen desktop positions of the items in projects
Put desktop items back in order without having to clear and redisplay the whole project. Just press the Get Frozen Positions button and the items on the desktop move to their established places in line. Great for storyboarding, plotting sequences, or just coming back to the your desktop the way it was when you left it.

User-friendly customization through a Settings dialog box
Though LM's INI-file is as customizable as ever, you can now control most settings options through a dialog box. You can even control the display fonts and their sizes. There's no need to remember default values or to scrap the whole INI-file if you screw something up: you can return each setting to the default value with the click of a button.


Compartmentalization of the database within separate directories
The new directory structure makes it easier to find things and provides greater, foolproof security. For example, you can no longer destroy your backups by forgetting to move them and then reinstalling LM.


Extended facilities for reading and editing in Book Mode
Discover the joys of editing multiple items, in context, through Book Mode (in which your changes are read back to the database). Now you can process the full text of large projects: just tweak your Extended Desktop size and Book display settings.


A subscription to The Literary Machine
After eighteen months, development of LM 2000 ceased, and development of The Literary Machine continues in LM Pro. Users are entitled to more than an occasional bug fix: they are entitled to the new features in free developmental updates throughout the life of the LM Pro product. Feature suggestions are welcome.


A subscription to the LM Community
Users of LM Pro are entitled to free support. Personal support is available through email to support@literarymachine.com
 
Remember: LM Pro and LM 2000 are different products. LM 2000 was published in September of the year 2000 and has been downloaded by many thousands. It is, and will remain, unlimited freeware.

Home page