Ulysses for iPad is a great tool for getting text down so you can get your thoughts, ideas, or paper done. The writing app is by the The Soulmen who have been writing apps for the Mac for some time. This app and its Mac sister Ulysses are designed to work together and help you draft and create a brief, story, memo, and more. This post reviews the iPad version of the app.
Organization of Documents
Ulysses approaches document creation differently than most typical word processors. The idea of the app is simple. Focus on getting words and thoughts down even if it means doing so in discrete separate sections that can be combined later.
The Library consists of a series of “groups” which is further broken down into individual “sheets.” A sheet can represent a paragraph, a page, or even an entire chapter. However, the power of this app is that it allows you to break your document into bite size pieces to help you better organize and create without so much focus on the ultimate way the document will look in terms of formatting, page numbering, etc.
You can “nest” your groups by tapping on the + on the library panel. Then, add the name of your new group and identify the parent group that it should be nested under. To make the process easier, tap on the group you wish to create a subgroup under first. You can name the group and even assign a unique icon to help identify it.
Keyboard Plus
The keyboard features the standard iOS keys. However, just above that is a row of commonly used and needed shortcut buttons.
These allow you to quickly accomplish tasks related to Markup, list making, indenting and more. If you tap and hold down on the buttons, more options become available.
Sync via iCloud
One of the most surprising features was the ease and speed at which the app syncs with the Mac version via iCloud. The set up is straight forward when you initially install and open the app. The changes made on the Mac app rapidly appear on the iPad version and vice-versa.
Personalize Themes
You can modify the default theme with others that are built in. Just tap on the gear icon. Then, tap Theme and select one of the other themes. You can also download others by scrolling down and visiting Ulysses Style Exchange within the app. Then, download a new theme and install it.
The theme above is a built in theme iOS with Dark Mode turned on to assist in writing in darker environments.
Exporting Final Versions
After you have created your document, there are several ways to export it. You can choose from Plain Text, HTML, ePub, PDF and RTF. You can also share your material via mail, message or simply copy it for passing into another app.
The app even allows you to edit text files created in other apps that are stored on iCloud drive or 3rd party services including Box, Dropbox, and OneDrive.
Features Galore
This app allows you to perform tasks like search, find and replace, adding images, tagging, write notes and write in full screen mode. The ability to write in portrait and landscape mode is available too.
Conclusion
There are very few apps that allow you to organize and write down ideas on your Mac, pick them up on your iPad on the go and provide so much flexibility in terms of output. Ulysses for iPad is one such app. If you are constantly writing or want to write better, Ulysses is a great tool for providing you with the ability to do so.
The Mac version of Ulysses allows for some additional flexibility. You can download a trial version for the Mac from the developer’s website.
iPad Notebook 