[Feature Request] Make the Cover/Title Page Part of The Screenplay Document

Issue

Right now, the Cover/Title Page is not part of the screenplay document. It is independent, its own document. And so it is not included when we create new screenplay drafts. When we create a new draft for the screenplay document, the Cover Page is completely disregarded.

This creates a few problems.

For one, it's common to write down the draft number or draft date in the cover of a screenplay, so we can open a screenplay and know right away, from the cover, which draft we're dealing with. So if modifications to the cover page are not included in new screenplay drafts, as part of the drafts, it means we might end up exporting an earlier draft of the screenplay with the wrong draft number or date in the Cover Page because we didn't realize that every time we created a new screenplay draft and changed the cover page, it was overwriting the only Cover Page we have, not knowing we were required to also create a new cover page draft independent of the screenplay draft.

So it's bad for internal organization and keeping track of drafts, but also for exporting.

Solution

I propose the Cover/Title Page be included in the screenplay document and any new screenplay drafts. So each new screenplay draft will have its own Cover/Title Page. When we have a screenplay draft selected, we can go to the Cover/Title Page, modify it, and that will be modifying the Cover Page of the selected draft only. And that is reflected in screenplay drafts we select and export as well.

If you really want the Cover Page to be displayed in its own independent section, with its own icon, that's fine, make it be displayed as independent, but keep it part of and linked to the currently selected screenplay draft. So Cover Pages will not be independent documents and have their own drafts, they will just display a section of the screenplay [that will be hidden in the screenplay document section].

I would suggest making cover pages be a section inside documents (perhaps only activated via a toggle, like in Fade In Pro), not be independent. And this is because Screenplays, Treatments, Outlines, all should have their own cover pages.

Conclusion

Cover pages are not independent documents like the Synopsis, Treatment, Outline and Screenplay — in fact, all of these documents can have their own cover pages. In our case here, the Cover Page is part of the screenplay. So it should be treated that way. To avoid unnecessary complexity and confusion for no benefit.

Even though I labeled this a "Feature Request", I actually consider this a bug, since in the physical world, with paper, a cover page is unique to every draft, one cover for one draft, and every screenwriting app and office app I know have the Cover Page as part of the document itself.

Note

I think the problem in question is exacerbated by the current logic of the drafts system, that is a bit confusing and non-progressive. So, changing to what's proposed at #141 will make things even clearer.

story-apps / starc