LINGUELLA

User manual

Version 1.0.9

Linguella is a comprehensive writing app designed for both professional and amateur authors, offering advanced tools for writing, organizing, and managing literary projects.

Contents

• Introduction
• First start
• Project management
• Working with chapters
• Character management
• Dialog marking
• Text editor
• Book metadata
• Import and export
• Text analysis
• Grammar check
• Story generator
• Settings
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Common problems and solutions

1. Introduction

1.1 What is Linguella?

Linguella is a modern writing app designed specifically for authors writing in Czech and Slovak. The app combines advanced writing features with an intuitive interface and tools for managing complex literary projects.

1.2 Key features

• Project management in .ling format (compressed archives)
• Organizing text into chapters with annotation support
• Character database with avatars and detailed information
• Replica marking with automatic color recognition
• Messenger-style replica player
• Advanced text editor with formatting support
• Grammar checker for Czech, Slovak, Polish and English
• Text analysis (word frequency, sentence length, statistics)
• Import from DOCX, TXT
• Export to DOCX, TXT, EPUB, PDF
• Plot, character, city name generator
• POV (Point of View) overview for tracking narrative perspectives within individual chapters
• Chapter notes system
• Setting book information such as cover, publisher, series, etc.
• Research

1.3 System requirements

• Operating system: Windows 10/11
• RAM: Minimum 4 GB (8 GB recommended)
• Disk space: 500 MB for the application + space for projects

For advanced grammar checking of foreign languages (English, Slovak, Polish), the application uses the open-source LanguageTool tool , which requires the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to run. Our installer will try to install Java automatically. If the foreign language checker does not work, please make sure that you have Java installed on your computer (we recommend Java version 17 or later). Java is not required for checking Czech.

2. First start-up

2.1 Installation

If you encounter warnings from your antivirus or Windows when installing Linguella, this is completely normal for applications that are not digitally signed by large companies. Linguella is a small independent project, so you may encounter these warnings.

We assure you that Linguella is safe and does not contain any viruses or malware. These are just Windows and antivirus security mechanisms that try to protect your computer from unknown applications.

Please follow these steps for successful installation:

Step 1: Download the installation file

1. Click the “Download Linguella” button on our website.
2. Your web browser (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Edge) may display a warning that the file may be dangerous (e.g. “This file may harm your computer”).
3. Ignore these messages and continue with the download. Usually, you can just click “Keep” , “Keep” or “Download Anyway” (the exact text may vary by browser).
4. After downloading, you will find the installation file (e.g. Linguella_Setup.exe ) in your Downloads folder or in the location where you usually download files.

Step 2: Warning from antivirus program (e.g. AVG, Avast, Windows Defender)

After downloading or when trying to run the installation file, your antivirus program (e.g. AVG, Avast, Windows Defender) may display a warning or even block/delete the file . It does this because the program does not have a built-up “reputation”.

• If AVG (or other antivirus) blocks/deletes the file:
  1. Open your antivirus program’s interface.
  2. “Quarantine” , “Detection History” or “Blocked Threats” section .
  3. Find the file Linguella_Setup.exe .
  4. Select “Restore” and then “Add Exception” (or “Allow”). This will tell your antivirus to ignore this file in the future.
  5. Confirm the action.
• If AVG (or other antivirus) only warns:
  1. “Allow” , “Run anyway” or “Add exception” option within the antivirus dialog box.
  2. Confirm and continue.

Step 3: Starting the installation and Windows SmartScreen/UAC

1. Find the downloaded Linguella_Setup.exe file .
2. Right-click on it and select “Run as administrator” from the context menu .
   • Why? The program needs to write to system folders for installation, which requires administrator rights.
3. Windows SmartScreen Warning: A blue screen may appear titled “Windows protected your PC” or similar, with the information “Windows prevented an unknown app from running.”.
   • “More info” link at the bottom of this window.
   • Then you will see a ” Run anyway” button. Click on it.
4. User Account Control (UAC): A window will appear asking “Do you want to allow Linguella_Setup_v.1.0.8.exe to make changes to your device?”.
   • Click “Yes” .

Step 4: Completing the installation

1. The standard Linguella installation wizard should now start.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions (select installation location, desktop icons, etc.).
3. Once the installation is complete, you can launch Linguella from the Start menu or from the desktop icon.

Important Note: Each antivirus program and version of Windows may differ slightly in the exact wording of the warnings and the location of the buttons. It is important to always look for options like “Allow”, “Run anyway” or “Add exception”.

2.2 License Agreement

Before using the application, you must accept the license terms. The dialog displays the license text and ‘Agree’ and ‘Disagree’ buttons. The application can only be used after accepting the license.

2.3 Registering file types (Windows only)

After accepting the license, you will be asked to register .ling files in the system. Registration allows you to:

• Custom icon for .ling files in Explorer
• Opening files by double-clicking
• Better file type recognition

2.4 Welcome screen

After successful startup, a welcome screen appears with the following options:

• New Project – creating a new literary project
• Open Project – open an existing .ling file

3. Project management

3.1 Creating a new project

To create a new project:

1. Click ‘New Project’ on the welcome screen or select File → New Project
2. Fill in the basic information in the dialog:
3. Project name (required)
4. Author (optional)
5. Description (optional)
6. Project type (novel, short story, screenplay, essay)
7. Click ‘Create Project’

3.2 Opening an existing project

There are three ways to open an existing project:

• From the welcome screen, click ‘Open Project’
• In the menu, select File → Open Project (Ctrl+O)
• Use the list of recent projects (File → Recent Projects)

3.3 .ling format

Linguella saves projects in the .ling format, which is a compressed ZIP archive containing all the project files:

• json – basic information about the project
• content/chapters.json – all chapters and their content
• characters/characters.json – character database
• content/dialogues.json – tagged dialogs
• metadata/book_metadata.json – book metadata (ISBN, genre, etc.)
• settings/styles.json – custom text styles
• ressources – folder with images (character avatars, book covers, etc.)

3.4 Saving a project

There are two ways to save a project:

Save (Ctrl+S):

Saves changes to the currently open .ling file.

Save as (Ctrl+Shift+S):

Creates a new .ling file under a different name or in a different location.

3.5 Automatic saving

Linguella automatically saves the project every 5 minutes (default setting). The interval can be changed in the Tools → Settings → Auto-save menu.

3.6 Project settings

In the File → Project Settings menu, you can edit basic project information, including the name, author, description, and project type.

3.7 Closing the project

Close the project via File → Close Project (Ctrl+Shift+W). If you have unsaved changes, the application will notify you and offer to save them.

4. Working with chapters

4.1 Chapter panel

The Chapters panel is located on the left side of the application and displays a hierarchical tree of all chapters in the project. For each chapter, you can see:

• Chapter number
• Chapter name
• Word count
• POV icon (if narrative perspective is set)
• Chapter metadata (date, weather, atmosphere, etc.)

4.2 Creating a chapter

There are several ways to create a new chapter:

• Click the ‘+’ button in the chapter panel
• Right-click on an existing chapter → ‘Add Chapter’
• Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+N (if the project is open)

4.3 Chapter Header

A header with information about the chapter is displayed above the text editor:

• Chapter number and title
• Number of words in a chapter
• POV overview – shows the set narrative perspective

4.4 Renaming a chapter

You can rename a chapter by right-clicking it in the list of created chapters:

• Enter a new name
• Press Enter or click Ok

4.5 Moving chapters

To change the order of chapters in the Chapters panel:

• Right or left click on a chapter
• Drag to move a chapter up or down.
• The ranking is updated automatically.

4.6 Deleting a chapter

To delete a chapter:

• Right-click on the chapter in the panel
• Select ‘Delete Chapter’
• Confirm the deletion in the dialog.

Warning: Deleting a chapter is irreversible! The text will be permanently deleted.

4.7 Chapter notes

Below the main editor is a notes panel where you can write notes, ideas, or comments about the chapter. Notes are separate from the main text and are not saved in the exported document.

The notes panel can be hidden/shown in the View → Chapter Notes menu (Ctrl+Shift+N).

4.8 POV (Point of View)

You can set the narrative perspective for each chapter:

• Click on ‘POV’ at the bottom of the chapter manager
• Select perspective type:
• First person (I-form)
• Third person limited
• Third person omniscient
• Second person (less common)
• Choose a character from whose perspective the chapter is told.
• POV appears as an icon in the chapter panel and in the header

4.9 Scene metadata

By clicking on ‘Scene Metadata’ in the header you can enter:

• Date – when the scene takes place
• Location – where the scene takes place
• Weather – description of the weather in the scene
• Mood – the emotional atmosphere of a scene

This information helps maintain story consistency and is visible in the POV overview.

5. Character Management

5.1 Character panel

The character panel is located on the right side of the application (‘Characters’ tab). It displays a list of all characters in the project with avatars and basic information.

5.2 Character creation

To create a new character:

• Click the ‘add character’ button in the character panel
• Enter character name (required)
• Select a color for marking dialogs
• Click ‘Add character’

5.3 Character details

You can enter extensive information for each character:

• Name (required)
• Color for dialogues – each character has their own color
• Avatar – a character image with the option to crop
• Age
• Profession
• Description – physical appearance
• Personality – character traits
• Past – character’s backstory
• Goals – what the character wants to achieve
• Concerns/Fears – what the character is afraid of
• Notes – any additional information

5.4 Character avatar

To add an avatar:

• In the character details, click ‘Upload Image’
• Select an image (JPG, PNG)
• The application displays a cropping dialog.
• Drag and adjust the cropping frame
• Click ‘OK’ to save.

The avatar is automatically converted to a square format and saved in three sizes (thumbnail, medium, large) for optimal performance.

5.5 Color for dialogues

Each character has a color assigned to them that highlights their dialogue in the text. You can select the color by clicking on the color button in the character details.

Recommended colors for better resolution:

• Main characters: bolder colors (red, blue, green)
• Supporting characters: pastel shades
• Avoid using colors that are too similar for characters who talk to each other frequently.

5.6 Editing and deleting characters

To edit a character, click on their name in the character panel. This will open a detailed view with the ability to edit all fields.

To delete a character, right-click on the character and select ‘Delete Character’. Deleting a character will not remove their dialogue from the text, it will only de-highlight it.

6. Marking dialogues

6.1 What are tagged dialogues?

Marking dialogue allows you to assign specific lines in the text to individual characters. Marked dialogue is highlighted in color and displayed in the dialogue panel for better overview.

6.2 Replica marking

To mark a replica:

• Select the replica text in the editor (highlight with the mouse)
• Right-click on the selection
• Select ‘Assign to character’
• Select a character from the list
• The replica is automatically colored with the character’s color.

6.3 Dialog box

In the right panel (‘Dialogues’ tab) you see a list of all marked lines sorted by order in the text. For each line there is:

• Replica number
• Character name
• Text preview (first 60 characters)
• Color background matching the character

6.4 Navigating to a dialog

Double-clicking on a line in the dialog panel will automatically move the editor to that line in the text.

6.5 Removing markings

To remove a dialog markup:

• In the dialog panel, right-click on the replica
• Select ‘Remove Replica’
• Confirm removal

Note: The replica text remains in the document, only the markup and color highlighting are removed.

6.6 Dialog filtering

You can filter the replicas by character in the dialog panel. In the ‘Character’ drop-down menu, select the character whose replicas you want to view.

6.7 Highlighting all dialogues

The ‘Highlight All’ button in the dialog panel restores the color highlighting of all marked replicas (useful after loading a project or changing formatting).

7. Text editor

7.1 Basic functions

Linguella includes an advanced text editor based on QTextEdit with support for formatting and other writing features.

7.2 Text formatting

The editor supports the following formatting:

• Bold (Ctrl+B)
• Italic (Ctrl+I)
• Underline (Ctrl+U)
• Font size
• Font type
• Alignment (left, right, center, justified)
• Bullets and numbered lists

7.3 Formatting toolbar

Above the editor is a toolbar with quick formatting buttons. The toolbar includes:

• Font selection
• Font size
• Bold, italic, underline
• Alignment
• Lists
• Custom styles (if defined)

7.4 Czech quotation marks

Linguella supports automatic insertion of Czech quotation marks. You can enable the function in the Edit -> Automatic Czech quotation marks menu.

Manually insert Czech quotation marks: Ctrl+Q

7.5 Search and replace

To search in text:

• Press Ctrl+F or select Edit → Find
• Enter the search text
• Use the options:
• Case sensitive
• Whole words only
• Regular expressions
• Navigate between occurrences using ‘Next’ and ‘Previous’

For replacement:

Press Ctrl+H or select Edit → Replace. In addition to searching, you can replace text with other text. Available options: ‘Replace’, ‘Replace All’, ‘Replace and More’.

7.6 Custom styles

Linguella supports creating custom styles for text:

• Format the text as desired
• Select formatted text
• Right click → ‘Save as style’
• Enter a style name
• The style appears in the toolbar and can be applied with one click

8. Book metadata

8.1 Access to metadata

You can open the book metadata via the Tools → Book Information menu.

8.2 Basic information

In the basic information section, you can enter:

• Book title
• Subtitle
• Author
• Series – the name of the series, if the book is part of it
• Number in series
• ISBN
• Release date
• Publisher
• Language

8.3 Genre and category

You can enter:

• Main genre (fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, romance, etc.)
• Subgenres – for more precise categorization
• Target group (children, young adults, adults)
• Keywords – for searching and categorization

8.4 Description and annotation

You can write two types of descriptions:

• Short description (up to 300 characters) – for quick overview
• Long description/annotation – detailed description of the plot for the cover or catalog

8.5 Copyright and License

Enter copyright information:

• Copyright – e.g. ‘© 2024 Author’s Name’
• License – type of license (All Rights Reserved, Creative Commons, etc.)
• License notes

8.6 Exporting metadata

Metadata is automatically included when exporting to EPUB and DOCX formats. It appears as document properties or in the eBook.

9. Import and export

9.1 Importing documents

Linguella allows you to import existing documents into a project via the File → Import Document menu.

9.1.1 Supported import formats

• DOCX – Microsoft Word documents
• TXT – plain text

9.1.2 Import procedure

• Select File → Import Document
• Check the preview of the imported text
• Click ‘Import’

Unfortunately, in the current version of the program, the text is inserted as one text block into one chapter. It will therefore require further editing such as dividing into chapters, formatting into paragraphs, etc.

9.2 Exporting documents

You can export the project or individual chapters via the File → Export Document menu.

9.2.1 Supported export formats

• DOCX – Microsoft Word (preserves formatting)
• TXT – plain text (no formatting)

• PDF – Portable Document Format (requires conversion)
• EPUB – electronic book

PDF and EPUB exports are available from the view – book preview mode, as these are the expected final exports.

9.2.2 Export options

When exporting, you can set:

• Division into chapters yes/no
• Preserve formatting yes/no

9.2.3 Quick export

For quick export to TXT or DOCX use:

• File → Export Document → Quick as TXT
• File → Export Document → Quick as DOCX

Quick Export uses the default settings and creates the file immediately.

9.3 Exporting a project

You can export the entire project as:

• ZIP archive – all project files in one archive
• Folder – expanded project structure

Exporting a project is useful for backup or transferring it to another computer.

10. Text analysis

10.1 Opening an analysis

Open text analysis via the Tools → Text Analysis menu.

10.2 Basic statistics

The analysis shows:

• Total number of words
• Number of unique words
• Number of sentences
• Number of paragraphs
• Average sentence length
• Average word length
• Reading time (estimated)

10.3 Word frequency

Displays the most common words in the text, excluding stop words (prepositions, conjunctions, etc.). Useful for:

• Identifying repeated words
• Vocabulary check
• Identifying key topics
• Searching for overused terms

10.4 Sentence length analysis

It graphically displays the distribution of sentence lengths. It helps to find out:

• Whether the sentences are too long or short
• Variability of sentence length (important for the rhythm of the text)
• The longest and shortest sentences

11. Grammar check

11.1 Starting the scan

You can start the grammar checker via the Tools → Spell Check menu.

11.2 Supported languages

Linguella supports grammar checking for:

• Czech – custom solution for checking spelling, grammar, etc.
• Slovak – comprehensive spelling and grammar check using LanguageTool.
• Polish – comprehensive spelling and grammar check using LanguageTool.
• English – comprehensive spelling and grammar check using LanguageTool.

11.3 Error types

The inspection reveals:

• Spelling errors
• Grammatical errors
• Stylistic flaws
• Common mistakes (at all vs. at all, etc.)
• Redundant expressions
• Inappropriate collocations

11.4 Error correction

For each error found, you can:

• Accept the suggestion – the error will be automatically corrected
• Ignore – leaves the text unchanged
• Ignore all – ignores all occurrences of the given error

Important notice! Since it is extremely difficult to program a high-quality Czech spell checker, it is possible that you will encounter false or insufficient detections of spelling or grammatical errors when using the program. We are constantly trying to improve this area, but we have not yet achieved the desired goal.

12. Story Generator

12.1 Access to the generator

The story generator is located in the right panel (‘Generator’ tab).

12.2 Plots

The generator offers the possibility to generate a main plot, a subplot, a conflict between characters, a romantic plot, a surprising twist.

12.3 Characters

The generator also allows you to generate characters – main characters, supporting characters, antagonist, mentor and add these characters to the character list (character manager).

12.4 Names

Generate character names – fantasy (male and female), real (male and female) by language group Anglophone, Arabophone, Slavic, Czech, Romance, Francophone, Germanic, Asian, or other African language groups. Thanks to this, you can get random names suitable for almost any story.

12.5 Cities

Just like names, you can generate random cities – low fantasy (simpler names), high fantasy (more complex “tongue-twisting” names), or real cities divided into language groups just like names.

12.6 World generation

In this generator you will find the option to generate locations, cultures and societies, or political systems.

13. Settings

13.1 Accessing settings

Open the settings via the Tools → Settings menu (Ctrl+,).

13.2 General settings

In the General section you can set:

• Application language (Czech, Slovak, English and Polish)
• Theme (light/dark)
• Auto save (on/off)
• Autosave interval (minutes)
• Text analysis settings (ignored words, length of repeated phrases, etc.)
• Text editor display settings (limiting the number of characters per line – standard page)
• Continuous spell check.

14. Keyboard shortcuts

14.1 Project management

• Ctrl+N – New project
• Ctrl+O – Open project
• Ctrl+S – Save
• Ctrl+Shift+S – Save As

14.2 Text editing

• Ctrl+Z – Undo
• Ctrl+Y – Redo
• Ctrl+X – Cut
• Ctrl+C – Copy
• Ctrl+V – Paste
• Ctrl+A – Select all
• Ctrl+F – Find
• Ctrl+H – Replace

14.3 Formatting

• Ctrl+B – Bold
• Ctrl+I – Italic
• Ctrl+U – Underline
• Ctrl+Q – Czech quotation marks
• Ctrl+L – Align left
• Ctrl+E – Align center
• Ctrl+R – Align right
• Ctrl+J – Align to block

14.4 Display

• Ctrl+Shift+S – Show/hide right panel
• Ctrl+Shift+N – Show/hide notes
• Ctrl+Shift+P – Preview book

14.5 Tools

• Ctrl+, – Settings

15. Common problems and solutions

15.1 Project not loading

Solution:

• Check if the .ling file is corrupted (try opening it in ZIP)
• Make sure you have sufficient rights to the file
• Try opening the project in a different location on disk.
• If the problem persists, contact support with the error message.

15.2 Dialogs are not highlighted

Solution:

• In the dialog panel, click ‘Highlight All’
• Check if the characters are created correctly
• Restart the application
• Check if the dialogs have been removed

15.3 Export not working

Solution:

• Make sure you have write rights to the destination folder
• Check if the file is open in another application
• Try exporting to a different folder
• For PDF export, check if the necessary converter is installed

15.4 The application is slow

Solution:

• Close unnecessary panels (Show menu)
• Turn off autosave or increase the interval
• Turn off continuous spell checking
• Break a large project into smaller parts
• Check if the disk is full.
• Consider upgrading your RAM

15.5 Data loss

Prevention:

• Save your project regularly (Ctrl+S)
• Turn on auto-save in Settings
• Create project backups (File → Export Project)
• Use cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive)
• Export important chapters to DOCX as a backup

Conclusion

Linguella is a comprehensive tool for writers with a number of advanced features. This guide covers all the basic and advanced features of the application. If you have any questions or encounter an issue that is not covered in this guide, please feel free to contact support.

We wish you much success in writing your stories!

Contact and support:

Email: studio@pyloop.cz

Website: www.linguella.site