In Plot every line has an element type, and the type decides the formatting: where the line sits on the page, whether it is capitalized, how much space follows it. You never format by hand; you change the type, and the page follows industry layout.
The elementsLink to this section
| Element | What it is | Plot recognizes it when |
|---|---|---|
| Scene heading | Where and when — INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT | A line starts with INT., EXT., or the other standard prefixes |
| Action | What we see and hear | The default for any line that is not something else |
| Character cue | Who is about to speak | An all-caps line followed by dialogue |
| Dialogue | What they say | The line after a character cue |
| Parenthetical | A short direction inside dialogue — (beat) | A line in parentheses after a cue |
| Transition | CUT TO:, FADE OUT. | An all-caps line ending in a colon |
| Centered | Text centered on the page — THE END | Set by shortcut |
| Section | A structural label for you, not the reader — an act or sequence marker | Set by shortcut; never exported to the script |
Changing a line's typeLink to this section
Three ways, all from the keyboard:
- ⇥ on an empty line cycles to the next likely element. After a character cue, ↩ already gives you dialogue and ↩ again gives you the next cue, so most scenes need no Tab at all.
- The number shortcuts set a type directly: ⌘⌥1 scene heading, ⌘⌥2 action, ⌘⌥3 character, ⌘⌥4 dialogue, ⌘⌥5 parenthetical, ⌘⌥6 transition, ⌘⌥7 centered, ⌘⌥8 section.
- The element menu in the toolbar shows the current type and lets you pick another.
Suggestions as you typeLink to this section
When you type a character cue, a location or time of day in a scene heading, a transition, a cue extension, or a parenthetical, Plot lists matching suggestions. Characters already in the current scene come first. When two characters have been trading lines, a new blank cue shows a Suggested reply with the character who answers next; nothing is filled in until you accept it, and typing another name shows the usual list. Press ↑ and ↓ to choose. ↩ fills the suggestion and starts the next line: dialogue after a cue, cue extension or parenthetical; action after a heading or transition. → or a tap fills the suggestion and keeps you on that line. ⎋ closes the list.
If you have already typed a character's full name, ↩ keeps it and starts dialogue. For example, with both ANN and ANNA in your script, typing ANN and pressing ↩ keeps ANN; choose ANNA explicitly to use the longer name. Existing heading times and cue extensions stay on the completed line. Undo reverses completion and the new line together.
Plot also suggests familiar location-and-time combinations from your script. Choose a remembered heading to fill both together; location-only suggestions let you choose the time yourself. After a complete known location, ↩ starts action with that location; choose a remembered heading explicitly to add its time.
For parentheticals, Plot suggests directions you have already written elsewhere in the script. The directions you use most come first, then those used most recently. Choose one to reuse its wording, including casing, names, and interior parentheses.
To open the list yourself, or reopen it after you close it, put the caret at the end of a line that takes suggestions and press ⌃␣. You can also choose Browse writing suggestions in the command palette, or right-click and choose Browse suggestions. Type any word of a remembered name, heading, or direction to narrow the list.
Open Settings → Editor → Script intelligence to turn Writing suggestions or Remembered scene headings on or off. These preferences apply on this device.
Dual dialogueLink to this section
Two characters speaking at once sit side by side. Write both cues and speeches one after the other, put the cursor in the first character's cue or speech, and press ⌘D; press it again to separate them.
Scene numbersLink to this section
When a production draft needs scene references, open Document settings from the Document sidebar or the command palette. On the Script tab, Scene numbering shows how many scenes are numbered and previews the first changes; Apply numbering numbers the missing ones. Existing numbers stay unchanged, and scenes inserted between numbered headings receive lettered numbers such as 24A. Other numbering actions renumbers every scene from a starting number or clears the numbers, after you confirm. Undo reverses any of these in one step.
Scene numbers on the Your view tab only shows or hides the numbers on your page; it does not remove them.
Dialogue continuationsLink to this section
Automatic character continueds adds (CONT'D) when the same character speaks again after action. It is on unless you turn it off on the Script tab of Document settings, and the choice is saved for the project. Your typed cues are not rewritten.
A speech that crosses a page break still gets (MORE) and a repeated character cue with (CONT'D) automatically. Those page-break markers do not depend on this setting. See Export PDF, FDX, and Fountain for what each file carries.
Writer commandsLink to this section
A few conveniences from other screenwriting tools carry over: ⌘⇧D duplicates the current block, ⌘⇧Q wraps a selection in quotes, and ⌘⇧M moves a selection to the end of the document to deal with later.