Import from WriterDuet

WriterDuet is a popular screenwriting application. You can import your WriterDuet screenplays into our app while preserving all screenplay formatting.

Exporting from WriterDuet

First, you need to export your screenplay from WriterDuet:

1. Open your screenplay in WriterDuet
2. Click on File in the menu bar
3. Select Download
4. Choose Backup File (.wdz)
5. Save the .wdz file to your computer

Importing the .wdz File

Once you have your .wdz file:

1. Open your project and navigate to the binder where you want the screenplay
2. Click on
   in the binder toolbar
3. Select Import...
4. Drag and drop your .wdz file into the import area, or click to browse
5. The file will be detected as "WriterDuet"
6. Click Import to begin

First-Time Setup Prompt

If this is your first screenplay import and you haven't configured screenplay settings, you'll see a setup prompt:

1. Character Asset Group: Choose where character entities should be stored
2. Location Asset Group: Choose where location entities should be stored

You can select existing asset groups or create new ones. This is a one-time setup.

What Gets Imported

The import preserves all WriterDuet formatting:

| WriterDuet Element | Our Element | |-------------------|-------------| | Slugline | Scene Heading | | Action | Action | | Character (EditDialogName) | Character | | Parenthetical (EditDialogParen) | Parenthetical | | Dialogue (EditDialogContent) | Dialogue | | Transition | Transition | | Shot | Shot | | Note | Note | | Outline | Outline | | Text | Text (Paragraph) |

Auto-Create Characters and Locations

During import, the app can automatically create entities for characters and locations found in your screenplay.

Characters

• All character names from the screenplay are extracted
• Parenthetical extensions like (V.O.), (O.S.), (CONT'D) are automatically stripped
• For example, "SARAH (V.O.)" and "SARAH" are recognized as the same character
• Only unique characters are created - duplicates are skipped

Locations

• Locations are extracted from scene headings
• The parser understands standard screenplay format: INT./EXT. LOCATION - TIME
• Only the location name is extracted (not the INT/EXT prefix or time of day)
• For example, from INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY, only "COFFEE SHOP" is created

Controlling Auto-Create

Auto-creation is controlled by your Screenplay Settings:

• Auto-create characters: Enable/disable character creation during import
• Auto-create locations: Enable/disable location creation during import

If you want to import without creating entities, disable these options in settings before importing.

Import Progress

During import, you'll see detailed progress:

1. Parsing file... - Reading the .wdz archive
2. Creating document... - Saving the screenplay to your binder
3. Creating characters (X/Y) - Shows progress as each character is created
4. Creating locations (X/Y) - Shows progress as each location is created

After Import

Once complete:

• A new document appears in your binder with your screenplay
• All formatting is preserved and editable
• Characters appear highlighted in the text (linked to your character entities)
• You're automatically navigated to the new document

Import Summary

After import completes, you'll see a notification summarizing what was created:

• "Created X characters and Y locations"

This helps you understand how many new entities were added to your asset groups.