Curio 8 Advanced Power-User Settings

Curio's default settings should be fine for most customers, and there are some fine-tunings you can make via the Curio > Preferences menu item. However, for you power-users out there, here are some advanced settings you can explore.

For all of these settings you must quit Curio before making these changes.

How to Set a Preference

Launch Applications > Utilities > Terminal. In the Terminal window that appears you will set a new preference value using the defaults write command. For example:

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "General Open Previous Project" -bool no

A value can be a whole integer number (-int), boolean (-bool), floating point number (-float), or string (-string).

How to Remove a Preference

To delete an overridden setting you use the defaults delete command:

defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "General Open Previous Project"

General

General Open Untitled

You can prevent Curio from opening a new, untitled project on start-up by typing the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "General Open Untitled" -bool no

General Open Previous Project

You can tell Curio to not open previously projects, assuming system-wide window is not enabled in System Preferences > General, by typing the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "General Open Previous Project" -bool no

Application Support Folder

By default your personal Curio application support folder is at ~/Library/Application Support/Curio. However, if you would like to change this to something else, like a synced Dropbox folder, then move it over there and type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Application Support Folder" -string "~/Dropbox/Application Support/Curio"

Center Contents

Normally Curio centers all idea spaces and other Organizer documents in the main content area. If you'd like them placed towards the top-left corner instead type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Center Contents" -bool no

Full Screen Auto-Hide Options

When entering into full screen mode (via View > Enter Full Screen) Curio can automatically hide the inspector, toolbar, Organizer, and/or Shelf. Hiding all of those auxiliary views has become my favorite way of working within Curio. Distraction-free brainstorming at its finest!

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Full Screen Hide Inspector" -bool yes defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Full Screen Hide Toolbar" -bool yes defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Full Screen Hide Organizer" -bool yes defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Full Screen Hide Shelf" -bool yes

Pre-releases of Curio

Curio automatically checks for application updates via our integrated Sparkle mechanism. If you'd like to live on the cutting edge and don't mind more frequent updates then you can also find out about pre-release builds which are normally released to just a handful of customers to check for specific fixes and tweaks.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Subscribe Beta" -bool yes

Modern Look

You can switch Curio to a modern look inspired by iOS 7.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Use Modern Look" -bool yes

Idea Space

Insert Space

When you choose Insert > Space, Curio will create the given number of pixels of empty space around the selected figures or around the idea space if nothing is selected.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Insert Space Around Selection" -int 100
defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Insert Space" -int 500

Idea Space Spacebar QuickLook Sensitivity

If a figure is selected an idea space and you quickly tap on the spacebar then we show a Quick Look preview. If you hold down the spacebar we turn the mouse pointer into a Photoshop-like scrolling hand. You can change how quickly you must tap but adjusting this timeout given in seconds.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Idea Space Spacebar QuickLook Sensitivity" -float 0.15

Ruler Measurement Units

Normally the ruler in Curio (visible via View > Show Ruler) shows dimensions in points. You can optionally set the ruler to a different measurement unit such as inches or centimeters. You can also set a ruler measurement unit specifically for text editing. To change the units enter a case-sensitive unit such as Inches, Centimeters, or Points.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Ruler Units" -string "Inches" defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Editing Units" -string "Inches"

Gesture Customizations

You can turn off Curio's support for double-tap Smart Magnify zooms introduced in Mountain Lion. You can also tell Curio to ignore magnify (pinch to zoom) gestures and swipe gestures. Normally Curio ignores pinch gestures for zooming if they are too subtle. You can change how sensitive Curio is to zooming (0.008 is the default, make very slightly larger like to 0.01 for even less sensitive) or even turn it off entirely if you type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Idea Space Ignore Smart Magnify" -bool yes defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Ignore Swipe Gesture" -bool yes defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Ignore Magnify Gesture" -bool yes defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Idea Space Magnify Gesture Min Sensitivity" -float 0.008

Inline PDF Annotations

Normally double-clicking on a PDF launches it in your PDF viewer, like Preview. Holding Option while double-clicking will go into annotation mode right there on the idea space. If you wish double-clicking to go into annotations mode directly you can type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Double Click Inline PDF Annotations" -bool no

Assets

Mail Messages

When you drag a message from Mail into Curio we include a special title for the created asset figure with the message's subject, from, and date. You can control what we put in the title with the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Include Mail Subject" -bool yes defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Include Mail From" -bool yes defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Include Mail Date" -bool yes

Promised Files Delay

Dragging a message from Mail into Curio uses a clipboard operation called a promised file. If you have problems with a particular message with a large attachment that you drag into Curio then you may need to increase our timeout in accessing that file (which Mail will place in a temp folder for copying purposes). That will ask Curio to retry for the file after a 1 second pause. If it still doesn’t work try 2 seconds and that should definitely take care of it. (The default is a 0.1 second delay.)

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Promised Files Delay" -float 1.0

Use SearchKit

If you don't want Curio to search the contents of your project assets then type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Use SearchKit" -bool no

Search Into PDF Pages

If you don't want Curio to search the within the PDF pages to find out specifically which pages match the query text then type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Search Into PDF Pages" -bool no

Asset Resolve Alias

If you don't want Curio to ask you to resolve every broken alias in your project then type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Asset Resolve Alias" -bool no

Embed Assets

Normally we embed files dragged into Curio, unless Option is held down during the drag. If you'd like to reverse this logic then type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Embed Assets" -bool no

Force Alias To Folders

Normally if you drag a folder into Curio we insert it as an alias, regardless of whether the Option key is pressed or not. We do this primarily to reduce confusion: while an embedded or aliased folder is considered an asset in Curio, the contents of the folder are not, so you cannot tag, search, or do anything with those contained files within Curio but only via the Finder instead. By forcing folders to be an alias, the folder truly lives outside of Curio and it makes sense that the contained files are not true Curio assets. If, however, you wish to allow embedded folders and understand that while the folder and its contents exist within your Curio project's package the contents are not true assets, and where, like dragged-in files, they will be added as embedded copies by default and aliases only if Option is held down during the drag, then type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Force Alias To Folders" -bool no

Non-Media File Extensions

Normally Curio asks QuickTime via Apple's QTKit if a given file dragged into Curio is a media file. On some rare systems, QTKit appears to be a bit too aggressive for unknown reasons so Curio may believe a boring text file dropped into Curio is a movie file. If you want to add extensions for Curio to treat as non-media files then type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Additional Non Media Files" -string "nb,config"

AssetLibrary Log Level

Watch what the internal asset library is doing. Log messages are sent to Applications > Utilities > Console. The value of 3 is the max detail log level.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "AssetLibrary Log Level" -int 3

Figures

Min Distribution Gap

When horizontally or vertically distributing figures via the Arrange menu, Curio will normally leave no gap between the figures. If you want a gap then enter a value here.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Min Distribution Gap" -float 10.0

Asset Figure Text Width Constraint

Constrain the width of a text figure as you start typing on an idea space or within a mind map.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Text Width Constraint" -float 600.0
defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Text Width Constraint Mindmap" -float 250.0

Asset Figure Image Size Constraint

Constrain the size of an image dragged into Curio to no bigger than the given width and height.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Image Size Constraint" -string "{ 600.0, 400.0 }"

List Title Is Visible

When creating or collecting into a new list is the list title initially visible.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "List Title Is Visible" -bool yes

Reset Default Figure Style

When you use the Format > Set as Default Format for Type Figure menu item, Curio will store the current style properties for the selected figure. It will either be stored as a saved-style unique ID (a GUID) or a dictionary of properties. You can reset this for an appropriate figure type using the following options.

defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Figure Mindmap Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Figure Mindmap Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Figure List Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Figure List Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Figure IndexCard Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Figure IndexCard Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Figure Table Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Figure Table Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Figure Line Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Figure Line Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Text Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Text Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Document Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Document Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Image Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Image Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure PDF Image Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure PDF Image Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Movie Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Movie Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Music Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Music Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Video Recording Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Video Recording Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Audio Recording Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure Audio Recording Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure WebURL Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure WebURL Display Attributes GUID" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure WebArchive Display Attributes" defaults delete com.zengobi.curio "Asset Figure WebArchive Display Attributes GUID"

Organizer

Organizer Display HTML In WebView

Normally if a local HTML file is dragged to the Organizer as an Organizer Document then the raw source text will be displayed within an editable text editor. If you wish to render the HTML in a WebView instead, which is how web URLs are shown, then type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Organizer Display HTML In WebView" -bool yes

Preview Generator Threads

Curio will now generate previews in the background for any idea spaces that don't have up-to-date previews. It will do this on project load and after you perform an Organizer Spread PDF operation. Normally we spawn off a single background thread as that seems to work well with PDFKit's frustratingly fragile rendering system. However, if you want to turn this feature off completely or if you want to specify more threads then type a number here.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Preview Generator Threads" -int 1

Preview Generator On Load

Curio scans your entire project when it is loaded to see if any idea spaces have out-of-date previews and then generates them on a background thread. If you would like to disable this then type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Preview Generator On Load" -bool no

Preview Generator Log

If you would like to see what the idea space preview generator is doing in the background then type the following. Log messages are sent to Applications > Utilities > Console.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Preview Generator Log" -bool yes

Scribble

Scribble Popover Uses InspectorBar Colors

The new Scribble popover includes a big 120-color matrix which can be customized by double-clicking on a color cell. If you want the popover to use the same smaller 64-color matrix that is displayed in the Inspector Bar then type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Scribble Popover Uses InspectorBar Colors" -bool yes

Brush Crosshair

Curio will use the crosshair cursor when scribbling with brushes 2 pixels wide or smaller. You can now change that by typing the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Use Crosshair For Small Brush" -bool no
defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Brush Crosshair At Size" -float 2.0

Brush Log Level

You can enable brush logging if you are having some odd issues with the scribble tools.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Brush Log Level" -int 1

Import, Export, & Sync

Import CSV Encoding

Importing a table as CSV is currently done with NSMacOSRomanStringEncoding (30) which seems to be the most reliable. There are a number of other encodings you can try if you're having difficulties with a certain CSV file.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Import CSV Encoding" -int 30

Export CSV UTF16LittleEndianBOM

Table exporting as CSV usually outputs everything in the Unicode UTF-8 standard. However, Microsoft Excel apparently has problems with that format and international characters may not appear correctly. You can change Curio's export format to UTF-16 which works with Excel if you type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Export CSV UTF16LittleEndianBOM" -bool yes

Image Export Force NonRetina

On Retina Macs Curio will create 144 DPI HTML imagemap exports and image exports so they are optimized for those systems. The HTML imagemap will still look extremely good on non-Retina systems thanks to the HTML img height and width tags added to the HTML export templates and the browser's built-in scaling. Image exports will appear to be large on non-Retina systems unless the image viewer honors the image's DPI setting. If you wish to force Curio to output non-Retina (72 DPI) images on Retina systems then type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Image Export Force NonRetina" -bool yes

Curio to Reminder Syncing

During Curio to Reminder syncing, make the Reminder note the figure's note instead of an URL link to the Curio figure.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Reminders Sync Notes" -bool yes

Export ASCII Filenames

Make the filenames generated via image and HTML export safe, ASCII (7-bit) characters by typing the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Export ASCII Filenames" -bool yes

Copy Text Outline Include Note

Normally the mind map and list text outline exporters include any figure notes in the resulting export. However, you can tell Curio to skip them in by typing the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Copy Text Outline Include Note" -bool no

Copy Text Outline Note Keep CRLF

Normally the mind map and list text outline exporters strip carriage returns contained in figure notes. However, you can tell Curio to leave them in by typing the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Copy Text Outline Note Keep CRLF" -bool yes

Mail Client Support

Curio supports several mail clients right out of the box and we use AppleScript to communicate with each one when you are trying to export project information via mail. You can supply a custom script if you wish by placing a Scripts/CreateMessage.applescript file in your Curio application support folder and then setting the following. You can see Curio's bundled scripts in /Applications/Curio.app/Contents/Frameworks/GGCore.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Scripts.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Custom Mail Scripts" -bool yes

Evernote

Evernote Assign Notebook Tag

Normally Curio will create a global tag set called "Evernote" and create and assign a tag that matches the Evernote notebook the note originated from and any tags associated with the note. If you don't want Curio to do this then type the following.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Evernote Assign Notebook Tag" -bool no defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Evernote Assign Note Tags" -bool no

Evernote Results Limit

Normally Curio will only return up to 500 matches in an Evernote notebook, based on the entered search and sorting criteria.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Evernote Results Limit" -int 500

Evernote Log Level

Watch what the Evernote shelf is doing. Log messages are sent to Applications > Utilities > Console. The value of 2 is the max detail log level.

defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Evernote Log Level" -int 2

Status

Export Statistics to Panic Status Board

Using the active project category in the tasks section of the Status shelf, Curio can export a graph of starting and due tasks and a table of actions items for Panic's amazing Status Board app for iPad. To do this Curio will need to be able to export the data files to a synced location which can be referenced through an URL. In this example we'll show you how to use Dropbox but any similar service will work.

Type the following in Terminal:
defaults write com.zengobi.curio "Status Export Path" -string "~/Dropbox"
Launch Curio, click the Status shelf and make sure the Tasks In popup (near the middle of the shelf above the list of tasks) is set to the project category you wish to export. All of the the projects within the category will be scanned for tasks and output to the export file. You only have to do this once as Curio will export whatever was the last-specified category even if you don't bring the Status shelf up again.
Curio will create two files in the specified folder: CurioStatusActiveCategory.csv and CurioStatusActiveCategoryActionItems.html. These files will be updated each time you launch Curio and any time tasks within a project are changed.
In the Finder, right-click on the CurioStatusActiveCategory.csv file and choose Dropbox > Share Link. You will be directed to the Dropbox site. Type in your email address that your iPad can receive so the URL link to the file will be emailed to you.
On your iPad, click the Click here to view link in the new email message and it will open in Safari, tap the URL in the location bar, tap again so you can tap the Select All button then tap Copy.
Go into Status Board and drag the Graph icon to an area on your status board and drop it. Tell Status Board to use the URL link that's on the clipboard.
Do the same thing with the CurioStatusActiveCategoryActionItems.html but drag out a Table element in Status Board for it.
That's it! Status Board will re-scan the files periodically (1-2 minutes) to look for updates (or triple-tap to force a reload). Remember that Curio needs to be running to cause it to refresh the stats, of course.

Once running, you will see a Status Board chart showing your starting and due tasks:

And a Status Board table showing your action items, which are tasks that need to be started or are coming due: