anthonyfitzpatrick_manuscript-compiler/MANUAL_TESTING.md

Manuscript Compiler Manual Release Checklist

All items are intentionally unchecked. Record date, tester, Obsidian version, operating system, and application versions. Automated tests do not complete these gates.

Installation and workflow

• Install only main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css in a clean Obsidian vault; confirm the settings page still displays the logo.
• Upgrade an existing vault from the prior plugin version; confirm profiles, history, and formatting choices survive.
• Load malformed persisted settings and confirm bounded, actionable recovery.
• Right-click a folder and confirm the exact root opens in Manuscript → Contents → Create file.
• Confirm the command-palette and settings entry points use the same workspace.
• Confirm no other community plugin, Pandoc, office suite, or executable is needed.

Manuscript structure

• Compile a novel with Parts.
• Compile a novel without Parts.
• Review front matter and back matter ordering.
• Confirm transparent containers do not emit headings.
• Confirm project notes and ignored folders remain excluded.
• Exercise Correct structure: include/exclude, role correction, and Move up/down with mouse and keyboard.
• Confirm ignored-note and warning review filters show only affected items.
• Exclude and re-enable a folder; verify descendants, roles, choices, and order survive while the branch remains collapsed.
• Edit an included note after preparation; confirm stale export is rejected until Refresh Preview.
• Test a very large real manuscript in a narrow desktop pane and mobile-sized workspace.

Universal delivery

• Confirm each successful action starts exactly one download/share flow.
• Cancel or block the host download and confirm the UI remains retryable and truthful.
• Repeat downloads and confirm no Blob URL or temporary anchor is retained.
• Confirm no completed export, hidden copy, temporary output, or recovery file appears in the vault.
• Confirm filenames are corrected when switching formats and reserved/invalid names are repaired.
• Test download behaviour on Windows.
• Test download behaviour on macOS.
• Test download behaviour on Linux.
• Test download/share behaviour on mobile.

DOCX

• Open DOCX in Microsoft Word and inspect title, matter, Parts, Chapters, page starts, First Paragraph, Body Text, and scene breaks.
• Open DOCX in LibreOffice and inspect the same structure.
• Import DOCX into Vellum and confirm Parts/Chapters are recognised without duplicate titles.
• Exercise Vellum, Standard Manuscript, Custom, A4/Letter, title page, TOC, Unicode, and every scene-break choice.
• Export DOCX with Indent first line of paragraphs on and off; confirm later Body Text follows the toggle and configured size while First Paragraph, headings, and scene breaks remain zero-indent or otherwise unchanged.
• With indentation enabled, confirm the first paragraph after a Chapter heading and after a scene break remains unindented.

ODT

• Open ODT in LibreOffice and inspect styles, page starts, title/matter order, paragraphs, emphasis, Unicode, and scene breaks.
• Confirm title, front/back matter, Part number/title, and Chapter number/title paragraphs are visibly bold; confirm Author, body prose, and scene separators retain their existing normal weight.
• Confirm A4/Letter and Standard Manuscript formatting behave as selected.
• Export ODT with Indent first line of paragraphs on and off; confirm BodyText changes while FirstParagraph, headings, and scene breaks do not.

EPUB

• Open EPUB in at least two EPUB 3 readers.
• Confirm navigation, spine order, title/matter/Part/Chapter order, reflow, emphasis, Unicode, and scene breaks.
• Confirm combined and separate Part/Chapter heading modes are visibly bold while body prose and scene separators remain normal weight.
• Export EPUB with Indent first line of paragraphs on and off; confirm later body paragraphs change and first paragraphs after headings and scene breaks remain unindented.
• Run EPUBCheck separately if available and record its version/results; it is not a runtime requirement.

Markdown

• Open Markdown in at least two text editors and confirm title, author, matter, Parts, Chapters, Scenes, emphasis, readable links, Unicode, and scene separators.
• Inspect both source and rendered views: source must use clean, unescaped #/## heading syntax without **; visible bold is expected only in the rendered view.
• Confirm there is no YAML, project metadata, dashboard content, Synopsis, Revision Notes, Part 0, or Chapter 0.
• Confirm paragraph spacing is canonical and the file ends with exactly one newline.
• Confirm Markdown shows the portability note, offers no indentation toggle or size control, and contains no indentation spaces, tabs, HTML, or CSS workaround.

HTML and XML

• Open HTML offline in multiple browsers; confirm combined and separate Part/Chapter headings are visibly bold, body prose and scene separators remain normal weight, and there are no network requests.
• Export HTML with Indent first line of paragraphs on and off; confirm later body paragraphs change and first paragraphs after headings and scene breaks remain unindented.
• With indentation off, inspect front matter and a copyright page; confirm legal text, ISBN, publisher, edition, and rights paragraphs are unindented while spacing remains readable.
• Open XML in at least two XML-aware tools and inspect namespace, schema version, hierarchy, emphasis, escaping, and deterministic ordering.
• Confirm XML Part, Chapter, and heading elements remain semantic and contain no CSS, HTML, Markdown markers, or presentation attributes.
• Confirm XML contains no vault paths, YAML, settings, profile IDs, or diagnostics.
• Confirm XML shows the presentation-neutral note, offers no indentation toggle or size control, and contains no indentation preference or presentation attributes.

Privacy and independence

• Review successful and failed history/log/diagnostics records for prose, private metadata, absolute paths, usernames, Blob URLs, and external destinations.
• Observe network activity during preparation and all six exports; confirm no request is made.
• Confirm no Electron, shell, external executable, or community-plugin API is invoked.

Result record

• Tester/date:
• Obsidian/platform versions:
• Applications/readers tested:
• Formats passed:
• Issues and reproduction steps:
• Screenshots or evidence: