Category: ulysses

Ulysses, a writing app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone, has released version 26. This is an important update for those who use the app to write and publish to WordPress. It adds support for more blogs and has simplified the process of setting them up using the WordPress REST API.

Under the File > Publishing Preview menu, users with connected WordPress sites can see how their posts would look with the Twenty Twenty-One default theme. Here you can also manage external publishing accounts and add multiple WordPress blogs by authenticating for each one and authorizing the Ulysses app. (Accounts were previously available under a separate menu but are now found under the Publishing Previews screen.)

Ulysses has been around since 2003 – as long as WordPress, and has gained a loyal customer base over the past 19 years. It is run by a small team based in Leipzig, Germany. The app’s users are often attracted by its sophisticated support for writing projects, distraction-free writing interface, and clean design, which won an Apple Design Award in 2016.

The app has supported publishing directly to WordPress since version 2.6, released in August 2016. Prior to this release, users had been exporting their posts as HTML or Markdown and pasting them into the WordPress editor. Version 22, released in 2021, introduced Micro.blog publishing and WordPress post updating.

In addition to the more modernized WordPress publishing integration, the latest update changes the publishing flow UI to feature dedicated buttons for quick access to publishing and the publishing preview. It also introduces a new counter on MacOS in the editor that shows the word count and pops out a little table of other stats on click, including characters, sentences, paragraphs, pages, and more.

Version 26 also fixes some sluggishness in the editor and eliminates a gaggle of annoying crash scenarios that users have been experiencing:

• Fixed a crash when sharing a sheet from Ulysses
• Fixed a potential delay when typing in the editor
• Fixed a rare crash on app launch
• Fixed a crash when dragging a sheet from Mac to iPad using Universal Control

Ulysses users who want to find out what’s coming in upcoming releases can test new features before they come available by joining the app’s beta program for iOS or macOS.

Ulysses, the writing app for Mac, iPad and iPhone, released version 22 this week with support for updating WordPress posts as the headline feature. The app aims to provide a distraction-free writing experience and has offered the ability to export to WordPress for years.

Ulysses began alpha testing the highly requested WordPress post updating feature in early February. Updating an existing post is as simple as making a change and clicking ‘Publish’ again. It’s important to note that users can only update a post from the same device where it was originally published, due to a technical issue with iCloud syncing.

The Ulysses development team is working on syncing the publishing state across devices and plans to add post updating for other services in the future. Version 22 introduces a new integration with the Micro.blog service.

One improvement to document management in the app is the ability to add color to the icons in the document library. Users now have the option to add large headers in the editor. Version 22 also includes a host of UI updates that make navigating panels and sheets easier. Check out the release post for a full rundown.