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Interface tour: shelf, editor, right-side chat, toolbar
Last updated May 24, 2026 · 5 min read
Five minutes — every big area of the Slima Writing Studio editor, what each button does and why it lives where it does.
Once you're in the editor, the screen runs left to right through a few regions.
1 · Activity bar (far-left strip)
A narrow vertical column for toggling panels and switching Studios. Top to bottom:
| Icon | What |
|---|---|
| Slima starburst | Switch Studio (Writing / Script / AI Beta Reader) |
| Back | Back to the "My Works" shelf |
| Explorer | Toggle the left file tree |
| AI Chat | Toggle the right-side AI Coach |
| Headings | Outline panel (jump between chapter headings) |
| Comments | Comments panel |
| Notes | Notes panel |
| Linked Elements | Linked-elements panel (where a character / place is mentioned) |
| Beta Reader | AI Beta Reader panel |
| Zen Mode | Enter distraction-free Zen writing |
At the very bottom: Upgrade, Help Center, and the dark / light toggle.
Note: search, version history, share, and book settings are not in the activity bar — they sit in the row of small icons above the file tree.
2 · File tree (left panel)
Every file in the current book, grouped by folder. Two built-in folders:
- Chapters — your draft (counts toward the manuscript word count)
- Notes — characters, worldbuilding, references
Add more folders as you like. Files drag to reorder, right-click for edit / delete / rename. The bottom of this panel shows "today's word count" and "set a daily goal."
See: Files & content
3 · Editor (centre, largest)
The main stage. Top format toolbar:
- Heading levels (H1 / H2 / H3), bold / italic / strikethrough
- Bullet / numbered lists, quote, blockquote, table
- Dialogue punctuation (auto-uses 「」/《》 for CJK books), insert image
- Undo / redo
The top-right corner of the editor shows this chapter's word count. Press ⌘/ (Ctrl /) for the "keyboard shortcuts" overlay to see what's bound.
See: Editor overview · Writing tools
4 · AI Coach (right panel)
The right-side chat panel. It's already read your book — you don't need to paste context. The top has a "new chat" and a "chat history" button.
When the chat is empty, guiding chips appear below:
- Focus topics: character motivation / scene immersion / sharpen conflict / explore theme
- Or start from here: I'm stuck / give me inspiration / check this for me
Tap one to hand that direction to the Coach. AI chapter analysis (pacing / dialogue / repetition / consistency) is a separate feature, launched from the tab row at the top of the right-side AI panel — switch between Chat and the four analysis lenses there.
See: AI Coach · AI chapter analysis
5 · Tabs & split (above the editor)
- On the left, chapter tabs (several chapters open at once)
- On the far right, a split editor icon — two chapters side-by-side in one screen
6 · Where the key indicators live (there's no bottom status bar)
Slima has no traditional "bottom status bar" — the important numbers sit where they're most relevant:
- Today's word count — at the bottom of the left file-tree panel
- This chapter's word count — in the top-right of the editor
- Sync state — the sync icon next to the book title at the top (live sync / offline / conflict)
Live in the keyboard
Every region has a keyboard shortcut — press ⌘/ (Mac) or Ctrl / for the "keyboard shortcuts" overlay to see what's bound.
See: Keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet