Projects and packages

Save your work

Command	Shortcut	What it does
File ▸ Save to Original	⌘S	Writes every change in the working copy back to your deck.
File ▸ Revert to Original…		Discards every change since the last save.
File ▸ Save Project Copy…		Writes a complete, editable copy of the project to a new folder.
File ▸ Package for Sharing…		Writes the project as a single .manimble file.

If the original deck was changed by someone else since you opened it (for example by a sync service or another editor), Manimble warns you before saving over those changes.

Share a deck with another Manimble user

File ▸ Package for Sharing… creates one .manimble file containing everything the deck needs: its code, the pictures and other files it uses, and its existing animation builds, so the recipient can present it without rendering it again. Send the file by email, a file-sharing service or AirDrop. The recipient opens it with File ▸ Open Deck or Project….

File ▸ Save Project Copy… writes the same contents as an ordinary folder instead of a single file.

Both commands:

• find the files the deck uses by watching which files the slides open while they render;
• keep paths relative to the project, so the copy works wherever it is put;
• report files that are missing, or that lie outside the project and so can't be included.

Tip

A file that a slide reads only in a branch of code that didn't run while rendering can be missed. Render every slide (for example by stepping through the deck) before packaging, and check the report.

Open a deck

File ▸ Open Deck or Project… (⌘O) opens any of these:

• a deck folder, or any file inside it;
• a project folder that contains a deck;
• a .manimble package.

File ▸ Open Recent lists the decks you opened lately. Each deck opens in its own window; opening a deck that is already open brings its window to the front.

The manimbler command-line tool

manimbler inspects, unpacks and converts .manimble packages without opening Manimble, for example on a server or in a script. Building from source installs it at ~/.local/bin/manimbler; it can also be run as ./manimbler from a copy of the repository.

manimbler --check talk.manimble                       # verify the package and every file it refers to
manimbler --info talk.manimble                        # slides, builds, sizes and running time
manimbler --extract talk.manimble --output talk       # unpack into an editable project folder
manimbler --convert talk.manimble --output talk.mp4   # the animated show as a movie
manimbler --convert talk.manimble --slides 1-3,7 --output excerpt.mp4
manimbler --convert talk.manimble --to pdf --output handout.pdf
manimbler --convert talk.manimble --to html --output talk.html

Option	Meaning
--check FILE	Verify the package and the media it refers to.
--info FILE	Show the slide order, build counts, package size and the estimated running time of the movie.
--extract FILE	Unpack into a project folder (by default, the package name without .manimble).
--convert FILE	Convert to MP4, PDF or HTML.
--to {mp4,pdf,html}	The format, if the output name doesn't make it clear.
-o, --output	The output file or folder.
--slides LIST	Only these slides, by number, range or name. They keep their order in the deck.
--hold SECONDS	How long each build's last frame is held in a movie (default 2; 0 for no pauses).
--fps N	The movie's frame rate (default 30).
--force	Replace existing output.

Conversion follows the deck's order.txt. Movies have no sound. PDF and HTML conversion use the installed Manim Slides; keep a generated HTML file together with its _assets folder when you share it.