feat(settings): the storage folder now decides where books are saved — new books, .md imports, and the export dialog default all land there (was: always Documents); label clarifies it covers books + snapshots

src/main/index.ts

@@ -246,13 +246,30 @@ async function openBookAt(p: string): Promise<BookResult | ErrResult> {
   }
 }
 
-// Create a new book as a dedicated folder <name>/ inside the user's Documents
+// Create a new book as a dedicated folder <name>/ inside the user's chosen
-// directory, then open it. The folder name is the sanitized book title; if a
+// storage folder (Settings → Folder), falling back to Documents when none is
-// folder with that name already exists we append a numeric suffix.
+// set or the stored one no longer exists, then open it. The folder name is
+// the sanitized book title; if a folder with that name already exists we
+// append a numeric suffix.
+function getBooksDir(): string {
+  // One storage folder drives everything (snapshots, recovery, new books).
+  // snapshotLocation is the one the Settings modal writes; backupLocation is
+  // the older key — honor both so an existing choice keeps working.
+  for (const key of ["snapshotLocation", "backupLocation"]) {
+    const v = String(getSetting<string>(key, "") || "").trim();
+    try {
+      if (v && fs.statSync(v).isDirectory()) return v;
+    } catch {
+      // stale or unreadable path — fall through to the next candidate
+    }
+  }
+  return app.getPath("documents");
+}
+
 handleIpc("folio:newBookNamed", async (_e, name: string) => {
   const title = (name || "").trim();
   if (!title) return { error: "Please provide a book name." };
-  const base = app.getPath("documents");
+  const base = getBooksDir();
   const folder = sanitizeBookFolderName(title) || "Untitled";
   let target = path.join(base, folder);
   let n = 2;
@@ -591,7 +608,7 @@ function exportDefaultPath(filename: string): string {
   const dir =
     last && fs.existsSync(last) && fs.statSync(last).isDirectory()
       ? last
-      : app.getPath("documents");
+      : getBooksDir();
   return path.join(dir, filename);
 }
 
@@ -972,6 +989,7 @@ function snapshotSettingsSnapshot() {
     keep: clampInt(getSetting("snapshotKeep", SNAPSHOT_DEFAULTS.keep), SNAPSHOT_DEFAULTS.keep, 0, 200),
     location,
     resolvedRoot: resolved,
+    booksDir: getBooksDir(),
     snapshotCount: snaps.length,
     lastSnapshot: snaps.length ? snaps[snaps.length - 1] : null,
   };
@@ -1008,7 +1026,7 @@ handleIpc("folio:setSnapshotSettings", (_e, patch: unknown) => {
 handleIpc("folio:pickSnapshotFolder", async () => {
   const { canceled, filePaths } = await showOpenDialog({
     properties: ["openDirectory"],
-    title: "Choose snapshot folder",
+    title: "Choose storage folder (new books + snapshots)",
   });
   return { canceled, filePaths };
 });
@@ -1089,14 +1107,14 @@ handleIpc("folio:importMarkdown", async () => {
     filters: [{ name: "Markdown and text", extensions: ["md", "markdown", "txt"] }],
   });
   if (canceled || !filePaths.length) return { canceled: true } as const;
-  return importMarkdownFiles(filePaths, app.getPath("documents"));
+  return importMarkdownFiles(filePaths, getBooksDir());
 });
 
 // Open a path that may be either a Folio book directory or a Markdown file
 // (the desktop launcher can be handed either via file associations).
 handleIpc("folio:openPathOrImport", async (_e, p: string) => {
   if (p && isImportableMarkdown(p)) {
-    const results = importMarkdownFiles([p], app.getPath("documents"));
+    const results = importMarkdownFiles([p], getBooksDir());
     const r = results[0];
     if (!r.ok) return { error: r.error };
     return openBookAt(r.bookPath as string);
@@ -1300,7 +1318,7 @@ function fileArgFrom(argv: string[]): string | null {
 
 function openFromArg(p: string): void {
   if (isImportableMarkdown(p)) {
-    const results = importMarkdownFiles([p], app.getPath("documents"));
+    const results = importMarkdownFiles([p], getBooksDir());
     const r = results[0];
     if (r.ok) {
       openBookAt(r.bookPath as string);

src/renderer/book/settings.ts

@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ interface SnapshotSettings {
   keep: number;
   location: string;
   resolvedRoot: string;
+  /** Where new books are saved (Settings → Storage folder). */
+  booksDir?: string;
   snapshotCount: number;
   lastSnapshot: string | null;
 }
@@ -59,8 +61,10 @@ export function createSettingsFeature(ctx: BookCtx): SettingsFeature {
     intervalInput.value = String(s.intervalMin ?? 5);
     keepInput.value = String(s.keep ?? 20);
     locationInput.value = s.location || "";
-    locationInput.placeholder = "Default: <book>/Folio-Backups";
+    locationInput.placeholder = "Default: Documents (books) · <book>/Folio-Backups (snapshots)";
-    resolvedEl.textContent = `Saving to: ${shortPath(s.resolvedRoot || "—")}`;
+    resolvedEl.textContent = s.booksDir
+      ? `New books save to: ${shortPath(s.booksDir)}`
+      : `Saving to: ${shortPath(s.resolvedRoot || "—")}`;
     lastSnapEl.textContent = s.lastSnapshot
       ? `${s.snapshotCount} snapshot${s.snapshotCount === 1 ? "" : "s"} · latest ${s.lastSnapshot.split("/").pop()}`
       : "No snapshots yet.";

src/renderer/index.html

@@ -343,9 +343,9 @@
           <label>Keep last <input type="number" id="settingKeep" class="modal-input setting-num" min="0" max="200" value="20" /></label>
         </div>
         <div class="backup-control">
-          <span class="backup-label">Folder</span>
+          <span class="backup-label">Storage folder</span>
-          <input type="text" id="settingLocation" class="backup-input" readonly placeholder="Default: <book>/Folio-Backups" title="Snapshot folder (empty = default)" />
+          <input type="text" id="settingLocation" class="backup-input" readonly placeholder="Default: Documents" title="Where new books and snapshots are saved (empty = Documents / &lt;book&gt;/Folio-Backups)" />
-          <button type="button" class="button button-ghost backup-browse" id="settingBrowse" title="Choose snapshot folder">…</button>
+          <button type="button" class="button button-ghost backup-browse" id="settingBrowse" title="Choose storage folder">…</button>
           <button type="button" class="button button-ghost" id="settingResetLoc" title="Back to the default folder">Reset</button>
         </div>
         <p class="setting-meta" id="settingResolved"></p>