corkboard basics
The Corkboard is a unique way to visualize files and folders as Index Cards that display some types of metadata information as well. To see the corkboard view you must choose a file or a folder that contains MULTIPLE ITEMS for this view to be viable. Each of the displayed index cards represents a file or folder in your binder outline.
Display Images on the Index Card
The Index Card displays the title and the synopsis (a short description of the item) or a Picture (See #4 below) if you decide for that option, you will see both the title and a picture.
This option is set in the Inspector in the Notes section. In the Synopsis field header on the far right is an icon (#1 below). Clicking this icon will change the field from text to an Image viewer. If you are in the correct option, you will see a picture display or the option to Drop an Image here, typed inside the Synopsis area (#2 below). If you display an image in the Synopsis field, then the Index card will display the Document’s title and image (#4 above).
Note: The image cannot be directly dragged onto an index card and must be added to the Inspector.
Typing inside the Index Card will fill information inside the Synopsis section of the Inspector. You can Auto-fill this as well. You cannot do bullet lists in the Synopsis but can add dashed lines to simulate a bullet list.
You can have a description be autofilled from the main text of the document, or you can free form in notes, to do lists as visible notes when look at the Corkboard, or can make visible in the Outliner View as well.
The Index Card Icon
1. The Icon symbol (#1 above) is the same as in the Binder and has multiple options if right click on this. Double clicking a Index Card file Icon opens the file in the Editor. Double clicking a Index Card Folder Icon will now display its contents in the Corkboard view with the Folder Name in the Header Bar and its contents displayed on the Corkboard.
2. The Title (#2 above) of the file or folder the card represents. Double clicking in this area allows you to edit/change a title.
3. The Synopsis (#3)-Whatever you end up using them for, it is important to realize that they are separate from the actual text of the document, and in most cases what you type into them will not appear in the final book. The Synopsis can be set by default to display the first few words of text in the document as your synopsis. However, you can double click inside the Synopsis field and add text as a new synopsis which will replace the first words from the document going forward.
If the index card is set to pull text from the document to populate the Index card only so much text will be pulled followed by … Changing the card size does not increase the amount of text displayed.
However, if you write in the Synopsis area in the Index Card, or in the Inspector, then the only limit on how much text shows is how big you make the Index Card on the Corkboard, or how much you enlarge the Inspector’s Synopsis field.
4. The Index card displays the Image in the synopsis field. This option is set in the Inspector.
Optionally the Index card can display a few other kinds of metadata as well:
Status (#1)(such as the “To Do” status can be shown across the card),
Label colors may be a ribbon of color on the left edge (#2) or tint the card (#3) or Index cards can distribute on a colored timeline like view.
Keywords (with color optionally displayed as small chips on the right edge of the card.) (#4)
If an Index card has subdocuments, you will see fine lines beneath the first card.
Reveal these underlying files by-
Double clicking the icon will open the document and reveal its subdocuments.
Or Right clicking will show an option to Ungroup the folder/file with subdocuments.
The Overall Interface
The Corkboard Header Bar
Similar to the Header bar in the Binder except for the Binder’s 3 lines on right side of the header bar does not exist. (Right clicking this in the Binder gives multiple options including to lock the editor.
Note: Clicking the < and > carets will move you back and forth in your viewing history to change the documents currently on display in the Corkboard view or back to a previous file in the Editor or Outliner views as well. Going back forth with the history button will display the files/folders you have viewed in the past along with the way they were last displayed when you viewed them.
The Corkboard Footer Bar
This is where the magic of the Corkboard Occurs.
We will split the footer bar into the left side and the right side of the bar
Left Side of the footer Bar.
1. Clicking adds a file to the Corkboard
2. Clicking adds a folder to the Corkboard
3. Clicking gives the Right click menu that is identical if right click in the Corkboard background, or on a single file/folder’s icon.
4. Linking Splits Icon- ONLY works when in a split Editor window and makes the one side act like the Binder. Clicking this icon means that any file now clicked will automatically open that selection in the other editor when activated. (in dark themes is lighter bright blue), or clicking opens in copy holder view if the split view contains a copyholder. (Works in both the Corkboard and Outliner views)
Activate two ways-
A.) In split view click on the corkboard side and click the Linking Splits Icon (#4 above).
B.) In split view and when clicked on the corkboard side use the Menu Dropdown Navigate> Corkboard Selection Effects> In Other Editor (or even in Copyholder if have that option like below).
Both corkboard and outliner views have an auto-load feature that when enabled, will load any selected item(s) in the other split or the editor’s copyholder, much like when clicking on an item in the binder.
Icon looks like this for Other Editor- (see above #4)
Icon looks like this for opening in the Copyholder-(see below #1)
Both these link icons will be gray if inactive. If you have a split view in the Editor window AND a copyholder in the active Editor window, then you chose any of the Corkboard Selection Affects listed below.
Linking Splits Together-(Icon is active when blue in light themes or light gray in dark themes)
5. Lists total number of items currently open in the Corkboard view.
Right Side of the Footer Bar
1. Default View
Grid appearance of cards in Binder Order (if subdocuments in a file/folder will see lines underneath first card.) Moving Cards here does change the order in the Binder.
2. Freeform View.
Nothing changes in the Binder till you click on the Commit button in the Footer Bar and have moved files. (Then the additional Commit option appears in the footer bar. Until you click commit nothing changes in the Binder Order. If you click commit then the arrangement of the documents will change based on what you did in the free form mode. Files you wish to manipulate this way must be part of one folder or collection.
Note: Displaying card numbers can often be helpful in this view to help you remember in the original order. This is set in View> Corkboard Options.
Snap to Grid can be enabled this way. This impacts freeform mode, but only functions when you move the Index Card.
You will have the option on how to more formally organize the cards when changing from the Freeform mode back to a Binder order view BEFORE you use the Commit button. Once used then the new arrangement WILL change the Binder order.
Have options on how arrange freeform cards. Click on the caret next to the Commit button.
3. Label view- allows files to be arranged horizontally or vertically by label and in Binder order of appearance for a particular label.
1. The Label Icon is active. Choose to display labeled cards horizontally (A) or vertically (B).
2. Are the corkboard display options such as card size, number of cards in a row, etc. (discussed in the blog Smaller Corkboard topics which will be coming in the next month.) The Corkboard options affects how the cards may appear.
1. Arrange by Label Option is Active.
A.) Clicking this will place colored Label rails in a vertical arrangement.
B.) Clicking this will place colored Label rails in a horizontal arrangement.
Adjusting values of the cards size and spacing will affect the appearance of cards on the labels lines.
ROWS (horizontal) (Top label row will be the no label row for unlabeled files and folders and does not have a color.)
A. Corkboard Index Cards arranged by Label in Vertical View
B. Corkboard Index Cards arranged by Label in Horizontal View
Note: the order of the rows is based on order of Labels in the Project Settings label window. This can be changed by dragging labels up and down list. So if want to look at POV’s in this mode. Drag every POV label to top of list in Project Settings so these are grouped together. Then if want to look at locations another time, then change label order to make it easy to compare in Corkboard View.
If I want to change the tracks to a column view, just toggle the button to the left of the track icon. (see above)
A neat feature is when moving cards to different tracks that this changes the label properties without altering Binder position. For instance, if I have a track that has the label Completed and the color is fuchsia, my card’s colored edge changes to that color once I move it to that track
At this point, I don’t see myself using this layout in the Corkboard. It just might have to do with the size of my monitor, but I’ll be curious to see how other Scrivener aficionados use it and learn from them.
Label view turns that particular piece of metadata into a “axis”, by which we can visualize the distribution of cards along it.
Each label available in your Project Settings will be depicted as a “thread” or track, using the color associated with that label. Cards will be placed along that track if they have been assigned to that label.
Windows Tip: The three corkboard modes (standard, freeform, and arranged by label) are considered a form of per-folder view preference; they will stay the way you left them and will be there if open the folder again in the Corkboard view. If the folder has never been viewed in a corkboard or outliner view, then the view will default to your current group view when the folder is opened.
The final Icon on the footer bar at the lower right allows you to adjust the appearance of the cards. (#4 above and see options below)
Size-effects overall card size
Ratio- effect length of the card
Spacing- effect space between the cards
You can play with all three and see the changes in real time to decide where to leave the sliders.
Scrivener’s “label” metadata lets you associate a color with your cards, this corkboard mode displays cards in “rails”, one for each label. You can drag cards from one rail to another to assign a label if the file/folder was unlabeled or change their label assignment. The top line represents cards with NO Label as a value. It’s a bit like the technique putting colored tape on a corkboard and attaching cards to them according to their plot device, character POV, or whatever you use labels for. The cards are arranged in Binder Order.
Moving the cards on a single rail changes their position in the Corkboard AND the Binder. Changing "rails" changes the label assigned to the file/folder but does NOT change the Binder order.
Other Footer Arrangements
1. The Commit Button for the Freeform Mode (#3) once you have decided on a changed arrangement.
2. Grid Order that is based on Binder order
3. Freeform Mode- can arrange cards anyway you want WITHOUT affecting the Binder order unless you click the Commit button. Can only do this with folders with subdocuments, or Static collections that have been loaded into the Binder.
4. Arrange by Label button (can do horizontally or vertically).
5. Corboard Options for appearance of the Cards.
Option Panel Choices for how the Corkboard functions:
Double Clicking
See in File>Options>Behavior
Double Clicking
In Freeform Mode- by default double clicking always creates a new index card.
In Arrange by Label-double click always creates a new index card.
Double Click Icon to
1. To open subfolder files on corkboard double click icon and will open and show files inside the folder in corkboard view
2. Single file Icon and will open file directly into the editor
Double Click Title or inside the Index card to edit information
If had set in behaviors for double clicking in the options panel (under behaviors section) you have the option that a double click on the Corkboard background will close all the subfolders and move back to parent card in the Corkboard view.
Return Key
Dragging and Dropping
Drop ons-allow you to take cards and stack them on each other just like you would do in the binder. This can easily occur by accident if moving Corkboard cards around in freeform mode or dragging cards to change the order. Often is best not to check this option.
However, to allow this option you have to go to:
Menu command File > Options > Behaviors > Dragging and Dropping
Note: If you click the Alt- dragging creates duplicates, then this means holding the Alt key and dragging a file in the corkboard creates a new copy of the file in the location you dragged it to.
Right Click Menu
Can do by right clicking the Index Card Icon, inside the Index Card or in the Background. The menu is the same. Adding Cards to the Corkboard can only happen one at a time, though can rapidily duplicate a newly made card)
This is a start to understand how the Corkboard works but other functions are available including Printing Index Cards, Stacking Cards and others that I hope to cover in future blogs.
Updated 3/24/24