The Overall Scrivener Interface
1. The Main Menu: As previously mentioned, when providing navigation hints it will be in the format Use the Menu command with one of the top labels in the red box (for example, File) > second Sub Menu (options within the first sub menu) an so on for any other Sub Menus until you show the final menu option.
2. The Tool Bar: This is customizable and allows you to add many commonly used options. You will notice in this example the Center Quick Search area contains the title of the document currently in the Editor window (Editor Small Topics). This is the title of the document / scene selected in the Binder (4). Handy Hint: If you hover your mouse over this the document name in the Quick Search Area this will be replaced with x Words | y Words where x Words is the total number of words in the project and y Words is the number of words written today and a daily target goal (if this has been set). If you click on the box, the document name is replaced with a quick search box, handy for finding a word or name in your project.
3. Formatting Bar: For quick changes to text format in the current Editor
4. Binder
There are three folders in the Binder which cannot be removed though you can rename them or add sub-folders and documents.
A. Manuscript > Draft > Screenplay: (Name changes depending upon template). This is where you place the folders and text that will eventually become your compiled document.
B. Research: This is where you place research, images, video, text you wish to access from within your project.
C. Trash: Like the Windows Trash, it stores deleted items until you decide to clear out the Trash.
5. The Editor: This Bar contains information on the current document you are viewing in the Editor and has multiple menu options available here.
6. The Inspector: Holds synopses, notes, internal and external bookmarks, metadata, keywords, snapshots, comments and footnotes, depending on which function you choose from the header bar menu within this window. 💡 If you don’t see the inspector click on the Inspector Icon. (The blue circle with an i in it.) Clicking the icon toggles the visibility of the Inspector on and off.
(💡 All working areas can be resized by hovering the cursor over the boundary between sections until it changes to a double sided arrow and dragging.)
Hidden powers of Scrivener begin to be apparent when you explore what could be called Group View Mode and is on the Main Toolbar by default. (This view is only active when multiple documents have been selected.).
The three modes within this group view are:
The Scrivenings View (This shows the selected documents merged together as though they are one document with subtle dividers.)
The Corkboard (Views multiple documents as individual “3 X 5” cards which can be moved around.)
The Outliner (Shows a list of multiple documents and can include columns of information about the visible documents similar in a way to an excel spreadsheet. You can choose which columns to be visible and change at any time based on your needs.)
See each icon in Group View Mode below. If you have selected multiple documents, then clicking on any one of the three icons will change how you view these documents.
Group View Mode