Long time ago, I created a project and made an auto complete list with a lot of names on it. Today, I went into Project > Project Settings > Auto Complete List and saw that none of my names from way back when were on the list, although it did show three names that I more recently added to the list.
However! When in scriptwriting mode, if I start typing any of the names from my old list, they pop up as options! So I know the names are still THERE, somewhere…
AND! When in scriptwriting mode, if I start typing any of the three more recently added names, these names do NOT show up as options.
So my old list works but doesn’t show up in settings, and my recently added names show up in settings but don’t work when I’m typing.
Any thoughts as to what might be going on here, or where I might be able to find my old list to edit it?
Assuming you’re working in Scrivener 3, you can go to Project > Project Settings > Auto-Complete List to see your existing list and when those items are being used. That is, you can determine in that screen if they’re being used for only the script mode, general mode, or both.
Appendix C.6 in the Scrivener manual provides additional guidance on using that tool. You can access a PDF of the Scrivener manual via its Help menu.
thanks Ruth! that’s what’s wrong though: I did go to Project > Project Settings > Auto-Complete List. It only lists my recently added names, and the scope for each name is listed correctly. However, it doesn’t include names from my old list.
While I’m typing in the right scope in scriptwriting mode, the auto complete options show up only for the names in my old list, but none of the recently added names show up as options.
So I’m trying to figure out where that old list is being stored, so I can edit it…
I’m thinking this must be some kind of bug that was introduced somewhere in transitioning the project from Scrivener 2 to Scrivener 3. Maybe.
The autocomplete list is stored inside your project’s .scrivx file, which will be called YourProjectName.scrivx, and stored inside the YourProjectName.scriv project folder.
Before you proceed, remember - the .scrivx file is the index (heart) of your project. L&L does not endorse users poking around inside it. If you bork it, your project is borked. I suggest making a copy of your project folder and experimenting on that first. Regardless, make full project backups before proceeding. Ensure that you have something to fall back on if things go south.
Did you perhaps save your project-specific nouns into your script settings? I’d go into Format ▸ Scriptwriting ▸ Script Settings..., and check out the Auto-Complete tab for any of the elements (selected in the list on the left) where they would be coming from.
Generally this area is for global stuff that would apply to many projects.
Thank you AmberV! That is the solution I needed!!
I also see there’s a checkbox for “Include project completions for this element” which is nice. But, I’m still wondering why there are two places for auto-complete lists - surely there’s a reason I haven’t discovered yet.
As noted, the element-specific lists are for global completions that would be of use across many projects—like “INT.” in scene headings or “(V.O.)” on characters. You wouldn’t want to have to add many dozens of these to every project, or have to wade through them all to find a typo entry in the project auto-complete list.
I also see there’s a checkbox for “Include project completions for this element” which is nice.
Yup! That’s what makes some of the elements “magic” and remember what you type in.