How to open multiple projects in one window

Scrivener Scrivener for Windows
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Hello,

I’m pretty new to Scrivener - I’ve used it just long enough to realize I love it and want to learn more!

While watching a how-to Scrivener webinar, I saw that the host had several projects open in the same Scrivener window and he was able to switch back and forth between them almost like internet browser tabs.

I’ve been able to open several projects at once, but they’re always in separate Scrivener windows. Will someone please help me figure out how to open multiple projects in the same window for easy switching?

Thank you!
Christina

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Hi.

Never seen such a thing.
If it can be done, it has got to be a windows’ or third party app thing.

Care to link to that video with a time reference ?

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The videos are probably using the Mac version. It is not possible with plain jane Windows to do the same window. It will allow you to open multiple windows for different projects, which I find easier to work with when copying stuff from one project to another. Just use the file-> open Windows way.

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Windows user here absolutely can do it with Scrivener and scapple. Currently have 6 projects open and once and can easily click on one window to open. will include a picture. Open first project, then File>Open or File>recent projects and open another.

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Vincent_Vincent, thank you for your reply! I don’t know if you’ll be able to watch the video because it’s a webinar replay, but I’ll post the link. You’ll find the layout I’m referring to visible at 13:55

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Jestar, thank you for your reply. It was in the ios version. I’m hoping there’s a way to do it in Windows too

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GoalieDad, thank you for your reply! The screenshots are very helpful, but by the time I zoom in enough to try to see what’s going on, it’s too blurry to decipher. Will you please send a screenshot of just one of the windows?

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Sounds like one of the many 3rd party tools that group the regular Windows “windows” mentionend by GoalieDad into tabs.

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StefanG, thank you for your input. That’s a cool program, though I’m afraid it would be tempted to have a hundred documents open at a time!

The screen I saw wasn’t actually multiple windows, just multiple projects in the same window.

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The point was each window represents a currently open project. Had 6 open at once. The names are personal distinct projects.

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Here’s a screenshot of what I’m referring to with the “tabs” highlighted

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GoalieDad, that’s what I wondered…I’m able to get multiple windows with a different project in each. The issue is that I can’t get more than one project per window. Thank you for sharing your solution!

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Misunderstood. If use quick reference panel can open multiple files in seperate floating windows from same project. Or split editor by clicking icon in upper right corner of editor window. Is that what you are looking for?

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Thanks to your screenshot, I see what you mean. The promise was that beginning with Scriv 3, both platforms would be on par. Apparently they are not.

The closest you probably get, without having to use the taskbar, is via Scrivener’s main menu “Window”. It lists all your open projects at the end of the dropdown. But I guess you already knew this.

Again, it would be nice to have direct access at one glance, as shown on your screenshot. Maybe tag your post as a wish, to put it on their agenda as a feature to implement for Windows, too.

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This has come up before. The tabbed access to multiple projects you’re seeing in the webinar is NOT a Mac Scrivener feature–it is is a feature of the Mac operating system.

The Windows operating system has no comparable feature. As others have noted upthread, there are Windows third-party products that will provide the ability to run multiple programs within a tabbed window. TidyTabs has already been mentioned. I own Stardock Groupy and that works well.

If you want multiple projects open in one tabbed window on Windows OS, you’ll need to buy one of these third-party products.

Best,
Jim

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Thank you, GoalieDad. Those are both great features - especially the split editor (at least for me)

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Thank you, Jim! It makes sense that it’s an operating system difference. I’ll look into the various tabbed window programs for Windows - sounds like a good option.

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This is down to the OS. What @ChristinaJoy was watching could have been on the Mac (if not iOS) where the possibility to combine separate project windows into a single tabbed window is provided across the board by MacOS. It’s not programmed by Lit&Lat. It seems that that is not a feature of Windows or Qt.

The aim is to create parity everywhere that it is possible, though there are bound to be differences between the two platforms in some things. That is one; difference in dictionary interfacing is another… it’s provided universally on MacOS, but on Windows the devs have had to implement it through Hunspell; a third and major one is the ability to edit across document boundaries in Scrivenings mode… on the Mac it’s been there from the beginning, obviously the programming toolkit has enabled it, but the Windows devs have not yet been able to find a way of implementing it.

On the other hand, for those who’re into creating themes, it seems that the Windows version has more flexibility than the Mac version, though it requires going down into the “plumbing”… which it seems is not possible on the Mac.

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Money wasted, if you ask me.
Seems to me like something that makes one happy for a couple of days, but that you later realize to be of no importance at all.

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This was exactly my experience with Stardock Groupy.

Not the fault of the product–it does exactly what it says it can do, and it does it well enough.

But once I had the ability to combine multiple windows into one and tab between them, I eventually realized I didn’t like working that way. :exploding_head:

Another lesson learned. Fortunately, a relatively inexpensive one.

Best,
Jim

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