I am quite often in a situation where I’m working on something in one window, while the other is reference material I’m working off of. This reference material is sorted on a per-document- basis and usually kept relatively concise. So, when I inevitably have to switch to a different document for some different information, it’s a bit of a pain to have to click on the doc I’m not working on, and then start looking through files. I often forget, and end up with the wrong file in the wrong window, going back, changing focus, and then clicking on the right thing.
So, is there a way to edit in one window while it’s the other one that switches with the navigation pane?
Bonus question: on the subject of navigating the interface, is it possible to change a setting so the “links” open their target file in the window in which the link was clicked, instead of opening the other window?
Yup! You can do precisely that with the Navigate ▸ Binder Selection Affects ▸ Other Editor setting. That will adapt to whichever split you are currently working within, always using the inactive split for loads, wherever that may be. But while you’re there it’s worth noting the other settings in here, as you may find a less “chaotic” approach works just as well. I very often have the binder set to only impact the left split, which leaves me in full control over the right split. To me that feels more natural than the “other editor” mode, but I’ll admit I haven’t used it much, probably not enough to acclimate.
I am of the Top or Bottom, Left or Right type.
If I have split editors, it is so that one serves as a reference. So I always stick to one interface configuration.
If I want the binder to affect the editor that it usually doesn’t, I hold Alt when clicking on the binder element.
Using the option to have the binder affect the “other” editor is messy imo. (My use case ; just my personal opinion.) Say for some reason you edit in the “wrong” editor, wander off a little then forget → your next binder selection will surely burst your flow of thoughts when it suddenly changes what’s not the editor you expected…
Better to build the reflex (to be in charge ; click vs Alt-click), and so to have the maneuver always act the same way.
One of the greatest strengths of Scrivener is how much the UI will bend to your way of working.
For example, I currently spend most of my time using the layouts shown in this post, along with QR panels.
I use the Outliners to drive their respective Copy Holders, and have set Binder Selection Affects > None. That way in the Binder I can move files around, open/close folders, etc. , without concern of inadvertently impacting an editor.
I use the Binder to launch QR Panels (left-click > space bar) or to replace the contents of the editors (left-click > Alt+Shift+O for active editor, left-click > Ctrl+Shift+O for inactive editor.
Pretty much. The first symbol is the ‘Option’ key, the second is ‘Command’. ‘Shift’ uses the same symbol as Windows. The ‘Command’ key basically turns all the alphanumeric and symbol keys into app-shortcuts and can be combined with ‘Option’, ‘Shift’ and ‘Control’ to give a vast range of possible shortcuts.
A number of the alphabetical keys combined with the ‘Control’ key without ‘Command’ are set by default to *nix Vi commands… very useful to those with a background in *nix. I’m not, so I override them through system settings to create memorable shortcuts to things like Styles, which otherwise would require far from memorable combinations… ^q for ‘Quote’, ^h for ‘Hanyu’ i.e. Chinese.
Some of the Mac shortcuts are quite alien to my Windows-only eyes. Like, literally alien. As in, if a character in a movie stumbled across an extraterrestrial space craft landed in a lonely field and was printed on the outside of the ship’s door, it would feel appropriate to me.
I’m the same when I have to use Windows; not that I’m faced with that much these days, thank heavens.
Mark
PS, and by the way, on a Mac keyboard, you wouldn’t need to worry, as ‘control’, ‘option’ and ‘command’ are all printed on the appropriate key caps as well as the symbols!
I’d have a real dilemma if they added Delete after the symbols. I wouldn’t know whether I’d be terminating the aliens with headshots or shooting them in the foot. Invariably, I might shoot myself in the foot.
Imaging if they came with magic mice that all ran backwards.
was printed on the outside of the ship’s door, it would feel appropriate to me. 
