I want to make a kind of recipe book / collection. I tried to use a blank template (https://i.imgur.com/AEWgvn2.png).
For the recipes I want to take lists. But I cannot find a way to get any of the lists working. They completely got “destroyed” all the time. What am I missing?
I don’t know! But I can tell you what we are missing: a precise definition of what “destroyed” means, and a method for getting to that point ourselves.
Lists don’t do anything once I make them, for me, so obviously we’re doing something different.
Very sorry for the inadequate, exaggerated wording!
Yes, yes, obviously we really do. Well, getting to that point, don’t know. At some point at least, they go completely out of joint (so to say), completely different tab stops (that do not make sense), margins, indents, etc. When I copy a part of a list, a single item of the list and insert it at another point of the list, the (list) format is missing or the indents, margings are completely different than before, etc. So I would say they do not work at all here. So the method might be just to use lists.
This sounds like a Scrivener 1 vs 3 problem. Are you running Scrivener 3.1.5.1?
Yes, I am. Oops, 20 characters minimum required, what sense does that make?
Yeah, that definitely sounds like an older bug, though if the list was made before you upgraded, it may still have bad formatting in it since the software cannot tell the difference between something made to look that way on purpose or not. So try selecting the list and using the Format ▸ Lists ▸ Reset Indents to Defaults menu command. If that works, you can also use that command without a selection, to have all the lists within the section fixed at once.
Actually I would think also new lists do not behave differently. I will check.
Format ▸ Lists ▸ Reset Indents to Defaults
How could I make a shortcut or an icon for that (instead of clicking through the menu)?
So could I fix the entire project with a few clicks / actions, instead of each section separately without changing any formats I do not want to change or causing other harm? A section is a doc or folder?
Yes, new lists that you make should not have this problem. If you are indeed running into issues with indents changing in new lists (and I would even double-check doing so in a fresh binder item to eliminate any possibility of trace formatting for this kind of test), then please let us know what steps we should take from start to finish in order to see the problem. We think we got the whole bug fixed, but maybe you found a scenario that we missed.
As for shortcuts, you can use the simple menu accelerators: Alt,r,l followed by Enter since it is the first command in the list.
Sorry, I actually meant:
How could I make a shortcut or an icon for that (instead of clicking through the menu)?
So could I fix the entire project with a few clicks / actions, instead of each section separately without changing any formats I do not want to change or causing other harm? A section is a doc or folder?
The command works across Scrivenings, so load as much text as you want into Scrivenings mode, leave the cursor blinking so there is no selection, and run the command.
As for the second question, I don’t know how to answer that fully. Do you mean there are some lists that do have custom indents? If so you’ll just need to be careful to work around them. Like I say the software cannot know the difference between indents you made on purpose and ones that got messed up by the bug.
As for the second question, I don’t know how to answer that fully. Do you mean there are some lists that do have custom indents?
I cannot remember, maybe.
If so you’ll just need to be careful to work around them.
So to have to work around them would mean I could not use the Scrivenings mode to fix ALL the lists together, I guess.
The problem is, if I would reset ALL lists at once with one action and that would change something I didn’t want, I would only notice that when I edited certain documents, folders. Then I wouldn’t even know if it came from the reset or if there was another cause.
Sorry for asking a third time: How could I make a shortcut or an icon for the reset option (instead of clicking through the menu)?
A section is a doc or folder?
As always, before embarking on a large formatting job, File ▸ Back Up ▸ Back Up To... is a wise move. Set that aside with a clearly given name that has the original project name and “Old lists” after it (or something like that). Now if you ever come across a list that had its formatting changed unintentionally, you can open up that backup and copy and paste it into your main project. No big deal!
Backups are your way around almost every form of “risk” that the software might present through usage.
Sorry for asking a third time: How could I make a shortcut or an icon for the reset option (instead of clicking through the menu)?
I wasn’t clear with my answer before, the key sequence I gave you is the only shortcut that exists. This isn’t a common enough command by any means for us to have created custom artwork for a button, or even add it to the list of commands that can be customised. It’s one of those things you should hopefully only need to use a little bit and then never again.
A section is a doc or folder?
Just text of any sort in the binder, however you wish to refer to it. All three of these words are synonyms in Scrivener. A folder is a text file, a text file can be a folder (though we’d call it a group or container more generically), and both are sections.
As always, before embarking on a large formatting job, File ▸ Back Up ▸ Back Up To… is a wise move. Set that aside with a clearly given name that has the original project name and “Old lists” after it (or something like that). Now if you ever come across a list that had its formatting changed unintentionally, you can open up that backup and copy and paste it into your main project. No big deal!
I am not quite sure, if it were dozens or hundrets of lists that would be reseted improperly and / or other formats or whatever were affected, it might yet become a big deal, respectively much work. But perhaps I will try some further deformated lists first to see what will happen. Some (not customized) lists seem to be reset not the way I want and I would not recognize that only at a cursory glance (after fixing ALL lists). And I would not know, remember what lists already are fixed and what are not after having fixed a special amount of lists.
It’s one of those things you should hopefully only need to use a little bit and then never again.
If I did not try to fix ALL lists at once (what at the moment I preferred), I would need that command extremely often, I guess. But there really is no shorter way to do it than with Alt+R,L,R, a quite unhandy combination I need two hands for.
AutoHotKey is a favourite around here, it’s a tool that can help you trigger menu commands with your own shortcuts, among many many other things. If you make a post about it, in the third-party software area, you might even get some help setting something up (I’d do so, but I’m not really familiar with it myself).
(I’d do so, but I’m not really familiar with it myself)
Many thanks . And many thanks for the link.
To deal with a new program just because of this one circumstance might be quite inefficient (but maybe more efficient - or not - than manually correcting “what the bug” did without that program, who knows).
This happens in the “new”, “bug free” lists as well:
When I copy a part of a list, a single item of the list and insert it at another point of the list, the (list) format (partially) is missing and / or the indents, margings are different than before, etc.
Is there a way to avoid that? To keep, copy / paste the format?
That is probably desirable in most cases, if I understand correctly, but do note that the best way to reorganise your list is to use the Edit ▸ Move shortcuts and Tab/Shift-Tab for indents. Copying and pasting list lines into lists is very complicated internally.
That is probably desirable in most cases, if I understand correctly, but do note that the best way to reorganise your list is to use the
Edit ▸ Moveshortcuts and Tab/Shift-Tab for indents.
Sorry for my bad expression, I do not want to reorganize (in this context) but only copy / move one or two items to another point of the list (just like that, without having to do preparations or such, I just want to do it quickly), nothng else, that is all. I guess, using Edit ▸ Move is the worst way possible here at all, I guess, it is totally unusable for me, the view of the doc, folder jumps to some point when using that option, does not make any sense here, so I am not able following what is happening, I had to scroll down or up or so all the time, find the moved / copyed item.
Copying and pasting list lines into lists is very complicated internally.
Okey, very sorry about that, maybe one could spy a little on Microsoft Word or OpenOffice or so. I wouldn’t tell anyone…well, maybe I would even be a good - but anxious - agent (well, well, I assume, these two properties somehow don’t really fit together here…well). But I have sunglasses…so I already have the basic equipment every agent needs. To be inconspicuous or something. Ah, sorry for digressing. But honestly, if there is a need, just send a private message. Code word: Dark Swordfish. But inconspicuous!
Careful. That’s what killed James Bond.
It didn’t help him putting on sunshades to watch the cluster bombs sparkle above him. Whereas if he had a decent wi-fi connection like any modern day spy, well be have had all the time in the world.
Yes, of course, that’s true, but Dominic Tourette kicked with his lowered booster car a rolling bomb (through Rome) over the rail against a crane into a river to avoid Vatican City (and most of the popes) being bombed away wearing (mirrored) sunglasses (wearing them also at night) and a sleeveless spy muscle shirt.
I have a somewhat related question re lists with the addition of locating all lists in their own ‘document’ and then setting a style to use in compile. If this should be a separate topic- please adjust. 
In my WIP, the exact ‘style’ of the lists are specified by either industry standards and/or the publisher and may vary slightly. (Font size & style/indent/numbering pattern/margins)
Overall, the lists need to be in date order, but frequently the date is not known when the list is first created, and sometimes it can’t be determined and becomes a best guess which can change over time as new evidence is discovered. (These are the children)
This requires moving said item/child up or down in the list.
My WIP has hundreds (1000+) of these lists.
Many of these entries will also have reference links to other documents. (Their parents/their children)
I have just updated to Win11Home/v3.1.5.1
Since I have just updated, I am also going through the project to update section types and revert to no style so I can fully utilize the compile style settings as intended.
In reading through the forum & manual, it seems the best thing to do would be to
I am now very concerned about having to change the order of my lists. Is drag and drop just as problematic as cut and paste or cut/paste/match style? If it makes a difference, the exact format in my editor is not integral to my work as long as I can easily see the levels of the list.
If my thinking is off, would you please explain why, or a better method?
