Title and other metadata

I am completely confused by one aspect of the upgrade.
I have always used working titles in my work and then updated them as needed as the work proceeded.
In older versions of Scrivener there was a metadata tab which I could use to update a main title and a short title.
Now that has completely disappeared. The only metadata available is custom metadata.
I now want to update a working title on one of my projects and can’t find any information anywhere in the manual
so how do I do it?

In the previous version, there was a representation of an index card at the top of almost every pane in the inspector. That has been removed from all but the first tab, since space would otherwise be cramped with how the new tabs work. So to change the title, you need to go back to the Notes tab (first button), to view the index card and adjust it there.

You can also by the way update the main title over in the editor, within the header bar. The ⌃⌥⌘T shortcut will put your cursor there, if you prefer. And for the synopsis (what I think you are calling the short title?), there is ⌃⌥⌘I, which again just goes back to that Note tab.

Robin: If I’m not mistaken, you’re talking about the project’s title, not the titles of individual documents in the binder, editor, or inspector, right?

If that’s what you’re after, the place you change the name of your project is in the compile dialogue. On the right side of the window that pops up when you go to File->Compile, there are 4 icons near the top. The one that looks like a luggage tag is where you can change the project title, author name, and other project-level metadata on the output.

If you are referring to the project-wide titles used by the <$projecttitle> and <$abbrtitle> placeholders, you can modify them in the compile dialog:


Edit: RDale got here first, but I thought the screen shot might still be helpful… :smiley:

Thanks for those who responded. Yes I am referring to the project title, not the title of individual documents.
So, unfortunately, I consider having to change the Project Title in Compile a step backward. The great advantage of Scrivener and why I use it for all my various projects, short stories, novels, non fiction books and scripts is its flexibility and the ability to change any aspect of the writing on the fly.
Changing the Project Title in Compile implies a finished project not one that is being worked on.
Since there is already a custom metadata choice under Project Settings and that doesn’t clutter up the menu, I believe that the next upgrade should restore a choice for updating the original project title and possibly other settings (for example in one project I recently added a co author) as one works on a project
thanks

RR

You might be thinking of the compile window as being something other than what it is (and a bit more like it was in v2). It’s an aspect of project configuration that contains options that pertain to the public output of your work. Changing settings within it implies nothing about the status of the project, any more than going into Page Setup and changing the margins implies that all you will now be doing from now on is printing.

I would contend instead that Scrivener 2 was kind of confusing—you had this title setting over here, and then another title setting in compile, and one might track the other, but not if you typed into this one over here, because once you did that the other was ignored… meh. Now you only ever have to worry about one place for all that kind of stuff.

Myself, I adjust compile settings throughout the entire life of the project. If I need a new type of section I go in and set it up. If I need a Replacement I open it up and change the compile settings—all on the fly, as you put it.

One other thing that might be a missing ingredient in conceptualising this properly: hold down Option in the compile window and click Save. You don’t have to compile once you go in.

Is <$PROJECTTITLE> documented? I don’t find it in the, “List of All Placeholders…” under “Help”.

Is this explicitly documented, somewhere? When I search the Scrivener, “Tutorial” project for, “$PROJECTTITLE”, I get “0 results”.

CMD F should find it for you in the List of All Placeholders.

Slàinte mhòr.

Thank you SilverDragon! Your screen shot saved me today :slight_smile:

I forgot how to change the project Title, I must have known once because it has a title.

The post above with screenshots is the best place to start.

Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Surely I’m not the only person who always forgets that holding “alt” or “opt” changes the “Compile” button to “Save”? I just spent about half an hour trying to save my project title metadata, then finding that it wasn’t saved when I exited the Compile window, then futilely tinkering with the custom metadata in the Project Settings. Worse, I think I’ve gone through all these steps before, but since it was a few years ago, I’d forgotten! I suggest adding a permanent button in the compile window that says “Save without compiling” or something like that. Thank you @Silverdragon for your screenshot.

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