How can I assign custom list and checkbox metadata values across multiple files at once, much like labels or status metadata? This feature seems to be missing. Thanks.
Custom metadata does not allow this, unfortunately. The quickest way to duplicate entries is likely in the outliner, but it’s copy and paste/paste/paste/paste/etc.
Good idea for a feature, though.
How do you mean? I was looking at the outliner solution too, but could not achieve what I wanted to do. How would copying and then pasting multiple times achieve what I want to do? All the files in the outliner view are unique though.
For the checkbox, you can load all the items you want to switch together in the outliner, show that metadata column (View > Outliner Options), then hold the Alt key while clicking in any one of the boxes to check or uncheck all of them. This also works for a multiple selection within a larger outliner–Alt-clicking the checkbox for any one of the selected items will set it for all of them.
The list custom metadata can’t currently be set for multiple items, but this is a feature that is planned and will work the same way as the status and label metadata: select multiple items in the binder, outliner, or corkboard via Ctrl- or Shift-click, then use the context menu to apply the metadata to all the selected items.
Great! Thanks for filing this. The Alt click method for the checkbox worked.
For the lists metadata, I’m assuming the planned implementation will be similar to the Mac version of Scrivener 3. Specifically, the custom list metadata group title appears in the right click context menu itself, and the list options can be selected from a fly out menu.
Also, is there a way to apply a custom text or date metadata to multiple documents at once? Thanks.
This is for custom MD text entries. It does not work for list metadata (Tried it).
If I have a custom metadata text column in the outliner, one line entry in that column can be copied.
Then double click the line in the outliner where you wish to duplicate the entry you just copied. Paste.
Double click the next entry where you want to duplicate the copied item, and paste. I’ve done this, for example, with a metadata text column titled “POV.” Copy/paste, paste, paste. This is tedious. I have not found a key to exit the text entry box easily, but clicking on the next line you wish to modify works. Working from the bottom to the top of the outliner seems to be the fastest (the text entry box doesn’t get in the way of the next entry, so you can just double-click the next entry to modify it).
Shifting back and forth from Text to List:
If I have a custom list with 2 items in it (Bill, Cindy), and I make several entries using that list, then decide I want to make it a text field instead of POV, I lose 4 entries that become numerics. Entries that were Bill become 1, and entries that were Cindy become 2. Entries that were “None” become -1. So if I know that code, I haven’t really lost data; it’s just been coded.
So a list of scenes that had Bill, Cindy, None, None in the custom MD column then have 1,2,-1,-1. BUT the rest of the entries in the outliner become Bill, Cindy, or Yes, depending on what was in them. This is an odd behavior, and likely a bug, but…I’m okay with this one, so long as it’s predictable.
However, if then you change it back to a list and populate the list in the same order, with the same items, you’ll get your correct list items back (in the example, Bill, Cindy, None, None).
Scrivener does not throw away the entries in the item fields; it simply wipes the field definition when you delete a Custom MD field. I’ve checked this several times through the Beta by perusing the Scrivx file.
Thanks for this. It definitely helps.