V3.5.2 - How to enable a menu bar?

[chrisjj]

First, thanks for the program!

My question. How do I enable a main menu bar? Currently (default install), main menu is under a hamburger button - to save space that does not need saving here, since I have an excess of tis which I would like to be used for a standard WIG menu bar.

No answer found in previous discussions here or Help.

Thanks.

[GitHubRulesOK]

The core viewer is Multi-format MuPDF which is one page frame and has no real GUI such as menu tabs scrolling bars etc.

SumatraPDF adds a menu and scrollbars to pages larger than a single frame

and a single line toolbar

Alternately (by default) can be tabbed or switch tabs OFF and restart in menu mode

[chrisjj]

What is a single frame please?

[larrybud2004]

What is a single frame please?

I think he means when there's only 1 document opened, but I could be wrong.

[GitHubRulesOK]

When fit a single page is active the placement can be any size and scrollbars detract from that working area.
Clearly not a problem for users with modern large monitors but for mobile or legacy use the canvas area was designed to be single framed.

Here shown in one of a few modern browsers with fit page active.

Admittedly now a rarer situation with mainstream browsers like Chrome or Firefox that dont support SumatraPDF as a plug-in. But many users still utilise SumatraPDF.EXE as a core viewer within their applications or smaller devices.

[chrisjj]

Thanks, but still I do not know what is meant by single frame.

Clearly not a problem for users with modern large monitors but for mobile or legacy use the canvas area was designed to be single framed.

So, the only option available for modern large monitors is one designed for m9bike and legacy?

Here shown in one of a few modern browsers with fit page active.

I am not using a browser. I am using the SumatraPDF exe.

[GitHubRulesOK]

Two alternative Windows light-weight viewers that behaved similar (no scrollbar in non continuous single frame) but have more GUI options are Okular so here my latest is fairly old (about version 2019:03/2019:04 so later should have more menus including sound and dark screen features and unknown if they added different scroll behaviour) and XDF latest 2024 shown is 4.05

Most of the simpler viewers are based on MuPDF or xPDF and thus have very similar core PDF rendering functions of no scroll in fit a single (non-continuous) page or have widely differing GUI enhancements around those framed engines.

[chrisjj]

Thanks but I was asking about just SumatraPDF.

…

On Monday, 18 November 2024, GitHubRulesOK ***@***.***> wrote: Two alternative Windows light-weight viewers that behaved similar (no scrollbar in non continuous single frame) but have more GUI options are Okular so here my latest is fairly old (about version 2019:03/2019:04 so later should have more menus including sound and dark screen features and unknown if they added different scroll behaviour and XDF latest 2024 4.05 image.png (view on web) <https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/01c1da68-fe8f-4907-9e55-14d016ebe65a> — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#4640 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ABO7GEN75I2JRVHOEFRUWO32BJLBRAVCNFSM6AAAAABR6DOLD6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTCMRZG4YDENQ> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: <sumatrapdfreader/sumatrapdf/repo-discussions/4640/comments/11297026@ github.com>

[larrybud2004]

So are we saying that the menu bar cannot be displayed and we have to use the hamburger menu? There's an option in the settings called "ShowMenuBar" which has no effect on anything.

[GitHubRulesOK]

@larrybud2004

Current SumatraPDF uses legacy menubar or more modern tabs with drop down (so only 2 of 3 choices and the third mix is not normal so unsupported in the releases)

[larrybud2004]

How does one get the so-called "legacy menubar" to appear?

"so only 2 of 3 choices and the third mix is not normal so unsupported in the releases"

I don't know what that means.

[GitHubRulesOK]

@larrybud2004
switch off tabs and restart SumatraPDF the windows will be un-tabbed
so the mix of tabs and menubar is possible in the short interval (when both are active) but it not a designed behaviour.

[molecularknife]

this is the design i want to have

[larrybud2004]

In the latest version, when both the menubar and tabs are enabled (which is the default install), the menubar does not show, it only has the hamburger menu. Not sure what other option is causing this vs the way yours looks. Turning off tabs will show the menubar.

So what other options do you have enabled/disabled to allow you to show both at the same time?

[GitHubRulesOK]

@larrybud2004
Both at the same time is not supported.
It is an unstable state you could manually or programmatically repeatedly achieve .
but as said it is un-intended temporary state between the 2 single options.

[tuaris]

Turning off tabs will show the menubar.

This is exactly what I want: No tabs and use a standard menu bar. This is much more visually appealing and functional.

[larsen0815]

switch off tabs and restart SumatraPDF the windows will be un-tabbed so the mix of tabs and menubar is possible in the short interval (when both are active) but it not a designed behaviour.

I'd also like to have only a single window with multiple tabs, and the window having a "normal" menu bar instead of the burger button. Just the way it looks in your screenshot above would be fine.

Both at the same time is not supported. It is an unstable state you could manually or programmatically repeatedly achieve . but as said it is un-intended temporary state between the 2 single options.

A little bit confusing to me: it is "not supported", but at the same time it can be achieved somehow. So, technically it is possible, isn't it? And how?

[larsen0815]

Already found the answer in another discussion:

it happens when you start without tabs then switch them tabs on

So, technically it is possible. I think many users including me would really like this.
Are there any reasons for not implementing it as a persistent feature?

[larrybud2004]

Doesn't work for me. If I have the full menu on and then turn on tabs, the tabs don't appear. But if I then close the program and reopen it, then the tabs show, but the menu is the hamburger.

[larsen0815]

Try this:

• Setting "tabs" is off
• Restart SumatraPDF and open one PDF (Menu is shown)
• Set "tabs" on
• Open another PDF
• Both PDFs are shown in separate tabs in one window

[CM630]

Just got there.
I found two options currently (SumatraPDF 3.6.1):

1. Tabs instead of separate windows per document; No normal menu (hamburger only); No Title bar
2. Separate windows instead of tabs; Normal menu; The title bar is present

Still no option for:
Tabs instead of separate windows per document; Normal menu; ... one can live without a title bar, thought it is till inconvenient.
????

[kjk]

In 3.7 (pre-release) you can have tabs and the normal menu bar together: press F9 or choose View → Show Menu. The menu bar is shown below the tabs, and the choice is remembered (ShowMenubarWithTabs in Advanced settings).

The tabs stay in the title bar. If you instead want more space, View → Show Caption (Shift + F8) hides the caption and shows it when the mouse reaches the top edge.

[GitHubRulesOK]

@CM630
This is a very old thread about an old 3.5 version from 2 years ago
So 3.7 pre release has many many options that change these behaviours of tabs menu transparency thumbnails and tab for favourites etc.