How do you display the Book panel?

[Thomas_Calvin]

I can find no way to show this thing after it (inexplicably) disappears, making it impossible to manage styles among the files in your book. I've even tried re-opening the indb file; that does absolutely nothing... even if you close all open files.

In addition to that problem: Is there a way to have styles sync across a book automatically, instead of having to continually select every file in the book and re-sync?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Try resetting preferences:

Or do you have more than one screen / display?

[Thomas_Calvin]

I do have two screens.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

I do have two screens.

By @Thomas_Calvin

Maybe it's on the 2nd screen, somewhere in the corner?

What platform - Windows or Mac?

[Thomas_Calvin]

Thanks. Windows. And I always move it to the screen I'm working on. In the screen grab I posted, I even dock it to keep it available without it floating around in my face while I'm trying to work.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

[...] In the screen grab I posted, [...]

By @Thomas_Calvin

What screen grab?

There are no screenshots posted by you?

[Thomas_Calvin]

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Thomas_Calvin 

Right, I'm using NoScript plugin for FireFox and forgot to let it temporarily trust everything here 😞

There was an empty space under your post...

So after you've docked it - you can't undock it? Even when you close and open InDesign and open book again?

What if you switch Workspaces?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

And what do you have set in Options:

[Thomas_Calvin]

I have everything selected.

[Mike Witherell]

I read that the trick is never dock the Book panel. It is a quirk of that panel.

[Thomas_Calvin]

Thanks. I love herding floating junk around my screen while I'm trying to work.

The "quirks" in this product are quickly becoming a deal-breaker.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

And it's not available through scripting?

[Thomas_Calvin]

Jeez. What is going on here, Adobe? Every attempt to apply routine publishing functionality reveals another defect and another workaround that takes you down another dead-end alley. How is a glaring UI defect like this allowed to persist?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Thomas_Calvin 

That screenshot isn't from InDesign 😉

[Thomas_Calvin]

I know. But your point is that the Books panel isn't even available through scripting, is it not?

[Laubender]

Hi @Thomas_Calvin ,

can you see the InDesign book's file name listed at the bottom of the Window main menu of InDesign?

If yes, the book file is still open somewhere. If there is no checkmark on its name, the panel is minimized somehow.

If no, the book file is closed and you have to open it again.

From my German InDesign with a partly minimized book panel docked where the name of the book file is visible at the bottom of the Windows main menu ( "Fenster" in German ) :

Expanded book panel. Checkmark on the book file name is visible now:

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[Thomas_Calvin]

Thanks! I'll try that the next time this thing disappears. Right now, inexplicably, the panel remains available in the docked area after I open a document... contrary to what I show in the video above, doing the exact same steps. Insert eye-roll.