Home / Search in book - newbie question

I just installed Sumatra PDF … when I open the application from the start menu, there is a white banner across the top with a pulldown menu on the top left (File, View, Go to, etc.). Below that is a standard menu bar including Open document, print, a page number field … and towards the right, a search box.

However, when I open an epub file, this standard menu line disappears. I still have the pull down menu icon (three horizontal bars) beside the name of the open file, but the menu line with the open, print, prev page, next page, etc. - including the search box - has disappeared.

When I try to search in the open file (F3 or Ctrl-F), nothing happens. How do I search in an open book?

Thanks,
Angus

in settings > advanced options there is a section such as

EbookUI [
FontName = Georgia
FontSize = 12.5
TextColor = #5f4b32
BackgroundColor = #fbf0d9
UseFixedPageUI = false

change to

UseFixedPageUI = true

Don’t forget to save the changed settings file for it to be registered then either close the ebook and reopen it or easiest press R to refresh / reload

now you will have the same “Fixed page” User Interface as used for other formats, NOTE it will no longer appear as a “Dynamic Page” (reflowing etc)

The fuller documentation page is here Customizing eBook UI (sumatrapdfreader.org)

Thanks … that did it (though I’m surprised that this hasn’t been a more frequent question, and the solution a little more user-friendly).

Agreed it would be best as a quick button / key-in or in standard options
however @kjk has strong views on a maximising canvas / minimising “clutter” since everyone wants different options visible.

[Later Edit]
In version 3.2+ current pre-release the very easy way to toggle setting between =true and =false is available from the Debug menu as Toggle ebook UI

So for English (and for now all other languages) the shortcut is ALTDT

Implementation of search, copy etc. functionality in EbookUI has been requested many, many times, on the old forum as well as on GitHub. Just a few issues that I found with a quick search; quite likely there are more:

Well… That’s because it’s a bloody Ebook reader! Searching through text is one of the CORE features of that kind of programs! It is as if you tried designing a program for painting and asked yourself “Hm, should I add a colour palette so that people can paint other colours than black and white?” OF COURSE YOU SHOULD!

Glad this function has been implemented at all with that mindset, weird I have to enable it in the ini.
Geez.

Actually the function still hasn’t been implemented for EbookUI and all we have is a workaround involving being forced to view eBooks using FixedPageUI if searching, copying text etc. are required. Feel free to enquire of the dev why this is so (probably he just never had the time/motivation to add the features to EbookUI), or better still, contribute the required code if you are capable.

how can I copy the text of a EPUB book?

With recent editions flip the ebook interface

and press R to reload