Display fields, column widths, horizontal scroll ... ?

[MusicBebe]

I find myself repeatedly having to either add or remove fields from the main panel. I want a different mix, depending on the view and what I'm doing, likewise column widths. Changes to fields and widths made in one view seem to get propagated to other views, but it's not clear when and how. It feels like I'm doing a lot more messing with this than should be necessary.

Probably related, how independent are the different tabs? Like, which changes in one are also made in others? What determines that?

Also, does the backward/forward navigation in the tab apply only within that tab. It seems like each tab has its own history. But it's hard to be sure.

Also, I find that the horizontal scroll bar sometimes disappears, or is it that it only appears in some views, under some circumstances?

The common thread here is the difference between local and global effects. Whether or not a panel's open/close status carries over from one node to another is another source of some confusion.  

[please55]

To maintain different views for the main panel you can create and save custom views. Right click on the main panel header bar and you can choose to save a new view. Careful, MB saves changes you make on the fly. So for example to not mess up my defaults I pick the view I want, ex Tracks, and then immediately save a new view. Only then do I start making edits. Those edits will be unique to that view.

[hiccup]

To maintain different views for the main panel you can create and save custom views. Right click on the main panel header bar and you can choose to save a new view. Careful, MB saves changes you make on the fly.

That's a good observation and a fair warning indeed.
A user might think he is 'saving' a customised view, but he isn't really saving it.
He only created some volatile template name.

Any carefully chosen layout is not saved, let alone 'safe' at all, and will get overwritten/updated when making any changes to the layout, without any warning or confirmation to the user.

It's one of the very few aspects of MusicBee that doesn't make sense to me and makes me tear out my hair once in a while.

[The Incredible Boom Boom]

If ever I am wanting to create a new Custom View, the process I use is to open a tab and immediately save both the new View and Custom Layout. From then, you shouldn't have any issues with conflicting Views and Layouts. Also, make sure to never make any changes to the "Default" View and Layout.