Is it another of my failings that I can't use the Ref Guide right? 
 
When you follow a link, and there are a bazillion of them, there is no way to get back to what you were reading before following the link; other than various work-arounds like writing down the page number or opening multiple copies?   Or is there a better way? 
 
I can't count the number of times I've been trying to research something and got lost in the 2000 pages of empty space. 
 
(edited -- using Alt-Left and Alt-Right works for backtracking/forward tracking in Adobe Reader, so my failing indeed). 

No problems here.
I can go back to a previous page at any time, using the SONAR.CHM Helpfile or the Reference Guide.pdf file.
You could try a different pdf. reader, I use "Foxit Reader" and it works.
 
Best,
Klaus

This is a problem with any manual that hyperlinks almost every hyperlinkable thing. You just end up going around in circles, never really gaining a full understanding of the subject you're researching. I'm not a fan of the reference manual tbh.

Ah, found at least the answer for Adobe Reader --- ALT-Left-Arrow goes back to a previous view.    Still way too many links interrupting the flow, but at least I won't get lost as often.   

In Adobe Reader right click on the menu bar and select Navigation Tools in the drop down menu that comes up. Click on Previous View and a left pointing arrow in a circle will appear as an icon in the menu. Clicking that icon will return you to the previously viewed location. Apparently next and previous view commands are not turned on by default. 

slartabartfast
In Adobe Reader right click on the menu bar and select Navigation Tools in the drop down menu that comes up.

Thanks for this.  Never occurred to me to look for it.
 
The Reference Guide is so huge that it's impossible to scroll it using the scrollbar, you end up jumping several pages at a time and can't home in to a particular page.  Using the scroll arrows is way too slow.  Many references to page numbers in the text are wrong.  It's hasn't been updated in at least a year.
 

On a fast computer you can probably do a full text search of the pdf in less time than looking it up (and usually not finding it) in an index, even when the page numbers are correct. That is not a Sonar specific issue. Indexes are notoriously useless unless they are so large as to be unwieldy. For some reason the author (more commonly the indexer who may or may not be human these days) is trying to be helpful answering the wrong question. Oddly this is often true of "context sensitive help" as well. Of course if the pdf is not being updated as new features are added no method will work. If it is just the index and pagination that is defective, full text would be the only method that will work. 

slartabartfast
 full text search of the pdf

 
Not to belabor the point, but with the gigantic number of links that all say the same thing, wading through the result of a full text search leads to inappropriate behavior like coming to the forum and being angry at everything.