Kylotan
 (a) I don't want to have to explicitly select a track each time I want to see what effects are on it, and
(b) I like to be able to see multiple tracks at a glance and compare them. (Like I can with every single other aspect of the track.)
 

You just described console view.

Karyn

Anderton
Although there actually is a useful aspect...makes it easy to see if all the Console Emulators are enabled.

If you have to look to see if they're on...  are they actually doing anything?

The effect of the CE is cumulative and I use subtle settings. So after I'm finished tracking, I follow my own advice about mixing "through" the CEs...I want to make sure they're all enabled before I get serious about mixing. 
 
IMO you can't always tell whether a CE is on or off just by listening to a track, e.g. a treble boost or distortion could be masking the effect if the CE is on, or producing a similar sound if it's off. But if they're all on before you start mixing, you have a baseline reference.

There's hardly any views that can't be shown in the X series. It's far more versatile for that than pre-X1 versions, mainly for one reason......(drum roll)........ screensets.
 
A little OTB thinking and experimentation can produce anything (almost). Based on what I have read here I knocked up this.....
 

 
which....
 

1. Shows all the tracks and clips.
2. Shows the time line and markers.
3. Shows all (or as many as your system can view at once) prochannels.

 
This screenset once set up can be switched to instantly with one key press so you can use it as a check and return to the view you are working in as and when required.
 
*If* that's the sort of thing you mean I can post the steps to produce the view. If it isn't if you can be more precise about what you'd like to see instead and I'll have a go at coming up with another one.

Karyn

Kylotan
 (a) I don't want to have to explicitly select a track each time I want to see what effects are on it, and
(b) I like to be able to see multiple tracks at a glance and compare them. (Like I can with every single other aspect of the track.)
 

You just described console view.

Only if you deliberately ignore the next line in that very post.

John
D will minimize the multidock and also restore it. I use dual monitors and use the CV floated on the other monitor. 
 
The Inspector will show a lot of information plus it has all the MIDI widgets for controlling MIDI on a track. Track headers don't. 
 
You may want to look at screen sets to customize your view.  

Ah, D was probably doing nothing because my multidock is empty.
 
If I could use dual monitors, life would be a bit easier, though I'd still much prefer to be able to see everything about the track next to the track, as in Track View. I suppose by 'MIDI widgets' you mean things like the Arpeggiator? I hadn't noticed they'd been removed from the Track View, to be honest. I think that's a backwards step.
 
I don't think screensets are going to help much - either I can get the Prochannel next to each track as it's playing, or I can't. Swapping between screens is not something I consider an intuitive way of working, even if it is just 1 keypress.

FastBikerBoy
A little OTB thinking and experimentation can produce anything (almost). Based on what I have read here I knocked up this.....
 

 
which....
 

1. Shows all the tracks and clips.
2. Shows the time line and markers.
3. Shows all (or as many as your system can view at once) prochannels.

Thanks for this, but I think it's clear to me that what I want is just something Sonar X3 won't do. I need a lot of space for Track View, at least 75% of the height of the screen, because I rely on the Navigator sub-window, and also because I need my buses visible (because Sonar's routing is otherwise half-crippled). Try and fit the Console view in there, which intrinsically also requires a lot of height, and there's no space for it. On top of that the console strips don't line up with the tracks so you can't see what corresponds to what at a quick glance. It's slightly easier if the tracks are coloured, but I have a lot of tracks.
 
Thanks everybody.

Kylotan

John
D will minimize the multidock and also restore it. I use dual monitors and use the CV floated on the other monitor. 
 
The Inspector will show a lot of information plus it has all the MIDI widgets for controlling MIDI on a track. Track headers don't. 
 
You may want to look at screen sets to customize your view.  

Ah, D was probably doing nothing because my multidock is empty.
 
If I could use dual monitors, life would be a bit easier, though I'd still much prefer to be able to see everything about the track next to the track, as in Track View. I suppose by 'MIDI widgets' you mean things like the Arpeggiator? I hadn't noticed they'd been removed from the Track View, to be honest. I think that's a backwards step.
 
I don't think screensets are going to help much - either I can get the Prochannel next to each track as it's playing, or I can't. Swapping between screens is not something I consider an intuitive way of working, even if it is just 1 keypress.

I'm no expert on screen sets Karl (Fast Biker Boy) is and can help explain them far better than I can. I would not dismiss them out of hand because he has found them to be darn near essential.  
 
I have heard members talk about not liking the Inspector for various reasons. For me the Inspector has everything I need dealing with a track. Its all there. Including in the case of audio tracks a view of where the track is outputting to with control is part of the Inspector. 
 
Its one of the handiest views Sonar offers. I use two wide screen monitors and I can have the full Inspector open and still see a lot of TV docked on the left side next to the TV. One can also float it to another monitor if one wants.
 
The only way to see all PCs at the same time is in the CV. It akes up a lot of room but with dual monitors its very its not such a problem. As an aside I use the Mulitdock to hold the Browser's Synth rack but not much else.  Most times I like to have the TV on the right screen and VSTs on the left screen.  Here screen sets are very useful too. They work nicely with dual monitors. 
 

Above is an image of the Inspector showing a MIDI track. To me its a big step forward that I don't have to enlarge a track's header just to get to a parameter.  The red arrow points to the transpose widget. I use that often. 
 
Over all X3's user friendlessness is top notch.  Many DAWs have a data strip on the left for working with tracks but none are as complete and so informative at a glance as the one in X3. 
 
Happy Sonaring!

Certainly worth some OTB thinking. Perhaps a FR for a landscape version of the PC for TV.

I only ever use the Inspector for things that used to be in the Track View - clip names and advanced MIDI settings (though I hardly ever used those) or right-click clip properties. Having the latter in the inspector is reasonable, because I used to have to click the clip anyway. But now I have to click a track to see what I want to know about it, which is a step backwards in my personal workflow.
 
I take the point about not wanting the track headers to be expanded. I think I am in the minority because I never used anything other than 'All' for track headers, and I just resized tracks to show as much as was necessary. Being able to fit more tracks vertically is great, but if they're too short then I can't easily slip edit or fade them anyway, and that is what I spend more than half my time doing.
 
To be honest, if I had 2 monitors, I'd probably still prefer the Console view to be horizontal rather than vertical, so it lines up with the tracks in track view. The current setup is a good metaphor if you are familiar with working with mixing desks, but we don't compose and arrange music on a mixing desk.
 
I am going to try with the Console in the multidock and use the D command to quickly switch between the two, and see if I end up preferring that workflow. But I don't think it will, because the Prochannel is still not visible when I do that - the vertical nature of the console strip is that all that information is at the top, so I can't see it without scrolling. Maybe in the future when I have 2 monitors for this, it'll be workable.

Kylotan
I only ever use the Inspector for things that used to be in the Track View - clip names and advanced MIDI settings (though I hardly ever used those) or right-click clip properties. Having the latter in the inspector is reasonable, because I used to have to click the clip anyway. But now I have to click a track to see what I want to know about it, which is a step backwards in my personal workflow.
 
I take the point about not wanting the track headers to be expanded. I think I am in the minority because I never used anything other than 'All' for track headers, and I just resized tracks to show as much as was necessary. Being able to fit more tracks vertically is great, but if they're too short then I can't easily slip edit or fade them anyway, and that is what I spend more than half my time doing.
 
To be honest, if I had 2 monitors, I'd probably still prefer the Console view to be horizontal rather than vertical, so it lines up with the tracks in track view. The current setup is a good metaphor if you are familiar with working with mixing desks, but we don't compose and arrange music on a mixing desk.
 
I am going to try with the Console in the multidock and use the D command to quickly switch between the two, and see if I end up preferring that workflow. But I don't think it will, because the Prochannel is still not visible when I do that - the vertical nature of the console strip is that all that information is at the top, so I can't see it without scrolling. Maybe in the future when I have 2 monitors for this, it'll be workable.

With the CV in the Multidock you may want to resize it to show the full CV. Using D will toggle it open or minimized.
 
I love the Pro Channel but it is a hog when it is displayed.