Simple Summary of new PRV work flow problems

It can be saved by using the PRV View menu option: Filter To Selection On Open, but only in Professional & Platinum and only one (1) PRV window will be saved.
 
Changes I'd like to see in PRV:
1. MSR buttons first so valuable real estate isn't lost showing them.
2. Save current Track List settings (audio tracks, Auto Lock, filtered items) with project.
3. Save multiple PRV windows as above in Multidock with project.
 

Wait--- you can have multiple PRVs open? How do I do that???

With regard to multiple PRVs:  yes, use "Lock Contents".    I usually have 10-12 active in one screenset, which means a line of minimized PRVs at the bottom of the screen.   These won't change their order during work on a project, but when you close it and then re-open it, and also when you change screenset and then return, they will be in a new order (seems to be based on track order, lowest first). 
 
TWO BIG IMPROVEMENTs:   1) some method of fixing the order of the minimized windows
 
and/or  2)  some way of telling what's inside the PRV (tool-tip would work) without having to open them all up one at a time to find the one you want.  
 
My work around for this problem is to try to open a series of PRVs 'top-down', with lower number groups of tracks first.  That way I can usually guess which window is wanted without the time-consuming trial and error.  (this is  Sonar 2016.05: the ongoing work on the PRV is praiseworthy, but ruined my workflow and reports seem to be that it still isn't quite right for substantial midi work). 

williamcopper
With regard to multiple PRVs:  yes, use "Lock Contents".    I usually have 10-12 active in one screenset

And you have to reset the filters when you reopen the project?

jkoseattle
Yeah all those things would be super helpful. Also, I'd like there to be an option in PRV to say "Show every track with a clip in it at the Now position. In a thick arrangement I'll hear one instrument out of place and I waste a lot of time going track by track to find the offending instrument. Since the PRV track colors are almost useless, it can be tough to figure out who's playing right now.
 
2) Speaking of useless track colors in PRV, how about an options to automatically choose colors in a given PRV window so that they are distinct from one another. I don't care if the violas are blue in one window and orange in another, it's much more useful to be able to see the lines distinct from each other. 

Yes. The colors before the new PRV, were more defined.
Even though the colors were even stronger in Sonar 4.
I noticed the 'more pastel' look in X3 but it might have started earlier. I didn't update every version.
I went Sonar 4 to X3 to 2016.08

So we've been loosing color definition for a while now.

I got used to the colors in X3 that were slightly less defined than Sonar 4.
Those same X3 colors remained the same until 2017.02 with the introduction of the new PRV.

So the trend with PRV development is that it is getting harder and slower to use in most situations.

jkoseattle
When they introduced the ability to have Themes in Platinum, none of the themes takes this simple user need into account: "I Don't Care What Color Anything Is, I Just Want To Be Able To Tell My Tracks Apart"

Make sure "Autolock" is not selected. It makes all the other tracks grey.
Autolock is on by default and needs to be turned off.


That would require stronger colors in PRV and also the option to toggle
"Show All tracks / Show only selected track" instead of having to wipe down the whole list of tracks selecting them all.

jkoseattle
I decided pretty quickly that I don't need multiple PRV's after all. But now... every time I open this project, Sonar thinks I want the two PRV's and opens two of them up tiled vertically. I always close one of them and maximize the multi-dock, as I prefer to work with a maximized PRV. Even though I do this every time, and close the project out and exit Sonar properly, now it always opens with two tiled PRV's. Irritating. How do I get rid of this?

It sounds like you might have a locked screen set or an active lens.
Check for both of those.