i use audacity 2.3.3 still (ubuntu studio 20.04 LTS) because i prefer official repository to other sources.
there is 
VERY UNSAFE feature in current interface design: ‘Project Rate’ dropdown list. if opening the application with selection toolbar enabled
then this list turns into a button intercepting active state [is like pushing ‘TAB’ button to switch between active elements] so using mouse/keyboard engages
this list selecting random value (most oftenly lowest or highest sampling rate available).
the same intercepting behavior occurs every time when i call for effect or plugin…
and it DESTROYS MY MIXES. and you know i refuse to wear lenses using a computer so it hurts me badly.
please fix it or it would be the best to remove this feature from selection toolbar entirely .
thanks for listening!!!
it would be the best to remove this feature from selection toolbar entirely
Correct. It’ll probably be moved into the audio settings and export settings, respectively, in a future release.
If it is removed, how will I know what the project rate is? As I’m sure you are aware, this is very important when working with projects that have multiple tracks with different sample rates.
Will the default sample rate of exported files still be the same as the project rate?
If not, how will I know if the audio is being upsampled or downsampled?
Will the project rate still match the sample rate of an opened audio file?
How will I match the sample rate to the rate used by Jack / WASAPI / ASIO? Will I have to go into Preferences rather than simply selecting the required rate?
Why is that “correct”? Why do you want to hide this important feature?
I’m not able to reproduce this problem. Does it happen for you with Audacity 3.1.3 AppImage (available here: https://www.audacityteam.org/download/)?
I am strongly minded to agree with Steve.
Dominic Mazzoni and Roger Dannenberg (the originators of Audacity) obviously thought so, as the displayed project rate (with a dropdown list to change it) has been a feature of every released version of Audacity ever since the initial 1.0.0 release.
In fact it was introduced on the Beta 0.98b version, not present in the 0.8 pre-Beta version
Peter
hello people!!! thanks for giving support. on your questions Steve:
a. i tried audacity 3 but was unable to get it working for me in ubuntu studio 20.04 (i guess there were some important features excluded that i need for work so i have returned to version two from official ubuntu repo).
i am not sure where i had gotten that version however --maybe that was flatpack or PPA… iʻve forgotten already.
b. that glitch (maybe i was somewhat rude in original post) occurs (1)every time after applying an effect or generating something (built-in or nyquist plugin --that does not matter); (2)just enable selection bar then quit application then start it again and you will have sampling rate selection list active --using vertical scrolling with two fingers on touchpad selects a rate (stopping at marginal values naturally) inconspicuously --no actual list would be offered but values change in collapsed mode.
the only way to prevent it from applying unwanted rate change (to every new track or a rendering) as iʻve found would be clicking on a rate`s value so [in my high contrast theme] itʻs not highlighted red and there is text mode cursor instead. next i continue my work and the cursor (vertical line) disappears from ‘project rate’ until i use effect windows again.
maybe this issue is specific to xfce that ubuntu studio LTS does use --i donʻt know.
you know maybe following thing would be helpful in locating the reason of that glitch or just finding it in your systems --effects [like ‘amplify’] prompt a user to alter a value in some predetermined field highlighting it exactly like ‘project rate’ does [‘amplification level’ for ‘amplify’]. they donʻt misbehave surely 
i would try answering your questions Steve 
a.
NO Steve its not OH SO important AT ALL. you are wrong --there are no real-world tasks requiring having tracks with different sample rates!!! if i record a bass line at 44100Hz (only rate i have in my guitar processor) and then i need a vocal* line then im obliged to use the same rate of 44100Hz even though my microphone interface is capable to record at 192k.
and if you forget which rate you have set as default project rate just go taking a reference in preferences.
(*even though the manual recommends TO USE rates above 44100Hz for SLOWING DOWN recordings containing ultrasonic frequencies I DO NOT HAVE DOLPHIN`S VOICE)
b.
DEAR Steve!!! refer to the manual please! it says that exported audio is ALWAYS rendered in default project rate if it happened to have different one.
c.
Steve i give up here… you MUST to remember your projects default sample rates or you would be required to take a look in preferences again. in a fact (i encounter this every time i grab some beautiful audio from Youtube) they dont match oftenly so that list offered at selection toolbar is not helpful at all --i am still required to downsample from 48000Hz to 44100Hz as a routine task AND I SEE PROJECT RATE in ‘Resample’ dialogue box as a firstly offered option.
d.
Steve this question is meaningless: if you need to change sample rate in jack then you would be required first TO KILL AUDACITY then at next step TO KILL JACK DAEMON and only after that you would be able to change jacks sample rate. but if you mean just MATCHING projects sample rate to jacks one then YOU DONT NEED TO --audacity does background resampling for EVERY TRACK that does not match to the rate is currently used by hardware.
e.
Steve just imagine sci-fi spaceship --does it have ’ 
SELF-DESTRUCTION ’ button? don`t you think it should be a hidden feature?
Are you suggesting that Audacity’s behaviour when importing audio files is changed? If so, please specify precisely how you think importing audio files should be handled with regard to sample rate.
Please don’t be patronising. I wrote a substantial part of the manual.
If it says that somewhere in the manual, then it’s an error.
It should say that exported audio is rendered at the current Project Rate (which may be different from the default project rate).
Much easier if I can just glance down to the Selection Toolbar.
Please browse through the Windows board of this forum and observe the number of posts about recording not working due to mismatched sample rates.
But as I wrote previously,
Enough Already! Take this out behind the barn!