snap

[crownfield]

 if I select snap,

I expect clear and positive snap.

clear, positive, and simple, always snap.

I expect to snap to rulers and grids.

not so. it seems to be visibly very close, mere pixels away and yet does not snap

I expect it to snap to a ruler. not so.

I expect a ruler on the master page to be visible, and snappable on all pages. not so.

there must be conflicting settings which make what seems simple and clear not happen.

it is very frustrating to say the least.

 

[walt.farrell]

6 minutes ago, crownfield said:

there must be conflicting settings which make what seems simple and clear not happen.

You need to have have the right Snapping options enabled, but not too many options enabled. With too many you may snap to unexpected places. 

Without seeing some screenshots or videos of your design, and your options, it will be difficult to say anything specific.

However, rulers are not specific by Master Pages. They are simple View options.

[crownfield]

walt:

I may be using the wrong term. if I pull down the rules at the top of the page, I can see that line that I am calling a ruler. if it is one the master page, I would hope that it carries to all pages.

I have 5 pages.

there is a common element in each page.

it needs to be exactly the same position.

might a master page have a 'ruler?' that carries through to all the pages?

then I should be able to snap to that ruler in any page.

[walt.farrell]

4 hours ago, crownfield said:

I may be using the wrong term. if I pull down the rules at the top of the page, I can see that line that I am calling a ruler. if it is one the master page, I would hope that it carries to all pages.

I think the term you want is Ruler Guide, or simply Guide. The Runner Ruler is the measuring scales that runs horizontally across the top and vertically down the left edge. 

If you draw out a Guide on a Master Page, it should appear on any document page you've applied that Master to.

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

I think the term you want is Ruler Guide, or simply Guide.

Very likely what the OP is asking about is in fact what the help topic Ruler and column guides discusses, not Rulers themselves (which is what your typo "Runners" is referring to).