Accordance and other applications

[countach]

In the category of "wouldn't it be great if Accordance were to exploit the whole of the Apple APIs.....",

 

there are a number of apps that use the Assistive Device AX* apis, to provide help to users in other applications. One I have for example is a translator program where you can highlight some text on a Russian web site, and it translates it into English, without even opening the window of the translator program. Depending on how you configure it, just pointing at a word in Safari, or else highlighting some text, brings up a tiny HUD "bubble" next to the word, showing the English translation, without having to break your thought by switching to a separate application.

 

The things Accordance could do with these APIs would be many:

 

* provide glosses for Greek words you see in other applications like Safari, without having to open the Accordance main window.

* Popup the text of your favourite translation(s) for scripture references in other apps without having to open the Accordance window.

* Reverse lookup. Show the verse refererence for some highlighted verse.

* Show a brief bible dictionary entry for current words.

* Show scripture cross references for current verse reference in Safari or other application.

.... I'm sure many other possibilities.

 

It would probably make Accordance twice as useful if it is even there helping you out even when you are not explicitly using it.

[jpkang]

That all sounds nice, but Accordance currently compiles to 68K (primarily for emulator compatibility in Windows), PowerPC, and Intel architectures, and maintains feature parity on all those platforms (with a few minor exceptions on the emulator).

 

I doubt it would be as simple as "bolting on" new methods to the existing object graph, besides which many of these behaviors would have no place in the emulator (let alone the repercussions for clearly documenting the differences!).

 

I'm not saying that what you're asking for is undesirable, just pointing out that the cost/benefit ratio is quite likely not in its favor at this point in time.

[countach]

It wouldn't have to run in the same binary (although there is such a thing as conditional compilation).

 

Lots of programs have background helper apps.

 

In fact, someone enterprising could (possibly) even write it themselves and interrogate Accordance for the verses via Applescript.