Word Search Workflow

[circuitrider]

I am trying to determine the best way to go about getting a smooth efficient workflow when doing a word search.

 

This is what I am accustomed to, having used Quickverse and E-Sword in the past.

 

1) Entering a word or phrase in the search window

 

2) Seeing the results appear in a separate pop-up window

 

3) Double clicking on the desired reference within the search results window

 

4) Seeing my main Bible window go to that verse and appear within its entire context

 

5) Being able to return to the search results window and scroll through and repeat the above steps

 

This is what I am experiencing in Accordance.

 

1) Enter search word or phrase

 

2) Seeing the search results in my main Bible reading window - instead of a separate dedicated results window

 

This is where I get kinda get bogged down.

 

Upon seeing the results in my main Bible reading menu, I can't just double click on the reference and go directly to that reference to see it in its context.

This is the continued process I am going through now.

 

3) I have to scroll the desired verse to the top of the window(the one that used to be my main reading window, but is now the results window) Make sure it is the target verse by seeing it appear in the GoTo box.

4) Then going to the context box and selecting my desired context parameters

5) Then after studying that selection going back to the context box and choosing "none" so my search results will come back

6) Repeating the process again for the next desired reference I want to look up

 

This all seems a bit cumbersome for doing a word or phrase search.

 

Does anyone have a better method? Perhaps one closer to what I was used to? I am still new to Accordance so it is very possible that I am just overlooking the obvious.

 

Thanks,

[Ed Cross]

Once you have the results of your search displayed there are a number of options to be able to see the verse in it's context. One options is as you have been doing with the Add Context drop down. Another option is simply to mouse click in the verse that you want to see in context, then press command-5 on the keyboard, or click the Amplify menu>Context, or click the Context icon on the toolbar. A new tab will open showing the verse in it's full context with your search window still in it's own tab. To look at another verse in it's context simply tab back to the search window and repeat the process.

 

Ed Cross

[circuitrider]

Ed,

 

Thank you very much for those tips! I really like that. I have a question though.

 

When I click on the verse reference then use Command 5, a new window pops up that looks just like the workspace I was in; it includes my text and commentaries minus the search bar and my color preferences. Is there a way to customize what tools show up in the window that opens when you click Command 5?

 

Again, thanks for the tip.

[Ed Cross]

I do not believe so, but if so I am certain some one else will chime in!

 

Ed Cross

[Timothy Jenney]

"Is there a way to customize what tools show up in the window that opens when you click Command 5?"

 

[COMMAND] 5 really just tells Accordance you want to see the entire context of a passage. The reference tools ("commentaries") that open with it are the same ones you already have open in your main window. So, you could just select the ones you want in your main window, so they will open all the time.

 

There is a way to set up a dedicated workspace with all your commentaries and a [LINK] command to your primary window, but it's fairly complicated and I hesitate to try to lead a new user through it here on the forums.

 

There is a more "Accordance way" to do what you want though. Go to the Resource palette's tool sets (the blue stack of books). Click on it and select "Define tool set." Once the dialog box opens, select all the commentaries, dictionaries, etc. you regularly consult, then save that set under a unique name. The next time you want to see all those references' articles on a verse [or word], select the item and amplify to that tool set. Each resource will open in its own tab in your workspace. Click through the tabs to read the info. Once you've read all the info, you can [OPTION] click the main tab to dismiss all the other tabs at once.

 

Hope this helps!

[David Lang]

Here's a solution that will do everything you've asked. In your workspace, create two tabs. Keep both set to the same search text, but set the Add context pop-up to None for the first tab, and All for the second. In the argument entry box of the second tab, enter the LINK command (either by choosing it from the Enter Command submenu of the Search menu, or by using the Keyboard shortcut shift-command-L). If you have more than one window open that you can link to, you'll get a list asking which window or tab to use. Select the name of the first tab. If there are no other linkable windows or tabs, Accordance will automatically link to your first tab. The LINK command tells the second tab to do the same search as the first tab.

 

Now you need to tie the scrolling of the two tabs together. With either tab at the front, choose Tie from the Set submenu of the Window menu.

 

You can add panes to each tab so that they have the same setup or a slightly different one.

 

This setup lets you do a search in the first tab to see just the hit verses, then you can switch to the other tab (using the keyboard shortcut control-tab) to see the hits in context.

 

Once you've set all this up, be sure to save the Workspace. You could set your preferences so that Accordance always opens with this setup, or you could stick the icon of this workspace in your OS X dock so that you can always open it quickly.

 

Hope this helps.

[circuitrider]

All these tips were great and insightful, I am very grateful for the responses.

 

Dave,

 

I tried your method and I liked it, as it gets me closest to what I am looking for. I am encountering a problem though.

 

I followed your instructions but reversed the Context settings. My first tab I set the Context to All, the second tab I set the Context to None. This worked for me perfectly. When I do a word search from the first tab the second tab automatically comes to the front listing my search results in a large space. (To me this was much better than using the Command 5 option, because it brought a tab identical to the one I was just in, though this would have its benefits at certain times.)

Then by scrolling through the results and bringing my desired verse to the top of the window I can then Control+Tab back to my first tab, which is my main study view. All this works fine, but here is the where I have problems.

 

When in my first tab I change the search type to Verses and then enter a reference or a string of verses I get this error, "The search criterion in the window 'Bible Study Home' cannot be used since it expects a verse reference entry." My Tab does go to the reference however, I just have to press Enter to get the error window to go away. Bible Study Home is the name of my first Tab, within it I have KJVS and several Commentaries open.

I also had the same error come up when I tried to enter a single reference in the Go To box. I would only get the error when I pressed Enter. When I clicked the button though it would take my Bible to the reference without complaint.

 

I am getting closer!

[countach]

Another option is to search with "all context" from the drop down list, and then go between results with the up and down triangles at the bottom. I like the LINK suggestion though, I'll have to try that.

[David Lang]

When in my first tab I change the search type to Verses and then enter a reference or a string of verses I get this error, "The search criterion in the window 'Bible Study Home' cannot be used since it expects a verse reference entry." My Tab does go to the reference however, I just have to press Enter to get the error window to go away. Bible Study Home is the name of my first Tab, within it I have KJVS and several Commentaries open.

I also had the same error come up when I tried to enter a single reference in the Go To box. I would only get the error when I pressed Enter. When I clicked the button though it would take my Bible to the reference without complaint.

 

Sorry I've taken a couple days to get back to you on this. I've been traveling.

 

I see you've mentioned this error in another thread and we'll definitely look into it. The issue is that the LINK command is not supported in Verse mode, though I don't personally see any reason why it couldn't be. It's probably just that most search commands are only appropriate in Word search mode, but it seems to me the LINK should be an exception.

 

Anyway, given your current setup, you could just leave both tabs set to Word search mode. If you want to go to a different passage, you could just bring up the tab that shows All context and enter the reference you want in the Go To box at the bottom right. That window will jump to that verse, and the hits window will follow it.

 

Hope this helps.

[circuitrider]

Yes, the Go To is a good option. The exception would be when I want to enter multiple references, which is another unique and tremendous tool that Accordance affords.

Maybe we'll see a fix for the bug later?

 

Thanks for the kind and helpful responses.