Highlighting in Accordance

[JoshPannell]

Is it possible that we could get some more highlighting options for Accordance in the future? Specifically I would like to see the following things:

 

1. Pre-programed asthetically pleasing highlights similar to the inductive Bible study. Could I highlight with crosses, clouds, rocks, etc? http://precept.org/data/sites/1/PDFs/PMI_IBStudyOverview_v2.pdf

 

2. A way to change the font color in a highlighted word only. Perhaps I have my default font in black and I would like to highlight sin in black, in this case I would like to change the font color to either a light gray or white.

 

3. Could we insert numbers and letters for lists with highlights that look like they have been drawn (eg. 1, 2, 3, 4 inserted as a highlight in the text)?

 

4. Could we have an option to combine highlights like we can with user notes?

 

5. Could we have a way to search highlighting? For example, perhaps I want to see all the highlights I have for covenants throughout the Bible at the same time. This is far more powerful and useful then a simple word search because it involves human intelligence and decision making.

 

Thanks for your time!

[Joel Brown]

Josh: Its funny you should ask!

 

Items #1 and #3 have already been developed in Accordance 10.3, due to be released shortly.

 

Item #5 is already possible, just do a search for [sTYLE ?], where the '?' is the name of your Highlighting style. This is Shift-command-S, and also found under the Search -> Enter Command menu.

 

We'll definitely keep your other requests (#2, #4) in mind, thanks!

[JoshPannell]

Thanks so much! I understand you guys are super busy with the Windows release coming up soon. Thanks for your hard work!

[Joe Weaks]

This is far more powerful and useful then a simple word search because it involves human intelligence and decision making.

I find it best to avoid human intelligence at all costs. I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords.

[Abram K-J]

I find it best to avoid human intelligence at all costs. I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords.

 

Except for when they try to kill us.

[JSGilliom]

Here's a crazy highlight request:

 

iOS highlighting limitations have forced me to highlight several words individually in order to highlight phrases. This has been inconvenient and I know eventually we will be able to select whole phrases at once for highlighting, but the current limitation has shown me that I often prefer to have phrases highlighted with the individual words showing white space breaks in between each word ... The white space in between the words seems to make the phrase more readable at a glance.

 

Ideally on both Mac and iOS I'd like to be able to select a phrase (or sentence, etc.) and highlight it, having the choice to highlight the spaces between the words or to highlight all the individual words in a phrase without the spaces between being highlighted.

 

Perhaps crazy, but thanks for considering.

 

John

[JoshPannell]

I have been told they are working on this right now. The problem seems to be in the searching/lexicon features when selecting one word.

[Randy Steffens Jr]

I would also like to see the Accordance marker-highlight styles themselves updated to look more realistic -- mottled and variant, as though they were drawn with an actual marker stroke. Logos has a highlight feature like this that I use a lot, because the highlights look very visually pleasing. Something similar in Accordance would be fantastic!

 

Thanks!

 

Randy

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2013 by Randy Steffens Jr

[Joe Weaks]

I vote 'no' on a skeumorphic design like that.

[JonathanHuber]

I vote "no" also. There's no particular benefit to mottled and variant highlighting and I find it distracting. (I'm actually fanatical when highlighting physical books to make the highlighting straight and even for this same reason.) If it's not too much effort, make mottled style an option for those who want it, but please don't make it the only option.

Edited October 5, 2013 by JonathanHuber

[Λύχνις Δαν]

I'm from the you-don't-write-in-books crowd. I barely know how to highlight.

In that respect ebooks are cool - you can scribble all over them and it rubs right off.

[Abram K-J]

Though I probably agree with Joe on this, "skeumorphic" is in the eye of the beholder, is it not?

[Λύχνις Δαν]

Actually I don't think so. Whether it "works" I would say is.

And the definition of it seems to have shifted a little since Webster's Third, from mere ornamentation representing a utensil.

[Julia Falling]

When I first bought Accordance, I highlighted all over the place. I have since deleted all of those. I, too, found it distracting. So did my students. I have since deleted that file.

 

I now have a set of highlights called Teaching that is confined to that use. The usual place where I mark up my Bibles is when a particular version includes (whether in brackets or not) words that are not included in the GNT28-T Greek. I use a black double strike-through for those words. (I suspect that Hebrew has the same sort of issues? When I finally get around to learning it, I'll probably do the same thing there if appropriate.) That is useful for me.

 

I also occasionally use a single black strikethrough when I think that a particular rendering is less than ideal or even way off base to remind me to check my User Notes. Other than those two uses, my texts are clean.

 

Where I really use the highlights in my Tools. I find them very, very useful there. If I have referenced a tool in my notes, say, "See EBC-R," when I go there the passage I found particularly helpful is already marked. If it's only a sentence or two, I often just copy and paste it into my notes.

 

But we're all wired up differently. What one person find distracting another might find helpful. I even steer clear of the serif fonts. Too much clutter for me. I looked for a font that was relatively wide and clearly distinguished the number one, the lower case l and the upper case I. I settled on Verdana and have been happy with it.

[Jazzy]

I know this thread is more than a year old from its birth, but I wanted to find out if there was an update to things. I have been an Accordance user since around 2006 or 2007 (still have the install CDs from then).

 

My question today is whether there has been any insight on the merging of highlights as a viable function delivered with the tool set? Or is there a method of accomplishing this merging of highlights externally to the product that would be recognized once Accordance is accessed again?

 

I am constantly using my various gadgets for reading and studying - but I have things specifically for work versus personal. I am very particular about what I have installed on my equipment, but Accordance is the one item that makes it to everything.However, I am attempting to make a more conscious effort of using the same highlight file across all devices.

 

Thanks,

Sandra

[David Foster]

I would also like to see the Accordance marker-highlight styles themselves updated to look more realistic -- mottled and variant, as though they were drawn with an actual marker stroke. Logos has a highlight feature like this that I use a lot, because the highlights look very visually pleasing. Something similar in Accordance would be fantastic!

 

Thanks!

 

Randy

 

 

 

I finally found someone who knows exactly what I'm talking about (and wanted to see happen)!!! Amazing... I too would love to see this added as a highlighting option... Since coming across the marker-highlight style in other programs (preview, logos etc) I can't stand looking at the 'old' highlighting style... there's no 'flare'! And yes I know that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder but it would still be nice for those of us who like this style to have that as an option... so again, well spoken Randy and thanks for speaking up!

[R Gustason]

Can we get a highlight option for underlining. I'd like to be able to combine highlights with underlining. For example, underline in red all OT quotations in the NT while using a yellow highlight over some of those verses for emphasis, etc...

[JonathanHuber]

Can we get a highlight option for underlining. I'd like to be able to combine highlights with underlining. For example, underline in red all OT quotations in the NT while using a yellow highlight over some of those verses for emphasis, etc...

 

 

Unless I've misunderstood you, this is already possible. When you define a highlight style, look at the different options in the Shape drop-down. I don't think it's possible to define a highlight style that combines two different styles in one highlight, but you can definitely use an underline-looking style and a regular-looking style on the same word.

 

[R Gustason]

Jonathan,

 

Thanks very much. I did not see the shapes option at first. This does exactly what I want!

 

As you can see in the pic, I now know how to highlight and underline as both styles can be seen.

 

Thanks again,

Ryan

 

 

 

 

Unless I've misunderstood you, this is already possible. When you define a highlight style, look at the different options in the Shape drop-down. I don't think it's possible to define a highlight style that combines two different styles in one highlight, but you can definitely use an underline-looking style and a regular-looking style on the same word.

 

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