Why Three Panes?

[chaplanger]

As I've worked with Accordance in Basilisk II (still in the WINTEL world) I have yet to find any advantage to not having these panes (concordance definitions, library browser and Bible windows) docked to the main frame. Why are these items separated?

 

I'd prefer for the program to fill the desktop but as constructed I can't seem to accomplish this with the 3 windows as currently configured. Perhaps this is a wekness of still being in WINTEL or is this the way the program operates in the Mac OS as well?

[David Lang]

It took me a minute to figure out what you meant by the three "panes." The Instant Details Box (what you called concordance definitions) and the Resource palette (what you called the library browser) are a Mac OS interface convention known as "floating palettes." They "float" in that they always remain above any standard windows you have open. The primary advantage of using palettes is that they can be easily moved wherever you want them on screen, or closed altogether. Some users want the Instant Details on the top of the screen and the Resource palette on the left. Others want these palettes hidden until they're needed. If we anchored everything together as panes of a single monolithic window, there would be no easy way to customize the interface.

 

Another reason we chose to use palettes is that you can have several Workspace windows open at one time. In such cases, you would have to have an Instant Details pane and a Resource pane attached to both windows, which, of course, is redundant and just takes up more room in each window. As it is now, the palettes are always of use no matter how many different windows you have open.

 

I hope this helps.

[David Lang]

Sorry. I just realized that I explained why we do things a certain way but that I didn't offer you any kind of solution. Perhaps this will help.

 

If you're wanting to fill the screen so there is no wasted space, you can resize the Instant Details box so that it fills the entire bottom area of the screen. Then maximize your main workspace window so that it fills everything from the left edge of the screen to the left edge of the Resource palette, and everything from the top edge of the screen to the top edge of the Instant Details box. Because the Resource palette does not extend all the way down to the bottom of the screen, you'll still have a little unused space beneath the Resource palette.

 

Why not fill this space with the Highlight palette? The Highlight palette is another floating palette which is turned off by default. To turn it on, go to the Window menu and select "Highlight palette." This palette will then appear somewhere on screen and show one default highlight style you can use to mark up text. This palette can be resized into any size and shape you want, so why not rezise it so that it fits neatly under the Resource palette. On most screens, the Highlight palette would still be large enough to hold at least half-a-dozen additional styles (which you can define by choosing "Define Highlight Styles..." in the Display menu), and it would give you a functional use for that last bit of empty space.

 

Hope this helps.

[chaplanger]

One other question -- I've just recently had the resource palette (the one with the symbols for the various books) disappear from the program. I've been through all of the drop down menus and opened all of the various palettes that I can find to open -- but this one is now gone. How do I get it back?

 

Also when I now open the program the only thing that initially opens is the main window (Bible Window) and I need to use the drop down menu to access the instant details palette. Not certain what Happened to the program (and I'm not beyond admitting that I may have inadvertantly done something to cause this). How do I get the program back as it originally was?

 

Just a reminder that I am running a WINTEL box with Basilisk II

[Helen Brown]

Both these floating windows can be opened from the Windows menu. Accordance remembers their position when you quit and reopen the program. Unlike on Windows, you do not need to close the windows in order to quit. Simply select Quit from the File menu in Accordance, or Shutdown from the Special menu after clicking on the desktop. Then when you reopen Accordane the floating windows will be there, but other windows depend on your selection in Preferences/General.

[chaplanger]

I don't doubt what you say about the windows menu, but when I open everything that is able to be opened this is what I have. It seems that the graphical interface for the varioius resources (resource palatte) is gone. I have included a JPEG of my desktop in Basilisk II to show you what I do have when everything is opened.

 

The resource palatte is not listed anywhere within any drop down menu. Preferences only seem to be for the Bible window when I open it. (Font color, and various suppression modes -- size etc.) -- all are unchecked.

[Helen Brown]

This looks like the demo version of Accordance 5 on the emulator. Is this what you are working with? We are responding as if you had version 6 or 7.

 

Your resource palette is open, it is in the Amplify menu if you close it. The Preferences/General allows you to choose between Icons and Text buttons and you have it set to text buttons.

[chaplanger]

My bad -- yes, I am using the demo version. I forgot that some use the full versions on the emulator. . .

 

I see what you are talking about in the Preferences/General area -- but both choices are greyed out (as in attached JPEG). Somehow I must have effected this change to text buttons. Hmmm. . . I wonder if uninstall and reinstall would be my best chance of clearing this up?

 

BTW -- do you know if this has happened in the full versions?

 

Also, which of the full versions will run on the emulator on WINTEL PCs? -- The Web site seems sketchy on this.

[Helen Brown]

Everything in Accordance runs on the emulator.

 

I do not know why these buttons are both dimmed. I would trash the entire demo folder and download the version 6 demo for 68K. It is much closer to 7, though we do plan to update it soon.

 

Remember to move the .sit file to the emulator before unstuffing it.

[chaplanger]

Helen,

Thanks for all of your help!

 

Now I can give your software the time I need to see it's renowned interface in action.

 

I have been looking at the Adobe file on Accordance 6.x -- I guess the more attractive windows look is probably a result of OS X. Hmmm. . . guess I may have to start searching ebay a bit heavier for used Macs!

 

Once again, Thanks!