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Help a Newbie!


davidtaylorjr

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I have tried and tried to figure out how to effectively use Accordance. I don't understand it. I am used to Logos Bible Software which is easy and intuitive. I have accordance for some different resources that are not available to Logos users. However, I am lost and clueless. I've watched the podcasts, did the interactive training and still feel lost. Any suggestions?

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Hey David,

 

I'm kind of the other way around. I have trouble when I use Logos but then I haven't yet made the effort I think you have with Acc.

Personally I watched a lot of podcasts, but I also read a bunch of the doc. Particularly the basic doc indicating how to do searches and so on, what workspaces, zones and such are. That really helped a lot - I find the doc to be excellent as a rule and that helped.

 

Another thing that might help is if you describe an example of what you are trying to do and perhaps one of us here can help you with that. Getting the first case down will probably help a bunch of stuff sink in.

 

Thx

D

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Agreed with Daniel--if you float some scenarios, a number of us would be willing to help you. The key for me, when I was first learning Accordance, was saving my Workspaces, so I only had to set up a study session once. That made a huge difference, and I take it for granted now. Logos's equivalent is Layouts, but you can actually do more with Accordance, since it allows you to have multiple Workspaces open at once (and even save all of them as a Session). It's great.

 

From what Accordance has shown us of Accordance 11, though, and from what I gather from your post, you may find things easier once 11 releases.

 

There are a couple of really good (short) pdfs floating around that folks have put together of Accordance training--may even be on Accordance's documentation page. I can hunt those down, if you think it would be helpful, but the main thing is probably to ask: what are you trying to do with Accordance?

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I'm not really sure how to explain my scenarios. Perhaps I am so ingrained in Logos that I just can't retrain my brain to also use Accordance.

 

Also Daniel, Logos now has a free Getting started video series (12 videos).

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Are you using Accordance for academic work? Preaching? Personal study?

 

And--are you mostly reading and highlighting and looking to take notes? Or doing advanced searches in original languages?

 

Of course learning any new software is an investment of time, and you may or may not decide it's worth it for you, depending on your needs.

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I have accordance for some different resources that are not available to Logos users. However, I am lost and clueless. I've watched the podcasts, did the interactive training and still feel lost. Any suggestions?

 

Hi David,

 

 

Perhaps you should tell Daniel and Abram which resources you are trying to use.

 

It would also help if you told them which desktop and/or mobile device and operating system you are using.

 

Regards,

 

Michel

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I once helped an Accordance newbie who was so confused by the interface that he didn't even know what questions to ask. Many of us find the interface intuitive, but not everyone. Perhaps a screen-sharing session where someone does a mini training session with him would help. Unfortunate I don't have time. Any volunteers?

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Hi David,

 

I do not have Logos so cannot compare the two. It is important to realise that in Accordance the text is the central feature (whether that text be a bible translation or an original language text). Furthermore do not think of that text as a book you have open to read. Rather it is a text that you search. By default the search shows the whole text but really it is just a search result. It will display whatever search you want it to. All the other tools/texts then fit round that main text.

 

That is where workspaces come in. The workspace is more like a canvas on which you can then 'paint' all the different bits you want, making it as simple or as complicated as you desire.

 

If you have trouble explaining what you are trying to do in Accordance why not try describing what you would try and do if you just had books.

 

Steve

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I agree with JonathanHuber: please contact support and arrange for a short screensharing session to get oriented.

 

Have you done the interactive Accordance Basics course? We give you $10 credit when you pass it.

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I also have questions. ^_^ When I'm in for example Anchor Yale Bible Commentary New Testament, how do I see in which Biblical book I currently am, in the easiest way? Is there a way to easily to go some chapter or the beginning of the commentary of the Biblical book or the beginning of the volume?
(I will watch some webinar this week or the next - I don't know which one it will be but there's probably some that I need.)

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Hi David, I would be glad to screenshare with you and help you use Accordance. If you want to do that, reply to this post and we can connect on Skype.

 

Blessings

Dieudonné


Hi David, I would be glad to screenshare with you and help you use Accordance. If you want to do that, reply to this post and we can connect on Skype.

 

Blessings

Dieudonné

 

Dr. Brown's solution is better! I didn't see it before posting this

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Unix: If you simply click the Table of Contents button (just to the left of the page x of x text), you'll immediately see which book you are in. If you option-click, it will open the contents fully, so you'll see the exact article you are currently looking at.

 

To quickly jump somewhere else, you can just type it in the box at the bottom right of the tab, called the 'Goto Box', such as 'Acts 4:2'.

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One thing to add is that version 11 will soon be out and will have several new features which might make your Accordance use easier. For Example Info Pane will do a lot similar to passage guide under Accordance but with several differences (I am not a beta user, just know what I have read online here). This feature alone may help you greatly...

 

-Dan

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I once helped an Accordance newbie who was so confused by the interface that he didn't even know what questions to ask. Many of us find the interface intuitive, but not everyone. Perhaps a screen-sharing session where someone does a mini training session with him would help. Unfortunate I don't have time. Any volunteers?

I agree with Jonathan Huber on this. I think a dissertation could be written on the different ways different users see and expect software to work (respond to them). I used Logos and other Windows apps before getting Accordance. I had no major troubles switching from Windows to Mac, but adapting to Accordance after using Logos (and another Bible app I use even more frequently than both) has been (and still is) a challenge. It's like living in a foreign culture. What is obvious and intuitive for some simply is not for others. But I do think Accordance is worth it.

 

At the beginning I probably learned the most from the interactive Basics Course Helen Brown referred to. I highly recommend it. I just wish there were more of them.

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Hi David, I'm also in South Carolina so if we're not too far apart maybe we can get together and I can try to help you out with your Accordance questions.

 

Nicholous

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David – If you can get some help getting started and become a little familiar with the program, it would be good to attend a free Training Seminar the next time one is held within driving distance from home. My husband and I have been twice. The first time I pretty much knew my way around Accordance but still benefitted, especially from the original languages sessions. The second time, my husband was the newbie. He wants to attend another seminar next time we've got one within a day's drive. The seminars are a lot of fun and very helpful.

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David,

 

It would really help us to help you if we know what you are using the application for. I have worked in both, way more in Accordance. Now if you are pastoring for study - I can help. If your in school and need to do real in depth word studies, there are others here glad to help. Also try to get to a seminar - you learn a ton.

 

I worked in Logos 5 and honestly my first week was so crazy confusing. There is a different approach about doing the same things. Another thing that helps is loading different workspaces. I love doing that because I see how others use it. I tried posting a pic but for the life of me I could not get it in.

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Ah, here is my screenshot!


well here it is :unsure:

post-28-0-51131600-1413849623_thumb.jpg

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Ah, here is my screenshot!

well here it is :unsure:

 

Ok that looks more like what I am used to. I am using this mainly for exegetical papers at Liberty.

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  • 4 months later...

Even though in the post I'm talking about commentaries, I was not using the word "book" as in Biblical book when I wanted to find out how to go to the beginning of a book. What I meant was: how do I go to the first page of a book from when I have a set open? There should be a way to do this by entering the page-number, although I also need to specify the volume? Maybe I just haven't looked for the feature, I guess there should be a drop-down menu for starting to look up page numbers. Right now I don't have time to look up the feature, as the Chrome web-browser is crashing on me now and then on Windows 8.0 and I'm getting the out of RAM messages, even with 12 GB of RAM - this is the drawback of 64-bit Windows when wanting the fastest browser. I'll have to stay up all night right now to hand in two small papers in time (one of which requires to read a "whole" book that I have in a Bible Study software), and one or two tests coming up a week from now. I'm still using version 10 of Accordance. What I'm looking for is the title page and what comes after it, TOC and Introduction - the Table of Contents button usually does give most of the information I'm looking for but sometimes I want it to feel more like I'm reading a commentary the old-school way advancing page by page to get to the Introduction - scrolling past abbreviations can be nice as well as sometimes the Bibliography:
 

Unix: If you simply click the Table of Contents button (just to the left of the page x of x text), you'll immediately see which book you are in.  If you option-click, it will open the contents fully, so you'll see the exact article you are currently looking at.

 

To quickly jump somewhere else, you can just type it in the box at the bottom right of the tab, called the 'Goto Box', such as 'Acts 4:2':

 

I also have questions.   ^_^ When I'm in for example Anchor Yale Bible Commentary New Testament, how do I see in which Biblical book I currently am, in the easiest way? Is there a way to easily to go some chapter or the beginning of the commentary of the Biblical book or the beginning of the volume?
(I will watch some webinar this week or the next - I don't know which one it will be but there's probably some that I need.)

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I think you're still looking for the answer Joel provided. Open the Table of Contents and you should be able to go the first page of any book or of any volume in a series.

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