In a recent update of Accordance (there have been so many in the last year I can’t remember which one), we added a new capability which has changed the way many of you interact with Accordance. The Instant Details box has always shown the basic tagging information for any word in a Key-numbered Bible text or grammatically-tagged original language text you mouse over. This would include a brief definition called a gloss, but many users asked to see more. So we now allow you to hold down the command key to see your default dictionary’s definition for that word. So, for example, if you have BDAG at the top of your list of Greek lexicons, holding down the command key will show BDAG’s sometimes very lengthy definitions.

This new capability has caused many of you to change the size and position of your Instant Details box to accommodate the additional information. If you use the command-key feature a lot, it no longer makes sense to keep the Instant Details box tucked down at the bottom of the screen where you can only see a line or two. But if you make it larger to accommodate more information, what is the best place to put it?

One possibility is to place it over some of the other palettes. For example, if you keep the Library window open, you could place the instant details box over the Library window. This should give you plenty of room to view long dictionary articles.

Of course, if you want access to the Library window, you now have the problem that it is covered by the Instant Details box! But here’s the trick, you can set the Instant Details box to fade from view whenever it is not in use. To do this, go to the Instant Details settings in the Preferences and check “Set to automatically fade.” The Instant Details box will now appear whenever you drag over a word in your main workspace, but will disappear when you drag anywhere else, thereby revealing the Library window underneath.