Problems with GO TO box

[Randy Steffens Jr]

There are some strange behaviors of the GO TO box in the lower right corner of Accordance's search window. I think its purpose needs to be modified as it is not currently useful for most of the daily tasks I do with Accordance. I used to use it a lot for "with context" searches, until the SEARCH bar was modified to display "intelligent automatic context". Now GO TO does very little that I find useful. Maybe that's because I need to learn how to use it better. But what it does do, it often does strangely. For instance:

1. When I enter a verse in the GO TO bar, and then change the "search version" of the Bible, I am taken to Gen 1:1. It needs to be fixed so that I stay in the same place when changing "search version" of the Bible, just as it should stay in the same place when changing "search version" with a text entered in the SEARCH bar. (This should also be the case when changing "search version" in reading mode via "cntrl-#". Changing "search version"in reading mode has a bug that automatically takes me to Gen 1:1. I don't see any situation in which that could be useful.)
2. When I enter a book, chapter and verse in the SEARCH bar, it would be very nice to then enter a number in the GO TO box, and have it take me to a VERSE within that chapter. Right now, if a enter a random number in the GO TO box, if reassigns me to the CHAPTER in the current book. That's not very useful to me.
3. This is the biggest one. The arrows next to the GO TO box are almost completely useless for me, because they have no connection to the majority of tasks that I commonly do. Accordance's new "intelligent automatic context" with the SEARCH bar means that most of my time is now spent with the SEARCH bar, not the GO TO bar. Thus, those arrows could be far more useful if they would let me navigate forward and backward in the history of searches done in the SEARCH bar - not just verses entered in the GO TO bar. Right now, I virtually never use them. (And while you're at it, it would be wonderful to have a keyboard shortcut for navigation forward and backward in search history!)

I would be interested to hear from other users: Do you often use the GO TO box? How about those associated arrows?

 

Thanks and God bless!

Randy

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2013 by Randy Steffens Jr

[SWC]

I use the "Go To" area a lot... more than the search window because it is so easy to get around in the text. The "Tab" key moves my curser to that box immediately with either one... or two taps. I can then type something short... hit return and I'm where i want to be immediately.

[Randy Steffens Jr]

What about the strange behavior of taking the user to Gen 1:1, when Search version is changed? Does that not cause you any trouble? I would like to use GO TO more. But I also change search version a lot. This makes GO TO very frustrating to use, because I'm taken to Gen 1:1 at the most unexpected times and situations!

 

Thanks!

Randy

[Steve King]

I have got used to using GO TO for changing my place in the Bible so I use it regularly. I rarely change version because I have them in parallel therefore this situation does not affect me. Also I don't think i have ever changed version and the search/go to at the same time.

 

I've never considered that these fields should work together. You either change version or you 'go to' not both. Currently change version overrides 'go to' which seems to me a valid way of working.

 

Also if you have done a search and now got a list of results you can use 'go to' to get to a specific place - you cannot do that on the search area.

 

The fact that you go to Gen 1:1 when you change the search version and the search field is blank mimics pressing enter I suppose, it also changes the version being viewed. It does mean that what happens when the search field has something in it is different to what happens when it is blank, but then it is not something that I regularly use and if I do use it is to change the version being shown.

 

Recent changes have meant that 'go to' can be ignored more frequently than it once was but I think that if you change the 'go to' so that it works with other fields it may introduce more confusion and complexity.

Edited September 29, 2013 by Steve King

[Randy Steffens Jr]

Thanks Steve. It's good to hear what others are doing.

 

Regarding changing versions, I usually prefer to use the "cntrl-#" shortcut (changes search version) to change text viewed, rather than the "cntrl-shift-#" shortcut (change display version), because the former is less unwieldy for my fingers. So if I've been working in the GO TO box and then I hit that key combo by reflex, it's frustrating to find myself in Gen 1:1.

 

So for the developer team: If Go To would keep me reading in the same spot when I change versions, that would solve my main frustration. While you're at it, if those little arrows allowed us to navigate through all the history of that particular pane, not just GO TO history, that would be the "cherry on the cone"!

 

Thanks,

Randy