Keep search results highlighted when opening other windows

[TYA]

Please enable words that are highlighted as search results to remain highlighted when additional windows are opened, such as when opening Workspaces (or that future browse window I greatly hope to see) are opened to view the search results in custom groups of texts.

 

As it is now, when I open (or "Amplify"?) to a Workspace from a list of search results, the highlighting disappears, meaning that I have to manually scan to find the word I'm looking for.  I would greatly appreciate at least an option to keep search results highlighted when opening other windows to view them.  Thank you.

[Joel Brown]

Can you give an example of this workflow?  If I perform a Research, then hit Open, I see the hits still marked in the specific text chosen.  If I amplify from a word to a Workspace, I also get the selected word searched throughout the Workspace.

 

Speaking of amplifying to Workspaces, have you explored this feature much?  If you customize a workspace with your favorite texts and tools arranged in any fashion you choose, and if you then save this workspace as a Favorite Workspace, you can amplify any word or verse to the workspace.  This amplify then shows that word or verse in all chosen texts and tools, giving you a fully flexible way to immediately perform a powerful cross-search.

[TYA]

Can you give an example of this workflow?

 

Absolutely.  Please see these 4 screenshots which sequentially lay out my workflow.  (I created these previously with other requests / frustrations in mind, so please take that into account).  But I address you specifically now in the #3 image, drawing your attention to where I'm losing the highlighting.  You're a huge help.  Thanks for being willing to take a look.  If you can shorten this workflow (and especially keep the highlighting, I would greatly appreciate it).

[Joel Brown]

Thanks for taking the time to explain your workflow, TYA.  I know others have told you this, but I think some of your frustrations are that Accordance doesn't do things exactly the same way Bibleworks did.  I think that, furthermore, your workflow has been highly tuned to work well with Bibleworks' strengths, so perhaps some tweaks to your study methodology might be in order to make it seem a bit smoother for you.  So, lets walk through each step:

 

1) You clicked on a Hebrew word using Live Click to look it up in all translations.

Neat!  This is a fantastic way to quickly do a cross-text search, as it supports aggregate analytics and requires very little set up.

2) You specifically were interested in a hit in the Ben Sira (Manuscript order) module.  Now, its important to remember that Research is a great first pass, but as you note, its fairly limited.  It doesn't support Instant Details, most Amplify, cross highlighting, etc.   Its great for its search and analytics, and simple interaction, but the goal is to take you to the text once you have more interest.  As you note, clicking 'Open' will open the text for more study.

3) At this point, your text is available for study.  You can add parallel panes, check instant details, do a whole lot of research straight from your text.

3a) If you only want to open a text or tool, you may just want to choose them from Add Parallel.

3b) If you really wanted a full blown workspace setup, then I recommend amplifying (as you are doing, Right click -> My Workspaces -> Ben Sira Parallel) from the Hebrew word, not the verse reference.  Coming from the verse reference is why your search doesn't translate over - this is a new, independent analysis of that verse.  I'm not familiar with Bibleworks, but in Accordance, we hold to a pretty straight WYSIWYG perspective - one can always connect the 'why' for the results on the screen.  It would be more confusing to have this new workspace come up, searching for only SirB 1r:16 also highlighting a Hebrew word from another tab.

However, if you amplify by the word, you will get the highlighting since it is searching again for this word in your complex workspace.

3c) The reason your English did not fulfill is because your left tab is in Manuscript order, while the English (and Syriac) is in Canonical order.  Since you looked for a manuscript verse reference, this manuscript reference is not how the English is organized.  Solution: Do your research and results using Ben Sira-Canonical order, and have that be in your workspace.

4) Now, here's the part that is very important to you, the fact that to you, you need to redo steps 1-3 every single time.  I disagree.  You'll note that in step (3), when the text is available, it has *all* of the other Ben Sira results there.  Why close all of the tabs and workspaces associated with step 3 at this point?  Keep working with the data already available to you, only returning to the Research if truly you wanted results in a different module.

 

Again, I'd like to reaffirm to you that, yes this exact workflow you are proposing is likely done in fewer steps than in Bibleworks, because frankly, its a Bibleworks based workflow that you are attempting in Accordance  I recommend you try tweaking your approach instead.  When you see a word, are you interested in the Ben Sira usage of it?  Why not skip all of the other steps and amplify straight to your Ben Sira text (or workspace!)?  If you find yourself always wanting to view results in a few texts, such as Ben Sira, QUMRAN, HMT, and the Mishna, perhaps just set up a single workspace that has exactly all of the tools you want already available and searched every time.  Of course, perhaps you truly need to search every single text, but we find that this usually is to find a particular instance and then spend time in that text.  If the user really wants to do major study patterns across a few different texts, a predefined workspace is more powerful and faster.

 

I hope this helps, and please continue to offer plenty of feedback and questions

[TYA]

Joel, thank you for this beautiful, detailed answer.  There's much for me to work on, but before following up with a question in return, let me first remove some perceived misunderstanding...

 

...frankly, its a Bibleworks based workflow that you are attempting in Accordance

 

No, I disagree.  I use multiple Bible software's, and I'm not partial to any one, in principle.  I'm only partial to the most efficient way of accomplishing my task, which is generally centered on original language research and translation.  That means having simple, reliable search functionality, and as many original language texts on the screen (with tagging info), along with numerous translations.

 

(This is why I've made so many posts regarding searching (whether asking for "Find on Page" for English, pointing out "OR" search inconsistencies, pointing out Hebrew unicode issues, desire for a literal search, cross-search ability for unicode and beta, etc.; and this is why I'm also so interested in a larger "universal" browse window with unlimited versions).

 

The name of the program matters nothing at all; and if I've found a good workflow in another program (again, I have multiple), I'm still open to improvement wherever I go.  So please don't get the wrong impression.  There are already several things that I'm amazed at with Accordance.  I never thought I'd be blessed with the opportunity to use it so soon anyway, and so I'm very grateful.  Now to the question...

 

If you really wanted a full blown workspace setup, then I recommend amplifying [. . .] from the Hebrew word, not the verse reference.  Coming from the verse reference is why your search doesn't translate over - this is a new, independent analysis of that verse.

 

Easy enough.  And yes, I'm all about Workspaces.  I figured that one out early on   But here is my followup question, as I try to follow your instructions to minimize steps.  See attached please.

Edited September 16, 2018 by TYA

[Joel Brown]

I’m not fully following how you are amplifying, but I believe you want to turn on the Recycle button in the top right. This determines whether you wish to reuse the tab when amplifying, or make a new one.

[TYA]

Joel, here it is (attached)