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mvnForum
The SWORD Project for PCs
Eloquent (was MacSword)
Thread: Feature request: Simplify the Bookmark System
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Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 27
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chasm
Regular USA Joined: Aug 19, 2009 Post Count: 58 Status: Offline |
Okay, so is this how the bookmarks work? Step 1: Click "Add Bookmark" Step 2: Type bookmark name (optional) Step 3: Type bookmark reference Step 4: Decide whether to have a (optional) highlighter color Step 5: Define Foreground (text) color Step 6: Define Background (highlight) color Step 7: Click OK ---- Seven steps? It can't be simpler? In other Bible apps I've used (primarily on iPod), it's a simpler procedure: Step 1: Select passage Step 2: Click "Add Bookmark" Step 3: Name Bookmark (optional) Step 4: Choose from a predefined set of highlighter colors Step 5: Click OK --- At first glance, not that much more efficient (only two steps shorter, right?). Currently in MacSword, however, it is necessary to type the reference in. Why should I have to do that, when I've already selected the passage I want to highlight? (as an example, if I select John 1:3 and click "Add Bookmark", The Reference field displays the entire passage, not just John 1:3. I thus have to type John 1:3 when I've already selected it with intent of bookmarking it) It really should be as easy as selecting the text, right-clicking it, and selecting to bookmark it. In fact, it could be simplified further... Step 1: Select passage to bookmark Step 2: Right-Click text Step 3: Choose a highlighter color from the contextual menu (something like Labels in Finder) Now, that was 3 steps! Right away, I just highlighted a passage I want to bookmark, and its reference would appear in the sidebar. For those who don't like right-clicking, the plus-sign "Add Bookmark" button could be changed into a "Highlight Passage" button with a pull-down menu displaying the highlighter options. To make this system fit the needs of users, you could add an option in the preferences to define the colors and their names. The names of the colors would be used for categorizing the bookmarks. For example... Verses with yellow highlights are from personal devotions, while the blue ones are the ones I'm using in my Bible class, while the green ones are simply my favorite Bible verses, the pink ones are the passages used in that Bible Study I go to... etc. With a system like this, choosing the highlight color in the contextual menu would automatically place the bookmark in the appropriate folder in the sidebar... Bookmarks I highlight with yellow automatically appear in "Bookmarks > Personal Devotions" in the sidebar, etc. ---------------------------------------- <this signature intentionally left blank> ---------------------------------------- [Edit 3 times, last edit by chasm at Feb 15, 2010 2:08:30 PM] |
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chasm
Regular USA Joined: Aug 19, 2009 Post Count: 58 Status: Offline |
Mockup time! Here is an example of how the sidebar could look:  I hypothetically have two bookmark folders, with their assigned label color shown to the right. If I want to add a new category (or thus new bookmark folder), I click the plus sign next to the right of the Bookmarks category. A new folder would appear, I could name the folder, then I would click on the color button to its right (which would already be assigned a color by MacSword... the first color from the beginning of the palette not already used), and it would display a small menu showing the entire palette (it could look just like the labels in the Finder contextual menu), with a button at the end for opening the System color picker to define a custom color. ---------------------------------------- <this signature intentionally left blank> ---------------------------------------- [Edit 1 times, last edit by chasm at Feb 15, 2010 2:43:39 PM] |
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mdbergmann
Inventory Germany Joined: Jun 12, 2008 Post Count: 637 Status: Offline |
Okay, so is this how the bookmarks work? Step 1: Click "Add Bookmark" Step 2: Type bookmark name (optional) Step 3: Type bookmark reference Step 4: Decide whether to have a (optional) highlighter color Step 5: Define Foreground (text) color Step 6: Define Background (highlight) color Step 7: Click OK If step 4 is optional step 5 and/or 6 is optional as well. Seven steps? It can't be simpler? In other Bible apps I've used (primarily on iPod), it's a simpler procedure: Step 1: Select passage Step 2: Click "Add Bookmark" Step 3: Name Bookmark (optional) Step 4: Choose from a predefined set of highlighter colors Step 5: Click OK Hmm, I normally don't set highlight colour for bookmarks and I collect all the verses and scriptures first in a tab. When I then bookmark them (hitting the + button in the toolbar) I have those steps: 1. click "add bookmark" 2. change name 3. click ok Why should I have to do that, when I've already selected the passage I want to highlight? (as an example, if I select John 1:3 and click "Add Bookmark", The Reference field displays the entire passage, not just John 1:3. I thus have to type John 1:3 when I've already selected it with intent of bookmarking it) The "add bookmark" button takes whats in the search field box. It really should be as easy as selecting the text, right-clicking it, and selecting to bookmark it. In fact, it could be simplified further... Step 1: Select passage to bookmark Step 2: Right-Click text Step 3: Choose a highlighter color from the contextual menu (something like Labels in Finder) You didn't explain to me yet what you mean with "select passage". How do you do that? Do you mean you select text with your mouse cursor? Yeah, I mean that can of course be done and is in fact a nice idea. To make this system fit the needs of users, you could add an option in the preferences to define the colors and their names. The names of the colors would be used for categorizing the bookmarks. For example... Verses with yellow highlights are from personal devotions, while the blue ones are the ones I'm using in my Bible class, while the green ones are simply my favorite Bible verses, the pink ones are the passages used in that Bible Study I go to... etc. With a system like this, choosing the highlight color in the contextual menu would automatically place the bookmark in the appropriate folder in the sidebar... Bookmarks I highlight with yellow automatically appear in "Bookmarks > Personal Devotions" in the sidebar, etc. All good ideas. Now I just need the time to do it. :) |
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chasm
Regular USA Joined: Aug 19, 2009 Post Count: 58 Status: Offline |
To clarify, I select text with the cursor, and click "Add Bookmark". I expect (or hope) that the window would at least display the section I selected, rather than just the entire passage that is loaded in MacSword. If I select one verse, the bookmark reference field displays the entire chapter, because that chapter is what is loaded currently. :( ---------------------------------------- <this signature intentionally left blank> ---------------------------------------- [Edit 1 times, last edit by chasm at Feb 16, 2010 11:49:54 PM] |
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mdbergmann
Inventory Germany Joined: Jun 12, 2008 Post Count: 637 Status: Offline |
Alright. Understood. Right now when adding a bookmark it takes the reference entered in the reference search box. To add a bookmark for the selected text, the text needs to be parsed for verses. Can be done but will take some time. Manfred |
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jonmmorgan
Regular Joined: Dec 12, 2008 Post Count: 31 Status: Offline |
It is a good idea to work on the selected text, and BPBible does it (it's one of the things that really makes me want to keep using BPBible). |
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mdbergmann
Inventory Germany Joined: Jun 12, 2008 Post Count: 637 Status: Offline |
Alright guys. I did some work the last days and have an 2.2 alpha version. I'd be happy if you could give it a try. The following things have changed: - dropped window toolbar in favour of a simple view panel in the window which is now also shown in full screen mode and references can be entered. - implemented adding a bookmark from selected text. here still the only dialog for adding bookmarks is shown but the only thing you need to enter in a name. - text background/forground color and link foreground color can be chosen. works currenty only in bible view. - the two button from the bottom bar for toggling the side bars are now also in the top view panel. I don't like them there, especially the buttons I don't like. So if you have an idea how and where buttons can be put for showing/hiding the sidebars? You can download this version here: http://www.macsword.com/macsword2/download/MacSword-2.2.0a-a169.app.zip Cheers, Manfred ---------------------------------------- [Edit 1 times, last edit by mdbergmann at Feb 18, 2010 9:14:46 AM] |
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mdbergmann
Inventory Germany Joined: Jun 12, 2008 Post Count: 637 Status: Offline |
Well, that build was very buggy, including some bugs fixed in the current 2.1 beta... like the sidebars and such. I don't see many changes aside from the GUI layout... Yeah, that was buggy. I did lots of internal refactorings, cleanups and tried to remove redundancies. This is not yet finished. Well, the changes were that you can define a custom text background, foreground and link color. Also bookmarks can be added from a text selection via context menu. In the release below it is also possible to a verses in a text selection to an existing bookmark. I've also changed the new toolbar view to be a gradient. I'm not sure about the color though. Another difference btw is that left-click on links does have a different behaviour than before. Left-click now has the "open link" action. http://www.macsword.com/macsword2/download/MacSword-2.2.0a-a292.app.zip Cheers, Manfred ---------------------------------------- [Edit 1 times, last edit by mdbergmann at Feb 20, 2010 5:10:38 AM] |
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chasm
Regular USA Joined: Aug 19, 2009 Post Count: 58 Status: Offline |
Okay.... The first 2.2 was pale, this one is... hmm... odd. The gradient makes me think of a FireFox persona. Interesting, but it makes my title bar stick out like a sore thumb. I think a simple brushed metal or Chromium would look so much better... also, all the module text is a faint grey that is nearly impossible to read, and changing font color in the font panel does not fix it, nor does opening a new window. looks aside.. This 2.2 build hangs.. a lot. I just looked up Console, and it appears that it is stuck in an infinite loop of validating the index files. I only have about 6 or 7 modules total, and it's listed debug actions for validating them about a dozen times... I'm going to force quit it now... and maybe move it straight out of my Downloads folder into the netherworld located at ~/.trash EDIT: Okay... after re-reading the Console... It was logged after I did a force quit about 3 minutes ago, and I had the app open for about a minute then... in that minute, approx. 3 dozen cycles of validating the indexes were recorded before I ultimately forced it to quit. ---------------------------------------- <this signature intentionally left blank> ---------------------------------------- [Edit 2 times, last edit by chasm at Feb 20, 2010 5:43:14 AM] |
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mdbergmann
Inventory Germany Joined: Jun 12, 2008 Post Count: 637 Status: Offline |
Okay.... The first 2.2 was pale, this one is... hmm... odd. The gradient makes me think of a FireFox persona. Interesting, but it makes my title bar stick out like a sore thumb. I think a simple brushed metal or Chromium would look so much In Cocoa terms it would be "Unified" look. better... also, all the module text is a faint grey that is nearly impossible to read, and changing font color in the font panel does not fix it, nor does opening a new window. Hmm, so the opinions differ... I actually found this light gray background nice. What colour would you suggest. In my opinion the simple black/white has a too high contrast and is exhausting if you look at it for longer. At the moment the background colour changes after a restart. Foreground after a refresh. This 2.2 build hangs.. a lot. I just looked up Console, and it appears that it is stuck in an infinite loop of validating the index files. I only have about 6 or 7 modules total, and it's listed debug actions for validating them about a dozen times... I'm going to force quit it now... and maybe move it straight out of my Downloads folder into the netherworld located at ~/.trash EDIT: Okay... after re-reading the Console... It was logged after I did a force quit about 3 minutes ago, and I had the app open for about a minute then... in that minute, approx. 3 dozen cycles of validating the indexes were recorded before I ultimately forced it to quit. Can you paste the console to an email please? Do you have the background indexer enabled? Manfred |
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