38 replies to this topic

[LarryG]

A question: How much will this slow down the eSword platform? I'm running on Win7 x64 with less than 100 modules (bblx., dctx., and cmtx.) and have hesitations all the time. Will something like this make it worse?

[BH.]

T3 had a CMTX "Fill In" tool which created navigation links in unlocked CMTX files, so you never get lost. The (!) symbol on the tab became meaningless, but you never got lost! I just resurrected this tool in T4 - it has been disabled up to now in T4. It will be in the next update. This of course, it not a permanent solution...

I would also like to see the Chapter and Book notes become "sticky". As it is now, when you change a verse, commentaries immediately revert back to verse notes.

[DoctorDaveT]

Brent,

if every verse has an "i", you may not get lost - but you'll regularly be lied to. Me? I'd prefer to be lost.

I like the sticky idea.

Edited by DoctorDaveT, 24 June 2012 - 02:10 PM.

[BH.]

Brent,

if every verse has an "i", you may not get lost - but you'll regularly be lied to. Me? I'd prefer to be lost.

I like the sticky idea.

Lied? No - I warned you! :-) I look at it more like this - whem I'm doing Bible study, and using a particular commentary - I want to know where the comments are in THAT commentary. Yes, the (!) will alert me to comments in other commentariers. But often, it is a particular commentary what I am using to study. So, not having valid (!) is not significant to me. And I will know that there is a comment for a particular verse because the comments will appear in the commentary window.

But I readily admit, this solution is not for everyone and every commentary.

[DoctorDaveT]

Sorry, Brent,

But you're not making any sense to my brain. If every commentary verse has an "!", then none of them do. (If you emphasize everything, you emphasize nothing). Turning "!" on all of the verses don't tell me where any comments are. It allows me to "next/previous comment" to find it (eventually, if it's a long way off).

I've attempted to use .cmtx modules like this, and ended up deleting them because "they lied to me all the time" (even if you warn me about lying, it's still lying when it happens).

Here's what I don't understand. You said: "I want to know where the comments are in THAT commentary." OK, I'm with you so far. But then you said, "But often, it is a particular commentary what {DDT - "edit"} I am using to study. So, not having valid (!) is not significant to me." I think that means, you're reading one commentary, so you don't mind having empty comments in the commentary. But, what does this then mean: "And I will know that there is a comment for a particular verse because the comments will appear in the commentary window." No - they won't - if every one of them has the "!".

You're right about this: it is a matter of preference. But for commentaries that are sparse, I'd rather not know where the comments are than have the "!" all the time.

By the way - I still like "Option 1" the best....

[BH.]

I have no axe to grind - ultimately is a personal preference. If I'm using a single commentary to study, I will have it open along with a Bible window, +/- other windows. If there is no comment, then the comment will be blank. If you use the T3/T4 "Fill In" Feature, it will have a link to the comment before and after the current comment. If there is no comment, then you only have the links. Instead of looking for a (!), you look at the text in the commentary window. If there is no comment, then will have "links". Something like this: Psa_51:5 <> Psa_51:12. So, if you are on Psalms 51:10, and there is no comment, the links will point forward to 51:12 and back to 51:5. You are not lost... And again, I don't care what the (!) is saying in this situation, because I see the actual text as it is in an open window next to the Bible window. If you are using multiple commentaries, then you may not want this "feature". A permanent solution as suggested by Josh would be nice...

[APsit190]

One of my critiques of e-Sword has been the inability of a user to have a bird's eye view of comments. Now days, this is expected in Bible study software.

Fix the Next Comment/Previous Comment Button
The Next Comment/Previous Comment button works great, as long as I'm viewing a comment. When I'm not currently viewing a comment (no comment in the commentary), it does not work. But isn't that when I need the next/previous comment button most? When I can't find a comment? When I'm on a verse that has no comment, if I click the next comment or previous comment button, ideally e-Sword would go to the next comment--just as it does when I am viewing a comment.

What if you're in Scofield's Notes in 1 Kings. We click a verse. No comment. You wonder, what does the author have to say about 1 Kings--anywhere in 1 Kings? You should able to click Next Comment or Previous Comment and you would instantly see the next or previous in the commentary. This would just help to find comments when comments are sparse. And it's just plain user friendly.

Bird's Eye View of Comments
Here are a couple of ideas on how to create a real, bird's eye view of comments. Ideas like this are now standard in free Bible software, so I take no credit for the ideas.

Here's one way, but I suspect e-Sword's Visual Basic implementation has too much of a fixed layout for this to be done in the current Visual Basic sandbox.

Implementation #1:


Here's another way that would be user friendly and easy to code, even in the confines of VB.

Implementation #2.


That's my two cents. I welcome yours!

The big problem with chapter and verse comments is most users never look at them. I hate putting content into these areas because I know most users will never look there.

So, we can fix this problem too! Show the chapter and book references with the verse reference in that dictionary-style pane that Dave mentioned. Or in the drop down verse selector I showed.

Example:

Gen
Gen 1
Gen 1:1
Gen 1:2
etc (see screenshot)



Now, how is blindly searching for comments better than seeing them all? Again, none of this is my idea. The wheel's already been invented. I'm just describing what I've seen others do. I'd like to see e-Sword benefit from it.

Hi Josh,
You've raised some interesting ideas here, and in what you've suggested actually makes perfect common sense. It certainly makes the Commentaries more user friendly.

In the way you've shown it in the User Manual by using the Commentaries Search dialog, when using the "$" string variable to find the comments, all books and chapter comments are at the top (Books comments, chapter comments, and then finally the verse comments) isn't a very user friendly way to have an overview of the Commentary, but in what you've suggested, particularly Implementation #2, and the Book and Chapter illustration, would certainly make things a very user friendly.

If Rick implements idea, I can envisage just how much more simpler and easier for the user to use e-Sword. Its pretty good now, but it would be even make it way better for the non-technical user.

Blessings,

[Josh Bond]

A question: How much will this slow down the eSword platform? I'm running on Win7 x64 with less than 100 modules (bblx., dctx., and cmtx.) and have hesitations all the time. Will something like this make it worse?

I believe this is a bug in e-Sword. I sometimes have a multi-second (3-5 seconds) delay while e-Sword "catches up"? It hesitates and I can't seem to figure out what causes it. 2 of our moderators have the same issue.

[BaptizedBeliever]

I believe this is a bug in e-Sword. I sometimes have a multi-second (3-5 seconds) delay while e-Sword "catches up"? It hesitates and I can't seem to figure out what causes it. 2 of our moderators have the same issue.

add me to the list of those to whom this happens. Usually when I click on a specific verse

[MJ_]

One of my critiques of e-Sword has been the inability of a user to have a bird's eye view of comments. Now days, this is expected in Bible study software.

Fix the Next Comment/Previous Comment Button
The Next Comment/Previous Comment button works great, as long as I'm viewing a comment. When I'm not currently viewing a comment (no comment in the commentary), it does not work. But isn't that when I need the next/previous comment button most? When I can't find a comment? When I'm on a verse that has no comment, if I click the next comment or previous comment button, ideally e-Sword would go to the next comment--just as it does when I am viewing a comment.

What if you're in Scofield's Notes in 1 Kings. We click a verse. No comment. You wonder, what does the author have to say about 1 Kings--anywhere in 1 Kings? You should able to click Next Comment or Previous Comment and you would instantly see the next or previous in the commentary. This would just help to find comments when comments are sparse. And it's just plain user friendly.

Bird's Eye View of Comments
Here are a couple of ideas on how to create a real, bird's eye view of comments. Ideas like this are now standard in free Bible software, so I take no credit for the ideas.

Here's one way, but I suspect e-Sword's Visual Basic implementation has too much of a fixed layout for this to be done in the current Visual Basic sandbox.

Implementation #1:


Here's another way that would be user friendly and easy to code, even in the confines of VB.

Implementation #2.


That's my two c
ents. I welcome yours!

I am familiar with a similar programming issue in Esword. I am also well aqauinted with the delays that were mentioned in this thread. That would be a plus to get either of these two items addressed. I have no preference as to the solution as I use the feature of moving from one comment to the other very little.