Windows Gospel Library Help and Suggestions

Discussions around the Gospel Library application for Windows for Desktop and Mobile

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mlz01
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Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2015 10:16 am

Windows Gospel Library Help and Suggestions

#1

Post by mlz01 »

I started using the gospel library app on android a few years ago and it completely changed my scripture study. It made it so much easier to study. I have over 6000 notes and highlights. I have them all organized by color and in notebooks with tags.

Then, I switched to a windows device which I thought would be fine because there was a windows app too. The ipad app and the android app are very similar. The windows app is nothing like the other two. I am no longer able to study my scriptures the way I have the last few years. I already sent one email and was told the windows version is still in development. I wish I would have known that before I bought a windows device. There really should be a disclaimer that it is not the same as the ipad and android versions.

Anyway, I've tried to use the app and have found several things that I need help with or would suggest.

1. I really wish all three versions (ipad, android, and windows) were the same. I have noticed that the color of the highlights are different etc. A lot of people use a color system to study their scriptures and if they are not the same it can really mess things up! That is just one example that I have seen where the windows version is different from the other two. I have an android phone and a windows tablet that I use at different times and they are so different. It would be nice if the colors and functionality were similar between all the platforms so people can switch between them without problems.

2. Obviously the notebooks, tags, and links are not working yet. I am sure they are being worked on but in the meantime it's very hard to study without them. I can add notebooks and tags online under my study notebook but I am not able to add the links. I love doing scripture chains where I link one scripture to the next and now I can't.

3. Another major issue I have found for me is that I can't figure out how to associate a note that I add to a highlight or underline. In the android version I would underline scriptures a certain color and then add my own notes to it. Now, with the windows version the note is separate from the underline and I can't change the color. It's the default blue. Is there a way like in the android and ipad versions to underline in red for example and add my notes to that underline? When I look at all my old underlines and notes I have added on my old android tablet, the notes show up in red (or whatever color I used) and it looks like they are associated with the underline I added them with. But, when I add a new note, I can't associate them or assign my note a color. That is really hard when you use a color system (a lot of people do) to study. With the windows version you can add a highlight or underline in any color and then add a note to the same verse but it's completely separate from the underline or highlight there. You also can't assign the note a color (at least I can't figure it out).

4. I also copy and paste a lot of quotes etc into my scriptures and with the windows version there is no right click paste option. I know you can use control v but it would be nice to have a right click option.

5. I noticed that footnotes from conference talks aren't there. You can see the numbers but they aren't linked to the scriptures and you can't even see what the scriptures are. This makes it hard to study the conference talks if you like to look up the footnotes and scriptures that they use in the talk (which I do). I am sure this is an issue with more than this years conference talks but that is where I have noticed it.

6. Another inconvenience I have found is with the actual footnotes in the scriptures. When you push the option to show them, they cover up part of the actual scripture text. In the real paper scriptures and in the android and ipad versions, you can see both the complete scripture text and the footnotes together. Sunday we were reading in the new testament during gospel doctrine class and there was a scripture with a JST but you couldn't tell because you can't see the scriptures and the footnotes both at the same time. I knew the JST was there but I had to open the footnotes and remember which verse it was on and then scroll down the footnotes to find the verse, then switch back to the scripture verse and then remember what the JST said because you can't see them both open together. In the android version, not only can you see them both together but as you scroll through the scriptures, the footnotes keep up with it so you can always see the footnotes for each verse right with the scripture. That is really helpful if you like to use the footnotes when you study the scriptures (everyone should do that).

Please let me know if there is a way to correct any of these problems and I just haven't been able to figure them out. If they are not options then I hope they will be added to the windows version of the app since they work so well on the ipad and android versions. I am so grateful for the scriptures and being able to study them electronically. I am grateful for all the people who work so hard to bring them to us too. But, please let me know if the windows app will be improved with these features so I can again begin studying again the way I love. With this version, I can read things but I can't study them.
ToManyLetters
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Re: Windows Gospel Library Help and Suggestions

#2

Post by ToManyLetters »

Then, I switched to a windows device which I thought would be fine because there was a windows app too. The ipad app and the android app are very similar. The windows app is nothing like the other two. I am no longer able to study my scriptures the way I have the last few years. I already sent one email and was told the windows version is still in development. I wish I would have known that before I bought a windows device. There really should be a disclaimer that it is not the same as the ipad and android versions.
Yes, the Windows app is, in fact, still in development. Not only is it still in development, it is a much newer application than the versions on iOS and Android. Additionally, unlike iOS and Android, no one on the team is paid to work on the application. It is done entirely by volunteers in time away from their families.
I really wish all three versions (ipad, android, and windows) were the same
Especially for the Windows version, this is simply not possible. iOS and Android don't have nearly the same number of application interaction types that Windows has. They have touch and touch only to worry about. We have keyboard and mouse, touch, gesture, and, very soon, also holographic and voice. Because of this, the app has to be designed in a way that works well for all interaction types. The iOS and Android model simply does not work.
A lot of people use a color system to study their scriptures and if they are not the same it can really mess things up! That is just one example that I have seen where the windows version is different from the other two.
While the exact shade of the color may be different, the color itself is, in fact, the same. (Except where iOS fails to properly load a transparent highlight correctly and renders it as yellow).
Obviously the notebooks, tags, and links are not working yet.
As has been mentioned before, these are coming. In fact, if you're using the beta version of the app (available on the Windows Store) with the Preview Features toggle turned on, Notebooks and Tags are already available in a rough but perfectly usable state.
Another major issue I have found for me is that I can't figure out how to associate a note that I add to a highlight or underline.
This is available in the current beta. When you select an area that is already highlighted or underlined to add a note, the note will take the color of that highlight and automatically associate itself.
4. I also copy and paste a lot of quotes etc into my scriptures and with the windows version there is no right click paste option. I know you can use control v but it would be nice to have a right click option.
It's not likely to come in the current version, either. The radial menu handles interactions within the app. We have been discussing some potential changes in the future that may change this, however.
I noticed that footnotes from conference talks aren't there.
They are there, actually. There's a bug in the content that causes our app to not open the references pane like it is supposed to. A fix for the content team's bug is present already in the beta version of the app, available on the Windows Store.
Another inconvenience I have found is with the actual footnotes in the scriptures. When you push the option to show them, they cover up part of the actual scripture text.
Just pin it open with the pin in the top-right corner of any of the navigation panes. The text will move out from underneath and the pinned pane will stay open.
Learn more about Gospel Library for Windows 10 Beta at the link below:
https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Gospel_Library_for_Windows_10
mlz01
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Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2015 10:16 am

Re: Windows Gospel Library Help and Suggestions

#3

Post by mlz01 »

Thank you for the reply. I do appreciate all the work you and others have done! I will try out your suggestions and look forward to seeing the other changes as the app develops. Hopefully it will be soon!
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jkentner
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Location: Olathe, Kansas

Re: Windows Gospel Library Help and Suggestions

#4

Post by jkentner »

One of the best features from the first Windows Phone version is to jump directly to a verse in a chapter. I have not seen that option on the new version for Windows, or on Android or IOS. It is really annoying when you open up Jacob 5 and you want to read version 72 you have to scroll for an eternity to the bottom of the list. Versus having a jump list to quickly go to that verse. Or am I totally missing something obvious and it is there and just not intuitive?
ToManyLetters
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Re: Windows Gospel Library Help and Suggestions

#5

Post by ToManyLetters »

This feature does not exist on the newer version of the app. I've added it to our desired feature list for potential inclusion in a future release.
Learn more about Gospel Library for Windows 10 Beta at the link below:
https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Gospel_Library_for_Windows_10
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jkentner
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Location: Olathe, Kansas

Re: Windows Gospel Library Help and Suggestions

#6

Post by jkentner »

Another function that would be nice to bring back from the old version is how you can press on a verse and it highlights it. It is very handy while ready and talking about verses so that you can keep track where you are. Also when we are reading as a family passing the phone down the line for the kids to read, with it highlighted, it is just a nice feature.
ToManyLetters
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Re: Windows Gospel Library Help and Suggestions

#7

Post by ToManyLetters »

You can press and hold still on the verse or paragraph and a box outline will appear around it. The radial menu will appear, but it can be slid out of the way.
Learn more about Gospel Library for Windows 10 Beta at the link below:
https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Gospel_Library_for_Windows_10
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jkentner
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Re: Windows Gospel Library Help and Suggestions

#8

Post by jkentner »

@TooManyLetters, that is true, though not as nice as previous, as you have one additional step to move the radial out of the way.
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