Signing In Scrambles Bookmarks

Discussions around the Android version of the Gospel Library application.
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lajackson
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Signing In Scrambles Bookmarks

#1

Post by lajackson »

In anticipation of having access to Handbook 1, I finally decided to sign in to Gospel Library. It was a mistake for me, and unless the problem is fixed, I am willing to forego access to H1 in LDS Tools.

My bookmarks scrambled. They entirely changed and reordered in such a mixed up way that I am now having trouble finding the bookmark I need.

I was used to having bookmarks stay in the same place, with the anticipated function that a new or updated bookmark would move to the top of the list. In preparation for lessons and other teaching assignments, I had dozens of bookmarks, all carefully ordered where and when I needed them. My scripture reading bookmarks bubbled at the top, and under them everything else was in order.

When I signed in, they all scrambled. But that is not the worst of it. I began putting the most urgent bookmarks back in order, successfully, but when I exited GL and then restarted the app, everything was scrambled again. And not even in the same order. The bookmarks seem to change places on a whim.

After putting up with this frustration for a number of days, I have decided to sign out.
I have never bookmarked anything at LDS.org so there should be no interference from there.
I am running GL 3.2.13.0 on Android 5.0.1 on a Galaxy S4 smarter than I am phone.
I admit to having a thing about computer programs that think they know better than I do what I want.

And I sent feedback, when I finally found the location of the help link I needed, which is the hidden one, and not the obvious one.
egnlsn
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Re: Signing In Scrambles Bookmarks

#2

Post by egnlsn »

The other day, when I updated all annotations all of my bookmarks were scrambled as well.
CIAO!

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lajackson
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Re: Signing In Scrambles Bookmarks

#3

Post by lajackson »

I received an answer from the GL folks telling me that there is no way to order the bookmarks in GL. They said that you will be able to order bookmarks in the next version of the app coming out in a few months.

Of course, I always enjoy learning that there is no way to do something that I have been doing for several years.

So my options are to stay signed out and have ordered bookmarks, or to sign in and live with randomness and chance.

They did point out that I will lose my bookmarks when GL upgrades if I have not synced them with the LDS.org site. I already was aware of that. I lost everything with the last unannounced upgrade.

Pick your poison.
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Re: Signing In Scrambles Bookmarks

#4

Post by sbradshaw »

Gospel Library 4 will keep track of bookmark order. Gospel Library 3 doesn't do a very good job with that – it wasn't planned with the use case of people having more than 3 or 4 bookmarks, so the bug wasn't noticed and sort order isn't sent to the server. Using a lot of bookmarks isn't intuitive to me, but I'm sure you're not the only one who organizes lessons with bookmarks. Gospel Library 4 is more flexible.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
lajackson
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Re: Signing In Scrambles Bookmarks

#5

Post by lajackson »

sbradshaw wrote:Gospel Library 4 will keep track of bookmark order. Gospel Library 3 doesn't do a very good job with that – it wasn't planned with the use case of people having more than 3 or 4 bookmarks, so the bug wasn't noticed and sort order isn't sent to the server. Gospel Library 4 is more flexible.
More than 3 or 4 bookmarks? Wow!

I have 61 right now,
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Re: Signing In Scrambles Bookmarks

#6

Post by sbradshaw »

Have you considered using a note, with links, instead of bookmarks? I think of bookmarks as more for keeping track of where you are reading – i.e., a bookmark for personal study, one for the Sunday School lesson manual, and one for family/roommate scripture study – and when I start into the next chapter, I move the bookmark. I don't consider them as things that should stay in the same location for very long.

EDIT: Maybe using a full notebook, instead of a single note, to keep your thoughts for a lesson?
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lajackson
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Re: Signing In Scrambles Bookmarks

#7

Post by lajackson »

sbradshaw wrote:Have you considered using a note, with links, instead of bookmarks? I think of bookmarks as more for keeping track of where you are reading – i.e., a bookmark for personal study, one for the Sunday School lesson manual, and one for family/roommate scripture study – and when I start into the next chapter, I move the bookmark. I don't consider them as things that should stay in the same location for very long.
Here is how I do it. There are certainly other ways.

First an aside. I am not normally connected to the Internet. For GL, I used to have the "ask me" setting, and for a long time GL asked me each time it wanted to download something or otherwise access the Internet. Then twice in one week it downloaded over a gig of data without my permission, I lost my data access while I got it all sorted out, and I now select WiFi only, which GL honors. I have found that GL really likes connectivity, and I have had to learn to use it without constant connectivity, but only with regular (mostly daily in the evenings) WiFi access.

On notes and notebooks. I have not used them because they were not reliable enough for me. My personal experience was validated by multiple posts here at the Forum. I needed something more dependable. Maybe they are more stable now, but I have not explored them recently. Since I have never studied at LDS.org itself, I have not felt the need to worry much about it. My notes, study materials, and talks are on my laptop in files and documents that I access, develop, and study regularly.

And now on to the way I use bookmarks. I have bookmarks in each of the standard works where I am reading. (I do move them from verse to verse and chapter to chapter as I read.) I do the same with bookmarks in the other items I am reading, Handbook 2, Jesus The Christ, the Ensign, Preach My Gospel, some of the Institute manuals.

Once I have read a book, if it is something to which I will refer regularly, I usually leave a bookmark in it and move it around. For example, the PMG bookmark bounces around for the missionary coordinating meetings, the Handbook 2 bookmark bounces around for discussions in ward council, usually located at the next Handbook training I plan to give, etc. I have a bookmark in the Gospel Doctrine manual for Sunday School class, Teaching in the Lord's Way, Gospel Principles (I sub occasionally), etc.

So far those appear to be the same as the way you use bookmarks. Here comes the difference.

I am regularly asked in meetings to provide the spiritual thought, so I bookmark scriptures as I read that will serve the purpose and name them Thought. I have almost a dozen right now, which is about a three month's supply. I delete the bookmark after I present the thought.

I bookmark each of the six Teachings for Our Times conference talks when they are assigned, naming them, for example, TFOT July 24 2016, so I know when each is scheduled to be taught. I usually read them in advance, then delete the bookmark after the lesson discussion. If I didn't get one read before class, I leave the bookmark in until I have finished reading it, then delete it.

I do the same with each chapter of the current Teachings of Presidents of the Church book. I bookmark them all at the beginning of the year, and now am down to HWH 18: Sep 18 2016 for this Sunday, and six more for the rest of the year. As with TFOT, if I get the chapter read in advance, I delete it after the lesson. If not, I delete the bookmark after I have finished reading it.

I have a few other odds and ends that don't really meet the definition of bookmarks as a temporary reading location. I usually keep the Mutual theme bookmarked during the year, then delete it. The bishop asked me to help him understand a certain scripture, so I have that one bookmarked for now while we study and discuss it. And I have a couple of unrelated general conference talks bookmarked that I am studying in depth.

So there you have it. I believe I really am using bookmarks as bookmarks. I just seem to have a whole lot more of them. Based on my method, the actual number of bookmarks peaks at the beginning of the year (TPC), and bumps again after each general conference (TFOT), then drops down from there as I read and delete. And you can see why, with so many bookmarks, it was nice when they all stayed in the same place. I entered them in reverse order (HWH 24, HWH 23, HWH 22) and they all stayed nicely grouped together until I needed them.

Until I signed in.

Since I have stayed signed in for now as I am trying to reorder my bookmarks, I have noticed another connectivity problem. LDS.org seems to override the GL app, and that is challenging for me because I am offline most of the day. But I am now in full experimental testing mode and I am starting to see some patterns. If they are repeatable and hold true over the next few days, I will have figured out how to solve my problem.
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Re: Signing In Scrambles Bookmarks

#8

Post by sbradshaw »

Wow, you really have your system down! :) Gospel Library tries to sync every time an annotation is added, removed, moved, or modified (bookmark, highlight, tag, note, link, etc.), which is probably what you're seeing with connectivity. I agree that I like to use documents outside of Gospel Library for keeping important notes, planning, etc. I would use tags for some of your use cases, like "thoughts." Anyway, hopefully you're able to figure out how to get it to work!
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Re: Signing In Scrambles Bookmarks

#9

Post by lajackson »

I probably should just read the user guide, now that there is one. [smile]
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