Notes go with which verse?

Discussions around the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch versions of the Gospel Library application.
npk_techguy
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Notes go with which verse?

#1

Post by npk_techguy »

The update I have been waiting a year for. I love the rich next notes, particularly the outlines and underline/bold. I am so glad for split view that gives me the ability to have a document and GL open. I am glad we can finally highlight everything. This is a huge update.

However, what has been changed ruins the app experience for me and how I use GL every day.

1. In order to see any note, link, or tag I have to tap the note icon next to the scripture. Why?

2. If I have more than one note, link, or tag on the same line of the verse, I have no idea which will open when I tap the note. Why?

3. The note icons are not even listed in the same order as the highlights in the verse.

4. Once the note is open I have no reference as to what verse and highlight it is associated to. There is no longer a verse number that has the color or outline to which it is associated to. Is there a setting to turn this back on?

5. If I have a chapter that has 20 notes, links or tags associated to to it, I must tap 20 times to see the notes. I can no longer scroll through the chapter, read the verses and see all the notes at the same time. Is this really true? Surely I am missing something. Settings perhaps.

Please help me understand why there was such a drastic change. Is the scripture notes feature not getting used? Or they don't read the notes after they make them. What happened?

For one who makes lots of notes and highlights, and especially notes that reference other verses (and the associated notes) above or below in the same chapter, this makes it very unenjoyable.

Fortunately, I updated an older device before I updated my main iPad. As much as I want the other features for teaching the gospel doctrine class, these changes affect my daily personal study too much. Until the above is addressed I am not updating.
andyrosenberg
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Re: Notes go with which verse?

#2

Post by andyrosenberg »

I totally agree. This is what I posted on ldsliving.com:
Sadly the 4.0 version of the app seems to be a beta release that's not really ready and needs significant refinement.
I do like the ability to additionally mark chapter headings etc., but one still cannot highlight a footnote or footnote number if desired.
However, I am quite disappointed that tags and notes are no longer in the same column as footnotes. Now one must click on tags and notes that one has added to see them and then only one note or tag appears at a time. With several notes on a page, there is no way to determine which one you are opening - it's a hunt and guess system. For one who writes in a lot of notes, this is a terribly tedious process.
Further, and importantly, if one is teaching, not being able to see one's teaching notes on the same page as the scripture that one is teaching from is a significant impediment and lessens the functionality of the app. Now, one must continually switch back and forth, and hopefully, as mentioned above with the hunt and guess system, be lucky enough to touch on the appropriate note. This is not a very good system.
Additionally, this back and forth takes away from the experience of simply reading and scrolling once the notes have been entered.
Finally, I've also noticed on my iPad, as I try to move the cursor to correct spelling, that the magnifying glass does not move the cursor, and it does not magnify the letter where one is trying to move the cursor to. This too has sadly become total guess work.
Hopefully, 4.1 will be released soon to address these issues.
Until then I'm going back to 3.4
marcroylelarsen
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Re: Notes go with which verse?

#3

Post by marcroylelarsen »

Amen to npk_techguy and andyrosenberg. Why do people make notes in the margins of their physical scriptures? Because they want to see them again every time they open to that page. With all the advantages of the new features, not being able to see my own annotations alongside the scripture text completely overshadows any benefit. I am trying to figure out how to teach my lesson this Sunday. How do I go back to 3.4?
andyrosenberg
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Re: Notes go with which verse?

#4

Post by andyrosenberg »

marcolelarsen - If you've only updated the app on your phone and you haven't updated in itunes on your computer, then you can delete the app from your phone, and your itunes on your computer will still have the previous version which you can install.
corwinslack
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Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2011 12:34 pm

Re: Notes go with which verse?

#5

Post by corwinslack »

Formerly a highlight could contain one note, multiple tags, multiple links and could be entered into multiple journals. The visual connection between the highlight and the related content was maintained by highlight style.
Now the date of the link, tag, and note all appear to be relevant, they are not tied to the highlight in any meaningful way and because we may enter tags and links on different dates we get multiple marginal icons and no identity between the highlight and the icons.
Let me see it absolutely clearly: THIS IS A DESIGN ERROR THAT MUST BE FIXED!
The date we entered a tag or a link is not that useful and if we need it we can go to LDS.org and see it.
Our whole adoption of Gospel App 3.0 was based on this organizing paradigm. Changing it so drastically could not have been done by a designer who actually studied and marked scriptures in 3.0.
I have invested hundreds of hours in studying the scriptures using the tools available. I appreciate the enhancements and new features but so so sorry this doesn't work and there needs to be some urgent remediation or you need to offer the old app as an option until you get it fixed. Heaven knows you had long enough to get this right.
andyrosenberg
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Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2016 10:55 am

Re: Notes go with which verse?

#6

Post by andyrosenberg »

Totally agree with corwinslack.
A huge and key oversight.
Sadly, this "update" was not ready for release for use by anyone who reads and marks their scriptures
repandmlp
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Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2016 2:49 am

Re: Notes go with which verse?

#7

Post by repandmlp »

andyrosenberg wrote:marcolelarsen - If you've only updated the app on your phone and you haven't updated in itunes on your computer, then you can delete the app from your phone, and your itunes on your computer will still have the previous version which you can install.
THANK YOU!! You saved me as I was able to switch back to the old version with no loss to the way I had been using my notes. I'll wait to upgrade once all the bugs are resolved.
ClarkHall
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Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2012 5:15 pm

Re: Notes go with which verse?

#8

Post by ClarkHall »

I also do not like not being able to look at the scripture other than the one highlighted in the lesson. It is often helpful to read before and after the lesson linked verses.
If the verse you have linked to in the lesson you want to highlight a person has to go to the actual book, you cannot mark the scripture in the highlighted lesson.
I guess I made the error of somehow updating my desktop computer because deleting the application and reinstalling just brings up the new version.

PLEASE LET ME REVERT BACK TO THE PRIOR VERSION.
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sbradshaw
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Re: Notes go with which verse?

#9

Post by sbradshaw »

clarkhall wrote:I also do not like not being able to look at the scripture other than the one highlighted in the lesson. It is often helpful to read before and after the lesson linked verses.
If you tap on the title or scripture reference above the quoted verses in the sidebar, it will take you to the full chapter.
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
corwinslack
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Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2011 12:34 pm

Re: Notes go with which verse?

#10

Post by corwinslack »

Multiple icons in the margins of a scripture verse are meaningless. we need one icon that indicates that there is either one or more annotations, links, tags, or journals associated with particular highlights in the verse. When we tap on the icon a window should open with highlight styles that show which annotations, tags or links are associated with highlight in the text of the verse. Highlights that extend across multiple verses should have one icon that is associated with the first verse of the multiple highlight.

I am sad to say that there was very little thought given to the effect of the current design on heavy users. All the features appear to be directed at casual users. This interface needs serious work and time. Please make the most recent version of Gospel Library available as a separate version while you fix this mess.
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