As I continue to struggle with the fairly obtuse interface for morphology-based searching in L4, I find that my efforts to master this important skill are hindered by two display-related issues.
First, when searching for a particular lemma using the English way of entering Hebrew text (as in, for example, "h:derek" to search for the noun meaning 'way' or 'road') L4 provides a pop-down list of possible Hebrew matches. However, the font and type-size of this list is so small that I cannot read it. I know that I am old and nearly blind (55 with tri-focals), but I am pretty good at reading Hebrew, and it is absurd to have to use a magnifying glass to try to figure out which word is which in the list. Is it not possible to allow the users to specify the font and size of items in this list? As it is it does not employ the preferences selection for Hebrew font and size.
Second, if I manage to specify a search correctly and get some responses I then have an additional problem. Not only is the response list in the same small type and size as above, but when the 'aligned' display option is selected, the text is in the wrong order! The text before the word is on the left and the text following the word is on the right. This would, of course, be correct for English and Greek, but it is backwards for Hebrew.
It would be very helpful if these two display issues could be fixed.
David,
I know this isn't a full solution to your problem but wondered if you are making full use of the Mac's zoom properties.
Holding 'control' and stroking my 'magic mouse' up allows me to zoom in on small text and providing the font is built reasonably it increases the readability.
Holding 'control' and spinning the wheel on a normal mouse should have the same effect and 'Control' with a two finger push up works on my macbook trackpad.
tootle pip
Mike
How to get logs and post them.
Mike:
Yes. That is rather the point, isn't it. One should not have to use the operating system's feature for assisting the visually impaired in order to read 'standard' text in the program. If I can't read it (especially the pointed words) -- and I am very good at reading Hebrew text -- then how will those whose ability to read Hebrew is marginal possibly find this function usable. There is no technical reason that this cannot be quickly and easily changed, either by making the font size bigger or (better) letting the user set the size they prefer for themselves.
This is the sort of detail that makes a big difference in the usability of a program, so let's hope the Logos development team fixes this (and similar problems with very small Hebrew text) as soon as possible, and certainly before they consider the program ready for shipping.
-- dla
There does seem to be a 'technical reason that this cannot quickly and easily be changed'.
While I have no details of what it is, program scaling (to help with this very problem) has had to be withdrawn from the current issue due to knock on side effects. Even now setting the 'Default Text Size' to anything other than 100% causes display problems in other parts of the program. However I am sure that they will find a route round the technicalities in due course.
I imagine my eyes are nowhere near as bad as yours but I still have to use the operating system's features to view some emails that arrive at particularly small point sizes. I wonder what these features are for if we should not have to use them to assist ourselves when we come across a particular difficulty? I realise that the Mac's built in zoom function isn't the answer to every problem but it is a useful function and should not be written off just because it is an operating system feature not a Logos feature.
In fact I consider the reverse to be the situation Logos does not make enough use, or expect users to use enough, of the Operating System features or the 'work flow' concept behind the Mac operating design preferring to maintain the 'Windows' style of working. Now I write this I can see how their 'Box design' is hampering them with what, as you say, should be simple features of selectable text size.
David Adams:This is the sort of detail that makes a big difference in the usability of a program, so let's hope the Logos development team fixes this (and similar problems with very small Hebrew text) as soon as possible, and certainly before they consider the program ready for shipping.
The font issues with Hebrew are something we're aware of and something that we hope to address before we ship.
Mobile Development Team Lead
Thank you, Tom. That is very encouraging. And keep up the good work ... you guys are doing a great job!
--dla
Now that L4 has gone 'Gold Master' and these issues persist, I wonder it if is worth reviving this thread? Does the development team have a sense of when these visual problems might be addressed?
dla
David Adams: Now that L4 has gone 'Gold Master' and these issues persist, I wonder it if is worth reviving this thread? Does the development team have a sense of when these visual problems might be addressed? dla
It's too early in the new development cycle to put a date or time on when the first version will be available to users, but we are going to start working on fixing the font scaling issues very soon. It's VERY high on my priority list as it's one of the most requested features missing from 4.0.
Since it is such a large change to almost every area of the UI, we're going to make the font changes available in upcoming betas. As with past development, once we have something for users to use, we'll post it in the forums and make it available for download.
Tom:
Thanks for the update. I just wanted to make sure that it did not fall through the cracks, or get overlooked in the rejoicing at
going GM.