Reading Plan Question

One feature I don't like about the new reading plan feature is that when I click on the day's reading, it only gives me the excerpt from that day's reading. I want it to open the whole resource like it used to do. I don't think reading without context is an improvement.

My workaround is to have both the reading plan and the resource open, look up the reading plan, then remember the section I'm supposed to be reading when I go to the resource. Is there a better way to do this?

Find more posts tagged with

Mobile App

Comments

Mike Binks

Greetings Pam

You sent me hunting...

Open reading to today's reading.

Split panel and open resource on the other side.

Link the two

Use the next button to progress through the readings.

Pam Larson

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1131894#Comment_1131894

Thank you Mike! Clever!

Kevin A

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1131912#Comment_1131912

On Android you can click the 3 dot menu and choose 'Open Resource', and it will open it at that location, it even has the old reading plan bar in the resource.

Bob Shultz

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1131916#Comment_1131916

Thank you Kevin! This makes it palatable, though would like the option to go the reading in my favorite Bible from the Home page as before. I definitely think that context is essential to avoid misinterpretation.

James McAdams

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1132575#Comment_1132575

For what it’s worth, I much prefer the new version - the lack of distractions makes it easier for me to use, and it makes the readings feel shorter because there’s a clear end. But then my reading plans are always sequential and mostly daily, so the context is easy to remember.

Michael Brumpton

Pam, I agree. Since upgrade to this version, my daily bible reading is now hindered greatly. Often my daily reading would end mid-thought. But that used to be ok because I could read on to get the whole story. Now I can't. Logos please can you bring an option for us to have daily bible reading like it used to be.

Daniel Di Bartolo

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1132748#Comment_1132748

Hi Michael, thanks for the feedback. I understand why context is important and why it's more of a challenge with our new focused reading view. We're definitely making a tradeoff there.

For what it's worth, you can still use the legacy (AKA 'old') inline visual filters to complete your reading plan.

James Fowlie

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133362#Comment_1133362

I have to agree with some of the other remarks about the new reading plan format. I can't say that I'm sold on it -- it feels like you have to put more effort into getting things done and without any benefit. The visual filter model seemed to work well as it is.

My biggest issues are:

1) The new 'focused' model takes up more screen real estate (especially the 'Finished' bar) and you cannot actually focus on just the text.

2) When you click finished, you're taken to an unnecessary 'Finished Screen' rather than remain in the text -- I don't see much usefulness in this.

3) I agree that it would be better to be able to just continue on with a reading if it suits the text rather than being cut off in the middle. Thanks to others for pointing out the option to go to the text from the menu.

4) Having said that, I've also found that my reading plans do not reliably end at the correct location -- out of my four daily reads, usually two do not stop but continue uninterrupted and I read much further than I should before I realize that it hasn't marked the end.

5) When you do click Finished and go to the Finished Screen, my best option is to go to the list of reading plans, but I cannot sort the order of those plans. I usually do OT (not Wisdom Lit)->Wisdom Lit->NT (not Gospels)->Gospels -- but the list on the reading plan page is Gospels->NT->OT->Wisdom with no ability to change that order. (Speaking of which, it would be nice to sort the new 'Read Later' list (which I like) by a user-set priority instead of just Title/Rating/Recent -- there are some books I really want to read, and others that I don't want to forget about if I have the time.)

I expect that Faithlife has some plans for this new reading mode, hence introducing a change that doesn't quite make sense yet. Hopefully a bit more flexibility and some bug fixes can make it a better experience.

Thanks,
--J

Simon’s Brother

I like the focused approach. I would be most disappointed if FL moved away from this approach. It I want to continue to the next reading that is easy to do and if I really want to look at the reading in a wider context then I am moving from daily reading and reflection on the days reading to bible study and then I can easily open up the full resource to delve deeper.

One feature I don't like about the new reading plan feature is that when I click on the day's reading, it only gives me the excerpt from that day's reading. I want it to open the whole resource like it used to do. I don't think reading without context is an improvement.

My workaround is to have both the reading plan and the resource open, look up the reading plan, then remember the section I'm supposed to be reading when I go to the resource. Is there a better way to do this?

Simon’s Brother

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133494#Comment_1133494

Are you referring to bible reading plans or plans for other books. I’ve never had a bible reading plan cut off in the middle of a text. I’ve found both chapter and pericope approaches work well. Sure chapter division are not always where I would out them and sometimes with larger narratives they can the full narrative does covers multiple periscopes but I’ve never found the reading plan to break at a point where it makes no sense at all and if I really want to keep reading it’s not difficult to do.

Accordance has offered focussed reading as the default way a passage opens up in your bible when you enter it into the passage box. Logos has only taken a small step in that direction by only doing it in the reading plan tool.

The focussed approach keeps me focussed on the text of the days reading without being distracted by other text so I can read, meditate and pray on it alone. I think it is a positive step forward and keeping my focus on that text alone is a great benefit.

Eavh of us is different but I am very happy with this feature of Logos 9. I respect you are not sure or quite comfortable about this change but I would see going back to not having a focused approach a backwards step particularly when with little effort you can still use the old approach to reading if that’s what you really want to stick with for your reading. It’s just one click to open the full resource and you have the old approach to reading.

I have to agree with some of the other remarks about the new reading plan format. I can't say that I'm sold on it -- it feels like you have to put more effort into getting things done and without any benefit. The visual filter model seemed to work well as it is.

My biggest issues are:

1) The new 'focused' model takes up more screen real estate (especially the 'Finished' bar) and you cannot actually focus on just the text.

2) When you click finished, you're taken to an unnecessary 'Finished Screen' rather than remain in the text -- I don't see much usefulness in this.

3) I agree that it would be better to be able to just continue on with a reading if it suits the text rather than being cut off in the middle. Thanks to others for pointing out the option to go to the text from the menu.

4) Having said that, I've also found that my reading plans do not reliably end at the correct location -- out of my four daily reads, usually two do not stop but continue uninterrupted and I read much further than I should before I realize that it hasn't marked the end.

5) When you do click Finished and go to the Finished Screen, my best option is to go to the list of reading plans, but I cannot sort the order of those plans. I usually do OT (not Wisdom Lit)->Wisdom Lit->NT (not Gospels)->Gospels -- but the list on the reading plan page is Gospels->NT->OT->Wisdom with no ability to change that order. (Speaking of which, it would be nice to sort the new 'Read Later' list (which I like) by a user-set priority instead of just Title/Rating/Recent -- there are some books I really want to read, and others that I don't want to forget about if I have the time.)

I expect that Faithlife has some plans for this new reading mode, hence introducing a change that doesn't quite make sense yet. Hopefully a bit more flexibility and some bug fixes can make it a better experience.

Thanks,
--J

Kevin A

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133602#Comment_1133602

I think it will be a marmite type thing, some will love it and some will hate it.

I can see why some would like it, as explained by some of the posts here. I thought the end screen was a nice touch displaying the Verse of the Day images relevant to the passage, which some might find useful.

Having said that, I personally don't like it. I consider there is too much space used (20% on my phone) for the TWO menu bars, which I find a distraction, and no ability to hide them as in a normal bible where you click the centre of the screen. There is, as said above, also no ability to read on or go back a little, something I often do, so I will be continuing with the old way.

What would help mitigate would be a button to open the resource, rather than have to go into the menu first. The second menu bar especially has plenty of space. Even better would be a toggle in the settings to bypass this new feature completely.

I think it probably depends on how much you are reading. A long session of just one reading would to me seem better in a clear screen with nothing else to focus on, whereas I think multiple shorter readings may very well be suited to the new feature.

Kevin A

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133608#Comment_1133608

I added a thing https://feedback.faithlife.com/boards/logos-mobile-app/posts/allow-bypass-of-the-new-reading-plan-feature

Simon’s Brother

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133608#Comment_1133608

Out of interest Kevin what operating system is your phone running on?

I find it takes up hardly any screen space while reading. I click the centre of the screen and the bottom menu bar disappears.

I only find screen space wasted if I use the audio bible but that was the case previously and has nothing to do with the reading plan tool.

And if I want to get to my full bible I can do so quickly from the menu at the top.

Kevin A

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133616#Comment_1133616

It is Android 8, but is the same issue on my tablet Android 9 and the 20% is at the top, the bottom bar does disappear on android also, but neither of the top two bars.

This image is from my phone. The tablet is quite a bit less space percentage, but still significant, probably due to me changing the default tablet text and display size to small.

compared with

Kevin A

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133628#Comment_1133628

I updated the above image as I had made the Logos text size bigger to look at the Factbook (a different issue) and had not set it back to my normal size for reading. I also added a comparison.

I cannot post that image on Feedback as am getting an error whenever trying to upload an image, but have referenced this thread. Will try again later hopefully they will have resolved the issue.

Simon’s Brother

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133630#Comment_1133630

I updated the above image as I had made the Logos text size bigger to look at the Factbook (a different issue) and had not set it back to my normal size for reading. I also added a comparison.

I cannot post that image on Feedback as am getting an error whenever trying to upload an image, but have referenced this thread. Will try again later hopefully they will have resolved the issue.

So the issue is with the Android version of the app because I have no problem with hiding the bottom menu bar by tapping in the middle of the screen on iOS.

James Fowlie

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133602#Comment_1133602

Sorry for the slow response!

I am, in fact, referring to Bible reading plans. While I agree that the system does a very good job of containing an entire pericope -- it is far from unusual to encounter a break that isn't easy to follow without the larger context. I sometimes run into breaks that occur in the middle of a sentence -- of course, it would depend on the particular translation as to where a pericope or sentence might break. As well, I often want to scroll back a few lines to recontextualize the passage that I am about to read rather than just extracted from the text as a whole.

To be clear, I'm not saying that the new system is no good -- just that it doesn't work that well for the way that I read. I appreciate that it works well for you -- but it doesn't for me. Tthe previous system -- which I acknowledge can be reached through the menu -- was better for the way I read. I'm not suggesting that it be taken away -- but I would have preferred an option to make the focused reading the default or not, as now it's just extra work that didn't exist before. It may not be a lot of effort to click menu->open resource -- but I'm doing that several times a day for no good reason. All I need is a little switch in the options that says 'open reading plan links in the resource' and I would be happy.

Thanks!

--J