Looking to confirm a few things about Highlighting in Logos

Rick Ausdahl
Rick Ausdahl Member Posts: 1,705 ✭✭✭
edited November 21 in English Forum

I'm wanting to develop a strategy for highlighting in Logos.  But before I do that, I want to make sure I correctly understand a few of the basics regarding where highlights get stored, the triggers for the storage locations, and the potential pros and cons of following one highlighting strategy over another.

I'd like to kick this off by presenting my understanding of the where and the triggers, and offer a "thankyou" in advance to anyone willing to either confirm or correct that understanding.

HIGHLIGHT STORAGE

Highlights are always stored in a notebook... even though the title of the notebook may be "No Notebook".

A major decision point for the storage location is at the palette level of the Highlighting tool.  Notebook choices are:  Active Notebook -OR- No Notebook.

If "Active Notebook" is selected for the palette and only one notebook tab is open, by default, the notebook for that tab will be the active notebook, and all highlights from that palette will go into that notebook, regardless of the resource to which the highlight is applied.

If "Active Notebook" is selected for the palette and multiple notebook tabs are open, by default, the last notebook tab activated/viewed will be the active notebook, and all highlights from that palette will go into that notebook, regardless of the resource which the highlight is applied.  EXAMPLE:  Three notebooks are open--NB1, NB2, NB3. All three notebooks have been used, but the tab for NB2 is the last one activated/viewed.  All highlights will go into NB2 regardless of the resource to which the highlights are applied, unless/until one of the following happens.  A) A different notebook is activated/viewed.  B) Notebook NB2 is closed.

If A) A different notebook is activated/viewed, it replaces NB2 as the active notebook and all highlights from the palette are now stored in the newly activated notebook, regardless of the resource to which the highlight is applied.

If B)Notebook NB2 is closed, the most recently activated/viewed notebook prior to NB2 will become the active notebook, and all highlights from the palette will go into that notebook, regardless of the resource to which the highlight is applied.

IF all three notebooks are closed, there is no longer an active notebook in the layout.  Because there is no active notebook where the palette highlights can be stored, all highlights for the palette will be stored in the notebook titled "No Notebook", regardless of the resource to which the highlights are applied.  I.e. it's the same as if the "No Notebook" option had been selected for the palette instead of the "Active Notebook" option.

OK... I think I'll stop here in the hope of getting confirmation or correction about what I've posited so far.

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Comments

  • Kevin A
    Kevin A Member Posts: 1,037 ✭✭

    Highlights are always stored in a notebook... even though the title of the notebook may be "No Notebook".

    There are some further limitations of No Notebook, such as not being able to share it.

    A major decision point for the storage location is at the palette level of the Highlighting tool.  Notebook choices are:  Active Notebook -OR- No Notebook.

    You can also choose a specific Notebook for that palette to always use, for example I have a Notebook that all my highlights go into, whilst I use other Notebooks for just notes, which may have highlights or not.

    Untitled

    I would not necessarily recommend this way, it is just what I do, I think most people use tags instead of Notebooks for note organisation, I was just bringing to attention the third option which could be useful depending on what you are trying to do.

  • Rick Ausdahl
    Rick Ausdahl Member Posts: 1,705 ✭✭✭

    Thank you Kevin!

    That's right in line with the kind of feedback I'm hoping for.  [:)]

    I'll check it out, but I take it when a specific notebook has been selected like that, the highlights will go to that notebook even if there's not a tab for it anywhere on the layout.  I hope that's the case.

    Thanks again!

  • Kevin A
    Kevin A Member Posts: 1,037 ✭✭

    Yes Rick that seems to be the case for me, they always go to the assigned Notebook. [Y]

  • I'm wanting to develop a strategy for highlighting in Logos. 

    My primary highlighting strategy for Logos & Verbum desktop applications uses Visual Filters. Searches are stored in Visual Filter documents with Highlighting style selection.

    Logos Wiki Extended Tips for Highlighting and Visual Filters includes:

    Keep Smiling [:)]

  • Rick Ausdahl
    Rick Ausdahl Member Posts: 1,705 ✭✭✭

    I'm wanting to develop a strategy for highlighting in Logos. 

    My primary highlighting strategy for Logos & Verbum desktop applications uses Visual Filters. Searches are stored in Visual Filter documents with Highlighting style selection.

    Logos Wiki Extended Tips for Highlighting and Visual Filters includes:

    Keep Smiling Smile

    Thanks for the tip--I'll check it out.

    I'm not sure yet what strategy I'm going to follow, but I figured step one was to make sure I understood the basics regarding the highlighting process & storage, because I assumed that could have a major impact on how any (at least many) strategies would work (or not).  I figured not correctly understanding the basics could result in being had by some of those ugly "gotchas".  Hoping to minimize the number/scope of surprises that might arise just because I didn't have the basic concepts right.

  • Rick Ausdahl
    Rick Ausdahl Member Posts: 1,705 ✭✭✭

    OK... based on what's been presented so far, I'm wondering if there is any disadvantage to just letting all my highlights default to "No Notebook" under the highlighting scenario below.

    1)  As I read through a resource, I plan to use four colors from the "Solid Colors" palette to help me see an author's logic progress through certain paragraphs.  E.g. start with yellow to highlight the initial thought/observation/statement in the paragraph, then transition to orange, red, and purple, as the authors moves from that opening thought in the paragraph and on to supporting comments, deeper nuances, and perhaps new insights/truths/take-aways.

    2)  I don't expect to have any occasion to share those highlights, or to want to do searches for a particular highlight color in a particular resource.

    Question #1:  In this scenario, is there any disadvantage to just letting all the highlights be stored in "No Notebook" versus specifying a notebook?     

    Question #2:  If I should change my mind and want to be able to pull up all the highlights of a particular color from a particular resource, is there a way to do that with all the highlights in "No Notebook"?  I'm curious, because within "No Notebook", the resource for each highlight is identified/listed alongside each highlight, so it seems like the information that would be needed to view the highlights by color and/or resource is there--but I don't see a search or sort option to filter the highlights that way. 

  • Rick Ausdahl
    Rick Ausdahl Member Posts: 1,705 ✭✭✭

    While waiting hopefully for feedback on my previous post regarding the highlighting scenario questions, I'll ask one more question.  Is there any  option in Logos that can be used to direct logos to automatically put highlights made and/or notes created from within a resource, into a notebook specifically dedicated to that resource?

    For example:  I'm doing a study on a particular book of the Bible.  I have three commentaries open for that book and am rotating my way through them on a verse by verse basis as I do the study, making highlights and creating notes in each commentary as I rotate through them, and wanting to keep the highlights and notes in separate notebooks.

    I know I can create three separate notebooks, but even if I have selected the "Active Notebook" option in the highlight palette, and have all three notebooks open, I still have to keep using the tabs to change which notebook is the active notebook as I rotate through the commentaries making my highlights and notes.  If I forget to change the active notebook when changing commentaries, the highlights and notes will go in the wrong notebook.

    I'm looking for an option that would tell Logos to automagically put the highlights and notes made in a resource, into a notebook dedicated to that resource (perhaps a notebook that would default to the same title as the resource being highlighted and/or annotated.)  In this scenario, the notebook Logos uses would change automatically as I rotate through the three commentaries--there would be no need to keep using tabs to change the active notebook.  I'm not aware of any such option, but am hoping there's a way.

    If there isn't a way, I'm wondering if others would be interested in having such an option added.

  • Graham Criddle
    Graham Criddle MVP Posts: 32,490

    I'm looking for an option that would tell Logos to automagically put the highlights and notes made in a resource, into a notebook dedicated to that resource (perhaps a notebook that would default to the same title as the resource being highlighted and/or annotated.)  In this scenario, the notebook Logos uses would change automatically as I rotate through the three commentaries--there would be no need to keep using tabs to change the active notebook.  I'm not aware of any such option, but am hoping there's a way

    i don’t believe such an option exists.

    There used to be under the previous (pre Logos 8) notes system where there was the idea of a resource-specific notebook. This didn’t get implemented in the new Notes system which, in my view, is a shame

    One option you could think about. Just create notes and highlights as you work through the commentaries allowing them all to go into No Notebook. Then, when you have finished your study (or at times during it) you can go into the Notes Tool, filter by the resource (to get all the notes and highlights for that resource) and then do a bulk move of them to a notebook.

    It‘s a bit of extra work but should achieve what you are looking for.

  • Levi Durfey
    Levi Durfey Member Posts: 2,214 ✭✭✭

    Just create notes and highlights as you work through the commentaries allowing them all to go into No Notebook. Then, when you have finished your study (or at times during it) you can go into the Notes Tool, filter by the resource (to get all the notes and highlights for that resource) and then do a bulk move of them to a notebook.

    It‘s a bit of extra work but should achieve what you are looking for.

    Actually, that seems easier! I picture it like clearing your desk of the notes you made all week and putting them in a folder.

  • Rick Ausdahl
    Rick Ausdahl Member Posts: 1,705 ✭✭✭

    I'm looking for an option that would tell Logos to automagically put the highlights and notes made in a resource, into a notebook dedicated to that resource (perhaps a notebook that would default to the same title as the resource being highlighted and/or annotated.)  In this scenario, the notebook Logos uses would change automatically as I rotate through the three commentaries--there would be no need to keep using tabs to change the active notebook.  I'm not aware of any such option, but am hoping there's a way

    i don’t believe such an option exists.

    There used to be under the previous (pre Logos 8) notes system where there was the idea of a resource-specific notebook. This didn’t get implemented in the new Notes system which, in my view, is a shame

    One option you could think about. Just create notes and highlights as you work through the commentaries allowing them all to go into No Notebook. Then, when you have finished your study (or at times during it) you can go into the Notes Tool, filter by the resource (to get all the notes and highlights for that resource) and then do a bulk move of them to a notebook.

    It‘s a bit of extra work but should achieve what you are looking for.

    Thank you for that suggestion Graham.  I had played with that approach a bit before starting this thread.  It is a work-around and I'm thankful there is one.  But in Logos 8, I had consistently used the resource-specific notebook option you mentioned and had become so use to having it, that I found myself really missing it when it was no longer provided in Logos 9.  I was hoping there might still be a way to achieve that functionality in Logos 9, even if by a different means, but I guess that's not the case.

    Based on the limited feedback I've received in this thread, I'm guessing I do have a reasonably accurate understanding now about how highlights and notes work in Logos 9.  I do acknowledge Faithlife added some nice new notes features in 9, but I sure wish they hadn't eliminated the resource-specific notebook feature.  In my mind, it was about as logical and useful a way of organizing one's highlights and notes as you could ask for. 

  • Simon’s Brother
    Simon’s Brother Member Posts: 6,816 ✭✭✭

    The big disadvantage is it is an all or nothing approach to the display of highlights if you leave them in ’No notebook’. I strongly recommend against it. You have no control over which highlights get displayed. And as someone else pointed out you can’t share them either. It’s worth the effort to move them to a named note book at the end of your study session as suggested as a bare minimum strategy. 

    But ultimately it’s your choice Rick

    OK... based on what's been presented so far, I'm wondering if there is any disadvantage to just letting all my highlights default to "No Notebook" under the highlighting scenario below.

    1)  As I read through a resource, I plan to use four colors from the "Solid Colors" palette to help me see an author's logic progress through certain paragraphs.  E.g. start with yellow to highlight the initial thought/observation/statement in the paragraph, then transition to orange, red, and purple, as the authors moves from that opening thought in the paragraph and on to supporting comments, deeper nuances, and perhaps new insights/truths/take-aways.

    2)  I don't expect to have any occasion to share those highlights, or to want to do searches for a particular highlight color in a particular resource.

    Question #1:  In this scenario, is there any disadvantage to just letting all the highlights be stored in "No Notebook" versus specifying a notebook?     

    Question #2:  If I should change my mind and want to be able to pull up all the highlights of a particular color from a particular resource, is there a way to do that with all the highlights in "No Notebook"?  I'm curious, because within "No Notebook", the resource for each highlight is identified/listed alongside each highlight, so it seems like the information that would be needed to view the highlights by color and/or resource is there--but I don't see a search or sort option to filter the highlights that way. 

  • Rick Ausdahl
    Rick Ausdahl Member Posts: 1,705 ✭✭✭

    The big disadvantage is it is an all or nothing approach to the display of highlights if you leave them in ’No notebook’. I strongly recommend against it. You have no control over which highlights get displayed. And as someone else pointed out you can’t share them either. It’s worth the effort to move them to a named note book at the end of your study session as suggested as a bare minimum strategy. 

    But ultimately it’s your choice Rick

    OK... based on what's been presented so far, I'm wondering if there is any disadvantage to just letting all my highlights default to "No Notebook" under the highlighting scenario below.

    1)  As I read through a resource, I plan to use four colors from the "Solid Colors" palette to help me see an author's logic progress through certain paragraphs.  E.g. start with yellow to highlight the initial thought/observation/statement in the paragraph, then transition to orange, red, and purple, as the authors moves from that opening thought in the paragraph and on to supporting comments, deeper nuances, and perhaps new insights/truths/take-aways.

    2)  I don't expect to have any occasion to share those highlights, or to want to do searches for a particular highlight color in a particular resource.

    Question #1:  In this scenario, is there any disadvantage to just letting all the highlights be stored in "No Notebook" versus specifying a notebook?     

    Question #2:  If I should change my mind and want to be able to pull up all the highlights of a particular color from a particular resource, is there a way to do that with all the highlights in "No Notebook"?  I'm curious, because within "No Notebook", the resource for each highlight is identified/listed alongside each highlight, so it seems like the information that would be needed to view the highlights by color and/or resource is there--but I don't see a search or sort option to filter the highlights that way. 

    Thanks Disciple II.  I always find it helpful to get opinions from others--to learn what works for them and how they have arrived at their conclusions and study approaches.  I haven't  ever shared notes with anyone.  I'm not sure my highlights would be of much value to others, but in a group study situation I can see where it might be nice to share actual notes, provided the others in the study group also use Logos.