Text Comparison tool gives 'There are no results for this reference' (on Android, at least)

Jonathan Sheehy

The problem: You create a Bible 'collection' (using the desktop app) -- such as 'All Bibles', or 'All English Bibles' -- but then can't use the collection in the Text Comparison tool in the mobile app (well, on Android, at least; but I imagine it will affect iPhone/iPad users as well) because whenever you do, the display area simply shows, 'There are no results for this reference'. If you manually pick a verse using the verse picker with the Comparison Tool, you will see that it only offers Apocryphal references.

Background/history: For a long time, this bug really ruined what is otherwise a very valuable tool for me (the Text Comparison tool). (Yes, the 'Top Bibles' collection always worked, but that wasn't what I was after.) I first emailed support about it (and provided a lot of very specific details about collection contents, etc.) a year ago, but they couldn't figure it out. I emailed them again earlier this month to raise the topic again, and in the process, I finally figured out the exact source of the bug myself. I then told support what I'd figured out, along with steps to replicate it, but they never replied. Now I'm posting it here.

The source of the problem is a single resource which Logos automatically bundles with Logos 10 Mobile: It's 'Apocrypha of the Old Testament' by R. H. Charles.

To reproduce this bug:

1. Create a Bible collection using a RULE that will include this resource (e.g. a RULE that looks for all English Bibles will do the trick). Note that, if you're like me and don't actually own the offending resource yourself, you will never see it when working with Collections in the desktop app. But it will be there when you select the collection on mobile. To repeat: The collection must be rule-based in order for the offending resource to be automatically included over on Logos Mobile. Sync.
2. Then on Logos mobile (Android, at least), select a Bible verse (in an open Bible) and select 'Compare' so that it opens up the Text Comparison tool. Select the collection you made at Step 1, above. The result will be: 'There are no results for this reference'
3. Now use the verse picker in Text Comparison to look up a verse in the Apocrypha (which is all the verse picker will allow). This does work, but note that the first translation in the comparison is unnamed. This is very important, I think, since no translation should ever be unnamed in the Text Comparison tool. I was eventually able to work out that the unnamed translation is 'Apocrypha of the Old Testament' by R. H. Charles. This resource is the source of all the trouble, and everybody using Logos Mobile (Android, at least) automatically has it.
4. Now go back to the desktop app and alter your Collection rule to specifically exclude this resource (ANDNOT title:"Apocrypha of the Old Testament"). Sync. Repeat step 2: The problem is now gone.

I imagine a fix will be easy (just fix whatever is broken about the offending resource).

This bug will probably be affecting many mobile users (and has been for a long time -- as long as the offending resource has been bundled with Logos Mobile), since the offending resource is a mandatory part of all mobile users' libraries (at least on Android). Specifically, it will probably affect most mobile users who have Bible collections that are generated by rules (e.g. "all English Bibles"). (Of course, everyone who just uses the default collection of 'Top Bibles' will never have noticed the bug.)

Ali Pope

Thank you for your in-depth explanation, Jonathan. Apologies that you didn't receive a response from us, but we value your commitment and devotion to Logos. We have a case created for this bug and have included your details in that case. Thanks, again!

xnman

Jonathan Sheehy said:

The problem: You create a Bible 'collection' (using the desktop app) -- such as 'All Bibles', or 'All English Bibles' -- but then can't use the collection in the Text Comparison tool in the mobile app (well, on Android, at least; but I imagine it will affect iPhone/iPad users as well) because whenever you do, the display area simply shows, 'There are no results for this reference'. If you manually pick a verse using the verse picker with the Comparison Tool, you will see that it only offers Apocryphal references.

Thank you Jonathan for bringing this up. I tried to use the Text Comparison Tool and stopped just because of this problem.  Maybe now they will fix it and make it usable for the rest of us!  Thanks again!

Jonathan Sheehy

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1288187#Comment_1288187

xnman said:

I tried to use the Text Comparison Tool and stopped just because of this problem.  Maybe now they will fix it and make it usable for the rest of us!

The good news @xnman is that you don't need to wait for the fix. If you follow step 4 in my steps to reproduce the bug, you can tweak your relevant Bible collection rules to specifically exclude the culprit, and this makes the Text Comparison tool completely functional again with our preferred Bible collections!

For example, here is a rule that includes the workaround fix for a collection for All English Bibles:

type:Bible; language:English; AND NOT title:"Apocrypha of the Old Testament"

I imagine a lot of people—like you and I—have found the Text Comparison tool to be something of a fail because of this, so I was very glad to find the problem, and even be able to implement a very simple workaround to make Text Comparison work as expected!

xnman

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1288218#Comment_1288218

Thanks for point this out, which I missed!