What are your 'Favorite' Layouts?

Frank Sauer · 2025-01-17T11:43:41+00:00

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We have a growing number of new users joining us in the Forums - let's post screenshots of our favorite Layouts that we have put together through the years. We may give examples in our own Layouts of what a new user would be looking for, but hasn't yet discovered.

I like keeping my Main Layout with multiple Bibles, a few Commentaries, Passage Guide, Bible Word Study, Power Lookup and Copy Bible Verses all linked via Link Set. At times I add in the Exegetical Guide.

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John Fidel

Frank thanks for starting this thread. I hope to learn much reviewing others layouts. I like your layout as it appears very text focused. I had a layout similar, but had some difficulties. A few questions that I ask in case you have a better solution than I came up with.

When you click on a bible reference from one of your commentaries does the entire layout change or do you have a Bible with "send hyperlinks here" somewhere not shown? I always have a Bible to send links to so my focus doesn't change.
With so many commentaries linked, how do you deal with those that are pericope based and those that are verse based. For example if I am studying Matt 26.26, many of the commentaries are linked to Matt 26.1-30 and will take me to Matt 26.1. Here is where a follow only feature would be helpful.

I gave up linking commentaries and opted to use the links in a custom passage guide instead to avoid everything shifting around if the links is a pericope and I am on a particular verse. I have my commentaries separated by type, similar to what Mark Barnes collections created many years ago. I can then move around the commentary and it does not impact my focus. I also use multi view for bible texts English text in multi view with OL texts that I can turn on and off to save space. Lastly to compare texts I have the information window open on the right and use the translation section. When I need more I open text compare or F7. Not as ideal as your setup with the Bible texts linked.

Here is mine:

Left are custom guides that I use as a work flow. They are set up as BWS, then custom EG, then several custom Passage guides that focus on Background, then Theology and Doctrine, then Application. Finally I have a search window.

Center are two Bibles. The first has multi view with OL. NT ties to the NA28, and OT ties to LHB, LXX and English LXX with multi view that I turn on and off. The second Bible is where all hyperlinks (mostly) populate so my links to the first Bible are not all redirected.

Next I keep linked lexicon with multi view to several favorite lexicons. One is for NT and the other for OT. I link to the one that is applicable to my study. By linking, one click on the Bible text and it populates. The nice thing is that all resources I open from the guides will populate in this pane keeping the Bible and Guides available to me. So commentaries etc will open here.

Lastly is the Information window. Shown below is one click on a bible word showing how it populates across. Then screen shots of my various custom guides.

It did take time to build the custom PGs, but I find I can get to most of my library pretty quickly. I hope this is not too confusing.

DMB

I was going to do maybe one of my layout windows. That's when I noticed Emphasis Bible's handling of VMs got all screwed up, in the late Dec resource update. I wish they'd take Bibles more seriously. Sigh.

I also wish the forum software would stop bouncing around, after a post. Previously reported. I'm exhausted by FL's 'new era'.

Jack Caviness

I have the advantage of 21" & 23" dual displays , so I can spread out. On the main display, I take advantage of the multi resource feature to open several Bibles. At the bottom of the screen, I have several Greek (or Hebrew) lexicons. I then set both panels to link set A. Now, when I click a word in any Bible, the corresponding lexicon entry will open. The highlighted words are the result of the corresponding words option. In the example screenshot, I had to double-click—now sure why.

The other display can be filled with floating windows, MS Word docs, or …

HJ. van der Wal

I am not at my desktop at the moment. In the Web App I usually create a Layout from scratch by opening my default Bible(s), the NET Bible notes, Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek Lexicon and Factbook:

Screenshot_20250117_160037_Samsung Internet.jpg

I have connected my smartphone to an external monitor (using Samsung Dex). I can not get Factbook to follow my default Bible, but the Bible Word Study, Exegetical Guide and greek lexicon are all connected in the same link set.

John Fidel

H.J I like your inclusion of Factbook in the layout. I am going to try it now that it has had some improvements.

Frank Sauer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354012#Comment_1354012

Hi John,

Yes, my hope is to pick up some ideas from others in this thread as well. Hopefully it is not only a blessing for the new users, but also us old vets as well.

As for your questions - yes, when I click on a link in a commentary everything moves with it - I have always used the 'Back' button to not lose my place and to get back to where I was before clicking the link.

In regards to the handling of the commentaries that flow by pericope - this is the biggest annoyance for me as well…. I may try the follow only for those type commentaries as you mentioned.

Aaron Hamilton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354138#Comment_1354138

Follow only would really be nice on desktop for my purposes as well. Unfortunately, this option is not available on desktop for commentaries. It would be nice to know if desktop implementation of this feature is being considered/worked on.

Frank Sauer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354151#Comment_1354151

Thanks for pointing that out - I misread John's statement and though it may have been a subscription feature that I hadn't tried as of this time…. It would be a nice option for the case we're talking about.

Frank Sauer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354080#Comment_1354080

I may have to check the Factbook out in a Layout as well, especially with the work that has been done on it since the last time I used it that way.

Frank Sauer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354031#Comment_1354031

I miss my dual display, as I would use my laptop for my Word Processor and keep Logos on the larger monitor and that was a really nice setup.

Ian MacGregor

I only own iPhones and an iPad, so it wouldn't be beneficial to post screenshots. Instead I'll just list my favorite layouts:

Bible Study = ESV Bible + Study Bible + Commentary
Multitranslation = ESV Bible + NASB Bible + NIV Bible + NRSV Bible + NKJV Bible

I love the ability to link tabs (A, B, C) and "Follow Only". Thank you, Logos, for this time-saving feature!

Terry Kleinsmith

Just a thought: Maybe these layouts could be posted as a layout on the documents site page. I for one, would enjoy seeing these on my particular library and hardware.

EDIT: Don't think this is possible.

Frank Sauer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354292#Comment_1354292

The ability to share Layouts would be a nice addition - though the first hurdle that comes to mind is the diversity of User Owned Libraries - as Layouts likely contain resources that other users may not have a license/own…. If there was a way to work around that issue - it would likely be a popular User Group.

Ben

I use layouts extensively, and most often of two types. I have one for Greek reading and one for Hebrew reading, but then adapted based on what hardware I'm currently on.

Laptop only (a 16" MacBook Pro)
Laptop+ extended screen onto iPad (a 13" iPad Pro)
My home screens, 2x32" 4k monitors :)

HJ. van der Wal

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354316#Comment_1354316

Shalom Ben,

How exactly do you adapt your layout to the hardware you are working on? Do you have several different saved layouts?

I rarely use my laptop nowadays but I am always a little frustrated when Logos opens my default desktop layout on my laptop. In my study at home I have three monitors:

Greg Kingsley

Frank Sauer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354336#Comment_1354336

@HJ. van der Wal have you tried changing your settings for the 'At Startup Open to' set to 'Most Recent Layout - Local'?

If this is set on each system or at least your laptop, it should prevent your Desktop Layout from opening on the laptop - unless you manually select it.

Frank Sauer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354352#Comment_1354352

You can also select a specific layout to de default at open

Steven MacDonald

Nothing too fancy on mine at this point. I have English with the corresponding Hebrew or Greek text followed by multiple lexicons on one tab. I also toggle the Insights pane on and off as I am beginning to appreciate that more. Plus I have the Copy Bible tool which is very handy along with Power Lookup on another tab for easy access. And dark mode works well for me. Not so harsh first thing in the morning :-)

Ben

How exactly do you adapt your layout to the hardware you are working on? Do you have several different saved layouts?

Yes, I have to manually create and select the layout. Here's a partial list, you can see the hardware-specific subtitles

P. Christoph Blohberger

My background is convergence (catholic, evangelical, charismatic) and Word of Faith. We have Sunday Service very simular to the roman catholic church. And I teach at a RHEMA Bible College in Austria.

I too have the luxury of using 2 monitors.
This is the layout I used most. I use it for mainly for sermon preperation. The first one is my central monitor. The second one is smaller and is to my right. I built it when I started using Verbum. It needs somes tweaks…

I have other layouts: Daily Devotional, Daily Bible Reading, Bible research, Bible passage guide/Sermona starter Guide with big translation window

FIRST Monitor: lectionary, roman missale, factbook. Passage Guide (includes Collections: Studybibles (evangelical, charismatic, catholic, orthodox), encyclopedias, dictionaries & lexicons, applications commentaries, catholic topical index, culture, helps for word studies, ... Favorite bible.
Sermon starter guide (Collections: Studybibles examples: Church year cycle C, Lectionary Commentaries, Homiletical commentaries, Sermon Outlines, Illustrations, Quotes, Church documents,…)

SECOND Monitor: First Window: Favorite Studybibles. Second: Antique Literature. Third: Quoted by. Fourth beneath: Text Comparions, one for all german bibles, one for all english bibles.

HJ. van der Wal

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354409#Comment_1354409

Thank you, Ben, for sharing the screenshot. And thank you, Frank, for starting this thread!

Frank Sauer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1354462#Comment_1354462

No problem - it has been fun and insightful thus far. I enjoy seeing how others setup their study and devotional Layouts. Some good ideas thus far across the platforms!