Custom Labels - "Topics" Are Not Consistently Selectable

Michael Ransom · 2025-01-28T21:54:33+00:00

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I'm incorporating some custom labeling into my 2025 reading plan, which I'm doing on the L10 desktop app and Macbook Air running the latest version of Sequoia. When I come across a verse that qualifies for a label, I highlight the verse, select the label name from the Highlighting toolbar and then fill in the label's Attribute and Value fields. I select the Value from the pick list that Logos provides, and up to this point I have always chosen a pre-existing Logos Topic for the Value field.

This has been working perfectly until I found that some verses will display a Topic (e.g., Calling) as a selectable choice in the label's Value pick list, whereas others verses will not display that same Topic. The screenshot below shows the label for Romans 1:1, where the "Calling" topic is selectable from the label's Value pick list.

The screenshot below shows the label for Romans 1:7; the Calling topic is not available in the label pick list. "Calling" as a Preaching Theme is selectable, as are various senses and Figurative Language, but I'm trying to use only Topic values in order to make bible searches easier to write.

Does anyone know why a Topic would not be available to use across all custom labels? I looked at the context menu for both of these Romans verses to see if my labeling conflicted with something that is already baked into the Logos tagging, but I didn't see anything obvious. BTW, I'm seeing this same behavior across many label Topics; I just chose "Calling" to illustrate the question.

Thank you for any insight you can offer.

Mike

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Comments

Dave Hooton

@Michael Ransom Does anyone know why a Topic would not be available to use across all custom labels?

It helps to have defined Attributes with a set Value Type - Biblical Concept in this case.
Otherwise, the Value Type is unknown and unpredictable.

Michael Ransom

@Dave Hooton Thank you for the reply, Dave.

When you say that I need to "define Attributes with a set Value Type", do you mean that I need to enter "Biblical Concept" in the Attribute field? I tried that, but it didn't have any effect on the pick list choices in the Value field.

For context, I'm trying to build a system of labels that will allow me to visually highlight and search for theological concepts across the bible, e.g.:

Label: Bibliology; Concepts: Special Revelation, Inerrancy, Divine Inspiration, etc.

For the "Calling" example in my first message, I started with the Factbook article on Calling. It cited Romans 1:1-7, so I tried using the "Salvation" label with Value as "Calling". That's where I ran aground.

I'm trying to follow the Logos Controlled Vocabulary dataset documentation and Factbook as I work through this. If there is a better path or method, I'm certainly willing to change course.

Thank you again for your guidance.

Mike

Dave Hooton

When you say that I need to "define Attributes with a set Value Type", do you mean that I need to enter "Biblical Concept" in the Attribute field? I tried that, but it didn't have any effect on the pick list choices in the Value field.

Define in the Highlighting tool:

Michael Ransom

Thank you for the clarification, Dave.