I have asked a few questions about the notes, but I think I understand enough now to pose this as a discussion, as I would appreciate ideas people have.
As a preface, let me describe my setup in Accordance which has worked well for years. When I teach this specific class, I have the Bible open and whatever, and then I have my teaching notes for that class as a parallel. (In case it helps to know, I do not share my screen with students in any fashion).
If I open my Bible to Jn 1:1, my class notes show up for the notes I have on Jn 1:1. Then if I go to Jn 2:3, my parallel class notes auto-update to Jn 2:3. If I just start reading and scrolling, the class notes do too. If on one of my class notes it lists a reference of Heb 1:1, I can click it and the program will populate a new window with Heb 1:1 without disrupting my window in John.
So this is what I am trying to replicate in Logos. I know some of it is limits of the software (I understand that it is not possible for notes to run in parallel like I described), but I think some of it might be user error, as I am sure I am not the only professor, and I am hoping to know how others handle this in Logos.
So I first started thinking that the little anchor post-it note icons in the text might work. These icons in fact do functionally scroll with the text, and if I hover over it, I can see my note. For a lot of notes this is sufficient. It is also helpful since parallel notes obviously take up a lot of space. Really the only disadvantage of it is that the screen needs to be active in order to hover over it. So for example, if I have other class related windows open and I am typing in that window, in Accordance I can just glance over at my notes and keep typing. In Logos, by contrast, I have to stop typing and move my mouse over to that little icon to see my note. So that is an issue, and I won't really know how much of an issue that is until I try it in class.
This said, there is a fairly major issue I am hoping to resolve.
So going back to Jn 1:1, let's say I have 8 notes on that verse, and for the first view I can just hover over them. However, for the 6th note there is too much info, so I click the icon and it brings up the note file on the right. Then I click the 7th note, and the note file on the right auto-updated, which worked ok.
I then thought that I would just leave the note file open and just scroll through it on my own on the right, while I am scrolling through the Bible on the left, but alas, I can't do that either since I can't view the notes in Bible book order without going through a complicated filtering ritual.
So then I thought maybe I could just click on each note, which would update. So note 5, note 6, note 7, everything worked basically ok expanding it.
So then I go down to Jn 1:3, and I click my note icon but instead of it refreshing the note like it did for the prior verses, it open an entirely new note file! So now I have the class notes on one side with Jn 1:1, the class notes on the other side with Jn 1:3, with the Bible sandwiched in the middle.
I then click on Jn 1:6, and surprise surprise, it now opened yet a third note file, with all the columns so narrow it is not readable.
So then I thought, I guess the idea is to open Jn 1:1 notes, then close it before opening Jn 1:3? Or so I thought….
So I opened Jn 1:1 and closed it. The system left this huge blank area where the notes were, and that is fine, I guess, since now the next notes can go there. So I opened Jn 1:3, and to my surprise Jn 1:3 notes did NOT fill the space. Logos rather moved the blank space to the left, moved my Bible to the right, and sandwiched Jn 1:3 in between them.
So how does everyone else do this? Howe can the notes function for a class setup? Or is it that no one uses notes for class material? Should I make more "sermons"?
I just need a functional class set up, and I would appreciate any ideas anyone has.
Thanks.
ps - apart from the stress of not having a functional way of viewing notes for class and it being convoluted to make them sorted by reference, I otherwise LOVE the notes! I love how I can just paste stuff and it auto-sets biblical links, how easy it is to link extra biblical material, and how I can create different icon colors for different types of notes!