Highlighter-note best practices...suggestions?

Maybe this has already been discussed, but I would love to hear how you are organizing your highlight-notes. I've been playing around with it, but can't figure out the best way for my reading/study habits. Suggestions?

One method I tried was creating a file for each book I read or highlighted. I used the resource citation (copy-paste) as the file name. I also created a notes file titled "inbox" and set all of my palettes to save in: Inbox. That way if I highlighted in a resource that did not yet have a file (especially when I'm on my iPad and I don't want to take the time to figure out the citation), I could just dump the highlight-note into my inbox and sort them later.

The downside to that idea is the enormous number of files I'll have to wade through.

Bottom line: I'm not sure how I should go about it. I would really appreciate your suggestions.

Thanks!

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toughski

I am thinking out loud here, so bear with me. What is the purpose of separate notefile for each resource? We already can move to the next highlight (annotation), filter highlight, Article, chapter,etc. in each resource. Ideally, I would like a TOC-type fly-out so I can pick highlight #173, instead of clicking the arrow 173 times in a given resource (especially Bibles). I think

With my notes, I changed my paradigm. I started by creating a notefile for each book of the Bible, but then as I studied and read the Scriptures, I got tired of going to FILE menu to open notefiles. Also the abundance of notefiles was very confusing (and I only had around 60 of them; imagine having several hundred! With a very disorganized FILE menu we currently have it would be a major problem).

So I went to a single notefile for all my Bible notes. Due to the fact that individual notes could be sorted canonically, I can easily find my Romans notes, my Nahum notes, etc.

I propose a similar paradigm for highlights. Maybe create a separate file for Biblical studies type of resources, a separate file for Vyrso "romances" - you can even use a separate highlighting notefile as a Quote Depository. Then, we just need ability to sort these highlights by resource.

JT (alabama24)

One method I tried was creating a file for each book I read or highlighted.

This is my solution, although the devs have suggested that file management might become unwieldy, as you have suggested.

JT (alabama24)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331008#Comment_331008

Some good thoughts toughski!

What is the purpose of separate notefile for each resource?

Just another way to organize, and a way to keep the note files small in size... although as has been said the file menu is a mess as it is without adding 100+ items. The devs have talked about a new file menu, but no official word about if or when.

Rich DeRuiter

Maybe this has already been discussed, but I would love to hear how you are organizing your highlight-notes.

What are you wanting to accomplish by organizing your highlight-notes files? I ask because when I first saw the question, I thought "why would anyone need to organize their highlights?" Then I saw that notes were included in your question, and it seemed that their might be a need to do that sometimes, but not all the time (notes are always accessible from the resource in which they were taken - if the note icon is used).

So, rather than presuming what you want to do with your notes that requires organization, I thought I'd ask. After all, how to do something is really dependent on what one is trying to accomplish by doing it. So I ask again, what are you wanting to accomplish by organizing your highlight-notes files?

Brother Mark

I'm having difficulty giving credence to a reason that would cause us to create multiple note files at all. "But, the note file will become enormous over time, and potentially slow system response times significantly!", you may be thinking... and possibly that's an accurate prediction. On the other hand, hundreds of discrete note files to sift and wade through would (for me) be a distraction and likely be slower than the OneBigFile method.

Wouldn't it be awesome if Logos released benchmarks with responsiveness as a criteria... or, HEY!... what if they released "design intent" criteria! Then the customers would actually understand what specification they recoded notes/highlights to (in other words, "We created/changed X function in order to achieve Y result, with Z end result in mind.") Devs care to share?

EDUARDO JIMENEZ

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331050#Comment_331050

I started to think in highlighting-notes & notes, as a progress work. Following Mark Barnes's idea, I created a Folder with searches, notes, BWS, PG, clippings, etc. The final document is the question. ¿Which is the tool called to integrate all this work? ¿Handout? Most likely, but is a tool in progress. BTW, I feel there are tools unfinished in Logos. For example, when editing a BWS I don't know how go out from the window's edition. The handout as well...

JT (alabama24)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331050#Comment_331050

I'm having difficulty giving credence to a reason that would cause us to create multiple note files at all.

In beta testing both the desktop and mobile apps, I found that 1) scrolling in my main highlighting file was SLOW and 2) the mobile app had problems with the file. Logos made some tweaks to the program and things worked better. They stressed that they were using MUCH larger note files than I had. (mine was 115 pages) and that I should not have to make smaller files. Personally I want the smaller files, but I am worried about file management. I am hopeful, however, that a new system will be in place at least by L5 (whenever it makes a debut [:)]).

Alexander

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331074#Comment_331074

You could take the highlight file and add it to a "Favorites" folder. You could create a folder per book or per subject and then drag the highlights file there

toughski

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331076#Comment_331076

You could take the highlight file and add it to a "Favorites" folder. You could create a folder per book or per subject and then drag the highlights file there

Are you saying make our own File menu of sorts using links in Favorites? I like this [Y]

Andy

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331076#Comment_331076

You could take the highlight file and add it to a "Favorites" folder. You could create a folder per book or per subject and then drag the highlights file there

This is what I started doing recently.

Basically, I have different folders for various topics into which I drop a corresponding note, clipping files and, more recently, highlights. This then helps me browse by topic.

In addition, I also keep a note file for each book I am reading. Although this does entail a little duplication, but I tend to use book-specific note file for jotting down thoughts as I read. I realise any duplication is probably superfluous (given the search capabilities of L4), but I do tend to browse through my notes and clipping files just for the heck of it.

This is a screenshot of group of my folder. I am in the process of tidying these up (the labelling of the folders is too inconsistent for my liking).

JT (alabama24)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331050#Comment_331050

I'm having difficulty giving credence to a reason that would cause us to create multiple note files at all.

KS4J reminded me in another thread that Logos intends to begin allowing us to share notes. If you want to share all your highlights for a given book, you will need a separate file.

Keep Smiling [:)]

(I stole his thought, I might as well steal his tag line [:P])

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331117#Comment_331117

I'm having difficulty giving credence to a reason that would cause us to create multiple note files at all.

KS4J reminded me in another thread that Logos intends to begin allowing us to share notes. If you want to share all your highlights for a given book, you will need a separate file.

Keep Smiling

(I stole his thought, I might as well steal his tag line )

Sharing another Smile [:D] with you.

Thanks to Bradley Grainger 's reply => http://community.logos.com/forums/p/43997/327507.aspx#327507 that includes:

We plan to allow sharing of Notes & Highlights between users; you will be able to share an entire Notes document at once. You may wish to organise your highlights thematically to allow easy sharing. For example, you might create one Notes Document called "Eschatology" and put highlights from dozens of different resources in it. You might then have another Notes Document (on a different topic) with different (and maybe even overlapping) highlights from those same resources.

Keep Smiling [:)]

fgh

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331394#Comment_331394

We plan to allow sharing of Notes & Highlights between users; you will be able to share an entire Notes document at once. You may wish to organise your highlights thematically to allow easy sharing. For example, you might create one Notes Document called "Eschatology" and put highlights from dozens of different resources in it. You might then have another Notes Document (on a different topic) with different (and maybe even overlapping) highlights from those same resources.

This makes me realize even more how important it is that we can see the whole highlight in the note file. A shared highlighting file full of titles like "He said to ... and so on" isn't going to be very interesting to anyone but its creator. Few people will have the time and interest to click their way through dozens or hundreds of highlighting note icons in order to see the full quotes and be able to determine if the file is useful to them.

Brother Mark

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331394#Comment_331394

We plan to allow sharing of Notes & Highlights between users; you will be able to share an entire Notes document at once. You may wish to organise your highlights thematically to allow easy sharing. For example, you might create one Notes Document called "Eschatology" and put highlights from dozens of different resources in it. You might then have another Notes Document (on a different topic) with different (and maybe even overlapping) highlights from those same resources.

I know that I'm probably all alone in this, but I admit that the upgrade to notes & highlighting is about the most convoluted and difficult to understand feature I've encountered. Mo's excellent manual updates were helpful, but the very nature of notes & highlights open design leaves us with a dizzying super-set of options and methodologies where there is no Right Way to do it, or apparently any way to search them, or an index to recall them from, or the mind numbing concept of sharing them (what if they're all in a single BIG file? what if I only want to share one note from a book, how about sharing the introductory notes from all books but not chapter notes), etc, etc. Obviously I'm missing something critical and I freely confess that it's most likely my own fault.... but at this point I'm done with notes & highlighting (do I seem slightly frustrated?) until/unless something definitive becomes available that clearly articulates a methodology that works for all aspects of the feature. I'd love a Mark Barnes video on it (Psst! Logos, why not "hire" Mark to do it... I'd imagine he'd take book credits, eh?), or John Fallahee completes a webinar for it. AND. I'd sure like some assurance that notes & highlights changes in the future will preserve the work we're putting into it today.

DHG

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331420#Comment_331420

Brother Mark, I'm am with you. The more I try to get my head around this thing, the more perplexed I get.

As I stare at my highlight-notes, all I see are links and nearly useless first and last words. I have no idea what they are without opening each one separately. When I open a clippings file, I get it. I see the resource, heading, date, quote, tags and my notes. I get it. With highlighting-notes it's just a mess.

I like the recommendation to use a separate note for each book of the Bible. I will probably adopt that immediately for Scripture hightlight-notes.

I also like the recommendation to organize topically, but that is tricky. Tagging would be much more useable, in my opinion. I should be able to tag a note or a highlight-note with multiple topics/subjects (i.e. gospel, salvation, christology, Apostle John, etc.). Then I could retrieve all of my content tagged with those topics. How could I accomplish that now? I think I would have to search my-content for specific words related to my topic. Then I woud have to conduct a second search of all my highlights, again for related words and phrases. Then I would have to sort through all of my hightlight-notes on related topics (opening each one to see what it is) to locate related hightlight-notes that did not contain my search terms. Seriously? Or am I missing something. I hope I am.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Please keep them coming. I need to get this.

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331415#Comment_331415

We plan to allow sharing of Notes & Highlights between users; you will be able to share an entire Notes document at once. You may wish to organise your highlights thematically to allow easy sharing. For example, you might create one Notes Document called "Eschatology" and put highlights from dozens of different resources in it. You might then have another Notes Document (on a different topic) with different (and maybe even overlapping) highlights from those same resources.

This makes me realize even more how important it is that we can see the whole highlight in the note file. A shared highlighting file full of titles like "He said to ... and so on" isn't going to be very interesting to anyone but its creator. Few people will have the time and interest to click their way through dozens or hundreds of highlighting note icons in order to see the full quotes and be able to determine if the file is useful to them.

Please review and comment about integration suggestion in thread => Suggestion: Highlighting and Notes Integration Improvements - Logos User Voice ?

Puzzling and pondering over tagging ideas since one note could cover many topics. Also remember Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), but needed to be careful not to create a circular setup.

Keep Smiling [:)]

Mark Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331517#Comment_331517

My input in another thread was that I will probably combine notes and highlights for each Bible book in a file for that book.

I will treat highlights as another way to create a note, but won't always use that highlight to make further annotations.

By uniting notes and highlights, and whenever possible placing actual notations in the highlight 'note', I can eliminate many of the annoying note markers in the text and also not have to make a separate note for text I highlight. Combining all this in a single 'Bible" file seems unwieldy to me, thus the decision to go with note//highlight files for each book of the Bible.

Not sure about highlighting of other resources (rarely do). Might use a single file for all of these since they are fewer in number.

DHG

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331533#Comment_331533

My input in another thread was that I will probably combine notes and highlights for each Bible book in a file for that book.

I will treat highlights as another way to create a note, but won't always use that highlight to make further annotations.

I'm sold on that idea.

For other resources, another possibility would be to file them by author and not by resource. For example, I could send my highlighter-notes to a file named "Spurgeon, C" rather than a separate file for dozens of his books. I don't know...that's why I ask.

DHG

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331533#Comment_331533

Not sure about highlighting of other resources (rarely do). Might use a single file for all of these since they are fewer in number.

I like the one-big-pot idea, if we had a great retrieval tool like subject tags or AI-assisted filtering (like DevonThink or programs like that).

fgh

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331533#Comment_331533

By uniting notes and highlights, and whenever possible placing actual notations in the highlight 'note', I can eliminate many of the annoying note markers in the text

How will you know if you have a note attached to the highlight or not? How will you know the content of the note when you have no note icon to hover over to get a popup? How will you find it, when you have no note icon to click on to get to it?

I guess it works if you always keep your expanded note file open next to, and linked, with your Bible. Otherwise it seems like trouble.

and also not have to make a separate note for text I highlight.

Remember that notes attached to highlights only show up in one Bible. If you want the note attached to reference you have to make it separate. And if you do want it attached to selection, it should be easier to start with the note, and then simply add the highlight in the dropdown under the note icon, rather than starting with the highlight and adding the note. I can't try right now, but it's possible that it doesn't make much difference if you do have the note file already open and linked, but in all other cases it ought to be easier to do like I suggested.

DHG

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331565#Comment_331565

it should be easier to start with the note, and then simply add the highlight in the dropdown under the note icon, rather than starting with the highlight and adding the note.

I don't think it works. Once you select reference instead of selection, highlighting is not an option. Am I seeing that correctly?

That is correct. It is easier to start with a note.

Mark Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331565#Comment_331565

I guess it works if you always keep your expanded note file open next to, and linked, with your Bible.

There you go!

Remember that notes attached to highlights only show up in one Bible.

I have one study Bible and this won't be a problem.

in all other cases it ought to be easier to do like I suggested

I'll have to try that to see. My normal mode of studying is to highlight, then to create notes (if I even get to that, since my preferred note-taking method does not use Logos), so for me starting with the highlights and putting what notes I can attached to them makes sense to the way I work.

I'll still need some notes unattached to highlights, but keeping both together in a single book-oriented file seems simplest. The only concern I've heard seems to be the size and perhaps the number of note files slowing down syncing (and highlighting).

DHG

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331565#Comment_331565

Remember that notes attached to highlights only show up in one Bible. If you want the note attached to reference you have to make it separate.

I wonder why you can't highlight a reference instead of a selection. Anybody know? I am referring to the iOS app. When you select note instead of highlight, you can choose selection or reference. Under highlight there is no option. Maybe it is because a selection may or may not span multiple reference?

David Housholder

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331420#Comment_331420

I know that I'm probably all alone in this, but I admit that the upgrade to notes & highlighting is about the most convoluted and difficult to understand feature I've encountered.

You are not alone, Brother Mark. I feel about tackling the highlights / notes stuff is like finding a pile of electric extension cords that have gotten all tangled up and we need to sort them and wrap them individually.

I experimented tonight with adding some inductive highlights. I used the inductive markings on several words in Galatians 5:22. In the notes list each of those highlights shows as a separate note, even if it's the same word (Spirit) marked more than once. So how is this a help for me?

fgh

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331589#Comment_331589

I wonder why you can't highlight a reference instead of a selection.

Because a selection is in one Bible, so you can show the software what to highlight. A reference, on the other hand, shows up in every Bible and harmony (and I believe commentaries as well?); putting a note icon before the first word isn't too complicated, but how would Logos know which words to highlight in versions other than the one you've done the selection in? It could probably be done in those resources that can show sympathetic highlighting, but not in others (unless they integrate Google Translate into Logos [:)] ).

Mark, I'm glad it'll work for your study methods. I just wanted to make sure you and others who read this thread considered all the consequences before you did lots of work that you later realized you should have done differently. It most definitely wouldn't have worked for me. For one thing, I virtually never attach notes to selections.

Mark Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331593#Comment_331593

You are not alone, Brother Mark. I feel about tackling the highlights / notes stuff is like finding a pile of electric extension cords that have gotten all tangled up and we need to sort them and wrap them individually.

I experimented tonight with adding some inductive highlights. I used the inductive markings on several words in Galatians 5:22. In the notes list each of those highlights shows as a separate note, even if it's the same word (Spirit) marked more than once. So how is this a help for me?

When we first started with this in Beta testing I felt as you did. It takes awhile to think of highlights as some form of note and then to appreciate that they can be mingled in with other forms of notes in a beneficial way.

It is fair to say that for some this new functionality will not be any improvement. It is not a loss of functionality, but an increase in it. There is a price to pay with note files you may never look at, but other than that it is possible to highlight as we did in the past and ignore the fact those highlights are in a note file somewhere.

In answer to the question "how is this a help for me?" it may not be. For me the point of marking my Bible is to train me to observe so I can better understand and so I can know what I need to further explore. (It is not to fill my Bible with pretty colors or pictures as some may think.) Sometimes a highlight will lead to an observation or a question. That's when the link to the notes file can come in handy. Each highlight can be turned into a note. I can add observations or questions there under the highlight notation without creating another separate note. I liken it to highlighting and then writing something in the margin of my Bible next to the highlight.

I am sure most of my highlights will just be bare entries in a file and sometimes I'll be sorry they are cluttering the file up. Other times I will find it helpful to link a highlight directly to a note and be able to keep those two together.

Give it some time and as we all better learn how to use this facility, we may all grow to appreciate it more.

Robert Pavich

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331642#Comment_331642

I've been struggling with this and noticed something.

When you apply a highlighter color via the assigned hotkey it's not assigned to any note...it's independent!

it's only when you right click the highlight and choose "add a note to...." that it's hooked to a particular note file.

That SEEMS to be what's happening..

Not true...it just goes to another closed note file silently. [:@]

Fred Chapman

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331678#Comment_331678

Not true...it just goes to another closed note file silently.

You have to assign the note file you want highlights from a particular palette to appear in. I usually have a note file I am going to to working with created and / or open at the time, so I just use the most recent note option

Armin

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331420#Comment_331420

I know that I'm probably all alone in this, but I admit that the upgrade to notes & highlighting is about the most convoluted and difficult to understand feature I've encountered. Mo's excellent manual updates were helpful, but the very nature of notes & highlights open design leaves us with a dizzying super-set of options and methodologies where there is no Right Way to do it, or apparently any way to search them, or an index to recall them from, or the mind numbing concept of sharing them (what if they're all in a single BIG file? what if I only want to share one note from a book, how about sharing the introductory notes from all books but not chapter notes), etc, etc. Obviously I'm missing something critical and I freely confess that it's most likely my own fault.... but at this point I'm done with notes & highlighting (do I seem slightly frustrated?) until/unless something definitive becomes available that clearly articulates a methodology that works for all aspects of the feature. I'd love a Mark Barnes video on it (Psst! Logos, why not "hire" Mark to do it... I'd imagine he'd take book credits, eh?), or John Fallahee completes a webinar for it. AND. I'd sure like some assurance that notes & highlights changes in the future will preserve the work we're putting into it today.

I completely agree with Brother Mark. You stated exactly how I feel. At the moment, I have no idea how to best use these features. For me it is not only notes & highlighting, it is also favorites and clippings. I am unwilling to invest a lot of time until I have a system or methodology that works for me. I lost numerous notes when upgrading from V.3 to V. 4 and even Logos support was not able to fix my notes that had been moved around randomly. So I have been very cautious with notes so far.

Like Brother Mark, I am looking out for a good solution from Mark Barnes or John Fallahee. It would be great if one of these gurus came up with a good methodology.

Armin

Fred Chapman

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331928#Comment_331928

For what it is worth...

I think I can speak for many who beta tested 4.5 from the beginning when I say that we all had a learning curve with this highlighting/notes feature.

The responses we are all seeing since the release are almost a mirror image of what we saw early in the beta cycle. Some hated it; some were confused by it; some embraced it quickly; and others adapted over time.

Explore the possibilities, and think through different methods you think might work for you. I have probably adjusted my methods for note taking and highlighting a half a dozen times or so during this beta cycle.

Paul Gisbourne

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/331965#Comment_331965

I too found this whole new highlight/notes feature annoying and confusing when I first fired up the beta.. because I had a new hdd installed in my mac I just put a stable version of Logos on the new hdd and found that I rarely booted to my old hdd containing the beta version so didn't worry about this issue..

That was until I downloaded the latest version, my working methodology is to create a note file for a sermon that I'm doing, then when I highlight my bible or other resource related to that sermon it goes into that note file. When I do searches, sentence diagrams, etc I link those into my sermon note files. I also use the favourites system to organise all the individual files into a whole, that are organised via folders for sermons, studies, doctrines etc..

Where I am still struggling is with old highlights that I've created in the past, for some of my other resources books etc I have created a separate note file, but I still have numerous highlights in a big note file that I'm struggling at present to link to specific sermons/studies. Not sure what I'll do with those at present.