Highlighting function

I love highlighting text in MS Word by double-clicking on the paint format function. This enables me, for example, to transfer yellow highlighting by simply highlighting various word or phrases as I go through the text. There is no need to select a word - then select the highlight required; and then repeat the process one word at a time.

I cannot understand why such a function has not be incorporated in L4.

I find it very tedious to have to go back to the highlighting box to select the highlighting required for each word or phrase. I think that this should be done by some sort of copy/paste format so that highlighting can be done much as you would do it manually when reading a printed text book.

Any thoughts.

Brian

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Comments

Mark Barnes

I do agree. But have you tried pressing F8 for another spin on highlighting in Logos 4?

Jon

Using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-K is about as close as you'll get... It does mean you can work quicker if you're highlighting lots of stuff; one hand on the mouse to select words, the other on the keyboard to apply the highlight....

TCBlack

Mark, F8 is only for screen drawing.

Brian, You can use the CTRL+K key combination to repeat your last used markup instead of going back to the markup dialog.

spitzerpl

Being able to go into a "highlighter mode" has been discussed before (I think in the original beta) and Bob did solicit and listen to our comments. Don't know what they are doing with them, though.

Charlene

I love highlighting text in MS Word by double-clicking on the paint format function. This enables me, for example, to transfer yellow highlighting by simply highlighting various word or phrases as I go through the text. There is no need to select a word - then select the highlight required; and then repeat the process one word at a time.

I cannot understand why such a function has not be incorporated in L4.

I too wish this was possible. I have always structured in Word, not in Logos, as it was so simple to color code my structuring, using this feature. It would be wonderful if the "quick format" would be added in Logos 4.

Brian Kempson

Thanks!

Bob Pritchett

We want to make highlighting as easy as possible, while avoiding (as much as possible) "modal" user interface. (Interface that puts you in a "mode" -- like activating a highlighter pen which then does markup instead of selection until you "clear" or "escape" the mode.)

Our present plan is single key shortcuts you can assign to highlight styles. In a future release (not far off) you'll be able to assign a keystroke (even single alphabetic characters) to a highlight style.Those keystrokes will apply their associated highlights to any selection.

So if you use red, green, and blue highlighters on the text, you can assign r, g, and b to those styles, and then simply select and press the letter to assign the highlight.

Is this enough, or do you really need the modal highlighter, too, which would of course be limited to one highlight style at a time?

Friedrich

both?

I would really like highlighter mode. Most of the time (say if I am in reading pane), i just want to highlight sections in one color, that I can go back to (eagerly await the ability to jump to markups!) those sections for review. I don't want to have to hunt for keys---especially when I am reading in bed at night and I can't see them well.

However, i think it would be really cool to assign keys r, g, b, etc. There are times I want multiple colors. And I would rather not have to keep going over to the highlighter pane and clicking on whatever color I need.

I can understand not wanting to over do the "mode" thing, but "highlighting" seems to be one time that makes sense. If you are just flat out reading a book, not researching, copy/pasting, etc, being in hightlighter mode makes sense. It facilitates reading all these wonderful books I want to get into on Logos.

Mark Barnes

Key strokes would be enough for me, particularly if the highlighter pane reminded me what keystrokes I'd set. The Logos 4 way is to keep the interface simple. There's no point having multiple ways of doing the same task, just to occassionally save one click.

Brian Kempson

Hi Bob

Thanks for your comment.

I really, really do like the modal style of operating - that is if it emulates MS Word's copy format function - i.e. you can go through a book simply highlighting each word or phrase by dragging the mouse over it - the currently selected style then highlights the word or phrase - just as if you were reading a printed book and had your yellow highlighter poised ready to start highlighting - all in the same colour - as you read the book. Any other way is too slow. And I suggest that this is the usual way that people highlight texts. Those who want to use differnt colours or styles could use the current method.

Thanks

Brian

Lois Van

I cannot get the highlighting to work (Sympathetic) even when i move the other bibles to another pane. I have highlighting and sympathetic highlighting checked. I use highlighting all the time and love the L3 ability to move through highlights for review.

Any suggestions?

Lois

Rosie Perera

I ... love the L3 ability to move through highlights for review.

Yes, there ought to be a way to move to next markup, as in L3. One of the main reasons I haven't been using the highlighting feature is that all my highlighting will get lost and I won't be able to find where I've marked stuff up to erase it later. (At this point, my main use of the program is still learning it thoroughly, so I've been playing around with features and doing stuff that I might want to undo or delete later.)

Brian Kempson

Re Highlighting text in L4

Thanks for the suggestion. CTRL-K is at least an improvement - but it is a far cry from the paste format function in MS Word.

When I am highlighting a printed text, I will usually have my yellow highlighter in hand and simply highlight text as I go. I don't have to put down the highlighter and pick it up again each time I want to highlight a new word - but that's the way L4 appears to operate. To me it seems cumbersome and counter-intuitive.

Do you know if there is any possibility of Logos adopting a "paste format" approach - i.e. so that L4 will keep on pasting the selected format until the function is cancelled - same as MS Word. I think that would be a great improvement.

Any comments

Brian Kempson

Rosie Perera

Thanks for the suggestion. CTRL-K is at least an improvement - but it is a far cry from the paste format function in MS Word.

Do you know if there is any possibility of Logos adopting a "paste format" approach - i.e. so that L4 will keep on pasting the selected format until the function is cancelled - same as MS Word. I think that would be a great improvement.

It has been requested many times before, but so far Logos is not budging on this one. However, they have added a new feature in 4.0c (which is in beta testing, just came out with Beta 1), where you can assign the different highighting styles to alphabetic keys on the keyboard. So you can go through and highlight your text with mnemonics for the kinds of highights you use. You still have to select first, but then you'll only have to press one key to effect the highlight instead of two, and you won't have to go back to the Highlighting pane to switch highlighter pens. This is an improvement over 4.0b.

Fred Chapman

I do agree. But have you tried pressing F8 for another spin on highlighting in Logos 4?

Mark,

When I have tried the drawing mode (F8 command) it works great but when I exit out of that mode I lose any markup I have done. Do you know if there is a way to exit the drawing mode while retaining the markup?

Rosie Perera

I do agree. But have you tried pressing F8 for another spin on highlighting in Logos 4?

When I have tried the drawing mode (F8 command) it works great but when I exit out of that mode I lose any markup I have done. Do you know if there is a way to exit the drawing mode while retaining the markup?

Fred, Logos's drawing mode is intended as temporary markup for when you're doing a presentation. It isn't a full drawing module like what Word has. You can draw people's attention to a certain part of the screen while you're projecting your Logos layout up on the screen for them, if you use Logos in your preaching or teaching. If not, drawing mode is not likely to be useful for you. For markup that sticks around, use Highlighting. The new custom Highlighting styles in 4.0b are pretty flexible. You can't draw a big circle around a chart in a resource (which you could have done in drawing mode), but you can do all kinds of things to the text: borders, images, label text, etc.

Fred Chapman

I do agree. But have you tried pressing F8 for another spin on highlighting in Logos 4?

When I have tried the drawing mode (F8 command) it works great but when I exit out of that mode I lose any markup I have done. Do you know if there is a way to exit the drawing mode while retaining the markup?

Fred, Logos's drawing mode is intended as temporary markup for when you're doing a presentation. It isn't a full drawing module like what Word has. You can draw people's attention to a certain part of the screen while you're projecting your Logos layout up on the screen for them, if you use Logos in your preaching or teaching. If not, drawing mode is not likely to be useful for you. For markup that sticks around, use Highlighting. The new custom Highlighting styles in 4.0b are pretty flexible. You can't draw a big circle around a chart in a resource (which you could have done in drawing mode), but you can do all kinds of things to the text: borders, images, label text, etc.

Thanks Rosie. I thought that was the case but I thought maybe someone had figured something out regarding the drawing mode that I did not know about. I agree the new highlighting features in 4b are great. I have been playing with different styles of markup. Thanks again for your help.