Hebrew reading and text selection

Istvan
Istvan Member Posts: 18

I am having a long lasting problem with Logos iOS App. I  habitually read my hebrew Bible (LHB) using Logos but after a while I am simply unable to select or highlight any text in order to look up an unfamiliar word in iOS. This mostly (but not always) happens after transitioning from one chapter to an other. I tried reinstalling the app several times, I even tried to use different iPads. The problem persisted through various versions (now I tried the latest beta using TestFlight but the problem is not fixed).

Sometimes text selection behaves erratically - the selection tool is mismatched in relation to the text like this:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yyipnp642wqg6ui/IMG_0002.png?dl=0

But most of the time selection does not work at all. I have to restart the app every 1-5 minutes to fix the problem. This is extremely annoying and makes reading the bible for longer sessions using the app almost unbearable. I am seriously considering switching to a different bible software altogether but I'd do this as a last resort since I invested heavily in Logos by purchasing various resources.

PLEASE do something! Thank you! :)

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Comments

  • Obed Matus
    Obed Matus Member Posts: 97 ✭✭

    I‘m having a similar problem with any resource. After reading and selecting a few words the selection stops working and I have to quit and restart the app.

    In addition, when I select a word in the Bible and the pop up menu gives me the option of Lookup, Search, and Study, the Study option often doesn’t work and I also have to restart.

  • Obed Matus
    Obed Matus Member Posts: 97 ✭✭

    I am seriously considering switching to a different bible software altogether but I'd do this as a last resort since I invested heavily in Logos by purchasing various resources.

    PLEASE do something! Thank you! :)

    My wife says that Logos has a captive audience. Since many of us have invested thousands of dollars, they know we aren’t going anywhere. We can threaten all we want, but I’m not going anywhere becaues I have over $10 thousand in resources. They have us at our most vulnerble and they know it. Customer support for Logos is the worst customer support I have experienced in my whole life with the possible exeption of Sprint 20 years ago. 

    Hopefully things will change, but they need an attitude of gratefulness for us customers who have made them a successful company by our purchases. 

    All that being said, they have good desktop software and the pros still outweigh the cons.

  • Joe McCune (Faithlife)
    Joe McCune (Faithlife) Member, Logos Employee Posts: 1,134

    Obed and Istvan,

    I am sorry to hear of the problems that you are both having.

    I would appreciate it very much if both of you could send us your logs, so that we can investigate further.

    Please do the following:
    1. Open the app.
    2. Tap the Menu icon (has three horizontal lines).
    3. Tap Help.
    4. Press "Report a Problem"
    5. A pre-addressed email will open with a log file attached automatically. Press "Send" to send your report.

  • Istvan
    Istvan Member Posts: 18

    Hello Joe,

    thanks for the reply and being kind when we are being a grumpy. :) I sent the logs!

  • Istvan
    Istvan Member Posts: 18

    Here is an other screenshot which shows the mismatched selection (even if you don't know hebrew you might see that not even even though the word אמצא (end of verse 3) appears to be selected the dictionary entry shows "ובשם" (beginning of verse 4). I intented to select the word in verse 4 "ובשם".

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/vz2pyhgu4ts4dtj/IMG_0003.png?dl=0

    After experiencing the above issue I scrolled through a few more psalms backwards and the selection stopped working altogether. It's as if the selection tool and the displayed text stops being in sync with each other. Sometimes when there is this minor mismatch, scrolling up and down fixes the issue for a while but if the app reaches a state when selection stops working altogether only an app restart helps. But often the problem reappears within just a minute of using the app so one has to constantly restart it.

  • Obed Matus
    Obed Matus Member Posts: 97 ✭✭

    I agree with Istvan, thanks Joe. I also sent my E-mail.

  • Istvan
    Istvan Member Posts: 18

    Hello Joe,

    as per your request I reinstalled the app and sent the fresh logs and some screenshots. For the benefit of Obed I copy my problem report message here as well:

    --

    Hello Joe,

    Please find attached the log after a fresh reinstall. I also downloaded my mostly used resources after installation. I still experience the mismatched selection issue, here are some examples. The behaviour seems to be slightly different though, as when I highlight something the correct word is displayed in the dictionary but the text jumps backward a few lines so the selection and the text are misaligned.

    Thank you,

    Istvan

    --

    I will do some more testing and report back if I have more to add. Here are the screenshots - IMG_0004-0007 are from after the full reinstall, this is from the latest beta version (8.13.0.0007 - iOS):



  • Jack Caviness
    Jack Caviness Member, MVP Posts: 13,488 ✭✭✭

    I also have seen this problem with LHB. Net time it happens, I will send a report. However, I mostly read on an iMac and only rarely on the iPad.

  • Istvan
    Istvan Member Posts: 18

    Hmm. Maybe this issue is LHB specific then?

    I don't have any problem with the Mac version of the app which is great (except I wish it would be a bit swifter/smoother especially during scrolling with many connected resource panes). I do the in depth study using the desktop app but for just simple bible reading or devotional time it's more natural for me to use iPad. Unfortunatelly there are some gaps still in my Hebrew especially when I read poetry, wisdom or the prophets so I need to look up words and check morphology from time to time. :)

    Btw, it would be great if the iPad version would be as full featured as the desktop app, or at least the web app would be a proper substitution on the iPad. But I find that the web app is limited in some key ways which makes it very difficult to use on an iPad (but that's a different topic).

  • Obed Matus
    Obed Matus Member Posts: 97 ✭✭

    Btw, it would be great if the iPad version would be as full featured as the desktop app, or at least the web app would be a proper substitution on the iPad. But I find that the web app is limited in some key ways which makes it very difficult to use on an iPad (but that's a different topic).

    I second this suggestion. I would love to be able to leave my computer at home when I travel and only take my iPad. They are now very robust and are more powerful than most laptops out there. As well as there is plenty of space for all my resources to be downloaded and having an iPad version that does not rely on the internet would be fantastic. 

  • Istvan
    Istvan Member Posts: 18

    After a full reinstall, using the latest beta I can confirm that the same issue still exists - text selection stops working altogether after a while. :( 

    I am trying to read LHB (Lexham Hebrew Bible).

  • Istvan
    Istvan Member Posts: 18

    Here are some updated findings. I tried these while the LHB resource was not downloaded to the iPad (Joe suggested that this might fix the issue):

    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/t8czkry73q7u7qj/AABRnGhXS4X9axwOuKs-PKFDa?dl=0

     

    IMG_0009.png – When the app is in the „wrong” state, when I try to select a word, the magnifier bubble appears but the selection is not made.

     

    IMG_0010.png – When I try to select multiple words or lines, I see that the yellow marker appears outside of the text proper. When I lift my finger up, the marker color disappears. The normal (blue colored) text selector tools do not appear at all.

     

    IMG_0011.png – This shows an erroneously selected portion. The selector is this big due to the presence of the ketiv/qere form (the additional פליאה word under line 6), but still the selection is mismatched.

     

    IMG_0012.png – I am sometimes able to make the text selection tool appear when the app was in the “wrong” state at the end of the line when I long press outside of the text, but I am unable to navigate the selector tool inside the text.

     

    IMG_0013.png – This screenshot was made directly after the previous one. When I simply close the app by navigating back to the home screen (but I do not remove the app from the memory), when I resume the app, the text suddenly jumps to a different location and selection works again. It fits my theory – it’s as if the text perceived by the selector and the displayed text somehow mismatched to each other (it’s like if there was an invisible layer over the text), but sometimes they sync back.

    I posted this so others who are interested in fixing this problem might be informed about the current status of the investigation. :)

  • Istvan
    Istvan Member Posts: 18

    Hey Joe,

    I know that this is an old thread but I just want to let you know that the issue still persists even in the latest version of the app. It is sad that the iOS or iPad OS Logos versions can't deal with Faithlife's own LHB Hebrew Bible.

    Thank you,

    Istvan

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 3,087

    the issue still persists even in the latest version of the app

    I wouldn't limit it to hebrew. The issue isn't infrequent. From what I can see (where mag-glass but no highlight) seems somewhere between app calls and ios. But moving the app out of view (another app or app library) and then re-clicking it into view, re-connects the app highlighter. 

    The selection box misaligned is less frequent, but curious.  Looks like font-size vs interlinear line computation in hebrew.

  • Brian Evans
    Brian Evans Member Posts: 23

    If this is the same issue I have sometimes on Ipad/Iphone just turn the device 90 deg, let the screen reorient, turn back vertical and it works for me.  I think it just needs to redraw the screen.  Yes, don't be surprised if the screen has moved in the process.