FEEDBACK WANTED: New Resource Toolbar on Desktop

book dropdown .  default behavior

When I click on the "change book" dropdown (next to the book cover on the menu row) and change to a new book (a Bible in this case) the new Bible comes with default settings I already changed in the previous Bible - Factbook tags, show notes-highlights, etc.  I have to change everything all over again.  (At least it is building muscle memory for using the menu.)

I would like any new book brought in thru the "change book" dropdown to assume the same settings from the book I am leaving.

Eli Evans (Logos) said:

Rick G. said:

but I'm used to using the // symbol on the resource tool bar

The funny thing about that is I'm the guy who originally suggested the // icon (because it's the geometry symbol for parallel lines, of course!) and it's been one of the icons that has be reported time and time again as being mysterious and counterintuitive to new folks. (Along with the "three circles stacked like cannon balls" for visual filters.) Once you learn it, it becomes one more hieroglyph that's stuck in your brain, but until then it's a total mystery.

Anyway, we're definitely seeing a pattern with people not discovering the book cover or not associating it with switching out the resource. That, and the number of clicks to toggle interlinear. Other interesting feedback on this thread to be sure, but those seem like the top two pain points so far.

I believe the dynamic toolbar’s book cover is frequently not being associated with switching of resources because book cover images in Logos are normally used to identify a resource and with the exception of the new category labels, symbol icons are primarily used to control program actions.  If the book cover image is replaced with a symbol icon, perhaps many more people would at least recognize it as being related to a program action which would lead them to click on it and discover its purpose.

Although, while initially learning this new version it is frustrating that the book cover’s association with switching resources is not apparent, the main reason I don’t like it and would like to see it changed to a symbol icon is as follows: The resource panel’s main tab already automatically displays the currently opened bible or book.  A second appearance of the same bible or book cover in the toolbar seems redundant.  In my opinion, it adds unnecessary clutter and looks odd.  In addition, if it is one of the bright high contrast book cover images (such as used for some bibles), it can distract from reading the text directly below it. 

For these reasons, instead of a book cover image, please consider using a simple, non-distracting symbol icon consistent with the other grey icons in the secondary toolbar, (and please no high contrast ultra bright colors).

In addition, this symbol icon’s function would be even more apparent if it were to remain in its present location (to the left side of the bible or book reference) but separated outside of the shaded reference box.  

MJ. Smith said:

Not disagreeing but I'd like to point out there is another group of users that we aren't hearing from - those whose 1st instinct after seeing the new toolbar was to punch every title, icon, button that wasn't obvious to get "the lay of the land."  These people had no trouble finding parallel resources and have, in fact, already started calling it something else in the forums e.g. change books.

While this is true and I am one of those guys who clicked everything and looked through all the options, I will say it’s not about finding the tools and features, it’s about the quick access and availability of those that are used frequently. 

It's great! 

“If it ain't broke, don't fix it.”

Version 37 (Desktop Logos Pro subscription) with the “new” primary and secondary toolbar is a grievous step backward. What was readily seen before (examples like factbook tag icon, interlinear icon status on or off, parallel resources), now require extra mouse clicks and secondary toolbars. Another issue, while in a Bible resource the Tab key instantly put you into the text reference box for quick input for a new passage, chapter or verse. It seems that now you must mouse click to make a change. The left and right arrow keys were a quick and handy way to view different translations (or related resources like when in a commentary). Now the arrow keys only move you along the toolbar.

The panel menu, visual filter, left click the panel tab, and right click context menus provided all the avenues of accessibility.

If I am mistaken in failing to see the improvements of this UI “upgrade,” would someone please help me?

love the new resource toolbar, long overdue

Some programs have a command lookup feature I think would help users quickly find what is in the menus without having to remembers what is buried in the secondary menus.

In libreoffice it is called "search commands" (Shift+Esc) and in Freeplane mindmapper it is called "Command Search" (Ctrl+F1) -  see below.

You start typing what you remember of a command and it starts filling in likely commands which you pick from to get to the command you want. 

I find this functionality to be very helpful.  Each command shows the command path where the commands are located in the menus.

I like tike the new menu placements except for the interlinear tab. I use it quite often and it should have it's won place in the upper ribbon. there are to many key stokes to get to it now. Maybe that is something for thought. Thanks much.

Paul Hoffman 

problem : When I click on the "change book" dropdown (next to the book cover on the menu row) and change to a new book (a Bible in this case) the new Bible comes with default settings I already changed in the Bible I am leaving (eg, Factbook tags, show notes-highlights, insight sidebar, etc.)  I then have to change everything all over again to get back to where I was in the previous Bible.  (At least it is helping to build muscle memory for using the menu toolbar.)

suggestion : I would like any new book brought in thru the "change book" dropdown to assume the same settings as from the book I am leaving.  As an option.

I like a lot of the extra features and for helping out newbies. That's very cool. However, the way I've experienced it in most corporations is that it leaves power users in the dust.

+1 on too many clicks for features that used to have 1-2 clicks (for example, parallel texts are now a minimum of 4 clicks). If we go this route and retain many clicks, I would like to humbly suggest that one (or more) of the three options would be very helpful if implemented:

1)

Keyboard shortcuts for tools to be assigned, and their code put in the tooltip so power users can learn them--for example, putting "Add parallel text (Alt+P)" as the tooltip. 

(I know Alt+P is already assigned, so another option is to have a system like what MS Word does where you can tap Alt and then do a string of characters, like VP here for View Parallel. In that case, maybe something like "Add Parallel Text (Alt, V, P)"? Or even doing the underscore move, where after hitting Alt, you see: Home Search Notes Formatting View Tools Share. After tapping V, you'd see: Add parallel text Interlinear Paged view Locator bar)

(Personally, I feel I have to relearn and memorize where everything is (is a parallel text, or adding/removing page numbers, under "View" or "Formatting?"), often activating the wrong tool or searching the different tabs for what I want, but I imagine I'll get the hang of it given enough time)

2)

Buttons to be split into default options and full options. For example, clicking on the book icon will add a default parallel text of the default orientation, but clicking on "Add parallel text" or the carat will bring up the full set of options.

3)

The menu is customizable (such as getting to move tools between tabs and rename tabs) or the old menu style can be an option in Settings (much akin to how the most modern LibreOffice Writer works).

Good work 

I tend to like the menus set a certain way -  eg, no Factbook tags,no markers, etc.  I find it frustrating to open a new Bible to find a totally different set of menu options.  If I am going to be parked on that Bible for a while, I have to go thru all the steps again.

I think I would find it helpful to be able to get the menu settings the way I want and then, by some mechanism, save it as my "default menu configuration".  Then with 1 button, or whatever, I could quickly configure any Bible the way I like the menus configured.  see image

(In the image, I swapped in "Menu Help" instead of the blue "New" button because it makes more sense as mentioned in another post in this thread.)

[edit : maybe the "save default" button should be labeled "default config" (or somesuch) with a dropdown to either save or load]

I would like to have an option to revert back to the "old" toolbar (globally or on a window/book basis). It's wasting too much screen space for my taste, I prefer a minimalistic approach to UI to have a better focus on the texts. If possible it would prefer even less UI-elements. Optional, of course, as others have other preferences.

Unsichtbar said:

I would like to have an option to revert back to the "old" toolbar (globally or on a window/book basis). It's wasting too much screen space for my taste, I prefer a minimalistic approach to UI to have a better focus on the texts. If possible it would prefer even less UI-elements. Optional, of course, as others have other preferences.

While you can't get rid of it entirely, you can hide the bottom part of it. See below...

Today the new resource toolbar suddenly appeared without warning and without explanation. I wanted to see the parallel resources, but the icon is gone and the toolbar does not appear to provide that function. How can I list the parallel resources (in the priority I have defined) and select one of them?

Thank you Graham

I don't like anything that uses up screen space with ideograms/heiroglyphics aka icons (actually the invention of the alphabet was one of the greatest advances in history).  All this could be handled better with the vertical ... context specific sub-menus.  In general, keeping things the same causes the least confusion and amount of time that needs to be devoted to figuring out how to do what you used to know how to do but no longer do because the program has changed.

Nick

Aaron Hamilton said:

They are creating more hotkey combinations. It is quite possible that users like yourself who would like to keep the toolbar minimized will be able to do so for much of the time, utilizing hotkeys instead of clicks for many of the tasks in your workflow.

So that there are no misunderstandings: I don't really want to make it smaller, I would like to have the old toolbar back as an option, which offered all the things I needed in one line - without shortcuts, without hiding anything. In my opinion, it is a deterioration of the UI.

Norman J Meyer said:

My logos desktop app just updated with this new tool bar. I am NOT a fan. It takes up space and, for me, actually adds more confusion. And I need to close the lower tool bar individually now on every resource that I have open in my layout; which is a lot. I very much prefer the way it was. Maybe give us a preference option to switch back? Thanks for taking our input!

they are not going to take your input. the only way for you to switch back to the old toolbar is to cancel your subscription.