Request: info on “Most Used” in Library window

Allen Browne
Allen Browne Member Posts: 1,892 ✭✭✭
edited November 20 in English Forum

Version 5.2.1.0067 added some really useful columns to the Library window. To help get the best out of them, could someone kindly provide a bit of info on what they mean?

Specifically, how do I understand the MostUsed column? Is this the number of times I open a resource? The length of time it remains open? The number of pages/screens of that resource I read? Other? For what period: is it calculated over the last week, or 12 months? Or ever since the feature was introduced?

I noticed the LastAccessed column has values only for resources I’ve opened since installing the new version, i.e. resources that have remained open since before them (like my bibles) don’t have a date yet. Perhaps that’s a clue about how it works.

Thanks, guys. I have no desire to argue with the methodology, just to understand it. The new features in the Library window are really useful. For example, I already found one of my top 10 “most used” books that I had not downloaded to my phablet.

Comments

  • Dave Hooton
    Dave Hooton MVP Posts: 35,677

    I didn't pay much attention to them during the beta. The Release Notes state "Added “Last Accessed” and “Most Used” columns to the Library Details view. They show the last date a resource was opened and order your resources by most frequently used, respectively."

    About 43% of my resources have 82 and a blank “Last Accessed” and some new resources from "Tuesday" (Last Updated) with 82 that were "last accessed" on Tuesday. So I have a heap of heavily used resources (from 50 to 82) but Logos doesn't know when they were last used, and I can't make sense of the "frequency".

    Dave
    ===

    Windows 11 & Android 13

  • Jack Caviness
    Jack Caviness MVP Posts: 13,488

    how do I understand the MostUsed column?

    Seems to rank the resources from most used down—ESV—1, NKJV—2. Byz—3, NA28—4. In my case, I seem to have used 141 resources since the index began, and all the rest are numbered 142. 

    For what period:

    The oldest date in my library is January 8, 2014. Suppose that is the date the count began.

  • fgh
    fgh Member Posts: 8,948 ✭✭✭

    Seems to rank the resources from most used down

    Correct. Consequently,

    I have a heap of heavily used resources (from 50 to 82) but Logos doesn't know when they were last used

    is a complete misunderstanding. They are your least used resources, and they have a blank Last Accessed date because you haven't used them on 5.2a.

    The oldest date in my library is January 8, 2014. Suppose that is the date the count began.

    The Last Accessed dates go back to when you first installed some form of 5.2a (or the beta when it was introduced, if that was later than b1). The Most Used count goes back much further. Several years, judging from my list.

    Mac Pro (late 2013) OS 12.6.2

  • Dylan Rondeau
    Dylan Rondeau Member, Logos Employee Posts: 1,401

    Hopefully I can clarify a bit: The "Most Used" column ranks your resources by your most/least used resources. So a resource that has "1" under Most Used is your most frequently used resource. The bigger the number, the less often it is used. Resources with the same number of uses will have the same rank. So, for example, all the resources you've never opened will have the same rank under "Most Used".

    The "Last Accessed" column lists the date you last opened the resource, and like fgh said, if you haven't opened a resource since upgrading to 5.2a the column will be blank. Caveat: Currently the Last Accessed column will set new resources as Last Accessed "today" when they are discovered, hence your incorrect data for that column, Dave. This is planned to be fixed in an upcoming Service Release.

    Dylan Rondeau, Software Tester

    Enable Logging: Mac | Windows (Right-click "Save As...")

  • Randy W. Sims
    Randy W. Sims Member Posts: 2,272 ✭✭✭

    Dylan, are the stats collated from all devices? PC, MAC, Android, iOS?

  • Dylan Rondeau
    Dylan Rondeau Member, Logos Employee Posts: 1,401

    Dylan, are the stats collated from all devices? PC, MAC, Android, iOS?

    The stats are only from the Desktop app, but should be correct between Mac/Windows. Collating from mobile devices is still being discussed as a future implementation, but no ETA on that for the moment.

    Dylan Rondeau, Software Tester

    Enable Logging: Mac | Windows (Right-click "Save As...")

  • fgh
    fgh Member Posts: 8,948 ✭✭✭

    Caveat: Currently the Last Accessed column will set new resources as Last Accessed "today" when they are discovered, hence your incorrect data for that column, Dave. This is planned to be fixed in an upcoming Service Release.

    Will it be fixed 'retroactively', so to speak? It has a certain interest to be able to see which books one has never opened, and that ability is currently lost.

    Can one filter the Library based on these columns? (I seem to have a beach ball in Logos, so I can't currently check myself.[:(])

    Mac Pro (late 2013) OS 12.6.2

  • Dylan Rondeau
    Dylan Rondeau Member, Logos Employee Posts: 1,401

    Will it be fixed 'retroactively', so to speak? It has a certain interest to be able to see which books one has never opened, and that ability is currently lost.

    The only way to fix it retroactively, AFAIK, would be to clear all Last Accessed data. I don't think this is the plan. I'll check before the fix goes out. The lowest ranked resources under Most Used should, theoretically, be ones you've never opened.

    Can one filter the Library based on these columns? (I seem to have a beach ball in Logos, so I can't currently check myself.Sad)

    In my testing these columns are not able to be filters.

    Dylan Rondeau, Software Tester

    Enable Logging: Mac | Windows (Right-click "Save As...")

  • Mark Smith
    Mark Smith MVP Posts: 11,791

    Dylan,

    A little more info, please.

    "Most used" - opened the most often? Actually scrolled in? Open the longest? No quite sure what 'used' means.

    Pastor, North Park Baptist Church

    Bridgeport, CT USA

  • Dylan Rondeau
    Dylan Rondeau Member, Logos Employee Posts: 1,401

    "Most used" - opened the most often? Actually scrolled in? Open the longest? No quite sure what 'used' means.

    Most Used ranks resources by the number of times they have been opened. Opening a resource will also update the Last Accessed date. 

    Dylan Rondeau, Software Tester

    Enable Logging: Mac | Windows (Right-click "Save As...")

  • Dave Hooton
    Dave Hooton MVP Posts: 35,677

    Dylan, are the stats collated from all devices? PC, MAC, Android, iOS?

    The stats are only from the Desktop app, but should be correct between Mac/Windows...

    Meaning that resources will show the same rank on Mac and Windows, or between Windows and Windows? I say that because most used varies from 1 to 43 on laptop and 1 to 82 on desktop and the top 4 include the same resources but not in the same order:

    • ESV is the universal #1
    • LGNTI is  #3 Desktop and #4 Laptop
    • LGNTI has a blank Last Access on Desktop and March 13 on Laptop

    I'm intrigued that LGNTI is ranked that high when I haven't used as much as lower ranked resources and its not even in my layout (unlike the other members of the top 4).

    Dave
    ===

    Windows 11 & Android 13

  • Dave Hooton
    Dave Hooton MVP Posts: 35,677

    I have a heap of heavily used resources (from 50 to 82) but Logos doesn't know when they were last used

    is a complete misunderstanding.

    The extent of my misunderstanding is beyond belief[:)]

    Dave
    ===

    Windows 11 & Android 13

  • Mark Smith
    Mark Smith MVP Posts: 11,791

    Most Used ranks resources by the number of times they have been opened.

    Does that include when I start Logos to a saved layout or switch layouts? Seems I'd be often opening a number of resources that I don't necessarily 'use' if that's the case, since my layouts have what I 'might' likely use.

    Pastor, North Park Baptist Church

    Bridgeport, CT USA

  • David Paul
    David Paul Member Posts: 6,003 ✭✭✭

    Aren't you Logos guys happy you added this helpful feature?

    The Good News: Logos customers don't bite the hand that feeds...

    The Bad News: ...because by now they're already well past the elbow. 

    [^o)]

    ASUS  ProArt x570s Creator, AMD R9 5950x, HyperX 64gb 3600 RAM, ASUS Strix RTX 2080 ti

    "The Unbelievable Work...believe it or not."  Little children...Biblical prophecy is not Christianity's friend.

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 13,427 ✭✭✭

    Us Libby-ites need to keep quiet.  In Libronix, you really don't want to know what you've been reading.

    But in Logos, my layout that gets 'opened' every few months. Those poor puppies are going to be a poor 2nd to the random volume that I check a couple of times.  I hate to see when they combine the platforms.

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Dylan Rondeau
    Dylan Rondeau Member, Logos Employee Posts: 1,401

    @Dave - I was mistaken. The data isn't currently synced, even between Desktop apps. My apologies.

    @Mark - Both columns are updated when a resource is opened as part of a layout, including if the layout is the default when running the app. Using Parallel Resources to open a resource should as well.

    Dylan Rondeau, Software Tester

    Enable Logging: Mac | Windows (Right-click "Save As...")

  • Allen Browne
    Allen Browne Member Posts: 1,892 ✭✭✭

    Thank you Dylan, and everyone else who has contributed.

    I understand the MostUsed column as providing information about the count of times I have opened each resource, on my desktop machine, on an on-going basis since 5.2a was released, with 1 as the highest ranking (most number of times opened).

    That's answered my question. Appreciated.

  • Mark Smith
    Mark Smith MVP Posts: 11,791

    @Mark - Both columns are updated when a resource is opened as part of a layout, including if the layout is the default when running the app. Using Parallel Resources to open a resource should as well.

    Thanks, Dylan.

    Pastor, North Park Baptist Church

    Bridgeport, CT USA

  • Randy W. Sims
    Randy W. Sims Member Posts: 2,272 ✭✭✭

    Caveat: Currently the Last Accessed column will set new resources as Last Accessed "today" when they are discovered, hence your incorrect data for that column, Dave. This is planned to be fixed in an upcoming Service Release.

    Will it be fixed 'retroactively', so to speak? It has a certain interest to be able to see which books one has never opened, and that ability is currently lost.

    The only way to fix it retroactively, AFAIK, would be to clear all Last Accessed data. I don't think this is the plan. I'll check before the fix goes out. The lowest ranked resources under Most Used should, theoretically, be ones you've never opened.

    This is the only thing I disagree with. This currently is populating  the system with false data. If it is non-trivial, please add a request for a command box command to clear the Last Accessed & Most Used data. This would also be helpful for testing.

    I appreciate the detailed explanations on the rest of it. I do think the assigned integer for Most Used is kind of odd from a user point of view, but I can't think of any better indicator either... (maybe a horz bar 0-100, like a bar chart??) Overall, I think these new options are very helpful and improve the library greatly. Thanks to the developers for ALL the Library improvements!

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 13,427 ✭✭✭

    Well, I propose to be the odd-lady-out.  I think it's nutty.  Deja vu.  I just didn't expect the answer from the OP's question. 

    Anyone remember the tread marks on the resource scroll bars?  Actually a very good idea. Except you couldn't clear them.  Now, maybe they got fixed, though I think it wasn't to long ago someone was wondering what to do with all the treadmarks.

    Then there's 'layouts' which these days often stay in place for lengthy periods  (and presumably get a '1' each time you open the layout for the 130 resources in my main layout .... which indeed happened).

    Then I'd presume eventually someone's going to notice platforms (actually they already have).  The big-boys have 'layouts' ... the youngsters have one-sie-two-sies being repeatly opened during the day (for me anyway). 

    After this plays out, we're looking at a treadmark re-play. Why wasn't 'history' used (with user clearing?).  Ok.  I'll be quiet.

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Mark Smith
    Mark Smith MVP Posts: 11,791

    Denise, I don't know if I'd call it nutty, but I don't think I'll find it useful information, even if it tracked data like I'd want it to.

    The mobile app has a circular diagram associated with each resource that is supposed to reveal how much you've used a resource and for how long each time. Treadmarks if you will. Curious, but I haven't found a reason to want that info.

    Pastor, North Park Baptist Church

    Bridgeport, CT USA

  • fgh
    fgh Member Posts: 8,948 ✭✭✭

    The extent of my misunderstanding is beyond beliefSmile

    No, just unusual.[:)]

    The lowest ranked resources under Most Used should, theoretically, be ones you've never opened.

    Theoretically, yes, but by marking newly installed resources as Accessed, you automatically push them upwards in the list.[:(]

    In my testing these columns are not able to be filters.

    [:(]

    I understand the MostUsed column as providing information about the count of times I have opened each resource, on my desktop machine, on an on-going basis since 5.2a was released

    No, as I said above:

    The Last Accessed dates go back to when you first installed some form of 5.2a (or the beta when it was introduced, if that was later than b1). The Most Used count goes back much further. Several years, judging from my list.

    Proof: one of my top 5-10 resources is a devotional I haven't opened more than once or twice the last couple of years, but used daily before that.

    Now that I'm reminded of the wear marks, I would imagine that that's the data behind the Most Used column.

    I can't see me using Last Accessed very often, but Most Used I find very useful. Sorting the Library by it is a quick way to find most books I might need. In fact, this may lessen the need to keep a number of books open in layouts 'just in case'. And less cluttered layouts means better speed. Consequently, I would most definitely not want the Most Used column 'cleared', as that would lose me precisely the years of data that makes the column useful.

    But ideally I would like the 'never opened, just installed' books to have their false access data removed. It's not that much of a deal, though. At least not if the bug is fixed quickly.

    Except you couldn't clear them.

    And now we know why. If we could have, many of us would have done so, without realizing that we thereby destroyed the usability of a future Most Used column. Sometimes Logos does know better than we whether it's a good idea to give us something.[:)]

    Mac Pro (late 2013) OS 12.6.2

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 13,427 ✭✭✭

    And creates a considerable number of unused features from poor design.

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Dave Hooton
    Dave Hooton MVP Posts: 35,677

    The Last Accessed dates go back to when you first installed some form of 5.2a (or the beta when it was introduced, if that was later than b1). The Most Used count goes back much further. Several years, judging from my list.

    Proof: one of my top 5-10 resources is a devotional I haven't opened more than once or twice the last couple of years, but used daily before that.

    Now that I'm reminded of the wear marks, I would imagine that that's the data behind the Most Used column.

    My top 4 are each 'used' between 1120x to 1360x whilst #5 is under 450x.  LGNTI is #3 because it used to be in my layout with #1, #2 and #4. so the figures definitely come from stats gathered before 5.2a.

    Dave
    ===

    Windows 11 & Android 13

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 13,427 ✭✭✭

    This library column does become progressively more amusing (and wise of course). 

    I checked today's accessed resources to see exactly what I had 'studied'.  Yes ... I remember the Gottingen in Exodus. Oh, also the Targum Onqelos.  Yes, yes. It's been a busy day (since I didn't actually look at ANY of these ... they 'opened' automatically among the 100+ resouces that are linked in various ways).

    Wisdom and her children.

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Dylan Rondeau
    Dylan Rondeau Member, Logos Employee Posts: 1,401

    Caveat: Currently the Last Accessed column will set new resources as Last Accessed "today" when they are discovered, hence your incorrect data for that column, Dave. This is planned to be fixed in an upcoming Service Release.

    This bug has been fixed for 5.2a SR 1.

    Dylan Rondeau, Software Tester

    Enable Logging: Mac | Windows (Right-click "Save As...")