Search Function Desperately Needs Improvement

I love the Logos App. It does greatly increase the value of my Logos Library to be able to read the books on the iPad.

However, the search function really needs improvement. It is of very little use as is, and that should be a basic function of any Bible app. With all the attention to improving the look and feel of the app, some more attention should be given to this basic function of searching. Until this is improved, other apps will out shine Logos in the eyes of most people.

Find more posts tagged with

Mobile App

Comments

Kevin Byford (Faithlife)

However, the search function really needs improvement. It is of very little use as is, and that should be a basic function of any Bible app.

Hi Michael,

Can you be more specific about the problems you are seeing? There are some known issues that development is already aware of (search results missing book titles on iPhones, search isn't invoked again when switching between basic and bible - or when changing collections, etc.). Any detailed information you can give would be helpful. Thanks!

Mark Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399841#Comment_399841

Can you be more specific about the problems you are seeing?

I can't speak for Michael, but agree that search on the iOS platform is useless. There are not 'problems' but lack of search limitations and views that make it this way.

I cannot specify more than one Bible to search without putting them in a collection on my computer first. There is no way to do that on the iOS app. So if I am away from my computer (that is why I have an iPad, no?) I am stuck.

I cannot search just a range of books or chapters in a Bible.This is a huge issue.

I cannot view Bible search results in any way but one way (verses) that is difficult to scan because of the narrow format of the search results pane.

I cannot see results in a Basic search organized by resource, hits, relevance, etc. It is just one long list. (At least put the resource name somewhere in the results I can see.)

To get back to the search dialog I have to scroll back up, often through 'pages' of results.

I cannot restrict a search to just the word form I type in.

...that's what I can think of off the top of my head.

David P. Moore

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399882#Comment_399882

I cannot restrict a search to just the word form I type in.

And it's this one that floors me the most. Why does it search for word variations by default? The app search function shouldn't be returing results me that I didnt ask for.

Jacob Hantla

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399882#Comment_399882

Can you be more specific about the problems you are seeing?

I can't speak for Michael, but agree that search on the iOS platform is useless. There are not 'problems' but lack of search limitations and views that make it this way.

I cannot specify more than one Bible to search without putting them in a collection on my computer first. There is no way to do that on the iOS app. So if I am away from my computer (that is why I have an iPad, no?) I am stuck.

I cannot search just a range of books or chapters in a Bible.This is a huge issue.

I cannot view Bible search results in any way but one way (verses) that is difficult to scan because of the narrow format of the search results pane.

I cannot see results in a Basic search organized by resource, hits, relevance, etc. It is just one long list. (At least put the resource name somewhere in the results I can see.)

To get back to the search dialog I have to scroll back up, often through 'pages' of results.

I cannot restrict a search to just the word form I type in.

...that's what I can think of off the top of my head.

I agree with everything you just said. I am Logos' biggest fan and I love the iOS app, but search is close to useless for Bible. Most needed is the ability to search a subset of the Bible (NT, OT, James, pauline epistles etc...).

I would guess that this deficiency has caused more than a few of those who are trying the software out to decide that it isn't user friendly and to ditch it.

I am so glad that you have notes and highlights, and you know me...I am the guy asking for all kinds of new features, but #1 on the need to fix list is search.

steve clark

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399909#Comment_399909

Something frustrating for me is that the search panel disappears after selecting one of the results. Then it takes several clicks to get back to the original list of items in the search list. It would seem when you have split-screens that the search list should stay up on the left side.

Dave Dunkin (Logos)

Thanks for your feedback. We're aware of the deficiencies of the search feature. We have some improvements already specced and waiting for developer time to implement.

Jacob Hantla

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/400069#Comment_400069

Thanks for all you do, Dave.

Paul Johnson

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399882#Comment_399882

I can't speak for Michael, but agree that search on the iOS platform is useless. There are not 'problems' but lack of search limitations and views that make it this way.

I cannot specify more than one Bible to search without putting them in a collection on my computer first. There is no way to do that on the iOS app. So if I am away from my computer (that is why I have an iPad, no?) I am stuck.

I cannot search just a range of books or chapters in a Bible.This is a huge issue.

I cannot view Bible search results in any way but one way (verses) that is difficult to scan because of the narrow format of the search results pane.

I cannot see results in a Basic search organized by resource, hits, relevance, etc. It is just one long list. (At least put the resource name somewhere in the results I can see.)

To get back to the search dialog I have to scroll back up, often through 'pages' of results.

I cannot restrict a search to just the word form I type in.

...that's what I can think of off the top of my head.

Excellent list, Mark! I've been twanging this string on and off since the iOS app first came out. Glad to hear they have finally "specced" some improvements. I wonder how many new versions of the app (think Vyrso and FaithLife Study Bible) will come out before they find some developer time to work on the search improvements? [^o)]

Rod Bergen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399882#Comment_399882

...agree that search on the iOS platform is useless. There are not 'problems' but lack of search limitations and views that make it this way.

I am of the view that none of the Logos developers actually use the iPad app on a regular basis or, more specifically, have ever compared their competitors iPad products with their own.

I don't want to use competitor's products when I have so many more resources in Logos but, when I want to do a Bible search on my iPad, I invariably go to a competitor's app for all of the reasons mentioned above.

The Logos iPad app Bible search features are still far behind everyone else and they have been told this from day one.

Alexander

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/402399#Comment_402399

The most annoying one for me? Having to click Bible every single time I want to search. I've used the other search maybe one time ever. I wish it would default to Bible and not general.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/402399#Comment_402399

...agree that search on the iOS platform is useless. There are not 'problems' but lack of search limitations and views that make it this way.

I am of the view that none of the Logos developers actually use the iPad app on a regular basis or, more specifically, have ever compared their competitors iPad products with their own.

I don't want to use competitor's products when I have so many more resources in Logos but, when I want to do a Bible search on my iPad, I invariably go to a competitor's app for all of the reasons mentioned above.

The Logos iPad app Bible search features are still far behind everyone else and they have been told this from day one.

I agree!

Matt Preucil

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/399882#Comment_399882

To get back to the search dialog I have to scroll back up, often through 'pages' of results.

The original motivation behind this was to allow for more search results to be visible at a time, especially on the iPhone where there is less available screen real estate in general.

There is a way to avoid this frustration on the iPhone:

Tap the selected tab icon in the header to automatically scroll any scroll view to the top, including search results.

The iPad has more screen space to display search results in both the app controls side bar, and on the homepage when the section is "focused", so it doesn't benefit from the scrollable search dialog as much. Look for a sticky search dialog in a future release.

Paul Johnson

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/402967#Comment_402967

The original motivation behind this was to allow for more search results to be visible at a time, especially on the iPhone where there is less available screen real estate in general.

There is a way to avoid this frustration on the iPhone:

Tap the selected tab icon in the header to automatically scroll any scroll view to the top, including search results.

Thanks for the pointer, Matt. Tapping the tab works. I guess the problem that many of us may have had is that we expect that behavior (i.e., scroll to the top) to be associated with tapping the header (i.e., the very top portion of the screen where the time is shown). The motivation of allowing for more search results to be visible is certainly a valid one (and one that many of us users would appreciate, I think). In this case it was the moving of the expected "scroll to the top" behavior from the header to the tab that threw us off.

So having said that, maybe moving the scroll to the top behavior to the header might be a better solution than building a sticky search dialog.

Gary Butner, Th.D.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/403929#Comment_403929

Thanks Dave.

Dale Garman

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/402967#Comment_402967

Yes, there is a work around, and that is better than none as Matt points out. I think the issue is that it is just more taps, and makes the whole process difficult. I don't know about others, but most of the time I'm doing a word search in the Bible that I have open. I would love to make that the default, and of course search other resources now and then.

Matthias Chiang

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/403929#Comment_403929

Hi,

i am new to logos in iOS. i know this post is old but I thought the search function should have been resolved. I have downloaded my library to my iPad. I thought the search function would work without any data connection to the Internet, but apparently, without any data connection, the search function always returns with nothing.

Scenario - with data connection, I get results in my searches. But when the data is off, I get nothing at all. Must I be connected to the Internet to do searches?

Am I missing something? Please help.

with much thanks.

matthias

Kevin Byford (Faithlife)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/640152#Comment_640152

Hi,

i am new to logos in iOS. i know this post is old but I thought the search function should have been resolved. I have downloaded my library to my iPad. I thought the search function would work without any data connection to the Internet, but apparently, without any data connection, the search function always returns with nothing.

Scenario - with data connection, I get results in my searches. But when the data is off, I get nothing at all. Must I be connected to the Internet to do searches?

Am I missing something? Please help.

with much thanks.

matthias

If you tap on the Library icon and enter "local:" (no quotes) in the search field, how many resources appear?

Matthias Chiang

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/640158#Comment_640158

When in the offline mode, it showed the books that I have downloaded in the library and this number is almost similar when logos is online (there are some books that did not appear offline because there are no license to be downloaded).

Matthias Chiang

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/640158#Comment_640158

Hi,

i am new to logos in iOS. i know this post is old but I thought the search function should have been resolved. I have downloaded my library to my iPad. I thought the search function would work without any data connection to the Internet, but apparently, without any data connection, the search function always returns with nothing.

Scenario - with data connection, I get results in my searches. But when the data is off, I get nothing at all. Must I be connected to the Internet to do searches?

Am I missing something? Please help.

with much thanks.

matthias

If you tap on the Library icon and enter "local:" (no quotes) in the search field, how many resources appear?

Amazing, after I did what you said. i am getting the search results now, when previously was just nothing at all.

Thank you so much!!!