Why "Rework notes function" is completed
The “Rework notes function” suggestion is over 3½ years old. When it was created, Logos 4.2a was the latest version of the software. Since then, we’ve released two major versions of Logos and dozens of minor updates (“one or multiple phases”? 
) containing thousands of improvements. Many of those improvements have been in Notes.
Now that a lot of the individual items have been implemented, the “rework notes" suggestion has served its purpose: we know (and won’t forget) that Notes are important to many customers. But with 60+ individual items in this suggestion (and more in its comments!), we don’t actually know what’s most important to you. We need to prioritise what we work on, and we need you to prioritise your votes for the features that are most important to you.
I’m “Completing” the suggestion so that your votes are returned and you can use them to vote for the specific features you really want.
Below I’ve categorized the individual suggestions (that I saw) into four main groups:
- Completed in Logos 6 — these features have already been implemented in Logos 6 (or an earlier release); reminder: the free Logos 6 engine will be available to all customers on 3 February 2015.
- Already Have Suggestions — these already have suggestions on UserVoice; you can add votes to the existing items.
- Could Be Created As New Suggestions — I couldn’t find an existing suggestion for this; you’re welcome to create a new one. Please create one UserVoice item per suggestion so that 1 vote = 1 idea.
- Need More Detail — I’m really not sure what this suggestion means. If you create a new suggestion for it, we’ll need more detail to understand it. (Or it might already have been implemented.)
Finally, there are existing UserVoice suggestions that weren’t already covered; I’ve provided some links at the bottom.
Note: In the future, “bag of ideas” UserVoice suggestions for Notes are likely to be closed with a link to this post. It’s better overall if there’s a single idea per UserVoice suggestion so that 1 vote = 1 idea.
Completed in Logos 6
- allow a note to be attached to multiple passages - with the note icon appearing on each passage
- allow links to the web
- permit notes to be attached to a lemma
- permit notes to be attached to a liturgical date
- allow colored text in Notes
- allow underlined text in Notes
- sort sequences: canon
- sort sequences: created date
- sort sequences: last modified date
- sort sequences: user note title
- permit more note icon colors (at least match L3)
- allow tags on all notes and a search on those tags
- allow table of contents similar to L3
- Implement parity for Mac version
- include spell checker in notes
- improve the performance: keyboard entry, long notes and note files
- allow the sharing of notes between users
- use right click rather than red x for delete
- It is far too easy to click the red circle "Deletion" X's for individual notes
- When right click on a Highlighted word, please add Edit Annotation and Open Annotation while keeping Remove Annotation. Open Annotation would position note file to annotation plus open note file, if needed.
- allow links to other notes — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/3739329-allow-links-directly-to-individual-notes
- allow attachments of local files — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/3739031-notes-support-file-attachments
- additional formatting: highlighting — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/6738231-allow-for-highlighting-underlining-inside-of-not
- allow tables in Notes — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/3739034-notes-table-editing
- allow images in Notes — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/613917-please-make-importing-pictures-in-notes-available
- permit notes to be made from templates — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/3531831-note-template
- add linkset functionality to notes (requires appropriate sort sequences) [this allows My Commentary; added to clippings it allows "My Catena”] — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/563589-add-linkset-functionality-to-notes
- allow notes and note files to be merged or split — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/1189515-make-it-possible-to-merge-or-split-notes-files
- pop-up window (especially notes & references in notes) to be as large as the note requires with the ability to be pinned and scrolled. — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/4621001-allow-note-to-be-seen-when-hovering-over-icon-in-b
- allow creation of new file and opening of any existing file via right-click (notes, clippings, etc.) — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/6363315-make-add-a-note-to-a-drop-down-box
- integrate with third-party software — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/1012485-import-export-notes-to-from-evernote http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/3156449-notes-and-quotes-reference-manager-integration
- Please add highlighting style option for by reference notes so can highlight verse(s) in all Bibles. — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/6719007-allow-highlights-to-be-displayed-applied-to-multip
- allow a search specifically on notes (or my content) with result search terms highlighted in automatically expanded notes — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/3739208-highlight-my-content-search-results-in-notes
- allow default note icon color to be set at the file level — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/990225--allow-default-color-to-be-set-for-a-note-file-fr
- allow links to Logos 6 documents (sentence diagrams, vocabulary lists, etc.)
- allow links to local files (PDF, MP3, PowerPoint, etc.)
- permit notes to be attached to a search string
- sort sequences: highlighting
- sort sequences: remember sequence function (allow temporary)
- sort sequences: set priority for sort ket values (example: liturgical year)
- integrate a journaling feature - a note file that automatically includes date in the title and automatically sorts on date
- layout should remember position in a note file (specific note)
- permit drag and drop on multiple notes
- retain "deleted" notes (and other user content) for a period of time - permitting a restore function
- allow prioritization of files (especially notes) in "My Content" section
- allow searching of My Content by heading
- allow the saving of a BWS either into a Clipping or a Note
- The ability to show at the top of the note the content highlighted or marked up when the note was made. This would make view notes in "Full" much better. Thus rather than seeing, "God's chief end...his mercy." we would see, "God's chief end in creation and redemption is to display for the benefit of his elect the fulness of his glory, especially his mercy." That to us is "full" view.
- For note titles, please add choice to show abbreviated or complete highlighted selection.
- Should also provide options for users to view Scriptures only, Comments only, or Both.
- Users should be able to export the full (!?!) scripture text from Notes, as well as their references/comments ... or better yet be able to choose either or both to export. In addition, the "export Notes to raw Text Document" functionality needs to format the output better: The individual Notes in the text file should be separated by a line of "enough/obvious" dashes (i.e. "------------------") and perhaps an empty line before/after, unlike now where there are only 3 dashes or, with the "Save as Passage List" functionality, where there is no separation, not even an empty line. This improved export functionality will help me to view the raw text output files in my Kindle.
- Within the note/highlight document, if the marked up content icon (far left) would default to the markup type used to make the note, that would make visually searching a notes file easier.
- Add a specialized note function that allows one to "fill in" the answers in the various study guides - with the ability to toggle whether or not the answers are shown and to copy (for export or printing) with or without the answers.
- the attachment of notes to entire resources as well, for the writing of personal reviews / comments / thoughts about the resource as a whole
- Please add Note indicator customization options. e.g. letter(s), which could use capabilities of Logos display engine on all platforms, including superscript and subscript.
- In Notes file, please add miniature of style used for that entry
- Please add ability to highlight footnote text.
- tags: standardized smart tags (which would auto-fill as you type, like library tags)
- tags: universally rename-able (Also like Library tags)
- tags: filter-able, With the ability to create passage lists from those filters
- tags: visible when you hover your cursor (so you can see which tags are applied without opening the note)
- tags: editable from mobile apps (create on mobile UserVoice)
- Show "title" in popup (in addition to the note itself and the file in which it is contained) when hovering over icon that is attached to the text. Since a note can be either "by selection" or "by reference" there must be a flag for each note as to which it is. Seems like that flag could be used to have the pop up display content based upon the type of note.
- Be able to do a wholesale reset on all the icons and/or color for a given note file. —
- add a reporting feature which pulls all notes on a given pericope into a printable, exportable file
Need More Detail
- allow user selection of highlight style to indicate attached note/selected text - include suppressing highlighting or show only on mouse over
- improve input window (more like L3)
- sequence multiple note icons on a text by standard Prioritization
- additional formating: fine control of font size
- ability to add notes to collections
- automatic linking of Bible references to handle double punctuation and all standard citation abbreviations
- Make it possible to export notes to Word — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/566661-make-it-possible-to-export-notes-to-word
- Export full highlighting notes not only links to Word — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/2765891-export-full-highlighting-notes-not-only-link-to-wo
- Enable links within Notes to be selected like in footnotes — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/1189697-enable-links-within-notes-to-be-selected-like-in-f
- Cross referenced verses in note files — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/3924571-cross-referenced-verses-in-note-files
- Have a special note file for a personal commentary — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/3924562-have-a-special-note-file-for-a-personal-commentary
- Display popup for Bible references in notes — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/3922109-logos-4-mac-hyperlinks-from-note-files-viewed-in
- Full text justification — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/4529144-full-text-justification-on-notes
- Add an underline button — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/990237--add-the-underline-button-on-the-notes-formatting
- Allow us to change all formatting with a single click — http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/6712837-allow-us-to-change-all-formatting-in-a-notes-docum
Comments
- a number of user were not happy with the L4 implementation of notes
- Bob P's defense of the design implied that he envisioned a different use of notes than many users
- I sent Bob links to standard college note taking methods to illustrate why we had a different vision
- From my perspective, Logos was underestimating the number of people unsatisfied with Notes
- I collected from the forums and forum users all of their ideas for improving notes -- including ideas I personally did not agree with -- and made a uservoice entry to push in order to make the point that the people wanting changes to notes were numerous.
- Bob P. convinced me that his reasons for not allowing the entry of graphics in notes has solid technical reasons that I should accept.
- Bob P. told me that multiple attachment points and attach to everything was coming -- no he didn't tell me when or that it would be in the next version.
- Logos 6 arrived with what one user described as "almost the ultimate note taking system" - I sent the link to Bob during the early stages of the server crisis to give him something to smile about.
Thanks, Bradley. That's an impressive list. I need to spend some time exploring several of these.
l like the new Notes in L6. Well done...
Thanks Bradley for pointing this out.
Thank you Bradley, for the extensive work you've done here and for pre-empting discussion about why the request has been marked as completed!
Running Logos 6 Platinum and Logos Now on Surface Pro 4, 8 GB RAM, 256GB SSD, i5
Thank you, Bradley, for taking the time to document all of that. And thank you for implementing so many of our requests.
Not having L6 yet, I can't say for certain, but if they can't do this...
...they aren't there yet. I don't ever expect them to arrive.
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.
Mr Paul. Forum guidelines prohibit advertising or otherwise displaying competitor products in a manner not overwhelmingly positive to Logos (or its parent company Faithlife, aka Faithline). Please control yourself. (Yes, yes ... it's Libby!!).
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
Mr Paul. Forum guidelines prohibit advertising or otherwise displaying competitor products in a manner not overwhelmingly positive to Logos (or its parent company Faithlife, aka Faithline). Please control yourself. (Yes, yes ... it's Libby!!).
It's not a product that's available for sale anymore, so it can't possibly cannibalize L6 sales. [:P]
Where's the dedicated "underline" button?
Vote for "Add the Underline button on the Notes formatting toolbar" if you would like to see this: http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/990237--add-the-underline-button-on-the-notes-formatting
Where's the dedicated "underline" button?
Vote for "Add the Underline button on the Notes formatting toolbar" if you would like to see this: http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/990237--add-the-underline-button-on-the-notes-formatting
Absolutely ridiculous we have to vote on adding an underline button to notes, even these forums have an underline button. Notes can now add multiple attachment points but won't have an underline button if it doesn't get enough votes. No offense meant personally to you Bradley but do you developers really listen to what you are saying sometimes because from what you have posted here it sure seems like you don't listen very carefully.
Absolutely ridiculous we have to vote on adding an underline button to notes
This illustrates the point beautifully - I really don't want Logos devoting developer effort to things like an underline button (I am perfectly happy to use the keyboard shortcut - Cmd/Ctrl-u - I use in this and every other program to underline). That's why we do get votes on these things in Uservoice. I don't really use Logos notes much as part of my workflow, so for me the notes changes are not important: my priorities lie elsewhere. The difficulty for Faithlife is that we all have different priorities, and we are all crying out for different things to be added to or changed in the program that are blindingly obvious to us. Uservoice is the platform Faithlife has chosen to use to assign priorities to these requests, and the number of things recently marked as completed in Uservoice or that have been incorporated into the program in L6 indicate that the company is paying attention to these requests.
Running Logos 6 Platinum and Logos Now on Surface Pro 4, 8 GB RAM, 256GB SSD, i5
I really don't want Logos devoting developer effort to things like an underline button
Greg - I agree with your comments about how User Voice should work. Those suggestions/improvements with the most votes should get the priority (and more importantly actioned!!!)
James
PS the amount of developer effort to put a button with an underline icon to act as a shortcut for an already embedded function would take a maximum of 15 mins for a novice c++ programmer (less time than reading through all options and comments on UserVoice and setting up a new option for underline button) - not really any effort at all for an easy win (ie happy customer) for doc and anyone else who wants this particular function.There's really no reason for not having this particular function.
my
Not having L6 yet, I can't say for certain, but if they can't do this...
...they aren't there yet. I don't ever expect them to arrive.
L6 can't format it in that manner but it is able to do that in a slightly different manner and do more - considerably more. So Libby - bye, bye ... don't eat the dust. [:P] [;)]
Yes, I do miss Libby timelines. [:'(]
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
if they can't do this...
You can vote for "Allow note to be seen when hovering over icon in Bible (not just a preview)" http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/4621001-allow-note-to-be-seen-when-hovering-over-icon-in-b
It's got 1 vote already, only needs... a lot more.
if they can't do this...You can vote for "Allow note to be seen when hovering over icon in Bible (not just a preview)" http://logos.uservoice.com/forums/42823-logos-bible-software-6/suggestions/4621001-allow-note-to-be-seen-when-hovering-over-icon-in-b
It's got 1 vote already, only needs... a lot more.
I get the red message every time I try to post to User Voice.
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.
Be able to set icon/color default for a given note file (would save me a ton of mouse clicking)
Bradley, can you please explain how this works? Using L6, when I set a default note file icon/colour in a note file, it sets that globally, not for the individual note file. When I set it in one note file the default icon/colour is then applied to other note files. It's no different in my experience.
Using L6, when I set a default note file icon/colour in a note file, it sets that globally, not for the individual note file. When I set it in one note file the default icon/colour is then applied to other note files. It's no different in my experience.
I made a mistake on this one: the preference is global, not per-document. Sorry for the confusion.
It is far too easy to click the red circle "Deletion" X's for individual notes, or the Deletion sub-menu option for entire Note Files. There needs to be a protection popup which says: "Are you sure that you want to delete this Note / Note File?". It is bad practice to not have those guards against accidental deletion of these precious Notes and Note Files. You can always provide an option in the Program Settings if you don't want this functionality on by default.... just please give us users the option.
I just tried deleting both a Note and the entire Note file, and I received no confirmation prompt. I don't see anything in Settings either that might have disabled this feature. Are you sure this is implemented?
It is far too easy to click the red circle "Deletion" X's for individual notes, or the Deletion sub-menu option for entire Note Files. There needs to be a protection popup which says: "Are you sure that you want to delete this Note / Note File?". It is bad practice to not have those guards against accidental deletion of these precious Notes and Note Files. You can always provide an option in the Program Settings if you don't want this functionality on by default.... just please give us users the option.I just tried deleting both a Note and the entire Note file, and I received no confirmation prompt. I don't see anything in Settings either that might have disabled this feature. Are you sure this is implemented?
There's no "are you sure?" popup, but the red deletion X was removed (which eliminated the stated problem of clicking them too easily).
I'll edit that out of the OP.
allow links to local files (PDF, MP3, PowerPoint, etc.)I'm using Logos 6.0a. How can you include these links in a note? Can't seem to be able to do it.
You can use a file:/// URL; you will need to create this manually yourself but it is possible. (It's not recommended, because the links might be wrong if they're ever synced to another machine; Logos 6 won't manage your external documents.)
OK thanks. Will try this out.
Actually, it is not an ideal solution and only just worthy of signing off as 'complete' (probably this solution is not what was envisioned by the original user voice), but yes it does admitedly - at least in 'law' but not necessarily in the 'spirit' of the request - exist!
Thanks, though, for at least making it possible in principle.
Any improvement in the notes function is always welcomed, and we really do appreciate all you and the development team do in providing great Bible software.
Just hope that developers and customers can continue to 'work' together (customers providing a never-ending list of suggestions, desires, wishes and improvements while the developers do the real hard work of bringing them to fruition) to create the ultimate piece of software.
Thanks for all you do.
Actually, it is not an ideal solution and only just worthy of signing off as 'complete' (probably this solution is not what was envisioned by the original user voice), but yes it does admitedly - at least in 'law' but not necessarily in the 'spirit' of the request - exist!
Good point; I was being a little too aggressive in marking it as done. The suggester was probably envisioning a dialog to pick the file, documentation, etc. I'll move it.
Notes are very slowly getting better (thanks for what you done so far, despite the years it has been taking!), but it's still not there yet (and BY FAR the major weakness of Logos).
I've not got enough votes for all the improvements needed (which is why I was disappointed that you've swept this number one user-request under the carpet - a subtle way of ignoring user priorities??).
Are you going to 'remove' the other out-of-date user-voices!
Currently I'm voting for including images/diagrams and tables in notes as the main priority for me.
I've not got enough votes for all the improvements needed (which is why I was disappointed that you've swept this number one user-request under the carpet - a subtle way of ignoring user priorities??).
As the person who spearheaded this request, I would have quite willingly marked it completed. A bit of history:
And thanks to the many who rallied round. Do I think there are additional things that should be done to notes? Yes. But I also think that a huge step forward has been made and that our priorities and wishes will be changed by that progress. We need to take some time to work with what we currently have and decide what we need to fully utilize it -- at the moment, I suspect the first priority will be visibility of notes on lemma, Bible facts etc.
And, no, I am not friends with Bob P. except in the "burr under his saddle" sense ... but I was willing to be the nag (Luke 18:5) [not pest or detractor] on the issue because I was convinced that it was broadly needed and cost effective.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
I think Logos/Faithlife deserves a lot of credit for all the enhancements that have come out - I didn't realize the list was so long. Kudos and thank you.
A bit of history
Indeed I have been there every step of the way and was a part of that history - in fact the majority of my 84 forum posts have been about the inadequacy about notes (and looking back it seems I was most vocal about this in 2010). In fact a number of the original note improvement user voice suggestions were mine back in the day, before you kindly amalgamated them. I even wrote 'an open letter' to Bob about notes as one of my posts back in 2010.
I was willing to be the nag (Luke 18:5) [not pest or detractor] on the issue because I was convinced that it was broadly needed and cost effective.
I too felt that Bob misunderstood at the time the importance of good note-taking and was willing to be a persistant nag (although unfortunatelty I perhaps sometimes came across as negative). My motive was to encourage Bob to reconsider his approach back then, with the ulitmate goal of making Logos the best and most useful to enable people who use the software (and hence study God's Word) effectively.
As for now, many years later, I still feel notes is the achilles heel of the program (and I think because too many people have jumped ship to other note taking solutions there may be a number of requests for years to come to link to this or that program e.g. Evernote, Onenote, even Olivetree notes as I have seen recently. I feel this could have been avoided.). As for being 'the ultimate note taking system', it seems some people may have a different definition of the word 'ultimate' than I have![;)] It is still very basic!
Finally, although notes have come a long way and had some improvements over the last 4 years, I still think that marking this User Voice as 'complete' is as I have said in another post 'more a matter of the law rather than the spirit' of the requests made in it.
Other than notes, Logos is a fine piece of software that continues to impress me and I thank the team for it.
Thanks for your comments.
As for now, many years later, I still feel notes is the achilles heel of the program
[Y]
Other than notes, Logos is a fine piece of software that continues to impress me and I thank the team for it.
[Y]
Thanks for putting this together ... and thanks for making notes truly useful.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
Wow Bradley, this represents a lot of work. It is amazing to see what has been done over the past 3 1/2 years. Once a new feature is introduced it is easy to forget what it was like before.
Thanks for all your work but why are you working on Thanksgiving? Go have some turkey!
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