Question for Marketing

I'm trying to figure out how many commentaries I have on each book of the Bible, so that I can start filling gaps. Is there any easy way to sort & filter the library catalogue so that the information is obvious?

I've tried sorting by Type to show commentaries, but I can't figure any way to sort by Bible book after that. I tried sorting by title, but that breaks down because book titles sometimes start with series title, sometimes the Bible book, & sometimes something else entirely (e.g., book theme).

I'm stumped. Has anyone figured out how to do that?

Blessings on your day!

Bill

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Comments

Rick Ausdahl

I've wrestled with this as well. The closest I've been able to come is not by sorting, but simply by entering the keyword "title:" followed by the book name. E.g. title:romans

This picks up commentaries, monographs, mobile ed courseware, and any other type of resource that has Romans as part of the title. Problems are:

Some individual commentary volumes cover multiple books and the one you're searching for may not be a part of the title.
It will also pick up anything/everything else that has "Romans" in the title, so in addition to something dealing with the Bible book of Romans, it will picks up resources dealing other things such as Roman citizens.

[:S]

So if there is a way to do this, I'd also like to know. And if there isn't currently a way it would be nice to have such a feature added to Logos.

Dan Francis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/905760#Comment_905760

Running a passage guide on each book of the Bible i.e. Gen in the Go box, will allow you to see each commentary you have relating to that book, repeating it 66 times will give you a rough estimate of what you have for each book.

-dan

BillS

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/905766#Comment_905766

Running a passage guide on each book of the Bible i.e. Gen in the Go box, will allow you to see each commentary you have relating to that book, repeating it 66 times will give you a rough estimate of what you have for each book.

-dan

You're right of course, Dan, but repeating it "66 times" for only a "rough estimate"? [+o(]

BillS

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/905760#Comment_905760

I've wrestled with this as well. The closest I've been able to come is not by sorting, but simply by entering the keyword "title:" followed by the book name.

Thanks, Rick. I've tried it that way in the past, & we add the search term Type:commentary as well as Title:Romans, etc. to weed out some of the non-commentaries. But in the end that still leaves us with 66 searches to find what we're really interested in. At least 66. [+o(]

NB.Mick

I'm trying to figure out how many commentaries I have on each book of the Bible, so that I can start filling gaps. Is there any easy way to sort & filter the library catalogue so that the information is obvious?

I've tried sorting by Type to show commentaries, but I can't figure any way to sort by Bible book after that.

You should use subjects for that - it will give something like Bible. N.T. Matthew--Commentaries for all commentaries on Mt.

(note that those are mostly publisher information, so no claim to completeness, accuracy and consistency here. But it will give you a figure to work with - but be aware that Vyrso books will typically be of type_monograph and have no such subjects)

Dave Moser

I search for this occasionally. I always do:

type:commentary AND subject:[book]

BillS

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/905775#Comment_905775

I search for this occasionally. I always do:

type:commentary AND subject:[book]

You're right, of course... But it's the 66 searches I'm trying to avoid... There just has to be a way that someone has found. (I hope. [:)] )

David Ames

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/905766#Comment_905766

Running a passage guide on each book of the Bible i.e. Gen in the Go box, will allow you to see each commentary you have relating to that book, repeating it 66 times will give you a rough estimate of what you have for each book.

-dan

And then it says: more> any way to get it to do a count?

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

I'm trying to figure out how many commentaries I have on each book of the Bible, so that I can start filling gaps. Is there any easy way to sort & filter the library catalogue so that the information is obvious?

One idea is adding canonical commentary collections: Logos wiki has => Canonical Commentary Collections

Caveat: adding many collections can increase time to refresh collection cache when Logos 7 or Verbum 7 is launched.

Keep Smiling [:)]

Simon’s Brother

Combining a couple of suggestions I would do the following:

1. Create a collection of all resources using following rule:

type:"bible commentary"

note I have used the full type description of "bible commentary" to eliminate non-biblical commentaries.

2. Open Library browser, limit the resources being displayed using the collection created in step 1 and sort by subject

Cavets:

1. Some resources that are bible commentaries may not have been created as such and maybe of type: monograph as the resource did not fit the strict criteria FL has set for determine if a resource should be created as a type:"bible commentary" and will not be included in above count but would have little impact upon the outcome of what you are wanting to achieve. This may include commentaries purchased in the past from third parties when they were allowed to create Libronix formatted resources.

2. Similar to point 1. Commentaries purchased from Vyrso will not be created as type:"bible commentary"

3. Generally the majority of commentaries will have a subject heading similar to Bible NT "bible book name" or Bible OT "bible book name" but there is the possibilty of exceptions so the sorted list should be reviewed to identify and exceptions when formulating a count.

While this won't give you a perfect count it will give you what you want - visibilty of bible books where your commenary coverage is light.

Richard Villanueva

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/905784#Comment_905784

Combining a couple of suggestions I would do the following:

1. Create a collection of all resources using following rule:

type:"bible commentary"

note I have used the full type description of "bible commentary" to eliminate non-biblical commentaries.

2. Open Library browser, limit the resources being displayed using the collection created in step 1 and sort by subject

Was just about to post this. Here's a pic for clarity.

GaoLu

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/905787#Comment_905787

I made a list of all the commentaries I really want for each book. Took a few hours. Then I checked the list against my Logos library, and have a resulting "wish list" which I am slowly checking off. Any other stuff is gravy.

1. Every so often I watch the sales and packages to see if any of my "must haves" are on sale.

2. If some sudden grand sale appears and I am busy, I can see in seconds if it is something I want to jump on.

3. When I am doing a study and really want a specific commentary I buy it only then.

4. This method spreads expense out and prevent dumping money out on what I am not using. It also ensure the money I spend is for what I really want.

BillS

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/905787#Comment_905787

Thanks, doc & Richard,

I tried this method, but I end up with 16 pages of index. I've attached a picture of my 1st page. One reason it isn't usable: even a nondescript entry near the top--Abraham (biblical patriarch)--is actually a commentary on Genesis 12-25 that I'd want to count. I still hope marketing will weigh in with a solution none of us has thought of.

BillS

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/906209#Comment_906209

Not seeing a ready answer, I emailed Bob Pritchett, who referred it to Phil Gons. With permission, Phil's answer is shared below:

Hi, Bill,

We don’t have a report you can run to generate a list of commentaries by biblical coverage with counts, although we’ve talked in the past about something like that. It’s a neat idea. We could show how many you have out of the total number available as well as how your library compared to other users’ libraries. Maybe one day.

We are working on a project called Resource Tags where we will annotate resources by Bible coverage (among other things) and allow you to filter your library for something like type:"Bible commentary" resouretag:"Genesis" to find a list of commentary resources that cover Genesis. You’d still have to do this 66 times. But you could convert these into collections to save some time in the future.

There’s a chance we might be able to handle some resource tags hierarchically, which would give you the ability to group by Bible coverage and list all the Bible books out with counts. But that’ll require some exploration.

Sorry we don’t have an easy way to solve this problem right now.

Thanks for reminding us of this idea!

Phil

Phil Gons phil@faithlife.com
VP, Bible Study Products, Faithlife Corporation https://faithlifecom/about
Makers of Logos Bible Software https://www.logos.com/
1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225-4307
(360) 685-2314 / (800) 875-6467
http://www.linkedin.com/in/philgons

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

If you want an accurate count, I'd use the {Milestone} search extension.

Pros:

Accurate; uses the exact same logic the Passage Guide uses to determine whether to show a resource
Doesn't rely on Library Catalog metadata, which may be incomplete

Neutral:

Shows whole-Bible commentaries; this may be a pro or a con depending on what you're looking for

Cons:

Might take a little time to search
You still have to run 66 queries

To run this search, either create a collection of all your commentaries (to search within) or just create a quick collection for type:bible-commentary.

Then run 66 searches for {Milestone <Genesis>}, {Milestone <Exodus>}, ..., {Milestone <Revelation>}

You can also run more complex searches, e.g., {Milestone <John>} OR {Milestone <1 John-3 John>} OR {Milestone <Revelation>} if you want commentaries on Johannine literature.

Here's a comparison of the Milestone search to a Library Catalog filter, showing that single-volume whole-Bible commentaries are included.

(‾◡◝)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/906393#Comment_906393

I use a Tag system to keep order. First letter, "C", indicates that it is a commentary (T for Theology, H for history, J for journal, etc.). Then, the next four letters (+/-) indicate the book. Library will then automatically show the commentary count - not to mention keeping them nicely sorted.

Dave Hooton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/906209#Comment_906209

I tried this method, but I end up with 16 pages of index.

Bill, sort Library by Series and then Subjects instead of Type and Subjects. This way you can concentrate on what books are missing from a Series.

You could also filter by type:commentary subject:bible.n.t. to concentrate on NT books, and then by type:commentary subject:bible.o.t. for OT books.

(‾◡◝)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/906408#Comment_906408

I should have also pointed out that by using a tagging system, a single resource can be tagged multiple ways. For example, the single volume below will be listed as an individual commentary for each of the nine books from Hebrews to Revelation, i.e., it will be listed under CHebr, CJame, C1Pet, C2Pet, C1Joh, C2Joh, C3Joh, CJude, and CReve.

I only point this out because it might not be obvious to anyone who has not used tags before.

Edwin Bowden

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/905826#Comment_905826

I made a list of all the commentaries I really want for each book. Took a few hours. Then I checked the list against my Logos library, and have a resulting "wish list" which I am slowly checking off. Any other stuff is gravy.

1. Every so often I watch the sales and packages to see if any of my "must haves" are on sale.

2. If some sudden grand sale appears and I am busy, I can see in seconds if it is something I want to jump on.

3. When I am doing a study and really want a specific commentary I buy it only then.

4. This method spreads expense out and prevent dumping money out on what I am not using. It also ensure the money I spend is for what I really want.

This is a good reminder to use the Logos Wish list to tag the titles you are waiting until they have a price you can't resist. You may get emails and even a phone call from sales to remind you that you have items on sale in your wish list.

Simon’s Brother

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/906209#Comment_906209

Bill if you are using this approach for a quick view of your commentary coverage, don't look at every subject heading, only take note of those that are of the format Bible. N.T.(or O.T.) Book Name--Commentaries. Ignore all other subject headings. Ones like the Abraham one will only end up in you double counting as a resource can have multiple subject headings. This is not meant to give you an accurate count but a visual on the balance of your commentary coverage. Appreciate though for you though a number representation is more important than a visual representation so Bradley's search method is probably the better approach for you.

Thanks, doc & Richard,

I tried this method, but I end up with 16 pages of index. I've attached a picture of my 1st page. One reason it isn't usable: even a nondescript entry near the top--Abraham (biblical patriarch)--is actually a commentary on Genesis 12-25 that I'd want to count. I still hope marketing will weigh in with a solution none of us has thought of.

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/906393#Comment_906393

To run this search, either create a collection of all your commentaries (to search within) or just create a quick collection for type:bible-commentary.

Dynamic collection Type:(comment,note) includes three resource types

Help has Bible Book abbreviations.

Many Study Bibles are type:bible-notes

Keep Smiling [:)]

BillS

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/906436#Comment_906436

Thanks for the response, (doc), I appreciate your time & thought... I think the answer I was looking for occurs once per commentary (for 1 Peter, it's in the line called Bible.NT.1Peter--Commentaries. (35)

And I think maybe 35 is the number I was looking for... or at least close enough for comparison with the other numbers. With a database, you'd just think there ought to be a way to screen out everything else.

Blessings!

Simon’s Brother

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/906585#Comment_906585

With a database, you'd just think there ought to be a way to screen out everything else.

It seems that it has been talked about at FL so lets hope some sort of reporting tool does come out way one day.