SUGG: Flip the Deck
Tabs have a limit. They are extremely useful until the number of tabs increases beyond a certain point dictated by the increasingly varying screen size of the various apps. Having tabs isn't a bad thing but in many circumstances I think they are inefficient and a hindrance. Here's one possible alternative suggestion for both desktop and web app.
If we could create an ordered Collection, a deck, assign that deck to a panel (an exclusive panel where no other resources will ever open) with a shortcut key, we could flip through the deck using variation on the assigned shortcut key, while maintaining the reference (bible vs, lemma, etc), possibly skipping those resources that don't contain the reference. For example, create a deck of my 17 favorite commentaries in the order I normally consult them, assign it to a panel, smart view, and assign the shortcut E. Then typing E would flip forward through the deck, Shift-E would flip backward, and En (E quickly followed by a number) would move to the nth resource in the deck. (Any vi fans out there?) Ditto for dictionaries, encyclopedia, lexicons, bibles, etc.)
Smart pre-loading and caching could speed loading when moving back and forth to nearby resources while also freeing computer resources by discarding resources further away in the deck.
Another place where ordered collections might be useful is in prioritization. We've always wanted a way to organize the priority list. It's not a perfect fit, but adding a number of resources to a collection and dropping them in the priority list so that they are displayed in a folder would be helpful. I think it'd also be cool if all collections appeared in the Library view as an expandable folder.
Probably a lot of holes in that, but I'd like to see some way of better resources views on smaller devices and on the web platform where things feel more confined.
EDIT: I probably should have put this in the Suggestions forum. I also forgot to note that the Parallels button or fwd/back buttons along with gestures could be used by mouse lovers and mobile devices in the web app to flip the deck.
Comments
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How different is this from what we can already do (at least on desktop) with right and left arrow keys?
Using Logos as a pastor, seminary professor, and Tyndale author
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It's just a simple extension and refinement that offers more control and flexibility. It would allow defining a set number of resources for each deck/stack/ring. It would allow an infinite number of such sets. Eg I could have a panel of 11 favorite commentaries, another panel with 4 specialized commentaries (NTuseOT, Background, Manners), as well as another for 6 favorite encyclopedia/dictionaries, or some combination of monographs that I want to flip through for a particular study. It allows more than one set to flip through, limits and allows direct access to a very specific set of resources. And it feels like a sensible alternative to requiring/encouraging users to have 50 tabs open at one time.
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Okay, so the biggest improvement over the existing system is the ability to make collections respect an order, instead of being alphabetical. I think that is a helpful request.
For new users who may come across this, the work around is not really bad:I can create a collection of expository commentaries, a collection of my favorite encyclopedias, etc, and set them as parallel (shown below). Then make a layout with each of these resources, and another pane with "Send hyperlinks here" selected. Links will go there, protecting my main resources, and I can alternate through the parallel resources with the left and right arrow keys. Ones which do not address the topic or passage I have selected will be skipped.
Using Logos as a pastor, seminary professor, and Tyndale author
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I agree this is a workaround of sorts and I was thinking something similar when I read Randy's post but I believe Randy is looking specially at limitations of space on the web app and how it could be used more efficiently. I'm not near a computer at moment where I can test if your suggestion once set up in the desktop app translates over to the web app. Of course though Randy's suggestion does not have to be limited to the web app but it at the moment is the context and driver of his suggestion they way I read it since this is the web app forum.
Okay, so the biggest improvement over the existing system is the ability to make collections respect an order, instead of being alphabetical. I think that is a helpful request.
For new users who may come across this, the work around is not really bad:I can create a collection of expository commentaries, a collection of my favorite encyclopedias, etc, and set them as parallel (shown below). Then make a layout with each of these resources, and another pane with "Send hyperlinks here" selected. Links will go there, protecting my main resources, and I can alternate through the parallel resources with the left and right arrow keys. Ones which do not address the topic or passage I have selected will be skipped.
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