iOS Shortcuts app
I was playing around with Shortcuts on my break and put this together:
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/78b170966cdb4347af450d7b6dadb308
It lets you open a bible chapter/verse from a range of translations.
i was mostly just playing around - it’s not really faster/more convenient - like, I added some book divisions just to get used to how menus work. I figured I’d share it to spark interest as much as anything else.
I am curious if there a way to use the factbook/word study tool/dictionary/lexicons on mobile from a URL scheme, if anyone knows? I’ll tinker a bit more when I have my laptop handy.
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Very nice James! Thank you for this. Good work.
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Improved now I’ve had a bit more time:
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/323b4046d78e4a0d81b9e165315b3c68
- neatened book divisions
- added search
- added dictionary search (Just for LBD & Anchor)
That’s probably all I’ll do without before I start canibalising it for simpler actions. But I’d love to hear if anyone comes up with anything more practical/fun.
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Awesome. How do you point the url to a specific resource?
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Awesome. How do you point the url to a specific resource?
The URL being used for bible verses is this: logosres:[Version];ref=Bible.[Book].[Chapter]
so e.g. logosres:ESV;ref=Bible.John.3.16 will open the ESV to John 3:16
The text that you select from the list is the text that appears in the version field.
The book that you select is the same text that appears in the book field.
The number that you enter in the chapter field could be just the chapter number or chapter and verse separated by a period.
Does that answer the question?
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I found out the Bible dictionary field value by sharing text from Logos and looking for the book abbreviation part of the URL from that result - I would have assumed ABD rather than “Anch” for the Anchor bible dictionary up till I saw that - but bible abbreviations are all pretty obvious so far.
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This is great! where did you find the syntax to directly open a search with text? I already duplicated and condensed one into a sort of quick search utility.
What I'd really love to do is be able to create or add to a note from a share sheet extension.
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Yes. Very helpful response. Thank you.
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Updated to make some improvement/additions:
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/db571ab860b546c5ade1a35acb6ad70e
I can’t remember if the last version shared here included guides at all - this one does. I can’t work out a reliable way to get topic guide or word study searches to work so it just opens the guides with the last results.
Other than that, it asks for translation at the end rather than the beginning, has unabbreviated(ish) book names - “Song of songs” rather than “song”, etc and it enters the clipboard as the default search entry, though you can write over that still.
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Too much for a screenshot so I’ve recorded a screencast: https://youtu.be/JBLSM5fl9vI
Note: that’s using a more up to date version than the one above. See here for the version in the video: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/2cf5c64a611c4b5ea64dc4adf236a703
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There are a couple of search boxes in that video where I defaulted the text to the clipboard, which looked rubbish in the demo as I just needed to delete it in this example - I could have it so it defaults to being blank, but it can be handy. Dunno.
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Awesome. I wish there was an easy way for people who create shortcuts to easily publish updates for them like an app update. Hopefully one day Apple will add an app store type thing in the future. I have created several pretty complicated ones that I would like to share with others, but I know there is still more I want to add in the future, but once it's out there, it's tough to let people know about an update.
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I don’t know if I’m being dopey, but I can’t see a way of copying info between shortcuts - I’d love to be able to just copy and paste a section of a shortcut to save manual repetition.
I’m not just being dopey, am I? If it is possible I’ll feel a bit silly. I think I’d still be more relieved than embarassed though.
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This works for me most of the time
https://www.reddit.com/r/workflow/comments/98s6lm/big_update_to_copypaste_actions_workflow/
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Excellent! Thanks!
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I hope you don't mind, but I took what you shared and made a couple adjustments that suited my workflow a little better. Here is the link
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/07df73eaef5340b48c0c8de3203c041d
Here are the changes I've made:
- Instead of OT and NT menu options I have only "Bible" and then I type. I found that I was more efficient typing rather than clicking (...yes, I timed myself...smh...saved me about 5-10 seconds on the search)
- In the search option there is the choice of Basic or Bible. I couldn't figure out though how to adjust the search parameters to only specific resources or passages.
- In Dictionary I just changed it to my preferred Dictionaries, Encys, and Lexicons. However, the Lexicons with Hebrew or Greek Headwords can be very hit or miss, especially if you don't type the word EXACTLY correct. I hope to figure out how to refine a search to say only the TLOT then your could create a search with the transliterated Hebrew words which would take you to the right place 99.9% of the time.
- Each of the guides now ask for input and begins a new query. The topic guide is still a little buggy though.
- I added a notes option with Reference, and two personal notes that I use as catch all "Word Studies" and "Sermon Notes". The Reference actually just opens to a B.C.V. in the translation of your choosing where you can create a note that is linked to a scripture reference. The only downside is it won't create a new note, you have to actually create one once the link take you to the right notebook.
This thread is awesome by the way. Thanks big time for your work ahead of time, you were instrumental in pulling down some annoying barriers for me to accomplish what I wanted with the Logos app.
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I hope you don't mind, but I took what you shared and made a couple adjustments that suited my workflow a little better.
That’s what I was hoping to see!
You’re right about the speed difference with bible references - this was one of my first shortcuts and it basically started off with me trying to teach myself how menus worked. My most recent version in this thread will grab references from the clipboard or ask you to type one in if it can’t find any - definitely faster, but I need to either modify it so you can always choose to type it in or add your method as another option.
The Basic/Bible search is great - I wanted that option and found URLs that showed them separately but ended up loading the same one either way, so ended up stripping it back. Glad you got it working and definitely putting that back into mine.
What does B.C.V. stand for?
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I’m avoiding the inevitable deletion of OT/NT menus (they are wildly impractical but I like knowing that they’re there - they can be easily removed by anyone lacking my pointless sentimentality), and I haven’t added a search term to the topic guide given it’s hit-and-miss nature, but I’ve integrated your other changes in slightly tweaked form.
- the “Open Reference“ option asks if you want to search your clipboard (works with multiple reference) or type in a reference.
- the “Notes” option includes one named notes file. The rest of my notes are spread across so many documents that I just entered a manual entry field for me to type in the title.
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/749809d2a8c54dcf90da0f3aea7b6d47
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I also found this recently, which you might look at implementing with a shared shortcut like this.
Lets you release updates for a shortcut that you create.
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I just created one myself but its all a verbal lookup. I say Open bible, the shortcut asks for text, I say John three colon sixteen and it open Logos Correctly. Both ways are great ways to automate Logos. Mine probably isn’t useful in the middle of a service :-)
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/5a6f4b643cb84c2fa38321e10d1aaae3
I also created this one with a Siri shortcut for “clipboard Bible” if I’m on a website and copy a reference to the clipboard and say clipboard Bible it will open the reference I copied.
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/a917380dcc164d0da5d4eb0cacec2e9e
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I also created this one with a Siri shortcut for “clipboard Bible” if I’m on a website and copy a reference to the clipboard and say clipboard Bible it will open the reference I copied.
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/a917380dcc164d0da5d4eb0cacec2e9e
Great stuff! I'm not a fan of voice-interactions, but I have updated my shortcut with way better link detection now. I'll post links below (writing this on a PC, but will post links from my phone), but my shortcut is now available from the share-sheet (if you highlight text and choose "share" or use the share button on a website/app). In terms of it's current capabilities:
Bible Reference:
There are two options here - 1st is "Input from clipboard" with a mini-preview of the text being used (this will show text/links from the sharesheet instead of the clipboard if that's how you accessed the shortcut), the 2nd is for manual entry. If you use the first option it will search the text/body text of URL for all bible references - if it finds more than one it will ask you to select it from a menu, but if there's only one it will skip ahead.
Once it knows what reference to look at, the next stage is "Version" selection (I would call it "Translation" but obviously you might use original languages). This will give you a menu where you choose the version you want to open (LEB, ESV etc) from a list that you define when installing the shortcut. If you only want to use one bible, delete all the other options at the setup stage and it won't ask you to select them - it will just skip to opening it.
Logos Search:
This will ask whether you want to do a "Basic" or "Bible" search, then ask what text to input - clipboard/shortcut text (with preview) or manually entered text - once selected, the appropriate search will open.
Dictionary Search:
This will ask what text to input (same as above), then ask which dictionary you'd like to search - as with bible versions, you set these up when installing the app - again, if only one is selected, it will go straight there.
Guides:
Passage Guide and Exegetical Guide will offer the same methods of selecting input for your verse entry as the Bible Reference section does. I haven't even bothered doing input text for the Bible Word Study or Topic Guide as they can be really fussy - they'll just open the guide in the app with the last input that was viewed.
Notes:
I imagine you'll want to edit this for yourselves - it's right at the bottom of the shortcut so not hard to find.
As it stands, this presents a menu with the name of my default notes file (Bible Reading Notes) or "Manual Entry" where you type in the name of the notes file that you want it to open. You could swap that menu for a list if you wanted to just add 2-3 different files, or if you have loads like I do, you could keep it as it is now except to change the first item to contain the name of your default notes file.
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Both shortcuts required - the second isn’t visible outside the shortcuts app but contains the code needed to search the clipboard (dramatically improved from previo versions). Just saves me from having to amend it in multiple places.
1 of 2 - Main Logos shortcut: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/6367320eacbe4d8fb425a5da5403d17c
2 of 2: Check Clipboard For Reference: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/9f79d7ea321f424cbc8bd81fdaa592de
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Great stuff! I'm not a fan of voice-interactions...
I’ve just realised how rude that looked as a response. I meant to say that I planned to add voice searches but haven’t started it yet because I’m not that inclined to use them myself. Glad someone else has done it!
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No worrlies, didn’t take it as rude at all. I’m glad there are different options for different preferences.
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Thanks for the shortcut!
How do I get the shortcut to show references from books with a number in front (e.g. 1 Corinthians, 2 Timothy). I type in like 1 Corinthians 1:1 but it doesn’t work.
EDIT: Nevermind. I was doing the first option rather than manual entry. Manual entry works fine.
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Thanks all. Very cool!
Dr. Kevin Purcell, Director of Missions
Brushy Mountain Baptist Association0 -
Thanks for the shortcut!
How do I get the shortcut to show references from books with a number in front (e.g. 1 Corinthians, 2 Timothy). I type in like 1 Corinthians 1:1 but it doesn’t work.
EDIT: Nevermind. I was doing the first option rather than manual entry. Manual entry works fine.
It ought to have worked anyway if the reference was on the clipboard, but I've just realised that I managed to mess up the reference checker at some point before sharing it. I've fixed it and generally tidied it up a bit.
Links:
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/65ef8999ecfe42959872ab7a813b351d
https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/c0f9d2d0f90b40c3985f358115baaba5
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This is fantastic! I realize this thread has been dormant for some time, however I was wondering how I can open a Bible reading plan using this shortcut? Just learning how to use this iOS feature. Thanks!
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I'm afraid that enough time has passed that none of my last three phones have been iPhones and I can barely remember a thing! Sorry!
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