What Features In Logos Do You Use Regularly?

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Levi Durfey | Forum Activity | Posted: Thu, Aug 4 2016 10:38 AM

Just for fun and curiosities’s sake, I decided to list out the features that I use in Logos Bible Software on a regular basis. 

• Layouts—everyday I switch between three or four layouts.
• Floating Windows—I always have something floating so that I can have it side by side my Pages document. I also use floating windows so that I can read a book free from the clutter of the main window.
• Library Window—gotta use it!
• Syncing—very nice, as I read a lot on my iPad and my iPhone.
• Resources—I use my Bible, commentaries, and lexicons the most. Occasionally, I reference a dictionary or encyclopedia. I also have several books that I am reading. Usually, I consult at least one book or sermon during sermon prep.
• Search—naturally a big part of using Logos. I use the Basic and Bible searches the most. I have collections that I search a lot.
• Collections—I have all sorts of dynamic collections—e.g., specific authors, old books, modern books, illustrations. Mainly to make searching easier and in My Passage Guide.
• Passage Guide—I have a custom passage guide that I run on every passage I work on. It gives me music, sermons, books I’ve read, and more that are related to the passage.
• Passage Analysis—to check paragraph divisions easily.
• Text Comparison—I use F7 to access the pop-up version.
• Bible Word Study—I have this linked to my Bibles (the only feature from Logos Now that I use).
• Factbook—very convenient way to dig deeper on a theological concept (e.g., faith) or a biblical location. This is often how I get to my dictionaries.
• Notes—My main research goes into my Pages document, but I use notes for paragraph titles in my Bible, thoughts here and there, and I also have started storing articles I read on the Internet topically in notes.
• Information Panel—I use the Word Info, Translation, and Definition sections.
• Highlighting—I use mainly Resource-Specific Highlighting. However, I keep my highlighted memory verses in a separate palette and note.
• Favorites—mainly to keep track of what I am reading. 
• Shortcut Bar—I have a few resources here, and also short cuts to kinds of searches that I often run (like searching highlighted text).

And that’s about it. There are a few other features I use sometimes—like the Timeline, the Atlas, or a Topic Guide, but these get used the most in the daily grind.

What features do you typically use every week? Is about the same, less than, or more than what I’ve listed here?

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Josh | Forum Activity | Replied: Sat, Aug 6 2016 7:48 AM

I love the guides: Bible Word Study Guide, Passage Guide, and Exegetical Guide. However, I have created my own for each....so I guess Custom Guides would be my favorite feature.

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Matt Hamrick | Forum Activity | Replied: Sat, Aug 6 2016 3:29 PM

I have modified all the guides to my own liking and use them frequently. I use the Factbook regularly. For resources, I use my favorite English bible, SBLGNT, LHB for my Greek and Hebrew bibles. For many years I prioritized my commentaries by book and had my favorite commentaries for each book of the bible. I frequently use the shortcut bar for stuff I am doing and when I am done remove it from the shortcut bar. I have many collections and for Logos collections I also made collections with more than 50 resources. I use the basic, bible, and image searches the most and use the other searches some but not as often. I frequently use the Library and it is the only thing I float; anything else and I dock it. The information panel and the power search I almost always have open when studying. Notes I sometimes use in Logos, but for most of my notes I use Word. I have a layout for most things I do and even one I call on the fly because it changes frequently. It's just something when I want to save a work space that is temporary. Every time I read something I will hit the sync even though I know it syncs itself on a regular basis, it's just a habit I have formed over the years.