SwordSearcher Wish List

T

Tim Stephens

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2
First off, I'm a new SwordSearcher user and I really enjoy it. Previously I used websites like BibleGateway to prepare studies and lessons but SwordSearcher saves a lot of time and offers much more then websites do.

A great product, keep up the good work.

A few suggestions as to new enhancements that I would like to use:

1. a plugin API. Giving the community a chance to develop their own plugins for SwordSearcher could really produce some great features. Things like prayer lists, memory program, diary, etc... would be great candidates for other developers to add to SwordSearcher via a plugin. I know I would be interested in developing some.

2. support for reference citations. When I paste a section of commentary or book into Word, the proper citations would be pasted into the footer of the document. I have seen a Logos demo showing this functionality, not sure if the current book/commentary data has page references or not tho.

3. enhanced support in the text editor. A lot of my time is spent in the text editor preparing lessons and sermons. It would be nice to have features like different styles (heading 1,2, etc...). Also to select text in a book or commentary or group of verses and right-click and include in the active document with citations.

4. import user book/commentary. When I export my user book for backup, I can't import a saved copy of it. I use the forge to import it back.
 
Thanks for your comments.

Regarding the export function: It's not intended as a means for backup. Backing up your user modules is easy to do -- the data is stored in your [Documents]\SwordSearcher User Modules folder. Just copy those files (or add them to your normal backup routine if you use backup software) to back them up.

Using Forge to recompile an exported user commentary does work, but the primary goal of the Export function is to allow people to get their data out of SwordSearcher if the need arises (rather than locking you in to a binary format) and/or make mass-edits for compilation in Forge.

Thanks again for your feedback.
 
Some additional thoughts as I've continued to use the program daily. These ideas are mostly just brainstorming ideas.

5. Cross or chain references. Either imported via module or user created references.

6. Verse tagging. For example I would like to tag a verse as 'promise prayer salvation', and then have the ability to search for all the verses I've tagged as 'promise' etc.

7. User defined footnotes.

8. Ability to display a single commentary along side scripture (as in the compare mode). So I can view the text and have my verse-by-verse notes on the right (rather than all the book/commentary links). Saves on time from reading a verse, then clicking on the commentator name to see the comments for that verse, can just have all the comments visible for a single commentator along with the text for that chapter.

I understand that features 5, 6 and 7 can be done using a user book or commentary, but having dedicated features for them would maybe be more efficient. They can also work together, tags can also act as a reference chain so if I'm viewing a verse that I've tagged as 'foreknowledge', I could jump to the next verse with the same tag. Even if they still use books/commentaries as the data source but simple provide additional shortcuts to add entries to a book for chain/reference/tag data.
 
Tim Stephens said:
Some additional thoughts as I've continued to use the program daily. These ideas are mostly just brainstorming ideas.

6. Verse tagging. For example I would like to tag a verse as 'promise prayer salvation', and then have the ability to search for all the verses I've tagged as 'promise' etc.
Click to expand...

I do this in my user commentary by using the word cat: for example on a particular verse enter cat:sin list
Then use the f4 key to search the user commentary to bring up all the verses of a particular category. Here's the result of searching for sin list. Then you can click on the verse to go to the note or paste the result into the scan tool. A verse can have as many cat: tags as `you want, each on a new line.
====
Showing all 17 results in My Notes
Pr 6:16
cat:sin list

Mr 7:21
cat:sin list

Mr 7:22
cat:sin list

Ro 1:29
cat:sin list MALIGNITY N. Malicious disposition. Ro 1:29. ...

1Co 6:9
cat:sin list

2Co 12:20
cat:sin list

Ga 5:19
cat:sin list

Eph 5:3
cat:sin list

Col 3:5
cat:sin list

Col 3:8
cat:sin list

1Ti 1:9
cat:sin list

1Ti 6:4
cat:sin list

2Ti 3:2
cat:sin list

Tit 3:3
cat:sin list

1Pe 4:3
cat:sin list

Re 21:8
cat:sin list

Re 22:15
cat:sin list These are outside the city? Are they in the la...
 
Tim Stephens said:
8. Ability to display a single commentary along side scripture (as in the compare mode). So I can view the text and have my verse-by-verse notes on the right (rather than all the book/commentary links). Saves on time from reading a verse, then clicking on the commentator name to see the comments for that verse, can just have all the comments visible for a single commentator along with the text for that chapter.
Click to expand...

Now that's a feature I think would be great! Actually just the ability to select any two or three or four resources (whether commentaries or Bibles) and have a full screen come up for comparison would be really nice. Often I want to compare foreign-language Bible translations, but I can only compare two at a time. If I could do that along with my commentary on the side, it'd be wonderful.

I guess this might be called "creeping feature-ism" :)

Actually, there are other things I'd like more (e.g. 100% Unicode), but this one would seem very useful.
 
Tim Stephens said:
1. a plugin API. Giving the community a chance to develop their own plugins for SwordSearcher could really produce some great features. Things like prayer lists, memory program, diary, etc... would be great candidates for other developers to add to SwordSearcher via a plugin. I know I would be interested in developing some..
Click to expand...

I'm not up on my computer lingo so please forgive my simple words. I was just thinking about something along these lines -
  1. An online, interactive, verse by verse, Bible commentary similar to the one on this site. (I like this site and only wish it was easier to navigate)
  2. SwordSearcher users could discuss individual Bible verses in a forum format.
  3. Each new entry would automatically generate a new (RSS? feed? (which might show up in the Bible Margin Links of the SS Program?))
Again, I apologize for the lack of technical vocabulary - but do you understand what I'm getting at? I've enjoyed the interactive dialogue on the site above and thought the users of SS might enjoy the same. I also thought that such a Bible-structured forum might generate more interest on the internet for the SwordSearcher Program.


Thanks Again,
Jason
 
I'm not sure I'd want that in SS. But creating a thread in the forums might be interesting... and if anyone really wanted to keep the results they could convert them into a mod for their own personal use.

Jason W. Elder said:
I'm not up on my computer lingo so please forgive my simple words. I was just thinking about something along these lines -
  1. An online, interactive, verse by verse, Bible commentary similar to the one on this site. (I like this site and only wish it was easier to navigate)
  2. SwordSearcher users could discuss individual Bible verses in a forum format.
  3. Each new entry would automatically generate a new (RSS? feed? (which might show up in the Bible Margin Links of the SS Program?))
Again, I apologize for the lack of technical vocabulary - but do you understand what I'm getting at? I've enjoyed the interactive dialogue on the site above and thought the users of SS might enjoy the same. I also thought that such a Bible-structured forum might generate more interest on the internet for the SwordSearcher Program.


Thanks Again,
Jason
Click to expand...
 
Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinking - not to download all entries into SS. but maybe some kind of notification that a particular verse had been commented on (in said forum). Well, that's my 2 cents.

Thanks bro. Tim
 
Have been using SS for a few years and still think it's one of the most user-friendly bible study progs out there.

One suggestion might be to search not just for a verse containing a search parameter but for a range of verses. Perhaps adding a "Search within ___ verses" option. It may help for finding passages specific to a certain topic (especially if the verse range must contain all of the words listed).

Also, I know there may be an issue with copyright etc and therefore a non-starter, but some other programs have modules that are unavailable to SS users. Is there a way of importing modules from eg eSword, The Word, BE4? I would much rather use the modules in SS than jump between progs.

Anyway, keep up the great work. God bless.
 
A proximity search function is planned for the next release of SwordSearcher. (Sorry, no ETA, but it'll be in there.)
 
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