Keyboard Shortcuts

Archive - November, 2007

Getting the Most out of Your New Collection

Phil Gons | Fri, November 30, 2007 | Products 9

So you’ve owned Scholar’s Library for a little while and have recently added a new collection. Perhaps you just purchased the massive Biblical Counseling Library (30 Volumes). Now you’re wondering how you can put it to good use.
The first step is to create a collection (Tools > Define Collections > New). For further help, see this video demonstration. To save you the time, I’ve already done the work for you. Download the file, and put it in C:\Documents and Settings\ . . . \My Documents\Libronix DLS\Collections.
With your collection file created, you can now start using your new books to their fullest potential. Here are five ways to get the most out of your new collection:
1. Familiarize yourself with your new books. Open My Library (Ctrl+L), and select Biblical Counseling from the Collection drop down. You will see the 30 books that came with your collection. Arrange the books by title or author, and “thumb through” them to get familiar with their contents. If you don’t know what you have, you probably won’t use them very often.

2. Use your new books in the Passage Guide. If you’re working on a sermon on Galatians 6:1, you might want to find out what your counseling books have to say. Since these books aren’t commentaries, they won’t automatically be implemented into the Passage Guide. But getting them to show up there is very easy. Open the Passage Guide, and select Properties. Toward the bottom, there is a Collections section. Check the box next to it and the box next to your Biblical Counseling collection.

Your report will now display hits for your passage.

3. Find a passage of Scripture. If you want to find a passage only in your new collection and not elsewhere in your library, you may want to use the Reference Browser instead of the Passage Guide. Open the Reference Browser (Ctrl+R), select Biblical Counseling from the drop down, set the Type to Bible, enter Gal 6:1 or another passage, choose how specific you want your search to be, and click search.

4. Find a topic. Open the Topic Browser (Ctrl+T), select Biblical Counseling from the drop down, and type a topic like bitterness into the Find box. Click on Bitterness, and immediately you get several relevant hits to explore.

5. Find a word or phrase. You can also search your new collection for a specific word or phrase. Open the basic search (Ctrl+Shift+S), select Biblical Counseling from the drop down, and search for something like manic-depress* (the asterisk includes depressive and depression).

By using these five tips, you’ll be getting the most out of your new resources in no time!

Luther’s Works — Now That’s a Deal!

Rick Brannan | Thu, November 29, 2007 | Products 4

We’ve talked about the concept of publishing one’s “life’s work” electronically on the blog before (here and here). But the concept isn’t new; some of these “life work” sets have even been published in print already.
If you’ve been around Biblical studies for any portion of time, you have likely heard of many of the big names of the protestant reformation — Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and the like. Did you know that the 55 volume set of Luther’s Works, translated from German into English and edited by Jaroslav Pelikan, has been available in Logos Bible Software format for over five years? And that, at least of the writing of this blog post, the price is only $199.95? (so, less than $5 a volume?!) A price of $199.95 is a pretty good value, even if you’re only interested in the commentary portion of the set.
I occasionally browse the products section of the Logos web site to remind myself of the cool things we’ve done, and I’d forgotten about Luther’s Works. I remember when we did the work on it. The books take up at least three shelves of a standard sized bookshelf. The first 30 volumes are volumes of commentary; the next 24 volumes are topical writings (including vol. 54, the always entertaining and sometimes rather earthy “Table Talk”), and the last volume is a massive index.
If you’re looking for some resources to compliment the books you already have and use in Logos Bible Software format, then maybe you should look into Luther’s Works and see if it floats your boat. Check out the volume list on this baby:

Volume 1: Lectures on Genesis — Chapters 1-5
Volume 2: Lectures on Genesis — Chapters 6-14
Volume 3: Lectures on Genesis — Chapters 15-20
Volume 4: Lectures on Genesis — Chapters 21-25
Volume 5: Lectures on Genesis — Chapters 26-30
Volume 6: Lectures on Genesis — Chapters 31-37
Volume 7: Lectures on Genesis — Chapters 38-44
Volume 8: Lectures on Genesis — Chapters 45-50
Volume 9 Lectures on Deuteronomy
Volume 10: First Lectures on the Psalms — 1-75
Volume 11: First Lectures on the Psalms — 76-126
Volume 12: Selected Psalms I
Volume 13: Selected Psalms II
Volume 14: Selected Psalms III
Volume 15: Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Last Words of David, 2 Samuel 23:1-7
Volume 16: Lectures on Isaiah — Chapters 1-39
Volume 17: Lectures on Isaiah — Chapters 40-66
Volume 18: Minor Prophets I: Hosea-Malachi
Volume 19: Minor Prophets II: Jonah and Habakkuk
Volume 20: Minor Prophets III: Zechariah
Volume 21: The Sermon on the Mount and the Magnificat
Volume 22: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John — Chapters 1-4
Volume 23: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John — Chapters 6-8
Volume 24: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John — Chapters 14-16
Volume 25: Lectures on Romans
Volume 26: Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4
Volume 27: Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 5-6; 1519, Chapters 1-6
Volume 28: 1 Corinthians 7, 1 Corinthians 15, Lectures on 1 Timothy
Volume 29: Lectures on Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews
Volume 30: The Catholic Epistles
Volume 31: Career of the Reformer I
Volume 32: Career of the Reformer II
Volume 33: Career of the Reformer III
Volume 34: Career of the Reformer IV
Volume 35: Word and Sacrament I
Volume 36: Word and Sacrament II
Volume 37: Word and Sacrament III
Volume 38: Word and Sacrament IV
Volume 39: Church and Ministry I
Volume 40: Church and Ministry II
Volume 41: Church and Ministry III
Volume 42: Devotional Writings I
Volume 43: Devotional Writings II
Volume 44: The Christian in Society I
Volume 45: The Christian in Society II
Volume 46: The Christian in Society III
Volume 47: The Christian in Society IV
Volume 48: Letters I
Volume 49: Letters II
Volume 50: Letters III
Volume 51: Sermons I
Volume 52: Sermons II
Volume 53: Liturgy and Hymns
Volume 54: Table Talk
Volume 55: Index

Two New Pre-Pubs for Theologians

Phil Gons | Wed, November 28, 2007 | Products 7

One of the great things about Logos is that it is an incredibly versatile tool. Whether you are doing careful research in Hebrew and Greek, studying the cultures of biblical times, grappling with the meaning of a passage of Scripture, researching an event in church history, sharpening your pastoral or counseling skills, or wrestling with deep theology, Logos equips you with scores of excellent resources.
Those of you with an interest in theology will definitely want to check out these two recent Pre-Pubs:

Norman L. Geisler’s Systematic Theology (4 volumes)

Volume One—Part One: Introduction; Part Two: Bible
Volume Two—Part One: God; Part Two: Creation
Volume Three—Part One: Sin; Part Two: Salvation
Volume Four—Part One: Church; Part Two: Last Things

This massive set is Geisler’s magnum opus. Anyone doing serious study in theology will want to consult this important work.
The Collected Works of John M. Frame, Vol. 1: Theology
Here are all of the great resources you will get:

The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God
The Doctrine of God
Salvation Belongs to the Lord
No Other God
The Amsterdam Philosophy
Perspectives on the Word of God
16 Journal Articles
9 Articles That Have Appeared in Books
9 Articles Written for Dictionaries
2 Pamphlets
12 Lecture Outlines
3 Study Guides
4 Syllabi
9 Sermon Manuscripts
17 Short Articles
Over 70 Hours of Lecture Audio

John Frame is a profound philosopher, apologist, and theologian. His writings should not be missed. I’ve read several of his books and articles and have profited immensely from them. I can’t wait to add this collection to my Libronix library.
I encourage you to add both of these titles to your Christmas wish list.
Here are several other important theological works you also won’t want to be without:

Changing Your Font Size

Phil Gons | Tue, November 27, 2007 | Training 14

A blogger lamented recently that none of the Bible software programs that he has used allow the font size to be enlarged enough so that it is readable when projected on a big screen.
We were happy to inform him that Logos works very well on a screen. A user can easily change the zoom up to 400% (= 48 pts.)—and with a simple script code all the way up to 999% (= 120 pts.)!
The default zoom for resources and reports is 100%, which is equivalent to a 12 pt. font. That may be too small depending on the size and resolution of your monitor—and depending on your purpose. Changing it is a cinch.
There are a couple of ways you can adjust your font size.

All Resources: You can set all resources to use a certain zoom. Do this by going to Tools > Options > General > Text Display and selecting anywhere from 50% to 400% under the Default Zoom drop down. You probably want to leave the box checked next to Use Default Zoom Only with Resources, but test it for yourself to see what you like. You can also change the reports separately. (I have my default zoom set to 150% most of the time, but Bible Speed Search set to 125%.)
Individual Resources and Reports: You can also adjust the zoom on individual resources and reports by using the Zoom icon in the toolbar or by going to View > Zoom. I recommend doing this only after you have set your default zoom. (If you want to change these later, you’ll have to do so one resource at a time! I learned that the hard way as a new user.)

Here are two other tips that some users might find helpful.
What if you want to set your default zoom to something other than what is available in the options (e.g., 135% or 500%)? With a simple script code, you can get as precise as you want.
In the following script code, replace 135 with whatever two or three digit number you want. Create a new toolbar button using the Run Script Code command. Click the button to execute the script.
Here’s the script code:
Application.UserPreferences(“LDLS/ResourceSettings”).SetValue(“Strings”,”Zoom”,”135″);
Another thing you can do is create a button that will toggle between your default zoom and another zoom. This comes in very handy if you prefer one size for a resource when it’s in a smaller window and another size when it’s maximized for reading or displaying on a screen.
To do this, create a toolbar button using the Run Script Code command and this script:
var objWindow = Application.ActiveWindow;
if ( objWindow != null )
{
if ( objWindow.Type == “resource” )
{
var objView = objWindow.View;
if ( objView && objView.IsOpen() )
{
var objDisplayPane = objView.Panes(“display”);
if ( objDisplayPane )
{
var strZoom = objDisplayPane.Control.Zoom;
if ( strZoom != “175%” )
strZoom = “175%”;
else
strZoom = “auto”;
objDisplayPane.Control.Zoom = strZoom;
}
}
}
}
Replace the 175 with whatever two or three digit number you’d like. You can create multiple buttons to use for different purposes.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Phil Gons | Mon, November 26, 2007 | Training 8

A great way to become more efficient in Libronix is by using keyboard shortcuts. We’ve compiled a nearly exhaustive list of keyboard shortcuts to help you learn them. Here are a few:

Ctrl+L opens My Library.
Ctrl+Shift+G activates the Quick Navigation Bar.
Tab or Ctrl+G activates the text box in a resource, which you can use to jump to a reference or page.
Ctrl+Shift+W closes all windows.
Ctrl+F4 or Ctrl+W closes the active window.
Ctrl+Shift+C opens the contents pane.
The right arrow key takes you to the next resource in a resource association. Try it when you have an English Bible opened.

The best way to make these shortcuts a part of your normal use of Libronix is to go through the list and try each one. Pick a handful that you find especially helpful and start using them immediately.
In addition to the standard shortcuts, you can also create your own shortcuts for many of your favorite activities like opening a resource and applying a visual markup. Here are some examples of things I do with shortcut keys:

Alt+A opens my Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary.
Alt+D opens my default English dictionary.
Alt+T opens my Thesaurus.
Alt+E opens the ESV.
Alt+G opens my Greek New Testament.
Alt+H opens my Hebrew Old Testament.
Alt+N opens the New American Commentary to the passage I’m working on (if applicable).
Alt+W opens the Word Biblical Commentary to the passage I’m working on (if applicable).
Alt+B applies my blue highlighter.
Alt+R applies my red highlighter.
Alt+Y applies my yellow highlighter.
Alt+Z erases my highlighting or other markups.

You can assign keyboard shortcuts like these by creating a custom toolbar. I’ll get you started by showing you how to create shortcuts to open resources.

Open Libronix.
Right click on the toolbar area and click on Customize.
Click New to create a new toolbar.
Leave the Category as Special, and click on Open (Resource).
Click Add, give it a name like Shortcuts, and then click on Details.
Give it a name like ESV, select a style and icon, and assign a shortcut key (e.g., Alt+E).
Click Change and select the resource you would like to open with your shortcut.
Click OK, OK, and Close.
Repeat this process to add other resources.

Feel free to hide your new toolbar by right clicking in the toolbar area and unchecking it. It doesn’t need to be visible to be active.
Here’s a brief video walking you through the steps.
Give it a try!
For other tips on being more efficient, check out our previous post on Mouse Gestures.