Proposal for new use of the Bible and Commentary buttons

[agrogers]

This is somewhat related to 2201

I think the two buttons used to select the Bible and Commentary document can be improved quite a bit. My suggestions for the Bible button are:

1. The Bible button changes to show the icon of whatever is the active window document. So, if a Bible is active, it is the Bible icon and if a Dictionary is active it will be the dictionary icon
2. The button shows a list of the corresponding documents. So if a Bible is active, it will show all the Bibles (as it currently does). Likewise for all the other doc types.
3. The button functions exactly as it does now cycling through the relevant document type (of course).

My suggestions for the commentary button are:

1. The icon for it changes to a generic document button.
2. The top 6 (say) list entries are the last 6 used documents (or perhaps favourited documents)
3. The bottom 5 options are the words Bibles..., Commentaries..., Dictionaries..., Books..., Maps... .
4. These options open the standard 'Choose Document' window and displays the relevant document list. It essentially works like long pressing the verse reference selector.

The reasons for the proposals are:

1. I still get caught changing a window to a document type that i dont want. That is, i think the Commentary window is active when actually its the Bible window. I choose a commentary and now the Bible is replaced with another commentary. This happens less now that my active window button is a bright color.
2. I rarely want to change an existing window to a different document type. When I do that it is by mistake.
3. Having the active document always reflected in the main button will mostly eliminate this problem i think.
4. Changing the function of this button depending on the document type will make it easier to select books or maps or dictionaries. Most often I want to look at different dictionaries - but this has to be done the long way because dictionaries dont have a dedicated button.
5. I use just a handful of the documents I have installed most of the time. Having a short list of my favourite documents in the second generic document button would be very useful.
6. I think it would bring the dictionaries, books and maps documents a little closer to the user. At presently they feel a little rejected - pushed away into an area that is less easy to get to.

[agrogers]

Since writing the above I have changed the wrong window to a commentary almost every time I used the app for study purposes. Does anyone else get frustrated by this?

[meichthys]

This happens to me regularly as well. I wonder if each window could have its own small menu. I came from OliveTree which i thought implemented it well: https://www.olivetree.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/AndroidTablet6.jpg

[agrogers]

The buttons are still biting me. Doesn't matter how clearly the selected window is indicated, I still end up changing the wrong window to the wrong document whenever I am doing some real study.

At present each window does have its own menu. But I think adding document selection to that button's menu may muddy the buttons primary purpose which is window control. Perhaps adding a long-press option on the button in order to drow-down the corresponding action bar menu might be a nice way of getting the correct document type more easily.

[meichthys]

I guess what i was thinking was to have a separate thin header for each window. The header would show the document name, location in the document, and a menu button for that specific window. This way each window is self-contained rather than having dis-joint buttons at the bottom of the screen which aren't obvious which buttons belong to which windows.

I've been using and-bible for a year or so and i still don't understand what the window buttons do and when. I don't mean it negatively, but i usually just press the button and hope it does what i want it to do. Sometimes when i click a window button it selects the window, sometiems it closes the window, and sometimes, it just seems to hide the window. I should probably just watch a tutorial on youtube that explains this, but It doesn't seem like that should be necessary.

[agrogers]

It does seem like you are finding it harder than it should be. Some UI enhancements might be needed.

Tapping the bottom window buttons simply hide or show the window you tapped with some caveats. The rounded buttons (pinned windows) can all be shown at once. So tapping one of those affects only the corresponding window.

The square buttons are unpinned windows - only one of those can be shown at once. So pushing a square button automatically hides the previously visible square button window and shows the one you tapped.

I use them both a lot. Bibles normally end up pinned (rounded buttons) - i often want to see two or more Bibles at once.

Commentaries normally end up as unpinned (square buttons). I rarely compare commentaries so i only want one of those visible at one time.

It's a nice feature I think.

Long pressing a bottom window button brings up the menu for that window - same as pushing the actual window button in the top right of the window.

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On Wed, 14 Feb 2024 at 22:32, MeIchthys @.***> wrote:

I guess what i was thinking was to have a separate thin header for each window. The header would show the document name, location in the document, and a menu button for that specific window. This way each window is self-contained rather than having dis-joint buttons at the bottom of the screen which aren't obvious which buttons belong to which windows.

I've been using and-bible for a year or so and i still don't understand what the window buttons do and when. I don't mean it negatively, but i usually just press the button and hope it does what i want it to do. Sometimes when i click a window button it selects the window, sometiems it closes the window, and sometimes, it just seems to hide the window. I should probably just watch a tutorial on youtube that explains this, but It doesn't seem like that should be necessary.

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[meichthys]

Interesting. I had never seen these "square" buttons that you speak of. Perhaps that was part of my confusion. Changing the window to a "normal window" does seem to make the buttons square and more persistent (which i prefer). I also just realized that the Dark colored buttons mean that that resource is hidden or 'minimized'. The long-press of the window menus is what i usually try to do to be more sure of my options as taping the button behaves differently in different cases of which I'm now aware of thanks to you (but will probably forget).

I'm also confused as to what the little Bible icon means on the buttons:

[agrogers]

Oh, yes, you need to enable window pinning - use the '...' menu in the top right corner, and then enable "Window pinning". Or perhaps you have always had it enabled but never 'unpinned' a window. Unpinned windows have square buttons.

Tuomas, I think this is another example why we need an onboarding / application tips system. It seems Melchthys has been using the app for a year and didn't understand one of the better features.

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On Thu, 15 Feb 2024 at 02:00, MeIchthys @.***> wrote:

Interesting. I've never seen these "square" buttons that you speak of. Perhaps that's part of my confusion. Changing the window to a "normal window" does seem to make the buttons more persistent (which i prefer). I also just realized that the Dark colored buttons mean that that resource is hidden or 'minimized'. The long-press of the window menus is what i usually try to do to be more sure of my options as taping the button behaves differently in different cases of which I'm now aware of thanks to you (but will probably forget).

I'm also confused as to what the little Bible icon means on the buttons: image.png (view on web) https://github.com/AndBible/and-bible/assets/10717998/94b92de6-62df-480b-a35c-13083767af63

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[meichthys]

Sorry I keep hijacking this thread. If you prefer I move the conversation somewhere else just let me know.

Does the book icon in the top right of the window button mean anything? Sometimes it is the and sometimes it is not.

[agrogers]

The book icon changes depending on the type of document. It just makes it easier to identify the button and connect it visually to its window. For example, you can see the map icon in the active window below.

[meichthys]

I did notice that, but I dont understand why the icon sometimes shows and sometimes is hidden.

[agrogers]

Oh, I understand what you are saying. Can you send a screenshot to a new Issue - sounds like a bug. I have not seen that before I dont think.

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On Fri, 16 Feb 2024 at 10:56, MeIchthys @.***> wrote:

I did notice that, but I dont understand why the icon sometimes shows and sometimes is hidden.

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[meichthys]

https://github.com/AndBible/and-bible/issues/3211