Several weeks ago I released a new version of the OfflineBible with rudimentary search capabilities. It had many restrictions, but proved that the Gears platform could handle simple, fast keyword searches. A lot of code has passed under the bridge since then, and I’ve fleshed out the search screen into something a little more powerful. Here’s what you can look forward to in the new version.
* Filtering – After running a search, the distribution of the hits is shown in the filter block. Click on a block to restrict the results to the corresponding book. There are also filter blocks for testaments, and one for the whole Bible which removes the filter.
* Paging – Quickly sort through many results using the new paging mechanism.
* Integration – Previously the sidebar search control allowed you to jump to a given passage by typing in a reference. Meanwhile, the search view allowed you to look for Bible keywords. Now you can do both of these things from either location!
* Multi keyword searching – Probably the most useful thing in this release.
* UI enhancements – Switch between the standard horizontal-scrolling multi-column mode and a vertical-scrolling single column mode. Unfortunately IE8 doesn’t support the necessary CSS features for multiple columns, so if you’re using IE8 you’re out of luck. Switch to Chrome 
* Resize – In the previous version I added a resizable splitter bar which allowed you to change the size of the sidebar. Unfortunately the items in the sidebar didn’t scale or reposition well. I’ve half-addressed this now. The mini-search and bookmarks scale nicely, but the notepad doesn’t. It’s being replaced with something new and shiny in the future, so I didn’t bother burning time into making it work.
Want to upgrade? Sadly you’ll have to use your browser to remove the current site from Gears (if you already have it installed). Typically, you’ll find the setting in Tools > Options > Gears Settings. It’s in the “Under the hood” tab, in the “Option” dialog in Chrome. I realise this is a pain, and it’s something I’m planning to address soon.
Feedback and suggestions appreciated as always.
Several weeks ago I released a new version of the OfflineBible with rudimentary search capabilities. It had many restrictions, but proved that the Gears platform could handle simple, fast keyword searches. A lot of code has passed under the bridge since then, and I’ve fleshed out the search screen into something a little more powerful. Here’s what you can look forward to in the new version. (more…)