Review & Giveaway: Accordance 8

**Dee Dee Warren** · November 18th 2008, 01:25 AM

For details on the giveaway please read the very bottom of the post. Only comments made at the World of Apple publication of this review will be entered for a chance to win a free copy.

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<a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/" target="_blank">Accordance by OakTree Software</a> is one of those massively powerful programs that causes me to think, "Where to begin?" Let's start with introductions. Readers, Accordance 8 is a highly flexible and in-depth program for studying the Bible, commentaries, and related reference tools—including maps—with the ability to conduct extraordinarily complex searches. Its functions meet the needs of the layperson up through the scholar starting with simple translation comparisons all the way to delving into the original languages behind the English translations of the text. Those two sentences, however, do not do this program justice. As I have stated in the past, I am a fairly new Mac convert, joining the <strike>cult</strike> family in about May 2007 after nearly twenty years of Windows usage since Windows 3.1. Prior to my switch, my Biblical software of choice was the very popular <a href="http://www.logos.com/" target="_blank">Logos</a> program—particularly the Scholar's Library. Logos did the job, but I did not find it particularly intuitive—and no matter how useful a program may be once mastered, if mastery becomes a chore, I lose interest and motivation. This is why I remain a mediocre Photoshop user. Although there are a ton of resources and conventions and blah, blah, blah to learn the program, I do not care for any software that requires the time of maintaining a second husband to understand. This fact does, however, have to be balanced with the reality that complex programs do have a learning curve, but a good developer will minimize that curve as much as possible and thoroughly equip the user with tools to quickly navigate that painful period. I am very pleased to report that Accordance has done this with true faithfulness to continuity with the Macintosh GUI. While I had recently learned that Logos is being developed for the Macintosh platform, and my (expensive) license is transferable, unless something has greatly changed with their user interface, I do not anticipate ceasing use of Accordance as my primary Bible study program. Also, I have my doubts that a long-time Windows developer with its attached baggage of Windows butt-ugly navigation experience will be able to create a product with the look and function of a citizen of the Appleverse.

I have also used the free program <a href="http://macsword.com/" target="_blank">MacSword</a> as an alternative to the <a href="http://www.e-sword.net/" target="_blank">free PC software e-Sword</a> and promptly gave up. It was confusing and aggravating in addition to being very limited in its available resources as compared to its PC counterpart. I have a well-stocked personal library of theological texts; if it is more efficient for me to grab books and conduct research the old-fashioned way, then a particular study program is not for me. Now despite this admittedly glowing introduction, I will now highlight the major features that I have been road-testing and give my frank assessment of each—good and bad. In the interest of full disclosure, the base software and any add-on modules reviewed were given to me gratis from the developer. I hope I have developed a relationship with my readers from my prior reviews to have earned the trust that this does not influence my opinion. In fact, in this case, I had already learned that my Windows Logos license for which I had paid well over $500 could be transferred to a Macintosh license prior to contacting the Accordance developer, so my motivation for requesting the review was not a burning need to try to obtain sophisticated Biblical study software for free.

Now for the personal touch I hope I consistently bring to the World of Apple table; my communications with the developer. In this case, I felt like I was going through a job interview to be granted a review copy. I do not mean this in a negative light. I left the approval process with the impression that this is a developer that cares deeply about its product and reputation so does not simply grant review copies willy-nilly in order to grab some publicity. If I was not qualified to do a competent review, they were not interested. Additionally, the developer's representative has promptly answered all questions and went out of their way to be sure that I was fully equipped to use this product. Though looking at such prompt responses in a cynical light may cause one to think that of course a developer is going to give special attention to a reviewer, I do not believe this is the case here. I invite you to peruse the Accordance website, particularly their <a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/about/index.php" target="_blank">About Page</a>. They are clearly passionate about, and dedicated to, the Macintosh platform and community. Here is a quote from that page:

<blockquote>Mac users don't need to be an afterthought when it comes to Bible software. Accordance has been helping Mac users get more out of their Bible study for more than fourteen years. While other Bible software developers ignored the Mac, we were leveraging the Mac's advantages to develop software that was both powerful and easy to use.

Don't settle for Windows software dressed up to work with the Mac. Accordance is the only full-featured Bible program designed explicitly for [the] Macintosh.</blockquote>

Preach it brother.

The program itself consists of a basic foundation upon which modules are built. There are <a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/products/packages/how_to_choose.php" target="_blank">various collections</a> which are dependent upon skill level and areas of interest. The collection used for this review was the <a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/products/packages/details.php?ID=598" target="_blank">Library 8 Premier Level</a> valued at $299.00. The <a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/products/packages/details.php?ID=597" target="_blank">Library 8 Standard Level</a> carries a price point of $199.00. <a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/products/packages/scholars_collection.php" target="_blank">The Scholar's Collection</a> comes in various levels and price points so that the user can select the collection that best suits their needs. Additional modules and packages can be added to these collections for further customization. Oftentimes, these additional materials are already included in the collection installation disk(s) needing only a purchased activation key to unlock. I was also provided an Accordance Training DVD (price point of $29.00) and an Accordance Graphics DVD (price point of $189.00). I highly recommend the Training DVD which was thorough and left me capable of running the program competently upon completion. The training DVD contains over five hours of video instruction. The installation DVDs contain thorough program documentation in the form of hefty PDF manuals which I have printed out and studied for this review. Additionally, the Help menu embedded in the program contains links to online demo movies and tutorials. Accordance also hosts a <a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/forums/index.php?act=idx" target="_blank">user forum</a> and <a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/blog/" target="_blank">blog</a> which appear to be regularly monitored by the developer with quick and helpful responses.

Three additional Bible modules were included as part of the Library 8 Premier Collection. I found some confusion in the terminology used at the site as the collections were also called packages, yet there were also add-on materials referred to as packages. I have kept the words distinct in this review using "collection" to refer to the initial foundational program level upon which modules and packages can be added.

Accordance will run on any Macintosh running OS X whether PowerPC or Intel-based. As per the developer, Accordance can also be run in Classic as far back as 7.5. The developer has informed me that this enables Windows and Linux users to run Accordance in the Basiliskll emulator. My testing was restricted strictly to Leopard. It does require a DVD drive for installation of some modules, but the base program installs from several CD-ROMs. The developer does allow the installation of one licensed copy of the software on a laptop and a desktop as long as the registered owner is the primary user of both machines. I tested the program on both my MacBook and Mac Pro.

So let's get our hands dirty with the installation, features, and screenshots! Just remember that this program is incredibly powerful and densely packed with functions so that I will merely scratch the surface of the areas most likely to be trod by the typical user with some glances at the more esoteric options. My goal is to give the reader enough information to decide if the product is something they are interested in and give my final conclusion without detailing every function—that would be impossible in a review format. Do not expect or assume that this review covers all of the available features, shortcuts, and resources. This review is already quite massive just touching upon the basics.

Introduction and Basics

Installation

First, one disclaimer. When I started this review, I was provided the installation disks for Version 7 which was the most current version at the time. During the interim, Accordance was updated to Version 8, and I was provided that update. Therefore, some of the installation confusion may be limited to Version 7 and potentially not applicable to a fresh install of (rather than an upgrade to) Version 8.

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I found the installation to be a bit cumbersome and confusing. By default, the program installs into the main Macintosh HD directory rather than the User Applications folder. There is a pull-down option to install into a different folder, but it is easily missed as there is a plethora of check boxes that confront the user who has to decide the correct one(s) to mark. While the rest of the program is very sleek and modern, some of the installation screens seem to be a mishmash of the current Macintosh GUI and that of OS 9. I have installed the program a total of five times and still had confusion until the last by which time I was an old hand. Now this could be a bit of addle-mindedness on my part, but I can't imagine that I am that atypical. The first four installations comprised two times on each of my allowed machines. The second time on my Mac Pro was for review purposes, and the second time on my MacBook was due to an unfortunate (and totally unrelated to Accordance) nuking of the OS that recently happened (which was of course completely my fault and not the fault of the Mac whatsoever). The fifth and final installation was after a diagnostic session with a Mac Genius for problems with my MacBook. Note: This applies to my installation of Version 7. I have been told by the developer that the default installation location for a fresh install of Version 8 is the User Applications folder. Since I did not test with a fresh install of Version 8, but rather an installation of Version 7, I can only report on what I encountered. However, the reader should keep in mind that the majority of these observations are likely obviated in Version 8.

Again I note that my original installation was Version 7, and when I upgraded to Version 8, the installation location selection was not buried but displayed as a separate and clear box typical of other Macintosh programs. This was also true of the installation disk for the Graphics DVD. It does not appear that Version 8 cleared up the other potential installation confusion. I did, however, by the time of the last few installs, note the "i" symbols on the installation screens which do provide some guidance if I hadn't been so oblivious and then so stubborn not to read them. Even female Mac users tend to be like men: we don't like to read instructions. One word of caution is in order. When upgrading, the default selection is to the Applications folder (like nearly every OS X program), but if the user is upgrading from Version 7 installed in the main Macintosh HD, it seems that there might be potential problems if they inadvertently allow the upgrade to be installed directly into the User Applications folder. The developer has assured me that all installers search the selected drive for any previous Accordance application and install to that application, alleviating the need to worry about the location of the Accordance folder as long as the application is kept inside the Accordance folder. Any potential worry or problems can definitely be avoided if any installation of Version 7 is moved in toto to the Applications folder which can be done without incident. I left the entire program in the main Macintosh HD on my MacBook and moved it to the user Applications folder on my Mac Pro, and the program performed identically from both locations. For uniformity, I preferred moving it to the Applications folder as I am very fussy about the location of my programs and don't want them hanging out in dark corners away from their brethren. You never know what bad company they might associate with. I did not test the developer's assurances after I expressed these concerns as I did not want to potentially gunk up my machines with too many installs and re-installs. It would be my recommendation to any user upgrading to Version 8 to simply move the program into the Applications folder which will definitely avoid any confusion. I was further told by the developer that all of the newer OS X installers are simplified both in understanding how and where the installation takes place and by allowing the input of all unlock codes at one time (see below for comments on my experience with unlock codes).

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The installation can take a good bit of time, but the program does warn the user that such is the case. It will appear at times to be stalled; be patient and remember this isn't Windows. Additional disks may have to be inserted for specific Bible modules or other add-ons. Each of these installations have separate license numbers (unlock codes), so it is a good idea to have these handy at all times since there were intervals between input prompts. The entire installation process for all of my products took about 90 minutes. Another inelegant part of the installation process is the automatic warning screen to make sure all Accordance applications are closed whether or not any are open. I have not seen this in any other programs for my Mac which only show a similar screen if the application actually is open, so the first time I saw this I was baffled as to where Accordance might be open. It wasn't. That screen shows up whether it is open or not.

Two optional dashboard widgets are also included in the installation: Accordance Updater and Verse Look-Up. When the program is fired up for the first time, a basic set-up assistant walks the user through some initial settings which can be changed later in Preferences.

Interface

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The initial opening interface is somewhat reminiscent of Photoshop with a main workspace and optional floating palettes which can be set to open automatically at launch or pulled up upon command. New to Version 8 is the Library Window which I compare to the Media Browser in several other programs. It helpfully allows searching for resources through a spotlight-like search bar or through pull-downs. I personally have found this to be a significant improvement as I started my review using Accordance 7 and then upgraded to Version 8. The Preferences allow for great flexibility in precisely how the user wants the program to appear and behave. There are multiple means of accessing nearly every resource to suit the user's style, including using the traditional menu bar options (though I may not mention that option in each circumstance).

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There are several problems that I have with the way that Preferences work. From my point of view, there are items such as palettes, tabs, and panes which are content-oriented; and fonts, backgrounds, colours, and the like, which are appearance-oriented. The opening content can be set in Preferences as "default session," "last session," or "default search window" so that on launch, Accordance will open with content and appearance as it was last defined. The problem I have is that appearance preference changes do not happen on the fly. For example, in any of the above settings, if the last text background colour setting was parchment, and then the preference is changed to blue sky, that change does not immediately take place in the current window which retains its original setting. In order to view a workspace with this new background (set in Preferences) a new search window must be opened, a pane must be closed and re-opened (if there is more than one pane open or switched from one text to another and back if there is only one pane open), or re-start Accordance. This appears to be the case with all appearance-related settings in Preferences, and in my opinion, this is a cumbersome way to handle universal appearance changes. I have confirmed with the developer that this is not simply a misunderstanding on my part. They have explained this decision to suppress immediate global appearance changes as a protection again any temporary custom pane settings being over-ridden. I feel that this should be the user's decision and that such an option should be available in the Preferences to have the best of both worlds. I actually feel quite strongly about this.

All that being said, there is an easy limited alternative, but this may not be obvious to a new user. The right-click accessible contextual menu has options to change certain appearance settings which do happen on the fly but only for the active pane and not universally. These are the temporary custom settings that the developer was concerned would be overwritten if immediate global appearance changes through Preferences was allowed. These same changes for the active pane are also available through the Display portion of the menu bar or the command+T shortcut (which is one of the must-remember shortcuts for an joyous Accordance experience as it is the modifier command for nearly every screen/pane/tab when active). My complaint remains for immediate universal appearance changes. If those universal changes happened in the current panes in real-time, it would be more consistent with the behaviour of the right-click accessible contextual menu. One very interesting capability of this "pane-specific" change is to customize the look of a particular text or tool to be used as a default for the future, over-riding the general Preferences for that resource only.

There are core philosophies behind the program that the developer reiterates in multiple places thus I think it necessary to include them here with my own very brief summary of the idea behind the philosophy.

The Bible is central. The Bible itself acts as the "central hub around which study revolves." Other programs open with a library or other card catalog-like interfaces that tend to lead the user away from the Bible, rather than leaving the Bible as the central focus rather than secondary resources.

 Searching is central. Everything that is needed to perform a search is available in the opening screen, and the cursor is positioned to immediately start searching.

 What You See Is What You Get. The search is defined in the same workspace window in which the search results are displayed. This concept is followed in every other window in Accordance. What is specified in the top part of the window (where search criterion are defined) is what is seen in the bottom part of the window (where the results are shown).

Instant Access. Bible software should function as a tool in asking questions of the text and not a hindrance to be overcome. Going from resource to resource is easy without losing sight of the large picture and central focus: the Biblical text. Every module is available from the Resource Palette and is intuitive. It is easy to follow a train of thought through multiple resources.

Economy of Effort. Triple-click a word in a tagged (keyed) text with Strong's numbers to go to the Greek or Hebrew lexicon; triple-click an English word to go an English word study; and, triple-click a verse to get to the user's favourite commentary. Simply hovering over an item in tagged texts is enough to obtain additional information in the Instant Details Box (if enabled).

Minimal Clutter and Consistency. Organization is accomplished through workspace panes and tabs (or separate windows, depending on user settings) which keep things extremely simple. Interface design is consistent throughout the program.

Personal Preferences. Accordance is highly customizable, both globally and in individual windows.

Terminology

The terminology took me a little bit to understand. The resources windows that can be floated or closed are called palettes. Items opened from the palettes will appear in either a separate window or a new tab. The choice of a tab or window is determined by User Preferences. The contents of a tab or window will open in the main text area as a pane. The titles and click to view area for tabs reside above the Argument Entry Box. A pane also displays its content in the main text area, but its title is found below the Argument Entry Box rather than above. If the default interface is not tabbed, then the window title will reside at the very top above the Argument Entry Box with the pane titles remaining below. This raises the question of why the program uses windows/tabs and panes when it seems as if they simply display text in the same area. With windows/tabs and panes, you can have different panes combined with different windows/tabs, and some window/tabs with no additional panes at all. For example, I can have a window/tab opened with the NKJV text only and another opened with the NIV text with an additional pane added with another text or resource.

Text Display

As with most everything else on Accordance, the way that text is displayed is highly customizable on both a permanent and temporary basis. Some options include suppression of red letters (for the words of Christ in certain Bibles) as well suppression of user highlighting, superscripts, and poetic text formatting. The user can also customize citation format for both viewing and copying.

Navigation

In addition to traditional scroll bars, the bottom of the workspace window contains various navigation options which can change slightly depending upon the resource selected. Navigation options include a Scripture "Go To" box, verse/chapter forward and back arrows, as well as prior and next arrows.

Workspaces

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The interface will open into a workspace with or without tabs in the way specified in the Preferences. Resources are opened into tabs or separate windows much like a web browser, again, as decided by the User Preferences. My workspace opens into my default Bible of choice—the New King James Version—in tabbed view and with multiple palettes. The two circled areas in the second image above indicate pull-down menus where different resources can be chosen. The uppermost pull-down selects a Bible to be searched while the lower pull-down selects a different Bible with the same search parameters to be displayed in the active pane.

The Library Window can be arranged to fit the user's workflow. New folders and divider bars can be added, and the order in which resources appear can be changed.

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Search Window

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When Accordance is opened, the Argument Entry Box (i.e. search box) is automatically highlighted containing an asterisk which denotes every verse in the selected text. The Argument Entry Box can also be quickly accessed by simply hitting the tab key (another must-remember shortcut). The most basic Bible searches can be performed by verse, word, or phrases. There are also extraordinarily complex searches that can only be touched upon later. The default search box opens with an asterisk which denotes a global search for every verse in the selected Bible. In the shots above, a word search for "paradise" is selected. The search can be further refined in the "more" options to be limited to certain portions of the Bible. The last image above depicts the results of a search for the word "paradise" narrowed down to the New Testament only. I selected blue as my search hit results colour and enabled red letters for the words of Christ. I could easily change the search results to reflect a different translation simply by choosing a different Bible from either pull-down menu. I note that although my Preferences are set to reflect search terms to appear in blue, if I change the translation to be searched in the lower pull-down, the search results in the new text do not appear in blue. If I change the search text in the upper pull-down, the highlight will then change to only appear in that pane. This behaviour is also noted when an additional synchronized pane is opened. I inquired with the developer, and the answer made perfect sense once explained. Although panes are synchronized, different translations may not contain the same words so that the highlighting would be be consistent and thus only applies to the version searched.

Basic word search options can also be easily refined in the "more options" portion of the Argument Entry Box. For example, word searches can be limited within the immediate context to a single verse, chapter, clause, sentence, paragraph, and book. The larger context can also be limited to certain pre-set limits such as the Gospels or Epistles or to a custom-defined limit such as the Petrine Epistles.

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Accordance keeps a history of past searches performed in the current session which can easily be redone via the history selection (first image above). Additionally, if a word search is performed, and the word does not exist in the selected search text, a concordance window will open with all available words in the text at the spot closest to the spelling of the submitted word. Most helpfully for me, there are no standard Biblical book abbreviations. Citations can be entered in multiple ways as long as Accordance has enough information to uniquely locate the text.

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Texts can be compared by checking "compare texts" in the "more options" field. Only the first two texts will be compared. Differences are noted as follows:
<ul>
<li>Different words (strike through)</li>
<li>Inserted words (heavy underline)</li>
<li>Deleted words (heavy vertical line)</li>
</ul>

The colours for these comparisons are user-customizable in Preferences. If more than two text panes are opened, only the first two will be compared. A text pane that is further down may be moved into place adjacent to the first pane in order to make a quick change of the text to be compared. Oaktree made the decision that it would only allow the comparison of two texts since additional comparisons would require that one text be set as the base from which the others would be analyzed. I believe that this should be up to the user to decide and that such a capability should be present even if it were off by default.

Instant Details Box

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The Instant Details Box is a floating palette that displays additional information about a word or phrase upon mouse-over in certain tagged (keyed) texts or tools. This information varies depending on the tool or text in use but typical information would include the word or phrase in its original language, the Strong's concordance number, and a transliteration into English. More advanced uses would include the various grammatical forms of words in morphologically tagged texts. In a tool in which verses are cited, the text of the verse appears in the Instant Details Box; in a Maps/Atlas tool relevant geographical information is displayed; and in timelines various chronological information appears. Additionally any hyperlinked item in any tool will reveal additional information in the Instant Details Box. The information displayed can also be set in Preferences. The information changes as the mouse is moved to other portions of the resource but can be temporarily frozen by holding the shift key (another must-remember tip). While that certainly is useful, I did find it a major fault that the information in the Instant Details Box cannot be copied to be pasted into a document. Also I found that the onscreen up and down arrows for the text size didn't allow for nearly a large enough size as it does in the main resource window. I have included so many screenshots of this tool as I found it to be one of the most helpful and intuitive in the whole program.

Now let me potentially users from needless panic. If the Instant Details Box has gone suddenly AWOL after it was just there(!) in another pane, chances are that auto-fade of the Instant Details Box is enabled in Preferences. In order to keep that Box always visible, auto-fade must be disabled.

Texts and Tools

Behaviour

If a text or tool is selected a new tab or window (depending on User Preferences) will open immediately displaying the selected item from the first page. If a text or tool is opened after a selection is made in a pane (or window), that item will be immediately searched for material relevant to the selection. The mouse indicator changes from an arrow to a magnifying glass to indicate that the module will be searched (i.e. "amplified") with parameters defined by the selection. Holding the control key will over-ride this behaviour so that an item can be opened at the beginning while still having text selected (another must-remember tip). The specific text or tool is chosen by right-clicking on the graphical icon, otherwise the default will be the last selection made under that category. That is very important to remember. These functions can also be performed via the menu bar.

The windows/tabs look similar to each other lending continuity to the GUI; the differences lie only in the type of information to which they enable access. When opened in tabs, new tabs appear immediately to the right of the selected tab but can be dragged to a different location. All tabs and panes have a close icon, and option-click will close all but the selected tab (another good tip to remember). Oddly though, option-click does not work to close all but the selected pane which seems a bit inconsistent.

Tabs can be detached into separate windows which can then be tiled. Windows and tabs can be renamed to something other than the default resource names through a right-click contextual menu or the menu bar. The only way a workspace name can be changed is in the "save as" menu which again seems inconsistent. If research is conducted in an item created as a separate window, any new tools will also open as additional separate windows. Windows can be merged back into tabs and vice versa. Tabs can be moved between workspaces. Tabs and panes can be re-arranged within a workspace. These options allow flexibility so that the user is not locked into one particular workflow. Any resource that is organized by verse reference can be tied together or untied as needed.

Texts

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There are multiple ways to access the texts and tools. The texts portion (represented by scroll icons) of the Resource Palette is subdivided into English texts (identified by the English letter "A"); Greek texts (identified by the Greek letter "α"); Hebrew texts (identified by the Hebrew letter "א"); custom text sets (identified by a stack of scrolls); parallels (represented by a set of scrolls); and context (represented by a scroll with up and down arrows).

The language texts are self-evident. The context text allows the user to view the surrounding context of any selected verse. The text sets are user-created. The second image above depicts the dialog box for creating a custom set. The additional images show the set as a selection in the list and how that custom set is opened into tabs in the workspace. It is important to remember that anything chosen directly from the palettes (including the library "window") will open into either tabs or windows depending upon User Preferences and that anything selected from within the main workspace (including items which are duplicated in the texts and tools palettes) will open into new panes. That was the biggest hurdle for me to understand, and once grasped, everything became much more intuitive. 

Additionally, there are mouse-over descriptions that describe what each scroll symbol represents which are quite logical once learned.

Tools

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The tools portion (represented by book icons) of the Resource Palette is arranged in a similar manner as the texts. The tools include extra-Biblical resources and study aids which are broken down according to structure: English tools (structured alphabetically and identified by the English letter "A"); Greek tools (structured alphabetically and identified by the Greek letter "α"); Hebrew tools (structured alphabetically and identified by the Hebrew letter "א"); reference tools (structured by Biblical citation and identified by a graphic of "1:1"); general tools (any tools that do not fit into the other categories and identified by plain blue books); and custom tool sets (represented by a stack of books). It is essential to remember that the tools are organized by structure and not by genre, thus a Greek grammar would be a general tool rather than a Greek tool because it is not organized alphabetically but topically. Tool sets are custom collections that can be created in a similar fashion to custom text sets. The creation and use of the custom function follows the same workflow as the texts portion, so I will not reproduce screen shots as they would be redundant. Like the texts, tools can also be accessed via the Library Window.

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_browserpane.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_toolbehaviour.jpg" />

Tools have an additional navigation function in the browser pane which is akin to a Table of Contents in most resources. Like texts, the right-contextual menu can be used to customize the appearance and behaviour on a tool-specific basis. This becomes particularly important when setting the default and secondary texts for Scriptural hyperlinks. Clicking on these links will open one of those two texts. The secondary text is only invoked when the reference does exist in the primary text. This happens most often with the Apocrypha, so it is helpful to set a text that includes these works if research is anticipated in them. Of course, a Scripture reference can be highlighted and then amplified into a text of one's choice. The default text for hyperlinks, however, is what will appear in the Instant Details Box.

It is also important to note that searches in tools are conducted differently than texts. Specifically, rather than having a choice between searching for words or verses, tools have three search options: Entry (searches from the titles); Contents (searches the body); and Scripture (searches for verse references).

Amplification

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_amplify.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/amplify2.jpg" />

As mentioned previously, when words or phrases are selected in a pane or tab, the cursor turns to a magnifying glass in the Resource Palette allowing for amplification of a selection in many of Accordance's texts and tools. Amplification involves searching that resource for the selected item. The resource selected will either be the last one used or the one chosen by right- (or control) clicking on the resource icon. The possible examples are too numerous to mention but all follow this general philosophy.

As mentioned previously, when words or phrases are selected in a pane or tab, the cursor turns to a magnifying glass in the Resource Palette allowing for amplification of a selection in many of Accordance's texts and tools. Amplification involves searching that resource for the selected item. The resource selected will either be the last one used or the one chosen by right- (or control) clicking on the resource icon. The possible examples are too numerous to mention but all follow this general philosophy.

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_parallels.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_paralleldropdown.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_romans11.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_chevrons.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_fullotinnt.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_pulldown.jpg" />

One of the neatest features I found in Accordance was the ability to locate parallel passages. If the cursor is placed anywhere in a verse in a text and the parallel text resource (represented by the two side-by-side scrolls in the texts palette) is selected, Accordance will open parallels to that that verse in separate panes. The parallels are selected by the last default parameter or by choosing a new one. In the first example above, parallels are found to the selected text (Romans 1:1) in the Epistles. In the next example using Genesis 1:27, parallels are found between the New and Old Testaments. Note that when using this text tool, only the first few panes are shown with an a double chevron indicating that there are more panes to the right. Notice that each pane contains a drop-down menu containing all of the found parallels so that easy side-by-side comparison of particular parallels may be viewed by changing which pane shows which verse. Strangely, the panes cannot simply be moved which would seem to be a nice user alternative to have.

Many tabs and windows will contain the recycle symbol (green arrows going in a circle). When this symbol appears, it means that the next time that the same resource is selected with the same conditions that tab or window will be re-used, and the prior results will be gone. The recycle option is on by default so that needless additional tabs or windows will not open. However, there will be times when the contents of multiple uses of the same resource will need to remain open. In those circumstances, clicking on the recycle symbol will remove it and preserve the screen.

Amplification to Multiple Modules

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_tabone.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_linkto.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_secondtablink.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_textset.jpg" />

It is possible to amplify to multiple modules at one time. Remember that items in panes are synched together in most cases so this does not deal with panes but rather with tabs/windows. This is accomplished through the use of the LINK search command (search commands are discussed further below). In the first image, the first tab is searched for the word "paradise." The second tab is then selected, and the LINK search command is accessed through the Search portion of the menu bar. The second tab's search Argument Box is then populated with a command to use the same criteria as the first. Additional tabs may be linked in the same manner. Alternatively, user-created text and tool sets may be used to search multiple items for the same term by selecting the term and amplifying to that set. Most comprehensively, there are various ways to search all modules or larger subsets of modules which will be gone into detail below when I describe the Search portion of the Resource Palette.

One word of caution is necessary. In my default Preferences, my search Argument Entry Box is set to search by verse. The LINK command will be greyed out if the verses radio button is selected rather than the words button. The user will simply need to select the correct radio button, but this is something to keep in mind as it befuddled me for quite a few minutes when I could not fathom why the command was not available. I have been told by the developer that in the upcoming release of 8.1, the commands will be able to be selected when searching for verses which will cause the radio button to change from verses to words.

Amplification Shortcuts

As mentioned earlier; triple-clicking a word in a tagged text with Strong's numbers will amplify to a Greek or Hebrew lexicon; triple-clicking an English word will amplify to an English word study; and, triple-clicking a verse will amplify to the user's favourite commentary. Double-clicking in a Map or Timeline will amplify to the default reference tool as selected in User Preferences.

Background

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_background.gif" />

Screenshots will barely give a taste of what is possible with the Accordance background set, and I will only be able to briefly describe some of the features of the maps/atlas and timelines as well as their interactions with the text and tool sets. The background tools are not part of the basic Accordance set but require the Bible Atlas and the Bible Timeline modules.

The background set can be used as stand-alone resources or can be incorporated into a study of a particular passage involving other Accordance texts or tools.

Background—Atlas

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_mapwindowlayers.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_mapwindowdisplay.jpg" />

The default informational displays for maps are set by User Preferences or, like the texts and tools, can be set per screen via the menu bar or right-click contextual menu. These defaults include the following:

Map Window Layers Preferences

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_background.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_site.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_region.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_route.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_userlayer.jpg" />

Map Window Display Preferences

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_labeldetails.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_textappearance.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_animation.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_hyperlink.jpg" />

Digging Deeper into Maps

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/basicmapsview.gif" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/photoguide.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/christianbio.jpg" />

Differing magnification levels can be shown for detail which is particularly helpful on the map styles that highlight topographical differences. Clicking on any place name will bring up information on that name in the default hyperlink tool selected in Preferences. I found it particularly helpful to have the PhotoGuide set as the default hypertext resource so that pictures of various places can be accessed quickly. However, like all other features of Accordance, different resources can be accessed in multiples ways including the Library Window, Text and Tool Palettes, and right-click contextual menu. One difference with the Maps is that items changed via the Map Windows Layer Preferences can only be changed on a per pane basis through pull-downs just above the map itself in the workspace area (or menu bar) while items universally set via the Map Window Display Preferences can only be changed on a per pane basis via the right-click contextual menu (or menu bar). I have the same complaint here regarding Preferences that I had above, i.e., universal preference defaults do not change on the fly. I do note that colour changes via the per pane method can be a bit sluggish, even on my high-powered Mac Pro.

In experimenting with changing colour schemes with the maps and in discussing my findings with the developer I learned and discovered some things which are potentially confusing. The default colour selected in Preferences only applies automatically to maps selected via the Menu command of File>New>Map. I am a palette-person myself and avoid using the menu bar in nearly every program. So when I opened a new map from the palette I became terribly confused when it opened in a colour scheme that was not the one I selected in Preferences. The developer explained that a map opened from the palette will open into the colour the scheme that is first on the drop-down list (which is not seen if the map icon is simply clicked; it requires a right-click) will be the one chosen. Personally, I find that counter-intuitive and would think it much more logical than a Preference setting would cause that particular scheme to be placed at the top of the list. In experimenting with this information I found something that I would consider a program glitch. The drop-down lists for any resources can be re-arranged via drag and drop in the Library Window. These drop-down lists initially mirror the order of the lists found in the Resources Palette. However, if for example, I move my preferred colour scheme to the top of the list in the maps section of the Library Window, the Resources Palette does not change simultaneously but rather remains how it was until the program is restarted. That isn't, however, the glitch but rather another example of my observation that many changes do not happen on the fly. The glitch occurs when a change is made in the Library Window, and Accordance is quit. At that point, the Accordance asks if those changes should be saved. If yes is selected, only the Library Window closes with the rest of the program remaining open requiring a section quit command to fully close.

This aroused my curiosity to explore this further and numerous inconsistencies were found. I am assuming this is likely due to the Library Window being new to Version 8; new features tend to have pesky bugs found by the user no matter how hard the developer tries. It is simply Murphy's Law. These are the problems I encountered with re-arranging lists in the Library Window:

<ul>
<li>The "suppress save warning on all windows" in Preferences does not over-ride the save warning when closing Accordance after changes are made to the Library Window.</li>
<li>No matter what option is selected for saving (i.e. yes or no) the Library Window changes when quitting Accordance, only the Library Window quits, requiring an additional quit command to close the rest of the program.</li>
<li>If the Library Window was set as part of the default session to which Accordance should open and was involved in a save dialog box in the prior Accordance session, it will not open as it should as the default session.</li>
</ul>

I note that all of the above is eliminated if I chose to save manually before shutting down the program, but these should not happen in either scenario.

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_galatia.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_mapheaderarea.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_paulbarnmarkjourney.jpg" />

Placing the cursor on a place name in any text and then amplifying to the Maps Resource will pull up that area in accordance with the universal setting. The first image above was accessed directly by amplifying the word "Galatia" in the book of Galatians. The second and third images demonstrate how routes can be mapped such as the missionary journey of Paul, Mark, and Barnabas. The animation behaviour is controlled through Preferences.

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_3dwarning.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_mapinstantdetails.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_3dmap.jpg" />

Obviously maps may be viewed in two-dimensions, but Accordance also offers the option for a simulated three-dimensional view to obtain a more realistic idea of topography and elevations. The three-dimensional image can be enlarged and rotated through very easy controls. Additional geographical information is also displayed in any map view in the Instant Details Box. Totally unrelated to the review, but check out the neat optical illusion created in the image above of the 3D map in which the bottom edge of the black background appear to be off-level, but it isn't.

There is so much more than can be said about maps that are unfortunately beyond the scope of a basic review. Some additional capabilities include the ability to create custom user layers, routes, and measurements of distances "as the crow flies" or as actually traveled. I note that the custom layers can only be created through the header pull-downs. This at first may elude a new user as those pull-downs appear identical to the universal preference pull-downs until the user scrolls down to the very end. Additionally Accordance has a methodology in determining sets by site importance which are also customizable but beyond the scope of this review.

Background—Timeline

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_timelinelayers.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_timelinedisplay.jpg" />

The default informational displays for timelines are set by User Preferences or like the tools and texts, can be set per screen via the menu bar or right-click contextual menu. These defaults include the following:

Timeline Window Layers Preferences

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_regionlayer.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_itemlayer.jpg" />

Timeline Window Display Preferences

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_timelinefont.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_timelinedateetc.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_timelinehypertext.jpg" />

Like the Maps, the Timeline per-pane setting changes differ in procedure from texts and tools. Items changed via the Timeline Windows Layer Preferences can only be changed on a per pane basis through pull-downs just above the map itself in the workspace area (or menu bar) while items universally set via the Timelines Window Display Preferences can only be changed on a per pane basis via the right-click contextual menu (or menu bar). Like maps, custom layers can only be created via the header pull-downs. I have the same complaint here regarding Preferences that I had above, i.e., universal preference defaults do not change on the fly.

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_timelineexample.gif" />

The timeline is very similar to the maps resource in that it can be used as an amplifier to texts and tools. Its purpose is to depict the historical background of a text in a linear manner with differing colour schemes to define ages and political eras. Like everything else in Accordance, it is highly customizable to an extent which goes far beyond what can be explored in full here. One very interesting feature is that the user has the choice between two default starting presuppositions in dating schemes: Conservative and Critical (Liberal—parenthetical insertion mine). I note that Accordance did not use the word "Liberal" to describe the Critical dating scheme in an effort not to offend those who may hold to that scheme, but as a conservative Christian I am not comfortable in white-washing the presupposition, particularly as liberal theologians define themselves thusly and do not find the term as a whole derogatory. However, there is an additional option for dating schema: User-defined. The example given in the training DVD is the timing of the Exodus in which a user may disagree with both the Conservative and Critical traditions and so can create a timeline of his own which can be saved for future reference.

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_timelineinfo.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_timecount.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_timedetails.jpg" />

The names and verses that appear in timelines are hyperlinked to the dictionary and Bible specified in the User Preferences. There are visual aid tools to show indicate degrees of uncertainty, if any. There is also a very useful feature (similar to the distance measurement capability in maps) in which a line can be drawn from one event to another and the amount of time between the two is displayed in the Instant Details Box.

Beyond the Basic Search

Creating Complex Searches

Accordance contains numerous tools for creating amazingly complex searches. Unfortunately they can only be briefly discussed here, but hopefully I provide enough information to give a glimpse into the realm of what's possible. Boom!

Commands, Groupings, Symbols, and Wildcards

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_searchcommands.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_symbol.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_dictionary.gif" />

As seen in the graphics above there are numerous commands and symbols that can be combined to produce incredibly precise searches. The commands and symbols must be grouped in a specific manner and order to produce the desired results. The logic of these commands are beyond the scope of the review but are detailed extensively in the User Manual and the recommended Tutorial DVD (as well as the Help Menu). It is also important to keep in mind that triple-clicking any English word will bring up the appropriate study/dictionary resource.

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_searchdefine2.gif" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_searchdefine3.gif" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_searchdefine.gif" />

As an example, the first above image demonstrates a search that found every occurrence of the words "this" and "generation" appearing within fifteen words of each other in any verse of the New Testament. The second image finds where Adam appears in the same verse in the New Testament with either Eve or "the woman." The third image demonstrates the use of the wildcard symbol "*" in which the text of the entire Bible is searched for the phrase "king of Israel" and David appearing in the same verse with differing variations of the word "king" being included such as "kings."

Key Numbers

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<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_dictionary.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_keynumber.gif" />

Multiple texts that are tagged with identifying numbers for the underlying original Hebrew and Greek words that are translated into the English text are available for Accordance. Oftentimes it is necessary to search utilizing key numbers to obtain a better grasp of translational issues. Remember that the key number for any word in a keyed text can be obtained by simply mousing over the word for it to appear in the Instant Details Box. This is a distinct advantage to Logos (when I last used it) which requires the actual Strong's number to appear in the text itself causing difficulty and distraction in reading the text. With Accordance, I found the information to be obtained very unobtrusively. Additionally, triple-clicking any word in a keyed text will automatically open a tab with the appropriate Greek or Hebrew dictionary entry.

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_keynumberselect.gif" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_search4.gif" />

While a tagged text is opened, if the search menu is opened and the "enter key numbers" command is chosen, the key number index will appear listing all the Hebrew (numbers prefixed by "H") and Greek (numbers prefixed by "G") entries available. This is very similar to the concordance mentioned above listing all words in any text.

There are ways to obtain even more information using Key Numbers which I will discuss in the Working With Search Results and Language Set portions below.

Search Construct Window

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_blankconstruct.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_constructword.jpg" />

Accordance offers a graphical construct window which allows for searches that would be impossible using only the search commands. Others may find it more intuitive to conduct searches this way even if they are possible using the standard commands. There are three kinds of constructs: Simple (English); Greek; and Hebrew. As I do not know the original languages and the collection provided for review does not include the complex Hebrew and Greek texts, I am limiting myself to the Simple Construct window. The window is created under the File menu item > New Construct > Simple, and a blank construct window is presented. The left portion represents defining terms and relational limits while the proceeding columns will house search words. A command or definitional unit is dragged and dropped unto the columns to create a search. For example, if the "word" unit is dropped unto a column, the concordance of all available words in the active text is presented. The basic philosophy is that searches involving intricate relationships are possible. The search is conducted in the Argument Entry Box via the LINK command automatically as Accordance uses the created construct as the search parameters.

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_simpleconstruct3.gif" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_simpleconstruct2.gif" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/simpleconstruct.gif" />

The above images depict the building of a search that will meet the following conditions:
<ul>
<li>The words "Kings," "kingdom," or "king" appear in places three through ten of my search field (i.e. sentence, verse, paragraph, etc.) AND;</li>
<li>The words "Kings," "kingdom," or "king" are within fifty words of the word "God" (only when translated from the Hebrew keyword H0430) AND;</li>
<li>The words "Kings," "kingdom," or "king" are within five words of the name "David" AND;</li>
<li>The word "blessed" must appear between David and God AND;</li>
<li>The name "Solomon" must not appear between David and God.</li>
</ul>

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_constructkey.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/results.jpg" />

Above is a very interesting search example demonstrated in the Training DVD. This search will find any Hebrew or Greek word (* is the wildcard symbol) that are the same key number but are translated as different English words.

Working with Search Results

Analysis

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<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_details.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_analysistab.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_setgraphdisplay.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_keynumberanalsysis.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_concordance.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_wordcount.jpg" />

Oftentimes more information is desired other than simply being able to scroll through the search results such as statistical data. The search window already shows the number of words found and number of verses displayed (these numbers can be different for various reasons such as the same word appearing more than once in one verse). Additional statistic can be obtained via the details button. Depending upon User Preferences, certain tabs will be open by default. In my settings, those are the hits graph, analysis graph, analysis, and concordance.

Nearly all of the graphs and statistical information can be customized through the universal Command+T shortcut. It would be overkill to go through each of the options here. Simply speaking, in the hits graph the frequency of the search terms at specific parts in the text can be seen. The graph is linked to the searched text so that a user can click between one and another. Various searches can be graphed together and overlaid.

The analysis tab reveals additional information about the search term. In the screenshot above, we learn that "horse" appeared forty times in thirty-eight verses and in two different forms: Horse and horse. A details analysis, if performed on a key number search, also reveals a great deal of lexigraphical information about the item searched. As an example above, the analysis function gives us the number of times that the word "road" is used in the text as well as what Hebrew and Greek words (along with their key numbers) were translated thusly. The "horse" search did not give this additional information as that search was performed in a non-keyed text. The analysis window will reveal even more information when more than a single word is searched. This window can also be displayed and filtered in various ways when more extensive searches are performed. For example, a filter can be set to uniqueness, importance, frequency, etc.

The concordance tab will build a concordance of the search term(s), and the table can give various count information broken down by specified criteria. For example, in the concordance above, the details are given for the words in the phrase "this generation." The table lists the number of times that the word "generation" appears per Biblical book.

Analysis of original language searches can be filtered and sorted into lexical forms and parts of speech as well as other minute details. As the original languages are beyond my ken, this cannot fairly be part of my review. A new feature since Accordance 7, the analysis graph, is extraordinarily useful in comparing the nuances of the use of the lexical forms of words across various books and authors. The DVD Tutorial goes into these various functions in great detail and from what I can discern, the possibilities are quite amazing.

Bookmarking Verses and Reference Lists

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<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_selectionmenu.gif" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_referencelist.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_selectionmenu.gif" />

Option-clicking anywhere in a verse will add a blue bookmark ribbon to the right of the verse, and multiple verses can be marked. Multiple consequetive verses can also be marked via the menu bar or keyboard shortcut. Navigation is then enabled to jump quickly between marked verses. Bookmarks though are not saved when the window is closed, and here is where reference lists come in so that sets of marked verses can be preserved and edited, including additions. The reference list can be renamed to something meaningful. The reference list tab behaves like any other tab in that they can be searched, amplified, etc. Searching, however, does have to be performed using the CONTENT search command. Reference lists can be saved beyond any session.

Copy/Paste Options

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<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_copyas.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_citation.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_transliteration.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_verselist.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_mapselection.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_johnreece.jpg" />

The copy/paste options in Accordance are also customizable through User Preferences. When a block of text is highlighted for copying, there are multiple options available through the menu bar "copy as" function. One of the most common uses will be to copy as citation which is depicted above. However, for original language texts, there is also the option to copy as transliteration so that the user will not need to memorize the various grammatical marks needed for Hebrew and Greek transliterations. It is my understanding that is particularly useful in Hebrew for vowel pointers. I do not have any Hebrew texts in my particular collection; however, <a href="http://www.theologyweb.com" target="_blank">TheologyWeb </a>member John Reece has been using Accordance to cite his word study in <a href="http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/showpost.php?p=2475160&postcount=48" target="_blank">Psalm 119</a>. An example is depicted above.

For research purposes, Accordance can create a neatly formatted reference list. As an example, I performed a search for the phrase "this generation" and then chose "Select All" and "Copy As Reference List." I next opened a word processor and typed an introductory comment and pasted in the generated reference list.

Entire map images can be copied as well as areas selected by drawing a marquis around a specific portion. Accordance also offers various export functions such as rich text.

Personalization

My Stuff
<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_mystuff.jpg" />

This User Section (represented by a book and notepad icons) of the Resource Palette is where the user has great opportunity to "do their own thing." The book icon identifies custom User Tools which can be created within Accordance, or even more tantalizingly, imported from HTML, unicode, or MacRoman formatted files. Unicode support was just added with Version 8. The notepad icon represents User Notes on any text. Both User Tools and Notes can be used amplification targets and are completely integrated into the Accordance Library to the extent that they are enabled so by the user.

User Tools

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_newusertool.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_myjournal.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_firstjournalentry.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_journalscreen.jpg" />

**Dee Dee Warren** · November 18th 2008, 01:29 AM

Custom user tools can be created for any items that are not organized by verses. This might include articles, sermons, hymns, or a journal as just a few examples. Once a new tool is created it can be edited directly in its open tab or pane. Hierarchical levels may be created for easy access and organization.

For example, I have decided that Accordance will be an excellent way to finally keep a journal at the start of the year. After typing the first word, a red "T" appears in the left column showing that this is the first primary title level. In order to add additional title level entries, the mouse is simply clicked in that column. Sub-levels are added by holding the option key while clicking in the left column. Text may be formatted through the text palette (see more below), a right-click contextual menu, or through traditional word processing shortcut keys. However, I found the support for using the word processing shortcuts to be a bit spotty, so I would definitely recommend using the formatting palette. Also, I found navigation to be somewhat frustrating in the edit window. If the wrong move is made, the program gets really fussy, and it is difficult to know how to get back to the point before everything messed up. I liken this to odd spaces appearing in Word. Lacking a reveal codes function, Word can quickly send hapless secretaries into word processing Hell. Like user notes (see below for more detail) Scripture references may be made into hyperlinks, and the user tools are fully searchable.

User Tools - Importing HTML

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_importhtml.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_graveheresy.jpg" />

HTML documents may be imported as a custom user tool. At times, there may be errors in formatting which Accordance will prompt the user to correct. Above, I have imported an article from my own website. It imported without error. In the importation process, Accordance did hyperlink each of my clear Scripture references as promised. It also assigned a hierarchy based upon my header title levels. The usefulness of this feature will depend entirely upon the writer of the HTML code. Friends don’t let friends write bad code. Any imperfections can be corrected after the fact similar to editing any custom user tool.

User Tools - Importing Public Domain Bibles

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_importbible.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_rawtext.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_error.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_nameimport.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_tyndale.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_texts.jpg" />

The Bibles imported must follow certain formatting such as ASCII or MacRoman. Unicode will not be recognized. Each verse must be on its own line, and each of those lines must contain the verse number. As with searches, Accordance is flexible in decoding book abbreviations which must at least be included at the beginning of the book. If there is something that Accordance cannot understand, an alert will appear so that the file can be edited appropriately and the import re-tried. There can be quite a bit of work to get a text to appear with specific paragraphs breaks and formatting using basic HTML codes. I attempted an import of the Book of Genesis only from a Tyndale file I had found on the Internet, and it took a bit of time to correct the errors, but it did successfully import. It was later that I learned that a properly formatted full Tyndale Bible text (along with many other items) was available on the <a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/exchange/" target="_blank">Accordance Exchange Page</a>.

User Notes

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_editusernote.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_mynote.jpg" />
<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_mynotes.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_reddots.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_newnotes.jpg" />

To start using notes, a new notes file must be created. This does not need to be done each time as notes can be added to an existing file. Separate user notes files might be desirable for different users or projects. To then add a note to a verse, the user need only place the cursor anywhere in a verse and hit the "Edit User Note" from the menu bar. After a particular notes file is selected, then the verse reference is inserted (hyperlinked) into the note and the user can then type what they wish. In the actual text window, red dots will appear to the right of verses with associated notes. These notes are not specific to the text from which they were marked so that the dots will appear next to the same verses in other texts which contain that same verse.

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_notespref.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_linkableref.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_notesandtext.jpg" />

The default appearance of User Notes is set in User Preferences. Additional typed verse references can be made hyperlinkable within the edit window (though the links aren't active until viewed in an actual notes window/tab/pane). Notes can be viewed on their own in separate tabs/panes or can be accessed by clicking on the corresponding red dots. There are highlighting and text palettes that can be used with notes that will be done into in brief detail below. Additionally standard word processing shortcuts are activated in the edit window (the same shortcuts are used for different purposes throughout other areas of Accordance) as well as a right-click contextual formatting menu. Hebrew and Greek characters can be dragged and dropped into the notes edit window. The edit window can be activated by typing directly into a notes window/tab/pane after a note is created. They are saved across sessions unlike bookmarks and are searchable by both content and verse reference.

If the option key is held down while clicking in the up/down arrows in the edit window, an entry will automatically be created for the next/previous verse if the user is creating a verse by verse commentary. The up and down arrows are also used to move up and down within the notes file when pressed without the option key. Notes can only be attached to one verse, but a range reference can be added by the user within the notes file itself. In my opinion, it would seem helpful though for Oaktree to find a way to be able to have a function to mark a group of texts without having to finagle the notes to appear so.

I may be sounding like a broken record, but I have a complaint here when it comes to universal preference changes. If I have an existing notes files, and I changed the universal preferences for user notes, those changes will only apply to entries created after that change. In my mind, universal changes should be just that: universal, similar to hitting command+A and making changes. If that is not desirable as standard behaviour, I believe the developer should at least make that an option. Also, this is difficult to explain, but no matter what font or size I chose, the cursor just didn't "feel right." It appeared too tall and too close to the prior letter.

Additional Palettes

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_characterpalette.gif" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_fontpalette.gif" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_highlights.gif" />

The character palette allows the user to be able to type searches in original language characters without having to memorize the various marks and pointers. The font palette can be used with the user notes and user tools to make formatting easier and is pretty much self-explanatory.

The most interesting of the three is the highlight palette. At first glance, it seems quite innocuous, but there is a lot of function lurking beneath.

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_newhighlightdialog.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_eschatologystyle.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_highlightstyles.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_highlightfile.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_highlightfiles.jpg" />

As seen above, various highlight styles can be created which can then be organized into sets. This can be highly useful when different studies have differing needs or when several users have different highlighting style tastes.

Original Languages

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_parsing.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_sentencediagram.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_syntax.gif" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_languagetool.jpg" />

This area delves into deeper study than the average lay user may think they need, but if a user has ever used a Strong's concordance or any lexicon such as Thayer's, then this pool is not too deep to wade into and will enrich any study.

Using a keyed text, if a group of text is selected and then amplified to the parsing or syntax tools, additional information on the original languages behind each of the selected words is displayed in a separate window/tab. The diagram tool is something that the average will not use, but I know that my husband would have gone wild over it when he was going through his three semesters of Greek. The speech tool reads the text aloud in a voice chosen under User Preferences. This tool is not limited to the English texts but will also give a decently accurately rendition of Hebrew and Greek.

Search and Favourites

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_searchfunction.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_definegroup.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_searchtool.jpg" />

This portion of the Resource Palette allows for broad searches to be conducted and for selection of favourite modules and workspaces for quick access. The Favourites function is self-explanatory. A module or workspace is added to the list by simply having that item open and clicking "add module" or "add workspace." The Search function is much more interesting. Any word can be selected and then quickly searched within the active text by clicking on the search icon. However, as seen above, all texts, all tools, and custom group sets can also be searched at one time. The creation of custom groups, just like text and tool sets, is done through a very easy creation box. A comprehensive search can be interrupted, and an index tab will open listing the number of hits in the various source materials searched up to that point.

Additionally, tagged text searches can be made easier with the Search function. If one text is opened, and a word is selected; option-clicking the search icon will open an additional tab of the same text with that search result of the words translated from the underlying key number displayed.

User Help

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_help.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_embeddedhelp.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_shortcuts.jpeg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_tutorial.jpg" />

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/tn_onlinemovies.jpg" />

There is comprehensive help tools available under the help menu including tutorials which follow nearly exactly the material covered in the Learning DVD. Additionally, in any window, help specific to that particular window by choosing Window>Window Help from the menu bar. This is definitely a boon to the user. As noted in the introduction, Accordance also has a <a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/blog/" target="_blank">blog</a> and a <a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/forums/" target="_blank">users' discussion forum</a>. An Accordance user has also recently <a href="http://macbiblioblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/accordance-blog-search-engine.html" target="_blank">created a convenient means of searching the blog</a>.

Conclusion

All of the functions above are capable of being accessed through multiple avenues and not simply the Resource Palette which I focused on since it is the method I prefer. As the above images show, the exact same functions can be accessed through the Library Window, the Menu Bar, and good old keyboard shortcuts.

It would be an understatement to say I am wild about this program. I consider it a must-have resource for the serious Bible student on the Macintosh platform. Any complaints listed above were minor inconveniences. Accordance will be a staple of my daily devotional and study life.

This program is way too complex to break-down into a few pros and cons so I have made two more comprehensive lists. The "cons" lists may certainly reflect more of my particular experience preferences rather than any true program problems and other user's may feel entirely differently. Additionally some "cons" are simply the nature of complex programs such as learning curves and price. If the changes I suggested above (and will reiterate below) were implemented, this would easily be a five-plus star program.

Pros:
<ul>
<li>Lots of very good training materials and user helps</li>
<li>An attentive and caring developer</li>
<li>Clean interface with continuity between functions and screens</li>
<li>Highly customizable</li>
<li>No need to dig through layers in order to perform a search</li>
<li>Complex (high-powered capabilities)</li>
<li>Information immediately available via the Instant Details Box</li>
<li>Key Numbers not required to be displayed in the text</li>
<li>Amplification feature is nearly inexhaustible</li>
<li>Search Construct window makes possible searches that are impossible through typical search command strings</li>
<li>Useful Copy/Paste options for using the resources in theological writing</li>
</ul>

Cons:
<ul>
<li>The price might be out of range for some</li>
<li>Potentially confusing installation process</li>

<li>Behaviour of global appearance Preference changes (see review)</li>
<li>Complex (there is a certain needed time investment and learning curve)</li>
<li>Clunky editing of User Tools</li>
<li>Awkward cursor behaviour in user notes</li>

</ul>

<h2>Change Wish-List</h2>
<ul>
<li>Only two texts at a time may be compared using the “compare text” feature</li>
<li>Cannot copy information from Instant Details Box</li>
<li>Option-click does not close all but the active pane as it does with tabs</li>
<li>Workspaces cannot be easily renamed through right-click</li>
<li>In using compare parallels the tabs cannot be dragged and moved</li>
<li>Bookmarks cannot be saved outside of one session</li>
<li>Only one verse at a time can be bookmarked; same for notations</li>
</ul>

Verdict

<img src="http://www.deedeewarren.com/images/woa5onehalfstars.jpg" />

If you study the Bible seriously, buy it. Now. I am beyond pleased with this program, and if the developer considers making any of the minor changes I suggested before, I would be happier than a clam at high tide.

Just after this review was completed, Accordance was updated to Version 8.1 which has many useful changes. <a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/blog/2008/11/lookin-good-accordance-81.html" target=_"blank">The Accordance Blog</a> has several entries regarding this point upgrade.

Giveaway

Oaktree has kindly offered one free <a href="http://www.accordancebible.com/products/packages/details.php?ID=596" target="_blank">Library 8 Introductory Level</a> collection worth $99.00 (the 8.1 upgrade is free to Version 8 users) as a giveaway prize. The winner will be selected randomly from among those who comment on this review here at World of Apple. Each person will only be entered once. This giveaway will take place on December 5.

ENTRIES WILL ONLY BE COUNTED FROM COMMENTS MADE AT THE WORLD OF APPLE SITE - <a href="http://news.worldofapple.com/review-giveaway-accordance-8/">CLICK HERE</a>

**John Reece** · November 18th 2008, 08:56 PM

"World of Article" at the beginning of the review needs to be edited/corrected to read "World of Apple" — yes?

**Dee Dee Warren** · November 18th 2008, 09:26 PM

Thank you yes. I have fixed it. Did you see I used you as an example?

**Dee Dee Warren** · January 13th 2009, 09:43 AM

Stop spamming my review.

**harryi** · November 4th 2010, 06:29 PM

you two compete for the review?not serious?

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