Learning to Use the Windows Online Bible Help System
Selecting Help >Table of Contents from the pull down Help menu displays the Online Bible's help information indexed for easy access. The Online Bible's help information is designed to be read as a book, but can easily be searched to find those topics that deal with any term you want to look for. There could be several topics that are related to your keyword(s). Select the topic that most closely matches your search word(s).
This document contains the Quick Start Tutorial section of the Online Bible's help system and is designed to orient new users. It explains fundamental concepts and helps get the user started with the basics. However, the Online Bible is a sophisticated tool that contains features not readily observable, therefore please spend time studying the rest of the Table of Contents.
Working in the Online Bible – Overview
The Default Window Style has 6 windows. You can change the window style (for example, to be able to display multiple Bible Passage windows), but we don't recommend this until you have mastered the program.
The Bible Passage window in the upper right corner is where you read the Bible. You can set your preferred version as the default, but also read from other versions, either one at a time or in an inter linear fashion. You can display Strong's references (toggle by pressing "s") and request the definition of the Greek or Hebrew word. You can also move your cursor over a word or Strong's number to pop up a window with more information about that word.
The Cross Reference window in the upper center displays other passages that relate to the scripture in the Bible Passage window. This window will also display the results of a search.
The Search Bible window in the upper center displays the results of a word or phrase search ( F7 or flashlight icon).
The Notes and Commentary window in the lower right displays commentary that corresponds to the Bible Passage, or related notes that you have added.
The Book/Topics window in the lower left section displays books that are not indexed to scripture. These can include Spurgeon's Morning and Evening devotions, historical information, creation studies, maps, and dictionaries.
The Library/Favorites vertical window on the left (see next page) allows you to work with the whole Topics and Books library as well as setting your default modules to use throughout the Online Bible program.
Displaying a Bible passage
To view a passage in the Bible Passage window:
Click on the first tool bar icon.
-or-
Click File > Open > Passage.
-or-
Press Ctrl+F1 on the keyboard.
In the View Passages dialogue box, do the following.
In the Book, Chapter and Verse lists, click your selections. You can also type the book name, chapter and verse in the Passage box (e.g., John 3:16).
In the Select Version to Display list, select your preferred version. The installed default is the Authorised Version (KJV). Click OK. The passage displays in the Bible Passage window. In addition, cross references and commentary corresponding to the passage display in the Cross Reference window and the Notes window. Note the Open New Window checkbox will add another window to the screen.
Working in the Bible Passage window
Do the following to move around in the window:
To move up and down in the window, use the scroll bar.
To move forward or back one verse, use the right and left arrow keys.
To go to the next chapter, press Ctrl+PageDown.
To go to the previous chapter, press Ctrl+PageUp.
To go to the next book, press Alt+Page Down.
To go to the previous book, press Alt+PageUp.
To change the version that displays, click another version tab along the top of the window.
To open the context menu for the Bible Passage window, right-click anywhere in the window. From the pop-up menu, you can do things like open or close other versions in an interlinear style, view cross references, add to a verse list, bookmark the passage so that you can find it quickly later, and make notes.
Note that there are many single character hotkeys that allow you to bypass the pop-up menu. For example, pressing the letter S on the keyboard will turn Strong's numbers on and off and pressing the letter F will toggle the English text in IGNT.
To compare the displayed version with other versions, right-click and choose Open/Close Parallel Versions. In the list select the version. Repeat to add more parallel versions. For each verse in the Bible Passage window, the primary version displays first, then the parallel versions. To turn the parallel versions off, de-select them in the list.
To display Strong's numbers click #S in the tool bar at the top of the window (or press S on the keyboard). Note that Strong's numbers work only in the AV, RWebster, NKJV, NAS95 and Greek texts.
To display more information about a word or a Strong's reference, move the cursor until it changes to a hand. The information displays in a pop-up or floating window. If you'd rather display the information in the Library window, double-click the word. To copy the information in a pop-up, right-click and choose Copy Window to Clipboard. To close a pop-up, move the cursor off the pop-up. If you prefer, you can turn off the pop-up windows. On the View menu, de-select Floating Window Lookup to turn off the Strong's pop-up, or Floating Window Word Lookup to turn off the dictionary pop-up.
To view any available footnotes in the Bible text, click in the tool bar at the top of the window . Pressing F on the keyboard will also turn footnotes off and on. To add your own note (commentary) about a verse, double-click the verse number in the left margin. In the Notes dialogue box, type your note. To save and close the Note editor, press Ctrl+Z on the keyboard. The verse number changes color to indicate an attached personal note. To view your note any time in the Notes window, double-click the verse number in the Bible Passage window.
Setting Favorites for versions, commentaries, etc.
The Bible versions and commentaries that are available in the various windows, either from the right-click context menu or the tabs along the top of the window, are determined by a default set of favorites. You can change the defaults so that you see only those versions or resources that you prefer to work with.
If there is no vertical Library/Favorites window on the left of your screen, click on the stack of books icon or press F3 on the keyboard. On the right side of the Library/Favorites window you will see vertical tabs, click each of the tabs (e.g., Bibles) and then select or de-select items in each section with the check-box.
Setting the default. Click on the NAME of the module you want to set as the default for each section.
Selecting your preferred resources
Bibles
Select the translations that you want available in the Bible Passage window.
Commentaries
Select the commentaries that will be available in the Notes window.
Books/Topics
Select items for the Library window. These are items that are not indexed to scripture.
Greek/Hebrew
The default lexicon selected here will display when you double-click a Strong's number in the Bible Passage window, or float your cursor over a Strong's number.
Parallel Bibles
Select parallel versions that can be included in an inter linear display in the Bible Passage window.
Dictionaries
Select the dictionaries that will be used in the pop-up window, or when you double-click a Bible Passage word that has a dictionary entry.
Right click with the mouse anywhere within the Window to open the pop-up menu in order to "Select All" or "Clear All".
Hint: Choose only those items that you intend to use all the time. Too many tabs will reduce the viewing area in a display window.
When finished with your selections click on the Update button at the bottom.
Searching
You can search for occurrences of a particular word or phrase, or use a Strong's number to find all occurrences of a particular Greek or Hebrew word.
Click on the tool bar, or press F7 on the keyboard.
In the Word Search dialogue box, do the following:
In the Search Text box, type the word or phrase you are searching for.
(Tip: For automatic entry of search text, click or highlight the word(s) in the Bible passage before you press F7.)
Using wild cards in a word search. Use a ? (question mark) to replace a single letter, or an * (asterisk) to replace any number of letters. An * at the end of a word root will find all forms of that word. An * at the beginning of a word will find all prefixed forms of the word. To find out about more complex searches using operators, check the help (F1).
Click Word Search. (Use the Phrase Search option to search for more than one word.)
(Optional) The default search range is the entire Bible. To change the Current Search Range, click the Set Range button. Then select one of the predefined ranges like Old Testament, or select a specific starting and ending range. Click OK.
Entering search criteria
In the Select Item to Search section, click the resource to be searched. To show all resources in the search results, de-select Show Bibles Only.
Click OK to start the search. The results will display in the Search window.
Other features
To do a Dictionary search:
In the Dictionary Contents list, double-click a word. To search a different dictionary, select it in the Dictionaries list.
To select from the Library:
In the Library Contents list, browse to the item you want and double-click it. To change to a different library, select it in the Libraries list.
Using Themes
The Themes feature allows you to cross reference a Bible verse by thought or subject, rather than by an exact word or phrase.
To view themes:
In the Bible Passage window, click a verse and then press T on the keyboard. You can also click the ThemeIndex tab in the Commentary and Themes window on the lower right.
A list of themes for the verse will display in the Commentary window. Additional information may also be included, such as authorship, date, and analysis of the Bible book.
To display all related references for a particular theme in a pop-up window, move the cursor over the link. To display the full text of the listed verses, double-click in the pop-up.
Copying verses
To copy verses in a display window to a word processing program like MS Word, select the verse(s) and then right-click. In the pop-up menu, choose Copy to Clipboard Formatted. If Word is already open, the copied verses will be pasted at the cursor location in the Word document.
You can also copy verses without having to display them first. Click on the tool bar, or press F8. After you enter the verse range, you can select the version, parallel version if displayed, and whether to include verse numbers, footnotes or Strong's numbers.
Printing
To use the Online Bible print function, click on the tool bar or press F12. In the Print dialogue box, several tabs allow you to choose the content and versions to include, the type of output, etc.
Going back to a previous view
To view a history of what you've looked at in a particular window, right-click in the window and select Internal Window List in the pop-up menu. You can return to a previous view by clicking the item in the list.
Adding bookmarks
Bookmarks allow you to quickly return to a location in a Bible or book without having to open the resource and find it again.
To add a bookmark:
Click on the tool bar, or press F5 on the keyboard . You can also right-click in the window and select Bookmark in the pop-up menu.
In the Bookmark Manager window, type a name for the bookmark, and click Add Bookmark. Then click Exit.
To go to a bookmarked spot:
Right-click in the window and select Bookmark in the pop-up menu.
In the Bookmark Manager window, select the bookmark in the Bookmark Descriptions list, and click Go to Bookmark. Then click Exit.
Keeping a list of verses
To keep track of particular verses, you can create a verse list. To add verses to the current list, click in the verse. Then press A on the keyboard, or right-click and select Add to Verse List in the pop-up menu. To add all the verses in the Cross Reference/Search window, right-click and select Add List.
To view your list, click on the tool bar, or press F11. In the User Verse List dialogue box, you can delete verses, or add a verse by typing a reference in the Verse Entry box. To start a new list, in the User Verse List dialogue click Clear to delete the existing list, or Save to File if you want to be able to retrieve it later. To copy your verse list to the clipboard (so that you can paste it in a Word document, for example), press F8. In the Send Verses to Clipboard dialogue box, select the option Copy User Verse List to Clipboard and click OK.
Using other resources
To view Maps and Charts, click on the tool bar or press F4 on the keyboard.
From the File > Open menu you can view a basic Calendar, an Astro-Calendar, and children's Bible Stories. You can also view and listen to hymns.
In the Library Contents section of the Favourites window (F9), browse to the Devotional folder and then double-click Hymnal.
Select the hymn in the list.
The words of the hymn display in the Library window. To play the hymn, double-click mmplayer.
Items on the Audio menu – the Alexander Scourby narration of the King James text is now included on the DVD.
Getting help
For more help, use the options on the Help menu, or press F1 for help specific to the window you are working in. You can also click the Help button in a dialogue box. Two other manuals are available in PDF format in the following folders:
124 page User's Guide in Program Files\Bible\maneng.pdf
72 page Advanced User's Guide in Program Files\adveng.pdf
You can open these files in Adobe Reader.
Customizing the Online Bible
We have created a number of sample desktops that you can use as is or change and save as you wish. For example "3363 Sermons and Communion Meditations." to simplify access to Spurgeon's Sermons.
Desktops allow you to set up and save separate sets of study information that you can quickly return to whenever you open the Online Bible. Once you set up the Bible passage, cross references, and commentary windows for the particular study, you can save that view as a desktop that can be opened whenever you want.
To create a desktop:
Set up the desired information in each display window. For example, find the Bible passage, show the cross references, select the commentary, and display any other related material.
Click on the tool bar, or press F6 on the keyboard.
In the Desktop dialogue box, click the Create tab.
Type a name for the desktop (e.g., Sunday morning sermon prep) and click OK.
To open a desktop:
In the Desktop dialogue box, click the Load tab.
Select the desktop name and click OK. The desktop displays as you last used it.
To restore the default desktop:
In the Desktop dialogue box, click the Restore Default button. This will restore the original installed desktop.
Setting the Daily Desktop
If you use a daily devotional, such as Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, you can create a desktop with the devotional open in the Library window, and then select that desktop as your Daily Desktop. The first time each day that you open the Online Bible, it will open to that devotional desktop.
Set up the desktop the way you want it, and then save it using a name such as Daily Devotions.
Click on the tool bar, or press F6 on the keyboard.
In the Desktop dialogue box, click the Daily tab.
Select the desktop you just created and click OK
Various settings allow you to customize the Online Bible display and operation. From the Tools menu, you can select Customize Settings to set User Settings such as "Use full reference names" and "Show window tabs on multiple lines." Another thing you might want to do is set the display font to Verdana, a font that has been designed for computer screen viewing.
To change the font setting:
From the Tools menu, select Customize Settings.
In the Customize Settings dialogue box, click the Fonts tab.
In the Apply Font to list, click the font item that you want to change (e.g., Display Font).
Click the Change Selected Font button.
In the Font dialogue box, select the Font, Font style, and Size and click OK.
Click OK to return to the desktop.
