WordSearch Bible web app
The WordSearch Bible web app is a new program for 2018 based on Progressive Web Apps. It is designed to work on most platforms and provides Internet access to your WordSearch Bible collection from anywhere that has an Internet connection for your browser. This can now be turned into an actual app on iOS and iPadOS version 14.
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[edit] Getting started
Open your browser to provide the basic access to the web app. The web site Word search web site provides access to the home screen for the app. (Note the pathname shown at the top of the web browser screen.) This is intended as your usual starting point. Tapping the login logo will provide the login screen. (only limited views will be shown if you don't login.) You can use either your WordSearch Bible account or your LifeWay account. This screen will already be filled in if you saved it. Tapping this will return you to the home screen. This screen takes two forms. For want of a better words I will call them portrait and landscape. These are both pictured on this page which are snapshots taken from an iPad.
[edit] Portrait screen
The portrait screen shows a selection of icons across the bottom of the screen while the landscape screen shows them on the left side. The main ones are home, reader, and library tools. Tapping reader will show one of the two screens shown here. Portrait provides access to one book at a time, while landscape can show several. If you are on a laptop or desktop you can merely stretch the edge of the window to convert from one to the other, or tap the full screen button. On a tablet you can simply rotate the screen.
Tapping the library icon will show the books you own with icons (cover image) for each book. You will need to scroll to find the one you want or you can search for it. Note that the search entries require a full word to search. You can type more than one word but they are treated as OR. The display and search can also be limited by selecting a category. Once a book is selected you can view it using the reader icon. Tap the book cover to open it.
The reader tool is shown in the two images, the portrait screen and the landscape screen.
[edit] Limitations and tips
[edit] small screens
A small screen like the one on a smartphone will also support rotation but instead of showing multiple screens it will show the single screen using larger text. (You may need to tap the home button and the read button again to redraw the screen see the results properly.) When using landscape mode you will only see a few lines of text. You can increase the amount of text by turn off the menu to provide a couple more lines. Tap the 9 dots tab to turn the menu off and tap it again to turn it back on. You will need to have it on to make a page change.
[edit] Non touch screens
When using this program on your desktop computer or other non-touch screens all of the features may not be present in portrait mode. For example the scroll bar may not respond to the mouse clicks. If this happens use the keyboard arrows to scroll the screen or widen the display to landscape mode.
[edit] Browser use
You can try any Web Browser but you may have better results using either Google Chrome browser or Firefox since they usually have the latest HTML5 features. These are the only ones that the LifeWay folks support, plus Safari on Apple mobile devices.
[edit] Library tool
The library mode displays only 30 books on the screen at a time. If you scroll all the way past the display you will find next and previous page buttons. They may not be present and will likely not work in portrait mode. In the Apple browser on my iPad you can see them but when you turn loose of the scrolling they disappear.
[edit] Login
If you leave the browser and return sometime later the screen will be where you left it but you may find that most of your books are missing. This is caused by an automatic logoff. Tap the Home tool and then login again. Once you login all your books should be available. You can also use the home screen to logout. Without a login there is a trial mode that lets you view about 28 books.
[edit] Landscape screen
The Landscape screen allows for several books to be shown side by side. For best results use the full screen setting for the app. You may need to scroll sideways to see them all. On the desktop model you can move the separator line between the books. This will make one book wider or narrower than the adjacent ones. There is a lower limit to the width which is wider than I think it should be. This limits the number of books you can see at once to 3 books on a 1920 x 1080 screen. You will have to scroll to see any more open books. The tablet model may only show 1 page and part of the second as shown in the image. The width of the pages is not adjustable on the iOS version.
Much more to come.
[edit] The Commands
The commands include:
- The library tool
- The reader tool
- a Parallel Tool which will allow opening 2 or more bibles side by side.
- A Word Study Tool
- A store tool to browse and buy more books (including free one).
- User Profile and settings - setup preferences including your default Bible. You can also change the font size in settings.
