Feature to export or print notes

[NovoGenesis]

In our opinion, there is one major feature missing from all versions of the Gospel Library as follows:

Namely, the ability to save or export a comprehensive listing of the user notes, including the associated references, as an independent document in common word processor formats such as DOCX, WPD, PDF, etcetera. Moreover, there should also be an option for printing the same document, or portion thereof, from within the application.

The exported or printed listing should include individual options for listing any combination of the associated references for each note. For example, in the case of a scripture annotation, the reference associated with each note might include: the standard reference (book/chapter/verse), the quoted or highlighted scriptural text, index or tag words, date of note, note author, or assigned subject.

Other options might allow the user to export or print a full or partial listing of personal notes, or the option to sort the exported or printed listing by any of the associated reference fields or other assigned attributes.

While we cannot speak for others, the lack of such a feature has been a major barrier to our adoption of the Gospel Library application as the main tool for our gospel study, especially of the scriptures. Many consider their collection of personal notes a treasure of gospel study discoveries and personal insights. The ability to independently export, print, read, edit, and use their own personal cross-referenced library of notes, as an independent document, would be an incredible addition to the Gospel Library application on all platforms.

Thank you for allowing us to comment.

[aebrown]

In our opinion, there is one major feature missing from all versions of the Gospel Library as follows:

Namely, the ability to save or export a comprehensive listing of the user notes, including the associated references, as an independent document in common word processor formats such as DOCX, WPD, PDF, etcetera. Moreover, there should also be an option for printing the same document, or portion thereof, from within the application.

The Notes tool on LDS.org does have a rather rudimentary version of this capability. It allows you to download all the notes in a given Notebook in DOCX, RTF, or XML format.

notes-download.png (67.62 KiB) Viewed 8529 times

Once you've downloaded the document, you can of course print it the same way you print any DOCX file. There are of course some limitations:

• The download is available only per notebook, so if you have multiple notebooks, you'll have to do multiple downloads.
• The download feature doesn't exist in any of the mobile apps. But since your notes/tags/bookmarks/journal entries sync from the mobile apps with LDS.org, you do have access to all the work you did on your mobile device(s).
• It's tricky to print from mobile devices anyway (independent of this feature).
• You have no control over the ordering or formatting of individual items in the download.

But it's a start. It sounds like you weren't familiar with this capability, so I thought it would be helpful to mention it, even if at this point it doesn't meet all your requirements.

[NovoGenesis]

Thank you for your reply and for the helpful information on the current export feature. Your reply gave us substantial insight into the current export capabilities and also the hope that there is, though limited, a method for exporting and managing our notes and references outside of the program.

As you surmised, I am new to the mobile apps and to LDS.org notebooks. As such, I'm just beginning to explore their features, but did not want to invest a huge amount of effort into marking, cross-referencing, or note creation, until knowing what kind of access we might have to our work after the fact.

Most my experience to-date has been with LDS View on a desktop, which may, or may not, have any similarity to Gospel Library for apps or LDS.org notes. In the case of that application, access to notes is extremely limited and we are forced to deal with predefined sets of files that hold our notes in a proprietary format. Likewise, conversations with users of the newer apps has also suggested that access to our custom notes and references may be limited.

I would love to ask several questions, but recognize my need to read the user guide and to do some additional experimentation before bothering others with such questions. Suffice it to say, as you have already inferred, the features for managing and exporting notes appears to be somewhat rudimentary. Nevertheless, we hope our original comments will provide some good ideas to those who may be developing the future features for this program.

[astalbot]

I would also add my voice to the chorus of people who say that this app will never be really adopted until the ability to print documents and notes are made available.

[davesudweeks]

As is often suggested, this forum is user-to-user help. Developers and decision makers on the features of all the LDS apps may or may not visit this forum. Most of us on the forum do not have any direct access to the developers and decision makers at CHQ.

The best way to get your request in front of that group is to use the feedback option within the specific app or tool itself. All those feedback requests are reviewed by those who can get it to the proper organizations for consideration. I would suggest that every individual who wants a specific feature use the feedback individually so it is obvious there are multiple people who desire the feature.

[capo5005]

When I use the export note feature on lds.org, it does not include the author name. I have to re-look up the name of each talk and add the speaker anytime I take notes on a general conference talk. This wastes a considerable amount of time. Am I missing something? How can the author name be added? I've tried including details, highlights, etc. NOTHING works. Also, I have to do rtf format everytime because opening a docx (at least in MS OFFICE 2016) fails everytime.

[mynameisnate]

What is the point of making notes if I can't:

a) organize them after they're in a notebook
b) look at them cohesively

The note feature is so bad it makes me want to print a paper manual and hand-annotate.

[sbradshaw]

What is the point of making notes if I can't:

a) organize them after they're in a notebook
b) look at them cohesively.

What do you mean by "look at them cohesively"?

[bpurser]

For many years I have used the export feature on the lds.org page to download a backup copy of all my scripture notes and comments. This export feature has helped to give me an assurance that no matter what should happen to my account or the data stored there, I would still have a copy of these very important (to me) notes. Recently I went to do an export and noticed the function is no longer listed on lds.org. Please tell me it has just been moved and not removed?!

[trevorjchristensen]

I must agree with the foregoing comments - the inability to organize notes (sort them at least) and print a whole notebook (what happen to the export feature?) - means the app/tools will never gain widespread acceptance/use.