Note: Available in packages Bronze and above.
The Concordance tool builds a dynamic index of any resource in your library. It analyzes the data in that resource, extracts it, and allows you to filter the results.
Note: The first time you choose a resource, the Concordance tool generates a special index of the data that is cached and will take up hard drive space and may take a few moments to load.
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Generate a Concordance
To generate a Concordance:
- Click the Tools icon
and type "concordance" in the search box. Select the Concordance tool.
- Choose the resource for which you want to generate a Concordance by searching for it in the search box. In this example, we’ll use the ‘Colossians and Philemon Commentary’ by N.T. Wright in the Tyndale New Testament Commentary series.
- Choose the type of concordance you want to create by clicking Word in the navigation bar.
Note: Use the concordance to filter different kinds of information in your resource. In this example, create a concordance based on the specific words, references, or works cited in the resource.
- Select a reference range (if applicable) by clicking All Passages.
- Save the concordance by clicking the Panel History menu (the small downward pointing triangle
next to the panel menu) and clicking the pin icon
to the left of the open concordance’s name.
Note: The pin icon will only show when you are hovering over the concordance name.
Navigating the Concordance
Once your concordance has been generated, the panel displays two columns: a navigation pane and a results pane.
The Results
The Concordance results show in the pane on the right. Notice that with this example, we have generated a Word Concordance displaying results by the number of hits rather than in alphabetical order. You can change how results display by clicking Heading or Count.
Click the expand icon next to a heading to display all instances of that particular heading. Click an instance to open the resource to that location in a new panel.
Note: In this example, Wright uses the word ‘justification’ eight times in his commentary. The Concordance tool shows you exactly where those instances are. However, also notice that in 61 places, he uses the word ‘just,’ or ‘justly,’ and in 6 places he uses the word ‘justice’, any of which may contribute to a larger discussion around the doctrine of Justification. The Concordance tool, unlike a typical search, shows all of these results within the resource.
Additional Notes
The saved concordances for a given resource may need to be regenerated sometimes:
- When the concordance cache file format is changed (this will happen very rarely);
- When the resource has been updated;
- When you run concordances on enough resources that the oldest concordance in the cache is deleted to make room for the newest one.
Adding a Concordance to a saved layout does not save the cache file, so depending on how long it’s been since you opened the layout, the Concordance may need to be regenerated when the layout is loaded.