The Books search was introduced in Logos 10 and replaces, although is not exactly equivalent to, the previous Basic search capability. You can use a Books search to find a word or phrase in your entire Logos library, or in particular fields within specific tools or sets of resources.
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Running a Books Search
To begin a Books Search.
- Click the Search button
in the toolbar (in Logos 9 this was to the left of the command box).
- Ensure that the Books search type is selected. (Other search types available depend on your base package.)
- Logos provides several tools to help you formulate an effective query:
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Search Helps (in the main search pane) provide basic guidance about how to construct your search.
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Search Templates allow you to build a more complex search without having to use search syntax. Instead, select the kind of search you want to make, then enter your search terms in the dialog box that appears. Search Templates appear in the left navigation menu, which can be toggled on/off using the navigation menu icon
.
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Search Suggestions: As you type, Logos will populate a list of suggestions to help you refine your search. For best results, select one of these. Otherwise, finish typing your search query and press Enter.
Note: The screenshot shows a Precise button at the top right. This enables switching between Precise and Smart Searching and only appears with a Logos Pro subscription. All of the searches in this article use Precise searching
Search Results
There are six ways in which results can be presented - these provide different ways of grouping your results.
Grouping by Library
With this option, your results are grouped based on the "type" of book:
- Downloaded Books - books you have downloaded to the hard drive on your computer
- Cloud Books - books you own but you haven't downloaded
- Print Library - books you own in print and have added to your Logos Library
- Personal Books - books you have created and added in to your Logos Library
Open one of the sections to see results from books in that group - and in either the Downloaded Books group or the Personal Books group you can click a search result to open the associated book to that place.
If you click one of the results in the Cloud Books section, you are given the option to download it or to open it in the Web App.
If you click one of the results in the Print Library section, you get access to a preview of the book and the option to purchase it.
Grouping by Book
With this option, your results are shown by book and you have the option to sort results either by:
- Count: the number of search results in the book
- Title: showing results in alphabetical order of the book titles
- Rating: showing results with your highest rated matching books at the top (this assumes you have applied Ratings to books in the Library)
Open an entry to see the search results in that book and click one of the results to open the book to that place.
Grouping by Author
With this option, your results are shown sorted by author.
Open an entry to see the search results in that book and click one of the results to open the book to that place.
Grouping by Type
With this option, your results are shown sorted by type of book.
Open a grouping to see all the results in books of that type, ordered by relevancy, and click one of the results to open the book to that place.
Grouping by Series
With this option, your results are shown sorted by series.
Open a grouping to see all the results in books in that series, ordered by relevancy, and click one of the results to open the book to that place.
No Grouping
With this option, your results are shown, ordered by relevancy, without any grouping at all.
Click one of the results to open the book to that place.
Refining Your Search
Limit Books Searched
You can limit or expand your search to specific resources by clicking Your Books. Type the name of the resource (or collection, tag or series) you want to search in the dialog box that appears, or make a selection from the drop-down menu.
Note: Depending on the books selected, the All Passages option may disappear.
Search Fields
Setting a search field determines what category of resource or part of a resource you would like to search.
To change your search field, click All Text to open the Search Field drop-down menu. Click the arrow icon to expand the options under Search Fields. For example, you can choose to search only article headings by selecting the check box next to Heading Text.
Search Passages
If you books you are searching contain biblical passage references, you can constrain the passages searched by using the All Passages menu (if the books do not contain passage references, this menu will not be present). Click All Passages to open a dialog allowing you to limit your search to a specific range of text.
Using Search Operators
You can use search operators to create more advanced searches. For example, if you'd like to find a phrase containing two words, but you don't know the exact phrase, try typing [word] WITHIN 5 WORDS [word]. Your search results will display every occurrence where the two words you entered are mentioned within five words of each other.
Additional Resources
- Logos Help: Books Search
- Logos Search Faithlife group