In version 1.4, BibleXpress gets a search update.  There are also now app “Settings.”

Simple Search

The new “Simple Search” interface is for folks who don’t want to mess with confusing search options or multiple search terms.  Just type in a few words, and BibleXpress finds all the verses in the Bible (in whichever translation you happen to be reading) that have those words.  The simple search uses the new fast indexed search to make your searches lightening fast - about half a second for the search.  If you have more than 10 results, they are still grouped by book.

Faster “Indexed” Search

I’ve been working on a faster search for months, and it’s finally here!  The old search method actually read through the entire Bible every time you did a search.  Now, it uses

an “index” to find what you’re looking for much faster.  It’s so much faster that it’s amazing.  The only draw back is that words shorter than 3 letters are left out of the index.  You still have the option of using the old search in the Advanced search screen.  Just tap the tool icon in the upper right-hand corner of the Simple Search to go to the Advanced search, which is the same search you’ve been used to.  It’s going to use the faster Indexed search by default, but you can turn off the indexed search with that switch.

In a slight update, the search terms now show short summaries so you can see their settings without having to tap on them to edit them.  Verse summaries also fill in on a background thread, making the user interface more responsive.  Using “whole words” actually makes an indexed search run faster, while using proximity, case sensitivity, and exact phrase make it run slower.  There are still some loop holes in the indexed search, for instance, proximity doesn’t mix with case sensitivity or exact phrase.  You can always switch back to the regular search.

The indexed search required me to alter the way the Bible data is stored, so a new format means BibleXpress will take up significantly less space on your device than did version 1.3.

Search Chapter Numbers

Don’t get confused, this is over in the “reference picker” that you get by tapping the big button on the Scripture screen.  The little search bar in the bottom has always allowed you to search for book names, now it can understand chapter numbers as well.  If you have focused your search to a single book, type a space followed by a number, and BibleXpress will give you chapter numbers that match what you type.  This makes it much easier to go through Psalms!

User Preferences

Some folks like red letters, some

folks don’t.  Some folks like to

read and type in landscape mode,

some prefer to read in bed.  Some

folks like the gold on red-leather selection color, others would prefer a higher contrast black and white, while others would like a prettier light blue.  So there are now user preferences in the Settings app for these sorts of things.  Apparently they default to ‘off’ so you’ll need to go turn them on.