Work with Zones and Tabs

Zones are an integral part of workspaces. When a workspace first opens it consists of one zone and one tab (unless set otherwise via the Preferences dialog box).

When a new single tab is opened, such as a Search tabClosed The core tab used to search Bible texts, it consists of a search entry area and a search results area, it appears in a workspace (titled Workspace) with a title bar below it identifying the search text. When another text is opened, the two tabs now appear inside a single zone with a title bar identifying the type of tabs.

A new zone is automatically created when a different type of tab is opened, such as a tool or a map. Additional tabs of the same type open in their respective zones. The tabs are recycled when the conditions are appropriate. New zones may appear in parallel or beneath other zones, depending on the current setup. If there is not enough space to add a new zone for a new type of tab, it opens in the largest zone available.

You can move zones, magnify zones to the full size of the workspace, set an option to determine how many zones are created automatically by Accordance, move tabs to different zones, and more. The title bar of the activeClosed The application, window, tab, or other screen element which is currently being used; sometimes called the "front" or "frontmost" screen element zone is highlighted, and the active tab in each zone is lighter than the other tabs, with the title in bold (as shown below).

Instructions for arranging and moving zones and tabs are provided beneath the picture. See the topic More About Tabs for information unique to working with tabs.

Example of Zones and Tabs in a Workspace

Note that one of the zones has two tabs, the others zones have one tab each. The zone on the bottom right is the active zone (indicated by the blue background to the zone area). Also note the names assigned to the zones.

Zones have different labels, depending on their content. If only one tab is in the zone, the zone takes the moduleClosed Any Bible text, or other single tool that can be read in Accordance, including reference texts and articles; may also be referred to as content or resource or tab name (depending on the item opened in the tab). An overview of all other zone labels you might encounter is given in the following table.

Zone Label Contains...
Backgrounds Map and Timeline tabs
Analytics: XXX (where XXX indicates the Search tab with which the zone is associated) Analytics tabs for the associated Search tab
English Texts English Bible Text tabs
Greek Texts Greek Bible Text tabs
Hebrew Texts Hebrew Bible Text tabs
Language Tools A combination of Parsing, Word Chart, and Diagram tabs
Maps Atlas tabs from the Atlas Package
Mixed A combination of any tab type (except Details)
Parallels Parallel tabs
Pictures Picture or Table tabs
Research Tabs from any of the Research options
Texts A combination of Bible text language tabs
Timelines Timeline tabs from the Timeline Package
Tools A combination of any of the tools, including User Tools
User Files A combination of User Notes and User Tools files
User Notes User Notes tabs

Follow these instructions to limit the number of zones opened automatically by Accordance when opening a new tab type.

  1. On the Application menu, choose Preferences. The Preferences dialog box appears.

  2. If not already selected, click Workspaces (list in the left of the dialog box) to display the Workspacessettings of the Preferences dialog box.
  3. Choose the Default maximum zones from the first drop-down list.
  4. Available options are 1 through 8 zones, or Unlimited.
  5. For options 1 through 8, additional tabs are added to either the current zone or a new workspace.
  6. You can always add more zones by dragging a tab to create a new zone.
  7. Click OK to save your changes and close the Preferences dialog box.

Drag the heavy dividers between zones to resize them.

You can quickly magnify a zone to the full size of the workspace in which it is placed, then return back to the zone's original size. This is especially helpful when using smaller screens, or for quickly viewing an image at full size.

You can work normally within the tabs of the magnified zone. However, if you amplifyClosed To select words or a reference and search for the selection in the text or tool of your choice. You can select the resource in the Library or Amplify menus. A triple-click is a shortcut which amplifies to the top tool of the relevant category. or cycle to another zone, that zone appears in the magnified zone replacing the original zone and tabs.

  1. Pass the cursor over the left side of the Zone title area, until the plus icon appears ().
  2. Click the plus icon (). The zone is magnified with all its content, and fills the workspace, as shown below.
  3. To return the zone to its original display size, pass the cursor over the left side of the Zone title area until the minus icon appears (), then click the minus icon. The zone is restored to its original size.

A close button appears on the top left corner of a zone or tab when the mouse moves over it. Click the button to close the respective zone or tab.

You can quickly scroll through tab content using the space bar and shift key. Be sure to click in the text pane first.

  • Press the space bar to page down through a pane.
  • Press Shift+Space to page up through a pane.

You can drag-and-drop zones or tabs to a new target areaClosed An area in a workspace to which a zone or tab can be moved in the workspace. As you drag the zone bar or tab to the new target area, a thumbnail of the dragged item appears, providing a visual indicator of its new shape and location before releasing the mouse and completing the action. You also receive visual indicators of the target area, showing where the tab or zone will be placed, as shown below.

By dragging and dropping a zone or tab to a new target area, you can create just about any configuration desired in a workspace. You can:

  • Move a tab from one zone to another: Drag-and-drop.
  • Create a new zone from a tab: Drag the tab to a zone target area in the workspace.
  • Rearrange zones and tabs: Drag a zone or tab to a different target area.
  • Merge tabs from two different zones into one zone: Drag one zone into another zone.
  • Create a duplicate tab or zone in a new location: Opt+Drag the tab or zone to create a duplicate in the new location.
  • Move a tab or zone to a different workspace: Drag the tab or zone to another workspace. If this was the only zone in the workspace, the first workspace closes.
  • Detach a tab or zone to create a new workspace: On the Window menu, choose Tabs & Zones and the desired zone or tab item. You can also detach a tab or zone as follows:
  • Right-click a tab and choose an item from the Tab shortcut menuClosed Also known as a contextual menu, acessed by right-clicking (or pressing Ctrl+Click, Mac only) over a screen element.
  • Press Ctrl+Alt+Z to detach a zone.
  • Press Ctrl+Alt+T to detach a tab.
  • Detach a zone to create a new workspace: On the Window menu, choose Tabs & Zones and the desired tab item.

Note

Analytics tabs always open in a separate zone. They can be moved to create a new zone, and additional tabs can be moved to a zone with details from the same search tab. However, the details cannot be combined in a zone with any other kind of tab, nor with details from a different Search tab.