Creating a Bible with Commentary and References

Centurion Logos
Centurion Logos Member Posts: 2
edited November 2024 in English Forum

New to Logos. I would like to tag a Bible (in public domain of course)  The Bible contains extensive footnotes (about 12,000) either as commentaries or cross-references to other books/chapter/verses.  I already have the document suitable to export to any other tool like logos

1. Is Personal Books the right tool/format for creating this document?  

2. If so, I am aware of the format to put the core of the bible as
([[@bible:Book Chapter:Verse]]NN{{field-on:Bible}} NEXT HERE{{field-off:Bible}}
In this case, what "field" should I use to insert or to put: 
2.a crossreference to other verses/books?

2.b the commentaries?

Please direct me to a "developer" section of logos or step by step instructions or other thread.

Regards,

CenturiionL

Tagged:

Comments

  • NB.Mick
    NB.Mick MVP Posts: 16,046

    EDIT: Welcome to the user forums! /EDIT

    1. Is Personal Books the right tool/format for creating this document?  

    yes. However, it might be beneficial to look at how Logos treats this. Your intention (as I understand it) is to build your own study bible. What Logos typically does is to have the text of the bible in one resource and another resource for the study notes / commentary. This first would be type:bible and the second would be type:commentary or type:"bible notes". In the second resource you'd use bible milestones as well and then it can flow along your bible translation (or an existing one, as you like). Depending on what works best for you, you could either put cross-references into the bible itself, into the bible notes or potentially even into a third PB resource of type:cross-reference.

    Please direct me to a "developer" section of logos or step by step instructions or other thread.

    The Files subforum is the one where PB makers share their content and discuss the production of their own resources. The wiki entry to Personal books is probably your first stop - and regarding detailed syntax I'd suggest you look into the plethora of user created books and find examples that are like what you intend to build, then look into the source how the syntax for milestones and fields work out. At least that's what I do. There's also a video course by external Logos Trainer John Fallahee that teaches building PBs (look whether it fits your need of basics / beyond basics into the complex things you need - it's been a time since I took it. Don't fret over the 2016 dating: Logos PB functionality has stayed stable since then).  

    Hope this helps!

     

    Have joy in the Lord! Smile

  • Centurion Logos
    Centurion Logos Member Posts: 2

    Hi NB.Mick

    Thanks for your prompt reply. Yes it helps!

    I am aware of the wiki entry to Personal books but I could not find many good examples on how to use each "field" or "entry" or "tag".  It seems I have to spend time looking at other's work. I will check the videos.

    Regarding your answer about having the the document type:bible with comments or in external resources that can be linked, what would be a prefered method?  I noticed that the default KJV+ has comments inside the bible, which I tend to prefer if I set up the Bible I am working on as the default on.  Any comments on the benefits of one versus the other method comments (inside or outside the bible)

    BTW: I am in my second year of a Master in Theology and my hobby is to do programming.  I found some incredible resources in another language that I already cleaned (a couple of good Bibles and commentaries in Spanish)

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 13,808 ✭✭✭

    Just adding to NB's excellent reply, if indeed you like programming, even of the hobby variety, and you foresee more Bibles that you like, then writing a script or code to convert to Personal Book requirements isn't terribly difficult.  After you see the format you like, and write a small test, the code is re-usable for your future Bibles, notes, etc.

    I usually read in a text file, and then format to HTML. Then I import that into a Word doc (which Personal Books need). The reason is, it's a LOT easier to write to HTML and later edit as needed.

    As NB points out, put your Bibles in separate files, and the notes in another file. That way, those notes can link to any Bible you like later on. And if you're really enthused, you could help a lot of folks with other Bibles (eg less popular languages).

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • NB.Mick
    NB.Mick MVP Posts: 16,046

    Regarding your answer about having the the document type:bible with comments or in external resources that can be linked, what would be a prefered method?  I noticed that the default KJV+ has comments inside the bible, which I tend to prefer if I set up the Bible I am working on as the default on.  Any comments on the benefits of one versus the other method comments (inside or outside the bible)

    This is to a certain extent a question of taste and personal liking. I tend to view resources in continuous manner, which means footnotes only show when I mouse-over or click the fn marker (as opposed to having footnotes show on the page in columns view - or having information tool show them in a sidebar), while I like viewing the running commentary scrolling along the bible text - or vice versa - in two linked tabs. Both may work for you, or one better than the other.

    You should know that the functionality for footnotes in Logos is not the same as for resource text: you can't highlight in footnotes or add notes to a specific position in the footnote, only to the footnote marker in the main text.

    On the other hand, if the comments currently are already footnotes in a docx document (or easily transferred into such), it may be the most efficient approach to use this rather than building the commentary/notes resource.

    Have joy in the Lord! Smile

  • I am aware of the wiki entry to Personal books but I could not find many good examples on how to use each "field" or "entry" or "tag".  It seems I have to spend time looking at other's work.

    Welcome [:D]

    Logos wiki => User Contributed Personal Books includes American Standard Version (ASV) 1901 (Without Chapter and Verse Numbers, Red Letter) with updated New Testament that has Bible Milestones along with Words of Christ.

    Keep Smiling [:)]