Anyone have ideas how to make the PB more functional in class?

Kristin · 2025-07-19T16:50:15+00:00

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I am really hoping that I can find a functional solution regarding the PB. I also don't care if it is the PB specifically, I just need something functional.

So in Accordance obviously they have their "User Bible". What that means is that on my end my txt file looks like:

Gen. 1:1 My text
Gen. 1:2 My text
Gen. 1:3 My text

I then upload it, and it is instantly perceived as a Bible. The words are searchable etc, but it also scrolls in parallel with any other Bible. Thus in class I can be reading in it and have the Gk / Heb in parallel and it all just scrolls and works beautifully.

There are fundamentally two different classes which I teach:

The first type of class is where the students and I are reading in a published Bible. For this class, Logos has worked great since all my notes are functional and I only need to refer to my translation occasionally.

The second type of class I teach is where the students and I are actually reading my translation, and for that, Logos is frankly not functional because it lacks a "User Bible."

I have tried uploading my translation in a note fashion, which has actually worked well for specific chapters, but it is beyond impractical to upload my entire Bible like this. So I then tried a sermon which was fairly disastrous and even made Logos crash.

I then finally uploaded it as a PB. I have really liked being able to link it to notes, but there are multiple issues. First and foremost it doesn't scroll in parallel with other Bibles. (I frankly don't know why not. Logos recognizes the Bible references and it is classified as a "Bible" in the system). The secondary issue is visual as it uploaded kind of strange but there is no way to edit the font or line spacing (like there is in an uploaded Accordance User Bible).

I "get" that I can add all these tags to my document and THEN it will be functional in Logos, but I can't realistically do that. It isn't even about the complicated process adding all the junk to the text, but the problem is that I can't realistically litter my translation like that since my translation is still currently used for other purposes beyond Logos, so it needs to remain as clean as the User Bibles in Accordance. (To be technical, I would be able and willing to add the junk to a few verses if that would help, but I think for it to be functional the added code would have to be on all or almost all verses).

Class was using my PB today and it was so stressful I even gave thought to doing class in Accordance for the type of class where we are using my translation, as my translation works beautifully there. However, that is not practical since the Accordance notes aren't functional, which is why I am trying to move my classes to Logos in the first place.

So that is my situation, and I would appreciate any thoughts and ideas.

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Jeremy White

If I understand correctly what you want to do, then you need to use milestones in your personal book.

Here is an example: [[@Bible :jn 3:16]]

Then it will work the same as other Bibles in your Logos environment. Here's the full doc that explains how Personal Books can work:

Personal Books - Logos Community

Jeremy White

Oh, I forgot to add. I hear what you say about the tags littering your document. What I do is I select the tags and make them a custom style (PBBTag). Once that is done I can toggle that text to display or not display.

Kristin

Hi @Jeremy White, thank you for your response. The problem is, however, like you said regarding [[@Bible :jn 3:16]], that is actually what I meant above. When I had said:

"I "get" that I can add all these tags to my document and THEN it will be functional in Logos, but I can't realistically do that…. the problem is that I can't realistically litter my translation like that.. ".

The "litter" I meant was [[@Bible :jn 3:16]]. I understand that I could do that and then it would work in Logos, but my translation would be left with all of this junk in the text and make it not usable for other purposes.

So my fundamental need is how to make Logos functional for class without adding all this junk to my text. Like I mentioned above, I could add it to a few verses, but my understanding is that in order for it to be functional, the added litter would have to be on all, or almost all, verses, which is not realistic since I use my translation for other purposes.

Kristin

Oh, I forgot to add. I hear what you say about the tags littering your document. What I do is I select the tags and make them a custom style (PBBTag). Once that is done I can toggle that text to display or not display.

Hi @Jeremy White, I am sorry I didn't see this until I pressed enter. Could you clarify this?

To be clear, my actual text needs to be clean since I still use it for other purposes. So the issue isn't the tags being viewable or not, the issue is their presence.

Accordance is not the only place I am using my translation, but I will use them as an example regarding this. I STILL use my translation in Accordance.

So let's use Jn 3:16 as an example. In Accordance my translation says:

John 3:16 My text

It thus uploads fine without a problem. If, however, I littered my document to say:

[[@Bible :jn 3:16]] My text

Then it would upload to Logos, but it would no longer upload to Accordance. So the issue isn't "seeing" the code, the issue is that the code would prevent it from being usable ANYWHERE except Logos, which is not realistic.

NetworkGeek

Why not have two documents, create your personal book with tags - assuming they are all [[@Bible:…]] tags, you could then do a simple find and replace in Word to strip them and replace with the scripture verse inside, and save that doc separately…

So [[@Bible:Jn 3:16]] becomes John 3:16

Kristin

Why not have two documents, create your personal book with tags - ….

Hi @NetworkGeek,

Regarding why I don't have two documents, the issue is that I am currently translating the Bible. Theoretically if my translation was finished, I would just have two documents, one "real" document and one "Logos edited" document. However, I am actively working on my translation 7 days a week so it is constantly changing, and then the Logos version would need to also be changed. A few years ago I had actually tried this in Accordance, where I had a "real" translation and then a "student" version where I had specific modifications. Then whenever I translated a verse I had to update it in both copies. I learned very quickly that this was not practical. As a result I know I can't babysit two different versions of the text to keep them updated.

…. assuming they are all [[@Bible :…]] tags, you could then do a simple find and replace in Word to strip them and replace with the scripture verse inside, and save that doc separately…

Let's just say hypothetically I was willing to have two versions, where one is my real translation which is constantly updated, and then one is a Logos edited version which is sort of frozen in time and I would not update it except maybe once a year or something. Even if I did that, could you explain how I could "do a simple find and replace"? So you mean doing a find and replace to change John 3:16 to [[@Bible :Jn 3:16]] to make it functional in Logos? Doing that would take forever. My translation is mapped according to the ESV which means it has 31,102 verses. So I would need to do a "simple find and replace" 31,102 times, which would take forever to do.

Graham Criddle

So you mean doing a find and replace to change John 3:16 to [[@Bible :Jn 3:16]] to make it functional in Logos? Doing that would take forever. My translation is mapped according to the ESV which means it has 31,102 verses. So I would need to do a "simple find and replace" 31,102 times, which would take forever to do.

I would start from the tagged version.

Then in Word, you could do a find for [[@Bible: and do a Replace all with a blank

Then do a find for ]] and a Replace all with another blank

That should give you what you are looking for - I believe.

Kristin

Hi @Graham Criddle,

I am sorry, but I am afraid I don't understand. I actually have a few questions which I will list below.

I would start from the tagged version.

When you say start from a tagged version, you mean the ESV, not my translation, correct?

Then in Word, you could do a find for [[@Bible : and do a Replace all with a blank
Then do a find for ]] and a Replace all with another blank

It sounds like you are saying to start with something like the ESV which is already in Logos formatting, but how would I blend it with my actual translation?

Graham Criddle

Sorry - I’ve realised (as you were saying) that you don’t have a Bible tagged with milestones, so my suggestion won’t work.

Can we assume that at the start of each line in your file you have a Bible reference followed by a space and then your translation for that verse?

If so, it sounds like we need a Word Macro to add the required tagging at the start of each line.

If that were possible, would it be useful for you?

Kristin

Sorry - I’ve realised (as you were saying) that you don’t have a Bible tagged with milestones, so my suggestion won’t work.
Can we assume that at the start of each line in your file you have a Bible reference followed by a space and then your translation for that verse?

Hi @Graham Criddle, oh, I see. Thank you for clarifying. Ya, I do have a space. In case it helps, here is how it is structured in my User Bible:

Gen. 1:1 In…

If so, it sounds like we need a Word Macro to add the required tagging at the start of each line.
If that were possible, would it be useful for you?

I think so. I think the downside of the PB is that it would be frozen in time, and there wouldn't be a practical way to keep it updated, apart from updating BOTH the User Bible AND the Logos version separately, so to update it I would need to start from scratch adding the Logos tags. Is that correct?

Regardless of that issue though, I do think it would probably be useful to have a functional PB, as even uploading it without it being functional has been helpful since I can connect it to notes.

Regarding the macro, just to put all the cards on the table, I am on a Mac and I am not familiar with macros. My Accordance User Bible is in a txt format, and to upload it to Logos at all I pasted it into Mac Pages and then from there exported it to a doc format. I don't own Word, but if Pages doesn't work, I do have BBEdit (though I am not vary familiar with it).