PBB for the layman...

Well, here I am again, the layLady, asking about Personal Book Builder. Everyone talks about this so much, and now we have it.

What in the world is a layLady to do with the thing? What applications could a layperson use PBB for? Enquiring minds want to know...

Esther

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Rich DeRuiter

Well, here I am again, the layLady, asking about Personal Book Builder. Everyone talks about this so much, and now we have it.

What in the world is a layLady to do with the thing? What applications could a layperson use PBB for? Enquiring minds want to know...

Esther

The personal book tool is useful for a number of things.

The PBB is useful for sorts of things (personal studies, denominational resources, other kinds of resources) that may be specific to you personally, or that you have in some other form but would like in Logos (for searchability, etc.).

This tool could also be used to compile the hundreds of public domain titles found on various web sites into Logos format for easy searching/study.

Esther Jones

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275615#Comment_275615

Well, here I am again, the layLady, asking about Personal Book Builder. Everyone talks about this so much, and now we have it.

What in the world is a layLady to do with the thing? What applications could a layperson use PBB for? Enquiring minds want to know...

Esther

The personal book tool is useful for a number of things.

The PBB is useful for sorts of things (personal studies, denominational resources, other kinds of resources) that may be specific to you personally, or that you have in some other form but would like in Logos (for searchability, etc.).

This tool could also be used to compile the hundreds of public domain titles found on various web sites into Logos format for easy searching/study.

Ok...so PBB is different from the Personal Book tool? Can someone explain the difference?

Thanks for the comment. Can you (or anyone) give some examples of what you would use the personal book tool for as a layperson? I need to get my head around this.

Thanks

Esther

Tonya J Ross

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275625#Comment_275625

PBB stands for Personal Book Builder, which is what the tool was called in L3/Libronix.

In Logos 4, we're calling it Personal Books (or the Personal Book tool, as it lives in the Tools menu.) They are essentially the same thing.

As for what a layperson would use the tool for that is really up to you. (And you certainly don't have to use it! [:)])

An example might be if you keep a prayer journal or maybe take notes during the sermon on Sunday and would like to have those items available to you inside your Logos program. Or if you want them to be searchable. Or just better archived so you can actually use them in the future. You can type these notes up into a Word document and then compile that document into a book in Logos. Then you'll have access to it alongside your Bibles and commentaries, etc.

You could even use it to compile cooking recipes, if you really wanted to! [;)] (Though, I'm not sure how useful that would be.)

Basically, a Personal Book starts as a document. So anything you can see yourself typing up into a document could be compiled into a book.

Rich DeRuiter

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275625#Comment_275625

Well, here I am again, the layLady, asking about Personal Book Builder. Everyone talks about this so much, and now we have it.

What in the world is a layLady to do with the thing? What applications could a layperson use PBB for? Enquiring minds want to know...

Esther

The personal book tool is useful for a number of things.

The PBB is useful for sorts of things (personal studies, denominational resources, other kinds of resources) that may be specific to you personally, or that you have in some other form but would like in Logos (for searchability, etc.).

This tool could also be used to compile the hundreds of public domain titles found on various web sites into Logos format for easy searching/study.

Ok...so PBB is different from the Personal Book tool? Can someone explain the difference?

Thanks for the comment. Can you (or anyone) give some examples of what you would use the personal book tool for as a layperson? I need to get my head around this.

Thanks

Esther

Sorry, what you see is an edited version of what I started writing. Obviously, I didn't carefully read the final version before posting.

The PBB and the Personal Book tool are basically the same thing, and you'll see both terms used in these forums somewhat interchangeably. Apparently, my mind interchanged these without me even noticing.

Paul N

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275636#Comment_275636

Esther, I feel like I've been under a rock not realizing just what Personal Book Builder can do until today. What it came down to is I picked my favorite dead theologian that was not in Logos (BH Carroll), found one of his books online and have been hacking away at the formatting to it, while learning how the code works through the forums for the better part of the afternoon.

My result so far is a 285 pg book with nearly all the Bible references tagged automatically, while my work has yielded formatting for the headings in the titles and substitles, so the program can create a table of contents. I even made a cool book cover for the book. Next up I plan on skimming the resource for any missed Bible references and references to other Logos resources I own (and there are a couple!)

It has a learning curve to it, but I'd say PBB is shaping up to be pretty cool so far!

NB.Mick

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275625#Comment_275625

Can you (or anyone) give some examples of what you would use the personal book tool for as a layperson? I need to get my head around this.

Well, I find myself downloading PDFs as well as copies of websites, blog entries and other interesting things around bible study. I have some ressources in other bible study software that I rarely or never run anymore. Sometimes I even write up aspects of a topic myself. Okay, for a layman I might have an above-average interest in these things, but that's why I have Logos.

All this stuff clutters my harddisk, and I have to rely on Google Desktop search or a broad folder structure to find this stuff again (often it's easier to locate material on the web again, and when I do the Save As... my PC tells me I can't because it's already there...) This stuff is unorganized, barely or not at all searchable, untagged, doesn't link to my bible or other resources etc. Talk about inefficiency.

In the future I intend to build PBs from this information. Not neccessary my own 17-volume commentary on the OT like the pro's out here, but five pages here and twelve there, that will come up if I do a passage guide or a library search for it. That's a very exciting thing. I also look forward to the cool PBs other people will built from PD resources and might try doing so as well. And if no-one creates the Moravian brother's Daily Texts ("watchwords"), I will give it a try.

Mick

George Somsel

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275628#Comment_275628

You could even use it to compile cooking recipes, if you really wanted to! (Though, I'm not sure how useful that would be.)

Basically, a Personal Book starts as a document. So anything you can see yourself typing up into a document could be compiled into a book.

That depends -- when is the next Logos Chili Cook-off? [:)]

Matthew C Jones

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275639#Comment_275639

Today's blog has instructions simple enough for a layman to create a PBB:

The part I have the most difficulty with is remembering where I put the file.

Tonya J Ross

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275646#Comment_275646

That depends -- when is the next Logos Chili Cook-off?

Well, we're having a Bake-Off next week! It's not chili, but there are recipes involved...

[;)]

Scott H. Clark

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275639#Comment_275639

My result so far is a 285 pg book with nearly all the Bible references tagged automatically

Okay. did I miss something? I just created my first ever PB today. It was my own document (about 60 pages) and it was loaded with Bible refs. Was there a way for those to be picked up "automatically" that didn't require I double bracket each one? That would be great.

Kevin Becker

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275655#Comment_275655

My result so far is a 285 pg book with nearly all the Bible references tagged automatically

Okay. did I miss something? I just created my first ever PB today. It was my own document (about 60 pages) and it was loaded with Bible refs. Was there a way for those to be picked up "automatically" that didn't require I double bracket each one? That would be great.

Logos will recognize most Bible refs automatically. Just like the reff tagger on the forum tags Jn 1:1 so too does PBB, the only Bible refs you should need to tag manually are the v25-type refs which are separated from its book and/or chapter

Scott H. Clark

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275660#Comment_275660

WOW, do I ever feel behind the curve. I literally double bracketted every one. Took me hours. Oh well, now I know and I'll know for the next time. I did enjoy that my greek words could be linked to the strong's or LN numbers, and I was able to tag a reference to a systematic theology with the actual quote. Pretty awesome, if I do say so. I did discover that I can't have the surface text italicized or underline or else the tag doesn't take. I'm not sure if that's a bug or just the normal behavior. Either way, it wasn't a big deal since.

Also, not really sure why, but when I updated my email, my post count dropped to 0 from nearly 200. Hmmm...odd.

Thanks for the help.

Kevin Becker

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275662#Comment_275662

Also, not really sure why, but when I updated my email, my post count dropped to 0 from nearly 200. Hmmm...odd.

It's a common bug. Leave David Langes ( http://community.logos.com/user/Profile.aspx?UserID=2100 ) a comment and he can restore your post count for you.

Matthew C Jones

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275662#Comment_275662

I did discover that I can't have the surface text italicized or underline or else the tag doesn't take. I'm not sure if that's a bug or just the normal behavior.

Maybe somebody who is proficient in using the Personal Book Tool will clarify this but I think it makes a difference what order you do it in. If you italicize & underline first and then tag it (or vice-versa, I don't know which,) it may work. Experiment or ask the beta testers.

Randall Hartman

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275671#Comment_275671

So does this pbb mean we can just add pbb books like we used to? And if so is it against the forum rules to talk about where to get these books?

Dave Hooton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275677#Comment_275677

So does this pbb mean we can just add pbb books like we used to? And if so is it against the forum rules to talk about where to get these books?

See this thread http://community.logos.com/forums/t/36671.aspx?PageIndex=1

Scott S

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275639#Comment_275639

My result so far is a 285 pg book with nearly all the Bible references tagged automatically, while my work has yielded formatting for the headings in the titles and substitles, so the program can create a table of contents.

Paul,

How much time to create that book?

Thanks in advance,

Scott

Paul N

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275700#Comment_275700

Hey Scott,

Well off and on the better part of 5 hours. This included sizing down 350 pages worth of text without sizing the headers. Then there's the headers, well over a hundred of them. I find myself making passes through the book to edit different things; still learning how it all works. Most of its pretty obvious and I Still have to eliminate random paragraph breaks, random double spacing of text, linking to other Logos resources, and linking to Bible verses that the PBB program did not pick up. 10 hours total work for a first book of nice size. I'm picky on the formatting as well. [;)]

Scott H. Clark

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275703#Comment_275703

Quick question here for anyone that knows. I compiled a personal document of some 60 pages. It is sort of a short systematic theology. I indicated "Systematic Theology" in the meta data, and now it appears in my collection of systematic theologies, which I added to my passage guide long ago. My question is this. No matter what I do, I cannot get the passage guide to offer my document in that section of the passage guide along with the other theologies. I selected a verse I know was used multiple times and even went so far as to prioritize the document above everything, and it still won't show up. Is this a limitation of the PBs or the user? [:S] Any help would be appreciated.

Todd Phillips

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275720#Comment_275720

No matter what I do, I cannot get the passage guide to offer my document in that section of the passage guide along with the other theologies. I selected a verse I know was used multiple times and even went so far as to prioritize the document above everything, and it still won't show up.

The collections section in the PG is pretty limited, and it only shows the top hits for a search. It uses the same result-ranking scheme that the regular search window does, but I'm not sure we know exactly that that is. It's not based on user-prioritization, but rather the number of hits in the section and maybe some other things.

Try creating a collection with only your book in it, and put it in a PG Collection section. I bet it will show up.

Dave Hooton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275720#Comment_275720

I selected a verse I know was used multiple times and even went so far as to prioritize the document above everything, and it still won't show up. Is this a limitation of the PBs or the user?

What appears in PG is determined by its Type:

Bible notes and Bible Commentaries appear in the Commentaries section; requires relevant milestone to be in resource. Works for PB's.
any Type can appear in the Collections section; requires relevant reference be in resource. Does not work for my PB!

So there is a bug with PB's in the Collections section.

Matthew C Jones

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275677#Comment_275677

So does this pbb mean we can just add pbb books like we used to? And if so is it against the forum rules to talk about where to get these books?

Hmm. [:#] If I was going to tear apart a thrift store trade paperback set of the Chronicles of Narnia and scan them into an OCR program for my own private use,.......I'm not gonna talk about it in an open forum. [:-*]

Todd Phillips

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275731#Comment_275731

I selected a verse I know was used multiple times and even went so far as to prioritize the document above everything, and it still won't show up. Is this a limitation of the PBs or the user?

What appears in PG is determined by its Type:

Bible notes and Bible Commentaries appear in the Commentaries section; requires relevant milestone to be in resource. Works for PB's.

any Type can appear in the Collections section; requires relevant reference be in resource. Does not work for my PB!

So there is a bug with PB's in the Collections section.

Yep, I lost my bet. The PBs don't work in the PG Collections section.

It probably has to do with the PBs having a separate index. I forgot about the fact that PB search results aren't mixed together with the general Library results in the Search window.

Matthew C Jones

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275737#Comment_275737

It probably has to do with the PBs having a separate index. I forgot about the fact that PB search results aren't mixed together with the general Library results in the Search window.

Is this a temporary bug/limitation? If it is a permanent state it kind of defeats the whole purpose of compiling scholarly integrated works, doesn't it?

Todd Phillips

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275739#Comment_275739

It probably has to do with the PBs having a separate index. I forgot about the fact that PB search results aren't mixed together with the general Library results in the Search window.

Is this a temporary bug/limitation? If it is a permanent state it kind of defeats the whole purpose of compiling scholarly integrated works, doesn't it?

I hope not.

I just created a bug report for the situation: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/36780.aspx

Matthew C Jones

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275741#Comment_275741

I hope not.

I just created a bug report for the situation: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/36780.aspx

Just saw that. I guess I will not work on anything significant until I see it will actually merge with the library "No second-class citizens." Isn't that what Bob said?

Scott H. Clark

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275743#Comment_275743

After sleeping on it, I wondered if the problem was that I had not tagged any search fields, particularly headwords. I haven't tried it yet, but I noticed all my PG suggested books linked to specific headings.

Lonnie Ritchie

Esther, here's what I've done with PBB. I have written a NT commentary and commentaries on 17 OT books. They are in Word format (.docx). I've been able to transfer them from my hard drive into Logos so I can access them just like I do the other Logos books.

What you have to do is this: first of all, be sure the extension is .docx, or, that is, that the files are in a Word Document format. Then open PBB, click on Add Book and then Add File. Navigate to the folder where the files are that you'd like to transfer to Logos and double click on it. Then click on Build Book and Logos wil go through the Converting function. There are various other things you might want to add, i.e., the book title and author, etc., but you'll see those as you go along. (I don't think I've left anything out.)

Try this and see how it works for you. I was able to convert all these commentaries into Logos format, and now I can access them right from within the Logos program. Great!!!

I hope this helps. And as I said, I hope I didn't leave any step out. Peace.

Lonnie

Scott S

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275703#Comment_275703

10 hours total work for a first book of nice size. I'm picky on the formatting as well.

Thanks. That helps me know what I might be getting myself into.

Jerry M

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275834#Comment_275834

10 hours total work for a first book of nice size. I'm picky on the formatting as well.

Thanks. That helps me know what I might be getting myself into.

Yes the time does depend on the formatting and how "clean" the source is when it is first put into Word. I have built small to medium books with a table of contents in just a few minutes. Others perhaps have the title & author of the book on every page, which needs to be deleted, etc.

Dave Hooton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275822#Comment_275822

After sleeping on it, I wondered if the problem was that I had not tagged any search fields, particularly headwords. I haven't tried it yet, but I noticed all my PG suggested books linked to specific headings.

That's not the issue. If you can find a reference in a Basic Search (eg <Jn 4:1>) then it should be found in PG.

BTW if you Search a PB you will see that it uses headings from the Word style (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc); but not from headwords because they are not a search field.

Paul N

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/275834#Comment_275834

10 hours total work for a first book of nice size. I'm picky on the formatting as well.

Thanks. That helps me know what I might be getting myself into.

As Jerry said it can be rather quick. B.H. Carroll was my test case. As it turns out Carroll is very proficient in classics literature. I must have linked Milton's Paradise Lost 15 times with the potential of more had I owned The Harvard Classics and Fiction Collection (71 vols.)... I've learned with such a conversational writer as Carroll there are many legit Bible references he words in such a way that the auto verse tagger won't pick up. From now on I'll ask myself "Could I benefit from this in future study?" before digging in. I also hit a time snag learning how to properly link other resources. Graham helped me there. With the learning curve overcome I think I could cut my time on a similar sized project by half.