TIP of the day: Text comparison

MJ. Smith
MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,407
edited November 20 in English Forum

Note: this tool can also be used to create parallel Bibles. Simply turn off the "show differences" option. These Bibles may be in any language or mix of languages.

In addition, this tool is not limited to Bibles but will compare any versified texts.

1. Open the Text Comparison tool via:

  • Tools ==> Passage ==> Text Comparison
  • Show Text Comparison in the Command Box
  • Find in Home Page Passage layout and a number of links in the Guides etc.
  • F7 (see final entry)

2. There are three options for the layout of the comparison:

  • automatic allows the application to determine whether to use the vertical or horizontal layout based on the width of the panel
  • vertical shows the comparison in columns
  • horizontal shows the comparison verse by verse with the version below each other

3. The content of each verse consists of up to three parts. These may be controlled either from the panel menu or from the two buttons following the translation list. Hover over them to distinguish the two. Note that differences are based upon the left-most column. Below each translation header is a percentage difference from that base translation.

  • black text - text of the version which matches the text of the base version
  • blue text - text of the version which differs from the base version (show differences)
  • grey text - follows blue text showing the text of the base text (show base text)

4. There are three options that control the comparison- their relevance often depends upon the language of the Bibles (or other versified texts) being compared.

  • Ignore differences in typographical case (upper.lower)
  • Ignore differences in marks - diacritical, chant etc.
  • Ignore differences in punctuation

Note that you may use a collection instead of a list of Bibles. Performance of the tool is very sensitive to the number of translations to compare and the length of the passage you are viewing.

5. If you highlight a passage and hit F7 you will get the compare text function in a "preview" form (terminology used by Morris Proctor).. The options that are settable within the tool will use the last setting used within the Text Comparison tool.

Note: from a commentary, F7 will bring up your top Bibles in the Compare text format:

Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

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