Why should I migrate my project to Paratext 8?

Question

In Paratext 8.0, a project created in an earlier version of Paratext must be migrated in Paratext 8.0 in order to use it in Paratext 8.0 (and later).
Some of the new features in Paratext 8.0 (and later) are:

• Enhanced ability to track project progress
  [Introduction to Project Progress tracking](http://support.paratext.org/t/introduction-to-project-progress-tracking/292)
• Improved basic checks, and inventories
  [Introduction to basic checks](http://support.paratext.org/t/introduction-to-basic-checks/122)
  [Introduction to inventories for checking](http://support.paratext.org/t/introduction-to-inventories-for-checking/93)
• Parallel Passage tool improvements
  [Introduction to the Parallel Passages tool](http://support.paratext.org/t/introduction-to-the-parallel-passages-tool/469)
• Spelling discussion notes and filtering by affixes in the Wordlist
  [How do I add a spelling note to a word?](http://support.paratext.org/t/how-do-i-add-a-spelling-note-to-a-word/178)
  [How do I find a specific word in the Wordlist?](http://support.paratext.org/t/how-do-i-find-a-specific-word-in-the-wordlist/431)
• Ability to specify multiple parses for words
  [When might I want to specify multiple parses for a word?](http://support.paratext.org/t/when-might-i-want-to-specify-multiple-parses-for-a-word/223)
• Rendering discussion notes, recognition of reduplication, and highlighting of occurrences for Biblical Terms
  [Introduction to Biblical Term notes](http://support.paratext.org/t/introduction-to-biblical-term-notes/1208)
  [How do I make Paratext recognise all renderings of a Biblical Term?](http://support.paratext.org/t/how-do-i-make-paratext-recognise-all-renderings-of-a-biblical-term/131)
  [Introduction to Biblical Terms renderings](http://support.paratext.org/t/introduction-to-biblical-terms-renderings/403)
• Ability to include a hyperlink to Internet web pages in a project note or a consultant note.
  [How do I insert a project note?](http://support.paratext.org/t/how-do-i-insert-a-project-note/71)
  [How do I insert a consultant note?](http://support.paratext.org/t/how-do-i-insert-a-consultant-note/157)
• Restricting Find and Replace to the text of your project. That is, you can skip text in places like introductions, headings, notes, and figures.
  [How do I modify search results using the “More” options for Find/Replace?](http://support.paratext.org/t/how-do-i-modify-search-results-using-the-more-options-for-find-replace/138)
• Setting a schedule to Send/Receive a project (for example, On Startup/Shutdown) as long as that project is not inactive.
  [How do I set a schedule to automatically Send/Receive a project?](http://support.paratext.org/t/how-do-i-set-a-schedule-to-automatically-send-receive-a-project/221)
• Filtering Project history to see changes by a particular user or in a particular verse range.
  [Introduction to Project History](http://support.paratext.org/t/introduction-to-project-history/358)
• Setting up a project to display the text of another project with a different writing system.
  [How do I set up a project to automatically display the text of another project in a different writing system?](http://support.paratext.org/t/how-do-i-set-up-a-project-to-automatically-display-the-text-of-another-project-in-a-different-writing-system/1237)
• Inserting cross references from one of three built-in sets of cross references.
  [How do I insert cross references from a model text?](http://support.paratext.org/t/how-do-i-insert-cross-references-from-a-model-text/566)
• Reducing the size of your project history, reducing the size of your project repository, renaming your project, changing your project encoding to Unicode, or changing the names of users on the project.
  [Introduction to project conversion](http://support.paratext.org/t/introduction-to-project-conversion/622)
• Use of regular expressions in the filter box of the Notes list window; the Biblical Terms tool; or the Project History dialog.
  [Can regular expressions be used in Paratext?](http://support.paratext.org/t/can-regular-expressions-be-used-in-paratext/374)

Within a year of the release of Paratext 8.0, the Send/Receive server for Paratext 7.x projects will be shut down and it will no longer be possible to share Paratext 7.x projects via the Internet.

Only project administrators and consultants can migrate a project.

Answer 1

anon421222:

Sometime in 2017, the Send/Receive server for Paratext 7.x projects will be shut down and it will no longer be possible to share Paratext 7.x projects via the Internet.

Is this indeed true? This would be a huge problem for projects where translators work in remote locations with only very occasional access to better internet. I hope that “sometime in 2017” is to be taken in a very elastic way.
Our group recently met for the first time in years; this would have been one of the rare opportunities to migrate to Paratext 8, were it not for the fact that PT 8 is not yet stable. The next opportunity may not be for another few years.

Comments

Paulus+Kieviet:

Is this indeed true?

It’s partially true. The servers will shut down, but management has, last I heard*, said the time would be 8 months to a year after the release of 8.0. This would probably put the deadline in 2018.

*This information is months-old and it might have changed since.

Answer 2

anon421222:

Sometime in 2017, the Send/Receive server for Paratext 7.x projects will be shut down and it will no longer be possible to share Paratext 7.x projects via the Internet.

This is news. Not necessarily the good kind… Is this just to “encourage” adoption of PT8?

Comments

This may have been our plan at one point, but given the late release of Paratext 8, it won’t be until sometime in 2018 that the P7 server gets shut down. The motive, is not to encourage a move, but to reduce the time and effort spent maintaining the two separate servers. You get sufficient time to upgrade, then we shut down the old server.

Answer 3

For what it’s worth, the line in question now reads:
Within a year of the release of Paratext 8.0, the Send/Receive server for Paratext 7.x projects will be shut down and it will no longer be possible to share Paratext 7.x projects via the Internet.

Comments

anon421222:

For what it’s worth, the line in question now reads

I’ve updated the original post with the new wording to reflect what is in the current 8.0 help.

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Updating 8.0 help is good, as far as it goes… (i.e., for those who have already transitioned to PT8). As a 7.5 user, I just happened to stumble upon this catching up on some old posts here (which I know most of my colleagues anon421222’t access). Has this been announced to 7.x users?

In 7.5 Help, searching for ‘migrate’ brings up a single entry: “How do I register for Paratext 8?” At the bottom of the entry, beside a green checkmark, is the following (emphasis added):

Once you have registered for Paratext 8, we recommend that you do both of the following:

• Migrate existing projects to Paratext. When a main project is migrated, all the projects which depend on the main project (such as auxiliary and back translation projects) will also be migrated. In Paratext 8, see the following topics: How do I migrate a project to Paratext 8? Why migrate?
• Register existing projects in Paratext 8. Most existing projects will be pre-registered by the translation organization before the user tries to use Paratext 8. For any existing projects that are not pre-registered, see: In Paratext 8, see the following topics: How do I register a project in Paratext 8? Why register?

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As it turns out auxiliary projects including back translation projects do not migrate automatically when the base project is migrated. They must go through the migration process to be sure that the copy being migrated is the most up to date and authoritative copy. You will notice that when a back translation or other auxiliary project is migrated, that the step where you are asked to register the project is skipped since auxiliary projects “inherit” the registration of the base project. One consequence of this worth pointing out is that auxiliary projects do not appear in the Paratext registry.

Note: Back translations and other auxiliary projects must be associated to the base project by assigning the appropriate project type in order for them to not need to be registered. For more information on project types look in Help under :“What different types of projects can I have in Paratext?”

        In Paratext 7.3 (and later), the project type is no longer limited to Standard Translation.
        The General tab of the Project Properties and Settings dialog allows you to choose from the following types  of projects:

• Standard Translation An ordinary Paratext project that is not derived from another project. If you choose this option, you cannot make a choice from the Based on list.

• Back Translation A derived project based on a vernacular language translation. The back translation project is a translation of the vernacular to a language of wider communication so a consultant can check the vernacular translation.

• Daughter Translation A derived project based on a “front” translation. A front translation is a translation in a language that is related to and structurally similar to the language of the derived project. A front translation can serve as the base for more than one derived project.

• Transliteration (Manual) A derived project for the same language as the base translation, but using a different script.

• Transliteration (using Encoding Converter) A derived project for the same language as the base translation, but using a different script.

• Auxiliary A project derived from a base translation. You cannot add or remove users from an Auxiliary project, but you can change Book Permissions and Other Permissions.