Create a dynamically updating copy of a project

Question

It is easy enough to create a copy of a project text if you want one. You can create a new project, then import the books from the project you want to copy, and you have the source project text in a second project. But if the source project is being worked on? Any time you want to update your copy you would have to import the books which have been changed since you first imported books.

I do think there is a way to make a copy of a project that dynamically updates. You can create a transliteration project using encoding converter, and select as your converter a file that does not actually change anything. Paratext will then faithfully update the “converted” project every time a change is made in the source project.

To make an encoding converter that does not make anything, you can create a mapping file in TecKit that changes one character into the same character.
For example:

; This file was created by <author> using TECkitMappingEditorU.exe v5.0.0.0 on 3/28/2023.
;   Conversion Type = Unicode_to_from_Unicode
;   this "conversion" makes no change in the text, to create an automatically updated
;   copy of a project

 

pass(Unicode)

latin_small_letter_e <> latin_small_letter_e

Then in Paratext, create your new project, and set the project type to Transliteration using Encoding converter.
Select your do-nothing converter by opening Encoding converter, then click Add Converter.
In the new converter dialog choose TecKit map, click Add. Then in the setup tab choose Browse and find your converter file.

Once the converted project is set up, Paratext should copy the text from the base project, and keep updating the converted project whenever the base project text changes.

Answer 1

You don’t state the purpose of your question: what are you trying to achieve by having two identical copies of a project – ones that are always identical because they’re synchronised?

Comments

This was a help topic in the old system (which doesn't work well in this new system). It was just informational for people trying to do something similar.