What Paratext project role required to use PTXprint?

Question

I haven’t yet seen any comments or discussion about this question: What Paratext project role is required to use PTXprint?

I recently was doing some work with PTXprint and I made some changes to the PrintDraftChanges.txt file, to handle some quotes a little differently. A while later after a couple of S/Rs, I noticed that those changes were gone and that the file had reverted to its original text. Then I noticed that I was only an Observer on the project!

So I had the Admin change me to a Consultant on the project. I haven’t specifically changed the PrintDraftChanges.txt file again (I decided to go a different way on that change anyway), but it looks like I can at least send shared files during a S/R now.

What is the recommend/required role to have when using PTXprint?

Answer 1

PTXPrint will print any Paratext project you have on your computer, whether you are admin, translator, consultant or observer; or whether the project has never been registered. It will not print resources.

Now your example asks what role do I need in the project to change PrintDraftChanges.txt and have the changes stick? That I am not sure about. As a consultant, it surprises me that they could change PrintDraftChanges.txt (unless they turned on the temporary administrator function), but perhaps they can.

Answer 2

PTXprint is not smart enough to behave differently based on what PT roles/permissions a user has. Just as anyone can physically edit their (local) PrintDraftChanges.txt file to make it do whatever they want, PTXprint allows that to happen, so even an Observer can do that. BUT when Paratext does a S/R then any changes that the Observer made to (any of the shared files) will get overwritten by the files on the server. And I am guessing that any saved configurations that an Observer created will simply stay local, and not be propagated - although I haven’t tested this theory.

So the bottom line is that if you are intending to do things that are “permanent” and need to “stick” and be propagated to other PT users, then you will need to have at least Translator role/status.

Comments

mjpenny:

you will need to have at least Translator role/status

From my tests, it appears that having a Consultant/Typesetter role (which I believe is “below” the Translator role) is also sufficient to make changes and have them propagate to other users with Send/Receive. So here’s my current take on Paratext roles:

PTXprint users should have at least a Consultant/Typesetter role in a Paratext project to make sure that their settings can be shared with other users of the project. As an Observer in the project, certain configuration files could be overwritten.

I don’t know how you would share that statement with people, but hopefully you can find somewhere clever to post that information. I think it’s great that it is the Consultant/Typesetter that is role required, since PTXprint is, in fact, typesetting!

Answer 3

A good point for the FAQ page which is certainly in need for some attention!