module grief: "Empty markers..."

Question

I've asked about module markup here before, but haven't ever been able to resolve the issues I'm facing. Neither Paratext Print Draft nor PTXprint will print out a full version of my module. They both do partial outputs, and what they do produce looks mostly OK, but they both fail to do the whole thing. Print Draft only does a partial print (the first 6 or so pages of close to 100 expected), and PTXprint skips whole segments...

My module is fairly simple (I think?), with lines like:

\p Genesis 15:5-12,17-18 — Ne na baubathu a God kolua a Abram

\p \bd Genesis 15:5-12,17-18\bd*
\ref GEN 15:5-12
\pc ...
\ref GEN 15:17-18

but does include a number of 'verse segments' to conform to various lectionary selections, like:

\ref GEN 22:1-8,9a,9b,10-18

When I use Print Draft in Paratext, I get warnings about marker errors. I don't have any marker errors in the text, and at the top of the loaded module it says 3615/3615 (100%) 0 errors (which clicking on the flag affirms), but when I run Checking > Run Basic Checks > Markers in the module (XXG), I get a host of errors, like:

Empty marker: \p (frtbak.sty-usfm_mod.sty)

Along with \p, it also flags \rq and \bd—626 times. I can't make any sense of the PTXprint errors that get reported.

If anyone could help with: 1) the proper markup for verse segments; and 2) how to track down apparently 'phantom' marker errors in a module loaded in Paratext, I'd be very grateful.

Paul

Answer 1

I think the first question is whether you're seeing exactly what you want when you change the view inside of Paratext to one of the "Output" views. Is it importing verse segments as it should?

Nothing you've written above with regards to verse segments looks like it would cause an issue. In fact, I would expect the following to work correctly and just print the two segments in the order they come:
\ref GEN 22:1-18, 

If you are getting output you don't expect, one possible solution is to split your references up:
\ref GEN 22:1-8
\refnp GEN 22:9a
\refnp GEN 22:9b
\refnp GEN 22:10-18
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That empty marker error you're getting is odd. Do you know where the (frtbak.sty-usfm_mod.sty) after the \p line is coming from? Do you know exactly which \p marker it is pointing to?

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Running Marker checks on a Bible Module is probably a bit hit-or-miss, since the PT developers didn't really design them with Bible Modules in mind. One thing I'm curious about, do you have a separate frtbak.sty file? Does it have some of the styles like \rq and \bd defined in it?

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In PTXprint, are you trying to print via the Bible Module option, or via the XXA book option? Historically they behaved quite differently (before the recent parser upgrade), so perhaps trying the other option might work?

Otherwise, for PTXprint specific errors, you can create an archive (from within PTXprint) and send it to their support email, and they'll run the archive and find what's causing the issue.

Comments

Thanks, mnjames. I didn't know I could select a different view for a module—all I was seeing was 'Standard specification', which isn't the most helpful... Switching to either Preview or Standard output has everything looking as it should. I tried running a 'marker' check on both views, and they came back clean / zero errors. I also tried Print Draft with both views, but the results were the same as before: marker errors were flagged when it was building the print job, and the output was truncated.

To answer your questions:

- I have no idea where the frtbak.sty... errors after \p are coming from. There is a frtbak.sty file in my project folder; also a frtbak_old.sty. Both \rq and \bd are defined in frtbak.sty.

- In PTXprint I was using the Bible Module option. I gave the XX_ option a try, and it actually worked! Which gives me some confidence that my module is OK; there's just something tripping up PT's Print Draft... Maybe Fool Running will be able to provide some insight into that. But if PTXprint's XX_ option is going to work, I'm fine with that. Thanks for the nudge in the right direction!

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If you're using the XX_ files, keep in mind that any time you update the main text or the Bible Module, you'll need to toggle over to Preview or Standard Output to update that text (you can then toggle back whenever you want).

Are you running the most recent version of PTXprint? If your version is earlier than 2.7.31, there's a reasonably good chance that upgrade will fix the Bible Module printing issue.

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Good to know toggling between different views updates the Bible Module! I was reloading it every time (Tools > Open Bible Module, etc.)...

Re. version of PTXprint, I'm running the latest Linux version, 2.7.22; at least that's the latest I'm seeing on the website.

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I wonder why the Linux version is so far behind the Windows version. That's a bit unusual for the PTXprint project.

I'd recommend posting questions regarding PTXprint to: https://support.bible/PTXprint
I would also recommend you send an archive (built inside PTXprint) to: [email protected]

I think there's at least one bug inside of PTXprint that you're finding, and something going on that I don't understand.

\ref Rev 1:9-10,11a
also prints 11b, which is a bug

when you add on vv.12-13, either they don't show up, or PTXprint fails, or it prints the entire paragraph including later verses. None of those make any sense to me.

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All the things you pointed out are things I've noticed myself; part of the 'grief'... Another example: PTXprint will happily 'print' a number of \p lines at the beginning of Genesis, skip all the \p \bd \bd* with accompanying \ref lines for Genesis (like 8 or 9 such 'couplets'), and then beginning at Exodus go ahead and 'print' all the subsequent lines. Doesn't make sense to me, either.

I've tried getting help from PTXprint support (see some of my other posts here), but haven't gotten very favourable responses, and in some instances, it just ended. I confess, I've kind of given up on that approach to a solution.

Answer 2

If it's not a sensitive project, could you give the name of the project, or, ideally, upload a zip backup of the project (to a site like Google Drive or Dropbox) so we can take a closer look?

Comments

Here's a Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pteijt1eamj0p9oe5q41d/LGR-2025-06-19.zip?rlkey=1d7yohwnp88r6u88zj3nqmyxx&st=dwre99fl&dl=0

Thanks for taking the time to have a look!

Answer 3

In order to use verse segments in the \ref line, those segments must be physically in the text.

So for example: Matthew 1:4 might look like this:

\li \v 4a Ram fue el papá de Aminadab.

\li \v 4b Aminadab fue el papá de Naasón.

\li \v 4c Naasón fue el papá de Salmón.

As FoolRunning has already said, it might be necessary to see the actual text to determine the other issues. 

Comments

Thanks, Phil. Good to cover all the bases, but yes, I have the verse segments in the text.