Poll: Include Versification in File > Open

Question

Here is the current UI proposal for the File > Open dialog in P8.

I am wondering whether versification is needed often enough that we want to see it here?

One person said:> The reason I’d want to see versification when doing file open is so that I can locate resources that have the same versification that I’m using. Maybe this is mostly an “expert checking level” thing, but I often run into situations where I am trying to figure out versification issues (running the chapter verse check for instance) and it would be helpful to know what the versification of various resources is without having to open the settings.

Should we display versification in this dialog?

• YES, very handy to have it here.
• NO, we don’t need it often enough to justify the extra clutter here.

0 voters

Answer 1

I am wondering if some of the need for this is related to manuscript issues and decisions taken based on the Apparatus of the UBS 4th. But knowing the versification does not help with this issue. For example, the NIV, and GNT use English versification but have made different decisions about which verses or disputable additions to verses to include. The UBS handbooks don’t usually even mention verses/additions that are rated C or lower. It would be good to have a tool to identify these differences between resources, but I cannot think of a good way to do it short of hand annotating all Bibles that are available in ParaTExt.

Answer 2

Unless there is another way to look through your projects and see the different versifications all at once (instead of one by one in Project Properties) then this is a handy thing to have, especially since versification compliance is seemingly becoming more of an issue lately.

Answer 3

I do not believe that this the place to deal with versification, but I do think we need to look long and hard again at versification and probably redo the categorization scheme completely. The categories make no sense to anyone but an expert (one who has memorized which versions are in one or other category), and in any case (nearly?) all versions then add a custom.vrs which make them unique. The system is quite confusing and in need of an upgrade.

Most projects in any case are going to copy a complete versification (with further tweaks) scheme from a given version, which is of course not just English or whatever (terrible names, once more), but also the custom.vrs of the copied model version.

Comments

anon772595:

… I do think we need to look long and hard again at versification and probably redo the categorization scheme completely. The categories make no sense to anyone but an expert (one who has memorized which versions are in one or other category), and in any case (nearly?) all versions then add a custom.vrs which make them unique. The system is quite confusing and in need of an upgrade.

Working in Central Asia, we are almost always working with the “Russian Protestant” versification. AFAIK, most translations in the former Soviet Union use this versification without a custom.vrs – certainly, we do for Tajik and the minority languages of Tajikistan.

[Later] I checked, and the Uzbek and Eastern Russian (CARS) translations each have a custom.vrs which appear to be just about a couple of verses in ROM.

Answer 4

anon451647,

I vote NO. It is clutter, that will only help a few people in the power
user category. I am an advocate for minimalism that will work for the
masses of Paratext users that are confused and or intimidated by all the
complexity. Unfortunately, the type of user I am advocating for do not
write in with suggestions, but in person I hear the complaint often or see
the effect on users that Paratext is too complex.

anon044949

Comments

Could you make it display by default without the versification column
and have a hidden option for the power user that includes the
versification column.

That would keep it simple for the average user whilst empowering those
users who would be greatly benefited by seeing it.

D anon467281

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