[sword-devel] Is there "bare-bones" interface to raw Bible text? Documentation for nt.vss and ot.vss?

Lynn Allan sword-devel@crosswire.org
Tue, 21 Oct 2003 14:00:47 -0600


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I was interested in finding out whether there is a "bare-bones" =
interface to the raw text of the Bible texts. As I look at what a =
Windows end-user installs, I see a subdirectory:
x:\BaseDir\Sword\modules\texts\rawtext\kjv\
with files nt, nt.vss, ot, and ot.vss

The files "nt" and "ot" contain ascii text from the actual Bible, with =
some tags that seem to specify chapters and verses. I speculate that the =
.vss files have offsets and lengths so that software logic can fetch a =
specific verse. I further speculate that the .vss file, or another file, =
knows how many verses there are in each chapter, and how many chapters =
there are in each book. (Genesis has 50 book, Gen 1 has 31 verses, Gen 2 =
has 25 verses, Gen 3 has 24 verses, etc.)

Other sword logic presumably would translate a "key" like "Matthew 1:1" =
or "John 3:16" into a specific offset into the file, and a specific =
number of bytes. It can decipher Gen 3:4 to being the 60th verse of the =
OT, and can do a "lookup" to what offset/length this actually works out =
to be.

Is this in the ballpark and more-or-less correct? Is there documentation =
for the format of the .vss files and lookup logic?  Is there a =
bare-bones interface? (something much smaller than 400kb diatheke)

Inquiring minds want to know :-)
Lynn Allan aka paraclete@bibleinverse.org
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I was interested in finding out whether =
there is a=20
"bare-bones" interface to the raw text of the Bible texts. As I look at =
what a=20
Windows&nbsp;end-user installs, I see a subdirectory:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>x:\BaseDir\Sword\modules\texts\rawtext\kjv\</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>with files nt, nt.vss, ot, and =
ot.vss</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The files "nt" and "ot" contain ascii =
text from the=20
actual Bible, with some tags that seem to specify chapters and verses. I =

speculate that the .vss files have offsets and lengths so that software =
logic=20
can fetch a specific verse. I further speculate that the .vss file, or =
another=20
file, knows how many verses there are in each chapter, and how many =
chapters=20
there are in each book. (Genesis has 50 book, Gen 1 has 31 verses, Gen 2 =
has 25=20
verses, Gen 3 has 24 verses, etc.)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Other sword logic presumably&nbsp;would =
translate a=20
"key" like "Matthew 1:1" or "John 3:16" into a specific offset into the =
file,=20
and a specific number of bytes. It can decipher Gen 3:4 to being the =
60th verse=20
of the OT, and can do a "lookup" to what offset/length this actually =
works out=20
to be.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Is this in the ballpark and =
more-or-less correct?=20
Is there documentation for the format of the .vss files and lookup =
logic?&nbsp;=20
Is there a bare-bones interface? (something much smaller than 400kb=20
diatheke)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Inquiring minds want to know =
:-)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Lynn Allan aka <A=20
href=3D"mailto:paraclete@bibleinverse.org">paraclete@bibleinverse.org</A>=
</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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