[sword-devel] OSIS looks daunting. Can I import from existing VPL format?

[johnduffy at cgcf.net]

Hi,

I've spent a good bit of time preparing the Bible in Irish (An Bíobla Naofa)
for e-Sword.  Having recently seen the possibilities of making it available
for other programs, I'm trying to make it available for other formats also
(again, with publisher's permission).  Having looked into it, OSIS is the
format of choice now moving forward.  However, the verse-per-line format
that I have would require a lot of work to make it OSIS compatible.  The
issues are that it is not the normal versification (a variation of Vulgate,
I think); and the paragraph information would be best added (which was lost
in making it VPL, due to my initial lack of knowledge of such matters). 

However, as I look into the complexities of making a file in OSIS, the sheer
amount of work required seems to make it beyond what I can achieve in a
reasonable amount of time (despite more time being available to me just
recently).  I spent an awful lot of work converting the Bible from MS Word
format to VPL, and I'm not comfortable with the thought of the amount of
time it would take to produce a module in OSIS format, esp. with so much
hand coding.  

I'm now considering the option of converting the existing VPL format into
Sword format straight, and later on trying to get a better version in OSIS.
Either I or someone else could do this at a more reasonable pace, if a Sword
module is available in the meantime.  (The alternate versification is
hard-coded into the VPL file at present and is very clear.  It uses the
KJV+Apocrypha versification.  The VPL version also has headings for the
Bible passages.  These are all uniquely marked up in the rtf format file
from other markups e.g. alt. versification.)  

I have all the meta-data required, including the copyright and
format-shifting permissions etc, for new modules.  I also have a commentary
module which has the publisher's book introductions as well as headings
(although these could be removed if requires, as they are already in the
Bible file).  I have a dictionary/concordance file too, but I imagine that a
new one would need to be made for Sword format.

Can anyone advise on how to take either an e-Sword module, or the VPL text
file, and convert it into Sword format?  Better still, would I be pushing my
luck to ask if anyone would be able to volunteer to convert the file(s) for
me?  

I appreciate all the help I can get on this.  Thanks
 
John Duffy