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David Cox's How e-Sword works

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www.e-sword.net
General Information (3/07)
Installation: e-Sword (4/07)
Installation: modules
Latest Version: 7.9.8
How e-Sword Works (4/07)
Help Desk FAQs (4/08)
e-Sword on Linux (09/07)
e-Sword on the MAC (3/08)
Copyright Stuff (3/07)
David Cox copyrights (4/07)
Work plans for this site

  Module Downloads 

 David Cox Created Mods

Bible Modules  e-Sw.net
Commentary Mods  e-Sw.net
Dictionary Mods  e-Sw.net
Devotional Mods  e-Sw.net
*  Topic Mods  *  e-Sw.net
Bible Reading Plans
Illustrations
Graphic Mods  e-Sw.net
STEP Mods  e-Sw.net
Request Mods
Premium Mods

  How to use...? 

How to use e-Sword (4/07)
e-Sword Menu (03/08)
Bibles  (11/07)
Commentaries (03/08)
Dictionaries (03/08)
Study Notes (03/08)
Topics
Search all Tops
Maps
Bible Readings
Devotionals
Program Panels Layout
Bible Searches
Search between Bibles
Making Verse Lists (4/07)
Strongs

e-Sword Utilities

MSWord Macros for s-Sword
esword MEd (11/07)
esword FIn (11/07)
esword RUn (no longer available)
Chads Commentary Creator
Best 2.11 & BPest

   How to Create Modules 

Module Creation Updated!
e-Sword MEd
My Word Macros
Creating Bible Modules Updated!
Creating Commentaries Mods Updated!
Creating Dictionary Mods Updated!
Creating Topic Mods Updated!
Creating Devotional Mods New!
Creating Illustration Mods New!

Finnish Resources for -Esword
Swedish Resources for e-Sword

 Overview

First of all let's say that e-Sword is a great program. But to back up that statement we need to explain why it is a great program.

As a Bible study program ... it is a strong contender. Yes, there are more powerful programs out there (which are at the same time very difficult to learn how to use all that power), but I would place e-Sword as being very useful to those reading Greek and Hebrew, but it is also simple enough to be used by laymen who have no idea of ancient languages. The linking of the KJV to Strong's concordance is a very good way to get at least some information on the ancient language text underlying the English. Will it substitute for knowing Greek and Hebrew? No. Will it shed light on a lot of the meanings behind the English, definitely.

 How e-Sword is set up

e-Sword works as a database manager. Its files are almost exclusively Microsoft Access Database files (file containers that actually hold one or more Access files, databases, etc.). In e-Sword we call these "modules". Note that these modules are of different "types" of files. Of these different modules, the files that are in the Access Container file (a database if you want to use that term) have different formats for different file types. Let's first introduce you to a brief overview of all the file types, and then we can talk more at length on each file type particularly. Remember the actual e-Sword file or module (kjv.bbl for example) is a database container with more than one actual file, all in one package with this filename.

 Editable and non-Editable module types  - Before we get into the different module types let me give you a help here. Some modules are made to be edited by the user, while others are impossible to modify by the user unless he uses some other program. I will mark the user editable modules with this image [EDITABLE], and those which are "fixed" and not editable or modifiable by the user with this image [FIXED].

We start with the Bible module [FIXED]., which has the DOS extension of "*.bbl". This is a database which has 31,102 entries, one entry for verse in the Bible. Here we enter in some problems because some Bibles include the Apocrypha and e-Sword allows for that. But I will leave that for another discussion if I have time to write it. When you view a Bible, you are seeing a couple of records from that database.

Next we have the Commentary module [FIXED].. This is setup to parallel and "track" movements in the Bible module. The commentary module is set up to allow comments on individual verses, chapters, passages, and books. If you click on the verse reference in the Bible window, the commentary window will go to that verse (if there is a comment on that particular verse in its current displaying commentary module).

Next we have the Dictionary module [FIXED].. The dictionary module is set up to look up a word (by clicking on that word in one of the other windows) in its database.

Next we have the Illustration Module[FIXED]. This is basically Rick's Module, because it is not programmed to read various illustration modules (ILL extensions), so it is very limited to just the one module which Rick has for sale on his website. Better use DCT or TOP module types for Illustrations.

Next we have the Graphics Viewer module [FIXED].. On the downside of e-Sword, e-Sword is restricted in its dealing with graphics because Microsoft Access simply does not handle graphics that well. Rick Meyers compensated for this by making a special graphics file type with a special viewer. It is also a separate viewer program and it does not handle graphics as nicely as html web languages even. Its main use is in viewing maps and such, so it has a database with a single graphic file for each database record, with text on that graphic (a map program, so the extension for these files are "map" accordingly).

E-Sword database limitation - Since I am mentioning this limitation of e-Sword, I want to also mention another limitation here. Since Microsoft Access is the format for these data modules, e-Sword has inherited a data size limit of 64k, which is imposed on it because it is a memo field type in Access, and that is its limitation. This causes some problems in putting works into e-Sword because a "chapter" (one data record) that is greater than this is simply cut off at the limitation mark. e-Sword will not even beep or give any indication that a copy and paste function has cut off text. It is always wisest for module creators to watch the last words of copy and make sure that is what you see in your e-Sword module.

STEP files/modules [FIXED]. - STEP file format is really a great format, and as with artists and other dull people, they are only really appreciated after they have died. This format was setup by Christian book publishers as a universal electronic book format. Unfortunately they dropped it in favor of other things, so it is no longer used. I searched the Internet trying to find a program to make the STEP format, and what I found was a $10,000 US dollar permission needed to display the "STEP" logo on a product, and I did not even find a commercial product to produce a STEP file. So for all practical purposes, STEP files are dead (nobody wants to produce them). The best that I could gather from the information I found is that the Christian book publishers thought up the format and charge this incredible licensing fee so that they could pay lawyers to chase down anybody making STEP files without their permission. Fine. Nobody did. People went to things like Adobe Acrobat pdf format which can be produced without their permission. Kind of stupid if you ask me, but they did thing, had their party, and nobody showed up. Nobody but a major Christian editorial publisher can afford the licensing fee, and none of them are interested. (Besides anything that they would produce would be a charge basis, and then they would lose their shirts in the process.)

Daily Bible Reading Plans  [EDITABLE] - This is essentially a database where you can divide the entire Bible into readings which you mark off once you read them.

Devotional Plans  [EDITABLE] - This is similar module like the Daily Bible Reading plan except it has a devotional book.

Prayer Request Keeper  [EDITABLE] - This is a mini program within e-Sword to help keep tract of prayer requests.

Scripture Memory Helper  [EDITABLE] - This is a mini program within e-Sword to help keep you memorize passages of Scripture.

Study Notes Module  [EDITABLE] - This is kind of confusing, but as you have already noted that there is an abundance of modules and no where to view them. This module is a special module within the Commentary Panel of e-Sword. Its tab is marked as "Study Notes". Think of this simply as a write it yourself as you go commentary. The format is identical to the other commentary modules as far as I can tell. I would note here that I believe Rick Meyers made a change in the structure of this file which makes it impossible to make a book, chapter, or passage note. All notes are limited to single verses. I think if you go into the module in a program that edits it as a Microsoft Access file, you may be able to put this in there, but likewise it is difficult to impossible to view these notes. Basically if there is no information on individual verses it will display the passage information. I have never seen anything written about this, but just from use of the program I am guessing this.

Topic Modules  [EDITABLE] - This is like the Study Notes modules, and in fact you will find its tab, "Topic Notes", right beside the Study Notes tab in the Commentary Panel. I would guess that Rick Meyer's original idea was to make a place for a preacher to gather notes from Bible study (the other panels) and make a basic sermon outline. This was the original idea of Topic notes I think. But the thing didn't quite turn out that way if that was his intention. One of the limitations is not being able to see commentaries and this topic note simultaneously, although there is a copy to topic note function. What has happened is that people began to see that they could put other Christian works into this topic note format, and things have gotten kind of wild since then. I would note a great failing of e-Sword here, and that is that e-Sword will not permit you to search all your Topic files at once. Searches are limited to a single loaded topic file. (Craig White's e-Sword utility, e-Sword Med will allow you to do it, but you have to close e-Sword to do the search.)