[sword-devel] newbie problem making a module

[Arthur Bolstad]

I have been listening in on Sword mailing for a while, learning from what is said, etc.

I have been unable to understand the module making instructions I can find?!  While 
I am willing to accept my responsibility for my failures I would like more help.  

I don't use unix (yet) so am limited to windows tools (although I use Java, ie jedit, 
etc).  It seems to me that if I had the proper formats (and understood them) for 
modules, I could create them by hand (I have done enough HTML that way).  
However, as I said, I don't understand that.

A GUI would "understand" that for me - to me that is the big value of a GUI.  In 
addition, with a 'proper' GUI it is not necessary to remember all the commands.  Unix 
is great if you remember everything, but if not ...

If someone is willing (off-line?) to walk through the module making procedure and 
standards, I will put my understanding into words for the next ones with that question.

Pastor Arthur Bolstad
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
Simulation Programmer at Boeing, St Louis.

I use sword on a Widows 98 machine so Bible-Time is also pertinent.

On 23 Jun 2002 at 21:08, Daniel Blake wrote:

> My last post was decidedly one sided.  I agree completely.  There are some
> things that command line tools just do better.
> 
> For the normal user the better tool normally doesn't get used.  They don't
> care how many extra steps the interface makes them take as long as the trip
> to the end result is "smoother" for them.
> 
> Daniel Blake
> 
> > On Sun, Jun 23, 2002 at 06:35:18PM -0400, Daniel Blake wrote:
> > > I don't understand the mindset that refuses to acknowledge the
> usefulness of
> > > tools that have a user interface. GUI's are necessary for the average
> user
> > > to create modules we could all benefit from. There are many people I
> know
> > > that have knowledge from God that would be beneficial to the rest of us.
> > > Most, if not all, of these people would never even consider making a
> module
> > > using the current method.
> > >
> > > I think we need to examine who we are creating The Sword Project for.
> The
> > > module creation tools that exist are GREAT if we want to remain some
> Elite
> > > Group of computer guru's. If The Sword Project is really being made to
> be
> > > used by "regular" people then we need to make tools that "regular"
> people
> > > can and will use.
> > > I'm not trying to start the command line / GUI holy wars. Let's just
> take an
> > > unbiased look at this topic and see what the best solution would be.
> >
> > Point taken.
> >
> > nevertheless, I regularly chafe at windows users who find the most
> > convoluted ways to do things that could be done at a commandline with
> > a few keystrokes. Why? either because they don't understand the ins-and-
> > outs of their tools, or because the gui itself makes some things hard
> > to do efficiently.
> >
> > One of the customer support people at work, last week, said she had to
> > ftp 120 files to a customer, was having trouble with the gui ftp client
> > she would prefer to use. So I suggested she just open a DOS window and
> > use the (crummy but working) MS ftp client. She threw a minor fit that
> > I'd even suggest using manual ftp to send 120 files. She didn't seem to
> > think about how easy it really is:
> >
> > ftp remote-system
> > cd destdir
> > binary
> > prompt
> > mput *.*
> >
> > which is probably much easier than all the clicking and navigting you need
> > to do to send 120 files in a gui cleint.
> >
> > --
> > ---- Fred Smith --
> fredex@fcshome.stoneham.ma.us -----------------------------
> >                         The Lord is like a strong tower.
> >              Those who do what is right can run to him for safety.
> > --------------------------- Proverbs 18:10
> (niv) -----------------------------
> 
>