Is there a way to create an index of Biblical references?

[PaulHaz]

I want to create an index of Biblical references. I can tag the passages, but the created index is in alphabetic order, while I want it to start with Genesis, then Exodus, and so on.

I would be content with specifying the index entries and the order in which they appear, if that was possible.

Ideally the index would look something like:

Genesis
       Genesis 1:7                                 24, 59
       Genesis 3:4                                 68
       Genesis 16:9                                15, 16, 27-33, 81
Exodus
       Exodus 17:3                                 41...

[jimk]

Good question, but edit the question to add the example instead of adding it as a comment.

[MarkMcLean]

No, but I do have a sheet that you can copy verses to, it will let you know if you already have that verse on that sheet, then it will sort them out, BUT first Books with #'s then alphabetically. I have not yet put a file here, but will to try if you would like a copy.

[PaulHaz]

That would be appreciated. Thank you.

[MarkMcLean]

http://bit.ly/dailydesire, This page has a file to go to that will sort verses aright. Sorry I forgot! And just happen to see this question again.

[jimk]

I do not see a way to sort entries in a custom order, but we can choose the keys.

The key begins with the two-digit book number. A standard list of numbers is given in section 2.1 Book Abbreviations in http://paratext.org/system/files/usfmReference2_35.pdf (PDF).

Also, sorted order for chapter/verse requires 16:09 instead of 16:9. For Psalms, use three digits because it has more than 100 chapters and some chapters have more than 100 verses.

[PaulHaz]

That is neat. I must confess I am reluctant to write all the references in the text in the form “Genesis 01:07” - I think that would jar with most of my readers. But I can ask how much of a problem that would be.

Does anyone else have any ideas? I can’t be the first person to want a non-alphabetic index?

[jimk]

“I am reluctant to write all the references in the text in the form Genesis 01:07”. It does not need to be changed in the main text. Look closely at the first screen capture in my answer. The expanded forms will only be visible in the index.

[PaulHaz]

Ah! Thank you. I missed that detail. I assumed the index entry would be the same as the selected text, but on reflection I see that would not always be the case. I guess this is as close as it gets to what I wanted. Had hoped someone would know about an extension which provided the additional functionality …

[PaulHaz]

Update: I struggled to make this precise solution work, partly because I sometimes mis-typed the entry and could not find out how to change or delete the index entry. But creating and using an index file worked much better, and had the advantage that I could immediately see which passages had already been indexed.

[dhigby]

The link above for book abbreviations should be corrected to: Book Identifiers — Unified Standard Format Markers 3.0.0 documentation