Custom Formatting Styles in Introduction Chapters

Hi,
I’m trying to add tables to the introduction chapters in my project, but apparently there is no way to do this with the standard USFM markers. I understand that SAB allows us to create custom formatting styles, but I can’t seem to make any custom markers work in the introduction chapters, let alone something close to a table formatting. Is there something I’m missing?

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Hi odysiusbt - I ran into a similar problem - or at least sounds similar - and ended up making a separate HTML file that I included as an introduction. That’s not the good news - you probably already knew you could do that!

What I came up with though after some research was a flexible table that would display differently if it was horizontal or vertical and so would fit on small screens.

Here you can see how the one unit in vertical mode becomes a table automatically when you rotate it horizontally.

You can see it in action at https://coreygarrett.org/RStable/ - you can see if you make your web browser thin that it goes to box mode and if it’s wide you’re in table mode. (If it doesn’t trigger it make your text size bigger by going to settings and click on the +)

You can get the template for Roman script here: https://coreygarrett.org/RSexample.zip.

Arabic script example here: https:/coreygarrett.org/AStable.

Arabic script template here: https:/coreygarrett.org/ASexample.zip.

Just delete the placeholder text and add your stuff.

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Hi, @Corey_Garrett.
Thanks for the suggestion to use a separate HTML file. It never occurred to me that we could use such approach. I’ve looked into the template you shared and there’s definitely some elements I could use and/or customize to better fit my project. There’s just one thing, though. How do I make it appears in the introduction chapter instead of chapter 1?

Yes that is a question - my example here I wrote about here is the intro to the whole project, not individual chapters. So I have:

That pronunciation guide with tables.html
Another html file introduction to whole Bible.html
Genesis.sfm
Exodus.sfm
Leviticus.sfm
...

And each of the books have intro chapters, but not with tables. I do however have some tables in a glossary that is straight sfm and it works OK - it’s the straight sfm markers so it doesn’t behave nicely like the intro table but it’s there.

Re-reading your first post now - you’re saying you’re having trouble getting tables in, not that they aren’t behaving like you want I see. Check this out, this is the USFM reference on how to format tables. It’s not very fun but it kind of works. And if you are using Paratext the software makes it a bit better. In Paratext go to Insert >> Table.

The USFM reference and Paratext thing may help but if not let me know what you are trying to do and we can look at how to get going in the right direction.

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