Appendix: SwordSearcher URL Protocol

This is an advanced topic and the information here will be useful to only a small portion of SwordSearcher users.

Starting with version 5.3, SwordSearcher has a standardized URL linking system which functions anywhere in Windows where URLs are recognized, such as Internet Explorer (HTML href links), MS Word, explorer bars, etc., and in user-created SwordSearcher modules. The SwordSearcher URL protocol opens SwordSearcher and performs certain actions, such as setting the Bible panel to a verse, loading a verse list, performing a search, and other common tasks. When SwordSearcher 5.3 (or later) is installed, the URL protocol is registered with Windows automatically.

A SwordSearcher link looks like this:

swordsearcher://bible+kjv/Ge1.1

The following is a complete specification of the SwordSearcher URL format.

URL format:

swordsearcher://[Action](+[ResourceAbbreviation])/[Entry]

Action is required and tells SwordSearcher what you want to do. +ResourceAbbreviation is usually optional and only applies to some Actions. It tells SwordSearcher which module, if any, you want the action to be performed with. Finally, /Entry is required and is the entry you wish to open or text you wish to search.

An important note about encoding links: It is important to encode special characters in links, like spaces. A discussion of general URL formatting is beyond the scope of this text. However, the most common encoding that usually needs to be done is the space character, which should be represented as %20 in a URL instead of an actual space. Though the space will work properly in SwordSearcher, many other applications may not properly handle a true space. Also, due to the way Internet Explorer handles quotation marks (even encoded ones), SwordSearcher recognizes [q] as a double-quote. So, for example, an html link to a KJV phrase search for "sword of" would be written like this:

<a href="swordsearcher://search+kjv/[q]sword%20of[q]">Search for "sword of"</a>

Here is a list of action types and examples.

BIBLE

ResourceAbbreviation (optional) is the desired Bible module

Entry is the verse reference to set the Bible panel to

Example: swordsearcher://bible+kjv/mt1.1

Example: swordsearcher://bible/mt1.1

VERSELIST

ResourceAbbreviation (optional) is the desired Bible module

Entry is a string of verse references to be parsed and loaded into the Verse List panel

Example: swordsearcher://verselist+kjv/ge1.1-5;ex1.1;de1.1

Example: swordsearcher://verselist/ge1.1-5;ex1.1;de1.1

STRONGS

ResourceAbbreviation ignored

Entry is Strongs number, such as G100 or H100.

Example: swordsearcher://strongs/g100

BOOK

ResourceAbbreviation (optional) is desire book module. If not specified, active book is used.

Entry is the desired entry title.

Example: swordsearcher://book+torrey/manna

CMTY

ResourceAbbreviation (optional) is desired commentary module. If not specified, active cmty is used.

Entry is the desired verse entry.

Example: swordsearcher://cmty+mhcc/ge1.1

IMAGE

ResourceAbbreviation is ignored.

Entry is the image path in the SwordSearcher image store.

Example: swordsearcher://image/Easton%20Illustrations/Aceldama.png

ResourceAbbreviation is module to perform search on.

Entry is the search expression to use.

Example: swordsearcher://search+kjv/love

If the module is a Bible, the ResourceAbbreviation can also include a search range:

swordsearcher://search+kjv[r=Mt-Joh]/love would do a search in the King James Bible for love limited to the gospels.

TVG

Opens the Topic and Verse Guide.

ResourceAbbreviation ignored

Entry is the text to set in the TVG.

Example: swordsearcher://tvg/love opens the TVG and indexes 'love.'

Example: swordsearcher://tvg/ge1.1 opens the TVG and shows all references to Ge 1:1.

EDIT

(SwordSearcher version 8.0 or later)

Opens an entry in an editable user module for editing. If the entry does not exist, it is created.

ResourceAbbreviation is the book or commentary module to edit.

Entry is the title of the entry to edit. For books, this is any valid entry title. For commentaries, this is a verse reference.

Example: swordsearcher://edit+MyTopics/Love opens the MyTopics book module in the editor for the entry "Love", which is created if it does not exist.

Example: swordsearcher://edit+MyNotes/Ge1.1 opens the MyNotes commentary module in the editor for the entry on Genesis 1:1, which is created if it does not exist.

TREE

(SwordSearcher version 8.2 or later)

Opens the Word Tree tool.

ResourceAbbreviation is the Bible module to use in the word tree.

Entry is the word or phrase to use as the trunk in the word tree.

ResourceAbbreviation can also include a range to limit the word tree to a passage or list of passages.

Example: swordsearcher://tree+KJV/loveth opens a word tree for the word loveth for the entire King James Bible.

Example: swordsearcher://tree+KJV[r=ge]/loveth opens a word tree for the word loveth in the book of Genesis in the King James Bible.

ESI

Opens the English-Strong's Indexer tool.

ResourceAbbreviation is ignored.

Entry is the English word or Strong's number to index.

Example: swordsearcher://esi/love opens the ESI and indexes 'love.'

A range can be specified:

Example: swordsearcher://esi[r=ge-mal]/love opens the ESI and indexes 'love' in the Old Testament.