This was a very early version of the apparatus explorer, created when I was learning Python. It is deprecated in favor of https://github.com/d-flood/apparatus-explorer and the web app. My focus is now with the web app as it is both a tool for my daily research and an easier way to share my data with others.
This tool does does a few things:
- Visualization of a TEI XML encoded critical apparatus
- Conveniently adds edges to variation units and reading types.
- Exports the XML apparatus to a formatted docx file
- Can make, display, and save local stemma graphs with GraphViz
- Can combine single-verse output from the ITSEE Collation Editor into one file (e.g., into chapter or book length files).
- This is a companion tool to Tendon, which was designed for guiding the process of transcription to collation, while Apparatus Explorer is for editing the collation ouput.
To get started, double-click Apparatus Explorer.exe in /Apparatus Explorer.
This Apparatus Explorer was designed to prepare an XML collation file for use in Joey McCollum's open-cbgm library (https://github.com/jjmccollum/open-cbgm-standalone). The open-cbgm library allows for genealogical directions between variants to be encoded into the XML collation input file and utilized in various outputs. The Apparatus Explorer helps this process by presenting the user with the basetext, readings, witnesses, and the option to add and delete the relationships between variants (edges, or <arc> elements in the XML file).
Since this tool was developed for use in New Testament Textual Criticism, it can also export the critical apparatus as a formatted docx file for print and publication.
The open-cbgm library can filter included readings and witnesses based on reading types. These are attributes in the <rdg> element. The Apparatus Explorer now allows for these to be easily removed and added. Although the dropdown box has four reading types, the user can type anything into the input box.
On Windows, this standalone version should run without any other dependencies being in place. For all other platforms, see the source code repository: apparatus-explorer. Any platform with Python 3.6+ can run that version.
GraphViz is optional, but it is recommended. If GraphViz is installed and added to path, the Apparatus Explorer will display a PNG graph of the local stemma and save the graph to /graphs. If GraphViz is not installed, the Apparatus Explorer will display a plain text representation of the same data.
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Begin with the XML output from the Collation Editor from ITSEE at the University of Birmingham (https://github.com/itsee-birmingham/standalone_collation_editor).
- The Collation Editor works best one verse at a time. This will produce many single-verse collation files.
- These should be combined into chapter and whole book collation files using the built-in 'Combine Files' feature.
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Save the XML collation file to
/collations -
Previously, one had to then reformat the XML file with Joey McCollum's itsee-to-open-cbgm utility (https://github.com/jjmccollum/itsee-to-open-cbgm). Now I have included this utility in the Apparatus Explorer. The Apparatus Explorer will ask the user if it should reformat the XML file. Click 'Ok' at the prompt to create a properly formatted copy of the collation file. It will automatically be saved and loaded into the Apparatus Explorer. When loading the same collation in the future, be sure to select the formatted version. By default, the reformatted copy's file name ends with
_reformatted.xml.
The Apparatus Explorer extracts the relevant verse from a basetext file for showing the context of witness readings. The basetext file should be the same as the one used with ITSEE's Collation Editor.
Basetext formatting:
- The basetext file needs to be a plain text file
.txt - One verse per line
- SBL style reference at the beginning of every line. Examples:
Rom 13:5 διο αναγκη υποτασσεσθαι ου μονον δια την οργην αλλα και δια την συνειδησιν
John 1:1 εν αρχη ην ο λογος και ο λογος ην προς τον θεον και θεος ην ο λογος
- The basetext file needs to have at least the same amount of content as the XML collation file.
- The basetext file should be in
/files
The python-docx library can take a docx file and use its styling as a template. This template file should be named template.docx and stored in /files. The docx output will be saved to /exported.
I have included an example collation file, an example basetext file, and a suitable docx template file.
To test the tool using these examples, download or clone this repository.
- Windows: open
apparatus_explorer.exe--- I have removed the Windows executable until major updates are done. These have been completed and the executable will be available soon. - Any platform with Python 3.6+ installed: execute
apparatus_explorer.py
- Click 'Browse' and navigate to
Apparatus Explorer/collationsand openR13.xml. This will load a collation of Romans 13:5-14 that I edited.- The data for 01, 02, 03, and 33 are from the INTF NT.VMR TEI XML transcriptions (https://ntvmr.uni-muenster.de/manuscript-workspace). The data for 018, 0150, 0151, 1506, and 2110 are the result of my research. The rest of the data was taken from Reuben J. Swanson, New Testament Greek Manuscripts: Variant Readings Arranged in Horizontal Lines against Codex Vaticanus: Romans (2001).
- Click "Load/Refresh XML File. Navigate between different verses by either 1) using the top level 'Prev' and 'Next' buttons, or 2) typing in a reference into the top input field and then clicking "Load/Refresh XML File" to update the screen.
- The XML file is automatically saved any time that an
<arc>element is added or deleted using the "Edit Relationships" frame. It is still important to select "Save and Exit" before using the file with the open-cbgm. Loading the XML file into the Apparatus Explorer applies a few slight modifications that are restored when clicking "Save and Exit." The collation file will still load correctly into the Apparatus Explorer if this is forgotten, so it can be remedied any time prior to being processed by the open-cbgm library.