Contact | About the Plugin | Files | Installation | Customization | Display
Version 3.1.0 upgrade
by Chad Butler
http://blog.tradespotter.com/
http://www.tradespotter.com/wp/?page_id=90
http://www.tradespotter.com/wp/wp-downloads/verse-o-matic.zip
This is always the latest version of Verse-O-Matic. Previous versions are maintained
as http://www.tradespotter.com/wp/wp-downloads/verse-o-matic-x-x-x.zip where
x-x-x is the version number (i.e. 2.0.1).
cbutlerjr@hotmail.com
I do not generally offer support for the plugin, it is "as-is". However,
if you catch a bug, please let me know so it can be fixed in the next update.
Also, if you use the Verse-O-Matic on your site, I would like to add your site
to the link list of Verse-O-Matic sites. Send me an email with your site's address
and I will add it to the list.
This Wordpress plugin displays a single random verse from a list of verses stored in a text file. Each verse can also have its own defined link to link to anything the user desires: the specific verse in a specific translation, a set of verses, an online tract. I’ve set some examples in the default installation, but the user can customize their own.
Also, the Verse-O-Matic has a “translation bar” that can be toggled on or off. This will link to the specific verse in the ESV (English Standard Version) on http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/, and the NIV (New International Version), KJV (King James Version), AMP (Amplified Bible), and NLT (New Living Translation) on biblegateway.com where the user can do side-by-side analysis.
New in this version are some added features to the translation bar. The translation bar will not include the translation of the verse displayed. For example, if the translation of the display is KJV, then KJV will not be a choice in the translation bar.
The following files should have been included with the plugin:
Done. You now have Verse-O-Matic installed and activated, ready for use. All that is left is to put it somewhere on your site.
Note: the first time you activate the plugin, it will automatically run its installation procedure, creating two database tables in your Wordpress database:
(or replace wp_ with the prefix you have selected for your Wordpress database. If you are not sure what this means, don't worry, the Verse-O-Matic installs the appropriate prefix based your settings. You will, however, need to know what this is should you choose to uninstall the Verse-O-Matic and delete the tables.)
If you are using a version prior to 3.0.0 or a new install, you DO NOT need to do this upgrade:
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Once the plugin is activated, you can manage the verses and settings by selecting the Manage tab on the Wordpress Admin Menu and then selecting Verse-O-Matic from the submenu.
This is a new feature in version 3.1.0. This allows you to toggle the way the Verse-O-Matic displays verses. You can choose from the following:
This is only of use with "Static Specific" Display Method (see above). Set the ID of the verse you want to display (this can be found in the verse list). Setting it or leaving it NULL (default) does not matter if the Static Specific Display is not selected.
Verse-O-Matic has a link bar at the bottom that will link to alternate translations of the displayed verse. It uses Good News Publishers for the ESV and Bible Gateway for all others. The default setting for this translation bar (Turn on alternate version links?) is "Yes". If do not want this feature to show, turn this to "No".
The translation bar includes 5 translations right now and will leave out the one that is in the displayed verse. However, if the displayed verse is not one the included translations, it will display all five. If you want to limit the width of the translation bar to 4 so it is consistent in these cases, leave "Limit number of alternate version links?" set to "Yes". (The example verse in the default install comes from "The Message" translation.)
You will notice in the admin panel that you can managed the verses that are already in the database. Select "edit" to edit the verse or change whether it is visible or not. Select "delete" to delete a verse from the database.
The admin provides you an easy way to add the verses you want to display. This form is pretty self explanatory. For the translation bar to parse correctly, use 1 and 2 for books like 2 Corinthians (as oppsed to II Corinthians or 2nd Corinthians). If you turn this feature off, this nomenclature does not matter. Also, the translation bar does recognize certain standard abbreviations of book names, i.e. Gen for Genesis.
If your verse is multiple verses, use a '-' in between the verse numbers and no spaces. John 11:25-26 has been provided in the default install as an example.
The link feature for each specific verse allows you to link to anything you want. You could link back to a translation, or you could use this to link to a tract or something else. If you do not want a link, you may leave this field blank and no link is generated. Also, you can link some verses and not others, as you can see from the installed examples.
We chose to display the verse on our sidebar, but you could put it anywhere you desire. All you need to do to display it is to call the following function:
verse_o_matic();
If you are calling this in raw html (i.e. you are outside of php delimiters < ?php ?>) then you will need to place this inside the php delimiters as follows:
< ?php verse_o_matic(); ?>
It is good practice to check for the existence of the function in a case like this. That way, you do not create an error if the plugin is turned off or fails for some other reason.
<?php if (function_exists('verse_o_matic')) { ?>
<li>
<h2>Verse-O-Matic Sidebar Heading</h2>
<?php verse_o_matic(); ?>
</li><?php }?>
In this example, if the plugin is turned off or uninstalled, not only will the function call not cause an error, the heading will not display either. Place anything you would not want to show up if the plugin is off in between the first line and the last.
Well, that’s it. I tried to keep it simple for n00bs and open enough for php hacks. I hope you find it easy to customize, install, and use.
The page to check for upgrades is http://www.tradespotter.com/wp/?page_id=90. Note there is a link to this page built in to the Settings area of the admin so you can check to make sure you have the most recent version.
Feel free to drop me a line to tell my where and how you are using it and how you like it. Feel free to send feature requests as well. My email address is cbutlerjr@hotmail.com.