Freely-Given.org Bible Door App

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Bible Door app

Use the right key and the door opens to a Bible (or two)!

Bible Door is a forthcoming family of basic Bible reader programs that will make it simpler to install your Bibles onto phones and tablets, including custom Bibles such as unfinished translations for user testing. After the Bible data is uploaded to the Bible Drop Box and processed there and the (data-less) app is installed on the device, users will simply have to enter a short key code into the Bible Door to link the app to the appropriate files on the Freely-Given.org server. The Bible module from the Bible Drop Box will then be automatically available on the app. (It’s also able to easily install open-licensed Bibles, although admittedly the majority of those are still older translations.)

It will be up to the Bible Drop Box submitter to decide how widely to distribute the key code, e.g., restricted distribution for a test version of the Scriptures, or more widely for finished/approved books. (Or you can do both with two different Bible Drop Box submissions which will give different link codes.) The system is designed to work even with incomplete translations, for example to test just one completed Bible book, or even a few chapters.

The Bible Door app will also allow the user to select and choose a second Bible (e.g., from here) which will scroll alongside the primary Bible (or can be turned off again).

Some apps in the Bible Door family will include Bible data when the app is downloaded, especially the one show-casing the forthcoming Open English Translation (OET) of the Bible.

Release date: Aiming for a re-written functional version of Bible Door by the middle of 2024.

(Future) Useage steps for openly-available Bibles

  1. Get user code: See our Demos page. If the open-licensed Bible you are looking for is not included there already, use our Contact Page to request it to be added. (Please include the link for where the source Bible can be downloaded from.)
  2. Get app: Download the free app from the Google Play store or side-install it from a SD card.
  3. Enter key: Enter the key code into the Bible Door app and request it to download all the available Scriptures. (Alternatively, the app can also just download individual books as they are referenced.)
  4. Use app: Start using the Bible Door app immediately.
  5. Share with others: Share the app and the Bible data with others (who don’t necessarily have Internet access) and for those with good, affordable Internet access, share the key code.

(Future) Useage steps for unpublished Bibles

  1. Upload Bible: The (completed or still in progress) Bible text must be uploaded by the translator(s) to the Bible Drop Box.
  2. Get user code: The translator(s) get a key code in the response email from the Bible Drop Box.
  3. Get app: Download the free app from the Google Play store or side-install it from a SD card.
  4. Enter key: Enter the key code into the Bible Door app and request it to download all the available Scriptures. (Alternatively, the app can also just download individual books as they are referenced.)
  5. Use app: Start using the Bible Door app immediately.
  6. Share with others: Share the app and unless it’s a restricted distribution, share the Bible data with others (who don’t necessarily have Internet access) and for those with good, affordable Internet access, share the key code.

Bible Door features

The detailed app specifications (for programmers and system administrators) have now been moved to a separate page.

  1. Downplays chapters and verses: Unlike most Bible apps, don’t display by chapter (except for books like Psalms and Lamentations where chapter breaks match the original text breaks) but rather display paragraphed text by section.
  2. Section navigation: As well as getting to a passage by selecting the book, chapter, and verse, it’s also possible (in many modern Bible versions) to select book and section heading.
  3. Additional text: Allow access to Bible and book introductions, along with section headings.
  4. Bible helps: Allow access to footnotes, cross-references, glossary entries, and maps.
  5. Localisation: Bible book names should be in the Bible language; prompts and menu might be in yet another (e.g., trade or area) language.
  6. Easy to use: The basic functionality must be easily/quickly accessible and not complex for an unskilled user. (Advanced features can be accessed by menus.)
  7. Easy sharing: Facilitates the sharing of the Bible data to peers via SD cards and Bluetooth.
  8. Phones, tablets, and desktop: Must be an Android app that will run nicely on modern phones and tablets, as well as on devices released within the last five years.
  9. Showcases OET: One app in this family will include the forthcoming Open English Translation (OET) of the Bible built-into the app. (No key code required in this case.) The OET is unique in having both a Literal Version and a Readers’ Version that are displayed together.
  10. Open source: Source code will be open source and freely available for others to also improve.

History

Bible Door (was CustomBible) was first planned around 2013 to make it simpler to install your custom Bibles onto Android phones and tablets via the Bible Drop Box service. It was originally envisioned in order to allow Bible translators to easily do community testing on mobile devices without needing to first install any software development environment.

The first prototype of the app was developed in Java/Kotlin using Android Studio, and then later, a Flutter version was written as a proof-of-concept. However, Dart has been improved and Flutter3 was released this year, so we would restart from scratch using updated programming and code management techniques.