Manual:Notes for compilers in training

Notes for new compilers

Be sure you are:

• using Mozilla Firefox
• logged in to Vaniquotes (not Vanipedia, Vanisource, etc)

Preparing VedaBase

Sources to select for compiling

• Click here for the list

VedaBase hotkeys

• open advanced query tool = F2
• next hit = F4
• previous hit = F3
• next partition hit = F8 ('partition' means paragraph or, under Correspondence, record)
• previous partition hit = F7
• copy with reference:

There is no pre-assigned key for this operation. You may assign one if you wish - click here for instructions. (Suggested hotkey: F9)

What we do not compile

• synonyms (word-for-word translation section)
• quotes from an appendix or index
• text segments written by someone other than Srila Prabhupada (e.g. certain Forewords)
• purports from SB Canto 10.14 through Canto 12
• verse summaries at the beginning of LOB, ISO, MM, NBS
• chapter headings
• quotes in which the expression appears only in a reading being done by a devotee and is not further commented upon by Prabhupada
• quotes in which the expression is used by someone other than Prabhupada and Prabhupada does not offer further commentary in connection with the expression

Standards

Formatting quotes with speakers

• Conversations should always show the speakers' names, even if Prabhupada is the only speaker.
• Lectures show speakers' names only if there is a speaker other than Prabhupada present within the quote. If Prabhupada is the only speaker in the quote, do not include his name as speaker.
  • Exception: Philosophy Discussions - should be handled just like Conversations (always include the speaker)

Headings

• should include the expression (there may be some exceptions, but this is the general rule)
• should be complete sentences, ending with a full stop/period
• are not absolutely required, but should be consistent throughout the page
• are not necessary for short 'translation-only' quotes
• should be suitably shorter than the quote

For more insight into creating headings, click here.

Editing content

• Quote text copied from VedaBase must remain exactly 'as is'. Do not correct spelling or grammar, and do not 'skip' through the text to select your quote (quotes must be taken from contiguous text).
  • It is not necessary, however, to include the entirety of a single speaker's passage (in other words, you don't have to start your quote at the very beginning of a speaker's contribution to the conversation).
• Headings may include minor editing for clarity.

Miscellaneous Notes

Assigning hotkeys in VedaBase

To get a keyboard key (or 'hotkey') for "Copy With Reference":

• Go to VedaBase=>Tools=>Customize=>Keyboard
• Click on the arrow next to "Edit", then click on "Misc"=>"Copy With Reference"
• In "Press new shortcut key", press F9 (or any key you prefer)
• Assign=>OK

Useful links

Compiler Goals sheet

Compiler Statistics

A bit more on creating headings

• Headings should be concise, streamlined encapsulations of the message Prabhupada relates in regard to the page expression. Typically, this will involve the sentence in which the expression appears (or in some cases, part of that sentence) and maybe one or two more sentences as needed to clarify how the expression is being communicated.

• The heading summarizes or 'headlines' only. It acts as the entry point for the reading into the quote. A heading does not need to include extensive commentary or detail, as the detail is present immediately in the quote. Shorter headings tend to read more easily, clearly and emphatically than longer ones. Thus it is better to leave out such details as the source citations ("BG 2.14")or other non-essential text. (One should take care, however, not to compromise some essential part of the expression's meaning by cutting a heading off too short.)

• Headings are generally preferred, but not mandatory. Some pages simply do not lend themselves well to headings. These might include large 'overview' pages of category terms (click here for an example) or Conversations pages in which the dialogue is too broadly spread to capture the expression's use in a heading (click here for an example). Generally speaking, headings can be omitted when the Prabhupada's use of the expression depends on more context than can be placed in two or three sentences.

Remember, however, that headings or no headings, the page should be consistent. If in doubt, go with whichever works best for the majority of the quotes in the page.