BibleSync Settings

BibleSync is a shared navigation protocol using LAN multicast. It is useful for a single person when running Bible programs on multiple machines or devices, all of which you wish to navigate through the Bible together, or for a group working closely together, such as translators. Also, it has a "lecture" mode, where a speaker's Bible program induces the audience's programs to follow along. The difference in the modes regards who transmits and who receives navigation. In Personal mode, BibleSync navigation is both transmitted and received; as Speaker, it transmits only; as Audience, it receives only. The difference in the modes regards who transmits and who receives navigation. In Personal mode, BibleSync navigation is both transmitted and received; as Speaker, it transmits only; as Audience, it receives only.

To enable BibleSync, select a mode from the radio buttons. Also, choose whether to accept navigation directly, so that Xiphos moves immediately to a specified verse, or whether incoming navigation is instead sent to the verse list, where you can decide whether to follow.

If you use a firewall, you must punch a hole in it for UDP port 22272.

If you run more than one BibleSync-compatible program on your computer and do not wish your activity among them to be shared on the local net, you can use Personal mode combined with the Private checkbox. This will tell Xiphos not to broadcast outside your system.

You can send a verse list from the sidebar search or Advanced Search window via BibleSync; see the context (right-click) menu. A particularly good use case for this is when using a simpler Bible program, such as on a mobile device, with another such as Xiphos that has significant search capability: Do searches in Xiphos and send the resulting verse list to the mobile device. Be aware that size limitations on the protocol are small, and though a search may generate hundreds of results in the verse list, at most a few dozen will pass in the protocol to the receivers. For Xiphos, receipt of multi-references always induces indirect verse list navigation.

As of Biblesync 2.0.0, a simple chat facility is available, accessed using Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C.

Xiphos is the first Bible program with a BibleSync implementation; as such, its utility may be limited for now. Another Sword Project application, Bishop (for Android and iOS), also has gained support for BibleSync. Watch for other applications (not all being Sword applications) to provide support.