========================== Frequently Asked Questions ========================== General Questions ================= Can I help with OpenLP? ----------------------- OpenLP is possible because of the commitment of individuals. If you would like to help there are several things that you can get involved with. Please see: `Contributing `_ for more information. I use and like OpenLP and would like to tell others online. Where can I do this? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A variety of places! * Are you on facebook? Then `become a fan `_ * Are you on twitter? Then `follow openlp `_, and retweet the announcements. * Give us a thumbs up on the `SourceForge project page `_ * If you have a website or blog, then link to our site http://www.openlp.org with a few words saying what the software is and why you like it. * Add a placemark on our `Worldwide Usage map `_, so others in your locality can see someone close by is using it. * If you are a member of any Christian Forums or websites, and their rules allow it, then perhaps review the software or ask others to review it. What operating systems will OpenLP 2.2 support? ----------------------------------------------- OpenLP 2.2 is designed to be cross platform. Currently it has been known to run on Windows (Vista, 7, 8, 10), Linux (Ubuntu and its variants, Fedora, Debian, ArchLinux, Mint, OpenSUSE and many many others), FreeBSD & Mac OS X. `Please let us know `_ if you have successfully run it on something else. Which programming language is 2.2 developed in? ----------------------------------------------- OpenLP 2.2 is written in `Python3 `_ and uses the `Qt4 toolkit `_. Both are cross-platform which allows the software to run on different types of machine and so allow more people access to free worship software. Python is one of the easier programming languages to learn, so this helps us develop and `find bugs `_ quicker, and also allows more developers to contribute with the project. Which written languages does OpenLP support? -------------------------------------------- OpenLP has support for multiple languages which can be seen on the :menuselection:`Settings -->Translate` menu. However some of these translations are incomplete. If you would like to help complete or start to translate OpenLP into your language then see the `Getting started page `_. Upgrading ========= Can I upgrade from any 1.9.x or 2.0.x release to 2.2? ----------------------------------------------------- No, you should first upgrade to the last stable release in the 2.0-series (2.0.5) and then upgrade to 2.2 to ensure that data is correctly converted. You can download OpenLP 2.0.5 from `_. Can I upgrade directly from 1.2 to 2.2? --------------------------------------- No, you will have to install 2.0.5 first, then import the 1.2 data and then upgrade to 2.2. See the 2.0 documentation for how to upgrade from 1.2 to 2.0. You can download OpenLP 2.0.5 from `_. Does 2.2 replace 2.0, or can they be run side by side? ------------------------------------------------------ OpenLP 2.2 and 2.0 cannot run side by side. When running 2.2 for first time any existing 2.0 data will automatically be converted to the 2.2 format. Note that OpenLP 2.2 is not backwards compatible with 2.0. Once you have upgraded from 2.0, version 2.0 cannot read the upgraded files. OpenLP 2.2 will ask if it should make a backup on startup, which can be used in case you want to downgrade to 2.0 again. OpenLP 2.2 cannot read service files created by OpenLP 2.0.4 and earlier, it can only read service files created by OpenLP 2.0.5. Using OpenLP ============ I have started OpenLP, but I cannot see the songs or bibles section in the Media Manager ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you installed OpenLP, the first time wizard would have asked which plugins you wanted, and songs and bibles should have been selected. If for some reason they were not, then you will need to activate them yourself. See below for instructions. How do I activate / deactivate a plugin? ---------------------------------------- Plugins can be turned on and off from the Plugin List Screen. Select the plugin you wish to start/stop and change its status. You should not need to restart OpenLP. What are these plugins that I keep seeing mentioned? ---------------------------------------------------- The plugins allow OpenLP to be extend easily. A number have been written (Songs, Bibles, Presentations) etc but it is possible for the application to be extended with functionality only you require. If this is the case then go for it but lets us know as we can help and it may be something someone else wants. How do I enable PowerPoint/Impress/PowerPoint Viewer? ----------------------------------------------------- First of all ensure that the presentation plugin is enabled (see above). Then to enable a presentation application, go to the `Settings` dialog, switch to the `Presentations` tab and check one of the enabled checkboxes. OpenLP will automatically detect which of the three you have installed, and enable the appropriate checkbox(es). Check the applications you require, and then restart OpenLP for the change to be detected. Note, PowerPoint Viewer 2010 is not yet supported, use 2003 or 2007. Why can LibreOffice Impress not be used on Mac OS X? ---------------------------------------------------- Currently the presentations plugin does not support Impress on OS X. The reason for that is that the interoperability component (pyuno) in LibreOffice on Mac OS X cannot be used by OpenLP due to incompatibilities between the version of Python used by LibreOffice and the Python version used by OpenLP. Why can MS PowerPoint not be used on Mac OS X? ---------------------------------------------- Currently the presentations plugin does not support PowerPoint on OS X. The reason for that is that so far we have found that the available method to control PowerPoint on OS X is not good enough for integration with OpenLP. If this changes we will look at including this feature. I am on Windows and PowerPoint is installed, but it does not appear as an option -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Try installing the `Visual C++ Runtime Redistributable `_. Is it possible to get Bible x? How? ----------------------------------- The Bible plugin has a `Import Wizard` which can import Bibles from a variety of sources. The following sources are supported: CSV The format is documented in the `OpenLP API documentation `_. OSIS An XML format for Bible. You can export Bibles from the `Sword Project `_ into OSIS using the ``mod2osis`` tool. After using the Sword software Media Manager (or other Sword frontend, like BibleTime or Xiphos) to download the required Bible, run the following command from the command line (works on Windows and Linux):: mod2osis > .osis The ```` parameter is the name of your Bible, as you see it in Sword. Note that the ```` is case sensitive on all environments. Once you have exported your Bible to OSIS, the Bible import wizard will the read ``.osis`` file and import your Bible. OpenSong OpenSong has a good selection of Bibles on their `download page `_. Web Download OpenLP can download Bibles on demand from the following 3 sites: * `Crosswalk `_ * `BibleGateway `_ * `BibleServer `_ Zefania The Zefania project has many bibles available from `their website `_ Why do my Bible verses take a long time to load? ------------------------------------------------ In order to better conform to copyright law, the Web Download Bibles are not downloaded when you import them, but on the fly as you search for them. As a result, the search takes a little longer if you need to download those particular verses. Having said that, the Web Download Bibles cache downloaded verses so that you do not need to download them again. My Bible is on the Web Download sites, but my Church is not on the internet. What options do I have? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you create and save a service, all the items in the service are saved with it. That means any images, presentations, songs and media items are saved. This is also true for bibles. What this means is you can create the service on your home computer, insert a Bible passage from the web, save it and then open the service using your church computer and voila, the Bible passage should be there! Note this can also be done with songs, etc! (Advanced) Where do I find the configuration file? ================================================== Linux, FreeBSD & PC-BSD ----------------------- If your distribution supports the XDG standard, you will find OpenLP's configuration file in:: /home//.config/OpenLP/OpenLP.conf If that file and/or directory does not exist, look for:: /home//.openlp/openlp.conf ```` is your username. OS X ---- You will find your configuration file here:: /Users//Library/Preferences/org.openlp.OpenLP.plist ```` is your username. Windows ------- On Windows, OpenLP does not use a configuration file, it uses the Windows registry. You can find the settings here:: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\OpenLP\OpenLP Features ======== Why has popular feature request X not been implemented? ------------------------------------------------------- There are only a handful of developers working in their spare time. If we were to try and include everything we wanted to implement, then 2.2 would not likely ever get released. I have a great idea for a new feature, where should I suggest it? ----------------------------------------------------------------- First of all check it is not on the `Feature Requests `_ page. If it is, then you need to say no more, it has already been suggested! If it is not on the list, then head to the `forum `_ and post the idea there.