SBL formatting problems

[Doktor Markus]

I am using Danny Zacharias' excellent SBL formats. I know that pages ranges and punctuation can be included in the citations, but my footnotes often have multiple citations and comments between. I would like to simply remove all automatic punctuation, but I can't seem to do it. Can someone tell me how to do this? (I also don't understand what advantage there is in putting the pages in the citation, i.e., using "@" and the page range.)

Or maybe there is a way to do what I want, and I am missing something? Below is an example of how a page looks after a scan.


Bergren, Theodore A. "Prophetic Rhetoric in 6 Ezra." Pages 25-32 in For a Later Generation: The Transformation of Tradition in Israel, Early Judaism, and Early Christianity. Edited by Randal A. Argall, Beverly Bow, Rodney Alan Werline, and George W. E. Nickelsburg. Valley Forge, Penn.: Trinity Press International, 2000. ; Bergren, Theodore A. “The "people coming from the east" in 5 Ezra 1:38.â€

[danzac]

in the formats manager, open the "SBL Bib" format and go into the "bib & citation options" tab. in the lower right corner, there is a cited pages section. this tells BE what to put before and after cited pages.

[Doktor Markus]

I have tried this, leaving the fields "Before" and "After" under Cited Pages blank. I did it for the formats SBL Bib, SBL footnotes, and SBL in-text. I have even reinstalled the SBL formats, and quite BE and Mellel.

I still have periods showing up at the end of my citations like this:

See Metzger’s helpful chart, “Confusing Nomenclature.â€

[danzac]

so the comma before the cited page and the period after are from you?

If this is the case, then something may have changed in the final 'cleanup' of formatting which Jon can speak to.

That period is there on purpose, for those times when the entire reference is cited with no cited page, thus ending in a period.

Last time I used this, BE knew to replace occurrences of ., with just ,

Jon, any thoughts?

[Jon]

Hi,

No, Bookends leaves ., alone, because there are times it is acceptable (e.g. etc., ...). Two commas in a row, though, will be reduced to one.

Jon
Sonny Software

[danzac]

Thanks Jon for the clarification, I am actually incorrect here.

Markus,

in your formatting file in SBL footnote, take the final period off in the Book Chapter style.

From now on, you need to include a final period if you do not cite pages.

This should do the trick.

[Doktor Markus]

danzec and John,
I think I am following your instructions, but it seems to change nothing.
I have changed the punctuation options under the "cited Pages" section of the "Bib & Citation options" in the "Formats Manager..." menu.

http://idisk.mac.com/endymion1-Public/dialog_SBL_FN.png

But when I do the scan in Mellel, I still have double punctuation. Nothing seems to have changed. Below is what it looks like in Mellel.

http://idisk.mac.com/endymion1-Public/B ... format.png



I imagine I am missing something obvious, and it is quite frustrating. I am trying to finish a book chapter to send to my editor!
I did download your SBL formats files again. The user manual indicates a preferences file to install, but I did not see these the download. Maybe this is part of the problem?)

Thanks again for any insights you have.

Markus

[Jon]

Why don't you isolate the problem with one citation in Mellel and one reference in your database. Then zip and send me the 1 citation document (you don't need any other text), the 1 reference db, and the SBL formats (and SBL footnotes format). All zipped. I'll do the scan and see what you have to change.

Jon
Sonny Software

[danzac]

Doc,

the change for the punctuation in the bib&citation tab needs to be in the "SBL Bib" format, not the "SBL footnote" format. SBL Bib is the controlling format. It uses SBL footnote to format footnotes, but not the punctuation before and after cited pages.

I hope that makes sense.