Reftagger Home Page

Overview

Make Bible references come alive with Reftagger

RefTagger is a tool that lets your website visitors instantly view a Bible passage by hovering their mouse over a Bible reference.

For example, when your readers hover over a reference like Romans 8:28, a tooltip window appears, showing the passage. Additionally, if your readers click on the reference, they are taken to Biblia.com, where they can view the passage and access a collection of Bibles and Bible reference works.

You can also have RefTagger add an icon that is hyperlinked to the passage in Logos—ideal if many of your readers use Logos software.

The best part? Reftagger is 100% free!

How does it work?

Simply copy the customizable code that we provide for you below and paste it into your website’s template file(s), and it will instantly be applied to your entire site—all past and future content! It doesn’t matter how big or small your site is. RefTagger does it all instantly—saving you hours of time linking verses manually!

Because RefTagger uses JavaScript, it doesn’t actually change the code or the content of your site’s pages. If you decide to remove RefTagger from your site, it’s as simple as deleting the code from your template file(s).

Endorsements

What are people saying about RefTagger?

RefTagger is quick to implement, simple to customize, and adds instant value to a website. We have been very happy with the features of RefTagger, and highly recommend it.
—Josh Sowin, Website Manager of Desiring God

This is an awesome utility and if you blog and are a Christian, then I believe this is a must have.
—Jeff Brown, Pastor of Grace Pointe Baptist Church

RefTagger is fantastic! I hope you will check it out right away!
—Steve Hewitt, Christian Computing® Magazine

I love this! I just updated our blog/devotion page to include RefTagger. I used to manually create links to BibleGateway, but quickly grew tired of it. Now I don’t have to even think about it. What a wonderful tool!
—Ryan Gano, World Changers Youth Ministry

Examples

See RefTagger in action

Visit the Logos Blog to see how the RefTagger works. Here are some posts with lots of Scripture references:

• Who Cares About Participles? I Do!
• Why Use the Septuagint?
• Thanksgiving in the Bible Word Study Report

Here are some other sites that are putting RefTagger to good use:

• Desiring God Ministries
• Grace to You
• GotQuestions.org
• Get Christian Answers
• GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
• Compass Bible Church
• Park Street Church
• Baptist Seminary of the West Indies
• Blog and Mablog
• Book of Concord
• Flash Point
• Bible Places Blog

Send an email to info@reftagger.com to let us know if you are using RefTagger on your site.

Tagging Details

Referencing books, chapters, and verses

RefTagger supports all of the Bible book names and their standard abbreviations. It will recognize and tag books with only one chapter whether you cite them with or without the chapter number  (e.g., Jude 9  or Jude 1:9).

To avoid false hits, RefTagger will not tag whole books like Luke or whole chapters of Scripture like John 10 unless you wrap them in the Bibleref markup (see below for instructions).

It also handles multiple verses in a row (e.g., John 3:16-18, 22; 4:2-4), portions of verses (e.g., Ps. 1:1a; 1 Cor. 15:28c), and verses through the use of the f or ff abbreviations (e.g., Gen 3:15f; Job 2:1ff), and recognizes many other common abbreviations and formats (e.g., Lk 2:1; cf. 4:4; Gal 3:3; cf. vv. 8-10; Eph 3:1 and 4:2). Whether you use a hyphen (-) or an en dash (–), RefTagger will correctly recognize and tag your Bible references (e.g., Rom 5:1-10; Eph 2:8–9).

• Jude 9; Jude 1:9
• Luke (when wrapped in the Bibleref markup)
• John 10 (when wrapped in the Bibleref markup)
• John 3:16-18, 22; 4:2-4
• Ps. 1:1; 1 Cor. 15:28
• Gen 3:15f; Job 2:1ff
• Lk 2:1; cf. 4:4; Gal 3:3; cf. vv. 8-10; Eph 3:1 and 4:2
• Rom 5:1-10; Eph 2:8–9

Note: References are case sensitive, so john 3:16 would not be tagged, nor would GEN 1:1.

Using different translations

RefTagger now supports citing versions different from your default version. Simply add the version abbreviation after the reference in one of the following three formats, and RefTagger will properly identify and tag your references with the appropriate version.

• Heb 12:1-2 TNIV
• Deut 5:5, NLT
• Rev 21:1 (KJV)

Linking to your Logos library

RefTagger can also add an icon to any Logos links that you create manually (i.e., links to articles and reports in Logos 4. This allows your readers to know when you are pointing them to a Logos link rather than a web link.

• “Trinity” in the New Bible Dictionary
• “Creation” in Hodge’s Systematic Theology
• Adam in the Biblical People report

For more examples of the types of links you can add to your site, see External Linking to Libronix Resources and Reports at the Logos Blog.

Blogs and CMS Sites

RefTagger will work on just about any website or blog. It is easiest to set up on a site that uses one or more template files because this allows you to make global changes to your website by editing only one (or sometimes a couple of) file(s). If your site does not have a template file, see the FAQs below for help on setting up RefTagger most efficiently.

Here are sites that we have tested and are known to work well with RefTagger:

Blog Sites

• Blogger— Read the tutorial!
• ChristianBlog.com —Read the tutorial!
• Movable Type— Read the tutorial!
• WordPress.org— Read the tutorial!— Download the plugin!

Forum Sites

• bbPress
• phpBB— Read the tutorial!
• Simple Machines Forum (SMF)— Read the tutorial!
• vBulletin— Read the tutorial!

Content Management System (CMS) Sites

• Drupal— Read the tutorial!— Download the module!
• Joomla!— Read the tutorial!— Download the module!

Wiki Sites

• MediaWiki— Read the tutorial!

If you have any trouble or would like to see a tutorial for another platform, please visit the Reftagger Forum.

Download Reftagger

If you manage a blog or another website, you can easily add RefTagger by putting a few lines of code into the footer of your template file(s). Use the form below to customize RefTagger to function the way you wish. The JavaScript code is automatically generated for you. Copy the code from the text box and put it right before the closing body tag:</body> RefTagger will begin working immediately.

Online Bible version:	AMP ASV DARBY ESV GW HCSB KJV LEB MESSAGE NASB NCV NIV NIRV NKJV NLT DOUAYRHEIMS YLT
Links open in:	Existing window New window
Insert Logos links:	Insert an icon linking to the verse in Logos Bible Software. Add an icon to previously existing Logos Bible Software links.
Logos Bible version:	User’s Default AMP ASV DARBY ESV GW HCSB KJV LEB MESSAGE NASB NIV NIRV NKJV NLT DOUAYRHEIMS YLT
Logos link icon:	Dark (for sites with light backgrounds) Light (for sites with dark backgrounds)
Show ToolTips:	Show a tooltip containing verse text when the mouse hovers over a reference. (Your online Bible version will be used if available. Otherwise the ESV will be used. See the FAQ for a list of available tooltip versions.)
Formatting to exclude:	Do not search the following HTML tags: Bold Italic Underline Ordered list Unordered list Span Header 1 Header 2 Header 3 Header 4 Header 5 Header 6

Copy the JavaScript code from this textbox.
<!-- RefTagger from Logos. Visit http://www.logos.com/reftagger. This code should appear directly before the </body> tag. --> <script src="http://bible.logos.com/jsapi/referencetagging.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> Logos.ReferenceTagging.lbsBibleVersion = "ESV"; Logos.ReferenceTagging.lbsLinksOpenNewWindow = true; Logos.ReferenceTagging.lbsLogosLinkIcon = "dark"; Logos.ReferenceTagging.lbsNoSearchTagNames = [ "h2", "h3", "h3" ]; Logos.ReferenceTagging.lbsTargetSite = "biblia"; Logos.ReferenceTagging.tag(); </script>

Customize

Are you an advanced user who wants even more control over how RefTagger looks and functions? These advanced customizations are for you.

How can I customize the look of the tooltips?

You can override the default CSS of the tooltips by following three simple steps: Add the line Logos.ReferenceTagging.lbsCssOverride = true; somewhere between the line <script type="text/javascript"> and </script>

Copy all of the styles from http://bible.logos.com/Content/ReferenceTagging.css and add them to your site’s stylesheet. Make modifications to the default styles to adjust how the tooltips display.

See more examples in this blog post: RefTagger’s Got Style.

How can I tell RefTagger not to search certain parts of my site?

You can prevent RefTagger from searching HTML tags with a specific class name. This can be accomplished by adding a line similar to Logos.ReferenceTagging.lbsNoSearchClassNames = ["myFirstClass","mySecondClass" ]; to the JavaScript code. This line should appear directly before the line Logos.ReferenceTagging.tag(); Adding this line would prevent RefTagger from searching any tag with a class name of "myFirstClass" or "mySecondClass".  

How can I make RefTagger case insensitive?

By default RefTagger is case sensitive, so it will not tag references that are not capitalized (e.g., john 1:1) or references that are in ALL CAPS (e.g., ROM 3:23). You can override the default behavior in two ways. Use the Bibleref markup for each reference, or simply add the line of code Logos.ReferenceTagging.lbsCaseInsensitive = true; to the RefTagger JavaScript code. This line should appear anywhere before the line Logos.ReferenceTagging.tag();

How can I get RefTagger to add tooltips to Biblia.com links?

By default RefTagger will tag only Bible references that aren't already linked to sites like Biblia.com. Now you can have RefTagger add tooltips to hard links to Biblia.com. Add the line of code Logos.ReferenceTagging.lbsConvertHyperlinks = true; to the RefTagger JavaScript code. This line should appear anywhere before the line Logos.ReferenceTagging.tag(); You will also need to make sure to use class="bibleref" and title="John 3:16" (or whatever your verse reference is) in each of your a tags.

FAQ

• How do I set my preferred Bible translation?
  RefTagger will display the same translation in the tooltip windows as you choose for your online Bible version. If your version is not yet available for the tooltips, RefTagger will default to the NIV. You can also let your visitors select what translation is used by adding a Control Panel
   
• I created my site from scratch with an HTML editor. How do I get RefTagger to work on my entire site?
  Most sites use one or more template files, so adding the RefTagger script to those files will cause it to work on your entire site. If your site doesn’t have template files but is just a collection of individual HTML files, you will need to add the script code to every page. You may be able to perform a find and replace to apply it to all of your files at once. Most HTML editors like Dreamweaver and FrontPage support this operation.
   
• Which web browsers are supported?
  RefTagger will work in any modern browser, including Internet Explorer 6 and 7, Firefox 2 and 3, Safari 3, and Opera 9. Any browser that supports JavaScript 1.6 should work as well.
   
• What about older browsers?
  RefTagger is designed to check for browser support before running. If you are using an unsupported browser, no errors will be produced; it simply will not run.
   
• How do I know if it’s working?
  Any references to Bible verses on your web page will be turned into hyperlinks. If you are using the option to include Logos links, a small icon will also appear next to the hyperlink.
   
• Does RefTagger support the Bibleref markup?
  Yes. Though RefTagger will automatically pick up any standard Bible references like Matthew 5:1; Matt. 5:1; and Mt 5.1 without any special markup added, it will not tag an instance where you might later refer to verse 48 without specifying Mt 5:48. If you would like RefTagger to tag instances like these as well, you will have to manually apply the Bibleref markup. So “verse 48” would appear this way in the code: <cite class="bibleref" title="Mt 5:48">verse 48</cite>. (Note: the default formatting for the cite tag displays the text as italic. To override the default italics, add the style="font-style:normal" attribute to your cite tag: <cite class="bibleref" style="font-style:normal" title="Mt 5:48">verse 48</cite>.) To learn more about Bibleref, visit the Semantic Bible website.
   
• Why isn’t it working?
  1. Check to make sure that the JavaScript code is in the footer, preferably immediately before the closing </body> tag. RefTagger will only search for references in text that come beforethe JavaScript code.
  
  2. Make sure your browser supports JavaScript, and that JavaScript is enabled in your browser settings.
  
  3. Check to see if you have restricted RefTagger from searching the HTML tag that the Bible reference appears in. For example, if the reference appears in a bold <b> or <strong> tag, ensure that you did not select Bold from the list of tags in the preferences.
  
  4. RefTagger may not work when testing HTML pages on your local machine. If it has not been configured as a web server, you may see the message, “Sorry. This reference could not be loaded at this time,” when the mouse hovers over the reference hyperlink. Load the code to your web site and test it there instead.
   
  Does RefTagger work with other languages?
  Currently, RefTagger only supports English. We are working on adding support for Spanish. If you’d like to see RefTagger support another language, please let us know.



Have other questions? Get help in the Reftagger forum.