Understanding USFMs – Intro (1.2.1)

In this video you learn all about how Paratext uses special tags called USFMs. The tags

• provide the structure of the document by identifying the start of each book, as well as the sections within them.
• help you navigate around the translation using Bible references.
• facilitate the appropriate formatting of the translation by the typesetter according to what each bit of text really is, such as a heading, chapter number, or something special in the Bible text itself such as poetry or a quotation.

USFM stands for Unified Standard Format Marker.

USFMs always start with a backslash, then a code, then a space. (e.g. \ft )

With the exception of a closing marker which ends with an asterisk and doesn’t need a space.

• The most common USFMs are: \p (paragraph) \c (chapter) \v (verse)
• The latest USFM standard is online - https://paratext.org/about/usfm then click on USFM documentation and USFM documentation again a second time. or go directly using this link