About YES file

Since version 2.0 published more than 2 years ago, Bible for Android apps have been using a file format for storing Bible translations. It is commonly called YES files, since the files are saved with a ".yes" file name extension. When you choose a Bible version from the version list screen, a YES file is downloaded to your device. With that, you can have more than one version/translation of Bible on your device.

The YES file contains the version information (name of the version, short name, description, language); the Bible text itself (keyed by book, chapter, and verse numbers); and optionally: pericope headings, footnotes, and cross references.

YES files consist of binary data that is not intended to be read by human, but it is optimized to be read by computer programs. Some of the content can also be compressed to make the YES file smaller. A YES file for one complete Bible translation is approximately 2 MB in size.

If you try to open a YES file from the email client on your Android device or from the file manager, you can choose to import it to Bible for Android app. You can also share a version by long-pressing on an item from the version list screen and selecting Share.

Tools to create the YES file

First option is to convert it from an PalmBible+ file, which are also known as a PDB file. You can open a PDB file from the version list screen, or you can also use the online converter here. Using the online converter produces a compressed YES file.

Second option is to create a plain text file called a YET file. It serves as a human-readable alternative to YES file. The data contained in a YET file is the same as the one contained in a YES file. Please refer to the Developer's Guide for creating your own Bible module files.

We also plan to support The Word modules, hopefully this can be done in coming months!