Quick Start Guide

Commentarius

From upload to edition. Paste a text, add the commentaries that already exist on it, and watch a whole book build itself; then edit it together and export it anywhere.

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Streamlined

One Run, From Upload to Edition

The main pathway. Configure a run once and every chapter travels every stage: you watch the map, then edit the result together.

Commentarius Streamlined architecture The source text has its macrons checked, then is split into chapters; uploaded commentaries are formatted and split by chapter, then merged per chapter. Servius adds notes. Optional cleaner, linker and Imagines passes follow. Vocabulary runs on its own line. Both lines terminate at the editor. Sources pdf · docx · txt Format dcc style Split by chapter Text latin · greek Macrons vowel length Chapters n files Merge per chapter Servius notes · dedup Cleaner Linker Imagines Vocabulary per chapter Notes n tabs Vocabulary n tabs Editor co-edit
1

Configure & Upload

Open a project and choose Streamlined. Paste the Latin (mark chapters with [1], [2]) and drop in scanned commentaries: PDF, DOCX, or text. Big files upload in chunks; OCR is included.

2

Dry Run First

Start with the first chapter only; it takes a few minutes and costs a few cents. Nothing else is charged until you say so.

3

Watch the Map

Stations light as stages run; chapter plates stand where they are working. A live meter shows dollars spent. If a source fails you can replace the file in place, retry one stage, or stop the whole run.

4

Read, Then Release

Check chapter one: do the lemmas match the text, is the vocabulary at your students' level? Then release the rest, and the whole book moves in parallel, unattended.

5

Edit Together

The edition opens as entries, not prose. Comment in the margin, resolve the suggestions Servius held back, ask @servius about its own notes, and restore any version from history.

6

Export Anywhere

Word for colleagues (one file, a chapter per outline entry), an HTML site, or paste-ready DCC fields for Drupal, the format the Dickinson College Commentaries publish in.

The Classic Path

Tool by Tool, When You Want the Controls

Every Streamlined stage is also a standalone tool, for one-off jobs or when you want your hands on each step.

1

Paste Source

Add your Latin or Greek source text. The system handles line numbering automatically.

2

Generate Vocab

AI extracts vocabulary with dictionary definitions from Lewis & Short or LSJ.

3

Create Notes

Servius fills gaps in your commentary with contextual grammatical and historical notes.

4

Refine Style

Commentary Editor polishes your notes into clear, consistent scholarly prose.

5

Export Book

Download as HTML, LaTeX, or PDF ready for publication or web hosting.

The Toolkit

Classic Tools Reference

Each tool handles one part of the commentary workflow: the same engines Streamlined drives, run by hand.

Vocab Builder

Generate vocabulary lists with dictionary definitions

Example
Input: "Gallia est omnis divisa"
| divido | -ere, -visi, -visum | divide |
Try Vocab Builder

Servius

AI-powered commentary gap filler

Example
Missing note for "quarum"
**quarum:** gen. pl. connecting relative
Try Servius

Commentary Editor

Refine notes to scholarly standards

Example
divisa: perf. pass. participle
**divisa:** perf. pass. part. (AG 158)
Try Commentary Editor

Grammar Wizard

Add Allen & Greenough references

Example
subjunctive in result clause
result clause ([AG 537](link))
Try Grammar Wizard

Format Notes

Convert raw notes to proper markdown

Example
esset - subjunctive (Harkness)
**esset:** subjunctive (Harkness)
Try Format Notes

Detritus Cleaner

Remove duplicate and redundant notes

Example
3 duplicates, 2 near-duplicates
Cleaned: 5 notes merged
Try Detritus Cleaner
Pro Tips

Get the Most Out of Commentarius

Techniques that save money, keep files clean, and get better notes out of every run.

1
Use Auto-Numbering for Line References

When building vocabulary lists, enable "Auto-Number Text" to automatically add chapter and line markers. This ensures your vocabulary is grouped by line number in the output.

The system recognizes:

  • [1] - Chapter markers
  • (1), (2), (3) - Line numbers

Poetry mode numbers each line; prose mode numbers each sentence.

2
Source Text Grouping Workflow

For best results, structure your source text with chapter markers before running tools:

  • Start each chapter/book with [1], [2], etc.
  • Keep paragraph breaks between logical sections
  • Use the project system to save your numbered text

This allows you to select specific chapters when generating vocabulary or running Servius.

3
Core Vocabulary Filtering

The Vocab Builder offers three modes for handling DCC Core Vocabulary:

  • All Vocab: Every word, with core words marked [Core]
  • Only Core: Just the DCC core vocabulary words
  • Core Excluded: Only uncommon words (recommended for intermediate students)

Choose based on your audience's level and the text's difficulty.

4
Keyboard Shortcuts

Speed up your workflow with these shortcuts:

  • Ctrl + Enter - Submit form
  • Ctrl + C - Copy result to clipboard
  • Ctrl + S - Save to project (when available)
5
Project Organization Best Practices

Organize your commentary work effectively:

  • Create one project per text (e.g., "Caesar BG Book 1")
  • Save your source text first, then vocabulary, then notes
  • Use the Merger tool to combine files when ready for export
  • Export regularly to backup your work
6
Always Dry-Run a Streamlined Book First

A dry run builds the first chapter only (a few minutes, a few cents) and then waits for you.

  • Read the notes: do the lemmas match your text, is the level right?
  • Wrong settings? Change them and run again; nothing else has been spent
  • Happy? Press Release the rest and the whole book proceeds unattended, with the cost meter running

Releasing forty chapters you haven't sampled is the expensive way to learn your student level was set wrong.

7
A Failed Upload Doesn't Kill the Run

If a scanned commentary can't be read, the fault appears on the progress page with three ways forward:

  • Retry this stage: for transient failures
  • Replace the file: upload a better scan in place; the run resumes where it stopped
  • Stop this run: finished chapters are kept, nothing further is charged

You never need to reconfigure the book to fix one bad PDF.

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