FAQ: Faulty Module ID

Faulty Module ID

Faulty Module ID. This is a problem that comes about sometimes when TW detects two modules with the same “supposedly unique” TW Identifier. This happens when module creators don’t check with Stergiou Costas, theWord creator, for a batch of Module IDs to use.





What are TW Identifiers?

These identifiers are designed to make each module uniquely identifiable to the program, so when two totally different modules have the same identifier, you are asking for problems. TW uses this identifier when you make a hyperlink from one file to another file. So it is an important thing to be aware of. (If you have no links between modules, then it is not too critical, just bothersome.) Basically, you need to go into one or the other and change the identifier. It would be best to advise whomever you got the files from about the matter, informing them of both files with the same TW ID.

The block of identifiers that Costas has given me (David Cox) is for example b1450. If there were two of them, then change one to “b1450b” and that will work. Basically any text in this field is sufficient, and TW defaults to putting the filename in this field, which since TW will recurse directory folders to find all its modules, it is possible that in two different folders you have the same filename. When this happens, some unpredictable things might happen, because TW doesn’t know which is the right file.


A carpenter making his own tools
is an explanation of why I, Pastor-Missionary David Cox, write my own material. I like the idea of producing the material that we use in our ministry and also for evangelism.
Read the short article: A carpenter making his own tools.




If both files are identical, basically you will just see the name show up twice if you make a template module set.

How to find a “lost” file

Basically, you will notice this in one of two ways:

(1) you notice a file that has a different abbreviation than what it should have, i.e. the file is by one author with one title, and the abbreviation represents it as being a different author and/or book title.

(2) You download a file, install it, and it doesn’t show up where you think it should be showing up.

Verifying that the module was registered by TW in the current session

Well, the first thing to do is to verify that your install of the module did work correctly. Firstly, you did close TW and reopen it? (Close… File -> Exit on the main TW menu). They won’t show up otherwise.




Secondly, the install exe did execute correctly and ended with a screen “Run theWord now.”

Thirdly, check for the physical existence of the physical in one of TW’s folders. See Where does TW keep its files? for more help here.

Fourthly, see if TW has registered the module in this session. Sometimes a module is corrupted, so TW “discards it”, i.e. ignores it because it cannot read the file (wrong format or corrupted).




Go to the main TW menu, and click “Help” then “About” then the rightmost tab “File Locations”. You should see this image.

Faulty Module ID
Faulty Module ID

Notice here that I am showing you this image from a USB install of TW into a folder I created on my hard drive, C:\TW Posted\ which I use for my finished modules that I post on my website, twmodules.com. So in that USB install, I have folders for the modules by year and by date for me to keep things straight.

If you module doesn’t appear in this list, TW didn’t find it or register it, and most probably it is corrupted in someway, and your solution would be to download it again from your source. If you have done that, and it still does show up, send it to a friend or to me or to Costas and ask them to check the module in their system.




Tracking down what happened to the module

If the module does show up on this list, then TW has it registered, but you are having problems seeing it. Go to Module Layout setup, and then search for the module filename in the left-hand pane. Note, suppose I have a module by Martin Luther but it is not showing up. I type Luther (or part of the book’s title) in the search/filter area at the bottom of this screen.

Faulty Module ID
Faulty Module ID

Now you can see if the module registered and if perhaps the filename is very different from the abbreviation. If you will notice at the top of the list, there is an E.M. Bounds book that showed up in this listing of Luther’s works. Obviously, something is wrong.



If you mouseover the title, you can see more of the module’s data and figure out that this module has the wrong Abbreviation information for some reason.

Faulty Module ID
Faulty Module ID



Note that this is sufficient information to figure out what happened. Your Martin Luther Sermons module got the abbreviation for Bound’s Spanish work “Poder de Oración”. If you look in the module layout set, you will not find Luther’s sermons, but if you look under the B’s, this title will show up there. The Module Layout sets use the Abbreviation to order the modules, not the actual module filename.

To solve this, close this dialog box, go to the B’s and select this Bounds book, and change the abbreviation information.

One final note: Note that this is not a problem with theWord program, but a problem of the module creator(s) who use anything for TW identifiers. They should ask Costas for a block or an individual TW Module ID, and use that so that there will not be a conflict with other modules. I do this, but in some cases, things get mixed up, and I use the same ID in two different modules anyway, and this happens to me.