You do not have to retype every song by hand. The Worship & Music module imports an existing library from the most common church software, exports it for safekeeping, and provides a choir link so the team can view a service without an account.
Import an existing library
The format is detected automatically: just drop your files, Sanctumel recognizes the original software and reads the content, including old encodings (Windows accents).
- In the Songbook tab, click Import / Export.
- Stay on the Import tab and drop one or more files (or click to choose them).
- Each file is analyzed: the detected format and the number of songs are shown.
- Choose the language of the imported songs, check the preview, then start the import.
Recognized formats:
| Format | File | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Sanctumel | .json | Export made from Sanctumel |
| OpenSong | .xml, .song | OpenSong software (one file per song accepted: drop them all at once) |
| VideoPsalm | .json, .vpc | VideoPsalm software |
| OpenLyrics | .xml | Open standard: OpenLP, Quelea... |
| ChordPro / SongSelect | .cho, .pro, .crd, .txt | Lyrics + chords, SongSelect exports (CCLI) |
| SongBeamer | .sng | SongBeamer software |
| VisualSongBook | .vsb | Legacy VisualSongBook software: the whole database is read at once (titles, keys, numbers, verses and choruses) |
| Text | .txt | One song per file, stanzas separated by blank lines |
Note: duplicates are skipped automatically: a song whose title already exists in your songbook is not re-imported. You can safely run an import again.
Warning: verses, choruses and bridges are recognized automatically, but a poorly tagged file may merge sections. Open a few songs afterwards to fix them if needed.
Export the songbook
From the Export tab of the same window:
- Choose the destination format: Sanctumel, OpenSong, VideoPsalm, OpenLyrics or ChordPro.
- Optionally filter by a single category.
- Download the file.
The Sanctumel export keeps all metadata (key, tempo, tags, notes). The other formats are for compatibility with those tools: OpenLyrics for OpenLP and Quelea, ChordPro for musician apps (OnSong, SongBook...).
Tip: a regular Sanctumel export acts as a backup of your songbook, re-importable at any time.
Share a service with the choir
Every service has a choir access code and a public link. The team views the service order, songs and keys without an account.
- In the service list, find the code shown on the service card.
- Click Choir link to copy the address.
- Share it with the team (message, group...).
Note: this link is read-only. It only gives access to that service, not to the rest of the platform.