Correct title to version 0.8b

Again, a little more stable. Tested on ENG-ENG dictionary

The format of the dictionary files has NOT changed, so no need to reload them.

Notice some problems with non-ENglish characters.  Maybe someone can figure out a pattern?

SEE 14FEB02 (below) for more info on how to use it!

a First Draft README file is <HERE>.  (THANKX MYSTER!) (This will also be improved for future versions)  (SAME AS BEFORE!!)

THis is based on work of Qc Tang [qctang@singnet.com.sg]

More stable; a little faster; includes an ICON

The format of the dictionary files has NOT changed, so no need to reload them.

Notice some problems with non-ENglish characters.  Maybe someone can figure out a pattern?

SEE 14FEB02 (below) for more info on how to use it!

5) a First Draft README file is <HERE>.  (THANKX MYSTER!) (This will also be improved for future versions)

These files make up a WORKING DUTCH-ENGLISH Dictionary!!  You can take it from there and make your own examples.

The INDEX FILE must have category: RD_NDX

The Dictionary text files must have a category name that is NOT RD_NDX.  The category name of the dictionary files should all be the same and is specified on the 3rd line of your index file.

Get MOJO's dictionaries and give them an appropriate category.  EACH LANGUAGE should have it's own category name.

If I get enough feedback, I will continue.

<DOWNLOAD>

1) First 5 lines are displayed in small window below currently selected File.

2) When Press SHOW MEMO, get a FULL SCREEN CMEMO (without bookmarks).

This is the foundation of the dictionary.  What is it?  So far it is basically a MERGE OF MEMOCAT AND CMEMO.   I got the CMEMO code from Chris Harris's site.

This is a PROTOTYPE so deal with the funky way some things work!!!

When you press SHOW MEMO, basically a 5 line CMEMO opens up on the bottom half of the screen.   At this point you can only use the CMEMO finger-keys to page up and down and press the return key to go back to MEMOCAT.   YOU CAN ALSO USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION OF CMEMO!   (starting to sound like a dictionary!)  Note after the search, the MEMOCAT screen is erased.  Don't worry it will re-appear when you exit the CMEMO.

As a refresher, here are the CMEMO keypresses

Return ARROW KEY: go back to MEMOCAT function

CIRCLE/DOT KEY: Do a Search

UP ARROW / DOWN ARROW: Page up and down.

Here are my ideas.  Of course if anyone is lurking and can put together a dictionary on their on, please GO FOR IT!!!

 This article is split into 2 parts:

 1) What you can already do on the rex with Dictionaries.

 2) How I propose to program a dictionary and what other people would have to provide me!  This could be a unique addin, that essentially becomes a GROUP PROJECT and NOT DelFerro’s project!!

On Dana’s site site in the addin section, the last entry is:

Dictionary files available. (From Mojo)

"They aren't addins, but I hope it will be usefull anyway. I have put together some dictionary files to use with my REX. If you are interrested in trying them, you are welcome. The first one is from French to English and it is as simple as 27 memos with titles like "F-E xxx" where xxx is the first word in that memo. A good thing is to put your memos under categories since 27 memos more will make you scroll quite a lot. I'm planning to put more of them together but it will only be between english and some other languages. FYI these memos takes 29% of my memory...

. . . download them and drag-drop them into notes in outlook and sync... If someone would develop a search add if that could search these memos then..."

Mojo now has French to English (27 memos), English to French (18 memos), Italian to English (10 memos), and English to Swahili(1 memo!).

“Mojo”’s site to get these files is:

http://friman.home.cern.ch/friman/rex/dicts.html

Who is MOJO??   I don't know!

In any case when you go to MOJO’s web site you will see how you can use Chris Harris’s CMEMO to basically search these memo files for the word you want.   The only trick is for you to select the proper memo manually from the multiple memos. 

 THIS ISN’T REALLY THAT BAD, and it is better than nothing AND IT WORKS RIGHT NOW!!!!

GET the Dict Files and CMEMO and you have a basic working dictionary!!

In addition I know that another great rexer has also published some LANGUAGE DICTIONARIES, only I can’t find the reference for his links yet.

  MY IDEAS FOR DEVELOPMENT.

Using the model developed by MOJO I thought about this concept for further developing the language dictionary using MEMOCAT idea.

1) Give all Dictionary files a Category with the following format:

DEF_DICT   ( English-French Dictionary)
DIE_DICT     (Italian-English Dictionary)
DFE_DICT   (French-English Dictionary)
DEE_DICT  (ENGLISH-ENGLISH Dictioary: DOESN’T EXIST YET!!)

The reason is that in some situations REX only recognizes the first 4 characters of the category.

2) Make MemoCat recognize only categories that meet the above rule.  That means it becomes a browser of Dictionary Files only!!   The first line of the interface (selecting category) essentially becomes selecting one of the installed dictionaries on your rex.  The second line of the interface becomes selecting the current file in the dictionary set that you want to search.

3) Add a third line to the interface where you can enter the word you would like to search.  Using the standard rex keyboard entry screen you enter you word and upon saying OK it searches the File you highlighted in step 2.

4) Addin searches for the word using the dictionary “*” flag and then displays what it found on the last 4 lines of the interface.  (The * appears at the start of each word in MOJO’s dictionaries)

5) User can search a new word as many times as they like and hit an exit button to leave.

WHAT I CAN NOT DO AND SOMEONE ELSE NEEDS TO COME TO THE TABLE:

1) Simple Search Function.

Given a user’s word of variable length, assign it to string STR1.  Add the dictionary keyword symbol “*” to the beginning of the users’s word.  Search the current File until you find the string.  If not found, return FALSE.  If Found, return TRUE and return the BYTE location that it was found, give the variable name WORDLOC to the byte location.

2) Simple Display Function.

Create a 5 line “cmemo” type display window that can browse up and down in a given file.

Start the initial display in the window at the Byte WORDLOC of the File. That means the display starts at the desired word, but you can still browse up and down.

 THAT’s the END OF PHASE 1 DEVELOPMENT!!

This Build’s on the PHASE 1 Development.

Basically the goal is to get rid of the second line of the interface where the user has to pick the individual dictionary file.  Let the addin pick the correct file based on the word you entered.

You still pick the dictionary category, then you simplky enter the word you want.

The addin analyses the word and decides which file to search in.  It then searches exactly the same as phase 1 and displays the same as phase 1.

 1) Someone needs to write the routine that decides which of the dictionary files would contain the user’s word.  

 Idea 1:  Make an additional INDEX FILE to the other dictionary files.  Basically it would list the starting word in each file and the file name.  Read this file upon startup of the addin and store the index internally in the addin.  Whenever a user word is entered, scan the index array and return the FILENAME to be used for the search.

 Idea 2: Expand the index file to include INTERMEDIATE WORDS in each file and the BYTE Location of those words.  This would reduce searching.  Say have about 10 index words for each file.  Return the filename and the startbyte to begin the search.

 2) Someone needs to write the program that makes the index file!!

At this point I think we have a serviceable Dictionary.

Please post any ideas on MY Discussion board: