<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<META NAME="Generator" CONTENT="MS Exchange Server version 5.5.2658.34">
<TITLE>RE: [Lexicog] MDFdict files and toolbox export</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Martin Hosken wrote: "A better solution is to concentrate on the database aspect when doing data entry and only worry about document layout when it comes to final typesetting of a dictionary. This is the direction newer tools are taking."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>I would disagree with this. Any field linguist who knows how to use Word styles and templates can readily produce a high standard of final formatting which completely does away with the need for professional typesetting of any kind. The field linguist is the only person who can correctly hyphenate the vernacular text anyway. Obtaining an acceptable page layout and format etc. is trivially accomplished at any stage of the project, and compilers are going to want to get suitable printout on a continual basis throughout the project, not just at the end.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>But I do agree that the existing tools like Toolbox and LexiquePro do have some inbuilt features which become limiting. Sometimes I just wish that I could switch off all the internal reordering of fields that seems to built into the programs. I have been using these tools for monolingual dictionary projects, and have found that the program has to be tricked(by using various field codes that are supposed to have different functions) to get what I need. The tools have been built with the production of bilingual and multilingual dictionaries in mind, but the application of these tools to monolingual dictionary production is not seamless.</FONT></P>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>**************************************************</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Robert Early, USP, Vanuatu</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>early_r@vanuatu.usp.ac.fj</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>**************************************************</FONT>
</P>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>From: lexicographylist@yahoogroups.com [<A HREF="mailto:lexicographylist@yahoogroups.com">mailto:lexicographylist@yahoogroups.com</A>] On Behalf Of Martin Hosken</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Sent: Friday, 28 March 2008 1:03 p.m.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>To: lexicographylist@yahoogroups.com</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Subject: Re: [Lexicog] MDFdict files and toolbox export</FONT>
</P>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Dear Dimitris,</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>> First of all, I saw no other way to have it the way I need it, than </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> introducing two new markers \ar for the article (in case of nouns) and </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> \gs for grammatical notes (on the declension, for example).</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>It's a long time since I hacked around with MDF export, but if you want to add a new marker, then there a few places you need to add information:</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>mdf.typ needs to have the new marker and set it to character style mdf?.dot needs to have styling for the new marker and the mdf?dict.cct files need to do sensible things with the markers.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>I know that some effort has been underway for a while to make MDF export much more flexible, but when that involved a huge number of cct files (like 10) people started looking for different approaches to typesetting dictionaries. One such tool is shlex which is part of the Shoebox Utilities, which can be found at <A HREF="http://scripts.sil.org/shutils-manual" TARGET="_blank">http://scripts.sil.org/shutils-manual</A> but that is a pretty fearsome tool if you haven't used it before.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>The problem with MDF is that it tries to be two things at once. It tries to be both a true lexical database and a lexical document at the same time. The result is that it keeps tripping over itself. A better solution is to concentrate on the database aspect when doing data entry and only worry about document layout when it comes to final typesetting of a dictionary. This is the direction newer tools are taking.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Yours,</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Martin</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>------------------------------------</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Yahoo! Groups Links</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2><*> To visit your group on the web, go to:</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2> <A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lexicographylist/" TARGET="_blank">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lexicographylist/</A></FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2><*> Your email settings:</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2> Individual Email | Traditional</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2><*> To change settings online go to:</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2> <A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lexicographylist/join" TARGET="_blank">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lexicographylist/join</A></FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2> (Yahoo! ID required)</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2><*> To change settings via email:</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2> <A HREF="mailto:lexicographylist-digest@yahoogroups.com">mailto:lexicographylist-digest@yahoogroups.com</A> </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2> <A HREF="mailto:lexicographylist-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com">mailto:lexicographylist-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com</A></FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2><*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2> lexicographylist-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2><*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2> <A HREF="http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/" TARGET="_blank">http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/</A></FONT>
</P>
<span width="1" style="color: white;"/>__._,_.___</span>
<!-- Start Recommendations -->
<!-- End Recommendations -->
<!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| -->
<img src="http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97476590/grpId=11682781/grpspId=1709195911/msgId=4387/stime=1206672043" width="1" height="1"> <br>
<!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| -->
<!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| -->
<br>
<div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 77%; border-top: 1px solid #666; padding: 5px 0;" >
Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional <br>
<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lexicographylist/join;_ylc=X3oDMTJnMGVsNnBwBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzExNjgyNzgxBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwOTE5NTkxMQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNzdG5ncwRzdGltZQMxMjA2NjcyMDQz">Change settings via the Web</a> (Yahoo! ID required) <br>
Change settings via email: <a href="mailto:lexicographylist-digest@yahoogroups.com?subject=Email Delivery: Digest">Switch delivery to Daily Digest</a> | <a href = "mailto:lexicographylist-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com?subject=Change Delivery Format: Fully Featured">Switch to Fully Featured</a> <br>
<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lexicographylist;_ylc=X3oDMTJlajAxajZzBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzExNjgyNzgxBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwOTE5NTkxMQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNocGYEc3RpbWUDMTIwNjY3MjA0Mw--">
Visit Your Group
</a> |
<a href="http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/">
Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use
</a> |
<a href="mailto:lexicographylist-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe">
Unsubscribe
</a>
<br>
</div>
<br>
<!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| -->
<span style="color: white;"/>__,_._,___</span>
</BODY>
</HTML>