[sw-l] SignText Beta: download and dictionary import

[Stephen Slevinski]

List,

SignText is ready.  The beta version does not allow any editing, but it is
available as a download that requires no special setup.  If you can use
SignMaker on SignPuddle, you can use SignText offline on your local PC.

SignText has 2 practical uses.  First, you can create a vocabulary list of
sign offline and then import those signs into a SignPuddle dictionary.
Second, you can create SignWriting documents with lanes.  You can view these
documents online.  You can also generate HTML code that you can copy and
paste onto any website.  In the near future, you will be able to send the
documents as SignWriting emails.

SignText Online:
http://www.oculog.net/signtext

SignText Download:
http://www.oculog.net/signtext.zip (8 MB)


How to create a vocabulary offline and load into SignPuddle dictionary.
1) Download and unzip SignText.  Note: the SignText download contains the
entire IMWA, over 25 thousand image files.  Unzipping this file may take
some time.
2) Open the file signtext.html located in the signtext directory.
3) Use the SignMaker interface to create a sign.
4) Replace the generic gloss of "sign-1" with a more appropriate name.
5) Press the "Center Lane" icon to add the sign to the list.  You will see
the sign appear under the "SWML Output" button.  The "Left Lane" and "Right
Lane" buttons are used when creating documents with lanes.
6) Press "Clear All" to clear the SignBox.
7) Repeate steps 3 thru 6 for multiple signs.
8) Press the "SWML Output" button to generate the SWML.
9) Copy the SWML to the clipboard.  In the future, the "SWML Online" button
will link to the SignPuddle dictionaries and other sources.
10) Go online and enter the appropriate SignPuddle dictionary.
11) Select the "Import" icon from the icon list on the left of the screen.
12) Paste the SWML into the textarea.
13) Press "Preview".  You will see the signs appear with an option to add or
load each sign.
14) Press "Add" to add each sign to the dictionary.  Pressing "Load" will
load the sign into SignMaker.

If you are writing a document, use the Right Lane and Left Lane to add lanes
to your writing.  You can use the SWML preview utility to view your document
and generate the HTML code.
http://www.oculog.net/swml/swml-s.php

If you're willing, give it a try and let me know.
-Stephen