AW: [sw-l] How to create Sign Literature

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
July 5, 2006

Hello Stuart and Phillipe!
I guess you are now home from the NAD Conference? CONGRATULATIONS on  
the workshop. The graphics you created in the Power Point  
Presentation were so well done...I love the way the SignWriting  
jumped into the red toolbox at the end...ha!...so I hope we can write  
some reports on our experiences at the NAD...I started my little  
report already and I have some good pictures...maybe you have some  
too?..smile...let's work together on that later ;-)

Did you see Lucinda's article? It is our Special Feature on our web  
site right now....

Regarding SignText...see my answers between your questions below...

Stuart Thiessen wrote:
> Valerie, I know we discussed this issue of SignText vs. SW DOS. I  
> do have some questions regarding the use of SignText ... I  
> understand how to add the signs into the various lanes, but what I  
> am not clear on exactly are as follows:
>
> 1) Saving a SignText document to bring it up later.

This is in Section 6 in the SignText Reference Manual, pages 35-43.


>
> 2) Bringing up a saved SignText document.

Easy! That is in Section 6 in the SignText Reference Manual, pages  
35-43.


>
> 3) Editing already entered signs in a SignText document during the  
> time that I am creating the document (i.e., before I save it).

Easy! That is in Section 5 in the SignText Reference Manual, pages  
28-34.


>
> 4) Editing the signs in a SignText document after it has been saved  
> and brought back up again.

Easy! That is in Section 6 in the SignText Reference Manual, pages  
44-46.


>
> I know you have a lot on your plate. So answer this when it is next  
> in the queue. :) Thanks again for your kind words about our workshop.

Ha! I meant it!

Regarding software...

Every question you asked is already answered in the SignText  
Reference Manual I wrote last Spring...and every task you mention is  
easy to do and I do daily...

So first, you need to download the SignText Reference Manual:
http://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs3/sw0244-SignText-Instruction.pdf

I really think, Stuart, with some time with me, face to face, with  
your computer and my computer, you will adjust to these tasks and you  
will find that SignText is on its way to becoming a tool that truly  
will create Sign Literature.

I combine it with SignBank right now, to take care of some of the  
features it is temporarily lacking...but I also know that software  
evolves and nothing stands still...there will be a day when  
SignPuddle and SignText will be more powerful than SignWriter DOS...

At the moment, while SignText is in development, I save a document in  
long sentences, that can be re-loaded back into SignText for editing,  
changing, cutting and re-saving. Plus the signs in the sentences can  
be loaded into SignPuddle if you want, but I don't bother much with  
that at the moment...I am a SignText person now...I can create  
different size columns with the SWML preview feature, or I bring them  
into SignBank and print documents with the SignBank print  
formats...It is true that I have to turn each sentence into a graphic  
to bring into Microsoft Word right now, but I know there are better  
things to come so that is not a problem and afterall, we would have  
to do the same with SignWriter DOS documents too...creating a screen  
capture of a sentence is not that hard...and I think Philippe's idea  
about the shorter columns turning the page on its side (landscape) is  
great! Your Billy Goat story looked so good, in your  
presentation...and wasn't it wonderful when the Deaf woman in the  
back was reading it immediately?!

Val ;-)