Dictionary

The Dictionary is a listing of searchable signs.  It can be searched in any two written languages and one sign language without changing the dictionary settings.  The gloss languages and the sign language depends on the options selected.  The same dictionary file can hold as many gloss languages and sign languages as desired.  You can also have as many dictionary files as you wish.  Is is expected that most people only use one dictionary file.

The default extension is .SWS If you double click a file in Window Explorer.  It will open it in SignWriter Studio™. You will need to open the Dictionary or the Signlist to use the file.

There are two gloss languages at any one time if the the bilingual gloss option is selected.  Otherwise only one gloss language is available.  The dictionary can save glosses in an indefinite number of languages for any one sign but can only display two at a time. 

The Dictionary columns are as follow:

• Gloss [language](first gloss language)
• Other Glosses [language](other accepted glosses in first gloss language)
• Gloss [language](second gloss language if bilingual gloss is checked)
• Other Glosses [language](other accepted glosses in second gloss language is bilingual gloss is checked)
• SWriting (SignWriting sign)
• Illustration (Drawing or picture of what the sign is)
• Photo Sign (Drawing or picture of the sign)
• SWritingSource (Source from where the SWriting was taken)
• Illustration Source (Source from where the Illustration was taken)
• PhotoSignSource (Source from where the Photo Sign was taken)

The information updated in the grid is saved automatically before each search and when the dictionary form closes.

In the Gloss Search text box, type in part of the gloss you are looking for.  Press the Enter key or click on the Search button and any signs matching what you typed in either of the gloss languages will show in the Dictionary grid. If you want to look for part of a word, select the with Substring checkbox.

Click on Show All to see all the signs in the dictionary.  If there are more than 100 entries in the dictionary you will be asked if you want to only show the first 100 or all of the signs.  Loading all the signs in the database can take some time.

Click on the Edit SignWriting button to edit the sign of the currently row.  You can also double click on the Sign Writing.

Beside the Edit SignWriting button, is a list of the first gloss of all the signs displaying in the Dictionary grid in alphabetical order.  You can choose one from the drop down list to move to the corresponding sign in the grid.

The blue arrows in the navigation area beside the menu are for navigation in the grid.  The arrows with a line at the end move to the beginning and end of the grid.  The other arrows move up or down one.  You can also type in the number of the row you want to move to.  The number has to be less or equal to the total number of rows.

The yellow plus symbol is to add a new sign.

The Duplicate button creates another sign the same as the current one.

The red X is to delete a sign from the dictionary.

The sign search is to search the signs in a Dictionary by symbol.  Write a few symbols that you want to find in the dictionary and click accept.  All the signs in the Dictionary that have those symbols in them will appear in the grid.

When oppening a file from the Sign List or from a Documenttwo special buttons appear on the Dictionary window. The Accept button is to acknowledge that you have positioned the cursor in the grid on a sign that you want to use in the form from which you opened the Dictionary.  The Cancel button means that no sign will be chosen. 

Tips

To not search exact matches, select the "Substring" checkbox.

If no results match your criteria, a message will let you know.

Click on the column header to sort the by the text of the column.

Copy to SignPuddle Online, move to a sign the choose Copy, Copy to Sign to SignPuddle or Ctrl+Alt+C.  The SignPuddle will open with the copied sign displayed.

Paste from SignPuddle Online, copy FSW code from SignPuddle online to the clipboard. Add a new Entry by selecting Edit, Add new Entry or Ctrl-Ins. Select Paste FSW from SignPuddle or Ctrl+Alt+V.  This will save the sign to the currently selected entry.

Importing a puddle from SignPuddle Online or PersonalPuddle.

1. Create a new Dictionary or open the Dictionary into which you want to import.
2. For SignPuddle Online go to Export then download the Entire Puddle. For PersonalPuddle find where the puddle you want to import is located. 
3. From the File menu, click on Import... or Ctrl+I.
4. If you want to import the puddle to the current file to the current sign language and gloss language click Yes.
5. Select the puddle you want to import.
6. If any signs have changed and the puddle has unique identifiers for the signs, you will be prompted to update them by checking the check box in the Update column
7. Click on the Continue button

Export a Dictionary to a PersonalPuddle puddle. Before exporting, in Options select the sign language and gloss language you want to export.

1. From the File menu choose Export ... or Ctrl+E
2. Click Yes to export the whole dictionary.
3. Enter the number for your new puddle.  1 to 150 are used by the Country sign puddles, any other number is fine.  The Personal Puddle exports with number 1000. SignWriter Studio suggests 2000 but any number can be put in. For this example lets try 2005
4. Click OK
5. Give the puddle a name so that it can be identified once imported into Personal Puddle.
6. Save the file in the import folder of your Personal Puddle.  Click Save
7. Go to your personal puddle, Click on Import
8. Click on the Import button below
9. Click on the sgn.2005 link below the Import Successful text

1. Search for the sign you want to export so that only it shows in the Dictionary Grid
   
2. from the File menu choose Export ...
3. Click No to export only the displayed sign
   
4. Enter the number for your new puddle.  1 to 150 are used by the Country sign puddles, any other number is fine.  The Personal Puddle exports with number 1000. SignWriter Studio suggests 2000 but any number can be put in. For this example lets try 2006
5. Click OK
6. Give the puddle a name so that it can be identified once imported into Personal Puddle.
7. Save the file in the import folder of your Personal Puddle.  Click Save
8. Go to your personal puddle, Click on Import
9. Click on the Import button below
10. Click on the sgn.2006 link below the Import Successful text

Keyboard

Press the Alt key to display the shortcuts to the buttons..

Mousing

Click once a cell to select it.  Click again to edit it.  Click a third time to unselect the text.

Double click on a SWSign to edit it in the Sign Editor.

Double click on a  Photo or Sign Photo to edit it in the Image Editor. If no picture is loaded, you will be offered to choose a picture file to open.

See Also

• Home
• Sign Editor
• Dictionary Sign Search