Creating a dictionary file to use with GoldenDict?

[B Kh]

I'm using the latest version of FLEx and am wondering if there is a standardized way to create an off line dictionary file for use with GoldenDict. GD is desktop software that reads the following dictionary file formats:

1. StarDict dictionaries (.ifo, .dict, .idx, and .syn files)
2. Babylon dictionaries (.bgl files)
3. Dictd dictionaries (.index, .dict and .dict.dz files)
4. ABBYY Lingvo dictionaries (.dsl, .dsl.dz, .lsd) - lsd support only in mobile version
5. Lingoes dictionaries (.ld2) - Only in the mobile version
6. XDXF dictionaries (.xdxf, .xdxf.dz) - Desktop version build 1.0.1-210-gfb179ac and later
7. AARD dictionaries (.aar) - Desktop version build 1.0.1-223-g81ee55a and later
8. SDict dictionaries (.dct) - Desktop version build 1.0.1-223-g81ee55a and later
9. MDict dictionaries (.mdd and .mdx files) - Desktop version build 1.0.1-675-g487ba6b and later
10. Zim dictionaries (.zim files) - Desktop version build 1.5.0-RC-177-geb6ddfe and later. (Under Linux this feature is turned off by default. To turn it on use "qmake "CONFIG+=zim_support"" (liblzma-dev package required. Or take xz 5.0.5 sources from http://tukaani.org/xz/ and compile it).)
11. EPWING dictionaries - Desktop version build 1.5.0-RC-394-g141703a and later
12. Slob dictionaries (.slob files) - Desktop version build 1.5.0-RC-459-g91bddcc and later. (Under Linux see remark for Zim dictionaries)
13. Babylon source files (.gls, .gls.dz files) - Desktop version build 1.5.0-RC2-85-g473cb2b and later.

I'm just wondering if there is already an accepted way of doing this. I don't want to have to reinvent the wheel.

[Bart Eenkhoorn]

Hello B Kh,

I had not previously heard about this software. Thank you for sharing. It seems that the programme has not seen an update since 2014. There are other options out there which receive more frequent updates and will be a safer platform. For Flex the route -› xhtml export (or lift) -› DAB is the preferred one to my knowledge.

Greetings,

Bart

--
"FLEx list" messages are public. Only members can post.
flex_d...@sil.org
http://groups.google.com/group/flex-list.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "FLEx list" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to flex-list+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/flex-list/bc5dd13f-09e2-4f42-98ba-076603772e82n%40googlegroups.com.

Virus-free.www.avast.com

[B Kh]

Dear Bart,

Thanks for your reply. I should have linked to the modern fork of GoldenDict that is under active development, https://xiaoyifang.github.io/goldendict-ng/dictformats/ There is a large dictionary popular in my language community that is designed to be used with this software, so that's just what I ended up using. And the StarDict format it supports is straightforward enough that I have been able to hack together some other data sources into working dictionaries for my work. 

The great advantage to the GoldenDict software is that you can install multiple dictionaries and search them all in one go. You can even add online dictionaries. My short term goal (which I should have stated more directly) is to be able to search in a version of the dictionary I am creating while at the same time searching in all the other dictionaries I use. I guess I could use the Webonary online version of my project. But I'd rather have an offline version.

Are you familiar with other Windows apps that work like this and also support a format that can read something exported from FLEx?

I haven't looked into DAB yet, but I need something that works on desktop, and that seems to be android. I'm guessing that most of the folks who use Flex probably just stick with the SIL solutions, but there seems to be a world of other dictionary formats out there. 

There is pyglossary, but it doesn't seem to work with SFM or LIFT. I guess my next step would be to reach out to that community.

Now that I think about it… For my purposes if I could just get a json that had the headwords as keys and the definitions as the values, then I could convert it. Maybe the xhtml file is what I need to look at using. Hmm.

Thanks!

[Bart Eenkhoorn]

I’d say, if you like flexibility, and are already committed to using flex, xhtml (export) offers flexibility. Try DAB and see if you like it, or do a thorough comparison of all that is out there first. That would also be interesting for us all in this flex user-platform. A large userbase that is already popular where you are can also be an advantage. Not an easy choice.

Bart. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/flex-list/106a32c7-e77a-40f0-a155-a408c0d2e412n%40googlegroups.com.