BDicty Dictionary
www.beiks.com

User Guide
 

Table of contents

Installation
BDicty Dictionary has 2 components:

  1. BDicty - a shell program for dictionary with file name is BDicty.prc
  2. Language databases (lexicons) for BDicty with file name xxx.pdb (for example English.pdb, En2Spa.pdb, Ger2En.pdb etc.)

To install a dictionary into your device you will need to HotSync« at least 2 files: BDicty.prc & Lexicon.pdb.

Every lexicon allows translation from one direction to another. The direction is usually indicated by the lexicon title, e.g. En2Ger.PDB. To translate bi-directionally you need a pair of lexicons. For example to Translate from English to German you need En2Ger.pdb and Ger2En.pdb.

BDicty supports unlimited number of lexicons. It all depends on the available memory.
Only one BDicty.prc file is required for all lexicons. 

Public And Commercial versions

BDicty comes in two versions, Public and Commercial.
The Public version is free and available for download form our web site. It has the most basic functionality a dictionary needs - the ability to lookup words. In its "About" menu it shows you it is Demo, even if you have a full version of a lexicon.

The Commercial version of BDicty gives you several advantages over the Public one, among which are the ability to add your own words, different screen views/modes, phrasebooks, technical support and many more. For the full list and the latest version (updates are also free for the Commercial version users) please check on our web site. Registration is $10.

The Language Lexicons are also available also in two version: Demo and Licensed (full).
The Demo lexicons can be used by anyone while the licensed are encrypted and licensed only to a specific user (by his/her User Name in PalmOS™). The Demo lexicons have only small amount of the words in the full versions (usually about 10%).

For some languages there are Standard and Extended (Gold) versions. Sometimes they differ not only by the amount of entries, but also by available examples, phrases and other information.

Refer to our website for detailed information on the available lexicons. 

Translate & Search
The program is fairly simple and intuitive to use.

Tap on the field "Word:...." and enter two letters, for example "AB".
A list with words will appear on the right (or bottom) of the screen.
Tap on a word from the list to see its translation.
Translation will appears under the field "Word:..."

The more letters you enter the less words are shown in the list.

Note: There are only 10 % of the words in Demo lexicons. Do not be surprised if you can not find your word in the Demo lexicon.    

Switch among Languages

BDicty can support unlimited number of language lexicons. It depends only on the free memory available.

If you have several lexicons installed you can easily switch among them. Click on the down arrow in the upper part of the screen, next to BDicty title. Drop-down list will appear. Choose the lexicon you want by tapping on its name.     

 

Add new words
The feature is available only in the Commercial version.

Most of the lexicons are with general orientation. If you use specific terminology in your work you may want to add new words to your lexicon.

You may enter a new word by typing it the regular way as if you search for it. Then tap on the field where its translation should be and enter it. When done, you must tap on the (REC) button that would appear on the upper right corner of the display.

The new words are saved in user lexicons, which are physically different from the original lexicons. This means that they could be erased if you happen to hard-reset your device. To provide protection against lost, the user dictionaries are backed-up automatically during HotSync«.    

Switch the view mode

The Commercial BDicty allows you to have two view modes for the list of words - horizontal and vertical. This feature is especially useful for phrasebooks, topic dictionaries, travel books etc.

You may choose the view mode from "Menu", "Commands", "Preferences", "Panel view".

Adjust the mode for better view by tapping on "1" or "2". Mode "1" (wider words list) is when looking for a word in the languages with longer words (like German). Mode "2" is when you find the word to see more of its translation on the screen.

The Commercial Version provides Smart View option, which will expand the translation field size automatically upon finding a word in the dictionary.    

Hints

To delete the currently selected word and enter a new one, just drag the pen over the current word. This way, you will select the word. Now you can simply enter the new one - the selection will be deleted automatically with your first stroke.

Sometimes the fastest way to enter a word is through Palm's visual keyboard. Especially if you know how to spell the word you are looking for.

To add/update word, just enter the word and tap in the description field, then enter the translation text. When ready, hit the "Rec." button that had appeared on the screen. Only user-entered words can be updated.

To Delete a word, leave its translation empty and tap the (REC) button.

To Undo all changes in description, tap in the word's field and change it to any other word.   

BDicty is Copyright (C) 1999-2000 by Beiks LLC.