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Help Contents
Contents

Overview

TextAssist Dictionary

The Interface

Knowing the Interface

Working with the TextAssist Dictionary

Launching TextAssist Dictionary

Creating A New Dictionary File

Creating Vocabulary Entries

Editing Vocabulary Entries

Deleting Vocabulary Entries

Understanding The TextAssist Dictionary Menus

Associating TextAssist Dictionary Files with the TextReader

Exiting TextAssist Dictionary


TextAssist Dictionary

The TextAssist Dictionary provides you with all the tools you need to view, edit, and create your own customized dictionary files. These dictionary files can then be used with the TextAssist TextReader to ensure proper pronunciation of specific words as it reads out your text files.


Knowing the Interface

When you launch the TextAssist Dictionary, the TextAssist Dictionary window similar to the figure shown below appears:

The TextAssist Dictionary interface is extremely intuitive and easy to use.  All you have to do is use the mouse to point and click on the options you wish to select. The available options include:

Allows you to create a new dictionary file.

Allows you to Add a word to the current dictionary file, or to delete the highlighted dictionary.

Allows you to Delete a word from the current dictionary file.

Speaks the phoneme in the Phoneme edit box, or the highlighted word in the Vocabulary list box.

Exits the TextAssist Dictionary.

The Status Bar at the bottom of the Dictionary window is used to display error messages.

The Word group box contains the following edit boxes:

Spelling : Allows you to enter a word in its correctly spelt form.

Sounds Like :Allows you to fine-tune the pronunciation of the word in the Spelling edit box.

Phoneme : Allows you to edit the phonetic characters used to represent the word in the Spelling edit box.

The Dictionary drop-down list box contains the names of all the available dictionary files. To select a dictionary file for editing, simply highlight the name of this dictionary from the drop-down list.

The Vocabulary list box contains all the words currently stored in the active dictionary. The total number of words in this dictionary file is displayed next to the Vocabulary header. You can use the scrollbar to scan through the entire list of  vocabulary entries.


Launching TextAssist Dictionary

To launch the TextAssist Dictionary, simply double click on the Dictionary icon in the TextAssist group window.


Creating A New Dictionary File

To create a new dictionary file, follow these steps:

1. Click on the [image] button. The Enter Dictionary Name dialog box will appear:

2. Enter the name of your new dictionary file and click on the OK button. If you do not want to create a new dictionary at this time, click on the Cancel button. All dictionary files will be saved in the TextAssist Dictionary's working directory, and will have the extension *.dic.

Note: Do not enter any extension to the name of your dictionary file. As in the example above, you should only type in the name sample.

3. Notice that your newly created dictionary is now the selected dictionary in the Dictionary drop-down list box:


Creating Vocabulary Entries

To create a new word for your sample dictionary:

1. Click on the Spelling edit box in the Word group box, and type in a word. For example, let us enter the word "creative".

 The result is shown below:

Notice that when you type in a word in the Spelling edit box, the phonetics for that word is automatically generated in the Phoneme edit box. You may also change the phonetic interpretation of your word by clicking on the Phoneme edit box.

2. To hear what "creative" sounds like, click on the Say It button or press <Enter>.

3. Perhaps you don't like the way "creative" is pronounced. Don't worry, you can fine tune the pronunciation until you are satisfied with it. Please refer to the following section Editing Vocabulary Entries for details on how to do this.

4. Now, to save the word "creative" to your current dictionary file, click on the Add button. Voila! The word "creative" has now been added to your dictionary!

Note: Whenever you Add a word to your current dictionary, the word is immediately saved into the dictionary file.


Editing Vocabulary Entries

After listening to the pronunciation of words in the vocabulary list, you might feel that some vocabulary entries require editing in order to make them sound "just right". The TextAssist Dictionary allows you to do this in a very easy way:

1. Use the mouse to highlight the word you wish to edit in the Vocabulary list box. For our example, let's highlight the word "creative".

Note that "creative" now appears in the Spelling edit box:

2. To change the pronunciation of "creative", click the Sounds Like edit box and type in what you think will sound better. Let's try typing in kreeaytif. Below displays the result of this step:

3. Click on the Say It button to hear how TextAssist Dictionary pronounces "creative" now. Notice the difference? The word "creative" is now pronounced according to your entry in the Sounds Like edit box (that is, kreeaytif).

4. You can keep changing the pronunciation of "creative" by entering different words into the Sounds Like edit box, and testing it with the Say It button.

5. Once you are satisfied with the pronunciation, simply click on the Add button. The "creative" vocabulary entry in your dictionary file will now be updated to reflect this change.


Deleting Vocabulary Entries

To delete a word from your dictionary file, simply do the following:

1. Highlight the word to be deleted in the Vocabulary list box.

2. Click on the Delete button.

And that's all there is to it! Your highlighted word will immediately be removed from your dictionary file, never to be seen again...

Note: Whenever you delete a word from your current dictionary, the word is immediately removed from the dictionary file.


Understanding The TextAssist Dictionary Menus

The TextAssist Dictionary has two menus: Controls and Help.

Controls Menu

The Controls Menu contains the following commands:

1.Control...

Launches the Dictionary Controls panel, which allows you to adjust the Volume, Rate, and Pitch of the voice currently associated to the TextAssist Dictionary. The Dictionary Controls panel is shown below:

Note: The changes made to volume, rate, or pitch from the Dictionary Controls panel will remain valid until you choose to exit Dictionary. Each time you launch Dictionary, the settings for the Controls panel will return to its default values.

2. Launch TextAssist Control Panel...

Launches the TextAssist Control Panel, allowing you to change the voice currently associated with the TextAssist Dictionary. Please refer to the TextAssist Control Panel Help for more information.

Help Menu

The Help Menu contains the following commands:

1. Content...

Launches the Windows On-line Help system for the TextAssist Dictionary.

2. About TextAssist Dictionary...

Provides copyright information on the TextAssist Dictionary.


Associating TextAssist Dictionary Files with the TextReader

If you want the TextReader to use a particular dictionary file as a reference for pronunciations of specific words, you must first associate the TextReader with this dictionary file. To do so, please refer to the TextAssist Control Panel Help.


Exiting TextAssist Dictionary

To exit the TextAssist Dictionary, simply click on the [image] button.