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Přemysl Eric Janouch 2021-10-07 20:08:56 +02:00
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@ -8,26 +8,20 @@ of this kind, GUI or not, and thus decided to write my own.
The project is covered by a permissive license, unlike vast majority of other
similar projects, and can serve as a base for implementing other dictionary
software. I wasn't able to reuse _anything_ for StarDict.
software.
image::sdtui.png[align="center"]
Further Development
-------------------
While I've been successfully using sdtui for a long time now, some work has to
be done yet before the software can be considered fit for inclusion in regular
Linux and/or BSD distributions. Help is much appreciated.
An approximate list of things that need to be resolved:
- the tab bar and the text input field don't handle overflows well
- figure out a way to become capable of displaying most StarDict dictionaries
Packages
--------
Regular releases are sporadic. git master should be stable enough. You can get
a package with the latest development version from Archlinux's AUR.
Documentation
-------------
See the link:docs/sdtui.1.adoc[man page] for information about usage.
The rest of this README will concern itself with externalities.
Building and Running
--------------------
Build dependencies: CMake, pkg-config, asciidoctor +
@ -49,67 +43,39 @@ Or you can try telling CMake to make a package for you. For Debian it is:
$ cpack -G DEB
# dpkg -i sdtui-*.deb
Having the program installed, simply run it with a StarDict '.ifo' file as an
argument. It is however highly recommended to configure it, see below.
Extensions
----------
As the original StarDict is a bit of a clusterfuck with regard to collation of
dictionary entries, I had to introduce an additional `collation` field into the
'.ifo' file. When sdtui discovers this field while reading the dictionary, it
automatically reorders the index according to that locale (e.g. "cs_CZ").
This operation may take a little while, in the order of seconds.
Configuration
-------------
To get a nicer look in 256color terminals, create _~/.config/sdtui/sdtui.conf_
with the following. Note that it is intended for black-on-white terminals.
....
[Settings]
center-search = true
underline-last = false
hl-common-prefix = true
watch-selection = true
[Colors]
header = reverse
header-active = ul
search = ul
even = 16 231
odd = 16 255
....
The `watch-selection` option makes the application watch the X11 primary
selection for changes and automatically search for selected text. This feature
requires XCB. Wayland is currently unsupported, but would require a compositor
supporting the wlr-data-control protocol. Luckily, some compositors, such as
Sway, synchronize selections with Xwayland.
You can also set up some dictionaries to be loaded at startup automatically:
....
[Dictionaries]
name1 = ~/path/to/dict.ifo
name2 = ~/another/dict.ifo
....
The names define how they will appear in the tab bar.
Having the program installed, simply run it with a StarDict '.ifo' file as
an argument. It is, however, preferable to
link:docs/sdtui.1.adoc#_configuration[configure it] to load your dictionaries
automatically.
Dictionaries
------------
Unfortunately this application only really works with specific dictionaries.
Unfortunately, this application only really works with specific dictionaries.
Word definitions have to be in plain text, separated by newlines.
The `make dicts` command will build some examples from freely available sources.
You may use the included transform tool to transform existing dictionaries that
are almost useful as they are, e.g. after stripping XML tags. You might want to
fix up the `sametypesequence` of the resulting '.ifo' file afterwards, and run
dictzip on the resulting '.dict' file.
You may use the included 'transform' tool to convert already existing
dictionaries that are almost good as they are, e.g., after stripping XML tags.
You might want to fix up the `sametypesequence` of the resulting '.ifo' file
afterwards, and run 'dictzip' on the resulting '.dict' file to make it compact.
https://mega.co.nz/#!axtD0QRK!sbtBgizksyfkPqKvKEgr8GQ11rsWhtqyRgUUV0B7pwg[CZ <--> EN/DE/PL/RU dictionaries]
Further Development
-------------------
While I've been successfully using 'sdtui' for many years now, some work has to
be done yet before the software can be considered fit for inclusion in regular
Linux and/or BSD distributions.
An approximate list of things that need to be resolved is as follows:
- the tab bar and the text input field don't handle overflows well,
- figure out a way to become capable of displaying most StarDict dictionaries.
Given the entangledness of this codebase, issues with the file format,
and general undesirability of terminal UIs, it might be better to start anew.
Contributing and Support
------------------------
Use https://git.janouch.name/p/sdtui to report any bugs, request features,

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@ -14,16 +14,13 @@ Synopsis
Description
-----------
*sdtui* is a StarDict dictionary viewer custom tailored for viewing translation
dictionaries, using a simple curses-based terminal UI.
*sdtui* is a StarDict dictionary viewer, custom-tailored for translation
dictionaries, with a simple curses-based terminal UI.
The program expects to find on its command line the path to a dictionary's
_.ifo_ file, which contains further information required to load the dictionary.
Some options as well as dictionaries to load on start-up by default can be
specified in a configuration file. See the README for an example.
// FIXME: the README isn't even installed, so this manual isn't very useful
Without any command line arguments, the program expects to find a list of
dictionaries to load on start-up in its configuration file. The _.ifo_ files
contain information required to load dictionaries from their accompanying
database files.
Options
-------
@ -33,13 +30,65 @@ Options
*-V*, *--version*::
Output version information and exit.
Configuration
-------------
You can start your _sdtui.conf_ file with the following snippet:
[Settings]
center-search = true # Ensure visibility of preceding entries?
underline-last = false # Underline the last line of entries?
hl-common-prefix = true # Highlight the longest common prefix?
watch-selection = true # Watch X11 selection for changes?
The _watch-selection_ option makes the application watch the X11 PRIMARY
selection for changes and automatically search for any selected text.
This feature requires XCB. Wayland is currently unsupported,
but would require a compositor supporting the wlr-data-control protocol.
Luckily, some compositors, such as Sway, synchronize selections with Xwayland.
To set up automatically loaded dictionaries, use the following scheme:
[subs="normal"]
[Dictionaries]
_name 1_ = __~/path/to/dict.ifo__
_name 2_ = __~/another/dict.ifo__
The left-hand side keys define their appearance in the tab bar.
Finally, to make the program look nicer in 256color black-on-white terminals,
rather than rely on the universal default, try:
[Colors]
header = reverse
header-active = ul
search = ul
even = 16 231
odd = 16 255
Terminal attributes are accepted in a format similar to that of *git-config*(1),
only named colours aren't supported.
Extensions
----------
Because the StarDict file format is a bit of a clusterfuck with regard to
collation of dictionary entries, this software introduces an additional,
optional "collation" field into the '.ifo' file. When *sdtui* discovers this
field while reading a dictionary, it automatically reorders the index according
to that locale (e.g., "cs_CZ"). This operation may take a little while,
in the order of seconds.
Files
-----
*sdtui* follows the XDG Base Directory Specification.
_~/.config/sdtui/sdtui.conf_::
The configuration file, in which you can configure some settings, terminal
colours and the set of dictionaries to be loaded automatically on start-up.
The configuration file.
Reporting bugs
--------------
Use https://git.janouch.name/p/sdtui to report bugs, request features,
or submit pull requests.
See also
--------
*dictzip*(1)