stardict dictionaries on PC

[funderburkjim]

A user out of the blue sent this interesting email:

I recently came across your wonderful "Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries" on the Web. I have a fairly simple question, but I couldn't find an answer in the documentation: is it possible to search in more than one dictionary at once? For example, let's say I'd like to do a search of "rudra" in Monier-Williams as well as in Yates and in Apte, with one command. This would mean something like having multiple dictionary names under "dictionary" on the "simple search" page. Is that possible?

Looking for an answer, I came across your instruction on https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/ : "All dictionaries are also available for offline usage in android phones via this application. It presumes that some form of stardict viewer is installed on your phone". I couldn't find a Windows program that would do the same as the Android app you mentioned, so I used the Android app. But I wanted to be able to search multiple dictionaries on my PC, not on my phone, so I tried the following:
- installed GoldenDict on the PC;
- downloaded the dictionaries to the phone via Stardict Dictionary Updater;
- copied the dictionaries from the phone to the PC;
- pointed GoldenDict to the folder with the dictionaries.

It's a bit roundabout, but, lo and behold... it works! :-) So now I have what I want, but I'd still like to know if searching multiple dictionaries is possible via the 'Net.

Thank you for your time and trouble.

[funderburkjim]

Incidentally, I sent him this dalglob1 link I think this experimental display is the only multi dictionary display currently available. Do others think it is sufficiently refined to mention on the sanskrit-lexicon home page?

[gasyoun]

Do others think it is sufficiently refined to mention on the sanskrit-lexicon home page?

Yes it is. And maybe we could continue it's refinement, as you are ready to make it public.

[drdhaval2785]

I would like to note that it may be better to use the cross platform application "stardict" on PCs, windows, linux or mac. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarDict.

[drdhaval2785]

One can download desired dictionaries from indic-dict/stardict-sanskrit repositories from the links like https://github.com/indic-dict/stardict-sanskrit/tree/gh-pages/en-head/tars .

Tar files hold the files required by stardict viewer.

One can put it inside folder stardict/dic folder or something similar, based on the operating system.

Then these dictionaries may be available via stardict application.

This would avoid the circuitous (although convenient) route of going through android application.

[funderburkjim]

The user (Jaap) tried the dalglob1 program and had this feedback:

I've tried out the page 
https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/csl-apidev/sample/dalglob1.php 
that you mentioned. This comes close to what I was looking for, thank you! 
I'm totally in support of mentioning it "on the sanskrit-lexicon home page", a
s you say in the "stardict dictionaries" discussion list. 

The GoldenDict output on my PC lists the results from all chosen dictionaries in 
one big list; 
on your web page, the user has to choose the dictionary from which he wants to 
see the results. 
So the two nicely complement each other. 
I think the web page would benefit from some "dressing up", 
if that is the correct expression. 
Now, as a user, you are confronted with a minimal interface and some big 
empty and nameless fields, which is a bit intimidating. 
Also, it would be helpful if the dictionaries' names where expanded a bit; 
"ap90" is less clear than "Apte Practical", for example. 
Or maybe a balloon with the expanded name could be displayed when hovering
over the  button with the mouse pointer? 
Of course, it could be that regular users of your website are already completely
 familiar  with the abbreviations and that it's only amateurs like me who 
would like such luxury :-) .

This is good feedback. In Sanskrit lexicography, we are all amateurs!

[gasyoun]

Also, it would be helpful if the dictionaries' names where expanded a bit; "ap90" is less clear than "Apte Practical", for example.

No need.

Or maybe a balloon with the expanded name could be displayed when hovering over the button with the mouse pointer?

We might consider.

In Sanskrit lexicography, we are all amateurs

Indeed, but here it's more about the UI. And we need an UI designer for that, I believe.

[drdhaval2785]

Now the stardict dictionaries do have the expanded name and from-to language pair universally. e.g. #bookname=Meulenbeld-Sanskrit-Names-of-Plants (sa-en) see https://github.com/indic-dict/stardict-sanskrit/issues/129.