Month: June 2008

Categories
Felix release

Version 1.1.6 of Felix released

I’ve just released version 1.1.6 of Felix. This is a bug-fix release and fixes two bugs with memory searches.

  • The number placement option caused crashes when the word-matching algorithm is used
  • The combination of case-insensitive searches, word-matching algorithm, and reverse (translation) lookup did not work properly.

I recommend upgrading to this latest version.

There is still a known bug with the word-matching algorithm, that I hope to have fixed by the end of July:

  • Number placement does not function with the word matching algorithm.

Temporary workaround: Use the character-based algorithm (Tools >> Preferences >> Algorithms) if you wish to use the number placement feature.

Categories
Felix release

Felix version 1.1.5 released

I’ve just released version 1.1.5 of Felix. It’s available from the download page.

This is a minor release. Here are the changes/improvements in the latest version:

  • Bug fix: Some shapes in PowerPoint 2007 were not properly recognized by the add-in
  • Dragging a memory into the Memory or Glossary window opens it
  • The position of the tool bar in Word/PowerPoint 2003 and below is remembered when you restart the program

Like I said, a very minor release — basically the things I could get finished before I start on the next major release, with network support. Expect an early release (i.e. beta quality) within about two weeks.

Categories
resources

EDICT dictionary files available as Felix glossaries

I’ve converted the EDICT and ENAMDICT dictionary files created by Jim Breen into Felix format. The converted glossary files are available from the Felix Website.

The EDICT file is multilingual (Japanese/English/French/German/Russian), and I’ve converted it into 20 Felix glossaries representing each language combination. Of course, since Japanese is the central language, language pairs that don’t have Japanese as the source or translation language may be less useful.

The ENAMDICT file is a dictionary of proper names. All together the file was humungous, so I broke it into several smaller glossaries by category (personal names, place names, organizations, and so on). Of course, you’re free to load them all up into your Felix glossary window, since the number of glossaries you can have open is only limited by how much memory your computer has.

Categories
Felix release

Felix bug fix: version 1.1.1 released

I’ve released version 1.1.1 of Felix. It’s available from the download page.

This is a bug fix to fix a problem with saving memories in TMX format. Thanks to S. Patrick Eaton for spotting the bug.

I recommend that all Felix users update to this latest release if you plan to export your memories in TMX format.

Categories
Felix release

Felix version 1.1 released

Version 1.1 of Felix is released. This is a minor release with several usability enhancements and bug fixes. It’s available from the Felix download page. Below is a list of improvements and bug fixes in this version.

Felix

  • Memory window layout revamped
  • Memory window layout templates moved to external files
  • Auto-selection feature for matching algorithm
  • Glossary matching algorithm choice removed
  • Register glossary entries dialog: Trim spaces when adding entries
  • Bug: Toggle markup link for fuzzy matches
  • Bug: Glossary strings shown for memory tool tips
  • Bug: Switching languages failed to make tool tip language switch
  • GUI: Gave memory and glossary preferences pages consistent labels

Word interface

  • Bug: Canceling a lookup did not work as expected

The improvements and bug fixes are described in detail below. There will be one more minor release in June, followed by development of a network feature for Felix.

Memory window layout revamped

The layout of the memory window has been revamped and improved for better usability. Below are some examples of the new look.

No matches

Felix memory window with no matches

Added new entry

Added a new match to the Felix memory window

100% match

A perfect match in the Felix memory window

(Since this is a 100% match, there’s no need to show the query — it’s identical to the source)

Fuzzy match

Memory window layout templates moved to external files

The memory window style sheet and layout templates have been moved to external files. This will allow them to be customized. For example, one Felix user had a very large monitor, and the match text appeared too small. By modifying the stylesheet (style.css), he was able to increase the text size and improve visibility.

The files are located in the local application data folder. The location of this folder will differ depending on whether you’re using Windows XP or Vista.

Vista: C:\Users\user-name\AppData\Local\Felix\html\
XP: C:\Documents and Settings\user-name\Local Settings\Application Data\Felix\html\

Auto-selection feature for matching algorithm

Felix has two matching algorithms for fuzzy matching: character-based and word-based. The character-based algorithm is best for Asian languages where words aren’t separated by spaces, while the word-based algorithm is best for European and other languages where they are.

Before, the user had to select the best algorithm themselves, but now Felix selects the best algorithm automatically by default. You can still select the algorithm manually in the preferences.

Glossary matching algorithm choice removed

To simplify the interface, the choice of glossary-matching algorithms was removed. Felix now uses a special algorithm fine-tuned for glossary searches.

Register glossary entries dialog: Trim spaces when adding entries

When registering glossary entries in the dialog box, extra spaces were often spuriously added to glossary entries. These extra spaces are now trimmed automatically.

Bug: Toggle markup link for fuzzy matches

The option to toggle markup (showing where the query and source are different) on and off was not being saved between lookups, making the user select again each time. Now the selection is remembered.

Bug: Glossary strings shown for memory tool tips

In version 1.0, the glossary-related tool tips were being shown for the memory window (for example, the tool tip for the “New” toolbar button was “Create a new glossary file.” Now the correct memory-related tooltips are shown.

Bug: Switching languages failed to make tool tip language switch

In version 1.0, even if the UI language was switched, tool tips were sometimes displayed in the previous UI language. Now the tool tip language is also switched in all cases.

GUI: Gave memory and glossary preferences pages consistent labels

The Memory and Glossary preference sheets had different labels for the same features (normalizing case, width, and hiragana/katakana for searches). The same labels are now used.

Word interface Bug: Canceling a lookup did not work as expected

If you try to look up or register a very long segment (> 1,000 characters) in MS Word, a dialog box will ask if you really want to do this. In version 1.0, answering “No” in the dialog box would sometimes not completely cancel the action.

Categories
Felix tips

Felix tip: Switch between concordance and match views

Felix has a concordance feature that allows you to see how you’ve translated a word or phrase in the past. It can be used from the Felix window, from the MS Word interface, from the MS PowerPoint interface, and from TagAssist (select Felix >> Concordance from the menu).

The results of concordance are then displayed in the memory window, which will look something like this:

Concordance search results in Felix

(The matching word or phrase is highlighted.)

If you already had a memory lookup displayed in the memory window, you might want to show it again. To do so, select View >> Current View >> Match View from the menu (or press Alt + V, V, M).

Felix menu command to switch to match view

You’ll then be back at the match view:

Felix match view with sentence lookup

(You can go back to concordance view by selecting View >> Current View >> Search View.)

Note that the same functionality is available from the Glossary window as well.