Guidance

ARutledge

Member
Hi, it's been two years since I attempted to create user-defined content. Mike Love was kind enough to get me started, but now...the information I've found in the threads/on the net doesn't seem to work, or I haven't found one yet that does.

And, in process of trying to figure out what would work, some more basic questions have come up.
(1) My goal is to set up a user-defined glossary for asset management, with special terms in securitization.
(2) Assuming I can format the document properly for upload, and actually upload it, I am not actually sure whether this is a Dictionary or a set of Flashcards. I think it's a Dictionary--but since the screens in my iPhone don't track the information, I've kind of given up trying that track.
(3) On the other hand, I can't upload AT ALL, so the formatting doesn't seem to matter. The IP address method (which worked once) doesn't work now, I have my own problems with my iCloud account, and I can't figure out how I would load a txt file into Safari.

Where is the current, authoritative, step-by-step guidance for what I am trying to do? Dictionary, Flash Cards--at this point I don't really care. Thanks, Ann
 

mikelove

皇帝
Staff member
2) It would be a dictionary, yes. But the same file format as flashcards, so that difference only comes up when you import it; to do that, you'd go into Settings / Manage Dictionaries, tap Add User, Create New, name your new dictionary, tap on it, tap "Import Entries," select your file under "Choose File," and tap "Begin Import."

Format is characters<tab>pinyin<tab>definition, one item per line.

3) As far as uploading to your device - the IP method might not work if the two devices are on different networks, are they on the same WiFi hotpot? Or can you put them on one?

Another method would be to put the file on a cloud storage service (doesn't matter which) and use its 'share' or 'open in' command to share it with Pleco. Or, in the import screen, after you tap "Choose File" tap "External Files" and you can browse the contents of all of your cloud storage directories and select a file from there.
 

ARutledge

Member
Thanks for your patience, Mike. This email is a moving target....I uploaded the Chinese character part successfully, with some notes:
  • Forum thread somewhere references an apparently superseded http://192.168.1.9:50505.
  • Current IP address in the Upload Files page says http://192.168.8.92:50505 but others to figure it out from the threads could experience the same confusion.
  • The IP address has to be manually typed in each time. BUT:
(4) adding pinyin/translations in the way you suggest and saving in in the txt file UTF-8 does not preserve the structure. I assume that's the problem. My mac doesn't give any other UTF choices. Does this mean each entry must be completed manually?
(5) It's not obvious how to add words and sentences, even manually.
 
Last edited:

Shun

状元
Hello Ann,

this is a little tricky to explain at length here in the forums. Since you don't have the time to read the whole Pleco manual, I would be willing to try to fill in the gaps in your knowledge and help you get this to work, over Skype (for a relatively small fee). If you are interested, you may send me a direct message by tapping on my avatar and selecting "Start Conversation".

Regards,

Shun
 

ARutledge

Member
Hi Shun,

Thank you, your comment interests me very much. Are you saying these two gaps are covered in the Manual (which I did read before raising questions--but of course I haven't memorized it.) First, is it the 2014 iPhone software manual? I can't see where it talks about (1) what happens when the Import doesn't parse (I did follow the format and import using UTF-8); and (2) how DICT links to other DBs, STROKE CHARS WORDS SENTS. I'd appreciate very much if you would direct me first to the written instructions.

Best,
Ann
 

Shun

状元
Hi Ann,

you're welcome! The most current manual is found here: http://iphone.pleco.com/manual/30200/

On (1), if you saved the text file as UTF-8 using Microsoft Word, there may be issues. I recommend that you download BBEdit, which is free, from here:

https://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/download.html

If you save to UTF-8 using BBEdit, the format should be fine. You can also let it show the tabs by choosing View > Text Display > Show Invisibles.

To avoid getting the wrong number of tabs, you may also prepare the three columns (Chinese, pinyin, and English) in Excel, then copy and paste them into BBEdit and save as UTF-8, then import into Pleco. The instructions describe the format in detail here:

http://iphone.pleco.com/manual/30200/flash.html#importexportfileformat

On (2), the DICT tab displays all the dictionaries which match the query you entered before. You can do the following:

1. Create a new user dictionary in Pleco in the Sidebar > Settings > Manage Dictionaries > Add User. After creating it, you can tap on it and choose Import Entries, then import the text file you prepared in BBEdit and copied to Pleco. As soon as that is done, your entries will show up in DICTS. If you have older user dictionaries from before, you can delete them by tapping on them and choosing Delete Dictionary at the bottom.

2. If you wish to study the words as flashcards in Pleco, as well, you could create a new user dictionary and then go into Sidebar > Import/Export > Import Cards, choose the text file you had prepared and select the Store in user dict option. That saves the glossary both in Flashcards and in the user dictionary. For the other options, you can review the following section in the manual:

http://iphone.pleco.com/manual/30200/flash.html#import

As Mike has said, I recommend that you use Dropbox or another cloud service to transfer the text file to Pleco. It's quicker than using the web browser method.

Hope this helps, best,

Shun
 

Shun

状元
You're welcome! Anybody who is highly computer-literate should be able to help you now and figure out the answers to your other questions—it certainly isn't rocket science.

Shun
 
Top