Format files for printing a dictionary

To print dictionary data, you must first define the layout of your print output in format files that you edit with a text editor. In the format print file you define the entry fields to be printed and how to arrange them in the printout. For general information on printing, see Printing a dictionary.

 

Contents

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Sample format files

OpenTM2 provides several sample format files. The following contains an introduction to format file statements.

The print program assumes a page size with a default of 72 lines per page. To modify this layout you can insert printer-specific characters in the format files according to the syntax provided.

FORMAT1.FRM

This format file prints each headword and its translation. It uses the following format statements to achieve this:

Part of FORMAT1.FRM


=======================

Between and you specify which entry fields you want to be printed for each entry. The names following var name= must be the same names that are defined as entry field names in the dictionary you want to print. To see which entry field names are in a dictionary, select Properties… from the File menu when the “Dictionary List” window is active and the respective dictionary selected.

means that the translation for the headword is printed. If there is more than one translation, only the first translation is printed.

Nontagged information that you type between the and tags is printed for each iteration. In the example above, the ========== is used as a separator line between the entries on your printout.

The following is an example of what your dictionary printout would look like. Assume that the dictionary is English-German and the sample format FORMAT1.FRM has been used for formatting. Two entries (rule and run) are extracted.

Sample printout

=======================
rule
  regieren
=======================
run
  laufen

FORMAT2.FRM

This format file prints the templates for each entry without formatting. A template is all entry field information on all levels (entry level, homonym level, sense level, and target level) relating to one specific translation of a headword. The following is an illustration of a dictionary entry.

FORMAT2.FRM looks as follows:

Part of FORMAT2.FRM


=======================

means that the headword is printed. means that the Part of Speech, the Translation, and the Abbrev./Fullform entry fields are printed until a different headword is found. If the fields for Part of Speech, Translation, or Abbrev./Fullform in the dictionary are not filled, an empty line is printed.

The following sample shows how your dictionary printout would look. Assume that the dictionary is English-German and the sample format FORMAT2.FRM has been used for formatting. Two entries (rule and run) are extracted.

Sample printout

=======================
rule
  verb
  regieren

rule
  noun
  Regel

=======================
run
  verb
  laufen

run
  noun
  Lauf

FORMAT3.FRM

This format file prints all templates for each entry.

It is designed to be formatted with BookMaster (R) outside OpenTM2before you print it. If you print the file without BookMaster (R), you see a mixture of dictionary entry data and BookMaster (R) tags. Formatting with BookMaster (R) produces a printout resembling entries in printed dictionaries.

The tags used in this format file are described in Tags for defining the format of a dictionary printout. You must use them in the same sequence as listed there.

FORMAT4.FRM

This format file prints a dictionary extract with the following structure:

  • A front page showing the title of the printed dictionary, the date, and the author.
  • The major part containing the dictionary entries with the fields specified by you. The sample contains the fields Translation, Part of Speech, Subject Code, and Context.
  • A header section for each page with the name of the dictionary and the first headword on each page.
  • The bottom of each page displaying the current page number.

FORMAT4.FRM contains comments on most of the tags used. It is recommended that you read these comments to understand the results the tags produced on the printout.

If you want to see the results of such a printout, print dictionary DICTPRT, which is contained in sample folder SAMPLPRT.

Note: You must first import SAMPLPRT into OpenTM2.

Defining your own format file

To print a dictionary or an extract from it, you can use one of the format files provided by OpenTM2. You find them on the drive where you installed OpenTM2in the subdirectory \eqf\prtform.

These format files provide a predefined layout for printing dictionary information. They serve as sample files. You must replace all the generic information they contain with your personal data, such as your address, and your name. It is useful to select a format file that contains entry fields that match those of the dictionary you want to print.

To get an idea of how the printout will turn out when using one of these format files, read the explanation that is given after the tag in each file. However, if you want to print a dictionary with a layout other than those provided, you can define your own format file. You do this as follows:

  1. Copy one of the format files provided or create a new file. It must be in ASCII format.
  2. Give it the extension frm (for example, myform.frm).
  3. Edit this file with a text editor of your choice. You can use any of the tags given in Tags for defining the format of a dictionary printout to create an individual layout.
  4. Place this file in the subdirectory \eqf\prtform on the drive where you installed OpenTM2.
  5. Use the new file name as format file name in the “Print Dictionary” window.

The selected dictionary is printed on the printer that is defined as LPT1 in your operating system (default setting).

The following is an example of an individual format file and how it looks on the printout.


  This is my private format file.
  It prints entries from dictionary MYDICT in the following way.
  The front page gives administrative information about the printout,
  such as title, date, and my name. Then two entries of MYDICT follow.
  These entries contain the fields I specified:
  Part of Speech, Translation, Synonym, and Context.
  Each page has the dictionary name MYDICT in its header section.
  The page number is printed at the bottom of each page.




            Title: Dictionary 

            Date: 

            Author: Betty Miller




=================================================================




The term "" has the following meaning:


  Part of Speech: 

      Translation: 
          Synonym: 
          Context: 





=================================================================
                                     -  -

If you used this format file when printing dictionary MYDICT, you would get a printout with the following information on its title page:

Title: Dictionary MYDICT

Date: 04/01/94

Author: Betty Miller

After the title page, the entries found are printed in the following way:

           MYDICT
assist
=================================================================

The term "assist" has the following meaning:

      Part of Speech: verb 
         Translation: helfen
             Synonym:
             Context:

         Translation: assistieren
             Synonym:
             Context: to assist sb

The term "access" has the following meaning/s:

      Part of Speech: noun
         Translation: Zugriff
             Synonym:
             Context:

         Translation: Zutritt
             Synonym:
             Context:

      Part of Speech: verb
         Translation: zugreifen
             Synonym:
             Context:

=================================================================
                          - 1 -

Tags for defining the format of a dictionary printout

Each data element to be printed is defined between a start and an end tag (except for and ). The end tag always starts with “). You may type these tags in either uppercase or in lowercase letters. Some of the tags have attributes (, , ).

You can control the layout of your printout by placing the variables at the appropriate position. The printing of a text or a data element starts where the opening pointed bracket (<) has been placed.

Start tag, end tag Meaning
, Here you can describe what your printout contains. These tags are optional and have no effect on the layout of your printout. This description is shown in the “Print Dictionary” window.
, Contains administrative information related to the printed dictionary, such as the name of the dictionary and the date of printing. This information is printed once at the beginning of your printout before any entries are printed. These tags are optional.
, Here you can specify the information that you want to be printed on the top of each printed page. These tags are optional.
, Here specify the structure and contents of the entries you want to be printed. These tags are mandatory.
, Here you can specify the information that you want to be printed at the bottom of each printed page. These tags are optional.
, Contains information related to the printed dictionary. This information is printed at the end of your printout after all entries have been printed. These tags are optional.

Within the format files the tags must follow the same sequence as specified here. To modify the layout of your printout, you can use the following additional tags:

Start tag, end tag Meaning
, Here you can specify information that you do not want to appear on your printout. These tags are optional. They can occur anywhere within a format file, but not between another start and end tag.
This tag lets you specify the length of a line and the length of a page of your printout. It can occur anywhere within a format file, but not between another start and end tag. For more information, see The attributes.
, The information specified here is repeated until all information belonging to the specified entry field is printed. These tags are optional and can only occur between and . For more information, see The attributes.
This tag can have the attribute “name=”. It can occur only between the , , and tags and their end tags.If it has the attribute “sysname=$…” it can occur only between the , , , , and tags and their corresponding end tags. For more information, see The attributes.

 

The attributes

  • sysname=$line_length
Specifies the length of a single line on your printout. If you do not use this attribute, 80 characters per line are printed. This attribute must be used together with the value attribute, for example:
  • sysname=$page_length
Specifies the number of lines that are to be printed per page. If you do not use this attribute, 72 lines per page are printed. If your printer prints less than 72 lines per page, you must specify the correct number here. This attribute must be used together with the value attribute, for example:
  • sysname=$page_no
Specifies which page number is to be printed on the first page of your printout. If you do not use this attribute, the starting page number is 1. This attribute must be used together with the value attribute, for example:
  • sysname=$page_eject
Specifies a character string that is inserted when the printer is supposed to make a page eject. You must specify the value that is used by your printer, otherwise no page eject is made. Refer to your printer manual for the page eject character that is used by your printer (for example the ♀ character = ASCII character 12). If you do not use this attribute, no character is used. An automatic page eject is done within the and section. This attribute must be used together with the value attribute, for example:
  • value=xxx
This attribute is mandatory. It must be used in combination with the attributes listed here for the tag. You use it to specify the line length, the page length, the page number, and the page eject string.

 

The attributes

  • name=xxx
Specifies that the information between and is repeated as long as the contents of the xxx entry field is the same while processing the templates of an entry.
  • level=entry|hom|sense|target
Specifies that the information between and is repeated as long as the contents of all fields of the specified level is the same. For a description of the individual levels, refer toDictionary entry structure.

The attributes

  • name=xxx
Specifies which entry field (xxx) of a dictionary entry is to be printed. It can be used together with one of the following attributes:

  • $first_on_page
Prints the content of the specified entry field when a page is started. This lets you put the headword in the pagehead section. For example:
  • $last_on_page
Prints the contents of the specified entry field when a page is finished. This lets you put the headword in the pagefoot section. For example:
  • $same_entry_again
Makes a reset within one entry going from the end of one template to the beginning of the same template again. This lets you process the same template again, printing different information. For example:
  • $no_display
Does not print the contents of the specified entry field. You can use it in combination with $same_entry_again when only a reset is needed, but no information is to be printed. For example:
  • sysname=$filename
Specifies the name of the file your printout is to be written to.
  • sysname=$dictname
Specifies the name of the dictionary that you selected for printing.
  • sysname=$date
Prints the current date at the specified position.
  • sysname=$time
Prints the current time at the specified position.
  • format=date/time

Specifies the format of the date and time information. This attribute is mandatory for sysname=$date and sysname=$time. For example:


or
  • sysname=$page_no
Prints the current page number.
  • sysname=$page_eject
Makes a page eject at this position.
  • $max=n
Specifies the maximum number of characters that is to be printed from the information in the specified entry field. If the information exceeds the specified number of characters, the rest is not printed.
  • $min=n
Specifies the minimum number of characters to be printed from the information in the specified entry field. This tag lets you define a minimum amount of space for an entry field. You may want to use it if you wish to print the contents of entry fields in two columns. If the information in the entry field is less than the specified number of characters, the rest is filled with blank characters.If both $max and $min are specified, the value for $min must be lower or equal to the value of $max.
  • $left
The printed text of the specified entry field is justified at the left edge. This attribute only works in combination with the $min attribute. For example:
  • $right
The printed text of the specified entry field is justified at the right edge. This attribute only works in combination with the $min attribute. For example: