GoldenDict, Android and Nook

[tomahawk]

Hello!

First of all, thanks for GoldenDict on Android! Fast and comfortable!
We just adding support for ColorDict API to Coolreader, working fine, but is there any way to separate GoldenDict from ColorDict (ColorDict also exists on my system, I need both of them)? Maybe this was quick solution to add GoldenDict support to other apps through ColorDict API, but (IMO) You required own API.

Second question about devices without multi-touch. This is serious problem on my Nook Touch - I havent any option to change font size. Default size is too small. Maybe You need to add "article font size" option or two buttons for changing font size?

Thanks!

[ikm]

As for the Api, I think the right way is to actually have a single Api for all dictionary programs, much like this is done for Internet Uris, Mail composing etc... This way anyone can develop its own dictionary program and have it instantly supported by every e-book reader program out there. Right now each and every ebook reader's developer has to add all those mutually incompatible interfaces to all popular dictionaries. This doesn't seem very productive, does it?

To that end, I would actually propose keeping the ColorDict interface, though we could rename the intent to sound more generic (i.e. replace ColorDict with Dictionary in the intent's name). What do you think about that?

As for font size, don't you have a couple of buttons (+/-) appearing at the bottom right of the screen when you scroll or touch the article? In any case, I will add an option to the Preferences as well.

[tomahawk]

As for the Api, I think the right way is to actually have a single Api for all dictionary programs, much like this is done for Internet Uris, Mail composing etc... This way anyone can develop its own dictionary program and have it instantly supported by every e-book reader program out there. Right now each and every ebook reader's developer has to add all those mutually incompatible interfaces to all popular dictionaries. This doesn't seem very productive, does it?

To that end, I would actually propose keeping the ColorDict interface, though we could rename the intent to sound more generic (i.e. replace ColorDict with Dictionary in the intent's name). What do you think about that?

As for font size, don't you have a couple of buttons (+/-) appearing at the bottom right of the screen when you scroll or touch the article? In any case, I will add an option to the Preferences as well.

First of all, I'm for general interface. Of course

I don't see any +/- buttons on my Nook. When I'm scrolling article, buttons appears on other devices (like SGS), but on Nook scrolling did something wrong - no sign of buttons and links in articles stops working. I wish to see +/- on the buttons panel.

Another thing. I rather preferring to use other dictionaries, i.e. from Fora (for this moment, at least). I choosed one dictionary. But GoldenDict offers to index other dictionaries every time when starting. Why? One time is enough! When I want to add other dictionaries, I will add them from "manage dictionaries" or like.
And - finally - when I turn off "Use other programs" in settings, I loose ability to launch GoldenDict - it sends me to market for dictionaries . Till clearing GoldenDict data.

And one siuggestion - do You plan to add ability for choose where internal dictionaries stored? My SGS, i.e., has internal sdcard (small one - 1,5G) and external (till 32G), /sdcard and /sdcard/external_sd. I preferring, of course, to use external_sd

[ikm]

Another thing. I rather preferring to use other dictionaries, i.e. from Fora (for this moment, at least). I choosed one dictionary. But GoldenDict offers to index other dictionaries every time when starting. Why? One time is enough! When I want to add other dictionaries, I will add them from "manage dictionaries" or like.
And - finally - when I turn off "Use other programs" in settings, I loose ability to launch GoldenDict - it sends me to market for dictionaries . Till clearing GoldenDict data.

GD always wants to use all available dictionaries. To use them all, it wants to index them all. You can opt out of indexing of some of them, but that was supposed to be a temporary measure so you could get to it later. That is, if you have a dictionary, it's supposed that you actually want to use it -- otherwise what's the point of having it there in the first place? If you don't like that, just put the dictionaries you want to use in /sdcard/GoldenDict and turn off the 'Use other programs' option.

The fact that the program directs you to get some dictionaries is suggestive that you don't have any in /sdcard/GoldenDict. Do you not indeed?

Btw for external sdcards, it seems there's no standard for their location. I'm thinking about how to solve this best right now.

[tomahawk]

The fact that the program directs you to get some dictionaries is suggestive that you don't have any in /sdcard/GoldenDict. Do you not indeed?

I don't have dictionaries on /sdcard/GoldenDict, but GoldenDict already indexed one of "others", isn't?
Internal sdcard is only 1.5G and some dictionaries are really big. Maybe You add option to override default store?

[tomahawk]

P.S. I can send You code to determine if Nook is current device (if it will be useful for GoldenDict). Nook required strictly "black on white" and bigger fonts

[ikm]

I don't have dictionaries on /sdcard/GoldenDict, but GoldenDict already indexed one of "others", isn't?

Indexing isn't copying or converting. Unlike Fora and other dictionaries, GD uses the original dictionary data stored in the original dictionary files. It needs to maintain indexes, though, so it could apply its search algorithm uniformly to all of them. When you deselect 'Use other programs' , all those dictionaries from other programs are considered gone, and as such, all obsolete index data created for them is cleared out. Normal users shouldn't really be even thinking about the index data, whether it exists or not, how it is maintained and such - they are just supposed to proceed and do the indexing when asked, and then forget about all that business. Want to add a new dictionary? Just put it in /sdcard/GoldenDict and do rescan in the program. Want a dictionary removed? Just delete it from /sdcard/GoldenDict and do a rescan. It's as simple as that.

As for sdcards: the problem with device detection is that, well, there are a lot of them. So far (and only through the first week of being on the Market!) we've already seen 1) normal Honeycomb tablets which seem to be using 'external1' for sdcard, 2) Archos tablets which use '/sdcard/sdcard' (with other aliases available), and 3) Nook, which uses /sdcard/external_sd. I'd like a solution to handle both all currently known and all future cases.

[tomahawk]

I'd like a solution to handle both all currently known and all future cases.

Quick and efficient solution is to add to users ability to change folder where to store dictionaries (as does Fora)

[tomahawk]

Version 1.1
First, I like the new option, "Font Size", but it worked only when GoldenDict was started standalone, from Launcher. When I invoke GoldenDict from readers, font is always "1x" (despite of 1.75x in settings)
And second - device-depended bug. When I scroll through article, GoldenDict stops to response for links jumping and searching. I know that nook used own or very modified browser engine, but maybe You can try to fix this? I can help You with testing.

[ikm]

When I invoke GoldenDict from readers, font is always "1x" (despite of 1.75x in settings)

Thanks for noticing this - fixed in 1.1.1.

When I scroll through article, GoldenDict stops to response for links jumping and searching.

Can you describe in more detail? What do you mean by "searching" in this context? What's wrong with the links? What happens there, exactly?