CHOL DICTMAKER V.1.0 Manual

Technical Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

• Windows: Windows 7 or later
• Linux: AppImage, Debian-based distributions

Licensing Terms

Chol DictMaker v1.0 is free for personal, non-commercial use.

A commercial licence is required for use by organisations, institutions, companies, government bodies, and other commercial entities.

Purchasing a Licence

To purchase a commercial or support licence for Chol DictMaker, send an email to choldict@zohomail.in with the subject line:
“LICENSE PURCHASE”

Why Purchase a Licence?

Chol DictMaker is free for personal, non-commercial use. Purchasing a commercial or support licence provides more than just permission to use the software, it supports its continued development and gives you access to professional assistance.

With a valid licence, you receive:

• Priority technical support.
• Installation and configuration assistance.
• A comprehensive training package.
• Guidance for dictionary creation and deployment.
• Continued software maintenance and future improvements.

Your licence directly contributes to ongoing development, bug fixes, new features, and long-term support, helping ensure that Chol DictMaker remains a reliable tool for dictionary developers and organisations.

Introduction

Chol DictMaker is a comprehensive lexicon management and dictionary creation application designed for both professional linguists and language enthusiasts.

Whether you are compiling a scholarly dictionary or building a personal word collection, Chol DictMaker provides a powerful yet intuitive platform for managing lexical data.

The software stores dictionary data in the SQLite database format, making dictionary files platform-independent, scalable, and highly reliable. Since SQLite is a self-contained database engine, dictionaries can be easily shared, deployed across different operating systems, or integrated into servers and applications for a wide range of use cases.

In addition to its native SQLite format, Chol DictMaker supports importing and exporting dictionary data in widely used formats such as JSON and CSV. This enables seamless data exchange with other software, simplifies backups, and allows users to migrate existing dictionary data with ease.

Chol DictMaker also includes a built-in PDF Compile utility, allowing users to generate a professionally formatted PDF version of their dictionary with a single click. The resulting document can be printed, published, or shared electronically without requiring any additional software.

Low Learning Curve

Chol DictMaker has been designed with usability as a primary goal. Its clean interface and straightforward workflow make it equally suitable for experienced linguists, researchers, educators, and hobbyists.

The software is the result of years of experimentation with various dictionary-making tools and incorporates the best ideas while eliminating unnecessary complexity. As a result, users can begin creating and managing dictionaries with minimal learning effort, without sacrificing the advanced features required for professional lexicographic work.

Project Setup

Creating a New Project

To create a new dictionary project:

1. Click New Dictionary, or select File → New Dictionary, or press Ctrl + N.
2. Database Name: Enter a name for your dictionary database. For example: mldict.
3. Configure Custom Fields: Modify the default field names as required. The Headword field is mandatory and cannot be removed. The Meanings field is added automatically.
4. Add Field: Create additional fields to suit your dictionary. Examples include Etymology, Root, Stem, Domain, Subject, Notes, and any other custom metadata.
5. Remove Selected: Removes the currently selected custom field from the project.
6. SQL Data Type: For most users, leave this option set to TEXT. Advanced users may choose other SQLite data types such as INTEGER, REAL, or BLOB, depending on the nature of the data being stored.
7. Form Widget Type: Select how the field will be displayed in the data entry form.
   • Line Edit – A single-line text input.
   • Text Edit – A multi-line text input for longer content.
   • Combo Box – A drop-down list of predefined values.
8. Create Database: Creates the dictionary database, saves it to your chosen location, and automatically opens it for editing.

Opening an Existing Project

To open an existing dictionary project: Click Open Dictionary, select File → Open Dictionary, or press Ctrl + O.

You can also open recently used projects from the Recent Projects list for quicker access.

Interface

The Chol DictMaker interface is divided into four main sections: the Top Panel, Left Panel, Right Panel, and Metadata Tab.

Top Panel

• New Dictionary – Opens the Create Dictionary window.
• Open Dictionary – Opens an existing dictionary database.
• Theme – Instantly switch between Light and Dark themes.
• Zoom - – Decreases the interface zoom level.
• Zoom + – Increases the interface zoom level.

Left Panel

Index Letter: Displays an alphabetical index generated automatically from the headwords in the current database. Chol DictMaker automatically creates language-independent alphabetical indexes based on your entries. There is no need to manually define alphabetic groups or indexes. Whether you are working with Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic, Indic, or other writing systems, the index adapts to the script used in your dictionary. This feature is especially useful for multilingual dictionaries containing headwords in multiple languages, allowing you to focus on compiling your dictionary instead of maintaining alphabetical indexes.

Word: A quick search box for locating headwords in the current dictionary.

POS Type: Filters entries by Part of Speech. This filter can be combined with the Word search box to narrow search results.

Headword Tab: Displays all matching headwords. Select a headword to view or edit its contents.

Right Panel

Editor

The Editor is used to create and modify dictionary entries.

• Headword – Enter or edit the headword.
• POS – Specify the Part of Speech for the entry.
• Definitions – Enter one or more meanings. Click + Add to add additional definitions.
• Save – Saves the current entry.
• New – Clears the editor and prepares it for a new entry.
• Delete – Deletes the currently selected entry.

Search Tab

The Advanced Search tool provides powerful search capabilities across the entire database.

• Search Query – Enter the word or phrase to search for.
• Search Scope – Restrict the search to specific fields.
• Matching Type – Choose how the search is performed:
  • Substring – Finds entries containing the search text.
  • Fuzzy Matching – Finds approximate matches.
  • Starts With – Finds entries beginning with the search text.
• Case Sensitive – Enables case-sensitive searching (primarily useful for scripts with upper- and lower-case letters, such as Latin and Cyrillic).
• Search Database – Executes the search using the selected criteria.
• Delete Selected Entries – Deletes multiple selected entries at once. This is particularly useful for cleaning imported data from CSV or JSON files.

Data Tools

• Database Maintenance: Create database backups or restore previously saved backups.
• Data Import/Export: Import and export dictionary data in CSV and JSON formats. Dictionaries can also be exported as HTML documents.
• Document Rendering: Compile the current dictionary into a professionally formatted PDF document, ready for printing, publishing, or distribution.

Metadata Tab

The Metadata tab provides advanced database management features intended primarily for experienced users.

• Edit Schema – Modify the structure (schema) of the SQLite database.
• Check for Entry Duplicates – Scans the database and identifies duplicate headwords.

Importing and Exporting Data

Importing Dictionary Data

If you have already collected your dictionary data using spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, or any other spreadsheet application, you can easily import it into Chol DictMaker.

Preparing Your Data

Before importing, your spreadsheet must follow the format expected by Chol DictMaker. The easiest way to obtain the correct format is as follows:

1. Create and save a sample dictionary entry in Chol DictMaker.
2. Export the dictionary as a CSV file.
3. Open the exported CSV file in your spreadsheet application.
4. Use the exported file as a template and fill in your dictionary data.
5. Save the file and import it back into Chol DictMaker.

This ensures that the column names and field order match your project's database schema.

When importing a CSV or JSON file that contains entries already present in the database, Chol DictMaker does not overwrite existing entries. Instead, it merges the imported data with the current database. If duplicate headwords are created during the import process, they can be identified and removed using the Check for Entry Duplicates utility.

To check for duplicates:
Tools → Check for Entry Duplicates, or
Metadata Tab → Check for Entry Duplicates

The same import process applies to JSON files containing dictionary data.

Importing CSV or JSON Files

You can import dictionary data by choosing either of the following:
File → Import CSV/JSON
Data Tools → Import CSV/JSON

Exporting Dictionary Data

Chol DictMaker allows you to export your dictionary in multiple formats for backup, editing, publishing, or sharing.

Export CSV or JSON

Exports the current dictionary database as a CSV or JSON file. Access this feature through:
File → Export CSV/JSON
Data Tools → Export CSV/JSON

Export HTML

Creates an interactive HTML version of your dictionary that can be viewed in any modern web browser.

Compile PDF Document

Generates a professionally formatted, publication-ready PDF version of your dictionary, suitable for printing, publishing, or electronic distribution.

Menus

Edit Menu

• New (Ctrl + I): Clears the editor and prepares it for creating a new dictionary entry.
• Zoom In (Ctrl + +): Increases the interface zoom level.
• Zoom Out (Ctrl + -): Decreases the interface zoom level.
• Reset Zoom (Ctrl + 0): Restores the interface to its default zoom level.

Tools Menu

• Database Backup/Restore: Creates a backup of the current database or restores a previously saved backup.
• Compile PDF Document: Generates a professionally formatted, publication-ready PDF version of the dictionary.
• Check for Duplicate Entries: Scans the database for duplicate headwords. For more advanced duplicate detection, use the Advanced Search tab with appropriate search filters.

Settings

Preferences

Opens the Preferences window, where you can customise the application's appearance and behaviour.

Appearance

• Application Language – Select the language used for the user interface.
• Application Theme – Choose between the Light and Dark themes.
• System UI Font Family – Select the font used throughout the application interface.
• Base Font Size – Adjust the default font size for the user interface.
• Headword Custom Font – Select the font used to display headwords.
• Meaning Custom Font – Select the font used to display definitions and other descriptive text.

Project Settings

Project settings store metadata about the current dictionary project.

• Dictionary Name – Specify the title of the dictionary.
• Author/Compiler – Enter the name of the author or compiler.
• Source Language(s) – Specify the source language or languages. Chol DictMaker supports multilingual source languages.
• Target Language(s) – Specify the target language or languages.
• Project Description – Enter a brief description of the dictionary project.

All project metadata is stored within the dictionary database file and is included when the project is exported or shared.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Press Ctrl + H at any time to open the Keyboard Shortcuts reference.

Support

For support contact choldict@zohomail.in.

You need to purchase a license for the software to avail support from the developer.