SIL FieldWorks Language Explorer
Last corporate release: version 3.0, released October 2009.
Work currently in progress
We are finishing testing and bug fixing in preparation for releasing Language Explorer 3.0 as part of FieldWorks 6.0. See What Was New to read about what is new in 3.0 and in prior versions of Language Explorer (including 'stable' releases since December 2007.)
After the work on version 3.0 is complete, work is expected to cover the following areas in 2009 and early 2010:
- Faster processing.
- Data Notebook will be integrated into Language Explorer. This will involve adding certain feaatures that Language Explorer does not have yet (e.g. a greater range of custom field types, such as custom list reference fields, and saving view configurations.)
- A different database engine. MS SQL Server has caused various installation problems. Hopefully the replacement won't cause so many problems.
- We expect to use XML file(s) more for storage and back-up, which will be a safer way to provide long-term back-up and archiving.
- Linux support. The change of underlying database and other changes should allow rapid production of a Linux version of FieldWorks.
We invite you to read more about these changes and the rationale behind them.
Limitations in Version 3.0
The following is a list of features missing from FieldWorks Language Explorer 3.0. It is not a comprehensive list, but it may help you decide whether to wait before taking advantage of Language Explorer. Please refer to the FieldWorks Language Explorer ReadMe for more details about the latest features added, and for a discussion of known issues with this release.
General
- Futher speed improvements are needed
- Tracking the user who created and modified the data
- Confidence tags, and other notes
- Global orthography changer (global find and replace)
- Task pane which can set up views and walk you through a series of tasks, such as the Dictionary Development Process
- Merge and resolve differences when colleagues have worked remotely
- Integrated features with other FieldWorks programs (e.g. concordance searches in Translation Editor, integration with Data Notebook.)
- Improved support for dialects
- Broader back-up coverage, such as optional inclusion of external linked files, fonts, keyboards.
- Saving filters
- OR filters
Concordance
- Collocate searches
- Specify context in a concordance search (e.g. within two words of)
- Other more powerful concordance features, depending on what is requested.
- Export concordance view to HTML/Microsoft Word
Grammar and Parser
- Derivational affix glossing assistant
- Paradigms
See the endnotes of the Conceptual Introduction to FLEx Grammar for details and longer-range goals.
Interlinear Text
- Easy import of interlinear texts in standard format
- Export of selected annotation lines for charting in Microsoft Excel or other programs
- Tagging phrases
- Add custom annotation lines
- Manually edit the text segment breaks (segments are currently based on a guess at sentence boundaries)
- Better integration of the morphological parser into the interlinearizing task
- Additional information fields, such as author
- More discourse analysis tools, such as participant tracking.
- Transcription support
- Setting to allow words with one analysis to be pre-approved.
Lexicon
- Two column, draft quality dictionary publication view and/or export of formatted dictionary to Word or Open Office (in progress)
- Enhanced support of variants, combined with Paradigms.
- Ongoing improvements to the configuration options available in Dictionary view
- More sophisticated control of which entries are published.
- Link to a segment of a sound file (currently only to a complete sound file)
- Multiple customized views (there is currently just one, customizable lexical entry view)
- Expanded custom field support (e..g custom list reference fields)
- Lexicon statistics tool.