The Linguist's Shoebox
Integrated data management and analysis for the field linguist
Features
Fixed in Shoebox 5.01 (Windows 3.1 only—October 2000)
- Automatic keyboard switching with version 3.2 of the Keyman program.
- Undefined characters are sorted after characters that are defined in the Sort Order Properties.
New in Shoebox 5 (September 2000)
- The Consistency Check command on the Tools menu lets you find inconsistencies throughout an entire database. You can have databases checked before exporting them. You can have data records checked automatically after you have edited them. Shoebox has three kinds of consistency checks: Data Property, Range Set, and Data Link.
- Multiple jump paths can be defined. Each jump path defines source fields and destination databases and fields. Data links are special jump paths that are similar to hypertext links.
- Numbering segments of text in a database—usually done before interlinearizing them—is somewhat more flexible than it was in Shoebox 2 (for MS-DOS). If you do not want to import unmarked text files using the TextPrep.cct Consistent Changes table, you can type or paste the text directly into a text field in Shoebox and use the Break and Number Text command on the Tools menu. To resequence the reference numbers after manually splitting, joining, adding, or rearranging text segments, use the Renumber Text command on the Tools menu.
- Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a new type of export process.
- When Shoebox produces both valid and invalid parses for a word because of limitations in its basic morphological parsing features, it can use word formulas to select the valid parses automatically. The formulas are kept with the rest of the Parse properties in the database type for interlinear texts. There is a sample project in the WordForm folder in the Samples subfolder (that is in the Shoebox program folder). To troubleshoot problems with the formulas, use the Interlinearize (show all parses) command on the Tools menu.
- There is a version of Shoebox specifically built for Power Macintosh computers.
Improved in Shoebox 5
- The Word List and Concordance commands can reference thousands of entries: 32750 primary (textual) references and 65500 secondary (numeric) references. The concordance "before" and "after" context is expanded to include adjacent text fields, but eliminates extraneous fields.
- Multi-Dictionary Formatter (MDF) export processes have the following new options: Format: Regional gloss index (finderlist), Exported file type: Web pages (HTML), and Help when upgrading: Update Older MDF Files.
- Rich Text Format (RTF) export processes have the following new options: Interlinear: Align fields using tabs; Page Setup, Section, Header and footer: Different first page, Different odd and even.
- Right-clicking in browse view carries out the Jump To command.
- On the Macintosh, Shoebox Database is the kind of data file that Shoebox saves. When Shoebox is already running, you can open these files by double-clicking their icons and aliases. They have creator SHBX and type TEXT.
- Automatic keyboard switching works on Windows 95 and later. Shoebox can use standard keyboard layouts defined by Windows Keyboard Properties.
- The Marker Properties dialog box has three tabs: General, Range Set, and Data Properties.
- In the Replace command on the Edit menu, the most specific option for matching characters is the default.
- Language encoding Sort Order Properties allow up to 2500 characters.
- Database types allow more than 30 export processes.
Fixed in Shoebox 5
- When the Concordance command searches for a multi-word phrase, if it was instructed to limit the number of matches to display, the proper number of matches is now found.
- On the Macintosh, browse view scrolls properly when you drag the scroll bar thumb.
- When no text is selected, shift+click selects text from the insertion point to the pointer. When text is selected, shift+click still extends the selection.
- On Windows 95 and later, the Script for a Font is kept with the rest of its properties in the language encoding and database type settings files.
- When a data field marker has the No Word Wrap property enabled, the Reshape command is disabled on the Tools menu.
- In the Run Batch File command on the Tools menu, Shoebox doesn't assume that COMMAND.COM is always in the C:\Windows folder.
- Date stamp fields do not have extraneous characters if your computer's date gets set wrong (2038 or later; 1980 or earlier).
- The Non-Unique and With filter elements correctly match database records.
Not in Shoebox 5
With limited programming resources and a project deadline, priorities had to be established. Unfortunately, Shoebox 5 does not include the following hoped-for features:- Interlinear verify mode
- Macros
- Text windows (for files that do not contain Standard Format markers)
- Multiple database templates (nor subtemplates)
- Consistency check for order of data fields
- Automatic save
- Integrated backup and restore command (for data and settings files)
- Subfields (the Standard Format equivalent to character styles or inline-embedded tags)
- Unicode character encoding
- Ability to read XML files
Fixed in Shoebox 4.02 (Macintosh only—September 1998)
- On the Macintosh, the Concordance Lookup dialog box is displayed correctly.
Fixed in Shoebox 4.01 (August 1998)
- Jump Insert works correctly even when a Jump Target window is filtered or has non-default sorting properties. (Fixes error: Line 504 in ind.cpp)
New in Shoebox 4 (July 1998)
- Shoebox displays a confirmation dialog box before converting existing settings files (that were last saved by a different version of the program).
- Date stamp fields use four-digit years (e.g., 01/Jan/2000) for year 2000 compatibility.
- Shoebox includes the Multi-Dictionary Formatter (MDF) in the Export command (on the File menu). If you use its system of data field markers, you can format lexical data as a dictionary or reversed index (finderlist). MDF exports the data as a document in Rich Text Format, which you can print using Microsoft Word. MDF does not modify your database file.
- Word List and Concordance commands on the Tools menu (see also: Text Corpora on the Project menu).
- Generate and Rearrange processes in the Interlinear properties (useful for related-language adaptation).
- Copy Record, Move Record, and Merge Database commands on the Database menu.
Improved in Shoebox 4
- File Export provides user-defined processes. Rich Text Format (RTF) export processes have the Select Fields and Page Setup dialog boxes
- Marker Properties provide a Marker for following field list and a Build range set from the data button.
Major versions of Shoebox
| Version | Release date | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| Shoebox 5.01 | October 2000 | Windows 3.1 only |
| Shoebox 5.0 | September 2000 | Windows and Macintosh |
| Shoebox 4.02 | September 1998 | Macintosh only |
| Shoebox 4.01 | August 1998 | Windows and Macintosh |
| Shoebox 4.0 | July 1998 | Windows and Macintosh |
| Shoebox 3.02 | January 1997 | Windows only |
| Shoebox 3.01 | November 1996 | Windows and Macintosh |
| Shoebox 3.0 | September 1996 | Windows and Macintosh |
| Shoebox 2.0 | November 1993 | MS-DOS |
| Shoebox 1.2a | September 1990 | MS-DOS |
| Shoebox 1.0 | September 1989 | MS-DOS |