TibetDoc : 1

Tibetan word-processor for Windows

Overview
   TibetDoc is a word-processor for Windows.  It is one of a pair of the first programs written from the ground up for Windows that support Tibetan script.  The other program is TibetD.  TibetDoc is derived from TibetD and hence has features very similar to it.  However, some things have been modified or added to make it more suited to word-processing.

   TibetDoc creates word-processing documents in its own file format which was made specially for the purpose.  However, TibetDoc files can also be saved in a variety of other formats including RTF, HTML, and WordPerfect (DOS and Windows).  Especially though, TibetDoc like TibetD can save files in a special protected format that was designed for archiving and disseminating important materials like Tibetan Buddhist texts.

   TibetDoc was built for Tibetan language purposes.  It has the highest level of support for Tibetan of any software available.  It has excellent support for many other languages, including English, all European languages, and and others.  It also has a complete system for working with Sanskrit diacriticals (fonts included, too).

TibetDoc for normal Word-processing
   TibetDoc is medium-strength word-processor.  It has all of the basic features required for word-processing: margins, font attributes of bold, italic, etc., and so on.  It also has many high end features, such as full hyperlinking, even to external documents, spelling checker that can pass through multiple languages at once, including Tibetan, import and export to a range of file formats, including Tibetan Unicode, and so on.  All text in TibetDoc can be instantly copied and pasted, with full formatting intact, into Word, and other programs.  (Though note that some programs, especially ones from Adobe, often change the text without telling you.  Some of these programs have a way of turning off the automatic change, some not.)

TibetDoc for Pecha-making
   Medium-sized view of TibetDoc making pecha.  The pecha layout dialogue is to the top with all of the controls for adjusting pecha.  Click on image for full-size view.

   TibetDoc was made from the ground up to fulfill the needs of making Tibetan pecha. It was built to satisfy the needs of both Tibetans and non-Tibetans. Tony, the force behind all of this work, spent many years running the Drukpa Kagyu Heritage Project, the largest Tibetan text preservation project of its kind during the 1990's.  During that time, he learned exactly what was needed for Tibetans to do the work themselves.  TibetDoc has everything in it that a Tibetan needs for the most demanding text-preservation and pecha-making needs.  At the same time, as a non-Tibetan, Tony has allowed for the needs of non-Tibetans, such as Westerners, who need to make something like a Tibetan pecha for their own needs.  For instance, many dharma centres use a Tibetan pecha format for their practice texts.  TibetDoc works just as well for this as for the needs of native Tibetan pecha-making.

   Pecha-making in TibetDoc is consummately simple.  Press a button and the entire text turns into pecha.  If you need it, press a second button and gain access to a complete set of controls that will allow you to tweak the settings if they are not quite right for your needs.

   Together with this, there are many specialized features that make pecha-making easier.  Very wide pages are a feature of pecha but they usually do not fit on the screen.  Therefore we have a zoom option and this also works with a wheel mouse so that you can instantly zoom the pecha onto the screen.

   For serious work, there is a special file compare feature which allows the correction work that is a necessary part of serious input work to be done in the shortest possible time.  No other software has any feature remotely like this.

   The pecha-making part is exceptionally easy to use and learn.  We usually spend one morning with monks to get them started, then another morning to fill in the details.  The help files that come with the program are very extensive and contain many details of pecha-making that the average Tibetan, let alone non-Tibetan would not know about.

Tibetan Buddhist Images for Use With TibetDoc
   TibetDoc provides full support for images in pecha.  The system is push-button simple and even automatically sizes images to fit the various boxes in a pecha.  It might seem like a small point but most people who have had any experience of making pecha with images know very well the drudgery of trying to get images sized to the nearest 1/100th of an inch.  TibetDoc does away with all that trouble.  There is also a complete system for inserting the sub-titles often placed under images in pecha.

   Image and image caption capabilities are in TibetDoc version 5.103 and later.  There is a way to put images into pecha if you are using an earlier version. Full information on how to do it is given here.

   To help you with images, we provide you with a large collection of particularly fine images from both Tibetan and Western artists.  Many of these images were made by the Tibetan artists seconded to the largest Tibetan text preservation projects here in Nepal and India.  There are images of lineage holders, deities, and so on from several sources here.  In particular, we provide you with our own very high-quality images made by our own Tibetan artists specifically for pecha-making in our Drugpa Kagyu and Drigung Kagyu projects.

TibetDoc as a Reference Centre: Dictionaries and File Searching
   One of the important features of TibetDoc is that it can be used to do dictionary lookups on the fly.  Simply click on a Tibetan word, right click on the mouse and choose the dictionary.  A whole system for viewing the dictionaries appears and the dictionaries can be investigated on the fly.  This feature is very useful for students of Tibetan language and Tibetan Buddhism who are working with texts.  We especially recommend the Illuminator Tibetan-English Dictionary for the purpose.  The image to the right shows TibetDoc with a dictionary lookup window open.  Click on the image to see the details.  Note that the dictionaries must be purchased from us and installed for this feature to work.

   The really outstanding feature of TibetDoc is that it functions as a reference library.  To do this, it has a special search engine that can search all the files in various locations on disk for a word or phrase.  The word or phrase can be Tibetan, English, transliterated Sanskrit, and so on.  When you do this, the programs scans all of the files and produces a list of files containing the desired word or phrase.  By clicking on a file, it opens in TibetDoc, even if it is a non-TibetDoc type file.  In this way, searches can be made through multiple dictionaries at once and each of the dictionaries can be opened immediately to the place where the desired item has been found.  Moreover, the dictionary will open as a dictionary in TibetDoc, giving you full access to the dictionary file, using the dictionary software itself!!

   The image above shows TibetDoc doing a reference lookup (see the dialogue box at the top).  The text being searched for has been found in a large number of reference works, all of which are listed in the box to the top right.  Clicking on one of these will open the file into TibetDoc.  When the file is closed, the current work returns, at the current location.  Note the simultaneous dictionary lookup window.

   You can purchase any of our dictionaries or texts for use with this feature.  You can also download any of the Tibetan texts that we make available on our or other participating websites (see this page for the texts and links to participating sites).  You can also add your own works created with TibetDoc.  Finally, TibetDoc has converters for both Wylie and ACIP, therefore, you can obtain texts in these formats (there are quite a few available) and convert them to our format and add them to your reference library.

   All in all, the purchase of TibetDoc not only gives you access to many features for Tibetan wordprocessing but also gives you immediate access to a wide range of Tibetan texts and reference works, many of which are free.  And on top of that, it gives you the most sophisticated tools available for the use of these reference works.

TibetDoc for Text Preservation and Publishing
   TibetDoc is ideal as a solution for the many Tibetan text preservation projects who have long been wanting viable Tibetan software for Windows. The software features a file format that is very compact but very stable and suitable for long-term preservation of valuable material such as Buddhist texts.

Help Resources
   The program comes with an extensive on-line help.  It is actually a book of a few hundred pages built into the standard, Windows help system.  In addition to this, we maintain a list at Yahoo.  We encourage users of all of our products to join.  We have already posted significant amounts of helpful information about TibetDoc and our other programs on the list.  You can join and post a question at any time.  The list is also for Padma Karpo Translation Committee and Lotsawa Tony regularly replies to questions about Tibetan grammar, translating Tibetan texts, and so on.

Faxing and E-mailing
   TibetDoc can easily fax or e-mail documents containing any text including Tibetan text.

Other features
   TibetDoc has a very wide range of features.  A list of highlights is given on the next page...

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