TheSage Documentation - Requirements, Features, Limitations, Examples
Documentation is always a work in progress as it is only useful when users are actually able to benefit from it.
We have compiled here the information that we believe will be of practical use.
1. What is TheSage?
2. System requirements
2.1 Installing
2.1.1 Portable install
2.1.2 Silent install
2.2 Uninstalling
3. GUI elements
4. Tools
4.1 Lookup tool
4.2 Wildcard tool
4.3 Anagram tool
4.4 Definition and example concordancer tools
4.5 Semantic similarity tool
4.6 Online search tool
4.7 'As you type' tool
4.8 Phonetic wildcard search tool
4.9 'Not found' tool
4.10 Speech tool
4.11 History tool
5. Other features
5.1 Word capture
5.2 System tray menu
5.3 Color choosers
6. Updates and contact
7. License agreement
TheSage's English Dictionary and Thesaurus
1. What is TheSage? [^]
It is best to think of TheSage as two different systems: a knowledge database and a multi-tool interface. The knowledge database consists of a tightly integrated English dictionary and thesaurus.
The dictionary comprises:
* Multiple detailed definitions (+210,000).
* Examples of usage (+50,000).
* Phonetic transcriptions (+70,000).
* Encyclopedic information (geographical, historical, political,...).
* Academic knowledge (medicine, biology,...).
The thesaurus encompasses:
* Synonyms, antonyms, hypernyms, hyponyms, meronyms, holonyms,...
* Approximately 1,400,000 relationships between definitions.
The interface allows the user to extract of information from the knowledge database in a variety of ways. This is accomplished by means of the following tools:
* Lookup tool (see section 4.1 for details)
* Wildcard tool (see section 4.2 for details)
* Anagram tool (see section 4.3 for details)
* Definition and example concordancer tools (see section 4.4 for details)
* Semantic similarity tool (see section 4.5 for details)
* Online search tool (see section 4.6 for details)
* 'As you type' tool (see section 4.7 for details)
* Phonetic wildcard search tool (see section 4.8 for details)
* 'Not found' tool (see section 4.9 for details)
* Speech tool (see section 4.10 for details)
* History tool (see section 4.11 for details)
2. System requirements [^]
TheSage has been developed for the Windows XP/Vista operating systems (versions 1.4.0 and below work in 95/98/ME/2K/XP/Vista). It is highly recommended that the latest OS Service Packs be installed.
TheSage requires downloading a setup file. Once installed, TheSage occupies approximately 20 MB of hard drive space. TheSage has no special RAM requirements and has a small memory footprint.
2.1 Installing [^]
To install TheSage, execute the setup program and follow the instructions.
Once installed, TheSage come be invoked from the Start menu, the Desktop, the Quick Launch toolbar, or directly from its folder in the hard drive.
2.1.1 Portable install [^]
The installer comes with a 'portable' option.
TheSage is 100% portable in and of itself. If the contents of the folder where TheSage is installed are copied elsewhere (a USB flash drive, for example), TheSage will work perfectly. In other words, the 'portable' option in the installer is simply provided for convenience.
2.1.2 Silent install[^]
Run the setup package from the command line with the parameter /S (case sensitive).
2.2 Uninstalling [^]
TheSage's package includes an uninstaller utility (except in 'portable' installations). To run the uninstaller, navigate through the Start Menu or through the hard drive to TheSage's folder. Alternatively, it is possible to uninstall TheSage through the 'Add/Remove Programs' applet located in the 'Control Panel'.
3. GUI elements [^]
The screenshot above shows the main elements of the GUI. These are:
* Lookup search box (number 1 in the screenshot above) - Enter here the word(s) that you want to look up or use for wildcard and anagram searches, concordancers, etc. The dropdown keeps a record of the history for the current session.
* Banner buttons (number 6 in the screenshot above) - From left to right, these buttons do as follows:
o Options dialog - Customization of functionality (search parameters, etc.) and appearance (fonts, colors, etc.).
o Help file - This document.
o About dialog - Version information, release date, license agreement, contact details, donation information.
o Send to System Tray - Hides TheSage and makes it available through an icon in the system tray.
o Always on top - Toggles top-most window functionality.
* Results tab control (number 7 in the screenshot above) - Each tool operation opens a new window in the results tab control. Tabs can be reorganized by drag-and-drop and closed by a right-click (or middle-click if desired, see the Options).
* Results tab control context menu (number 9 in the screenshot above) - List of all open tabs and is invoked by a middle-click on any tab (or right-click if desired, see the Options).
* Navigation control (number 12 in the screenshot above) - Contains several tools including the concordancer, phonetic search, online search, semantic similiary, as well as the history record for this session and across sessions.
* Snapper (number 11 in the screenshot above) - Shows/hides the navigation control.
* Gripper (number 10 in the screenshot above) - Resizes the navigation control. The arrows at the top and bottom can be used as the snapper.
4. Tools [^]
The interface provides a number of tools with which to access TheSage's knowledge database. All tools can be customized in terms of functionality and appearance via the Options dialog.
4.1 Lookup tool [^]
To look up a word or words in TheSage's Dictionary, type it (or them) and then click on 'LookUp'. Alternatively, type the word(s) and then simply press ENTER.
For example: chatoyant, african violet, prestigious, natural law, atomic weight, titanosaur, legerdemain,...
If the word is found in TheSage's index, a new tab will be created displaying this word's information as shown in the screenshot above.
The screenshot shows what is called a lookup tree. The color buttons on each node of the tree (numbers 2, 3, 4, 5 in the screenshot) are referred to as semaphores and serve to toggle (open/close) the display of nested levels.
The information in the tree is conceptually divided into lemma, part(s) of speech, definition(s), thesaurus, and example(s).
* At the top of the tree is the lemma which corresponds to the entry found in the dictionary. Usually, the lemma is the same as the word searched for. However, if the word typed is an inflection or derivation (i.e. 'plays' or 'prettier') and this word is not found, TheSage will automatically extract and display the base word (i.e 'play' or 'pretty').
* The parts of speech (node 2 in the screenshot) are found at the second nested level of the lookup tree. These can be 'Noun', 'Verb', 'Adjective', 'Adverb', etc. and serve to group definitions accordingly.
* At the third nested level are the definitions (node 4 in the screenshot). These are numbered and their background color can be changed (selected) to help isolate them visually.
* The thesaurus (node 5 in the screenshot) contains related entries to the lemma in function of following relationships: synonym, antonym, hypernym, hyponym, attribute, entailment, cause, similar, derived, holonym, meronym, category, region, usage, and other (under 'see also'). Thesauri found under a particular definition only apply to that definition. Thesauri found under a given part of speech are the collection of all thesauri for definitions under such part of speech. Finally, thesauri under the lemma are all thesauri available for this entry.
* Examples of use (node 3 in the screenshot) can be found as branches of the lemma, parts of speech, and definitions. As with thesauri, examples can be found as branches of the lemma, parts of speech, and definitions. The same logic applies.
Note that any and all displayed words are clickable, automatically triggering a new lookup.
To the right of the lookup tree is the lookup toolbar (number 8 in the screenshot above) which provides quick access to several useful tasks. From top to bottom, these are:
* Show/hide examples for all parts-of-speech.
* Show/hide thesauri for all parts-of-speech.
* Show/hide both examples and thesauri for all parts-of-speech.
* Show/hide definitions.
* Show/hide examples for all definitions.
* Show/hide thesauri for all definitions.
* Show/hide both examples and thesauri for all definitions.
* Modify font, size, color of the lookup.
* Modify colors of semaphores.
* Have TheSage read part or all of the lookup.
4.2 Wildcard tool [^]
To select index entries that match a wildcard pattern, type the pattern and click on 'Wildcard'. Alternatively, type '=' followed by the pattern and press ENTER.
Patterns are formed by a combination of letters/numbers and special characters (see below).
Special characters:
* * matches any number of occurrences of any character.
* ? matches a single character.
* # matches a single vowel (a, e, i , o , u).
* $ matches a single consonant (b, c, d, f, ..., x, y, z).
* (abc..) matches a single character to one of those in the parenthesis.
* (#-ae) matches a single vowel except 'a' and 'e'.
Examples:
* =ch#p returns chap, chip, chop.
* =$ait returns bait, gait, wait.
* =($-g)ait returns bait, wait.
* =s$(rl)##n returns screen, spleen, sprain, strain, syrian.
* =*##?#tion returns acquisition, aeration, alienation,...
Note that any and all displayed words are clickable, automatically triggering a lookup.
4.3 Anagram tool [^]
To find all anagrams of a character string in TheSage's index, type the string and click on 'Anagram'. Alternatively, type '>' followed by the string and press ENTER.
The anagram search returns only those words that are found in the dictionary, that is, valid English words. It does not return all possible anagrams of a character string and, importantly, will not return inflected forms if these are not in TheSage's index.
Examples:
* humanity returns hitman, mithan, mutiny, amity,...
* furniture returns nurture, fenrir, future, return,...
* playing returns gainly, laying, paling, paying,...
* bachelor returns cholera, chorale, bleach, boreal,...
Note, once more, that any and all displayed words are clickable, automatically triggering a lookup.
4.4 Definition and example concordancer tools [^]
Located in 'Other searches' in the navigation control (number 12 in the screenshot above), the concordancer allows a user to search for words inside definitions and examples. It is sometimes referred to as 'reverse search'.
The definition concordancer searches through definitions and the example concordancer through examples. Each tool can be configured independently in terms of functionality via the 'Concordancer tool' pages in the Options dialog. The appearance of results for both concordancers can also be customized.
To use the definition concordancer, type a word (a single word) in the lookup search box and press the button labeled 'Definitions' (alternatively, type '!' followed by the word and press ENTER). TheSage will parse the definitions in the database and return those that contain the word.
To use the example concordancer, type a word (a single word) in the lookup search box and press the button labeled 'Examples' (alternatively, type '!!' followed by the word and press ENTER). TheSage will parse the examples in the database and return those that contain the word.
Note that the result tabs for the concordancer use tooltips to display information not visible otherwise.
4.5 Semantic similarity tool [^]
Located in 'Other searches' in the navigation control (number 12 in the screenshot above), the semantic similarity tool allows a user to create a custom thesaurus. In the 'Semantic similarity tool' pages in the Options dialog, a user can decide what semantic relationships constitute 'similarity' and how these relationships rank.
To use the similarity tool, type a word (or words) in the lookup search box and press the button labeled 'Similarity'. Alternatively, type '^' followed by the word (or words) and press ENTER.
4.6 Online search tool [^]
Located in 'Other searches' in the navigation control (number 12 in the screenshot above), the online search tool allows a user to search online directly from TheSage. The built-in online searches include dictionary lookups (i.e. Google define), encyclopedia (i.e. Wikipedia), translation (i.e. Google translate), etc. Note that new web addresses can be added via the 'Online search tool' page in the Options dialog.
To use the online search tool, type a word (or words) in the lookup search box and press the button labeled 'Go online' (alternatively, type '@' followed by the word and press ENTER). If the internal browser is used, a new results tab will be created that will include one sub-tab per web adress. If the default (external) browser is used, TheSage will send the web adresses to that browser.
4.7 'As you type' tool [^]
Located in the navigation control (number 12 in the screenshot above), the 'As you type' tool allows a user to conduct a real-time search of TheSage's database index.
To use the 'As you type' tool, start typing in the entry field. A list of entries in the index will be displayed below the entry field. Note that a double-click on any of these entries will trigger a lookup.
4.8 Phonetic wildcard search tool [^]
Located in the navigation control (number 12 in the screenshot above), the phonetic wildcard search tool allows a user to carry out relatively sophisticated pattern searches of the phonetic transcriptions (pronunciations) in the database. Results are displayed by means of tabs, each label showing the pattern employed. Tabs can be closed by middle-clicking on them. A right-click on any of the tabs brings up a context menu. Note that clicking on any of the orthographic/phonetic pairs in the result lists triggers a look up.
TheSage makes use of previously installed fonts that contain phonetic gliphs. In particular, any one of the following fonts needs to be installed in the target system for TheSage to display phonetic fonts: Arial Unicode MS, Lucida Sans Unicode, Charis SIL, Doulos SIL, Thryomanes, Gentium. The first two are generally installed on all Windows OS's. However, if it is the case that none of these fonts are found, TheSage will report the problem and use SAMPA (see table below) for display.
All six fonts can be downloaded, free of charge, from the internet. They are free for personal use but may be restricted for other uses (check the respective licenses if relevant). For your convenience, we supply here links to their location but, be warned, the fleeting nature of internet content may render these links obsolete at any moment:
* Arial Unicode MS can be found here.
* Lucida Sans Unicode can be found here.
* Charis SIL can be found here.
* Doulos SIL can be found here.
* Thryomanes can be found here.
* Gentium can be found here.
Assuming several fonts are installed, switching between fonts can be done at any moment via the 'Phonetic search tool' pages in the Options dialog.
TheSage uses the SAMPA encoding to input phonetic characters. That is, typing 'E' will display 'ɛ', typing '@' will display 'ə', typing '{' will display 'æ', typing 'D' will display 'ð', typing 'N' will display 'ŋ', and so on.
Note that a right-click in the entry field of the phonetic wildcard search combobox will invoke a context menu listing all SAMPA characters for ease of reference and insertion.
TheSage checks for the validity of a pattern before conducting a search and, therefore, understanding the syntax of patterns is important. Wilcard patterns can contain the following elements in addition to phonetic characters/symbols:
Wildcard Description
* Matches any number of (including none) consonant and vowel symbols.
? Matches any one consonant or vowel symbol.
$ Matches any one consonant symbol.
# Matches any one vowel symbol.
(ŋɛθə) Matches any one of the symbols inside the parenthesis ('ŋ', 'ɛ', 'θ', or 'ə', in this example).
(?-ŋɛθə) Matches any one consonant or vowel symbol except those listed ('ŋ', 'ɛ', 'θ', or 'ə', in this example).
($-ŋθ) Matches any one consonant symbol except those listed ('ŋ' and 'θ', in this example).
(#-ɛə) Matches any one vowel symbol except those listed ('ɛ' and 'ə', in this example).
The following examples are meant to illustrate phonetic search patterns.
4.9 'Not found' tool [^]
When a word is not found in TheSage (that is, when a lookup fails), a tab is created in the results tab control (number 7 in the screenshot above) that displays two lists. The first list contains those words in TheSage's index that sound like or are spelled similarly to the one looked for. The second list shows TheSage's index in ascending alphabetical order highlighting the entry that matches the most amount of leading characters. In short, the 'Not found' tool acts as a spell-/sounds-like assistant.
The online search is also available in each of these tabs.
4.10 Speech tool [^]
If the Speech SDK is installed in the user's computer, TheSage can be turned into a speaking dictionary. Click on the phonetic transcription of a lookup to hear how it is pronounced.
Moreover, TheSage can read part or all of a lookup by clicking on the speech icon in lookup toolbar (number 8 in the screenshot above). How much or little is read is determined in the 'Speech tool' page in the Options dialog.
The quality of the voice depends on preinstalled software. If the default voices that come with Windows are not sufficient, there exist third-party solutions. The 'Speech tool' page in the Options dialog allows the user to select which voice to use.
4.11 History tool [^]
TheSage keeps a record of all words (lookups and other searches) carried out.
There are two ways to access the History. First, there is a dropdown list in the Lookup search box (number 1 in the screenshot above) that shows only those entries typed in the current session. Second, there is a panel in the Navigation control (number 12 in the screenshot above) that shows all entries from the current as well as previous sessions.
There are a n umber of ways to customized the History tool. See the 'History tool' pages in the Options dialog.
5. Other features [^]
In order to make TheSage as useful as possible, supplementary features have been implemented.
5.1 Word capture [^]
TheSage can look up words directly from almost any program (IE, Word, Firefox, Outlook, Thunderbird,...). This is accomplished by selecting the relevant word in the appropriate program and by pressing TheSage's Hotkey. TheSage will then read the word and carry out a lookup automatically.
A hotkey is a combination of keys that, when pressed simultaneoulsy, invoke a program. By default, TheSage's hotkey is CTRL + SHIFT + A but users can chose whatever combination they prefer via the 'Word capture' page in the Options dialog.
5.2 System tray menu [^]
A right-click on TheSage's icon in the System Tray brings up a menu where the following are available (top to bottom):
* Options... - Brings up the Options dialog.
* Word capture - Brings up the 'Word capture' page in the Options dialog.
* Visit Sequence Publishing - Opens the default browser and navigates to Sequence Publishing website.
* Check for updates... - Connects to Sequence Publishing to request information about the latest release of TheSage.
* Documentation - This file.
* About TheSage - Version information, release date, license agreement, contact details, donation information.
* Hide/Restore TheSage - As it says.
* Exit TheSage - As it says.
5.3 Color choosers [^]
In order to ease the selection of custom colors, the 'color chooser' controls (in the Options dialog) implement a magnifier-dropper (RIGHT-CLICK or SHIFT+P) in addition to the standard Windows color dialog (LEFT-CLICK or SHIFT+C). The magnifier moves with the mouse cursor (or arrow keys) and can be used to inspect any location on the screen. The magnifier zooms in/out by pressing SHIFT + UP/DOWN, and increases/decreases its size by pressing SHIFT + RIGHT/LEFT. Once over the desired pixel, LEFT click on it to select its color or RIGHT click to dismiss the magnifier.
Moreover, the color chooser controls remember the default color (shown in a small top-right window) which can be restored by a middle-click (or SHIFT+R) on the control.
