Abbreviation Database - Edit

The Abbreviation Database - Edit window allows modifications to abbreviations used by CSDS.

This window can be invoked from the CSDS Main Menu via 'Parse | Abbreviation Database | Edit'.

The Abbreviation Database defines abbreviations used by the program when entering calls.

For example, 'RTD' (the abbreviation) is replaced with 'Relay The Deucey' (it's expansion).

Database Fields

• Abbreviation is a single token (without spaces, in uppercase). An abbreviation may contain numerics and symbols.
• Expansion is the replacement for the abbreviation when the Enter key is pressed, or when the text of a sequence, getin, or getout is saved. In the Expansion field, you can use <N> to insert a newline (linefeed).
• User is the author of the abbreviation. CSDS indicates the abbreviation is part of the master database. If you enter a new abbreviation, your name will be shown as the author.
• Rec is the unique ID # of the abbreviation within the database.

Standard Abbreviations

The abbreviation database is preloaded with a set of abbreviations:

• The concatenation of the first letter of each word in the call. E.g.,
  • PTO for Pass The Ocean
  • SC&ETG for Spin Chain & Exchange The Gears
  • CTAL for Circle To A Line
  • T1 for Touch 1/4
   
• The concatenation of the first two letters of each word in the call. Sometimes the concatenation of the first letters of each call is not enough. For instance, ST is the abbreviation for Swing Thru, Slide Thru, and Star Thru. In this case, using the first two letters is easier. E.g.,
  • SWTH for Swing Thru
  • SLTH for Slide Thru
  • STTH for Star Thru
   
• There's also a set of commonly used abbreviations. E.g.,
  • HDS for Heads
  • SDS for Sides
  • EXT for Extend
  • CIRC for Circulate
   
• The abbreviation database also contains a lot of records to correct typographical errors. E.g.,
  • TEH for The
  • HEDAS for Heads

When Entering An Abbreviation Into A Sequence...

• The entered abbreviation does not have to be in uppercase.
   
• If the abbreviation is ambiguous, you will be prompted to select an appropriate resolution from a list.
  E.g., typing ST invokes the following:
  
   
• If the abbreviation is unknown, you will be prompted whether to add an abbreviation.
  
  In the above case, ML is unknown. Press the 'Add Abbreviation' button to add an abbreviation.
  Of course, if it's a typo, just close the window and then correct the text within the sequence.

Notes:

• A call can have several abbreviations. The default abbrevations for a call are
  1. the concatenation of the first letter of each word of the call; and
  2. the concatenation of the first two letters of each word of the call.

  For example,

  The default abbreviations for RELAY THE DEUCEY are RTD and RETHDE.

  The default abbreviations for SWING THRU are ST and SWTH.

   
• You shouldn't ever have to print out the abbreviations. You'd waste several hundred pages of paper since there are over 4000 abbreviations in the database.
   
• To view abbreviations, sorted either by abbreviation, or by expansion, do the following:

  From the CSDS main menu, select 'Parse | Abbreviation database | Dump contents'; then select how you want the output to be sorted (by abbreviation or by expansion). This will generate a text file that can be viewed (or printed, if desired). The 'dump contents' output is useful since it also lists the 'Intrinsic abbreviations', which are the built-in abbreviations used by the program (these abbreviations all end with a slash ('' or '/'). For example, B/ is the abbreviation for BOY, BS/ is the abbreviation for BOYS, H/ is the abbreviation for HEAD, HS/ is the abbreviation for HEADS.

   
• It is not intended that the abbreviation database be used as a lookup table whenever you want to find the abbreviation for a particular call. Rather, you may use whatever abbreviation you'd like, and if the program is unable to find the abbreviation in the database, a dialog box prompts you to add a new abbrevation. This dialog box is titled 'Parse problem' and the first line of text in the dialog box says 'Unknown tokens encountered'. The dialog box contains the parsed text, and a list of the unknown tokens. To add a new abbreviation, highlight the token within the 'unknown tokens' list box and click the 'Add abbreviation' button.
   

Menus

• New record  Ctrl+N
  Adds a new record and allows it to be edited via the Edit Record frame.
• Edit selected record  Ctrl+E
  Edits the highlighted record via the Edit Record frame.
• Delete selected record  Ctrl+D
  After confirmation, deletes the currently highlighted record.
• Close  Ctrl+Q
  Closes this window and returns to the previous window.
  If any changes have not been saved, you are prompted whether or not to save the changes.

• Customize
  Opens the Grid - Customize dialog box.

• Find duplicate abbreviations
  Produces a list of duplicate abbreviations. For example,
  
  Duplicate abbreviations are not necessarily a problem. When entering a sequence, and if an abbreviation has more than one expansion, the program first checks to see if only one expansion exists at or below the level of the sequence. If so, that expansion is used; otherwise, a dialog box prompts you to select the desired expansion.
   
• Check against parse database
  Searches for conflicts between the abbreviation and parse databases.
  Upon completion, a list of problems is displayed. These problems should be resolved by either editing the parse database or by editing the abbreviation database. The most common way is to delete the abbreviation.

• Edit Abbreviation Database
  Displays the help file you're currently reading.

Toolbar

• - New record (Ctrl+N)
• - Edit selected record (Ctrl+E)
• - Delete selected record (Ctrl+D)
• - Customize grid
• - Help - Edit Abbreviation Database