Creating an input verification for dictionary fields – an efficient terminology management practice

In our previous posts, we showed you how to assign default values to the dictionary fields, i.e., to pre-configure certain fields so that when creating new entries, such fields are completed automatically. In this post, we will look at how to create an input verification for dictionary fields, which allows a terminologist to create a list of values for the translator to choose from in order to assign to a particular field of the entry. For example, if a certain value such as software or hardware must be assigned to the Context field of an entry, the terminologist can create a list of such values for the translator to choose from. In other words, if the translator adds or modifies an entry, TermStar NXT checks whether the entry matches the input verification rules. This helps to increase the quality of the terminology and allows the terminologist full control over the information entered in the dictionary fields, thereby preventing invalid or incomplete entries from being created.

Let’s get started on how to do this:

Step 1: Select Dictionaries | Dictionaries/Databases | Manage dictionaries/databases from the resource bar.

Step 2: Select the dictionary for which you wish to change the settings and click Settings.

Step 3: Select the Input verification tab. The Fields section specifies the dictionary field for which you wish to add the input verification rule. The Verification section specifies the rules used to check the entries for the fields specified in the Fields section. These three steps are illustrated in the image below:

Step 4: Click Add to specify a new input verification. TermStar NXT displays the Add fields window as shown in the image below. Select the field to which you wish to apply the input verification rule and click OK.

Step 5: In this example, we will add an input verification rule to the Context field for all languages of our dictionary. Click OK after selecting the relevant entries from Fields and Languages. You will be taken back to the previous window, where you can specify the input verification rule by selecting the relevant options and creating a value list from the Verification section.

Step 6: Select None if you do not wish to apply a verification rule.

Step 7: Select Value list if you wish to assign a value from a given set of values to the dictionary field and click Values list in order to create a list of pre-defined values for a translator to choose from in order to assign to a dictionary field. Then click New and add a new value list name. Finally, click OK to add entries to the value list.

Step 8: In the Edit values list window, click New to add new values. You can add values in a hierarchical manner by selecting the top-level value and clicking on New each time you wish to add a new value below it, as shown in the image below:

After adding values to the list, you will be taken back to the Input verification tab. Enter a name for the value list and select the relevant options. Select Editable if you would like the pre-defined value list to be editable, which allows the translator to edit the value before assigning it, or choose Multiple selection if you would like more than one value to be assigned to the entry. Select the Empty fields permitted option if you would like TermStar NXT to allow the user not to complete any value in the field, however make sure that this option is not selected if an entry in this field is compulsory. Select the Hide in Rapid entry dialog if you do not want the input verification rules to be displayed in the Rapid entry window. We recommend that you do not select this option so as to allow the translator to use the input verification rules created even when entering terms via the Rapid entry option. This is how the Rapid entry window looks if an input verification is added to the dictionary:

Step 9: You can also assign values when creating a new entry from scratch. A green box beside the field for which input verification values were added appears, double click on this green box and select the value you wish to assign to the field, as shown in the image below:

This is how input verification values are created and assigned to dictionary fields. Please note that adding an input verification rule has no impact on existing entries, it will only come into effect when you next edit or add an entry, i.e., only then will you be able to enter the values specified in the input verification rule. In general, it is good practice to create input verification rules immediately after creating the dictionary so that all terms are assigned with the necessary information and the terminology becomes easy to access and reuse in the future. You can apply these rules to a particular dictionary or to the entire database.

This allows the terminology manager to take advantage of one of the many useful terminology management features offered by TermStar NXT in order to keep the terminology complete with all of the necessary information and accessible at any time for any given project.

I hope you find this post useful and that you try this feature out soon. Do let us know if you like it and don't hesitate to send us your comments, feedback or queries. Stay tuned for more interesting posts about terminology management!