SignWriting Icon Client

The SignWriting Icon Client is a prototype. Find SWIC on Github, or SignBank, and the ASL Wikipedia Project.

CSS Text Layout
Easy layout using basic CSS rules. A working prototype is available online.

Use CSS to make SignWriting text behave more like logographic text. Basic CSS rules can create SignWriting rich text in all modern browsers. It will work with either plain HTML or MediaWiki Markup. It uses simple math for layout. It has center data points for selecting text to copy and for searching text on a page. It uses images for individual signs and punctuation. It makes SignWritng text act more like text.

The current working prototype uses 12 CSS rules: 4 that cover every cluster, 4 that cover the data string, and 4 custom layout values for each cluster.

Common

 * position: relative;
 * background-repeat: no-repeat;
 * background-origin: content-box;
 * padding: 10px;

Data Span

 * display: table-cell;
 * vertical-align: middle;
 * font-size:0%;
 * height: inherit;

Individual

 * width: ?px
 * height: ?px
 * left: ?px
 * background-image: url(ht..

The width, height, and left values are easy to calculate using the character string. No need to access a database or wait for the image server.

The background-image must link to a SignWriting Icon Server. CSS rules will directly effect the url affecting the style of the rich text. Specify the looks of Headings 1 thru 6, bold, italic, or to indicate URL links.

jQuery Font Engine
Transforming Unicode PUA into HTML Widgets for rich text.
 * Development on the ASL Wikipedia Project.

jQuery Editors
Allows for the editing of logograms with basic HTML using INPUT or TEXTAREA.

Circular Cursor
Within a sign logogram, the symbols are placed freeform in a 2-dimensional pattern. The cursor surrounds the selected symbol. The cursor can exist in any of 8 positions as on the compass: top, top-right, right, bottom-right, bottom, bottom-left, left, and top-left. New symbols are added in line with the selected symbol and the cursor placement.

Expanded Symbol Palette
The symbol palette is a 2-dimension grid of buttons. The top level reveals the symbol groups. Selecting a symbol group reveals the available base symbols. These symbols can be dragged into the sign editor. An alternate form could use the circular cursor and either 2-button presses ( base symbol inserted ), or 3-button presses (exact symbol inserted).

The ISWA 2010, or a customized subset, should be available on a 6 by 16 grid in full expanded mode. Smaller screen may want to use 3 or 6 columns and a choice of 5,6,8,10,16 rows.

Keyboarding
The keyboarding design was conceived during the late publishing history of the 1981-1984 newsletter. The keyboarding design was realized by Richard Gleaves in what was to become SignWriter Dos. Keyboarding had a steep learning curve, but was very responsive once learned properly.

2 key presses per base symbol. Then use any of 3 transformations: rotate, flop, variation (length). Tap each one as many times as needed. The circular cursor of SignWriter was a great idea for adding new symbols to a sign quickly. Fine tune adjustments will be available for exact symbol position. Tabbing between symbols or signs. The international keyboard set makes it impossible to have a single solution for every keyboard.

Symbol Set Configuration
While the international standard uses every symbol of the ISWA 2010, specific languages may want to limit and reorder the symbol set used in their languages. A unified configuration file will standardize both the symbol palette presentation and the keyboard design. I can automate the symbol palette presentation from the SignPuddle Online data, but the keyboard design will have to be completed by someone with knowledge of the native language and access to the available keyboard.

SignWriter Studio Style
SignWriter Studio by Jonathan has an alternate symbol selection technique. According to Valerie Sutton, it demonstrates a unique insight into the hand shapes of the ISWA.

Testing Suite
QUnit testing suite with exhaustive range to regex testing.

MediaWiki Support
Work in progress. Part of the SignWriting MediaWiki Plugin.