Modemo Ltd

Symbol for Windows - making, editing and browsing symbols

To get more detailed information of the application please click on its name from the list below. Libraries are presented separately.

Bliss editor is used for making new bliss symbols.

Image Maker is used for making and organising your own libraries.

Encyclopedia is a programme for browsing SfW databases.

Signeditor is used for drawing and editing signs.

Symbol for Windows Bliss editor

With the SfW Bliss Editor you can :

• combine symbols from the Bliss database.
• add new elements, suchs as lines and default Bliss draw elements, to existing symbols.
• create new symbols.

The symbols that you make will be added to the Bliss database and can be used in other Symbol for Windows programs.

he Bliss Editor will help you to follow the Bliss drawing rules for shape, size, position and distance. New elements will automatically be placed on the correct spot in the drawing grid, but you can always move them using the drag and drop function of the mouse. The program provides every standard Bliss drawing element, such as the box, the heart, the wave and the triangle./p>

Symbol for Windows Image Manager

The Symbol for Windows Image Manager is a program to make and manage new databases. These private databases can be used in all Symbols for Windows software modules. They can contain different kinds of images: bitmaps, Windows metafiles, Enhanced metafiles, Gif images and JPEG images.

In the upper half of the screen, the Image Manager opens an explorer for files. With this, the user can browse the computer and select image files to put them into the database. In the lower half of the screen, the Image Manager shows the Symbol for Windows category structure and concept list. For each image file, the user must select the concept that best matches the meaning of the image, photo or symbol. It is very easy to link the file to that concept using the drag-and-drop method. Multiple files can be linked to every concept.

Private concepts and categories

The right concept may not exist in the Symbol for Windows concept list. For instance, names of persons and institutions are not included in this list. Therefore the program offers the possibility to add new concepts and new categories.

Immediately ready for use

A private database is ready for use, immediately after it has been given a name. Every other Symbol for Windows program will recognize the new database and open it automatically. However, the database remains editable. It can be opened and changed any time. You can also share it with or distribute it among other users.

At the righthand side of the window there is a list of all Symbol for Windows databases that are found on the computer. In the lower part of the window you can select a category and a concept from that category. With the Find button you can look for (a part of) a word in the concept list.

The Encyclopedia uses the largest part of the window to show symbols, images and photo's that are linked to the current concept.

Symbol for Windows Encyclopedia

The Symbol for Windows Encyclopedia is a browser for the Symbol for Windows databases. The program is designed as a tool for speech therapists, parents, teachers etc. With the Encyclopedia they can quickly look up images in different databases.

Browsing databases

If the option 'all representations' is clicked (on top of the database list) it shows all of them at the same time. When the name of one particular symbol database is clicked, the Encyclopedia starts by showing the first image in that database that is linked to the selected concept. There can be more symbols, images or photo's in one database that are linked to the current concept - we call them 'synonyms'. You can click a 'next' or a 'previous' button to view the next or the previous synonym.

Symbol for Windows Sign Editor

With the Sign Editor you can draw, edit and save signs in a Symbol for Windows database. The basis of every sign is the form of a head. You can add an expression, hand shapes, arrows and other shapes very easily.

With the buttons under the sign you can rotate, mirror and increase or reduce the size of the added elements. You can also place insets (with or without head) or make a sign that consists out of two or more subsigns.

An essential step is to give the meaning of a sign. You can do this by choosing a concept from the Symbol for Windows concept list. If the concept you are looking for isn't in the list you can add it. Then you can export signs and import them in another sign database. Every sign database as a whole can be used in every other Symbol for Windows program. When you use the database for instance in the Symbol for Windows Document Maker, you can actually write and print in sign language!