On using hotkeys <Menu+C> or <Menu+X> on selected text, the selection is copied or cut to one of ExAb's nine clipboards. <Menu+V> presents a dialog showing the first 50 characters of each clipboard from which you can choose one to paste into your document.
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Available versions: English, French, German, Dutch, Danish
ch you can choose one to paste into your document.
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From the Plugins menu you can choose macro SpellOK, which checks the spelling of the words in the selected text string. Therefore, in addition to SPELLOK.OPO also SPELL.OPX is installed. SpellOK can also be used in programs other than WORD, which have no quick access to the internal dictionaries. SPELL.OPX is
Otfried Cheong (now Symbian).
This software has been extensively tested and no problems have been found. However, the Author does not warrant that this software is error free. In no event shall the Author be liable for any consequential, special, incidental or indirect damages of any kind arising out of the delivery, performance or use of the software, even if the author has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Use of this software is entirely at the Users risk.
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Hotkey <Menu+Right> opens Word file SCRATCH that you may use as a note taker for keyboard text input. Since I leave the file always open, the hotkey access and non-structured input requirements make it a fast, low-memory demanding, and cheap note taker.
SCRATCH will automatically be installed in folder C:\SYSTEM\TEMP. Scratch can also be used by macro S5mboles, originally from Pascal Goubier, but recently upgraded by me.
Switch characters. The two characters in front of the cursor will be switched using hotkey <Menu+down>.
Upper/Lower. <Menu+U> on selected text results in changing of the case from lower to upper or vice versa, depending on the case of the first character. When no text is selected <Menu+U> returns the word at the cursor with only the first letter in upper case.
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The current Date and Time are pasted using hotkeys <Menu+D> and <Menu+T>. Alternatively, the corresponding items from the Hotkeys dialog (after <Menu+Space>) present dialogs from which you can change the date and time before pasting.
When in Preferences Time is set to show seconds, the Time dialog offers an additional option to paste lap times.
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When ExAb encounters an entry with items separated by the '&' character, it presents an additional dialog from which the item of your choice can be selected and pasted.
You could use this option to quickly enter particular accented or mathematical characters. E.g. I have an entry that after exabbing 'a' offers a dialog from which I can choose any accented 'a'. The expansion in this case is
The present configuration can handle a maximum of 40 items per expansion.
You may exchange the '&' separator for a character of your choice (see Modify preferences).
Thanks to Valerio Russo for suggesting this function.
ExAb can automatically combine expansions from different entries. This also allows expansion of text strings longer than 255 characters.
ExAb supports two types of chaining: link chaining and template chaining. Link chaining works as follows: when the last word of the expansion is followed by the '>' symbol, ExAb will use this word (without the '>') as a new abbreviation to expand. E.g., suppose you have two entries in your database:
link1: The following text will be link2>
link2: linked to this line of text.
Exabbing 'link1' results in the concatenation of the two expansions:
The following text will be linked to this line of text.
With template chaining the first expansion contains the marked abbreviations for the final text string, as in entry 'chain: chain1>chain2>chain3>'. After exabbing 'chain' the three marked 'chain..' abbreviations are expanded successively and combined (see also the 'chain' entry in the ExAbples.EXB database).
Chaining may be combined with itemising, offering versatile and powerful text handling. E.g., consider abbreviation 'adr' to expand to 'Huub>&Pascal>&Mario>&Jason>&Steve>&Mark>', where each of these items links to the respective full name and address.
You can change the '>' character if you like (see Modify preferences).
Abbreviations to which the plus character (+) is added can be expanded in one go after finishing the text. Therefore, use hotkey <Menu+O> in the document or text string containing the abbreviations. E.g. In the following text,
..txttxt.. sy+ ..txttxt.. br+ ..txttxt..
hitting the hotkey expands abbreviations 'sy' and 'br' and remove all '+' characters. You may change the '+' character for one that suits you better (see Modify preferences).
<Menu+Enter> on abbreviations with '+' at the end results in expansion of the abbreviation and removal of the '+' character.
See also: Extract
Plugins are macros that, like ExAb itself, act on selected strings. Examples are Euro (Franz Dimbeck's calculator for converting European currencies), Synonyms (Pascal Nicolas' macro to check the selected word against the thesaurus) and ChemForm (Guillaume Sabouraud's chemical formula formatter).
The macros below were written by me and ExAb is specifically equipped to link to Look4It, Merger/CMerge, NDcode and Txt2Tune.
Hotkey <Menu+P> presents a menu from which to choose a plugin. For a quick start on a next occasion the plugin list will open with the last used plugin as first choice. The plugin list can be configured through the 'Preferences-2' dialog.
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Txt2Tune is a program to compose and play back simple tunes. It writes and reads scores of music notes. Using the macro on string 'cdefgab2C-CDEFGAB2X' plays the low and high tone scales, with the ending c's played twice as long as the other notes. Strings ending with the '$' character are recognised by ExAb as Txt2Tune code.
The entries in ExAb's databases can be deleted or edited from the Edit dialog.
There are several ways to get into the Edit menu.
1. Use hotkey <Menu+E> or use the 'Edit entries' option from the Hotkeys or Popup menu.
2. ExAb a fake abbreviation, then push the Edit button in the Not found dialog,
3. ExAbbing '?' brings you there.
In both cases you can then choose the entry to edit.
4. The most elegant way is to exab on the abbreviation of the entry you want changed and add a '?'. Eg. exabbing 'sy?' offers entry 'sy' for editing.
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Merger (<Menu+M>) opens the database of your choice to find the record containing the word in front of the cursor and allows you to indicate the fields of this record you want pasted in place of the search string. In addition, when using ExAb's hotkey on strings ending at '~' Merger is automatically started with a dialog from which you can select the database to search. On my Psion, exabbing 'Linth~' results in a dialog where I can check the fields of the record containing my brother's address data, which I wish to paste into the document.
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Lister stores the selected string or the word in front of the cursor to a database. You can optionally add a description. Alternatively, you can paste the various entries of the database into your document.
This function e.g. enables the collection of websites while reading your morning emails to later check them out one after the other.
Registered and non-registered users may want to subscribe to the ExAbEtAl mailing list for notification of updates of ExAb and my other programs.
You can subscribe following the 'Join mailing list' link on my website at http://website.leidenuniv.nl/~linthorsthjm/
Accented letters and other characters can quickly be inserted using ExAb's Menu hotkeys.
Lower and upper case vowels a, e, i, o, and u can be supplied with accent d'aigus, diaeresis, accent graves and circonflexes using hotkeys <Menu+1>, <Menu+2>, <Menu+3>, and <Menu+6> followed by the appropriate letter. Thus '
' can be placed by <Menu+1> followed by e; '
' by <Menu+2>, U, etc.. Similarly,
are placed by <Menu+4> followed by a/A, o/O, respectively, and
by <Menu+5>, c/C.
Conversely, selected non-accented letters can be accented using the appropriate <Menu+key> hotkey (<Menu+3> converts a selected 'e' into '
'). Other characters can be pasted using a similar strategy.
Hotkeys were chosen because of the similarity of the accents to characters displayed on the keys (" for
, 5 for
, ~ for
, etc.). <Menu+Up> offers a list with the various character hotkeys in use, while the table below shows the different characters available.
Thanks to Robert van der Kamp for delineating the basics of this procedure.
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ExAb can run any macro using <Menu+J>, by choosing 'Other macro
' from the Plugin list or by exabbing macro names marked with '{'.
Note, macro names should neither contain the macro folder name nor the '.OPO' extension. Thus, exabbing 'S5mboles{' runs this icon/font paster, which, amongst others, quickly places your 'hand-written' signature underneath your letters and faxes (see also the 'icon' entry in the ExAbples.EXB database).
In accord with Pascal Goubier, the author of the initial version, I recently expanded and updated S5mboles to a comprehensive EPOC object manager. S5mboles was rated
by Tucows. It is freeware and I will send the latest version by email on request.
ExAb recognizes email addresses (containing the '@' character in between other characters) and opens program Email/MsgApp when the 'Run Email/Web' option in Preferences is switched on. The selected email address will be copied into the 'To' box of a newly created message sheet.
Similarly, ExAb opens Browser/Web and tries to connect to the Web address when it is used on strings containing '//' (a marker of a website address) or 'www'. Also strings containing 'File:///' are pasted into Web, enabling you to quickly access HTML documents on your Psion.
ExAb runs both S5's Email and Browser and 5mx's MsgApp and Web or Opera programs. Please note that the S5 programs require a long startup time.
Suggestions:
(1) For better performance, in Browser/Web you may want to change the 'Menu|Tools|General preferences|Load home page on startup' setting to off.
(2) Linking to the Email and Browser programs will be much quicker when you leave these programs open.
(3) You can create email and web address lists using the 'multiple items' and 'chaining' possibilities of ExAb. Consider entry 'mail1' to contain the following expansion:
Exabbing 'mail1' will present a list of email addresses from which you can choose one to send a message. The last item in the list will chain to a second list with additional email addresses.
Hotkey <Menu+A> opens a list of all applications installed on the device. The choice of application determines how ExAb handles next.
With programs handling documents, like Word, Sheet or Data, a file dialog will be displayed, opened on the Documents folder and offering all the program's documents. From here you can choose a document to be opened. Alternatively, you can open the last used document or create a new one.
Applications not handling documents, like Calc, Contacts or Time, will be opened immediately.
The quickest way to get ExAb to do its tricks is by using the various <Menu+'key'> hotkeys.
I've also included menus as an alternative way to get ExAb to work. Two types are available and you can choose which one to use from the Welcome dialog. The 'Show hotkeys' menus work a bit slow, but double as a hotkeys reference. The 'Popup' menus allow faster, pointer-directed choices.
ExAb recognises Look4It compatible strings (ending with ':') and links to macro Look4It, which invites you to indicate the database you want to search for the record containing the selected word (without the double colon). The most recent version of Look4It also links to 5mx's Contacts.
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EPOC contains a comprehensive set of mathematical functions, like COS, TAN, SIN, ASIN, LOG, LN, SQR, ABS, etc. ExAb can access these functions to calculate the result of equations.
After exabbing an equation ExAb offers to paste the result in place of the equation or at the end of the equation. Before pasting you may change the result, e.g. to fix the number of decimal places. Brackets may be used for grouping and procession.
The allowed operators include both '*' and '
' for multiplication, '/', '
', and ':' for division and '^' and '**' for power raising (also powers '
' and '
' are supported).
Examples of valid equations are:
(169.95-50%)+17.5%=
SQR((12
12+5^2+13**2)
SIN(LOG(ABS(38
PI)))=
SUM(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)
Trigonometric calculations are in radians. Use DEG and RAD to convert between radians and degrees:
SIN(RAD(90))
DEG(PI/2)
Note, it is not necessary to include '=' at the end of the equation.
See also the 'math' abbreviation in the ExAbples.EXB database.
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ExAb
Huub Linthorst, 1996-2001
Tucows
EpocBoulevard
Available versions: English, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Italian
Email: huub.linthorst@bigfoot.com
http://website.leidenuniv.nl/~linthorsthjm/
Another way to expand several shortcuts at once is to use the extract marker (;) to separate the abbreviations. Suppose you want to list the email addresses of Pascal, Mario and me, which you have entered in your database under our initials. Selection of the following text string:
pn; mc; hl;
followed by <Menu+Enter> results in a dialog prompting you to expand the different items in the selection. On 'Extract' our full email addresses will be pasted, separated by line breaks (in the 'To', 'CC' and 'BCC' boxes of program Email this results in our addresses separated by semicolons).
Careful, only existing entries are pasted, all other text will be removed.
When answering 'Continue ExAb' to the above dialog, ExAb continues with offering to add the selection as a new entry.
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all other text will be removed.
When answering 'Continue ExAb' to the above dialog, ExAb continues with offering to add the selection as a new entry.
Exabbing text strings of file names followed by the '@' character, like 'd:\macros\exab.wrd@' opens the indicated file in the proper program. This works only with programs that recognise their own files.
Note: in ExAb's Preferences dialog, you may want to indicate the folder for your most used documents. By default this is the Standard folder you have set in System|Tools|Preferences. When '@' is hooked onto the name of a file present in this folder, ExAb locates and opens the file. For files in all other folders you'll have to provide the full pathname.
If the file does not exist, ExAb asks whether you want to select another file or create a new file. In the last case you may specify any file from the Templates folder to be used as a template. Therefore, indicate the folder containing your templates in the Preferences-3 dialog (On a 5mx the Templates folder is usually C:\System\Templates\Word\).
New files will be created in the documents folder indicated in Preferences-3.
Using ':' you can connect a string to the filename that will be searched for in the opened file.
Following are a few examples:
@ opens file selector
file@ opens 'FILE' in '\DOCUMENTS' folder
string:file@ searches 'string' in 'C:\DOCUMENTS\FILE'
string:d:\folder\file@ searches 'string' in file 'D:\FOLDER\FILE'
Suggestions:
You can use this function to quickly create or access files from entries in Agenda. Suppose you have an entry 'Letter to Huub@ about ExAb'. Positioning the cursor on this entry and hitting ExAb's hotkey opens document 'Letter to Huub' (filename is all characters in front of the @-marker). If not found, ExAb asks you to create this file or select another file. When you want the file to be created you may choose a default (normal) Word, Data or Sheet file, or a template file already containing text and formatting.
Also programs can be opened using this approach. You may select any *.APP file or *.OPO file from the file selector or use a list of your favourite programs as an entry. E.g. when abbreviation progs correlates with expansion Z:\system\Apps\Calc\Calc.app@>&Z:\system\Apps\TimeW\TimeW.app@>, exabbing 'progs' offers a list from which you can choose to run one of these programs.
The present ExAb is a stand alone version that no longer needs Macro5. This improves performance dramatically.
Since the first ExAb was released in 1996 all macro versions have been freeware. However, I recently decided to follow my son's advice and become rich. The present stand alone version is going to help me achieve that ;-). Therefore, I'll charge ExAb's users a small fee to become officially registered and thereby enabling them to relieve their otherwise heavy heart. In return, they get the fastest, most versatile and sophisticated ExAb available, and the author's promise to the quickest response possible in case of problems, questions and wishes.
Registration releases the limitation of the 20 expansion pastes, while as a registered user you get future updates and releases for free and my undivided attention in case of problems.
Registration can be done from my website (http://website.leidenuniv.nl/~linthorsthjm/) by transferring US$20 by credit card through RegSoft.
Alternatively, you can send your name, email address and the present version number (see the About dialog), together with US$15, UK
10, DFL30 or DM30 to:
Huub Linthorst
Ank van der Moerstraat 70
2331 HS Leiden
The Netherlands
(Dutch users can transfer the money by bank or giro to giro account no. 2100441 of Huub Linthorst, Leiden, stating 'ExAb')
giro account no. 2100441 of Huub Linthorst, Leiden, stating 'ExAb')
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Thanks to Pascal Nicolas for his excellent set of macro procedures. Ben Clifford is acknowledged for the initial spark that ignited ExAb. I'm especially grateful to Pascal Goubier, Mario Collado, Manfred Runck, Fabio Gurini and Michael Degn for preparing translations of the dialogs and this Help file in French, German, Italian and Danish, respectively. Mario has also been very helpful with development. Jens Kaminski's (Neuon) nRSCUtil and nSISUtil have helped in putting together the SIS package and Ralph Sprenger deserves credits for OPLprot.
ExAb would not be half of what it is now without the helpful comments of many users (special thanks to Jochen, Valerio, Peter, Neal, Dewi, Christophe, Thomas, and all the others I forget to mention here!).
In the past I've tried to be responsive to users feedback and bugfixed, modified, expanded and updated frequently. Therefore, if you like this program, find anything missing, or have useful suggestions, please give me feedback, so that I can continue to improve ExAb. You may want to use the automatic email response form that is set up after using the [Em@il] button in the 'About' dialog.
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You can change marker characters, folder locations and other settings by <Menu+K> or after choosing 'Preferences' from the Hotkeys menu. The preferences will be stored so that you don't have to input them again after coming updates. If you would like to obtain a different ExAb language version, or translate your own language version, contact me at my email address.
he automatic email response form that is set up after using the [Em@il] button in the 'About' dialog.
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Welcome to ExAb (Expand Abbreviations). Previous versions were designed as macros for SIBO's MacSys or EPOC's Macro5 and compatibles. The present version has evolved into a stand alone program.
The basic function of ExAb is to expand shortcuts into full text; e.g. type adr, hit the hotkey and get:
Huub Linthorst
Ank van der Moerstraat 70
2331 HS Leiden
The Netherlands
However, over the years many other functions have been added to arrive at the versatile text manipulation suite that sits on your EPOC device now.
ExAb stores your definitions in a database. By positioning the cursor at the end of an abbreviation and hitting the hotkey, ExAb searches the database and, if found, expands the abbreviation. If not found, ExAb enables you to add a new entry to the database.
In addition, ExAb recognizes email and internet web addresses and opens the Email or Web program when installed on your Psion. Furthermore, exabbing on filenames opens the corresponding document or program, while exabbing the name of a macro runs the macro. ExAb recognizes equations and offers to paste the result.
ExAb's special <Menu> hotkeys enable quick and easy pasting of accented characters, the current date and time, change the case of selected text, switch characters and give access to ExAb's multi clipboards.
I've tested ExAb on my English Psions S5, 5mx, Revo and Mako where it performed flawlessly. It has been reported that ExAb also runs well on Psion's S7, Netbook, Ericsson's MC218 and the Osaris, although on the last some dialogs are larger than the screen. Needless to say though, I don't give guarantees and you cannot hold me responsible in case anything goes wrong.
By default, ExAb functions via a Menu 'key modifier' allowing to run plugins and procedures from mnemonic <Menu+key> combinations (E.g. Date is stamped after <Menu+D>. <Menu+C> copies selected text to one of the nine ExAb clipboards, while <Menu+V> retrieves the text from a clipboard and pastes it to the document). Other available <Menu+key> combinations can be viewed after <Menu+Space>.
Please note that, since <Menu> is not a real key modifier, <Menu> and the second key must be pushed consecutively and not at exactly the same time.
The time for the <Menu> key to respond to Menu-only (for opening the underlying program's menus) can be set in Preferences-1. With a response time of
to 1 sec, the normal function of the Menu key is not noticeably affected. When Menu response is set to '
' ExAb waits until the second key is pushed.
With <Menu> as hotkey, <Ctrl+Menu> takes over the normal function of <Menu>, that is, it opens the programs own menus immediately.
As an alternative to <Menu>, you can set your own hotkey. In this case ExAb waits for input of the second key to specify the procedure to use. <Menu>-only then functions normally.
I'm much obliged to Valerio Russo for the luminous idea of Menu+key access.
address.
Clipboards=
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Registration=
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Menus3
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Editing3
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DisclaimerA
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Extract3
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Lister
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Mailing list3
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Applications3
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' ExAb waits until the second key is pushed.
With <Menu> as hotkey, <Ctrl+Menu> takes over the normal function of <Menu>, that is, it opens the programs own menus immediately.
As an alternative to <Menu>, you can set your own hotkey. In this case ExAb waits for input of the second key to specify the procedure to use. <Menu>-only then functions normally.
I'm much obliged to Valerio Russo for the luminous idea of Menu+key access.
ItemsA
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Chaining3
Whole textA
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Email/Web?
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Look4It
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Merger
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CMerge
CMerge approaches the 5mx's Contacts database to provide a selection of fields to be pasted into your document. It works mostly the same as Merger.
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NDcode
NDcode encrypts sensitive information like pincodes and passwords using a single encryption key. ExAb recognises NDcode encrypted strings (ending with '<<<') and links to this macro. After supplying the correct encryption key NDcode decrypts the string.
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SpellOK
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Txt2Tune
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Exabbing highlighted text runs ExAb in reverse mode, enabling you to enter the appropriate abbreviation for the selected expansion.
ExAb handles two types of expansions: text-only expansions and object expansions.
Text-only expansions may be up to 255 characters in length. Therefore, when new entries are created by selection of text strings longer than 255 characters, ExAb only allows storage of this entry as object. Text-only expansions are stored as text strings in the database and take up less disk space than object expansions.
Text-only expansions may contain special codes for
Cursor placement: | (ctrl+124)
Current date: ^d
Current time: ^t
Up to nine user-defined text strings: _1_ to _9_
Pause: _0_
Up to 40 items: &
Chaining: >
Please be aware that the final length of text-only expansions cannot exceed 255 characters.
Object expansions can only be created from selected objects in the document. The selected object has no size limitations and may contain formatted text, pictures, spreadsheet tables, etc. Object expansions are stored as separate files in the data folder, each with its own pointer in the ExAb database. Object expansions use more memory than text expansions.
For both types of entry ExAb checks if the abbreviation is already in use.
Exab is supplied as a self-installing SIS file, packaged in a ZIP. After SIS-installation, all ExAb files will be installed to the relevant applications folder on the C or D drive of your EPOC device.
For running macros and plugins ExAb uses Macro5 functions that will be installed by running the Macro5Lib.SIS file, while ExAb's plugins are installed from separate.SISfiles. The plugins (Look4it, Merger, CMerge, NDcode, SpellOK and Txt2Tune) are copied to folder \Macros\ on C or D. When your Macro5 macros are located in a different folder, you must manually transfer all files from the newly created \Macros\ folder to your actual macro folder.
ExAb uses combinations of the <Menu> key and a subsequent key to run its various procedures and plugins. This has the advantage that ExAb does not interfere with other programs that listen in the background for their specific hotkeys, like Macro5, Assistant and Extrabars.
When you haven't upgraded from a previous version, ExAb will create default data file EXAB after startup.
Depending on the settings of your EPOC device, ExAb will be installed in the English, French, German, Danish, Italian or Dutch language. Please contact me when you are interested in other language versions.