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Updated: 990919

Mini-Glossaries

I have found some utility in teaching to be able to put up a small glossary of terms from students' current reading or other class-related vocabulary.

I have designed two alternative formats for JavaScript-based glossaries that will work with nearly all web browsers. And I have written two programs that produce such glossaries for anybody from an on-line input page. In each case, there is room for perhaps 100 words or so to be defined. In each case a user clicks on a word and the definition appears in a separate window. In each cases I have created a web page into which you can paste your own data from any text file and have the program make your own gossaries. Full instructions and a couple of sample data sets to experiment with are provided on the link pages.

Text Box Glossary Maker

This format places the definition in an HTML "text box"; this limits the formatting and prohibits unusual scripts, characters, formatting, or links within the definition, but the advantage is that the page arrives ready to use from my Text Box Glossary Maker program. An example of its output is Characters in the Iliad, which was very slightly edited.

Frames Glossary Maker

This format places a list of words to be defined in a one frame and the definitions as they are called up in another. This allows plenty of space for more text in the definitions, and there is little limit on the chacracters or formatting that can be used. Links can be placed as desired within definitions. However because three different HTML files must be created, the file that you receive back from my Frames Glossary Maker program requires division into its constituent parts before it is ready for use. If you have even very little experience with editing HTML pages, this should be very easy. Because I assume slightly greater experience with HTML for users of this program, I have left in an image link in the bottom frame that should be deleted or replaced with your favorite upbeat image. If you have no direct experience with HTML, you may prefer to stick with the prefab Text Box Glossary Maker. An example of the output of the Frames Glossary Maker is Technical Terms Used in Ethnology, which was very slightly edited.

Sample Mini-Glossaries Available on My Site

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