BanglaPad 0.1

 

This document gives a short description of BanglaPad, describes minimum system requirement and how to run BanglaPad and also how to use the Unicode fonts. This document also contains important links of BanglaPad.

 

DESCRIPTION

BanglaPad is an open source, full-featured cross-platform Unicode rich text editor capable of editing Bangla that can run on different operating systems, such as Windows, Linux/Unix, owing to its base on the Java programming language. Users can type Bangla text without using external helper applications, such as keyboard drivers and can check spelling of both Bangla and English document.

 

BanglaPad is one of the open-source projects of the Center for Research on Bangla Language Processing, BRAC University, funded by PAN Localization Project grant from the International Development Research Center (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada. The project began in August 2005 with two research programmers working full time. The initial goal of this project is to develop a platform-independent, rich text editor capable of editing Bangla. On the next level this editor will be used to implement new features that will come out as a product of ongoing Bangla language research.

 

The current version of the BanglaPad includes the following features:

1.       Platform independent. (Current version tested on Windows and Linux).

2.       Edit Bangla and English text in the same document.

3.       Rich text editing with pictures and tables.

4.       Export document as HTML.

5.       Support character encoding including UTF8 and UTF16.

6.       Bangla and English Spell checking.

7.       Bangla and English Search and replace.

8.       Printing formatted document.

9.       Three different skins for the editor.

10.   Built-in keyboard driver for easy Bangla typing. (No need to install a keyboard driver).

11.   Customizable Key-Maps for Bangla.

 

BanglaPad is released and distributed under the GNU General Public License.

 

Updates on BanglaPad can be found at http://sourceforge.net/projects/banglapad.

 

Online forum of BanglaPad is at http://banglapad.runboard.com/

We expect comments, feedbacks, bugs and problems from users in that group.

 

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Hardware:

Platform: PC

Processor: Pentium 2 133 MHz

Memory: 128 MB

Software:

Operating Systems: Windows, Linux

Language Settings: Unicode

Java 2 Runtime Environment (JRE): v 1.4.2 or later, can be downloaded from Java's download page.

Fonts:

At least one Bangla Open Type Font. Examples of Open Type Fonts: SolaimanLipi, Mukti, Akaash, Rupali, etc.

 

HOW TO RUN BanglaPad

BanglaPad is packaged as executable Java-Archive program. Download and unzip BanglaPad-V0.1.zip. Run the JAR-packaged application with the Java interpreter either by double-clicking on the BanglaPad.jar file object or by executing the following command at the command line:

java -jar BanglaPad.jar

For Windows, an executable is created which installs the application. After installation click the BanglaPad  icon in the program files or in the desktop.

 

UNICODE-COMPLIANT FONTS

Unicode has only limited support in Windows 95/98/Me, but these operating systems are still capable of displaying all Bangla characters using appropriate Unicode fonts. Full Unicode support is built into Windows NT/2000/XP. Linux have begun to provide support Unicode.

 

Bangla has some free fonts, which are supplied under GPL license. These fonts can be downloaded from BanglaPad's web page.

 

Note to Windows Users: Executable that installs the program will install the Bangla fonts too.

Note to Linux Users: To make Unicode fonts available to Java applications, you may need to set the environment variable JAVA_FONTS to the appropriate font paths (typically, /usr/share/fonts/truetype) and then export it. This is usually done in /etc/profile file. Detail on How to install Bangla a font on Linux is available at UPDATE IT LATER!!

 

CONTACT

For comments/feedback/input/bug report, please post at BanglaPad Forum or email to naushadzaman@gmail.com or zahurul@bracuniversity.net.