Pathway — Introduction
“Pathway appears as a plug-in on the FIeldWorks and Paratext menus to allow the user to prepare booklets for testing or small scale publication. For dictionary content it is often used for major publications too.”
Pathway SIL Website
Pathway is a downloadable plug-in for Fieldworks Language Explorer (FLEx) and Paratext (biblical scripture translation software), which formats lexical data for print or digital publication. It can be used to customize a lexicon’s layout and make professional publishing layouts and style guides accessible to the average user.
Once the Pathway plug-in is downloaded, it fully integrates with FLEx and opens as part of the FLEx application. In FLEx, users can choose from a list of various export formats using a drop-down menu, after which the application will format the file accordingly. In addition, this software can add additional copyright pages to the data before circulation and change properties of the pages, such as spacing.
This tool does not create a lexicon or allow users to log data. Rather, it is a plug-in for FLEx that offers additional formatting options. A completed lexicon must be selected within FLEx to use Pathway.
Pathway can only be used on Linux or Windows systems.
Pathway is no longer supported by the developer.
Highlights
- Free software
- Open source
- Easy to add additional pages (such as copyright or publishing information) before printing
- Supports multiple methods of sharing and publishing
- Clear and simple interface
- Allows the dictionary format to be customized with templates
Considerations
- Not available for macOS
- Only compatible with lexicons made using FLEx
- Prior knowledge of style sheets is required to engage in more complex editing
- There are no academic articles that systematically review this tool
- No longer supported by the developer
Alternatives to Pathway
Language Forge, which is within the SIL suite, can be used to share language data digitally.
Miromaa has some similar capacities, but is outside the SIL suite.
TLex can be used to format dictionaries for print, although the TLex user guide suggests that it be used alongside a word processor (like Microsoft Word) to apply formatting changes before printing.
Examples of Dictionaries Using Pathway
There are no publicly available examples of dictionaries exclusively using Pathway.
Support Services
The Pathway website hosts multiple forums addressing issues that users may face, along with documents detailing how to execute certain features. Topics covered include translation support, formatting tips, and how to select portions of the database.
The website includes a contact form that can be used to reach SIL staff.
Developer
Pathway was developed by SIL International.
The most recent version of this software dates to April 2021. However, Pathway is no longer supported by the developer.