Yiddish Word Processing
Operating System: Windows 95
Ding Dang Write 2000 (DRich)

Why use Ding Dang for Yiddish word processing? Microsoft Word in Windows 95/98/ME does not go Right-to-Left unless you have installed Microsoft Office 2000 or higher. Therefore, if you do not have Office 2000 or higher, you may wish to use Ding Dang. Wordpad does not work properly for Yiddish in Windows 95. Ding Dang probably also works for other versions of Windows, but different programs, such as Wordpad and Word, have more features, so there is no need to use Ding Dang for Yiddish word processing unless you have Windows 95 without Office 2000 or higher.

What do I get? DingDang Write 2000, also known as DRich, is a free download from <http://www.ualr.edu/~xxye/program/ding04.htm>.   DingDang Write lacks sophisticated word processing functions, like columns, tables, indexing, automatic page numbering, etc. DingDang does have basic word processing functionality like bold, italic, underline, word wrap, printing, user selection of   Windows fonts and point size, etc.

• Installation Instructions

• How to Use DingDang Write (DRich) for Yiddish Word Processing

Installation -

1. Go to <http://www.ualr.edu/~xxye/program/ding04.htm> Don't be confused by all the references to Chinese. DingDang is a multi-language program which does indeed handle Yiddish in a format which is compatible with others, i.e., Unicode UTF-8 text. The fact that the program was initially created for Chinese should not deter you. Just ignore all references to Chinese at all times; and follow the simple instructions below.

2. Click on the link for "Ding Dang Write 2000" to download the file <drich.zip>.  Save the file to your hard drive in a new folder. Name the folder <DingDang>.

3. Open Windows Explorer and browse to the file drich.zip and double click it to unzip the file. You'll need an unzip utility, which (if you have one) will open to unzip the file. If you don't already have an unzip utility, one of many that should work is the WinZip Evaluation Version.

4. Hit the Windows Start button, and hit Run, and browse, and find the file <C:\DingDang\DRich.exe>   Double click the file to start the program.

   • To make a desktop icon for starting DingDang, open Windows Explorer. Browse to find the file <C:\DingDang\DRich.exe>  Re-size your Explorer Window if needed so that you can see some desktop area on your screen. Right-click and drag the file to your desktop. When you let go of the mouse, you'll see a list of choices. Left-click on "Create Shortcut Here." If you like, right-click on the icon, select "Rename," and name it DingDang.

How to Use DingDang Write (DRich) for Yiddish Word Processing -

1. When you installed Yiddish Keyboard Layouts, above, you obtained the ability to choose between many different keyboard layouts. Click on your desktop icon for Yiddish Keyboard Layouts and then click on "Keyboard Layouts" for a summarized listing. DingDang can use any of the Keyman keyboards plus the Yiddish Non-Shift keyboard and Yiddish/Hebrew Alternate (using AltGr, the right-hand Alt key instead of Shift for certain punctuation).  If you have been using one of the other layouts, you should switch before using DingDang. If you're already using, say Yiddish Pasekh, skip to step 2. (Note 2)

2. Every time you open the program, you will see a help file which is geared towards Chinese language uses. Ignore it. To remove this text, hit File, New - or hit the new page icon, which is the upper left button that looks like a blank page.

3. Hit the little blue button on your Windows task bar (lower right on your screen) to toggle from EN to HE.

4. Click the word "Format" on the top menu bar, and then Paragraph. Change Alignment to Right, and press OK.                 

   • Alternatively, hold Control and tap Right-Shift to make the paragraph direction got Right to Left. In case you are mixing English with Yiddish, hold Control and tap the Left-Shift key to make the paragraph direction go Left to Right.

5. On the toolbar at the top of the screen, to the right of the word "English" you'll see a button with a large letter A. Click it. (Alternatively, you can click on Format, Font on the top menu bar.)

6. A Font window will open. I recommend selecting the Times New Roman font for Yiddish, although you can use several others. You can see which fonts are available for Yiddish by highlighting each font and looking at the sample letters. This only works if the blue Windows language indicator is set for HE instead of EN or anything else. Select the Font and Point Size that you wish and hit OK.

7. If you want to bold or italicize text, you must first type the text. Then, highlight it and click on Format, Font (or click the "A" toolbar button) and select the desired format under "Font Styles" (or under "Effects" for underline).

8. Type gezunterhayt! You can save, open and print files just like in any Windows program - File, Save or Save As or Open or Print.

NOTE: DingDang uses a Rich Text Format (RTF), which means that all its files end in the file extension *.rtf -- a common format which will enable you to share Yiddish documents electronically with many Windows users who use other Windows versions. You can also cut and paste Yiddish text to/from DingDang and Outlook Express for email.

NOTE 2: These same keyboard limitations would apply to Win-95/98/ME when using Word if Office 2000 or higher is installed.

• Back to A Users' Guide to Yiddish on the Internet for an overview.

• Back to Yiddish Email Summary

• Back to Yiddish Word Processing Summary

• Back to Yiddish Web Pages Summary

• Back to RubeGoldergeray (Creative Tools for Yiddish Computing)

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08/15/02 10:05 PM
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