Disappearing Dictionaries

[gilster]

I've scoured the forum for information on this but can't get the overall picture. Maybe someone can help.

Having investigated the question of alternative dictionaries, I opted to install the Webster's 1913, and followed the directions posted here. When I opened a book and got a word definition, I was indeed getting the alternate dictionary. I set this up as dict.html, to be my default dictionary.

The next day, when I tried to look up a word, I was told no dictionaries were installed. I checked the firmware version to make sure the device hadn't updated, but it hadn't --I still had 4.38945 -- this is on an Aura One.

I've seen several posts with people citing the same problem, but haven't seen a solution. How do I get the device to recognize the dictionary again? I can see it in the .kobo directory and have confirmed by its file size that the dict.html file is indeed the one I installed. But now it appears invisible to the device.

Thanks for any thoughts.

[oren64]

My thought is to repeat the process, delete the dictionaries from the device, add and download the dictionaries on the device, and replace the files in the dict folder.

I don't know exactly why it happened, but it might caused from unfinished sync, you can cancel the automatic sync in the setting.

EDIT: here (Kobo Devices) is a guide how to add a custom dictionary, in the folder .kobo/dict/.you need to replace the the file "dicthtml.zip" with the file "dicthtml.zip" that you need extract from Websters1913.zip.


Don't rename the file dicthtml.zip to "dict.html" or any other name otherwise the device will not be able to use is.

[gilster]

Originally Posted by oren64

My thought is to repeat the process, delete the dictionaries from the device, add and download the dictionaries on the device, and replace the files in the dict folder.

I don't know exactly why it happened, but it might caused from unfinished sync, you can cancel the automatic sync in the setting.

EDIT: here (Kobo Devices) is a guide how to add a custom dictionary, you need to replace the the file "dicthtml.zip" with the file from here, extract the file "dicthtml.zip" from Websters1913.zip.
The file is in the folder .kobo/dict/.

Don't rename the file dicthtml.zip to "dict.html" or any other name otherwise the device will not be able to use is.

Thanks! I appreciate the link, though this guide on installing the custom dictionary is the one I used. I'm thinking your thought about an unfinished sync may be the culprit, but I haven't experimented much today. Tomorrow I may have more time. I used the original dicthtml.zip file name, as the documentation suggests, and the new dictionary did take for a time, but no longer operates. Then about an hour ago I checked the device again and it did find a dictionary, the stock one I was trying to replace!

More experimentation ahead. Thanks again.

[jackie_w]

I never sync if I can avoid it but it certainly used to be the case that syncing would overwrite your Kobo's copy of dicthtml.zip with the Kobo official one if the files didn't match. There are a couple of ways round it:

1. Install the new dictionary as an 'Extra Dictionary'. See the detailed step-by-step Kobo Extra Dictionaries. This has the benefit of allowing you to have both the official one and your new one(s) accessible at the same time. This is the method I use.
   
   
2. Use the Kobo Patcher and enable the patch called
   

   patch_name = `Change dicthtml strings to micthtml`
   patch_enable = `no`
   #
   ## This patch is used for something to do with syncing and custom dictionaries.
   ## If you don't know what it does, then you probably don't need it.

   I haven't tried this method myself, so I can't vouch for it. But if you're already using the Kobo Patcher to install other patches then it should be easy to add this one to your enabled list.
   
   My understanding is that, if you do enable it, you also need change the first letter of all the filenames of your Kobo's dictionaries from 'dicthtml-xx-yy.zip' to 'micthtml-xx-yy.zip', which should be enough to foil the Kobo servers.

[gilster]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

[*]Use the Kobo Patcher and enable the patch called

patch_name = `Change dicthtml strings to micthtml`
patch_enable = `no`
#
## This patch is used for something to do with syncing and custom dictionaries.
## If you don't know what it does, then you probably don't need it.

I haven't tried this method myself, so I can't vouch for it. But if you're already using the Kobo Patcher to install other patches then it should be easy to add this one to your enabled list.

My understanding is that, if you do enable it, you also need change the first letter of all the filenames of your Kobo's dictionaries from 'dicthtml-xx-yy.zip' to 'micthtml-xx-yy.zip', which should be enough to foil the Kobo servers.[/LIST]

I had already patched my system and enabled this patch when the problem occurred. But I didn't know about renaming the dictionary filenames. Thanks for this, and for the first solution as well.