Copyright: Vasu, Bangalore


Baraha
Baraha Help Contents

Welcome To Baraha - A Transliteration Software

A Request to Baraha Users

If you already know how to use Baraha and have been using its earlier versions, then read What's New in Baraha 2000a  to use the latest version effectively. If you are new to using Baraha, please read the following topics carefully before you start using it.

Quick Start Using Baraha >>>

About Baraha

→ What is Baraha?

→ Features of Baraha

→ Baraha version history

Need Help ?

→ How to install Baraha?

→ Whom to contact for help?

→ Frequently Asked Questions

→ Baraha Knowledge Base

Using Baraha

→ Getting Started with Baraha - The "Main Window"

→ The Toolbars

→ What are the fonts available with Baraha?

→ What is "Baraha Direct" or "nEra baraha" ?

→ How to change the default Language and other settings?

→ What are "Switches" and when & how to use them?

→ How to create a multi-script document in Baraha?

→ How to set the text size, color, font e.t.c. for a selected portion of text?

→ How to set the margins, header & footer for the page before printing?

→ How to save a Baraha document as a GIF or BMP file?

→ How to use Baraha in other word processors like MS Word?

→ How to send e-mails in Indian languages using Baraha?

→ How to create & publish an HTML web page using Baraha?

→ How to use Baraha Kan Music font?

Others

→ Dynamic Fonts

→ Baraha Kannada/Devanagari SDK


Switches

See Also: Selective Text Formatting

Switches, in Baraha are used for formatting the output text. For example, specifying the attributes such as language, font, font size, alignment, line spacing, text color, text background color etc for the text that appears in the Output Window pane. These switches work similar to the HTML tags in a HTML document but are used in a slightly different way. The switches appear only in the Input Window pane and are not seen in the Output Window pane but the effect can be seen on the transliterated output text.

Switches are mainly used when the formatting is to be done for a selected portion of text - like, to use English words in a Kannada document or highlighting a particular text with a seperate background color or to change the text color for a portion of text.

There are altogether 9 categories of switches in Baraha. They are:

1. Language Switches

2. Text Alignment Switches

3. Text Color Switches

4. Text Background color Switches

5. Font Style Switches

6. Font Name Switches

7. Font Size Switches

8. Line spacing Switches  and

9. Hyperlink Switches

To learn about the usage of these switches along with specific examples, in Baraha choose Transliteration | Using switches (ªy®ãºq®Š®o | S®±ºmS®¡® …¡®Nµ) and select the desired language for help.

The Switches can be typed in manually in the Input Window along with the text to be transliterated. OR you can use the Edit Dialog box which will insert the switches automatically as explained in Using Edit Dialog box..

Note:

Switches are used for selective formatting. When you specify the formatting attributes using the Default Settings dialog box then the entire text in the Output Window get affaected.


What is Transliteration
What is transliteration ?

Transliteration is the process of writing script of one language(Kannada/Hindi) using the characters of another language(English).

For example:

→ The Kannada sentence Yw®Ýu® w¯l®± S®ºuÂ®u® †°l®±  can be written in English as chinnadha naadu gamDhadha beedu.

→ The Hindi sentence «dyTd ªddT£d «dUµd¦d  can be written  in English as merA bhArath mahAn.

Using this method, script of any Indian language can be written in English characters. Baraha converts this type of transliteration script to the respective Indian language script itself.  This is a tremendous feature which lets you use your friendly computer and the standard English keyboard with no changes whatsoever, to create reports and documents in your preferred language/script such as Kannada/Devanagari etc.

Note:

This version of Baraha supports Kannada, Sanskrit, Hindi & Marathi languages.


Publishing Web Pages using Baraha

Publishing the web pages:

You can publish your Kannada/Sanskrit/Hindi/Marathi websites in two ways:

→ As HTML files.

→ As GIF files.

Creating web pages as HTML files takes less space in your website compared to GIF files. The HTML files created using Baraha use the Baraha fonts and hence the web page cannot be viewed properly through browsers from other non-windows platforms such as UNIX or Mac. On the other hand, the advantage of saving your files in GIF format is that the web page with these fonts can be viewed through web browsers on all the platforms.

Once you have decided on which of the above two methods you will follow, proceed on creating your web pages as follows:

Creating web pages:

In Baraha Main Window, when you are done with editing the document, Click Edit | Transliterate (š®ºy¯u®wµ | ªy®ãºq®‹š®±) menu command (or you can also use the hotkey Ctrl+T) to convert the text in the Input Window pane to the relevant script. Check the output and correct if there are any speling mixtakes. Now click on File | Export (N®l®q® | Š®‚®¼ÈÙ î®¾¯l®±)  command to save your work as HTML or GIF files. You may later open these files in the relevant HTML editors such as Front Page, Visual Page, Netscape Composer for further enhancements like adding graphics, images, links etc.

You can also edit Kannada/Devanagari HTML files using your favourite HTML editors using the Baraha Direct feature. Select the Baraha Kannada/Devanagari fonts in the HTML editor and start typing in Kannada/Devanagari directly.

Note:

→ You can specify the title for the HTML file in File | Page Setup(N®l®q® | y®¼h ïw¯ãš®) dialog box.

→ You can specify the picture specifications in the File | Picture Setup(N®l®q® | Yq®ä ïw¯ãš®) dialog box.


Getting Started
Getting started - The layout

Baraha Main Window

When you start the Baraha application, the first thing that appears on the screen is the Baraha Main Window which has many window panes. The functions of the these panes are described below.

The Window Panes:

The Input Window (Bottom Left Window) is where you will type the text in English letters.

The Preview Window (Middle Left Window) is where you will see the text converted to the script of your choice in real time. This window shows only the currently edited line of the text in the  Input Window and highlights the current word edited. You can also select a portion of the text in the Input Window which will be automatically transliterated into this Preview Window.

The Output Window (Top Left Window) is where you will see the transliterated output. During editing, user can press the Transliterate button [image] on the Standard toolbar (CTRL+T hot key) to convert the entire input text to the corresponding script. You can also select a portion of the text in the Input Window and transliterate it. The user can right click on a specific word in the Output Window and select Locate Word (See the footnote) menu command to highlight the same word in the Input Window for editing.

Baraha has a built-in Help Window(Right Window) which shows the transliteration rules for writing the languages it supports using English characters, and formatting the text using Switches. Click Transliteration | Scripts (ªy®ãºq®Š®o | ªzS®¡®±) menu command and then the script you want, to access this Help Window. You can also see some sample Kannada/Devanagari words (examples) written in English characters. The Help Window can also be opened or closed using the [image] and [image]  buttons on the standard toolbar. The same Help Window is also used for showing the news from the Internet. When Baraha is used while connected to the Internet the News Icon becomes highlighted if the news is available. The News Icon also flashes if the updated news is available. The user can click on this icon to access the news.

All these window panes are resizable . You can resize them according to your wish. Drag the horizontal/vertical separators using mouse, to adjust the window sizes.

In addition to the above windows a Flash Window is also shown sometimes.This pane is used for showing flash news when the user is connected to the Internet. The Flash Window(not shown in the picture) stays only for a brief period of time and will automatically disappear from the screen.

The Toolbars:

There are altogether 3 floating toolbars in Baraha namely Standard toolbar, Default Properties toolbar and the Internet toolbar. For a description about the toolbars, follow the link to Using the Toolbars section.

The User Interface:

Baraha's User Interface  constitutes menu, tooltips & status messages. The UI language has to be specified during the installation. Later on if you wish, you can select the language in which the User Interface is to be displayed by choosing Options | UI Language (B‡µ±ÊS®¡®± | …Š®œ®u® „Â¯Çµ) or clicking on the [image] icon on the standard toolbar and selecting the language in the dialog box that appears. Presently Kannada / English can be selected and is not available for the Devanagari script.

Baraha can be used to type Kannada/Devanagari directly in other windows applications using 'Baraha Direct' window. This can be displayed by selecting Windows | Baraha Direct (OhOS®¡®± | wµ°Š® …Š®œ®) from the menu or using the  [image] icon on the standard toolbar. Follow the link to Using the Baraha Direct Window section for a detailed description of its User Interface.

Note:

→  Baraha remembers its previous state. Which means that when you restart the Baraha application, the position of the windows will be exactly the same as where you left it when you last exited. Also, if you exit from the Baraha Direct Window, the next time when you start Baraha, the Baraha Direct Window appears. The same thing is true in the case of the Baraha Main Window.

→ Locate Word menu command tries to locate the corresponding word in the Input Window. During editing in the Input Window, the  text content gets changed and hence may not match the text content of the Output Window. You have to use the Transliterate (CTRL+T) menu command often to keep the text in the Output Window in sync with the text in the Input Window, so that the exact word is located when Locate Word menu command is used.


What is Baraha
What is Baraha ?

Baraha (means "Writing" in Kannada language) is a Transliteration software which converts 'Kannada/Sanskrit/Hindi/Marathi text written in english' to their respective scripts. With this basic functionality, it can be used any time & any place you want to employ the above Indian language scripts in Windows operating systems.

Baraha does not need any seperate language specific keyboard. It uses the standard English keyboard as the base to generate the complete set of Kannada/Devanagari alphabet sets thereby enabling the user to create ANY  word  that exists in the dictionary.

Baraha can be used by public for personal use, in government offices and also for general reporting/documentation activities. It is a free software that aims at promoting the extensive use of Indian Languages in the computer world.

Baraha captures the essence of Kannada/Devanagari word processor. Besides having the normal formatting and editing options in the standalone mode of operation, it can also be used with other windows applications such as word processors, spread sheets e.t.c. to edit documents in Kannada/Devanagari directly. For more information on this, see Working with Word Processors.

The following are some specific instances where Baraha can be used :-

→ Desk Top Publishing(D.T.P).

→ Publishing Kannada/Sanskrit/Hindi/Marathi WEB pages on the Internet.

→ Sending E-MAILS in the above Indian languages.

→ Graphics.

→ Spreadsheets.

→ Database applications.


Features of Baraha

→ Baraha is a user friendly transliteration software. Type in English and get Kannada/Devanagari script on the fly.

→ Easy to use. No learning curve for typing required! Needs the know-how of the English keyboard only.

→ Baraha lets you work with 4 Indian languages namely - Kannada, Hindi, Sanskrit & Marathi. The Hindi,Sanskrit & Marathi languages use a common script - Devanagari script.

→ Multiscript feature.  Kannada, English, Devanagari, all in a single document page.

→ Useful for Desk Top Publishing in the Indian languages.

→ Effective use in E-Mailing in regional languages.

→ Web compatible - Lets you export your work as HTML pages.

→ Baraha lets you export your work as a GIF image or a BMP image.

→ Standalone software for editing, printing. Needs no other editors.

→ MS-Word Compatible - Scripts edited in Baraha can be copied to clip-board and pasted into other word processors, for producing state of the art documents in Indian languages.

→ Baraha can be used to directly type the Kannada/Devanagari text in any windows applications such as - word processors, spread sheets, graphics/painting applications and any other application which lets you select the Baraha fonts. See Using Baraha Direct section.

→ Baraha is Internet enabled. If you are on the World Wide Web i.e. connected to the Internet then you can open  the Baraha documents that are on the remote systems using URLs. For example, typing http://www.baraha.com/message.brh in the address bar will open the same document in the Baraha application.

→ Hyperlinks can be embedded in a Baraha document which can be linked to other Baraha documents across the Internet.

→ Baraha supports anudhAththa, swaritha and DhIrgha-swaritha symbols required for vedic text editing. It supports laghu, guru symbols used in Kannada/Devanagari prosody. It also supports haLagannada (for Kannada)characters.

→ Automatic Installation of Baraha fonts.

→ The language for tooltips and menu commands can be set to Kannada.


Baraha Direct Window
The Baraha Direct Window

Baraha Direct Window.

See Also:

→ Baraha Help Contents

→ Frequently Asked Questions

→ Baraha Knowledge Base

Baraha Direct Window allows you to type in Kannada/Devanagari in other windows applications directly using the Baraha's popular transliteration technique. To access this window, click Windows | Baraha Direct (OhOS®¡®± | wµ°Š® …Š®œ®)  menu command in the Baraha Main Window  or click the [image] button in the standard toolbar. When this window is ON, click the target application window where you want to type Kannada/Devanagari text and start typing.

Note:

The tooltip message and the status message for a particular icon in this window indicate the action carried out when that icon is clicked. The status bar is seen only when the Baraha Direct Window is maximized.

The following is an explanation of the icons, switches and the options that appear on the Baraha Direct Window.

Icons :

 is the help button which when clicked will open the Baraha Help topics.

 when clicked will close the Baraha Direct Window and opens the Baraha Main Window. To get back the Baraha Direct Window again simply select the Windows | Baraha Direct(OhOS®¡®± | wµ°Š® …Š®œ®) menu command.

 will minimize the Baraha Direct window into an icon on the taskbar. Pressing F12 key will toggle the Baraha Direct window between minimized and maximized states.

 is the exit button which exits the Baraha application. When you exit Baraha from this place, the same Baraha Direct Window will be shown the next time when you start Baraha.

 is the transliteration switch which switches ON/OFF the transliteration. The hotkey for this transliteration switch is F11 which means that F11 toggles the transliteration ON/OFF. Make sure that you select Baraha Kannada fonts when the transliteration is ON.

 is shown only when the Internet connection is available. This icon when clicked will open the Internet News in the HTML browser. This icon also flashes if the updated news is available.

Options:

 is the language option which lets you select the language in which you want to see the output such as: Kannada or Devanagari.

Note:

This option will be enabled only when the transliteration is OFF.

 is the delay option which lets you select the typing delay. By default the delay will be set to 20ms which is sufficient for most of the applications. You may have to increase this value if the target application is not fast enough to work synchronously with Baraha (in which case some characters may be lost) . In  case you are unable to use Baraha Direct in some application, you need increase the typing delay to 50 ms or more. If you are editing huge documents in applications such as MS Word, naturally the application slows down as for the typing speed is concerned. In such cases you have to increase the value of typing delay.

Note:

This option will be enabled only when the transliteration is OFF.

Some Important tips to be followed while using nEra Baraha in other Windows applications:

When the Target application is MS Word/MS Excel:

→ You should not use any of the Autocorrect options. These options automatically change the characters as you type to correct them. This is good only for the English language. Click Tools | Autocorrect  menu command in MS Word/Excel to go to Autocorrect options dialog box and  disable all the "Autocorrect" options.

Some of the very important autocorrect options to be disabled are as follows. It is better if you disable all other options also.

1) Correct TWo INitial CApitals

2) Capitalize first letter of sentences

3) "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes"

→ Dont use Check spelling as you type option in the Tools | Options | Spelling & Grammar  dialog box. This will avoid the red underline for the Kannada words.

→ Sorting will not work.

When working with tools such as WordArt.

 → Do not use Same Letter Height option

 → Always use Normal Character Spacing option.

Note:

1) When you are editing Kannada/Devanagari in other word processors using Baraha Direct Window, you need not use the switches such as /b /i /u /h etc for setting the bold, italic, underline, font height properties of the Kannada/Devanagari characters. These switches are used only in the Baraha Main Window during transliteration. In the above situation you can set the above character properties in the respective word processor itself. For a description of Switches and how to use them, choose Transliteration | Using Switches(ªy®ãºq®Š®o | S®±ºmS®¡® …¡®Nµ) option in the Baraha application .

2) Baraha Direct is tested to work with most of the Windows applications. In case you find any problem in working with Baraha Direct feature in some applications, please let us know.


About SDK
About Kannada/Devanagari SDK (Software Development Kit)

Features of SDK:

→ Localize your applications in Kannada, Hindi, Sanskrit and Marathi.

→ Effective and cost saving way of implementing your database applications in these languages.

→ Generate reports and notices from your software in these languages.

SDK includes:

→ The Baraha transliteration functionality in a DLL(Both 32 and 16 bit versions available). KANAPI.DLL(for Kannada), DEVAPI.DLL(for Devanagari).

→ Baraha Kannada and Devanagari TrueType fonts.

→ The documentation and the sample source code.

→ The font installation utility.

Note:

You can download the unregistered/trial version of the SDK from this HTTP address: http://www.baraha.com. You can use this trial version to create Kannada/Devanagari Demo applications. The trial version of Baraha SDK will display a comment in the application saying that it was created with unregistered version. If you wish to commercialise your product, you have to register it with the author and pay the registration fee. For the registered version details, contact: baraha@hotmail.com. Once you have registered, you will receive a personal registration number that you can enter into the program so it knows that you have registered.


Working with other applications
Working with word processors & other applications

There are 3 ways of using Baraha with other Applications:

1) Copy & Paste Method:  You can copy your work from Baraha to other Windows applications like MS Word/Excel through clip-board. Click on the Output Window and select Edit | Copy(š®ºy¯u®wµ | w®N®ªš®±) command to copy the text in the Output Window to the clipboard. Then in the other Windows application, select Kannada/Devanagari fonts (whichever is appropriate) and click Edit | Paste command to paste it. Note that, when you Edit | Copy from Baraha, only the default Indian language text (Kannada/Sanskrit/Hindi/Marathi) words are copied to the clipboard. The other language words including English words are ignored and are not copied.

2) Export: You can Export the Baraha file as a HTML file by clicking File | Export... menu command. You will be asked to give a file name. Then you can open this HTML document using an application such as Front Page or any HTML editors for editing.

3) Using Baraha Direct(nEra baraha): In Baraha 2.0 & above you can edit Kannada/Devanagari script in any windows applications which lets you select the Kannada/Devanagari font. To type Kannada/Devanagari directly in other application, run Baraha  and  the target application. In Baraha, choose Edit | Baraha Direct (š®ºy¯u®wµ | wµ°Š® …Š®œ®) from the menu so that the Baraha Direct Window appears. Make sure that the transliteration is ON (You can use the shortcut key F11 to toggle) and simply start typing in your target application using Baraha transliteration scheme. For a detailed description of Baraha Direct Window, see the topic Baraha Direct Window.


Version history

1st release - Baraha 1.0 - 1st January 1998

→ First public release, uploaded to public FTP sites.

2nd release - Baraha 1.1 - 4th April 1998

→ Fixed many major bugs in 1.0.

→ Improved the overall performance compared to 1.0.

→ Implemented the system menu and the window caption in Kannada.

→ Included the picture of a.na.kRu in the dedicated to.. screen.

→ The help on transliteration syntax is provided both in Kannada & English.

3rd release - Baraha 2.0 - 21st February 1999

→ Added the Baraha Direct feature wherein Baraha can be used in any windows applications.

→ Introduced a new type of font named Kai Baraha.

→ Added a new option for saving the work as picture. GIF and BMP file formats are supported.

→ Automatic fonts installation.

→ Updated and enhanced Kannada fonts to support numbers, haLegannada characters and some new symbols.

→ Enhanced UI to support tooltips and status bar messages to be in Kannada.

→ Added a new option Help | Close(š®œ¯‡®± | î®±±X®±Ï)  for closing the help window .

4th release - Baraha 2000 - 1st January 2000

→ Supports Devanagari scripts along with the Kannada language. The Devanagari scripts can be used to edit Sanskrit, Hindi and Marathi languages.

→ Baraha is now Internet enabled. Users can now access a Baraha document across the World Wide Web!

→ Hyperlinks can be embedded in a Baraha document which can be linked to other Baraha documents across the Internet.

→ Simplified transliteration scheme for Kannada/Devanagari languages.

→ Main Window layout is more user friendly - The currently selected window pane is focussed with a green border.

→ Added a new Internet toolbar.

→ Introduced the News & Flash window panes.

5th release - Baraha 2000a - 28th July, 2000

→ Baraha 2000a supports the usage of Devanagari script in Baraha Direct in addition to the Kannada script. This means that Kannada, Sanskrit, Hindi and Marathi languages can be directly typed in other Applications.

→ A new Kannada font called "Baraha Vijay" is added.

→ "Baraha Kan New" Bold font is provided.

→ Accessing the Internet news is made userfriendly. Instead of forcefully displaying the "News Window" to the user every time, a News Icon is added which can be clicked to access the Internet News. This icon will highlight if the news is accessible. It also flashes if the updated news is available.

→ Edting in the Baraha Window is made much more easier. Right click on the word in the Output Window and select Locate Word menu command to highlight the corresponding English word in the Input Window.

→ Baraha Direct window is improved. The Baraha Direct window can now be minimized into the taskbar.

→ Right & Left margins can be added during printing and also saving as BMP/GIF files.

→ Mouse Wheel support is added.


Sending E-mail in Baraha Format
Sending e-mail using Baraha

One of the important uses of Baraha is sending email in Indian languages.

To send e-mails directly from Baraha application:

Type the document and transliterate it. Now choose the File | Send Mail(N®l®q® | y®q®ä N®¢š®±) command from the menu or use the shortcut key CTRL+M or use the button on the Internet toolbar. There are three ways of sending mail.

1) Sending mail as a BRH file:

You can choose Send as a BRH file option to send the Kannada/Devanagari written in English  to the recipients. The recipients can later open this BRH file in Baraha for viewing. Note that, in this case, the recipients will still be able to read the mail, even if they do not have Baraha because the mail is in readable roman script.

2) Sending mail as a HTML document:

If the recipients of your mail have HTML compatible e-mail software - like Hotmail, Rocketmail etc,  you can choose Send as HTML file option. But the recipients should have installed the necessary baraha fonts to view the mail properly. Otherwise the recipient will be seeing only junk characters on the screen.

3) Sending mail as a Picture:

You can send email as GIF files. This method does not require that the recipient have the Baraha Kannada fonts. This method is useful when you want to send emails from Baraha to people who work on non Windows platforms such as Unix or Mac.

Note:

You can send Mail/Fax directly from Baraha only if MAPI information services are installed on your system. If the MAPI services are not installed on your system, then, the Send Mail... menu will not be displayed at all while the Send Mail... icon is disabled in the tool bar. You can install the MAPI services by clicking the Mail and Fax icon in the Control Panel.

To send email directly from Baraha, you need Microsoft Exchange or other 32-bit e-mail program compatible with the Messaging Application Programming Interface [MAPI]. Some email programs are Microsoft OutLook, Eudora and Netscape Mail. Sending documents through e-mail may not work across electronic mail gateways.

To send e-mails using other e-mail applications like Hotmail/Yahoo Mail or MS Outlook Express:

If you can't send mails directly from Baraha, you can edit the letter first and save it as BRH file or export it as HTML or GIF files. To do this, choose the File | Export... (N®l®q® | Š®‚®¼ÈÙ î®¾¯l®±)option. You can then attach the file to your e-mail and send it to the recepient. While exporting the file as a GIF file, to set the size of the picture or to  have a background image,  you need to first use the Picture Setup option in File | Picture Setup(N®l®q® | Yq®ä ïw¯ãš®). For details, go to Using Picture Setup Dialog Box section.

You can also use Edit | Copy as HTML (š®ºy¯u®wµ | HX¬.i.Hº.HŒ¬. Aºqµ w®N®ªš®±) menu command to copy the contents of the Output Window in HTML format and paste it into the e-mail software for sending the mail in the HTML format.

If you are sending Kannada/Sanskrit/Hindi/Marathi emails from Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Outlook  you should click (check) the "Always Send Messages In Microsoft Exchange Rich Text Format" check box.

Please read FAQ's for more information on sending e-mails in using Baraha.


Default Settings Dialog box
Using Default Settings dialog box

First, choose the window pane(Output/Preview/Help Window) for which you want to change the settings. Click Options | Default Settings (B‡µ±ÊS®¡®± | y®½î®ÁxuÂ¯Á‹q® ›u®ÜqµS®¡®±) command to view the Default Settings dialog box. You can also double click on the window pane to bring up this dialog box. In this dialog box, you can set the default settings such as :-

→ Default Indian Language - Hindi, Kannada, Marathi & Sanskrit are available. This is the language to which the input text is transliterated to by default. You can override the default language using the language switches such as /lkan, /leng, /lhin etc.

→ The font for the Default Indian Language. - For Kannada you have "Baraha Kan New" , "Baraha Vijay", "Kai Baraha" & "Baraha Kan Vedic". For Hindi/Sanskrit/Marathi you have "Baraha Devanagari" , "Baraha Devanagari Simple" &  "Baraha Devanagari Extra". The fonts are clearly explained in Using Baraha Fonts section.

→ Default Indian Language Font Size.

→ Default English Font - You can select an English font of your choice by clicking on the Change.. button and then selecting a new font from the list that appears.

→ Default English Font Size.

→ Default Text color

→ Paper color(Window Background Color)

→ Default Alignment

→ Default Font Style

→ Default Line Spacing

You can also change these default values such as Alignment, Font Style, Font Size, and Text Color by clicking on the respective buttons on the Defauly Properties toolbar in Baraha.

Note:

The font size can be specified separately for the Indian language fonts and English font. This allows you to use the proper font sizes for different languages so that the size of the multi script text looks even.


Edit Dialog box
Using Edit dialog box

Baraha has a dialog box interface to help formatting the input text. Click Edit | Edit Dialog(š®ºy¯u®wµ | š®ºN®©w® š®ºî¯u®X¹N®) menu command to access this dialog box. Select the text you want to format in the Input Window (Lower Bottom) and click on Get Selected Text button in the dialog box. Now the selected text appears in the edit control, with all the existing switches removed. You can now format the text by selecting the Language, Font, Text Color, Text Background Color, Font Style, Font Size and click Apply  button. The selected text in the Input Window will then be replaced with the formatted text.

You can use this dialog box along with the Find-Replace dialog box to format the required text in the Input Window. For example: you may want certain words to appear in English script itself. In that case you can search for those words using Find-Replace dialog and format using Edit Dialog and apply wherever required.

Note:

→ This functionality may affect the properties of the text that follows the replaced text. You have to use this dialog box only in suitable cases. Please check the results after transliteration.

→ In Baraha, you can apply the formatting such as size, color, alignment, language etc to the input text only. You cannot select the transliterated output text and format it.


Page Setup Dialog box
Using Page Setup dialog box

The Page Setup Dialog box has the following options which are used during printing.

Margins :

You can select the Top, Bottom, Left and Right margins for your page in inches by typing an appropriate number in the boxes provided for that purpose in the dialog box. You can then view the Print Preview to have a look at the page.

Headers and Footers :

Type in the header and footer text you want the page to contain in the boxes provided. Here you can select the header or footer to be in English or Kannada/Devanagari by checking/clearing the checkbox provided. You can check the 'Print Header and Footer in English' check box for printing in English. You can choose to print top and bottom horizontal lines, and left and right vertical lines  by checking the appropriate check boxes.

Note:

You cannot have both English and Kannada/Devanagari headers/footers at the same time.

You can also print specific information as part of the headers/footers by including the following characters as part of the text.

&d	Date(1-31)

&m	Month(1-12)

&y	Year(1970-2038)

&H	Hour(0-23)

&M	Minute(0-59)

&S	Seconds(0-59)

&D	Day of the week(bhAnuvAra, somavAra...etc)

&b	Month of the year(january february...etc)

&p	Page number(1, 2, 3... etc)

Example:

"&D, &b &d, &y" prints as "î®±ºS®¡®î¯Š®, mšµº…Š¬ 2, 1997" if the default Indian language is Kannada.

"&D, &b &d, &y" prints as "«da›d¬d®ddT, eNµ±dya©dT 2, 1997" if the default Indian language is Sanskrit/Hindi/Marathi.

"puta &p" prints the page numbers like "y®¼h 1" for the first page, "y®¼h 2" for the second page, and so on.

Page Title :

This is the title for your HTML file. When you export your work as the HTML file, Baraha will use this title.


Picture Setup Dialog box
Using Picture Setup dialog box

In Baraha you can export your work as GIF or BMP files. Click File | Export (N®l®q® | Š®‚®¼ÈÙ î®¾¯l®±) menu command to export the document. The Picture Setup Dialog box has the following options which are used when you export your work as GIF or BMP files.

Graphic Output Dimensions :

You can specify the Width and Height of the picture in pixels by typing an appropriate number in the boxes provided for that purpose. If the output cannot fit in one BMP/GIF file then multiple files are created. For example, when you export with file name say 'test.gif' then test.gif, test01.gif, test02.gif files are created if one picture file is not sufficient to save the work.

Background Image :

Using this option you can select a background image for your work. This image will be used as the background for your exported gif or bmp file(picture).

Some Tips:

→ This option can be utilized to create greeting cards in Kannada/Sanskrit/Hindi/Marathi.

→ While using this option, make sure that the dimensions of the output picture in pixels is SAME as the background image.

→ If you use the background image for your exported file, the size of the GIF will be MORE than when no background is used.

→ If the path of background image is incorrect, no background will be printed.

Margins :

You can select the margin for the picture using this option. Just enter appropriate numbers(in pixels) in the boxes provided for that purpose.

Headers and Footers :

Type in the header and footer text you want the picture to contain in the boxes provided. Here you can select the header or footer to be in English or default Indian language(Kannada/sanakrit/Hindi/Marathi) by checking/clearing the checkbox provided. You can check the 'Print Header and Footer in English' check box for printing in English. You can choose to print top and bottom horizontal lines, and left and right vertical lines by checking the appropriate check boxes.

Note:

•	You cannot have both English and Kannada headers/footers at the same time.

·	·	·	·	·

•	When you export as BMP files the no of colors in the exported BMP files depends on the color depth(no. of colors) of the system. The color depth of the system is set in the "Display Settings" dialog box in Windows. The most common display settings are 256 colors, High Color(16 Bit), True Color(24 Bit), True Color(32 Bit).

·	·	·	·	·

•	When exporting as GIF files, if the color depth is more than 256 colors, then the original colors of the Background Image are lost in the GIF files. The workaround for this problem is to export as BMP files and then convert the BMP files to GIF files using professional graphic tools such as PaintShop Pro, Adobe Photoshop e.t.c.

·	·	·	·	·

•	You can also print specific information as part of the headers/footers by including the following characters as part of the text.

·	·	·	·	·

&d	Date(1-31)

&m	Month(1-12)

&y	Year(1970-2038)

&H	Hour(0-23)

&M	Minute(0-59)

&S	Seconds(0-59)

&D	Day of the week(bhAnuvAra, somavAra...etc)

&b	Month of the year(january february...etc)

&p	Page number(1, 2, 3... etc)

Example:

"&D, &b &d, &y" prints as "î®±ºS®¡®î¯Š®, mšµº…Š¬ 2, 1997" if the default Indian language is Kannada.

"&D, &b &d, &y" prints as "«da›d¬d®ddT, eNµ±dya©dT 2, 1997" if the default Indian language is Sanskrit/Hindi/Marathi.

"puta &p" prints the page numbers like "y®¼h 1" for the first page, "y®¼h 2" for the second page, and so on.


What's New in Baraha 2000a

→ Baraha 2000a supports the usage of Devanagari script in Baraha Direct in addition to the Kannada script. This means that Kannada, Sanskrit, Hindi and Marathi languages can be directly typed in other Applications.

→ A new Kannada font called "Baraha Vijay" is added.

→ "Baraha Kan New" Bold font is provided.

→ Accessing the Internet news is made userfriendly. Instead of forcefully displaying the "News Window" to the user every time, a News Icon is added which can be clicked to access the Internet News. This icon will highlight if the news is accessible. It also flashes if the updated news is available.

→ Editing in the Baraha Window is made much more easier. While editing in Baraha Window, user can locate the corresponding English word in the Input Window for a given Kannada/Devanagari word in the Output Window. Just Right click on the word in the Output Window and select Locate Word menu command.

→ Baraha Direct window is improved. The Baraha Direct window can now be minimized into the taskbar.

→ Page Break is are introduced. </newpage> switch can be used to print the paragraph on a new page.

→ Right Side Alignment is introduced. </aright> switch can be used to align the paragraph to the right side margin.

→ Right & Left margins can be added during printing and also saving as BMP/GIF files.

→ Mouse Wheel support is added. Mouse wheel can be used to scroll lineup/linedown in the Output Window. When the mouse wheel is used while SHIFT key is pressed, pageup/pagedown occur. Using the mouse wheel while CTRL key is pressed increases/decreases the default font sizes.


Installation

Baraha 2000a is distributed as a self extracting executable file named brh2000a.exe. This file when executed will extract the files and installs the Baraha 2000a program.

During installation, you will be asked to specify the default Indian language (Kannada,Hindi,Sanskrit or Marathi) and the user interface language (Kannada/English in this version). For the default Indian language, choose the language you want to use when you first start the Baraha program. Later you can use the Default settings dialog box to change the default Indian language. Similarly, in the user interface language option, you can choose the language in which the menu items are to be displayed. Later you can use the [image] icon to change the user interface language.

After the installation, run baraha.exe which is the Baraha program. Baraha installs all the fonts for all the languages it supports automatically when you execute the program. This saves you from manually installing the fonts from the control panel which was needed for the earlier versions(1.0 & 1.1) of Baraha.

If you wish to give copy of Baraha to your friends/relatives, simply copy this brh2000a.exe file.

The following are the True Type Fonts(TTF's) supported by Baraha 2000a:

Kannada

→ Baraha Kan New - brhkannw.ttf

→ Kai Baraha - kailasam.ttf

→ Baraha Vijay - brhvijay.ttf

→ Baraha Kan Vedic - brhvedic.ttf

→ Baraha Kan Music - brhmusic.ttf

Devanagari

→ Baraha Devanagari Simple - brhdevsn.ttf (normal), brhdevsb.ttf (bold)

→ Baraha Devanagari - brhdevn.ttf (normal), brhdevb.ttf (bold)

→ Baraha Devanagari Extra - brhdeven.ttf (normal), brhdeveb.ttf (bold)

Note:

→ All these fonts except the "Baraha Kan Music" are installed in your machine automatically when you install the Baraha Software. For more information on these fonts and their usage, read the Using the Baraha Fonts section.

→ Baraha 2000a works only in Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows NT platforms. It is not available on any non-Windows platforms. For Windows 3.1 platforms, the 16 bit version of Baraha ie Baraha 1.1(supports Kannada language only) can be downloaded from http://www.baraha.com.


Contact information

If you want any help regarding Baraha or you have any suggestions/comments, feel free to contact...

Sheshadrivasu Chandrasekharan

e-mail:- baraha@hotmail.com

Before asking a question, please make sure that you have the latest version of Baraha and that you have read the related topics in the Baraha help including the Frequently Asked Questions and Knowledge Base sections. In your question please explain in detail how & what you are trying to do.  Also, include information about:

→ Type & Version of the Operating System.

→ Computer configuration (Speed, RAM & free disk space).

→ The word processing software you are using (In case it is a question related to Baraha Direct)

Also visit the website http://www.baraha.com for the latest FAQ and other related information.


A request

Dear Baraha User,

Baraha is a free software which aims at promoting the use of Indian languages in the computer world. The software is dedicated to the eminent & prestigious Kannada novalist Sri A.N.Krishna Rao (popularly known as a.na.kRu among kannadigas). As a tribute to  his selfless service to Karnataka and Kannada language, a.na.kRu fans have instituted the "a.na.kRu prathishtAna". This institution is keen at building the "a.na.kRu kalAbhavana" as a rememberance of a.na.kRu and to enable conduct various Kannada cultural and literary activities.

A humble request to all Baraha users is that they make a small contribution of Rs 250/- to the prathistAna to help achieve its goals. An amount more than Rs 250/- is also very much welcome. We sincerely hope that you will appreciate and respect this noble intention of Baraha.

Contributions to a.na.kRu prathishtAna can be addressed to :

A.NA.KRU Prathistana,

Account No. 7270,

Karnataka Bank,

Hosakerehalli Branch,

Bangalore - 560 085.

And you can send the Cheque/Draft/MO to the following address :

A.NA.KRU Prathistana,

#57, ITI Layout,

Vidyapeeta,

Banashankari 3rd stage,

Bangalore - 560 085.

Phone: 6692694

Non-resident kannadigas can send the cheque in their currency itself to the same address given above.

Thank You,

Baraha Team


Creating multiscript document

One of the main features of Baraha is the Multi-Script support it provides, which means that you can have Kannada,English and Devanagari scripts in a single Baraha document. To change from one language to another say for example, you want to include English words or numbers in the Kannada document, you need to use Switches. Switches are like HTML tags which are not seen in the output text but the effect of it can be seen. For a detailed description of these switches and their usage.


FAQ's
Frequently Asked Questions

Please visit http://www.baraha.com/faq.htm for latest FAQ.

Also take a look at the Baraha Knowledge Base.

Note:

Although we use MS Word application as the example in the FAQ, the answers equally apply to any other Windows applications.

1) Is Baraha 2000/2000a supported on Windows 3.1 and Windows 3.11 ?

No. Baraha 2000/2000a works only on Win32 Operating Systems such as Windows 95/98/2000 and Windows NT. For Windows 3.1 and Windows 3.11 you should use the previous version of Baraha which  is Baraha 1.1. Note that Baraha 1.1 supports only Kannada language.

2) How can I use Baraha with MS Word or any other word processor ?

With Baraha you can edit professional looking Kannada/Devanagari documents with the same ease as editing any document in English. Please read Working with word processors & other applications topic.

3) I have Baraha Direct Window ON. But when I type in MS Word I get only English characters. What is the problem ?

Check if the transliteration switch is ON. If it is OFF turn it ON. You can turn ON/OFF the Transliteration switch using F11 key also.

4) Still I am not getting Kannada/Devanagari characters in MS Word. What is the problem ?

Check if you have selected the Baraha fonts in  the target application properly. Baraha supports 4 Kannada fonts "Baraha Kan New",  "Baraha Vijay", "Baraha Kan Vedic" and "Kai Baraha" and 3 Devanagari fonts "Baraha Devanagari Simple", "Baraha Devanagari" & "Baraha Devanagari Extra". You should select one of these fonts in the target application when you are editing Kannada/Devanagari text.

5) OK now I can type in Kannada words. But some words are not coming properly.  What is the problem ?

You must have chosen Autocorrect and AutoFormat options in the MS Word. These options automatically change the characters as you type to correct them. This is good only for English language. Click Tools | Autocorrect  menu command in MS Word to go to Autocorrect options and  disable all the "Autocorrect" options.

6) Can I use baraha in M.S. Excel ?

Baraha can be used in any Windows applications as long as you have the options to select Baraha fonts. Word processors, Page Makers, HTML editors, Spreadsheets, Painting applications... to name a few.

7) How do I switch between Kannada and English languages when I am editing in MS Word ?

When you are editing in MS Word, you can click the Transliteraion ON button to switch to Kannada language mode. You can click the same button again to switch OFF transliteration. You can also toggle ON and OFF the transliteration mode by pressing F11 key. Note that when you change to English mode(Transliteraion OFF) you should select the English fonts before typing. Similarly when you switch to Kannada mode(Transliteraion ON) you should again select Baraha kannada fonts before typing.

8) Should I use language switches </leng> </lkan> when editing in MS Word  to switch between Kannada and English languages?

No. When you are using Baraha Direct Window, you can switch between the Kannada and English languages as explained in the above question (7).

9) How can I close the help pane in Baraha, so that I have more space for the Output Window?

In the Baraha Main Window you can resize the panes (there are four panes in the Baraha Main Window) by dragging the horizontal and vertical pane seperators. To close the help pane, you can also click the Windows | Hide Help menu command.

10) When the Baraha appliaction starts I go to the Baraha Main Window. But I dont know where to type English characters. I dont see the Input Window?

The Input Window (bottom left window) may be hidden. Resize the panes to get the Input Window. You can also click Windows | Hide Help or Windows | Show Help menu command to rearrange them automatically.

11) When I start Baraha, in the output window, I dont see Kannada/Devanagari characters. I see only some junk characters ?

Check if the Kannada/Devanagari fonts are installed properly. Go to the Control Panel and click the fonts icon and see if the Baraha Kan New, Baraha Vijay, Kai Baraha, Baraha Devanagari fonts are there.

12) I edited some Kannada/Devanagari text in M.S.Word and saved it. Now if I open it again I see only junk characters?

When ever you see junk characters instead of expected Kannada/Devanagari characters, it means that the fonts are not installed. May be you have accidentally deleted the Baraha fonts. Click Control Panel | Fonts icon  and reinstall them. When you run Baraha program it will automatically reinstall the fonts.

13) How can I create tables in Baraha ? How can I use pictures along with Kannada/Devanagari text ?

Baraha does not natively support pictures and tables. But you can create tables, insert pictures into your Kannada/Devanagari document using MS Word the same way you do for English documents.

14) What is the best method to send E-mails in Kannada/Devanagari using Baraha?

You can send Kannada/Devanagari emails in 3 formats as follows. You have to choose them according to the facility available at the recepient's site.

Save your mail as a BRH file in Baraha and send as an attachment :

The recepient should have the Baraha software to open the BRH file to read it. But, in this method the recepient wont be able to see the email directly in Kannada/Devanagari in the email software itself.

Save(Export) your mail as a HTML file in Baraha and send as an attachment :

If the recepient has a Web Browser supported email software like HOTMAIL, ROCKETMAIL etc. And if he has installed the Baraha fonts, then he can see the Kannada/Devanagari emial directly in the email software itself. But, if he does not have the Baraha fonts installed then he will see only junk characters.

Save(Export) your mail as a GIF file in Baraha and send as an attachment :

The recepient need not have installed the Baraha fonts and does not need Baraha software. He can open the GIF file in any program that supports it. If he is using a Web browser supported email software like HOTMAIL, ROCKETMAIL then he will be able to see the Kannada/Devanagari mail in the browser itself. The only disadvantage in this case is that the email size will be more.

15) When we receive an e-mail, which contains a Kannada/Devanagari HTML file as attachment,  how do we view the document at recipient's end ?

Save the HTML file to your hard disk and open it in a WEB browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.

16) When we receive an e-mail, which contains a Baraha BRH file as attachment,  how do we view the document at recipient's end?

Save the file to your hard disk. Run Baraha program and open the BRH file.

17) When we receive an e-mail, which contains a Kannada/Devanagari GIF file as attachment,  how do we view it at recipient's end?

Save the file to your hard disk. Open the GIF file from the Netscape or Internet Explorer.

18) I want to create a greeting card in Kannada/Devanagari. How can I do it using Baraha ?

In Baraha you can save (File | Export (N®l®q® | Š®‚®¼ÈÙ î®¾¯l®±)) your work as GIF or BMP picture file. You can also select a suitable background for the output picture file. Set these options in the File | Picture Setup(N®l®q® | Yq®ä ïw¯ãš®) dialog box.

19) How do I check if the Baraha fonts are properly installed ?

You can go to the Control Panel and click the fonts icon. You will see all the fonts that are installed in your system.

20) How to do spellcheck in Baraha ?

Spellcheck is not yet supported in Baraha software.

21) I want to create my website in Kannada/Devanagari.  I want people using non Windows platforms to visit my site?

Publish your webpages as GIF files. You can save your work as GIF files in Baraha.

22) How do I make Baraha fonts dynamic ?

Please read Dynamic Fonts topic.

23) What is the maximum size of the document that can be edited in Baraha Main Window ?

The maximum size of the document is as follows:

 In Windows 95/98 Operating System => Between 30kb to 60kb depending on other running appliactions.

 In Windows 2000/NT Operating System => 4GB.

However, if you are editing in other word processors then the maximum size of the document is equal to the maximum size that the software supports.

24) While editing In Baraha Main Window,  I am not getting bold, underline, italic for a specific Kannada/Devanagari word. But I am getting bold / underline for the entire text ?

The Bold, Underline, Italic command buttons on the tool bar set the default font style property for the window. So they affect the entire window. If you want to make only some section of the text bold or underline then you have to use /b /-b /u /-u switches. See Selective Text Formatting for more information.

25) Is Baraha useful only if one has Internet and E-mail facilities ?

Baraha can be used in word processors, spread sheets, page makers and other windows applications.

26) When I try to install the Baraha fonts, it replied as invalid font file . What is the problem?

The font file may be corrupted. Please download them again.

27) Can the receiver of the mail be able to see the Kannada/Devanagari words as soon as he gets the mail instead of opening the Baraha application & reading the same, which could be quite monotonous.

This is possible if the sender sends the mail as HTML or GIF files. And the recepient is reading the mail in Netscape or Internet Explorer Browsers.

28) Can I send E-mails dircectly from Baraha ?

This is possible only if you have installed MAPI services in your system. Read Sending E-mails in Baraha Format topic in the help file.

29) I am using Internet Explorere 5.0. I have installed the Baraha fonts properly. Still i am not able to see the Kannada/Devanagari words properly ?

Right click on the IE 5.0 window select Encoding | User Defined encoding

30) When editing using Baraha Direct Window, sometimes some Kannada/Devanagari characters does not come properly.

Please make sure that you are not running any processor intensive application in the background when using Baraha Direct Window.

31) How do I use hyperlinks in a Baraha document ?

Read the Switches topic.

32) Why there are 3 different fonts for Devanagari. ?They all  look the same.

Read the Using Baraha Fonts topic.


Using the Baraha fonts

Baraha 2000a comes with the following True Type Fonts(TTF's):

Kannada Fonts:

1. Baraha Kan New - brhkannw.ttf(normal), brhkanwb.ttf(bold)

2. Kai Baraha - kailasam.ttf

3. Baraha Vijay - brhvijay.ttf

4. Baraha Kan Vedic - brhvedic.ttf

5. Baraha Kan Music - brhmusic.ttf

Among the Kannada fonts, only 4 fonts namely "Baraha Kan New", "Baraha Vijay" - the standard fonts, "Kai Baraha" - the handwriting style font, and "Baraha Kan Vedic" - which includes vedic, laghu & guru symbols, are installed automatically in your system when the Baraha 2000a program is installed. The "Baraha Kan Music" is similar to the "Baraha Kan New" font except that a few other symbols like - a dot below a character and a dot above a character are included in it. This font is not installed automatically and the user has to install it, if it is needed. Please refer to Using Baraha Kan Music font for details.

Note:

The above mentioned fonts are not compatible with "Baraha Kan"(barahakn.ttf) that comes with Baraha 1.0 & Baraha 1.1 versions. It means that the Kannada documents created using "Baraha Kan" font can not be viewed with "Baraha Kan New", "Baraha Vijay" or "Kai Baraha" fonts.

Devanagari Fonts:

5. Baraha Devanagari Simple - brhdevsn.ttf (normal), brhdevsb.ttf (bold)

6. Baraha Devanagari - brhdevn.ttf (normal), brhdevb.ttf (bold)

7. Baraha Devanagari Extra - brhdeven.ttf (normal), brhdeveb.ttf (bold)

Among these Devanagari fonts, the only difference is in the avarage character height of the characters. Generally one has to use "Baraha Devanagari Simple" or "Baraha Devanagari" fonts. The average character height of "Baraha Devanagari" is more than that of the "Baraha Devanagari Simple" font. Because of this, the text lines appear loosely spaced when "Baraha Devanagari" font is used. When the "Baraha Devanagari Simple" is used the text lines appear more closer. The "Baraha Devanagari Extra" font can be used when vedic, laghu or guru symbols are required and provides more spacing between lines than the other two fonts.


The Toolbars

Toolbars allow you to access the commands in Baraha quickly. There are altogether 3 floating toolbars namely  Standard toolbar, Default Properties toolbar and the Internet toolbar. The following is a detailed explanation of the toolbars and the buttons.

The Standard toolbar:

As the name itself suggests, this toolbar has the standard buttons for Save,Cut,Copy etc. The following is a brief explanation of each of the buttons in this toolbar listed in the same order as they appear.

 is used to change the User Interface language(Kannada/English). User interface language specifies the language in which the menu items, tooltips and status messages appear. You can also choose Options | UI Language (B‡µ±ÊS®¡®± | …Š®œ®u® „Â¯Çµ) from the menu.

 Creates a new Baraha document. You can also use CTRL+N as the shotcut key. Or choose File | New (N®l®q® | œµ²š®) from the menu.

 Opens an existing Baraha document. CTRL+O is the shortcut key for this. Or choose File | Open (N®l®q® | qµSµ) from the menu.

 Saves the active Baraha document. CTRL+S is the shortcut key. Or choose File | Save (N®l®q® | E¢š®±) from the menu.

 Exports the current active document to other file formats such as HTML , GIF or BMP. The menu equivalent of this is File | Export...(N®l®q® | Š®‚®¼ÈÙ î®¾¯l®±). To know more about exporting files, see the sections Working with Word Processors and Sending E-mails in Baraha format.

 Cuts the selection and puts it on the clipboard. CTRL+X is the shortcut key for this. Or choose Edit | Cut (š®ºy¯u®wµ | N®q®Ù‹š®±) from the menu. Note that this icon is enabled only when the Input Window is focussed and when a selection is made. You cannot make a selection in the Preview or the Output window panes.

 Copies the contents of the Output window and puts it on the clipboard. CTRL+C is the shortcut key for this. Or choose Edit | Copy (š®ºy¯u®wµ | w®N®ªš®±) from the menu. This command is useful for copying Kannada/Devanagari  text from Baraha to other Windows applications. For more details see the section on Working with Word Processors.

 Copies the contents of the Output window and puts it in the clipboard in the HTML format. You can also choose Edit | Copy as HTML (š®ºy¯u®wµ | HX¬.i.Hº.HŒ¬ Aºqµ w®N®ªš®±) from the menu. This option is useful for sending e-mails in the HTML format.

 Pastes or Inserts the clipboard contents. CTRL+V is the shortcut key. Or choose Edit | Paste (š®ºy¯u®wµ | Aºiš®±) from the menu. Note that this option is enabled only when the Input Window is focussed.

 Shows how a file will look when you print it. You can also choose File | Print Preview (N®l®q® | î®±±u®äo î®±±wµ²Ý°h).

 Prints the active file. You can also choose File | Print (N®l®q® | î®±±väš®±) from the menu. Or use CTRL+P as the shortcut key.

 Transliterate to Indian language script. The text in the Input Window gets converted to the default language you have selected. You can also use hotkey CTRL+T or choose Edit | Transliterate (š®ºy¯u®wµ | ªy®ãºq®‹š®±) from the menu.

 Opens up the Baraha Direct User Interface which can be used to type in the Indian languages directly in other windows applications. To know more, see Using Baraha Direct section. The alternative for this button is to choose Windows | Baraha Direct (OhOS®¡®± | wµ°Š® …Š®œ®).

 Opens up the Find-Replace dialog box. Using this, you can search and replace a specific word in the Input Window. This option can also be used along with the Edit Dialog box for formatting the text. For details, see Using Edit Dialog Box section. The shortcut key is CTRL+F or choose Edit | Find-Replace (š®ºy¯u®wµ | œ®±l®±N®±-…u®ªš®±).

 Opens up the Edit Dialog box. Shortcut key is CTRL+E. The menu equivalent is Edit | Edit-Dialog (š®ºy¯u®wµ | š®ºN®©w® š®ºî¯u®X¹N®). For details, see Using Edit Dialog Box section.

 Shows the Output Window in full screen mode. The menu equivalent is Windows | Full Screen (OhOS®¡®± | y®½oÁ y®Š®uµ).

 Hides the Baraha help window. The menu equivalent is Windows | Hide Help (OhOS®¡®± | š®œ¯‡®± Al®Tš®±).

 Shows the Baraha help window. The menu equivalent is Windows | Show Help (OhOS®¡®± | š®œ¯‡®± qµ²°‹š®±).

The Default Properties toolbar:

The Default Properties toolbar has the buttons for font manipulations and for selecting the paper & text color of user choice. Note that this toolbar is disabled when the English Window is selected and that the settings apply only to the currently selected window pane. This toolbar is to be used when you want to change the default settings for the entire text in the Output or Preview window panes. For selectively formatting the text in the Output Window please read Selective Text Formatting. The brief explantion of the buttons follows:

 Opens the Selective Text Formatting help topic.

 Left aligns the text in the focussed window pane.

 Center aligns the text in the focussed window pane.

 Right aligns the text in the focussed window pane.

 Justifies the text in the focussed window pane.

 Sets the default text style to Bold.

 Sets the default text style to Italic.

 Underlines the text in the selected window pane.

 Decreases the font size for the text in the selected window pane. You can also choose Options | Decrease Font Size(B‡µ±ÊS®¡®± | A£®Š®u® S¯q®ä C¢š®±) from the menu.

 Increases the font size for the text in the selected window pane. You can also choose Options | Increase Font Size(B‡µ±ÊS®¡®± | A£®Š®u® S¯q®ä œµYÏš®±) from the menu.

 Allows you to select a color for the text in the selected window pane. Alternative is to choose Options | Text Color(B‡µ±ÊS®¡®± | A£®Š®u® …oØ) from the menu.

 Allows you to select the paper color for the selected window pane. Alternative is to choose Options | Paper Color(B‡µ±ÊS®¡®± | N¯S®u®u® …oØ) from the menu.

The Internet toolabar:

The Internet toolbar has the buttons for easy navigation through the files that are recently opened. Users can now open a Baraha document on the World Wide Web by typing the URL in the address bar. User has to be connected to the Internet for accessing the remote files.

 Sends the current document through electronic mail. CTRL+M is the shortcut key. Or choose File | Send (N®l®q® | y®q®ä N®¢š®±) from the menu. For details see Sending Emails using Baraha.

 The Back button opens up the previous document.

 The Forward button opens up the document you viewed before clicking on the Back button.

 Animates during the access to Internet.

User can type URLs in the address bar. The URL can refer to a local or remote file. This also displays the list of 16 most recent files opened.

 Opens up the file specified in the address bar. User can cancel this operation any time by pressing the ESCAPE key.

 News Icon Accesses the Internet news. Instead of forcefully displaying the "News Window" to the user every time, the News Icon can be clicked to access the Internet News. This icon will highlight if the news is accessible. It also flashes if the updated news is available.


Selective Text Formatting

Many Baraha users have been enquiring about selective formatting in Baraha i.e. setting different sizes, fonts, colors, alignments for the selected portion of the text. The most common complaint from the Baraha users is "when I click the Bold, Italic & Underline buttons on the "Default Properties Toolbar" the entire text is getting Bolded, Italicised & Underlined !". Well, Baraha works in a slightly different way compared to the other word processors like MS Word, WordPad e.t.c., where you can select a portion of the text and make it bold, italic, underline or change the color, size e.t.c.

Baraha is basically a conversion(transliteration) software which converts the given input text in the roman(English) script to the Indian language script. So, If formatting is required for a selected portion of the text, you have to supply the formatting information in the form of Switches in the Input Window itself,  along with the text being transliterated. The example below shows the various formatting possibilities provided in the Baraha software.

Output Text:

Input Text:

</lkan/h26>baraha - uchitha kannada/dhEvanaagari thamthraamsha

</lhin /h32>merA bhArath mahaan...

</leng /h14>Baraha Free Kannada/Devanagari Software

</lkan /h16 /cblue>baraha - </cred>uchitha kannada/dhEvanaagari </cFF00FF>thamthraamsha</-c>

</lkan /h16 /cblue /kyellow>baraha - </cyellow /k0000FF>uchitha kannada/dhEvanaagari </cFF00FF /kblack>thamthraamsha</-c /-k>

</b>baraha - uchitha kannada/dhEvanaagari thamthraamsha</-b>

</i>baraha - uchitha kannada/dhEvanaagari thamthraamsha</-i>

</u>baraha - uchitha kannada/dhEvanaagari thamthraamsha</-u>

</lkan /f"Kai Baraha" /h24 /b>kai baraha akShara shaili.</-h>

</lkan/aleft/h12>edakke saalugoodidha saalugoodidha vaakya. edakke saalugoodidha saalugoodidha vaakya. edakke saalugoodidha vaakya. edakke saalugoodidha vaakya. edakke saalugoodidha vaakya. edakke saalugoodidha vaakya. edakke saalugoodidha.

</lkan/acenter /leng /f"Times New Roman" /b>Center Aligned Text.

Center Aligned Text. Center Aligned Text.

Center Aligned Text.

</lkan/ajustify/h12>homdhaaNisidha saalugaLu. homdhaaNisidha saalugaLu. homdhaaNisidha saalugaLu. homdhaaNisidha saalugaLu. homdhaaNisidha saalugaLu. homdhaaNisidha saalugaLu. homdhaaNisidha saalugaLu.

Please refer to Switches topic for further information.

Note:

It is not possible to include page breaks, pictures, tables, multi columns e.t.c. in Baraha. You have to use other word proceesing software like MS Word for this purpose. You can type Kannada/Devanagari directly in MS Word & other applications using Baraha Direct feature.


Baraha Knowledge Base

Please visit http://www.baraha.com/kbase.htm for latest Knowledge Base.

Also take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions.

Internet Explorer 5.0 problem

If you are using Internet Explorer 5.0 browser for browsing the documents created using Baraha fonts, Some times you may not be able to see the Indian language text properly. In such situations Right click on the IE 5.0 window select Encoding | User Defined encoding.

MS Word problem while using Baraha Direct

When you are typing Kannada words in the MS-Word application using Baraha Direct sometimes you may get improper output. This is due to the Autocorrect and AutoFormat options in the MS Word. These options automatically change the characters as you type to correct the words. These options are useful only while editing English documents. You must disable Autocorrect and AutoFormat options while editing Indian language documnets. Click Tools | Autocorrect  menu command in MS Word to go to Autocorrect options and  disable all the Autocorrect and AutoFormat options. You may have the similar problems in other programs also such as PageMaker, WordPerfect e.t.c.

Maximum size of Baraha documents

The maximum size of the Baraha document is as follows:

In Windows 95/98 Operating System => Between 30kb to 60kb depending on other running appliactions.

In Windows 2000/NT Operating System => 4GB.

These are the operating system constraints. If you plan to create huge Baraha documents containing hundreds of pages, use Baraha on Windows NT or Windows 2000 machine. However, if you are editing Kannada in other word processors using Baraha Direct then the maximum size of the Kannada document is equal to the maximum size that the software supports.

Windows 98 Wordpad.exe problem

If you use the wordpad.exe program that comes with Windows 98/Windows 2000 operating systems, then the Kannada/Devanagari characters  may break and does not appear properly. You can use the wordpad.exe that comes with Windows 95 which does not have this problem.

Using smooth edges for screen fonts

If you use the smooth edges for the screen fonts option then for some font sizes the some characters disappear. It is also observed that on Windows 98 systems, using smooth edges for screen fonts sometimes corrupts the Baraha fonts. In such cases you may want to disable the smooth edges for screen fonts and restart Windows. You can set this option in the Effects tab of the  Display Properties dialog box in the Windows.


Dynamic Fonts

Dynamic fonts are one of the latest developments in HTML design. Instead of relying on the fonts that are installed on the user's machine, web authors can now create pages using the fonts they have on their systems with the assurance that those pages will display in a browser with their font formatting intact. For Indian language websites this means the users need not download and install the various TrueType fonts that the websites use.

Free tools are available in the Internet using which you can create Dynamic fonts. Basically, these tools create .PFR(Portable Font Resource) files or .EOT(Embedded Open Type) files from the TrueType(TTF) files. These PFR and the EOT files are the competing technologies from the TrueDoc and Microsoft Corporation respectively. Naturally, the .PFR is supported well in NetScape 4.0 & above Browsers. The  .EOT files are supported in Internet Explorer 4.0 & above only.

Usually the HTML page will embed both .PFR & .EOT files. Depending on the type of the browser accessing the HTML page either .PFR or .EOT file will be used to render the page using the Dynamic Fonts.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.truedoc.com or http://www.bitstream.com for information on tools and technology for creating .PFR files.

http://www.microsoft.com/OpenType/web/embedding/weft/default.htm for the WEFT(Web Embedding Font Tool) tool from Microsoft for creating .EOT files.


Quick Start Using Baraha

Baraha Main Window

→ Run Baraha 2000a (baraha.exe) program. This will open the Baraha Main Window as shown above.

→ Make sure that the default Indian language of your choice is correct. Baraha 2000 supports Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit languages. Double click on the Output Window and check the Language option in the Default Settings Dialog.

→ In the Baraha Main Window type the following text in the Input Window.

kannadavE sathya kannadavE nithya

sirigannadam gelge sirigannadam baaLge

(for Kannada users)

or

bhAShAsu mukhyA maDhurA dhivyA gIrvaaNabhArathi |

thasyaam hi kaavyam maDhuram thasmAdhapi subhAshithaM ||

(for Devanagari users)

→ During editing the Preview Window shows the current line being edited and also highlights the current word.

→ When the editing is complete, click the [image] icon (CTRL+T hotkey) on the standard toolbar to transliterate the entire text in the Input Window to Indian language script in the Output Window.

Formatting text using Switches:

Try the following examples show Selective Text Formatting  using Switches.  Type them in the Input Window and click [image] icon to transliterate.

Example 1:

</leng>India is great ! </lhin>merA bhArath mahAn ! </lkan> jai karnAtaka mAthe !

Example 2:

</lkan /f"Kai Baraha">kannada kaibaraha akShara shaili

Example 3:

</h42 /cblue> dhappa neeli akSharagaLu</h12 /cred> saNNa kempu akSharagaLu

Example 4:

</leng /b>Bold </-b /i>Italic </-i /u>Underlined</-u> text

</lkan /b>dhappa </-b /i>Ore </-i /u>adigere</-u> akShara shailigaLu

Accessing Help:

Click Transliteration | Scripts | Kannada | Transliteration Rule (ªy®ãºq®Š®o | ªzS®¡®± | N®w®Ýl® | ªy®ãºq®Š®o N®äî®±) menu command to access the help on transliteration syntax for Kannada script. Help is available both in Kannada & English languages.

Click Transliteration | Scripts | Devanagari | Transliteration Rule (ªy®ãºq®Š®o | ªzS®¡®± | uµ°î®w¯S®‹ | ªy®ãºq®Š®o N®äî®±) menu command to access the help on transliteration syntax for Devanagari script.

Click Transliteration | Using Switches (ªy®ãºq®Š®o | S®±ºmS®¡® …¡®Nµ) menu command to access the help on using Switches. Help is available both in Kannada & English languages.


Using Baraha Kan Music font

The Baraha Kan Music font is provided for the purpose of writing music notes in kannada language. This font is not installed automatically and the user has to install it, if it is needed. This font is similar to the Baraha Kan Vedic font except that the swaritha and DhIrGa swaritha characters in the Baraha Kan Vedic font are replaced by the dot below the character and dot above the character in the Baraha Kan Music font.

# character will result in a dot above the following kannada character.

$ character will result in a dot below the following kannada character.

Example:

#sa $ri #ga $ma #pa $dha #ni $sa will produce the output

#š® $‹ #S® $î®± #y® $u® #x $š®

The above output is shown properly only if the "Baraha Kan Music" font is installed in the system.

Note:

# and $ characters are used for swaritha and DhIrGa swaritha characters in the Baraha Kan Vedic font. Please click the Transliteration | Scripts | Kannada | Transliteration Rule menu command for more information on Baraha Kan Vedic font.