Template talk:R:sa:MW

@Sgconlaw Thanks for the changes! You slightly broke the current template usage (the |entry= parameter had no default, and most transclusions of the template don't give that parameter). I've fixed it, but please be careful next time you edit you edit such a widely-used template. —Aryaman^{A (मुझसे बात करें • योगदान)} 00:15, 26 August 2018 (UTC)

Oops, thanks. — SGconlaw (talk) 02:41, 26 August 2018 (UTC)

Entry URL

I think it would be useful to have this template additionally link to a digitized form of the dictionary for greater accessibility and usability, easier copying, etc. There are a few options. Let me know what you think is best (or maybe if I missed some):

• https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/2020/web/webtc/indexcaller.php?key=शब्दकोश
  • Pros: well-formatted and nice-looking page, has links to scans (both for MW and for certain referenced texts), allows switching between Devanagari and romanizations
  • Cons: you have to manually select input as Devanagari and hit enter again (there's no URL parameter that sets this, I tried; but once you set it once, the cookie is stored to search by Devanagari thereafter). Also, the default output is romanization, but this can be changed easily, so I don't consider it a big concern.
• https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/2020/web/webtc/getword.php?key=शब्दकोश&filter=deva&transLit=deva
  • Same as the above with a couple differences.
  • Pros: The link "just works"; no selection of input as Devanagari needed the first time.
  • Cons: Does not look as nice, does not allow user to input other searches, does not allow switching between Devanagari and romanizations, although you can do so by manually changing the URL parameters: [1]
• https://sanskrit.inria.fr/MW/257.html#zabdakoza
  • Cons: Has a lot of irrelevant entries, not just the one being mentioned. Linking to it is nontrivial; requires knowing which numbered page the term is on, which would require scraping the list and writing code, then you have to convert to Kyoto-Harvard for the anchor.
• https://kosha.sanskrit.today/word/sa?q=शब्दकोश
  • Cons: A little busy, has a lot more information than just the MW entry. Requires expanding the "search" box and selecting the right term.
• http://monierwilliams.com/
  • Cannot search by or change output to Devanagari. Cannot even easily link to a specific search.

I think one of the Uni-Koeln.de options is the best way to go personally. 70.172.194.25 17:14, 13 April 2022 (UTC)

Are the Uni-Koeln.de URLs stable – does the format of the URL remain the same regardless of the entry or lemma? Also, which version of the dictionary does the website use? — Sgconlaw (talk) 18:36, 13 April 2022 (UTC)

It uses the 1889 edition. Huh, in the course of writing this I discovered Uni-Koeln.de actually has both editions digitized. The 1872 one looks like this or this. Yes, the Uni-Koeln.de ones seem stable; you can pass any lemma into the key URL parameter and it seems to work, as long as the script selection is right. 70.172.194.25 20:21, 13 April 2022 (UTC)

OK. Do you prefer the first version or the second version of the URL indicated above? — Sgconlaw (talk) 05:49, 14 April 2022 (UTC)

I'm not sure. That's kind of why I asked here instead of just adding it. :) I think the former is a better interface, and it would be perfect if it had a parameter to just accept Devanagari by default (maybe we could write to the maintainers and ask?). I'm just not sure whether people will be confused by the "not found: 'शब्दकोश'" and click away, or whether it's obvious to readers that you just need to change the setting. 70.172.194.25 05:52, 14 April 2022 (UTC)

I would prefer the second, not the first one. Also, another potential problem is that if it is used on a verb where MW's citation form is the root (or, on a non-Sanskrit page) and someone has entered the Romanisation of MW (which is a bit different from IAST) in |head= then it might be hard to link correctly. —Svārtava (t/u) • 06:39, 14 April 2022 (UTC)