FAQs on the CSCD

These are the frequently asked questions about the CSCD (Chattha Sangayana CD-ROM), and are reproduced here for the guidance of the users of CSCD version 3.

1. How is the CSCD distributed, and what are the future plans? The CSCD is given as Dhammadana, free of cost. Only mailing and handling costs, as applicable in different parts of the world, are to be paid..  

2. Is it possible to copy the text of CSCD to a document? Yes. CSCD Version 3 allows the 'save' facility, which allows one to save the text in a file in either Txt or Rtf formats. The file can then be opened in a word processor, and after applying the corresponding font to the saved text, it can be used in any document, or can be printed using all the printers supported by WINDOWS. It is to be noted that sometimes it is not possible to save the text while the 'SEARCH' window is active. In such cases, please close the SEARCH window, and then proceed to save the text.  

3. I sometimes get 'not found' message while searching for a word or a phrase. Most of the time it has been noticed that there in an error in typing the exact word. If any one of the character in the typed word in wrong, the search result will be negative. Unless you are absolutely sure of the spelling, you are advised to type the first few characters of the word, and then place an asterisk at the end of the word, without leaving a space before or after the asterisk. The search result will give all the words starting with the typed characters, and will certainly contain the word that you are searching for.  

4. I am not able to print from the CSCD on my certain printers. The CSCD was tested on HP laser printer 4MP and Epson dot matrix printer LX850. If there is difficulty in printing on other printers, you are advised to save the portion of the text in a file. Then you can open the file in a word processor, apply the corresponding VRI font to the text, and then print it. This way you can also format the text to your liking before printing.  

5. How accurate is the text contained in the CSCD? The texts under the headings "Vinaya, Sutta, and Abhidhamma Pitakas' were typed twice, and electronically compared by the computer, in order to remove about 98% of the typing errors. Later, the scholars at Vipassana Research Institute, Igatpuri, and many Pāli scholars in Myanmar have painstakingly proof-read the texts to remove any possible typing errors. However, these texts cannot be claimed to be 'totally' error-free. You are welcome to point out any errors, so that they can be rectified in the next version of CSCD. The texts under the heading 'Others", were not proof read so thoroughly. Two typed files of most of these volumes were electronically compared. But manual proof reading was not done for most of them. Hence there can be some errors in these volumes.  

6. Is it possible to print the list of word found in the search results? Yes. It is possible to print the word list. If there is a problem to print on certain printers, the word list can also be saved in a file, and printed through a word processor. A unique facility provided in the CSCD software is the 'occurrences' list. This allows one to view a few words before and a few words after the searched word for all the occurrences. This can be done by clicking 'occurrences' in the window displaying the searched words. This allows one to quickly find the occurrence one is looking for, without opening each and every book where the word occurs. You can also save or print this occurrence list.

7. Is it necessary to reboot the computer after installing the CSCD? Most of the time, in Windows 95, it need not be rebooted. However, if your system requires it, you may comply.

8. How should one enter the characters with Roman diacritical marks for word search? A convenient Key help is provided in the search window. Click the Key Help, when a keyboard containing the characters with diacritical marks will be displayed. By clicking on any character the same will be copied on the search window box.  

9. How does one enter the characters in various scripts for searching a word? A convenient Key help is provided in the search window. Click the Key Help, when a keyboard containing the characters of the script will be displayed. By clicking on any character the same will be copied on the search window box.