Feature Requests

[geft]

Please offer the option to enable the white on black theme available in older versions. That would be a battery-saver for AMOLED screens.

[hanping]

We would like to provide this but there are some technical difficulties in doing because of the way Android handles custom Themes combined with the way Hanping is designed.

It's on the ToDo list though, but cannot make any promises as to when it will happen.

[hanping]

Would it be possible to add the option of showing BoPoMoFo symbols above the pinyin, you can see some of them in the entry for zhu4yin1.

Just added Zhuyin (Bopomofo) display support to version 2.4.0 (Pro only).

Hope you like it

[b_v_nathan]

Hi,
Thanks for a very good app. Really very useful to use. I have a few requests, mostly related to using the App as a flash card for practice.

1.Can the size of the widget be configurable so that we have larger size widget on the screen, makes it easier to read.
2.While browsing through the words in the list , it could be displayed in a random order so that its easier to practice with the list words.
3.The list could be used to learn as a flash card , for.ex , First display Symbol , then Pinyin and finally the meaning . This makes it easier to use it like Flash Cards.
4.Would it possible to import data from tsv to the list. This could be used to add sentences in the word list which once again makes in easier to learn the words.
5.Also , if flash card feature is implemented (3) , then it would be good to have another feature which asks if the word was identified correctly or not so that the words not understood correctly can be repeated more often.
Regards,
Vish

[hanping]

Thanks for the suggestions, Vish.

1. AFAIK, the size of Android widgets cannot be configured by the user. The only way would be to provide more widget sizes. That is certainly possible but we need to be careful not to "spam" people's widget lists with too many Hanping entries.
2. Definitely sort order for lists would be useful. However, if you really want to study a list, then flashcards would be a better way to do that.
3. There is currently some discussion with flashcard app developers to get dictionary apps and flashcard apps working together.
4. A not-too-distant future update should include better import/export functionality.
5. (See 3)

Thanks again.

[googed]

• A Separate list for radicals
• Breaking down characters into radicals, and radicals into etymological origins
• HSK levels 5 and 6
• Stroke order (I don't know if this can actually be done, given its apparent complexity)

[hanping]

• There is currently no information on radicals or stroke order in the CC-CEDICT dictionary so it’s a little more work to get that included. Its certainly a possibility though.
• HSK 5 & 6 should be easy to add. I’ll post a message when they are ready.
• If there is enough demand for Etymology information, then I don’t see why not. I don’t know of any free sources, so if this is included, it would need to be a paid feature.

[MG-Courage]

Hey, so I've been reviewing this dictionary and there is a huge amount of potential here. I have a bunch of features to suggest, so it may be a bit overwhelming, but believe me that these are all achievable.

I would like to first point out that the best dictionary on the market is the ABC ICED app for the Iphone/Itouch. This dictionary beats out even dedicated dictionary devices. I've used this dictionary while studying in China, and it has been able to find tons more definitions than any of the other students using their dictionaries. The features on this dictionary are killer as well, but it has a huge drawback: iOS. Here's some features that made ABC ICED so good that yours definitely needs:

1: The biggest of course is your entry database. The ABC Comprehensive Dictionary database I feel is unmatched. I believe it isn't free, but trust me, its completely worth it. You may be able to incorporate it into an update and label it as "HanPing ABC Version" and charge a higher price. Then you can negotiate for a certain percentage of sales to go to the owners of ABC and therefor not have to pay a lump sum for the licensing. I would happily pay any price up to $50 for a truly extensive dictionary. ABC is exactly that.

2: Example sentences really clarify the meanings and usage of Chinese words. I believe that ABC has this. It made things a ton easier when I was unsure the usage. ICED had example sentences with most of their definitions. A huge advantage in the classroom.

3: One of the best study features that ICED had was its "Word Lists". I understand that you already have "Favorites" or rather "Word Lists", but not as useful as these were. ICED had the ability to create multiple word lists and then email the list to print it out on a computer. The lists generated on the computer were broken up similar to an excel spreadsheet. First they would have the hanzi written, then the pinyin, then the english meaning and definition, and finally a box for the example sentence. It was perfect for studying for tests. It's downfall was that there was no simple way to back up your word lists on a computer, which would be much easier on the Android platform.

4: Ability to add other dictionary databases. Another feature that ICED has that would be a huge plus to this dictionary. I currently view dictionaries as a means to answer "What does this character mean?". The more resources you have, the more answers you're given. There may be a point where you add to mean and the answers become "This means this, or this, or this, or this...etc", but for the most part more dictionary databases will mean more exact definitions.

5: Underneath combo entries, show each individual hanzi and its meaning. For example: 动作(dongzuo) - N. movements; motion; actions V. act; start moving -- 动(dong) move -- 作(zuo) do; make. This helps students understand why those two characters form that singular meaning when paired together. It also helps them understand the individual meanings of each character and will later allow them to correctly guess the meanings of other combo entries.

Here's some optional features that aren't as necessary as the features mentioned above, but would certainly help make the application better:

6: As mentioned by other posters, flashcards would be a nice addition. If you could code it that the word lists could generate flashcards, it would be an excellent study tool. It'd be extremely easy for users to search a word, click the "Save to List" button, and then begin studying flashcards right from that list.

7: Also mention by other posters, history wouldn't be a bad option. Not necessary, but useful.

I completely support this dictionary and am willing to help its production in any way possible. Partially for my own gain since I have an Android phone and would like an extensive dictionary, but also for everyone else studying Chinese who owns an Android phone or device. I have a background in Business, Engineering, and Chinese. Let me know if you need any help.

Great work! I look forward to following this application.

[hiddeneyes02]

Hi everyone,

I noticed that there is no button to purge the favorite list (or any other user's list). By now, I don't check old words in my favorite list because I got them all in mind, but still my list is getting bigger. Hope that you can add that sooner, because I don't want to go back in my list word by word.

Thanks.

[hanping]

Hi - I can't check right now, but you can delete tags by long pressing on the Star icon (second page) and then long-pressing on the tag you want to delete. That will bring up a context menu with the option you need.

But I think you're right. There is no way to unstar all starred words. You could do it by finding the corresponding database file on your SD card and removing it.

I'll add the feature to the Todo list.

Many thanks.