4. Usage

4.1 Usage of mal

This program converts text in English script to Malayalam script. Malayalam script will be outputted as font keystrokes. Assumes all the kerning or positioning information is encoded in the font itself.

Synopsis

      mal [-c] [-h ] [-r] [-o output_file] [input_files...]

Options

-c

If specified the commented portion should be retained along with the characters for commenting. Default action is to remove commented characters and do the required processing to the comment.

This is required when multiple levels of processing is required and the commented text should pass intact through all but last one and comment processing is done only in the last phase. Example could be coupling of scheme to scheme conversion with scheme to font conversion

-h

Generates primitive HTML output. Only the font information is coded in the output. If not specified does plain transliteration. All uncommented characters are considered as Malayalam characters and will be wrapped together in HTML font tags.

-r

In old Malayalam texts, the chillu form of `R' is usually put as a dot above the succeeding consonant, if exists. If the flag -r is set, where ever possible chillu `R' will be put in dot form. Default action is not to use this dot for chillu `R'.

-o output_file

Place output in the file output_file. If this flag is not specified, output is taken to standard output.

input_files

If specified, input is taken from input_files parameters, in the order from left to right. (There can be more than one input file parameter.) If no input file is specified then input is received from the standard input.

Defaults values of -c, -h and -r can be changed by configuring the mapfile.

4.2 Usage of lam

Converts text in Malayalam script (font keystrokes) to English script. lam take input from standard input and output to standard output.

4.3 Font conversion

I will describe this with an example. Suppose you want to covert a document in Karthika font to Manorama font. Then you need two mapfiles - for each font, with same transliteration scheme. Assume we already have karthika.ack and manorama.ack. Create lam with setting MAPFILE variable in Makefile as karthika.map. Similarly create mal with setting MAPFILE variable as manorama.map. Now the following command will complete the conversion:

$ lam < doc_in_karthika | mal > doc_in_manorama

4.4 Scheme conversion

Scheme conversion can adopt a strategy described in Font Conversion section. But there are easier ways for that. It would be interesting to look at the sample scheme conversion mapfiles given in the varamozhi/schemes directory. Suppose we want to convert from scheme A to scheme B. Then we write all the characters defined in the scheme A as SYMBOLS having translation to corresponding ones in scheme B. Then compile as we do for normal scheme to font conversion.

4.5 Application programming interface of mal

Varamozhi has the facility for generating an API function for English to Malayalam transliteration.

Synopsis

extern int   carrycomment;
extern int   outputhtml;
extern int   allowRdot;
extern char* mal_out_text;

char* mal_parse(const char* mal_in_text);

Description

mal_parse() takes character string as input parameter. After conversion the output string is placed in mal_out_text and starting address is returned by mal_parse(). While compiling this function along with third party software, macro EXECUTABLE should be undefined. This macro decides whether to make the executable or function from the code.

Setting the external variables carrycomment, outputhtml and allowRdot will set the functionalities specified as -c -h and -r in the usage of mal true. On resetting, the default actions are assumed.