What is New in the BANA Braille Template, version 2017 (in DBT 12.2 and 12.2 SR1)

A new template included with DBT 12.2, “BANA Braille 2017”, added many new features to support UEB. This template was further extended with DBT 12.2 SR1. The new features in the template for each DBT release are discussed in the two sections below.

BANA Braille 2017 in DBT 12.2

This list highlights the changes introduced by "BANA Braille 2017" for using Microsoft Word and SWIFT with DBT. For users without SWIFT, the template is still available through Add-ins, but it is much easier to use with SWIFT.

  1. Fonts and colors for Word’s BANA Braille 2017 character styles are modified so they don’t conflict with personal choices selected in the “UEB Typeform Mappings” (DBT’s Word Importer). DejaVu Sans is now used for most of the character styles.
  2. Exact Translation now honors spacing; hard spaces are no longer necessary.
  3. Exact Translation codes are improved so they don’t affect translation of adjoining text, for example, when next to transcriber’s note indicators.
  4. The blank line is automatically “killed” between Heading 2 and Heading 3.
  5. The blank line is automatically “killed” between top box lines and styles that are normally preceded by a blank line, such as headings, directions, lists, etc.
  6. The UEB guide word dash is now handled automatically (the code has been removed from the Glossary menu in SWIFT UEB templates).
  7. Prose Stage is changed to a 7-7 format to align with Formats 2016 (the appearance in Word is not changed). (UEB templates only)
  8. Subsequent paragraphs in Attribution, Directions, Prose Stage, and Verse Stage are automatically indented 2 spaces.
  9. Numbered menu: new styles added
    1. 1-2
    2. 1-9
    3. 3-9
  10. Misc. menu: new Box lines
    1. Box Top w/ Color (There is no SimBraille box line in Word. The word “color” is enclosed in Transcriber’s Notes codes. Change the word “color” to the appropriate color.) Use regular Box End.
    2. Box Top Nemeth: Inserts [[*idle~ptims*]] at the beginning of top box line, which adds the Nemeth Code Open Indicator before the box line in the translated file. (There is no SimBraille box line in Word.)
    3. Box Bottom Nemeth: Inserts [[*idle~ptime*]], which add the Nemeth Code Terminator at the end of bottom box line in the translated file. (There is no SimBraille box line in Word.)
  11. Notes menu: revised for UEB (note enclosed in TN, dagger, double dagger, hollow dot)
  12. Poetry menu: Added [rm4:4] (right margin 4 ) and [rm0:0] (right margin normal) to better support line numbered poetry.
  13. Tables menu: new options
    1. Columnar w/ column headings
    2. Columnar w/o column headings
    3. Interchange columns and rows
  14. Page Setups
    1. Added single-sided transition for Preliminary Pages
    2. Added single-sided transition for Main Body
    3. Code to suppress even braille page numbers
    4. Added blank page options (for back of tactile graphics), when document is set for:
      1. Running Head and braille page numbers on every page
      2. Running Head and braille page numbers on odd pages only
      3. No Running Head and braille page numbers on every page
      4. No Running Head and braille page numbers on odd pages only
  15. DBT Codes menu
    1. Added Grade 1 codes (UEB templates only)
    2. Added Skipped-line Nullify (Kill Blank Line) [skn]
    3. Added Termination line (UEB templates only)
    4. Added Cancel Capitalized Sequence [xcs] (UEB templates only)
    5. Added Dot Locator for Mention (SimBraille) (UEB templates only)
    6. Added Dot Locator for Use (SimBraille) (UEB templates only)
    7. Added Switch Indicators: Non-UEB word, Non-UEB passage, Music, Nemeth. (IPA switches are not necessary because the IPA markup automatically adds the switches.) (UEB templates only)
    8. Added Uppercase Start and End codes
    9. Added Transcriber’s Note Open [ucs] and Close [uce] codes (UEB templates only)
  16. New UEB group in SWIFT (UEB templates only)
    1. Unicode Shape symbols (bullet, white circle, black square, white square, black triangle, white triangle)
    2. Typeform codes (italics, bold, underline, script, transcriber-defined)
    3. Shape indicators
    4. Transcriber-defined print symbols
  17. Page Number group: improved continuation textbook page number for roman numerals and arabic (UEB templates only)
  18. DBT
    1. Nemeth Directions format corrected [English (UEB) – BANA with Nemeth]
    2. Nemeth Exercise format corrected [English (BANA Pre-UEB Textbook DE) – BANA Nemeth]

BANA Braille 2017 Revisions for DBT 12.2 SR1

The BANA Braille template in the SR1 service release extends and refines the original template with these changes.

  1. New Nemeth display start and end codes (deleted the associated blank lines).
  2. Line Continuation Indicator code for indicating a break-point in a long URL, email address, etc. (added to DBT Codes in both UEB templates).
  3. Fixed Nemeth boxing lines (in UEB with Nemeth).
  4. Fixed Braille Base and all styles.
  5. Modified the Nemeth Codes menu / SWIFT - EBAE & UEB (added Displayed Material for Nemeth, Nemeth SimBraille, and Soft Return).