DDSA Platts Dictionary 4.0

The Platts Urdu, Hindi, and English dictionary app represents an initiative by the Digital South Asia Library program (DSAL) at the University of Chicago. This application provides a digital and searchable version of John T. Platts's seminal work, “A Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi, and English,” originally published in 1884 by W. H. Allen & Co.

Users can access the app both online and offline. In online mode, the app connects to a remote database hosted on the University of Chicago's servers, while the offline functionality utilizes a locally created database that is downloaded initially upon installation. By default, the app operates in online mode.

The application facilitates both headword searches and fulltext queries. To conduct a headword search, users can touch the search bar (indicated by a magnifying glass icon) which raises an on-screen keyboard for input. Searches can be performed using Perso-Arabic, Devanagari, accented Latin characters, as well as unaccented Latin characters. For example, inputting ستوده, सुतोतला, sitūda, or situda will return the definition "Praised, celebrated."

Upon entering three characters in the search box, a scrollable list of suggestions appears, allowing users to select a word that will autofill in the search field or to continue typing their search term. Executing the search is accomplished by pressing the return key on the keyboard.

Headword searches automatically extend beyond the query term; for instance, searching for "ram" will yield results for any headwords beginning with "ram" followed by additional characters, such as "rāma" (رام राम) or "rāmāwat" (راماوت रामावत). For more flexible querying from the start of words, users can employ the "%" wildcard character at the beginning of their term; using "%ram" would return entries like "abhirām" (ابهرام अभिराम) and "apramāṇ" (اپرمان अप्रमाण).

To perform a fulltext search, users select the "Fulltext" search scope button and then enter their term in the designated search box. This feature supports multiword searches; for example, entering "frisky colt" yields one result where both words coexist within a single definition. Users may also utilize boolean operators such as "NOT" and "OR" in their queries—searching "frisky OR colt" returns 20 results while "frisky NOT colt" yields 6 results.

The app displays search results in a numbered list format that includes the Urdu headword alongside its accented Latin transliteration and a portion of its definition. To view complete definitions, users simply tap on the headword.

When in online mode, additional navigation options are available: users can click on page number links to access full page context for each definition, and use navigation arrows at the top to move between pages in the dictionary.

Selecting between online or offline mode is straightforward; users can toggle their preference from a selector at the top of the screen. Notably, upon startup, the application performs checks to determine internet connectivity and server availability before proceeding with its default online operation. It is advisable for users to choose the appropriate mode prior to initiating any searches.