Welcome > Set up extraction > Format Locator > Insert a dictionary

Insert a dictionary

Dictionaries can supplement format definitions by providing a list of words to search for and in some situations, to replace.

For example, a format definition requires a list of unique cost codes to be specified as possible search values. The list would be too long to add to format definition, so you can insert a dictionary containing the codes instead.

Another example would be a dictionary set up to replace month names. So January maps to 01, February maps to 02, and so forth through December that maps to 12. You can then add a format definition using that dictionary to capture the day and year, enabling January 3, 2013 to be returned as 01 3, 2013.

Note To insert a dictionary into an existing format definition, you need to add the dictionary to the project using the dictionary options. If the project already includes the dictionary, you do not need to add it again.

When using a dictionary as part of a regular expression, if the Ignore Blanks option is selected, it does not ignore spaces that are long enough to be classified as a tab. As a result, if your regular expression does not return the results you expect, the space left or right of the dictionary match might be big enough to be considered a tab, so consider adding a \t? to your expression.

You can insert a dictionary by following these steps:

  1. Open the locator properties.
  2. On the Format Definitions tab, in the Formats group, click Dictionaries.
  3. Click Dictionary Settings.

    The Dictionary tab in the Project Settings window is displayed.

  4. From the list, select the dictionary to insert. If no dictionaries are present, add the required dictionary.
  5. Open a test document and click Test to test your settings.
  6. Optionally, configure the keywords and regions.
  7. Optionally, click Close to close the locator properties window.
  8. Save the changes to your project.