Creating a CLDF dataset

CLDF is a lightweight, human-readable format for linguistic data, using linked data in CSV files. The cldfviz library offers the possibility to intersperse markdown with data. cldf-ldd is a set of cldf components designed to encode fieldwork data, used by both conversion libraries below.

if you have a FLEx database, click here
if you have a shoebox or toolbox database, click here
if you don't have a database, the cldflex repo contains example flextext and lift files that you can use.
you can also use some other existing CLDF dataset to go through the workflow

FLEx

The cldflex library can be used to convert FLEx databases into CSV files (and from there into CLDF datasets, if desired). To get your corpus & lexicon ready for grammar writing, follow these steps:

export your FLEx text database as .flextext: Navigate to Text & Words > Interlinear Texts, open the Analyzed tab, use the menu File > Export Interlinear... and choose the first option ("ELAN, SayMore, FLEx"). You can include one or multiple texts.
export your FLEx lexicon as .lift: Navigate to Lexicon, use the menu File > Export... and choose the option "Full Lexicon (LIFT 0.13 XML)".
use cldflex to transform the contents of your .flextext and .lift files to a CLDF dataset:
```
`cldflex flex2csv <filename>.flextext --lexicon <filename>.lift --cldf`
```
Depending on the setup of your FLEx database, this will throw all sorts of warnings at you and complain about inconsistencies. You can fix them in your database, but things should mostly work even if you ignore them. If you think a particular warning is inaccurate, open an issue here.
get writing

*box

The unboxer is a tool to convert shoe- and toolbox databases into CSV files (and from there into CLDF datasets, if desired). To get your corpus & lexicon ready for grammar writing, follow these steps:

identify the path to your corpus database
identify the path to your lexicon
(optional) identify the path to your parsing database
run this command, inserting the paths:

unboxer corpus </path/to/corpus.db> --lexicon </path/to/lexicon.db> --parsing </path/to/parse.db> --cldf

Last update: October 2, 2023