CHF Lex 

Extension key

chf_lex

Package name

digicademy/chf_lex

Version

main

Language

en

Author

Jonatan Jalle Steller, CHF Lex contributors

License

This document is published under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Rendered

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 13:36:22 +0000

This TYPO3 extension for lexicographic resources implements the DMLex data model, version 1.0 CSD01, as part of the Cultural Heritage Framework (CHF). It includes the two official modules Controlled Vocabulary and Linking, as well as a custom Editorial module and in-line annotations. Other additions are intended to make it work better for dictionaries with a historical component. In addition to the data model itself, the extension also provides TEI Lex-0 and OntoLex Lemon serialisations designed so they can be provided through REST endpoints. In addition to dictionary entries, the extension also allows for encyclopedic entries and works well with CHF Gloss to further integrate glossary entries.

Table of contents:

Introduction 

The extension allows you to build comprehensive lexicographic resources in your TYPO3 project. This includes dictionaries with various features such as transcriptions and complex relations, but also encyclopedia entries. The extension is designed for a full editing workflow in the backend, but records may also be imported instead. Based on the DMLex standard, resources built using this tool also automatically have serialisations as TEI Lex-0 and OntoLex Lemon, among other formats. The extension is part of the Cultural Heritage Framework (CHF), which provides additional functionality such as glossary entries, bibliographic references, and geodata.

Install and config 

1. Install the extension

   Add the package name to your composer.json or install the package manually.

2. Set up a data folder

   In a blank folder in your page tree, add a LexicographicResource. Further data, such as entries, needs to be located in the same data folder. Each resource of this type ideally lives in its own data folder to keep its records separate from other records of the same type.

3. Optionally add an import task

   To import data once or periodically, go to the Task module in the backend, add a new task, and select Import lexicographic resource. Enter the values required to perform the task and either start the task manually or set an interval to run the task automatically.

Display the resource 

To show the lexicographic resource on a specific page of your website, simply add the Lexicography plugin and set it up to use the resource in question.

If you want to be able to only show select entries from your resource, use the label function built into the extension. You can add a Tag of type Label to your data folder and then select it in the entries, contributors, or relations you want it to apply to. You can then select the label in the plugin to display only those entries, contributors, or relations.

Editing content 

Editors need access to the data folder in order to make changes. They may add and edit entries, agents, tags, and relations here.

TBD, note that lexicographic relations cannot be edited straight from the entry but need to be edited as standalone database records.

Templates 

TBD

Data model 

All records of a resource are held together by a single LexicographicResource which holds the main classes DictionaryEntry, EncyclopediaEntry, Agent, Tag, Example, and LexicographicRelation. A DictionaryEntry has a number of dependent classes that provide information that may be needed multiple times per entry: Sense, Definition, InflectedForm, Pronunciation, and Transcription. Defenition and sense are separate to allow for multiple tiers of definitions according to, for example, their difficulty.

An additional Agent class is employed to name authors and editors of entries. An Example class may be used to provide historical or contemporary evidence of an entry or sense. A Frequency class may similarly be attached to either an entry or a sense in order to provide the number of tokens from a specified dataset, and can be connected to a Feature class from the CHF Map extension. Across the data model, a SourceRelation from the CHF Bib extension may be used to identify sources.

The model does not have a separate class for headwords, which are simply organised using an entry's headword property. To provide information about how entries of all types interconnect, including lemmatisation, the class LexicographicRelation lets you choose a type of relation you want to model and add as many Member objects as you like.

In addition, the model knows flexible LabelTag and SameAs classes, which can be used to group entries, agents, and examples via labels, to add various types across other classes, and to connect entities to authority files.

For further information on the data model (without the additions specific to this implementation), see the official specification of DMLex published by the OASIS committee LEXIDMA.

Graphical overview 

API reference 

TBD

Maintenance 

Maintenance of the extension may include adapting it to new TYPO3 versions or updating dependencies and includes.

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