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crimx/ext-saladict

★ 13,080TypeScriptAudience · generalComplexity · 3/5LicenseSetup · moderate

TLDR

Saladict is a Chrome and Firefox extension that shows definitions and translations from multiple dictionary sources in a popup whenever you highlight text on any webpage or PDF.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Saladict))
    What It Does
      Word lookup popup
      Multi-source dictionaries
    Features
      PDF support
      Full-page translation
      Vocabulary notebook
    Install
      Chrome Web Store
      Firefox Add-ons
      Build from source
    Config
      API keys for providers
      Custom trigger modes
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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Look up a word or phrase instantly while reading any webpage without leaving the page.

USE CASE 2

Translate entire web pages into another language using the full-page translation mode.

USE CASE 3

Save vocabulary words to the built-in notebook while browsing to review them later.

Tech stack

TypeScript

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 5min

Some dictionary providers require API keys configured in a local environment file before building from source.

Free to use and redistribute for any purpose as long as the MIT license and copyright notice are included in any redistribution.

In plain English

Saladict (also written as 沙拉查词) is a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that lets you look up words and translate text while browsing. The main workflow is text selection: highlight a word or phrase on any web page and a popup appears with definitions and translations pulled from multiple dictionary sources at once. It also supports PDF files opened in the browser, so the same selection-based lookup works on documents as well as regular web pages. Beyond simple word lookups, the extension includes a full-page translation mode for converting entire web pages into another language, a notebook feature for saving vocabulary you want to remember, and customizable trigger modes that control how and when the lookup popup appears. You can also pin the popup to keep it visible while continuing to read. The extension is built with TypeScript and is installable from the Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, or the Microsoft Edge Addons store. A version compiled from source is also available from the GitHub releases page. Building from source requires cloning the repository, installing dependencies with yarn, building the PDF support layer separately, and then running the main build. Certain dictionary providers require API keys configured in a local environment file. The project went through a complete rewrite with version 7, focused on speed and stability. It is free and open source under the MIT License, stated to be for personal study use. The README notes that the license and copyright notice must be included in any redistribution of the source code.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I configure Saladict to add a custom dictionary provider and set its API key in the extension settings?
Prompt 2
Walk me through building the Saladict extension from source on macOS and loading it into Chrome as an unpacked extension.
Prompt 3
How do I set up Saladict so the lookup popup only appears when I hold Ctrl while selecting text, instead of triggering automatically?
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