Dictionaries

GeoDin dictionaries - the coded value lists behind drop-down fields

Dictionaries are pre-made lists that populate drop-down fields (marked with a ? symbol to the right of the field).

How dictionary values are stored

Dictionary values have two representations: full text (e.g. "Cone Penetration Testing") and short code (e.g. "CPT") - the short code is what GeoDin actually stores in the database.

Dictionaries support multi-language translations (e.g. English, Dutch); language switch happens at a setting level and applies to layer descriptions.

Every dictionary is stored as a separate file with a .GSD extension in the syslib folder (C:\ProgramData\GeoDin\System\).

Example dictionary files: G1_Investigation_Method, BS5930_Walker_Secondary_Soil_Type, G1_EPSG (coordinate systems), Sample_Type.

Viewing dictionary entries

Dictionaries are viewable/editable via System > Dictionaries > [dictionary name] - double-click to see all entries with short code and language translations.

How dictionaries behave in forms

Some dictionaries are context-sensitive - e.g. the secondary soil type dictionary is restricted based on the primary ground type (clay+silt vs coarse-grain).

Some dictionary-backed fields allow free-text entry in addition to dictionary selection; free text does not add the value to the dictionary.

Editing dictionaries

Users can add their own terms to dictionaries (new clients, new labs, new soil types).

When a user edits a dictionary, a timestamp is recorded and that dictionary becomes "frozen" - GeoDin distribution updates will no longer overwrite it, preserving user changes.

Users should keep a list of dictionaries they have edited so they can request updates from GeoDin support when needed.

Low-risk dictionaries (clients list, lab names) can be edited freely; higher-risk dictionaries (soil types, field patterns) require more care because missing distribution updates could matter.

Sharing custom dictionaries

When sending data to a client without the same custom dictionaries, the user must also send the .GSD dictionary files or the full syslib folder.