Duendecat - New Browser Tab extension

WaniKani API And Third-Party Apps
1

A while ago I wrote a Wanikani-related web app (duendecat.com) which cycles through an automatic slideshow of sentences that contain kanji based on your Wanikani level.

Lately I’ve been thinking that it would be useful if there was a similar version of the app that could be used as a browser “new tab” page (showing just one random sentence each time the page loads), and so I put something together.


--------------TO VIEW---------------

Go to: duendecat.com/

(replace the * with whatever WK level number you are on)



-------------TO SET UP--------------

CHROME:

Install the extension at:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/duendecat/gcdehmegnjhneakanfcgpmgfjneljndn

FIREFOX:

You’ll need a new tab homepage plugin, for instance: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/new-tab-homepage/
Once installed, add one of the addresses below (e.g. Duendecat vocab) as your homepage in the plugin settings, and you’re done.



--------------OPTIONS---------------

Here are some things that you can add after duendecat.com:

/any
Sentence with kanji from from any level

/day
Sentence of the day

/kanji
/vocab
Kanji or vocab from any level

/kanji
/vocab*
Kanji or vocab from (and below) a specific level.  Replace the * with a number between 1 - 50

/*
A sentence from (and below) a specific level. Replace the * with a number between 1 - 50.

/kana
/hiragana
/katakana
Displays kana, with english phonetic reading

/taekim
Sentences from Tae Kim’s guide



-------------CHANGELOG--------------

0.0.1

  • Added to chrome store
0.0.2
  • Current Level and Below options now work correctly
  • Corrected broken kana link
  • Minor ui tweaks in options screen




2 Likes
2

Thanks.  I like this idea, and I’m trying it out.

My first sentence was:
私は悲しい映画は嫌いだ。
I’m on level 13, and there is a Kanji from level 14 (私) and one from level 20 (嫌) in the sentence.  Is that supposed to be?

Under options I set my API key and Tab Content to Current level and below: Sentence…using Chrome.

My next sentence was:
どうして彼女としりあったのですか。  Just one Kanji and it is from level 35…

My API key is working fine in other apps.  (E.g., https://www.idigtech.com/wanikani/#progress)

I closed and reopened Chrome and it’s still showing all Kanji.  So I’m thinking something’s not working right.

3

this is awesome
thank you.

4

Many sentences in the Tanaka Corpus are still bad, and I would highly suggest either using something else or putting a giant warning that says “Warning: Sentences may not be natural Japanese.”

5
DavidDettling said... Thanks.  I like this idea, and I'm trying it out.

My first sentence was:
私は悲しい映画は嫌いだ。
I'm on level 13, and there is a Kanji from level 14 (私) and one from level 20 (嫌) in the sentence.  Is that supposed to be?

Under options I set my API key and Tab Content to Current level and below: Sentence....using Chrome.

My next sentence was:
どうして彼女としりあったのですか。  Just one Kanji and it is from level 35...

My API key is working fine in other apps.  (E.g., https://www.idigtech.com/wanikani/#progress)

I closed and reopened Chrome and it's still showing all Kanji.  So I'm thinking something's not working right.
 I don't know how you were able to enter your API key there, but I clicked cumulative level and then clicked the level that I'm on and I didn't see any unfamiliar kanji.
6
JackTsuchiyama said... I don't know how you were able to enter your API key there, but I clicked cumulative level and then clicked the level that I'm on and I didn't see any unfamiliar kanji.
 Interesting, it sounds like our options interfaces are different...mine just has a box for API Key and one set of boxes for Tab Content.  I don't have any boxes for level anything.

7

Would make a nice homepage actually. No entering a different website until you’ve translated the sentence.

8

Nice. Any plans to incorporate WK example sentences?

9
plantron said... Nice. Any plans to incorporate WK example sentences?
 This seems like a good plan. 
10

I realized that even after setting the options in the Chrome extension, it always sets the New Tab page to be “http://www.duendecat.com/any”.  Which would explain why I see Kanji from all levels.

Testing out all of the choices, I get the following:
Under Tab content:
Under Current Level and below:
Sentence, Kanji and Vocab all go to: http://www.duendecat.com/any
Under Random Level:
Sentence: http://www.duendecat.com/any
Kanji: http://www.duendecat.com/kanji
Vocab:http://www.duendecat.com/vocab
Under Misc: 
Sentence of the Day: http://www.duendecat.com/day
Tae Kim: http://www.duendecat.com/taekim
Kana: http://www.duendecat.com/kana  (I don’t think this is working.  It just says “nope” every time.)
Hiragana: http://www.duendecat.com/hiragana
Katakana: http://www.duendecat.com/katakana


11
DavidDettling said... I realized that even after setting the options in the Chrome extension, it always sets the New Tab page to be "http://www.duendecat.com/any".  Which would explain why I see Kanji from all levels.
 This happened to me too. It seems the chrome extension is not reading the settings somehow.
12

Is it possible to change the font to one that shows different characters for 一 and ー?
Being unexperienced, is kind of hard to tell which one is which some times.

13
plantron said... Nice. Any plans to incorporate WK example sentences?
 Yes!  This is at the top of the list for future updates.
14
DavidDettling said... I realized that even after setting the options in the Chrome extension, it always sets the New Tab page to be "http://www.duendecat.com/any".  Which would explain why I see Kanji from all levels.

Testing out all of the choices, I get the following:
Under Tab content:
Under Current Level and below:
Sentence, Kanji and Vocab all go to: http://www.duendecat.com/any
Under Random Level:
Sentence: http://www.duendecat.com/any
Kanji: http://www.duendecat.com/kanji
Vocab:http://www.duendecat.com/vocab
Under Misc: 
Sentence of the Day: http://www.duendecat.com/day
Tae Kim: http://www.duendecat.com/taekim
Kana: http://www.duendecat.com/kana  (I don't think this is working.  It just says "nope" every time.)
Hiragana: http://www.duendecat.com/hiragana
Katakana: http://www.duendecat.com/katakana


 Ah, thanks for spotting this.  The kana / current level issues are fixed now (you'll need to re-install the extension for the fix to take effect).
15
transality said...
 Ah, thanks for spotting this.  The kana / current level issues are fixed now (you'll need to re-install the extension for the fix to take effect).
 
Works now!  Thanks.