Spelling Checker

You can get help on the following topics:

Check-Spelling Dialog

Options Dialog

Dictionaries Dialog

New-Dictionary Dialog

Sentry Spelling-Checker Engine, Copyright 1993 by Wintertree Software Inc.


Check-Spelling Dialog

The Check-Spelling Dialog appears if a word requiring your attention is detected. You can use the dialog to specify whether the word should be ignored or replaced.

Add button: Causes the reported word to be added to the dictionary selected in the Add Words To list. Use the add button if a correctly spelled word you use often is reported as a misspelling (e.g., your family name). If the word is not used frequently, you may want to select the Ignore or Ignore All buttons instead.

Add Words To list: Indicates which user dictionary words will be added to when you select the Add button. The Add Words To list shows all ignore-type user dictionaries currently open. You can open or close other dictionaries via the Dictionaries dialog, which is accessible by selecting the Dictionaries button.

Cancel button: Stops the current spell-checking operation.

Change button: Causes the reported word to be replaced with the word in the Change To box. Only this occurrence of the reported word is replaced. If you want this and all following occurrences of the word replaced, select the Change All button.

Change All button: Causes this and all following occurrences of the reported word to be replaced with the word in the Change To box. If you want only this occurrence of the word to be replaced, use the Change button. If the reported word is one you frequently misspell, you might consider adding it to a change-type or suggest-type dictionary via the Dictionaries dialog. You can display the Dictionaries dialog by selecting the Dictionaries button.

Change To box: Contains a word which will replace a misspelled word when you select the Change or Change All buttons. You can enter a word in the Change To box by typing, or you can select one of the suggested replacements from the Suggestions list.

Consider Changing box: Contains a word which may be misspelled or otherwise incorrect, and is presented with a candidate replacement word. You can change the word by selecting the Change button, or skip it by selecting the Ignore button. Note that the label of this box changes to Not in dictionary when a misspelled word is detected.

Dictionaries button: Causes the Dictionaries dialog to be displayed. You can use the Dictionaries dialog to open or close user dictionaries, and to edit the contents of user dictionaries.

Ignore button: Causes this occurrence of a misspelled word to be skipped. If the same misspelled word appears later, it will be reported.

Ignore All button: Causes this and all further occurrences of a misspelled word to be skipped. You might use this button if the word reported as a misspelling is actually spelled correctly. If the word is one you use frequently, you may wish to ignore it permanently by selecting the Add button.

Not in dictionary box: Indicates that a misspelled word was detected. The word is considered misspelled because it coult not be located in any open dictionaries, or was located in an exclude-type dictionary. Note that the label of this box changes to Consider changing when a word and a suggested replacement are displayed.

Options button: Causes the Options dialog to be displayed. You can use the Options dialog to set spelling-checker options.

Suggest button: Causes a set of suggested replacements for misspelled words to be added to the Suggestions list. This button is enabled only if the Always Suggest option is disabled. Each time you select the Suggest button, a more intensive search for replacements is conducted. Once all possible suggestions are located, the Suggest button is disabled.

Suggestions list: Contains a list of suggested replacements for the word reported as misspelled. If you have enabled the Always Suggest option, this list will be filled in automatically when a misspelled word is reported. Otherwise, the list is filled in when you select the Suggest button. A word selected in this list will be automatically copied to the Change To box, where it can be substituted for the misspelled word by pressing the Change button.


Dictionaries Dialog

The Dictionaries Dialog allows you to open and close user dictionaries, and to edit the contents of an open user dictionary. The contents of dictionaries are saved in disk files. You can open some or all of your user dictionary files at any time. Only open dictionaries are checked during a spell-checking operation.

Add File button: Opens a user dictionary file. When you select the Add File button, a dialog appears which you can use to select the dictionary file to open. The set of open dictionary files is remembered, so once you add a dictionary file you don't need to add it again. If you need to create a new user dictionary, use the New button. You can open other applications user dictionary files.

Add Word button: Causes the word entered in the edit area of the Words list to be added to the currently selected dictionary. Note that if the dictionary type is "auto change" or "conditionally change," you must enter a word and a replacement, separated by a colon (e.g., "teh:the"). Note that the Add Word button is enabled only when a new word is typed in the edit area of the Words list. The words you add may contain virtually any character, but only words which contain embedded periods should have trailing periods (e.g., U.S.A. is OK, but USA. is not).

Close button: Closes the Dictionaries dialog.

Delete Word button: Causes the word appearing in the edit area of the Words list to be removed from the currently selected dictionary. If the dictionary type is "auto change" or "conditionally change," enter just the word without the colon or replacement word.

Export button: Saves the contents of the currently selected dictionary to a text file. When you select the Export button, a dialog appears which you can use to select the name of the text file to which words in the dictionary will be exported. The words are written to the file one per line. If the dictionary type is "auto change" or "conditionally change," words and their replacements are written, separated by a colon.

Files list: Contains the list of open dictionary files. When you select a file from the list, its contents are displayed in the Words list.

Import button: Adds the words contained within a text file to the currently selected dictionary. When you select the Import button, a dialog appears which you can use to select the text file to be imported. Each word in the selected file is loaded into the dictionary. If the dictionary type is "auto change" or "conditionally change," words in the file must be in word:replacement form (e.g., "teh:the").

Language: Displays the language (e.g., English or French) of the words in the currently selected dictionary.

New button: Creates a new user dictionary file. When you select the New button, a dialog appears which you can use to specify attributes of the new dictionary. See the New Dictionary dialog for details.

Remove File button: Closes the currently selected dictionary file. Closed dictionaries are not checked during a spelling check. Although the file is closed, it is not deleted. Closed dictionary files can be later reopened using the Add File button.

Type: Displays the type or purpose of the currently selected user dictionary. The dictionary type indicates what will happen if a word is located in the dictionary during a spelling check.

Words list: Contains the list of words in the currently selected user dictionary. If the dictionary type is "auto change" or "conditionally change," then the list contains words and their replacements, separated by colons.


Options Dialog

You can use the Options Dialog to specify various spelling-checker options. These options affect the way the spelling checker operates.

Ignore Capitalized Words: When enabled, any words beginning with a capital letter are ignored (i.e., are skipped over without being checked). You might enable this option if the text being checked contains many proper names.

Ignore All-Caps Words: When enabled, any words containing all capital letters are ignored (i.e., are skipped without being checked). You might enable this option if the text being checked contains many acronyms.

Ignore Words with Numbers: When enabled, any words containing embedded digits are ignored (i.e., are skipped without being checked). Examples of such words include "Win95" and "Q4." You might enable this option if the text being checked contains many code-words or other symbols containing digits.

Ignore Words with Mixed Case: When enabled, any words containing an unusual mixture of upper- and lower-case letters are ignored (i.e., are skipped without being checked). Examples of such words include "MicroHouse" and "CapsLock." You might enable this option if the text being checked contains many variable names or other symbols which use case changes to distinguish words.

Report Doubled Words: When enabled, any word appearing twice in a row is reported via the Check-Spelling Dialog.

Case Sensitive: When enabled, a distinction is made between capitalized and non-capitalized words. For example, canada is considered different from Canada, so canada would be reported as a misspelling. When the option is disabled, canada and Canada are considered identical.

Always Suggest: When enabled, a list of suggested replacements is automatically displayed when a misspelled word is reported. If this option is disabled, a list of suggestions can be obtained by selecting the Suggest button in the Check-Spelling dialog.

Phonetic Suggestions: When enabled, suggestions are made on the basis of phonetic similarity as well as typographical similarity. This option tends to improve suggestions for badly misspelled words. Enabling this option will increase the time required to locate suggestions.

Suggest Split Words: When enabled, two separate words will be suggested as a replacement for a misspelling containing two joined words. For example, is the would be suggested as a replacement for isthe.

OK button: Closes the Options Dialog, and saves any changes made to the option settings.

Cancel button: Closes the Options Dialog, and discards any changes made to the option settings.


New Dictionary Dialog

You can use the New Dictionary Dialog to specify the attributes of a new user dictionary.

Browse button: Displays a dialog which shows the names of other user dictionary files. You can use the dialog to view the names of existing dictionary files, and to enter the name of the new dictionary file.

Cancel button: Closes the New Dictionary Dialog without creating a new dictionary.

File Name box: Contains the name of the disk file used to hold the new dictionary's contents. You can enter a name here or use the Browse button to display a dialog showing the names of other dictionary files.

Language list: Specifies the language (e.g., French, English) of the words the new user dictionary will contain. If the language you want to use is not listed, select "Other."

OK button: Closes the New Dictionary Dialog and creates the new dictionary.

Type list: Specifies the type or purpose of the new user dictionary. The type defines what happens when a word is located in the dictionary during a spelling check.


Dictionary Types

User dictionaries can be in several different types. The type indicates what happens when a word is found in the dictionary during a spelling check.

Auto Change: Words found in an Auto Change dictionary are automatically replaced with other words. Typically, Auto Change dictionaries hold frequently misspelled words and their correct replacements. For example, an Auto Change dictionary might contain the misspelled word "recieve" and its replacement "receive." Each entry in an Auto Change dictionary contains a word and the replacement, separated by a colon (e.g., "recieve:receive").

Conditional Change: Words found in a Conditional Change dictionary are presented to you as candidates for replacement, and are replaced with other words if you request. Typically, Conditional Change dictionaries hold potentially misspelled words and their usual replacements. Each entry in a Conditional Change dictionary contains a word and the replacement, separated by a colon (e.g., "recieve:receive").

Exclude: Words found in an Exclude dictionary are always considered misspelled, even if they are defined in other dictionaries. Typically, Exclude dictionaries hold words you may use but don't want to appear in your writing. You might also use an Exclude dictionary to hold words you type by accident -- for example, you might enter "newt" in an Exclude dictionary if you occassionally type "newt" when you mean to type "neat."

Ignore: Words found in an Ignore dictionary are considered correctly spelled. Typically, Ignore dictionaries hold words you use but which don't appear in the other dictionaries. For example, you may add your family name or street name to an Ignore dictionary.