SPELLCHK Help Index

Commands

File Menu Commands

Start Command

Options Menu Commands

Procedures

Add Button

Adding words to the auxiliary dictionary

Change All Button

Change Button

Changing misspelled words

Check Button

Checking individual words

Commind Line Options

Deleting words from a dictionary

Dictionary Maintenance

General Description

Ignore All Button

Ignore Button

Ignoring unknown words

Registration & Software License

Spell Checking as you type

Suggest Button

Suggesting alternate words


Commands from the Main Menu
Commands

File Menu Commands

Start Command

Options Menu Commands


Index to procedures
Procedures

Add Button

Adding words to the auxiliary dictionary

Change All Button

Change Button

Changing misspelled words

Check Button

Checking individual words

Commind Line Options

Deleting words from a dictionary

General Description

Ignore All Button

Ignore Button

Ignoring unknown words

Registration & Software License

Spell Checking as you type

Suggest Button

Suggesting alternate words


A general description of SpellChk
General Description of SpellChk

SpellChk is a program which checks the spelling of text which is presented to it as a file or as text in the Windows clipboard.  As an alternative, SpellChk will monitor a window in which text is being typed.  When presented as a file or in the clipboard, the input text is scanned starting at the beginning of the text.  Words which appear in the text are checked against a dictionary file.  If a word being checked is not in the dictionary, an alternate dictionary, referred to as the auxiliary dictionary, is checked.  If the word is not in the auxiliary dictionary, the scan is halted with the word displayed.  The misspelled, or unknown, word may be ignored, or it may be corrected.  If desired, the word may be accepted and recorded in the auxiliary dictionary.  If the Suggest button is pressed, or if auto-suggest is turned on, SpellChk will suggest alternatives to  replace the unknown word.  If a change is made, SpellChk will modify the text to reflect the change.  If the text is in the clipboard, the clipboard is directly modified.  If the text is from a file, SpellChk makes the changes to a temporary file.  When checking is complete, SpellChk provides the option to save the temporary file with a new file name, replace the original input file with the temporary file, or ignore the changes.

When used to monitor text as it is being typed, SpellChk will check each word as it is typed.  When an unknown word is encountered, it will display a window containing the unknown word and a list of suggested replacements.  If the window being monitored is a standard Windows edit control, i.e., Notepad, SpellChk will modify the text if desired.  If the window being monitored is not a standard Windows edit control, i.e., Word for Windows or Write, SpellChk does not modify the text.  In that case, changes must be made manually by the user.

SpellChk provides a command line option which will allow an application program to load text to be checked into the clipboard and then invoke SpellChk to check the text.  When checking is completed, the application program may then pick up the corrected text from the clipboard.  A command line option is also available to specify a text file to be checked.


Commands in the File Menu
File Menu Commands

Open File

The Open File command is used to open a file which contains the text to be checked.  The Windows Common Open File Dialog Box is used to open the file.  If the auto-start option is turned on the checking will begin automatically.

Open Clipboard

The Open Clipboard command is used to open the clipboard which should contain the text that is to be checked.  If the auto-start option is turned on the checking will begin automatically.

Open Standard Dictionary

The Open Standard Dictionary command displays the Open File Dialog Box for selection of the standard dictionary file.  The file opened becomes the standard dictionary which is searched first for words being checked.  The selected file name is also saved in the spellchk.ini file as the default standard dictionary.  The standard dictionary supplied with SpellChk is standard.dic.

Open Auxiliary Dictionary

The Open Auxiliary Dictionary command displays the Open File Dialog Box for selection of the auxiliary dictionary file.  The file opened becomes the auxiliary dictionary which is searched after a word is not found in the standard dictionary.  It is also the recipient of new words that are added by the user with the Add button.

Aux Dictionary Maint.

The Auxiliary Dictionary Maintenance command provides a list of commands which provide maintenance functions to allow the following functions:

To add words to, or delete words from, the open auxiliary dictionary.

To add the open auxiliary dictionary to the standard dictionary.

To reorganize the open auxiliary dictionary.

Too delete the open auxiliary dictionary.

To swap the standard and auxiliary dictionaries.

See Auxiliary Dictionary Maintenance.

Register

The Register command displays a dialog box which is used to enter the user name and license number which is assigned to you when you register the program.  See Registration & Software License for more information.


Start Menu Command
Start Command

The Start command will start the checking of text from a file or the clipboard.  If the Auto Start option is turned on, this menu item is grayed.


Commands in the Options Menu
Options Commands

Auto Start

The Auto Start command toggles the auto start option.  A checkmark will appear on the Options Menu beside the command when the option is turned on.  The checkmark is erased when the option is turned off.

Auto Suggest

The Auto Suggest command toggles the automatic suggest option.  A checkmark will appear on the Options Menu beside the command when the option is turned on.  The checkmark is erased when the option is turned off.

Corrections To Clipboard

The Corrections To Clipboard command toggles the option which copies corrections to the clipboard when the Spell Checking As You Type mode is used and the program in which you are entering text does not use a standard Windows Edit Control.   When you return to text entry window you may then backspace over the misspelled word and paste in the correction from the clipboard.

Ignore Single Characters

The Ignore Single Characters command toggles the option which instructs SpellChk to ignore single character words.


Options on the command line
Command Line Options

When SpellChk is executed, there may be one parameter included on the command line.  The parameter has two options.  It may indicate that SpellChk is to open the clipboard, check the text in the clipboard, return the updated text to the clipboard and exit.  The clipboard option is specified by including the parameter /C, or -C, on the command line.  The alternate option is to include the pathname of a text file to be opened, checked and updated if requested.   SpellChk will also exit after checking the specified file.  Note: Only one parameter should appear on the command line.


About the standard dictionary
The Standard Dictionary

SpellChk is released with a standard dictionary which contains over 50000 commonly used words.  The standard dictionary file is named "standard.dic".  SpellChk dictionaries are not ASCII text files.  To facilitate lookup, they are encoded index files.  When SpellChk is checking text, each word that it encounters is searched for in the standard dictionary.  If a word is not found in the standard dictionary, SpellChk will then search an auxiliary dictionary for the word if an auxiliary dictionary is present.  If the word is not found, the word is considered misspelled or unknown.

When SpellChk is installed, the default standard dictionary automatically is set to "standard.dic".  The Open Standard Dictionary command from the File menu may be used to open a different dictionary file.  The new file must be in the same format as the standard dictionary.  When you open a new standard dictionary, the new dictionary then becomes the default.


Registration of SpellChk
Registration and Software License

SpellChk is released as a shareware program.  It is not freeware, nor is it in the public domain.  SpellChk is not "cripple-ware".  The entire fully functional program is provided.  The author grants you a temporary license for a period of 21 days for the purposes of evaluation.  If  you utilize SpellChk after 21 days, you are obligated to register it.  Registration of SpellChk is for a single user license on a single computer.   Registered users may use the program on different computers, but may not use the program on more than one computer at the same time.  The use of unlicensed copies of SpellChk by any person, business, corporation, government agency or any other entity is strictly prohibited.  For information on site licenses, please contact the author.

No one may modify or patch the SpellChk executable files or the standard dictionary file in any way, including but not limited to decompiling, disassembling or otherwise reverse engineering the programs.

You may make as many copies as you wish of the shareware distributed version of SpellChk and may distribute these copies to anyone, as long as it is in it's original unmodified form.  You may also distribute SpellChk in it's unmodified form via electronic means.  There is no charge for such distribution.  No fee, charge, or other compensation may be accepted, except  as follows:

A)   Vendors of user-supported or shareware software may charge a disk duplication and handling fee, not to exceed eight dollars.

B)	Operators of electronic bulletin board systems may make SpellChk available for download where an overall or time dependent charge is made for use of the bulletin board and there is no specific charge for SpellChk.

Disclaimer of Warranty -  This software is provided "as is" and without warranties as to the performance or merchantability or any other warranties whether expressed or implied.  Because of the various hardware & software environments into which SpellChk may be put, no warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered.  This program was designed and tested to operate as an interface to Autosig version 6.8, and may not work with previous or subsequent versions.  The user must assume the entire risk of using the program.  By using this software, the user agrees that the author shall not be held liable for any special, incidental, consequential, indirect or other similar damages arising out of the use of the software.  In no case shall the author's liability exceed the registration fee paid to the author by the user.

Entering  Your Registration

On receipt of your registration order and fee, you will be supplied with your official registered identification (ID) and license number.  The registration ID is normally the name of an individual or company.  The license number supplied is connected to the ID by encryption.  This ID and license number must be entered into the program using the registration window displayed by selecting "Register" from the SpellChk File menu.  You must enter the Name or Company (ID) exactly as supplied, including upper and lower case characters where appropriate.  The license number must also be entered exactly as supplied with no imbedded spaces.

Evaluation Period

The idea behind shareware is to provide one the ability to try a program before paying for it.  If you continue to use the program after the evaluation period, you are legally and morally obliged to pay for it.


Adding words to the Auxiliary Dictionary

When SpellChk discovers a word which it cannot find in the standard dictionary it checks in an auxiliary dictionary for the word if an auxiliary dictionary is present.  An auxiliary dictionary can be defined by selecting the Open Auxiliary Dictionary from the File Menu.  When an auxiliary dictionary is opened, it becomes the default auxiliary dictionary.  The default auxiliary dictionary is automatically opened whenever SpellChk is executed.

When an unknown word is found, SpellChk displays the message "Word not in dictionary".  The unknown word is displayed in the box which is below the message.  At this point, the Add button may be used to add the unknown word to the auxiliary dictionary.  If there is no auxiliary dictionary open a message will be displayed indicating so.  If there is an auxiliary dictionary open, the word will be added to the currently opened auxiliary dictionary file.  Thereafter, whenever that auxiliary dictionary is opened, SpellChk will accept the word as correct.

The Auxiliary Maintenance Menu contains two commands which may be used to add words to a dictionary.  The Add Word List command is used to add a list of words from a text file to the opened auxiliary dictionary.  The Add or Delete Words command is used to manually add words.


Changing misspelled words

When SpellChk has displayed a word that is not in the dictionary, the word may be corrected by changing the way it is spelled.  The edit box under the heading "Change to:" is used to modify the way the word is spelled.  If the auto suggest option is turned on, or the Suggest button is pressed, SpellChk will display a list of alternative words in the suggestion box  which is below the "Change to:" box.  The first alternative is automatically displayed and the cursor is placed in the "Change to:" box.  The alternative that is displayed may be manually modified by editing the word, or it may be changed to another alternative by selecting another alternative from the list.  If no suggestions are made by SpellChk, the correct word may be entered into the "Change to:" box.  When the correct word is displayed in the "Change to:" box, the Change button may be used to correct the original text.   If desired, the Change All button may be used to change the original text at it's current position and to also make the change anywhere in the remaining text if the same misspelled word is encountered.  Note: Change All does not look backward from the current position in the text to change any occurrences of the same misspelled word that had previously been ignored.  Additionally, Change All only applies to the current file or clipboard text, and does not apply to any subsequently checked files or clipboard text.


Suggesting alternate words

When SpellChk discovers an unknown word it displays the message "Word not in dictionary" and places the word in the box directly below the message.  If the "Auto Suggest" option is turned on or the Suggest button is pressed, SpellChk then searches the standard dictionary for alternate words which may be the correctly spelled word.  The alternates that it finds are listed in the box which is in the lower left corner of the SpellChk window.  The first word in the list is also copied to the "Change to:" box.  The word in the "Change to:" box may be changed by clicking the mouse on a different word in the suggest list.  The "Change to:" word may also be manually changed.  When the correctly spelled word is displayed in the "Change to:" box, the Change button may be used to correct the word in the original text, or, the Change All button may be used to automatically correct any further occurrences of the same misspelled word.  Double clicking on a suggested word in the list  will immediately update the original text with the selected correction.  If SpellChk cannot find any alternates, the list and the "Change to:" box will be blank.


Ignoring unknown words

When SpellChk discovers an unknown word it displays the message "Word not in dictionary" and places the word in the box directly below the message.  The Ignore button may be used to cause SpellChk to ignore the fact that the word is unknown.  Checking will proceed with the word following the unknown word.  The Ignore All button may be used to cause SpellChk to continue to ignore the word if it is encountered again in the remaining portion of the text being checked.  Note:  The Ignore All function only applies to the remainder of the current document.  It does not apply to subsequent files or clipboard text checked.


Displaying the unknown word in context
Displaying an unknown word in context

Use the Context button to display the unknown word shown in the context in which it is used.  The Context button displays a window containing the unknown word with some of the text before and after it.  The OK button closes the context window.


Auxiliary Dictionary Maintenance

The Aux Dictionary Maintenance command from the File Menu displays a sub-menu which contains a list of commands which may be used to maintain the dictionaries which are used by SpellChk.  Although most of the commands in the sub-menu operate on the open auxiliary dictionary, it is possible to use them to modify the standard dictionary by swapping the two dictionaries temporarily.

Add Word List

The Add Word List command may be used to add a list of words to the currently opened auxiliary dictionary.  The list of words to be added should be in a text file containing one word per line.  Words which are already existing in the dictionary will be ignored.  After the command is selected, a dialog box is displayed for entry of the text file name.  After the file name is specified, the text file is read and the words are added to the auxiliary dictionary.  During the processing, the words being processed are displayed in the topmost box in the SpellChk window.  After all of the words have been processed, the number of words actually added to the auxiliary dictionary are displayed.  After words are added to a dictionary, to save disk space and spell checking time, it is suggested that the dictionary be reorganized.

Add or Delete Words

The Add or Delete Words command is used to add words to, or delete words from, the currently opened auxiliary dictionary.  After selection of the command from the menu, a dialog box is displayed which may be used to search for existing words, to add words or to delete words.

Adding a new word -- To add a new word to the auxiliary dictionary, enter the word to be added into the edit box at the top of the dialog window.  Then select the "Add" button.  The word will be added to the dictionary and displayed in the list box.

Deleting a word -- To delete a word from the dictionary, enter the word, or if desired, the first few letters of the word, into the edit box.  Then  select the "Search" button.  The word will be displayed in the list box followed by any words that are in the dictionary that start with the specified word.  If the specified word is in the dictionary, it will appear first and will be highlighted.  To delete it, select the "Delete" button.  A confirmation will be requested prior to deletion of the word.  If the specified word is not in the dictionary, any words that begin with the specified word will be displayed.  If the word to be deleted is displayed in the list box,  click on the word to highlight it and then select the "Delete" button.

Add Aux to Standard

The Add Aux. to Standard command is used to add the currently open auxiliary dictionary to the currently open standard dictionary.  When the command is selected, SpellChk will request confirmation prior to performing the operation.  During the operation, the words being added are displayed  in the topmost box in the SpellChk window.  At the end of the operation a message box is displayed which indicates the actual number of new words which were added to the standard dictionary.   After words are added to a dictionary, to save disk space and spell checking time, it is suggested that the dictionary be reorganized.

Reorganize Dictionary

It is recommended that the Reorganize Dictionary command be utilized to reorganize a dictionary after words have been added.  The addition of words to an existing dictionary could add considerably to the size of the dictionary file.  This is not only a waste of disk space, but it slows down the accessing of words during spell checking.  The Reorganize command reorganizes the currently open auxiliary dictionary.  To reorganize the currently opened standard dictionary, first, swap the dictionaries using the Swap Dictionaries command.  Then, reorganize the dictionary.  After the reorganization is complete, swap the dictionaries again.

After the Reorganize Dictionary command is selected, SpellChk requests confirmation prior to proceeding.  During the reorganization, a count of words is displayed.  At the end of reorganization, the number of words in the dictionary is displayed.

Since reorganization of a dictionary is accomplished by reading the selected dictionary and writing a new dictionary, any interruption of the process should leave the original file intact.  However, it is recommended that dictionary files be backed up prior to any dictionary maintenance.

Delete Aux. Dictionary

The Delete Aux. Dictionary command is used to delete the currently open auxiliary dictionary file from the disk.  After selection of the command, SpellChk requests confirmation before proceeding with the deletion.

Swap Dictionaries

The Swap Dictionaries command is used to swap the open standard dictionary with the open auxiliary dictionary.  After selection of this command, SpellChk requests confirmation prior to performing the swap.  After the swap, the dictionary that was opened as the standard dictionary becomes the auxiliary dictionary, and the dictionary that was opened as the auxiliary dictionary becomes the standard dictionary.  This command is primarily used  when direct maintenance of the standard dictionary is desired.


Spell Checking While You Type

SpellChk can monitor a window as you type, checking each word, reporting any words which are not recognized and, in some cases, updating the text with your corrections.  Updating can be done when the text being entered is being entered into a standard Windows edit control.  One example of a program which uses a standard Windows edit control is Notepad.  Word processing programs, such as Word for Windows and Windows Write, do not use standard Windows edit controls, therefore, they cannot be updated by SpellChk.  However, if the Corrections to Clipboard option in the Options menu is selected, any corrections you wish to make will be copied to the clipboard.  You may then backspace over the misspelled word and paste in the correction.

To monitor a window as you type, first, execute SpellChk and minimize it to an icon.  Then, with the window that you wish to monitor opened, click once on the icon to bring up the SpellChk system menu.  Then click on "Select Window".  The SpellChk window selection cursor will be displayed.  Move the selection cursor into the window which you wish to monitor and click.  The selection cursor will disappear.  Start typing in the selected window.  As each word is completed, SpellChk will check the dictionaries for the word.  To stop the monitoring, click once on the SpellChk icon to bring up the SpellChk system menu.  Then select "Stop Check" to break the connection.  SpellChk will only monitor one window at a time.  Selecting another window to monitor will disconnect SpellChk from any previous window being monitored.

When SpellChk encounters an unrecognized word, it displays the unrecognized word in a window.  There are two different windows which may be displayed.  If the Auto Suggest option is turned on, a window is displayed which contains the unrecognized word at the top of the window.  An edit box is displayed below the unrecognized word for specifying a correction.  Below the edit box is a list of suggested replacements for the unrecognized word.  If a Windows standard edit control is being monitored, there are two buttons below the list box.  The top button is used to return to the monitored application without changing the text.  The bottom button is used after a correction is entered in the edit box to make the correction and return to the monitored application.  If the Auto Suggest option is turned off, a window is displayed that contains the unrecognized word and three buttons.  The top button is used to return to monitored application without changing the unrecognized word.  After changing the displayed word, the middle button may  be used to make the correction and return to the monitored application.  The bottom button may be used to display the suggestion window.


Check Button

The Check button in the SpellChk main window is used to check individual words.  It is not enabled while text checking is in process.  To check a word, enter the word to be checked into the "Change To" box, then select the Check button.  If the word is found in the dictionaries, the word will be transferred to the upper box.  If the word is not found and the Auto Suggest option is selected, a list of suggested replacements will be displayed.  If the option is not selected, the suggest button may be used to obtain the list of suggestions.