Chapter 15
(Continued)
Customization, Options, and Tools
The Spell Checker
askSam offers two options for Spell Checking:
1. You can spell check an existing Document
2. You can check spelling while you type (Auto Spell Checking)
1. Go to the Document you want to Spell Check. If you don't want to Spell Check the entire Document, select the text you want checked.
2. Choose TOOLS -> SPELLING (or press F7).
askSam will begin checking the spelling in your Document. If askSam encounters a word it does not recognize, the Check Spelling Dialog Box will appear.
3. Choose from the following options:
OPTION ACTION
IGNORE Ignores this word (this instance only) and continues with the spell check.
IGNORE ALL Ignores all instances of this word in the current Document and continues with the spell check.
CHANGE Changes the spelling of the unrecognized word to the alternative that askSam suggests.
CHANGE ALL Changes all occurrences of the unrecognized word to the alternative that askSam suggests.
SUGGEST Generates a list of suggestions for the unrecognized word. Choosing the Suggest button causes an increasingly more accurate (but slower) search for suggestions.
ADD Adds the unrecognized word to the User Dictionary. When a word is added to the User Dictionary, it will no longer be displayed as an incorrect spelling.
OPTIONS Set options for spell checking (see Spell Check Options later in this chapter).
CLOSE Closes the Check Spelling Dialog Box.
EDIT DICTIONARIES Lets you modify the User Dictionary (see Modifying the User Dictionary later in this chapter).
ADD WORDS TO Defines which User Dictionary unrecognized words are added to. You can have multiple user dictionaries (for example for different languages).
4. After askSam completes the spell check, a message will appear stating how many words were checked and how many were not recognized.
NOTES:
1. When you check spelling in a Document, the fields contained in your Entry Forms are automatically ignored. This keeps askSam from displaying Field Names as errors in every Document in your file.
The Options button in the Check Spelling dialog lets you set the following options:
OPTION ACTION
IGNORE CAPITALIZED When checked, any words beginning with a capital letter are ignored WORDS (i.e., are skipped over without being checked). This option is useful when the text being checked contains many proper names.
IGNORE ALL-CAPS WORDS When checked, any words containing all capital letters are ignored (i.e., are skipped without being checked). This option is useful when the text being checked contains many acronyms.
IGNORE WORDS WITH When checked, any words containing embedded digits are ignored NUMBERS (i.e., are skipped without being checked). Examples of such words include “Win95” and “Q4”.
IGNORE WORDS WITH When checked, any words containing an unusual mixture of upper- and MIXED CASE lower-case letters are ignored Examples of such words include “askSam” and “CapsLock”.
IGNORE DOMAIN NAMES When checked, any words that appear to be Internet domain names (such as askSam.com) are ignored
REPORT DOUBLED WORDS When checked, any word appearing twice in a row is reported as an error.
CASE SENSITIVE When checked, 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 not checked, “canada” and “Canada” are considered identical. Note that the performance of the spelling checker will be reduced if this option is not checked.
PHONETIC SUGGESTIONS When checked, suggestions are made based on phonetic (sounds-like) similarity to the misspelled word. This option tends to improve suggestions for badly misspelled words. Enabling this option will increase the time required to locate suggestions. Note that either this option or the Typographical Suggestions option must be checked or no suggestions will be offered.
TYPOGRAPHICAL When checked, suggestions are made based on typographical (looks-SUGGESTIONS like) similarity to the misspelled word. This option is appropriate for people who are generally good spellers. Note that either this option or the Phonetic Suggestions option must be enabled or no suggestions will be offered.
SUGGEST SPLIT WORDS When checked, 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”.
MAIN DICTIONARY This option allows you to set the language of the main dictionary used LANGUAGE to check spelling. The list shows only languages for which dictionaries are installed on your system. To check spelling in a different language, select the language in the list.
SUGGESTIONS Determines the speed and accuracy of the initial search for suggested replacements for misspelled words. When a misspelled word is detected, a search is automatically made for suggestions. This option controls the speed and accuracy of this automatic search. Pressing the Suggest button in the Check-Spelling Dialog causes an increasingly more accurate (but slower) search for suggestions.
User Dictionaries let you place words the spell checker does not recognize into your own personal dictionary. askSam lets you have multiple user dictionaries (for different users or for different languages).
You access the user dictionary from the EDIT DICTIONARY button in the Check Spelling dialog.
OPTION ACTION
WORDS Lists the words in the currently selected user dictionary. This is also where you enter new words to add to the dictionary.
OTHER WORD Lets you enter an alternate word associated with the currently selected word. The other word is used in the "Auto change" and "Conditionally change" actions to supply a replacement word. You can enter more than one word in the Other Word box, but the total length is limited to 63 characters.
ADD WORD Adds the word entered in the Word Field to your user dictionary.
If you've selected an action (other than ignore) and entered other words in the Other Word Field, these items are associated with the word when it is added to your dictionary. The Add Word button is enabled only when a new word is typed in the Word Field. The words you add may contain virtually any character, but only words that contain embedded periods should have trailing periods (for example, U.S.A. is OK, but USA. is not).
DELETE WORD Deletes the word you select in the Words List from the currently selected dictionary.
IMPORT 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. Note that importing a large list of words may take some time.
EXPORT 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.
ACTION Set the action the Spell Checker will take when it encounters a word. “Ignore (skip)” tells the spell checker that the word is spelled correctly, and so can be skipped over. This is the most common action. The other options are listed in the drop down menu.
FILES List the open dictionary files. When you select a file from the list, its contents are displayed in the Words list.
ADD FILE Opens a user dictionary file. When you select the Add File button, a dialog appears that 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.
NEW FILE Creates a new user dictionary file. When you select the New button, a dialog appears that you can use to specify attributes of the new dictionary.
REMOVE FILE Closes the currently selected dictionary file. Closed dictionaries are not checked during a spell check. Although the file is closed, it is not deleted. Closed dictionary files can be later reopened using the Add File button.
The Auto Spell Checker checks spelling while you type.
To Activate the Auto Spell Checker:
1. Choose TOOLS -> AUTO SPELL CHECKING
The Auto Spell Checker will be turned ON. askSam checks spelling while you type. When an unrecognized word is encountered, askSam beeps.
NOTES:
1. To add an unrecognized word to the User Dictionary, select the word and choose TOOLS ->
SPELLING (or press F7). The Spelling Dialog Box will appear. Choose the ADD button and the word is added to the User Dictionary.
2. When Auto Spell Checking is ON, it checks spelling in any askSam file where you enter information. Auto Spell Checking will remain ON until you choose TOOLS -> AUTO SPELL
CHECKING and turn it OFF.
The askSam Phone Dialer
If you have a modem, askSam can automatically dial phone numbers from your Documents or report output.
1. Select the phone number (using either the mouse or cursor keys).
2. Choose TOOLS -> DIAL PHONE NUMBER.
The Active Call Dialog Box is displayed, and the number is dialed.
As the number is dialed, the Call Status dialog will automatically appear.
3. Lift the phone receiver and choose the TALK button.
NOTES:
1. askSam uses the Microsoft Phone Dialer that is included with Windows to dial phone numbers. In order for dialing to work properly from askSam, the Microsoft Phone Dialer must be properly installed.
2. Clicking the Phone Button in the Toolbar dials a selected phone number.
3. If you frequently use the phone dialer, you can setup a shortcut key to this command. See Customizing the Keyboard earlier in this chapter.
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