Spelling is not my forte and I have to confess I love the spell check feature and use it all the time. There are quite a few options that we can set for how we want the spell check feature to operate. First, we can set a preference to spell check all our messages, we can then set our default dictionary, how we handle numbers and case, and we can select additional dictionaries. There is also the option to enable the instant spell check that identifies misspelled words as we type.
We can have Lotus Notes automatically spell check all messages before sending them, or we can alternatively manually check for spelling mistakes in a message. We can also enable the instant spell checker that shows misspelled words as we type. We discussed the Instant Spell check in Chapter 5, Mastering Lotus Notes Mail; in this chapter we will look at the other spell check options.
Create a message to test the steps given next:
- With the message open, select the text in the body of the message that we want to check the spelling of.
- Select Tools | Spell Check. When Notes doesn't recognize a word, Notes displays the Spell Check dialog box.
Create a message to test the steps given next:
- While the message is open, select Tools | Instant Spell Check. When Notes doesn't recognize a word, the word will be identified with a red squiggly line underneath.
- Right-click on the misspelled word; we will see alternative suggestions for spelling as well as options to add the word to the dictionary or skip it.
In this case, Notes checks the spelling when we send the message.
- Select File | Preferences, click Mail, and then click the Basics tab.
- Select Spell-check messages before sending.
- Click OK.
Note
We can enable the Instant Spell Check and the option to spell check messages before sending automatically. This will show us misspelled words as we type as well as prompts to correct any that we have missed when we send the message.
Tip
We shouldn't forget to add to our signature to the dictionary. If we don't, every time we send a message and we have the spell check option enabled, it will spell check our name and whatever we have added to our signature. Select the button Add to Dictionary in the Spell Check dialog box if parts of your signature are picked up by the spell checker.
As mentioned, there are different spell check options that we can select to customize the spell checker.
- Click File | Preferences.
- Click Spell Check.
- Set any of the following options:
- Select the language dictionary from the Primary Dictionary list, and then click Set as Default.
- Select the Supplemental Dictionaries option, wherein we may see supplementary dictionaries that we can select. This will need to be installed by our IT Department.
- The Edit User Dictionary option lists all the words we have added to our dictionary such as our name, company name, product names, and abbreviations we use. We can edit this dictionary from within Preferences or from within the Spell Check dialog box when prompted. From within this area, we can Add a new word by typing in the New/Selected word field and then clicking the Add button. We can also select a word such as Admin in the diagram and change the spelling and then click the Update button. Finally, we can delete a word in our user dictionary by selecting a word in the list and then clicking the Delete button.
- There is an Ignore words that contain numbers option. This is a great option for those who work with part or model numbers for products where the part or model numbers that contain letters and numbers. We can also set Ignore words that are in uppercase.
- We also have an option for multi-language documents—Keep on the fly dictionary changes until next language tag change.
- Selecting Enable Instant Spell checking option highlights misspelled words with a red squiggly line underneath them.
- Under Instant Corrections, we can select the typical typing errors we want corrected automatically.
- Select the language dictionary from the Primary Dictionary list, and then click Set as Default.
- Click OK.