3 replies to this topic

[Byron James]

I use SpellCatcher 10.4 for Mac running SnowLeopard. I have used both it and TextExpander as alternate ways of expanding text in a web-based electronic medical record, PracticeFusion. Both products have had issues with expansion over the years in various browsers. One feature I liked about TextExpander is the "fill-in" where it would pop open a window and I could tab the various fields I needed to complete. This still pops up, but within PracticeFusion it does not enter text once I hit return. I used to be able to revert to older Adobe Flash, but eventually PracticeFusion required newer Flash and I decided to stick with SpellCatcher for both spelling and expansions.

Things still work fine with OmniWeb, but every once in awhile I try other browsers to make sure that is the best choice. Within PracticeFusion, these are the problems when I try to expand "_prn" to "Follow-up prn."

I have gone through all the browsers I could find for Mac, and it looks like I can find just two browsers that allows me to use SpellCatcher in PracticeFusion: OmniWeb and Sunrise. I appreciate any thoughts that may help me keep using SpellCatcher with PracticeFusion in the future. Eventually I may just have to write my notes in a text editor and paste.

<Summary of other browsers>

Sunrise: Works as well as OmniWeb (but still no fill-in for TextExpander)

Firefox: Nothing happens when I press the spacebar once, but then expands if I press the spacebar again, leaving "_prn" at the front of the expansion ("_prnFollow-up prn"). Also, longer expansions are missing after the first paragraph.

Chrome: Same

Safari: Nothing happens (just "_prn ").

iCab: Nothing (and this was usually my backup browser to OmniWeb).

Opera: Expansions work (but I am apparently not able to use my command key for select-all, past, copy, etc (?)).

Stainless: Nothing

Camino: Erases "_prn" and that is it (no further text entered)

Now going to more obscure browsers:

Demeter: Weird, double letters as I try to type. Could not really try.

RockMelt: Like Firefox.

Iron-Mac: Like Firefox.

Raven: Nothing (just "_prn").

Flock: Like Camina (erases text)

Blackbird: Erases only.

Shiira: Also doubles letters as I type (like Demeter)

Sea Monkey: Like Firefox

Netscape Navigator: Quit repeatedly when I tried to load.

QTWeb: Trouble loading (could not check).

Arora: Buggy

Dooble: Buggy

[Byron James]

Addendum: The spell check does not seem to work with Sunrise, so OmniWeb is my only browser to use both the spell check and text expansion in Practice Fusion.

[Evan Gross]

Can you tell me more about how "Practice Fusion" works? Or point me to a website where I can find a demo I can try?

What about in the absence of Practice Fusion? Most browsers you mention above, well, I haven't even heard of. The ones I do know about should (mostly) work fine with Spell Catcher, perhaps with a few known exceptions.

Have you tried using Spell Catcher’s input method component (yellow checkmark without the "64" badge) in those browsers that work in 32-bit mode? See this FAQ for details. Just substitute the browser for Outlook.

[Evan Gross]

OK, I found the Practice Fusion website, and tried their online demo (where you sign in - i.e. not the tour). Is the way it works on their site the same as how it works for "regular" users? In other words, is I a totally Flash-based product?

There are some rather obvious and seriously nasty problems - at least in Safari. All text input seems to stop working, throwing exceptions (logged to the Console) if you dare to simply change the current input source (for example, switching from one keyboard to another). Spell Catcher doesn't even factor in here at all.

OmniWeb does seem to work somewhat better - not sure exactly why this is, but I doubt that Flash deals properly with Mac OS X text input no matter what browser you use.