Spelling References

The References pane shows a list of the various files Spell Catcher uses during spell checking, organized by language. Think of it as the main "control centre" for your own customized word lists and shorthands, and for the default lists and databases that Spell Catcher comes with. Because it's such a common place to visit, there is a Spelling References command in both Spell Catcher's Input menu and Dock menu that opens the Preferences window straight to the References pane.

Understanding and Using the References List

• This list shows only spelling-related references, those used by the Look Up command are shown in the drawer attached to the Look Up window.
• The order of languages in the list corresponds to your preferred language ordering in System Preferences, International, Language tab.
• Click the disclosure triangle to the left of a language item to view the references available for that language. Note that some types of reference documents can be configured for use with multiple languages, and appear in the list below each of those languages.
• A icon in the right-most column means the reference can't be edited. Main Spellings and Additional Spellings references can't be edited (they are specially-formatted compressed databases). Other types of references would be considered "not editable" because either the file is locked in the Finder, or the ownership and permissions of the file are set such that you have read access only.
  Tip: To edit a file that is locked in the Finder, select it in the list, click Show in Finder, in the Finder choose File > Get Info, and deselect the Locked checkbox.
• To find out where a particular reference document exists on your hard disk, hover the mouse over an item in the list to see it's path, or select it and click Show in Finder.
• Select a single reference in the list to see a summary of its contents (below the list, above the buttons).
• Open a reference document to view or edit it (add new Learned Words or Shorthands for instance) by double-clicking it, or selecting it in the list and clicking Edit.
• Control which references should actually be examined when checking spelling and making shorthand expansions by selecting or deselecting the checkbox in the Use? column.
• The list will always show references that are built-into the Spell Catcher application itself (installed as a plug-in), and those that are in the Additional Languages, Additional References, and References folders inside Spell Catcher's Application Support folder (home Library/Application Support/Spell Catcher). These references cannot be removed from the list with the Remove button.
• You can add references that reside outside the specific folders mentioned above by clicking the Add... button (via a standard open dialog), or dragging them to the list from the Finder. You can add Spell Catcher X, Spell Catcher 8, and Spell Catcher Plus format reference files. Reference files added this way can be removed from the list using the Remove button.
• To use a reference document that resides on a network volume, make an alias to it in the Finder, and place the alias into the References folder in Spell Catcher's Application Support folder. If multiple users are sharing a reference this way, it's best to limit the write access to the file to the person that maintains its contents.
• Control-click a reference in the list for a shortcut menu with the available actions for that reference.

Other Options

• Ask before saving changes to documents. Controls whether reference documents are automatically saved when you close the document's window when you're finished editing it.

Creating New References

Create new Learned Words, Shorthand Glossary, and Omitted Words reference documents by choosing the corresponding type from the File > New menu in the Spell Catcher application.