Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 58281
Cannot add hyphenated words to custom dictionary
Last modified: 2013-08-07 14:38:26 UTC
When the spellchecker dialog stops on a word that it thinks is incorrect, that word is highlighted in red and that is the *ONLY* thing you can add to a dictionary with the ADD button. That is no good if it is part of something like a compound word and you want to add the whole thing to the dictionary and not the individual parts. Examples: (Using English-UK) 1.) Spellchecker stops on "tac-nuke" and highlights "tac". I want to add "tac-nuke" to the dictionary because I want "tac" to still be considered a probable error in any other context. 2.) Spellchecker stops on "Semper Fi" and highlights "Semper". I want to add "Semper Fi" to the dictionary, because I want "Semper" and especially "Fi" to still be considered probable errors in any other context. 3.) "Gung ho". 4.) "itsy-bitsy" 5.) "pac-man" 6.) "repl-depl" And I shudder to think of what people using OO for technical writing are going through when they find that they can't add things to a dictionary like "2,3-iso-butyl-ThisOrThatChemical". Using the "Semper Fi" example, I have tried using the mouse to select "Semper Fi" before clicking the Add button, but it does not work. And I was surprised that there is no "Add" action of any kind on the context menu if I right-click on either the word Spellchecker highlighted or something I selected. If there is better alternate way to add things to a dictionary, it is not mentioned in the help and I can't find it in the menus. I have tried manually editting en_GB.dic, but whether I do it with WordPad, NotePad, or Borland Delphi 6, OpenOffice 2.0 barfs next time I try to start it up. And that method would be pretty cumbersome even if it worked because you have to shut down and restart OO every time you want to add a word. Off Topic: If you click the HELP button in the Spellchecker Dialog wouldn't you expect it to display help about the spellchecker ?
Reassigned to SBA
Confirmed - Windows XP SP2, OOo 2.0.1. Cannot add a hyphenated word to the dictionary by right clicking on it. I think the underlying problem here is how OOo parses words for checking them in the dictionary. OOo seems to divide words at punctuation, including hyphens. Thus hyphenated words are treated as two words. @stowrob, To answer one of your questions, yes, there is a way to edit the dictionary from within OOo. Go to the "Tools" menu and select "Options." In the navigation list, select "Language Settings" -> "Writing Aids." In the center of the panel will be a list of dictionaries. You can turn them on or off, add new dictionaries, or edit existing dictionaries. Editing an existing dictionary will allow you to add words with hpyhens. BUT, adding a word with a hyphen still does not cause OOo to recognize the word. If I add "itsy-bitsy," for example, the spell checker still catches it as two words, rather than as a single word. Same with words like "Semper Fi." Expected Behavior: Custom Dictionary entries with spaces or hyphens should be consulted when determining if a word is misspelled. User should be able to add hyphenated misspelled words to the dictionary by selecting the entire word and rightclicking on it (or something similar). Off Topic: In my version (OOo 2.0.1), the "Help" button does display help about spellcheckers. If it doesn't on yours, file a seperate issue. :)
Reassigned to TL
tl->sba: Should be implicitly fixed because of the latest OOo 3.2 breakiterator change. Please check.
Reassigne to the default contact. rbircher > sba feel free to reassigne to your self. This issue should be solved in a newer version like OOo 3.3 Maybe sameone can check it.