nisus.com

I maintain that it was a mistake for Nisus to make "Check Spelling as You Type" effective only on a per-document basis.
It should operate for ALL documents, not one document at a time. The way it is now, this situation is possible:
"Check Spelling as You Type" is NOT checked in Nisus Writer Pro 2.0.2.
"Correct spelling automatically" is NOT checked in System Preferences.
Yet every time you open a new document, Nisus Writer Pro activates "Correct spelling automatically" and draws red graffiti under words all over the page until you turn it off for that document.
I am making a feature request to make "Check Spelling as You Type" effective application-wide in the next version.

Doesn't happen here. Perhaps you might like to throw out your NWP prefs and start afresh.

Kind regards

Geoffrey Heard
Business & Environment Writer, Editor, Publisher
The Worsley Press

Actually, here's a thought. Maybe you need to set up a new NWP template (Nisus New File.dot) with the spelling checking set up as you like.

Cheers, geoff

Thanks for pointing that out, Geoff, but the problem is bigger than that. There are really three design problems involved:

• (1) "Check Spelling as You Type" is saved with the document. This is just silly. To demonstrate it for yourself, do this:
  • — Modify a document. Then, just before you save it, turn off "Check Spelling as You Type". Close it.
    — Modify a second document. Then, just before you save it, turn on "Check Spelling as You Type". Close it.
  When you open the first document, "Check Spelling as You Type" will be off.
  When you open the second document, "Check Spelling as You Type" will be on.
  That’s just bad user experience (UX).
  (2) All new documents have "Check Spelling as You Type" turned on by default. It should be turned off by default, for two reasons: It is a major annoyance to all but occasional writers. And it is more difficult than ever to turn it off for all new documents.
  (3) Turning off "Check Spelling as You Type" in new documents requires you to save a file named "Nisus New File.dot" in your Library folder. But in OS X Lion, users are not allowed access to that folder. Hmmm.

So, you see, "Check Spelling as You Type" (1) needs to be turned off by default, and (2) needs to be saved for all documents, not individually for every document on your computer.

hatchmo wrote:… requires you to save a file named "Nisus New File.dot" in your Library folder. But in OS X Lion, users are not allowed access to that folder. Hmmm.

Is that true? Does OSX Lion bar users from accessing their own Library folders?

I haven't tried Lion yet, but every time I hear something about it, it sounds like it just takes away features. What's wrong with apple?

hatchmo wrote:… requires you to save a file named "Nisus New File.dot" in your Library folder. But in OS X Lion, users are not allowed access to that folder. Hmmm.

That is not quite true. The only change that Lion has made is that the Library folder is no longer as easily accessible as it was in previous versions, simply to prevent the average user from deleting important files. The Library folder is not visible in your Home directory, and you cannot access it via a shortcut in the Finder's Go menu. However, you can still use the Go>Go to Folder command (or press Shift-Command-G) and enter ~/Library to see the folder. You can then drag that folder to your Favorites sidebar to keep it there permanently.

Ok, thanks.

And so presumably the commands (in NWP) in Preferences > New File "Reveal in Finder", or in Macros "Show Macros Folder in Finder" will also still work as a way to access (the Nisus specific part of) the Library…

hatchmo wrote:I maintain that it was a mistake for Nisus to make "Check Spelling as You Type" effective only on a per-document basis.[...]

You can set it for all documents in NWP Preferences:

That checkbox can set it to be ON for all new documents,
but it doesn't work to set it OFF for all documents.
Most of us want it off, not on.

Ha, ha! I've just checked my prefs and yes, I have it set to ON. Sorry, I was thinking of auto entering corrections via the Quickfix which I have turned off (I do the same thing more extensively in all documents using Typinator).

I prefer the marking of errors turns on.

BUT having said that, I just checked and under OS X.6.8, switching off spell checking as you go in the preferences works only for new documents -- as intended.

While I prefer it on, I agree that this preference should apply globally rather than just to new documents, so that when it is switched off/on it is off/on for all documents, including documents which are opened by NWP but did not originate in your NWP.

My apologies for my misreading initially.

Cheers, geoff

hatchmo wrote:That checkbox can set it to be ON for all new documents,
but it doesn't work to set it OFF for all documents.

That's not true. If you turn off "check spelling as you type" in Nisus Writer's "New File" preference pane, any new file you create will have inline spellchecking disabled.

But you are correct that the setting only applies to new documents. Existing documents store the setting in the file itself, just as with other view settings, eg: Draft vs Page view, show rulers, show invisibles, etc. We believe that saving the document view/editing state on a per-file basis is a useful feature.

Just to clarify the situation with regard to the Library folder in Lion, you can access it from the Go menu in Finder by holding down the Option key when you click on the menu. In fact, if you keep the menu pulled down, and press and release the Option key, Library will appear and disappear from the menu. Endless fun for a dull day.

Cheers, Martin.

In messing around with this, Martin, I have beenleft with several documents with spelling checking turned off. It is driving me NUTS! (Okay, not a drive, but a short putt.)

We really need to be able to turn it on or off for individual documents, to say nothing of ALL documents.

Cheers, geoff

martin wrote:Existing documents store the setting in the file itself, just as with other view settings, eg: Draft vs Page view, show rulers, show invisibles, etc. We believe that saving the document view/editing state on a per-file basis is a useful feature.

Agreed. But it is time for the team to rethink this. Preventing your users from controlling auto-spell universally, is not a useful feature. It introduces latency to the writing process through interruptions and delays. I cannot conceive of a user who would desire having some documents that pop up with this "feature" on and others with it off, all day long. I am confident that a user poll would corroborate this.

greenmorpher wrote:We really need to be able to turn it on or off for individual documents

Once you have the document open, just toggle inline spellchecking using the menu Edit > Spelling > Check Spelling As You Type. That will adjust the setting just for that single document. And, as discussed, the setting will be saved with the document.