Open Office and Spell Check

Maryn · Feb 28, 2014

I use Word 2003 on a desktop and Open Office on the laptop, saving in .doc format so I can go back and forth between machines, retrieving the latest version of any document from DropBox, without a hitch.

Until now. I hadn't updated Open Office since I installed it a few years ago, despite its pleas, but in a weak moment, I updated to the newest version. Not only did I lose the toolbar I had just the way I liked it, but now the program's spell check flags every single word. Every time.

I've closed the program and re-opened it. Rebooted the computer. Ensure it's set for US English. I don't know what else to try.

I know, I know, people will suggest Libre Office or springing for MS Word, but until this problem, I was okay with Open Office. Is there anything I can do, or will I be going to the desktop every time I want to spell check?

Maryn, all fluttery and helpless

alleycat · Feb 28, 2014

I don't have OO anymore, but on LO you can go to Options under Tools on the top menubar, then go to Languages and Writing Aids to check or uncheck a number of options about spell check.

I would assume OO has something similar. You might have to poke around a bit to find it. It might be using the wrong dictionary.

Jamesaritchie · Feb 28, 2014

I had that problem when I tried OpenOffice, and fixing it was a matter of installing some missing file, but I can't remember much about it, other than I learned about the fix on the OpenOffice Forum.

I switched to LibreOffice, and never looked back. It looks better, works better, and has, I think, better developers.

Maryn · Feb 28, 2014

Yeah, I'm wondering if it failed to install a dictionary against which to check, or is checking against the wrong dictionary.

I shall poke around further. My thanks to you both.

Maryn, who laughed aloud when it flagged "the"

Arcadia Divine · Feb 28, 2014

Maryn said:
Maryn, who laughed aloud when it flagged "the"

You sure you spelt the right? You could've used it wrong *snicker snicker*? (joking obviously)

Jamesaritchie · Feb 28, 2014

Maryn said:
Yeah, I'm wondering if it failed to install a dictionary against which to check, or is checking against the wrong dictionary.

I shall poke around further. My thanks to you both.

Maryn, who laughed aloud when it flagged "the"

For me, that would be normal. I almost always write "teh".

Matera the Mad · Feb 28, 2014

Heehee.

I agree that Libre Office is more gooder. I use it in both Linux and Windows (where I also have to use Microsoftdick alas). Always found Open Office klunkier.

GingerGunlock · Feb 28, 2014

This might be daring, but you can, under "Tools", do Language > For all text >None (do not check spelling)

At least in my version there is. I also have never-ever updated Open Office. I hate updates for things, perhaps because I hate change? I've never been happy with newer versions of Word, for instance.

Under the same Tools > Language dropdown, there appears to be a "More Dictionaries Online...." selection, which brings you to the Open Office website's dictionary selection page.

Rotes · Mar 16, 2014

It's best to avoid Open Office/Abiword. They occasionally eat files. :/ I learned the hard way. Honestly, Microsoft may be sort of a jerk, but the reassurance is worth the money.

Alexys · Mar 17, 2014

I've had far more files eaten/corrupted/just plain spirited away by Word than by any of the open-source products. In the end, all software with more than ten lines of code in it has bugs, and those bugs can occasionally cause data loss. Caveat emptor, and back up often.

KarmaPolice · Mar 17, 2014

In my experience, OpenOffice is a little worse than MSWord; slower loading, resource-heavy (feel it real bad on my old netbook) and the spell-checking is a little worse. But it's free and has around 90% compatibility with MS products, so it wins. Oh, and I've never had any problems with either that couldn't be explained by other factors. (Like my defective brain).

Is your dictionary set correctly? It's under Tools -> Language -> for all text (Language).

Does it even have a dictionary? If not, download and install the plugin.

Bad installation? It might be best to uninstall, then do a clean reinstall.

Maryn · Mar 17, 2014

As far as I can tell--and I'm not technically skilled--it appears the recent update obliterated the dictionary used by the previous version and did not replace it. I shall see what I can find in plugins. Stay tuned...

Maryn · Mar 17, 2014

Well, isn't this fun? About half the users say the dictionary extension doesn't work on OpenOffice 4, which is what I have. I should never have allowed the @#$%^& update, you know? I was okay before.

So, if I get Libre instead, will I have much trouble? I do switch back and forth between an old version of MS Word and OO several times a day.

Maryn, feeling helpless and kind of stupid

alleycat · Mar 17, 2014

Well, since no one else has replied . . .

I use Word, but also have LO. I don't swap back and forth that much. It wouldn't hurt anything to load LO as well as OO and give it a try.

Jamesaritchie · Mar 18, 2014

Maryn said:
Well, isn't this fun? About half the users say the dictionary extension doesn't work on OpenOffice 4, which is what I have. I should never have allowed the @#$%^& update, you know? I was okay before.

So, if I get Libre instead, will I have much trouble? I do switch back and forth between an old version of MS Word and OO several times a day.

Maryn, feeling helpless and kind of stupid

LO is just a branch of OpenOffice. It's really just an improved version of OpenOffice. It does everything OpenOffice does, but does it better, and does some things OpenOffice can't do.

KarmaPolice · Mar 22, 2014

You can always just dig out the old version of OpenOffice and reinstall that. I believe their site still offers them.

MatthewDBrammer · Mar 31, 2014

*shrug* Strange. I've used OO for a couple of years now an never had a single problem. I even use it for my business's bookkeeping.

writersherry · Sep 28, 2014

I use Word 2010, and OO, but nothing beats having a good editor or CP double-check your work.

Orianna2000 · Sep 28, 2014

I switched to LibreOffice a couple years ago. I love it, except for the thesaurus, which is crappy, and for the one annoying bug.

You know how you can highlight a section of text, and then click anywhere in the text while holding down "shift" and the highlighting will change, based on where you clicked? So if you accidentally highlight too much, you can shift-click and reduce the number of highlighted words? This doesn't work in LO! You can highlight, but once it's highlighted, you're stuck with it, unless you use the mouse to highlight something else. It's frustrating! But you get used to it, eventually.

Open Office and Spell Check

Maryn

Baaa!

alleycat

Still around

Jamesaritchie

Maryn

Baaa!

Arcadia Divine

Jamesaritchie

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

GingerGunlock

paralibrarian

Rotes

Crazy Opossum Lady

Alexys

Took a wrong turn at the Pleiades

KarmaPolice

Maryn

Baaa!

Maryn

Baaa!

alleycat

Still around

Jamesaritchie

KarmaPolice

MatthewDBrammer

writersherry

Sherry_Soule

Orianna2000

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