Managing dictionaries

Managing dictionaries

The ACT! LDK includes two dictionary files:

Main.dct is the primary word list the ACT! spelling checker uses.

Custom1.dic is where the application places words users add to the dictionary.

Through the LDK, you can provide a language-specific spelling dictionary that replaces the Main.dct file. You first create or obtain a word list in the desired language, then you use the Component One Dictionary Utility provided with the LDK to create the dictionary file. You can also add special words to the custom dictionary file, Custom1.dic.

Creating a text word list

The Dictionary Utility uses a text file (.TXT format) word list formatted as follows:

• One word per line.
• Each line must end with a carriage return.
• The last character of the file must be an end-of-line character (ASCII code decimal 26 or CTRL-Z).
• The words do not have to be in alphabetical order.
• The words are not case-sensitive.

Creating a spelling dictionary (Main.dct)

To provide a language-specific dictionary in a localized build, you use the Dictionary Utility to convert the word list into a DCT file that ACT! can use.

To create a spelling dictionary

1. Open the Dictionary Utility by browsing to C:\ACT\ACT LDK\Resources\C1Spell and double-clicking Dictutil.exe.
2. Under Text file, click Browse (...) button and select a text word list.
3. Under Dictionary file, type or browse to the path and filename of the new dictionary file to create.

Note: The file must be named "Main.dct" to be recognized by the ACT! application. If the file already exists, the utility will overwrite it.

4. Click Build dictionary from text file.

Modifying the custom dictionary

You can modify the custom dictionary if you want to include special words without replacing the entire spelling dictionary.

To modify the custom dictionary

• Open the Custom1.dic file in a text editor.

The file should be formatted as follows:

• The name always must be Custom1.dic.
• The file should remain in ANSI format, unless special characters require UTF-8 or UTF-16 format.
• One word per line.
• Each line must end with a carriage return.
• The last character of the file must be an end-of-line character (ASCII code decimel 26 or CTRL-Z).
• The words do not have to be in alphabetical order. 
• The words are not case-sensitive.