Spell Check Any Text Which You Can Highlight And Copy

This script uses Microsoft Word's powerful spell checker utility to check any text you've copied to the clipboard. The beauty of this script is its simplicity. Simply highlight any text you wish to check and press Ctrl+C to copy it to the clipboard. Then, just click the shortcut to the script on your Quick Launch bar or use the keyboard shortcut provided by the installer. The script will check the text for errors and allow you to correct them. You can then simply paste the now corrected contents of the clipboard back into your document or web dialog box; anywhere you can edit text can be spell checked with this script. This is how to use this script:

1. In order to use this script, you must have Microsoft Word installed. Additionally, you must have at least version 5.1 of the Windows Scripting Host.
   • To determine which version of Windows Scripting Host you have, download this file to a temporary directory, unzip it and double click the extracted file WSH_test.vbs. It will tell you which version you currently have installed.
   • If your version is anything prior to v5.1, go to the Microsoft Windows Script Technologies Page, and update to the most recent version.
2. Now you're ready to use this script. Download this file to a temporary directory anywhere on the same partition on which Windows is installed.
3. Extract all the files to the same temporary directory. You may delete the ZIP file when you're done. You may delete the entire temporary directory when you are done with the installation as described below.
4. There are two simple methods for installation:
   • Create a permanent directory anywhere on any partition and move spell.vbs into it. Then, create a shortcut to Spell.vbs and place the shortcut on your Quick Launch bar. Use this method if you do not intend to set up a keyboard shortcut.
   • Double-click install_spell.vbs to start the installation and follow the prompts. This will create a keyboard shortcut to spell.vbs that you can use by typing WinKey+R (or alternately, press Ctrl+Esc, then R to bring up the Run command window) and then type the letters you chose when installing. The default letters are SP, but you may change these during installation as desired. This will launch the script from its own new directory very quickly with a minimum of effort. There will also be an icon available from the View/Toolbars/Customize... menu which can be added to the toolbar.
5. Once you've had a chance to get acquainted with this program, please post any questions or comments to the PC911 Computer Forum. Please include a description of your test machine, including its basic hardware and software configuration as well as your experience with it.
6. Spell.vbs can be uninstalled through the Add/Remove Programs applet in your Control Panel if you used the installer. Otherwise, simply delete the directory containing Spell.vbs and the shortcut on the Quick Launch bar.
7. Thank you for using Spell.vbs. You are free to use and distribute Spell.vbs as long as you make it understood that PC911 will not be held responsible for any damage or problems it may cause, and no modifications be made to the script. Oh, and by the way, Spell.vbs cannot cause any damage.
8. Enjoy!

Spell Check Text In Internet Explorer 5.x

This script is designed to be used exclusively with Internet Explorer 5.x by adding an item called Spelling to your right-click context menu. While this program uses the same spell-check mechanism of the Spell.vbs program available immediately above, it neither requires spell.vbs to be installed or interferes with it; it is an adjunct. The user may choose to install one or the other or both. But you can use both. Read on and you'll see why.

As with Spell.vbs above, this script also requires that Microsoft Word and version 5.1 of the Windows Scripting Host be installed. Once those two criteria are met though, installing and using this program is extremely simple and easy. Steve Yandl and the rest of the PC911 team have developed a tool that you'll soon find indispensable.

Installation and Use Instructions: Click here and download the IE Context Menu Speller to a temporary directory in the same partition on which your Windows installation resides. Unzip the contents of the zip file into this same directory. Double click Install_Spell_It.vbs to install the program. When you restart Internet Explorer you'll find a new item in your right-click context menu. Highlight any text and then right-click it. Select Spelling from the context menu. The program will launch your Microsoft Word's spell checker utility allowing you to make corrections to the text.

While you may spell check any text, this program is most useful when correcting editable text in applications such as a forum post text field. When you're done, simply press Ctrl+V to paste the corrected text from the clipboard, where the program stores it, into your editable field.

Simplicity: The advantage of this script over the version listed immediately above on this page, is that you needn't copy the text you wish to check to the clipboard before you check it. You simply highlight the text with your cursor and right-click it. I find this program very easy to use in Internet Explorer, but I still like to have the ability to check spelling in Notepad and other text editors that lack a spell checker, so both of these utilities come in handy in their own way.

Wrap Up: Once the installation is complete, you may delete the temporary directory containing the installation files, however, it might be prudent to save them along with the ReadMe file for future reference. This script can be uninstalled in the normal manner via the Add/Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel.

Enjoy!
                · This script was last updated on December 4th, 2000

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