Re: [Aspell-user] How to create and use an additional word list ?

[Kevin Atkinson]

On Tue, 20 Sep 2011, Timothy Madden wrote:

Hi,

I'm afraid you are getting several concepts confused, more below.

> I would like to spell check my document from the command line. My .tex 
> document contains a macro (namely \write18 {cmd...}) that can run a shell 
> command when the document is being processed by LaTeX, and I would like to 
> invoke aspell in this way to ensure my document checks successfully every 
> time I compile it.
>
> The problem is I have certain words that are correct and I would like aspell 
> to recognize (or ignore) them. These are either technical words like runtime 
> or acronims like XASL or people or product names.
>
> So I would like to create an aditional word list with these specific words, 
> without installing it as a new dictionary in one of the known aspell 
> dictionaries or word list directories.
>
> The
>         aspell --lang=en create master ./documentlist.multi <./list_file

Note you are creating a compiled or "master" dictionary.  Also note, the 
normal extension in ".rws", and the ".multi" points to, perhapses multiple, 
".rws" files.  Although you might be able to get away with abusing the 
extension.

> command works pretty well and I can see the words in the list if I open the 
> ./documentlist.multi file with an editor (I use vim) directly.
>
> The problem is how do use this file ?
> If I try the simple command
>         aspell dump personal ./documentlist.multi
> I get
> Unhandled Error: The file "./documentlist.multi" is not in the proper format.

Correct, you created a "master" dictionary not a personal one.

Try "dump master".

> For example the command
> aspell --add-word-list-path=./ --add-extra-dicts=documentlist dump dicts
> does not show the new word list.

"dump dicts" lists the available dictionaries, not the one used. It may be 
that that "dump dicts" is not taking it into account, word-list-path, or 
it may also be that since your dictionary does not follow the standard 
naming conventions it is ignoring it.

Anyway its not likely doing what you expected.

> The command
>         aspell --lang=en --personal=./documentlist.multi docfile.tex
> Just outputs "The file ./documentlist.multi is not in the proper format".

Correct, its not a personal dictionary.

> If I try
> aspell --add-word-list-path=./ --personal=documentlist check docfile.tex
> than aspell starts up but does not use the words in my word list and asks me 
> to correct them when encountered in the document

Try
  aspell --add-extra-dicts=./documentlist check docfile.tex

If that doesn't work, try renaming documentlist.multi to documentlist.rws 
and try again with
  aspell --add-extra-dicts=./documentlist.rws check docfile.tex

> Is there a way to use aspell with an additional local dictionary ?

If you use the right commands, file extensions, etc.  It should work.

> Also, what is the proper way to check a document non-interactively from the 
> command line ?

What are you looking for?  A list of misspelled words, in that case use 
"aspell list"