Where's My Custom Dictiuonary?

[MC]

Word 2008 "encountered a problem" and quit. It took a few things with it
-- such as custom keyboard shortcuts, which I've simply reassigned. But
it also seems to have lost my custom dictionary... I think it's a simple
matter to reset it, but I'd be grateful if someone could walk me
through the steps.

 

[MC]

Word 2008 "encountered a problem" and quit. It took a few things with it
-- such as custom keyboard shortcuts, which I've simply reassigned. But
it also seems to have lost my custom dictionary... I think it's a simple
matter to reset it, but I'd be grateful if someone could walk me
through the steps.

Or... tell me what the file is called and where it's located -- so I can
restore it with Time Machine....

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

Word 2008 "encountered a problem" and quit. It took a few things with it
-- such as custom keyboard shortcuts, which I've simply reassigned. But
it also seems to have lost my custom dictionary... I think it's a simple
matter to reset it, but I'd be grateful if someone could walk me
through the steps.

Go to the preferences in Word, it's all under Spelling

Corentin

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

Or... tell me what the file is called and where it's located -- so I can
restore it with Time Machine....

Well I don't know. My crystall ball doesn't show anything ;-) (you have
the option to create one and name it anything you want).

Corentin

 

[MC]

Word 2008 "encountered a problem" and quit. It took a few things with it
-- such as custom keyboard shortcuts, which I've simply reassigned. But
it also seems to have lost my custom dictionary... I think it's a simple
matter to reset it, but I'd be grateful if someone could walk me
through the steps.

Go to the preferences in Word, it's all under Spelling [/QUOTE]

I've done that, but it does not find the user dictionary I have built up
over many years.

It would help to know the file name and location, then I could simply
use Time Machine to restore it, however, when I click on the
"Dictionaries" button I can¹t see the full path - it's truncated.

 

[MC]

Or... tell me what the file is called and where it's located -- so I can
restore it with Time Machine....

Well I don't know. My crystall ball doesn't show anything ;-) (you have
the option to create one and name it anything you want).[/QUOTE]

As far as I recall I didn't call it anything unusual or save it anywhere
unusual.

All I really need to know is the default folder.

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

I've done that, but it does not find the user dictionary I have built up
over many years.

It would help to know the file name and location, then I could simply
use Time Machine to restore it, however, when I click on the
"Dictionaries" button I can't see the full path - it's truncated.

If you go to Word > Preferences > Spelling and Grammar, you have an
option right there that says "Custom Dictionary". It's a pull-down menu
that should show you the currently selected dictionary file. You will
get at least the name from there.
If you then click on the Dictionary... button on the right of that
pull-down menu, you can see the list of all available dictionaries (I
have several here because I write in more than one language, but you
might as well have only one).
Selecting your dictionary should display the path to the file.

You actually don't even have to find it in the Finder. Once selected in
the list there, you can click on the Edit button. It will open it and
allow you to make modifications. As I was suggesting, you can make a
slight modification and save it. Quit Word, relaunch it and you should
be all set.

Corentin

 

[MC]

If you go to Word > Preferences > Spelling and Grammar, you have an
option right there that says "Custom Dictionary". It's a pull-down menu
that should show you the currently selected dictionary file. You will
get at least the name from there.

Done that.

If you then click on the Dictionary... button on the right of that
pull-down menu, you can see the list of all available dictionaries (I
have several here because I write in more than one language, but you
might as well have only one).
Selecting your dictionary should display the path to the file.

The display of the path is truncated in the display, so I can¹t decipher
it,

You actually don't even have to find it in the Finder. Once selected in
the list there, you can click on the Edit button. It will open it and
allow you to make modifications.

Done that and it reveals beyond question that the Custom Dictionary I
was using before Word encountered a problem and closed down has been
corrupted.

There is a solution to this and that is to use Time Machine to restore
the Custom Dictionary as it was before the corruption.

To accomplish that I need to know where it is located.

But I can't do that by following the path, because tthe path is NOT
LEGIBLE because it is TRUNCATED,

 As I was suggesting, you can make a
slight modification and save it. Quit Word, relaunch it and you should
be all set.

I will give that a try, but when I open the contents I can see that
hundreds of entries are simply not there anymore, hence my desire to
locate it and restore it via Time Machine.

It appears to be called"Custom Dictionary" but Spotlight does not find
it.

SO... if someone could simply suggest the usual default folder for
custom dictionaries there's an excellent chance that I will be able to
get Time Machine to restore it.

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Done that.


The display of the path is truncated in the display, so I can¹t decipher
it,

Done that and it reveals beyond question that the Custom Dictionary I
was using before Word encountered a problem and closed down has been
corrupted.

There is a solution to this and that is to use Time Machine to restore
the Custom Dictionary as it was before the corruption.

To accomplish that I need to know where it is located.

But I can't do that by following the path, because tthe path is NOT
LEGIBLE because it is TRUNCATED,


I will give that a try, but when I open the contents I can see that
hundreds of entries are simply not there anymore, hence my desire to
locate it and restore it via Time Machine.

It appears to be called"Custom Dictionary" but Spotlight does not find
it.

SO... if someone could simply suggest the usual default folder for
custom dictionaries there's an excellent chance that I will be able to
get Time Machine to restore it.

Hi,

The display shows the default location that will be used if you create a
new custom dictionary and save it using the default. As best as I can
tell, if you have a fresh install of office there's a checkbox next to
Custom Dictionary, but there really isn't a file by that name until you
put something into it.

Since your library has been around for years, I imagine it might still
be where Office 2004 (or earlier?) saved it.

Explore from a finder window by starting with the user (looks like a
little house). Click into Library. Follow paths that have Application
Support and Microsoft in them. Chances are the custom dictionary is there.

However, custom dictionaries can be saved under any name anywhere on
your computer. You might try using spotlight to search for a word or two
that you think is in the custom dictionary. Be sure to adjust the search
to include hidden files.

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are independent experts who are not affiliated with Microsoft.


Visit my blog
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-i7JMeio7cqvhotIUwCzaJWq9

 

[MC]

SO... if someone could simply suggest the usual default folder for
custom dictionaries there's an excellent chance that I will be able to
get Time Machine to restore it.

Hi,

The display shows the default location that will be used if you create a
new custom dictionary and save it using the default. As best as I can
tell, if you have a fresh install of office there's a checkbox next to
Custom Dictionary, but there really isn't a file by that name until you
put something into it.

Since your library has been around for years, I imagine it might still
be where Office 2004 (or earlier?) saved it.

Explore from a finder window by starting with the user (looks like a
little house). Click into Library. Follow paths that have Application
Support and Microsoft in them. Chances are the custom dictionary is there.

However, custom dictionaries can be saved under any name anywhere on
your computer. You might try using spotlight to search for a word or two
that you think is in the custom dictionary. Be sure to adjust the search
to include hidden files.[/QUOTE]

Easyfind located two files called 'Custom Dictionary' and somehow Word
had decided to stop using the old one and had switched to the new one -
which I'm guessing it created because it couldn't find the correct one.

I added the correct one to and selected it in the Dictionaries dialogue
and all is now back to normal.

 

[MC]

PS: How come Easyfind easily finds things that elude Spotlight - even
after a Spotlight rebuild?

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

I added the correct one to and selected it in the Dictionaries dialogue
and all is now back to normal.

Wonderful! I'm glad you got it back on tracks!

Corentin

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

PS: How come Easyfind easily finds things that elude Spotlight - even
after a Spotlight rebuild?

Spotlight doesn't search everywhere. MacOS X is setup to ignore certain
locations like the System for instance.
I suspect Easyfind doesn't use Spotlight.

Corentin

 

[Elliott Roper]

Spotlight doesn't search everywhere. MacOS X is setup to ignore certain
locations like the System for instance.
I suspect Easyfind doesn't use Spotlight.

You can persuade Spotlight to include some system-ish files, including
the dreaded custom dictionary by using it from the Finder search and,
by burrowing down from the kind tab, choose to include system files.

It is far from perfect e.g. it fails on looking for files > 2GB here,
but gladly reports all those greater than 1.999 GB

Also, one should note that Spotlight respects the preferences you
specify in its charmingly named "Privacy" tab. It won't index them.

Indeed, if you suspect Spotlight has mis-indexed a directory or disk,
slap it into the privacy list, then rip it out again. It saves you
remembering the command line tools for doing the same.

 

[Clive Huggan]

Spotlight doesn't search everywhere. MacOS X is setup to ignore certain
locations like the System for instance.
I suspect Easyfind doesn't use Spotlight.

Corentin

That's correct, Corentin. I find that an advantage on occasions. It takes a
little while to clunk through all the files for each search (although you
can easily narrow the search down to specific folders), but it's independent
of Spotlight.

Clive
=====

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

That's correct, Corentin. I find that an advantage on occasions. It takes a
little while to clunk through all the files for each search (although you
can easily narrow the search down to specific folders), but it's independent
of Spotlight.

I use FileBuddy for the same purpose.
For some reason, the application doesn't seem to have been updated in a
while and keeps on having a few issues under Leopard, but the search
still works great.

Corentin