New Posting Features - vB Spell :: Spell Checker in WYSIWYG and Standard Modes

What this does: vB Spell allows you to install a dictionary (English dictionary included) into your MysQL database, and provide a spell checking window that works in both of vB's editor modes, standard and WYSIWYG.

Background: This mod was originally developed by tamarian for vB 3.5.x. With the release of 3.6.x the installer stopped working for fresh installs and the template changes were considerably out of date, tamarian gave cynix2 permission to release a 3.6.x version with updates. I have now carried it over to 3.7.x and will support it to the best of my ability.
This version should work with 3.5.x, 3.6.x, and 3.7.x series.

Features:

• Supports most recent versions of browsers. Firefox, Mozilla/Netsacpe, Opera and Konqueror (Konqueror implies Safari, but please confirm Mac folks). Currently does NOT work in IE 7, if anybody can look through the code and know of a way to fix the mod to work in IE, then please send me a pm.
• Learn Feature uses cookies, so it won't increase the database size.
• Admin panel options.
• Spell Check button appears anywhere there is a WYSIWYG Enhanced or Standard Editor Toolbar [includes quickreply but not quickedit].
• Skips quoted text and other tags (PHP, code, etc.).
• Usergroup permisisons.
• Template based interface, and uses your default style.
• Link buttons (Thesarus and Lookup) with links to Merriam Webster's online thesarus and dictionary links with the suggestion for misspelled words.

Installation:

• Unzip main package.
• Upload the contents of the 'upload' folder to your forum home directory.
  Regular Install:
  • Unzip Dictionary.zip.
  • Upload DICTIONARY.DIC to your forum home directory.
  Alternate Install
  • Unzip Manual-SQL.zip or Split-SQL.zip.
  • Import the SQL files to your database.
• Import product-vbspell37.xml.
• Go to AdminCP > vBulletin Options > vB Spell and edit your usergroup permisisons.
• Template changes are now automatic. [need tms]

Q: What is the Alternate Install method for?
A: If you are having problems with the Regular Install (such as your dictionary import freezes at x%) then you should consider using the Alternate Install. If neither of these methods work for you then there might be an issue with your server host.

Upgrading:

• Unzip main package.
• Upload the contents of the 'upload' folder to your forum home directory.
• Import product-vbspell37.xml.

To make template editing less tedious i have made use of Andreas Template Modification System found here. If you install tms before applying this mod, all template edits will be done for you. If you do not want tms installed, then i have supplied easier to understand template editing instructions inside the mod zip file.

IMPORTANT: If you decide to use tms and have the templates be automatically installed, then you need to go into your styles and save the following templates.

editpost, newreply, newthread, album_pictureview, calendar_edit, visitormessage_editor, socialgroups_editor, USERCP_SHELL, SHOWTHREAD, postbit_quickedit, pm_newpm, picturecomment_form, and modifysignature

Just go into the templates and save it without making any changes for each skin. TMS will not edit any unmodified templates, so if any of them templates are already red, then they are already modified and you don't need to save them.

HISTORY:
1.1 - Added use of TMS to make template modification easier.
1.2 - Added tehtide's fix from here
1.3 - Made some changes in the product, and made manual template instructions a little less tedious, but there is no easy way of doing it unfortunantly. You will need to redo the template edits that go above </head>.

[One-Take]

Just upgraded from 3.0 to 3.8, lost functionality of the old install of vbspell.. Still shows in my adminCP but no workie....

Does this version of vbspell work with 3.8?

Thanks in advance,
Wayne Sagar
AKA "one-take-wayne"

[SloppyGoat]

This version is nothing like the old version, which worked so well with the existing iespell button. This one requires you to install an extra button in all the templates listed. (That's what all that manual editing is about.) Too much of a PITA, IMO. And I don't want two spell check buttons...I just want the old one to work, as if iespell were installed, even if it's not installed. That's how it used to work.

[One-Take]

Hummn.... sounds a bit like it was in 3.0... I think I had to edit quite a few templates.. but I think it's less than six...

If it works, I'll install it, my users are used to it (me also) and it looks like iespell only works with... badabing... IE.. which, isn't necessairly, the only browser folks use these days..

Oh well.. Vbull guys, wish you'd simply add an option in the admin panel to enable this useful feature....

Wayne Sagar

[SloppyGoat]

If you read above, the author claims it does not work with IE. It used to work with any browser in any form, except quick edit. I think someone needs to take a look at the old version and update it so it works like it used to. There were no manual template edits before (except one optional edit), since it worked with the existing button. Right now, I just went ahead and installed iespell and advised everyone else to do the same. Mozilla has their own spell check add ons, so they can get their own as far as I'm concerned. I'm not a fan of FF, and I don't cater to those who use it. Recently, one of my users was using FF3, and was having some weird problems with tables not appearing correctly. Nobody else was having any problems. She finally went back to FF2 and all returned to normal. All I will do is try to make the forum display correctly for those who use anything but IE. If they have any other random and/or isolated problems that can't be reproduced, then there's nothing I can do for them.

Yeah, I really don't understand why the most feature rich forum has to be hacked just to have a working spell check.

[One-Take]

Well, it's funny, if you google back a few years for posts from the dev's on this forum, (actually, on the dot com version) they give you a pretty good explanation of why they did not impliment spellcheck into vbull.. I think the key word was "server intensive"...

Well, times have changed, servers are pretty roubust, lots of folks can/do afford dedicated boxes for their boards, I've run the old 3.0 version, have had so many folks, that the server cut them off (like over 500 and I had not yet adjusted the limits) and no problmes whatsoever with vbspell...

Comon Vbull team, at least, give those of us who have robust servers that can deal with this, the option to use it, without trolling boards to find a "hack" to do what this board can do without any outside help!!!!!!!

You can do it!!!!!!!

Wayne Sagar

[SloppyGoat]

All they'd have to do is have a simple checkbox to disable it for whomever would like to disable it, if it became a problem. I'm running a dedicated server right from my house, on a measely (and ridiculously slow) DSL connection and have never had any problems. It's not even that robust of a server, but hell, the entire forum runs from RAM alone, pretty much. I rarely even see the HDD light flicker, if ever. (unless it's doing backups or something) Granted, I don't normally have 500 members, but I have had 793 users online at once, and never had any complaints. (And that was before I even upgraded my server.)

[Mases]

As a member who is very unfamiliar with template modification, I would love if this mod could automatically do that somehow. I really would like a spell check installed, but I'm a bit uncertain about having to go through and edit the templates individually.

This is a great mod though, from the forums where I've seen it implemented.

[mA|tRiX]

Hello.

I?ve installed this version into my vb 3.8.1 and it works great. Thank you.

There is still one problem. My spellcheck is in german, ive found the german dictionary and it works good but when there is a word called "Rechtschreibpr?fung" or "Kr?uter" the vb spellcheck always cut the word after the ?, ? or ? and the spellcheck means that "Rechtschreibpr" und "?fung" are two words. The same with "?"!! How can i fix this problem?

Thank you very much.

[mA|tRiX]

Hello? Help?

[mA|tRiX]

Originally Posted by mA|tRiX

Hello.

I?ve installed this version into my vb 3.8.1 and it works great. Thank you.

There is still one problem. My spellcheck is in german, ive found the german dictionary and it works good but when there is a word called "Rechtschreibpr?fung" or "Kr?uter" the vb spellcheck always cut the word after the ?, ? or ? and the spellcheck means that "Rechtschreibpr" und "?fung" are two words. The same with "?"!! How can i fix this problem?

Thank you very much.

Can anyone help me? Please.