32 replies to this topic

[karl101]

Hello,

I've been trying all night to add the English GB dictionary, hyphenation and Thesaurus to Open Office. Using the Open Office Install New Dictionaries Wizard, running DicOOo v1.8, getting the the English GB using the on-line method - its not on the list.

Downloading the appropriate packs as .zip files and installing them with the off line method (after tying the path, as the browse button doesn't work) just gives an "invalid language pack" error.

I'm using the instructions from here: http://wiki.services...NZ.2CUS.2CZA.29

I would of thought this'll be a 5 minute job.

Can anyone help?

Thanks.

K.

[karl101]

Sorted, mostly

add this to the end of your /etc/apt/sources.list

deb http://debian.virginmedia.com stable main contrib non-free

(as per the instructions http://wiki.eeeuser....:adddebianfeeds )

now type:

apt-get update
apt-get install myspell-en-gb
apt-get install openoffice.org-l10n-en-gb
apt-get install openoffice.org-help-en-gb
apt-get install openoffice.org-thesaurus-en-gb

Then in the Open Office wordy processor, from the menu select Tools > Options > Language Settings > Writing Aids

Select the OpenOffice.org Hunspell SpellChecker and click edit. Select English UK. and close. Do the same with the Thesaurus.

Phew. That was hard work. Its the kind of thing that makes Linux look rubbish.

K.

[DFM]

THANK YOU so much for this.
They stick a UK keyboard on the thing you'd think they'd put the UK spellchecker etc on.
How are all these (normal) toys-r-us users going to use the spellchecker ?

I'm totally new to Linux and the office wizard got me nowhere. As you found no UK option !!

It all seems to work in UK English now but I could not get this line to do anything
"apt-get install openoffice.org-l10n-en-gb" it would not recognise "l10n-en-gb"

DFM

[mrmot]

Quote

it would not recognise "l10n-en-gb"

Did you type "l" (lower case L) or "I" (capital i) or "|" (vertical line)?

Only lower-case L is correct (and works, just tried it). Blame the font on the forum. ;-)

[DFM]

Quote

Did you type "l" (lower case L) or "I" (capital i) or "|" (vertical line)?

Only lower-case L is correct (and works, just tried it). Blame the font on the forum. ;-)

AHH ! thank you :D

Got it all now. Been on MS windows for far to many years now, just expect one or two clicks to install / change anything, not having to type stuff, back to DOS days for me and I'm far too old to start remembering all that stuff :D

ASUS really need to sort basic stuff like the spellchecker out before shipping.

Ok now off to try and get my Epson R265 printer set up thru the windows network.....

DAve

[mrmot]

Actually, all this could have been done in Synaptic GUI. I actually add repositories there, and the go to command line to install as the list of available software is too long. Although, you can search for, say "openoffice" and get a pared down list. I guess I'm too geeky for that. ;-)

BTW, there's a project, Autopackage I believe it's called, that aims to bring Windows-type installs to Linux. Not many applications have provided their installs it that format, though.

[karl101]

Quote

Actually, all this could have been done in Synaptic GUI. I actually add repositories there, and the go to command line to install as the list of available software is too long. Although, you can search for, say "openoffice" and get a pared down list. I guess I'm too geeky for that. ;-)

Your quite right. Synaptic is easier. But it kept on giving me these errors:

E: Unable to parse package file /var/lib/dpkg/status (2)
E: Unable to lock the download directory

From reading various forums it seems a fairly common problem. Which is why I used apt-get.

I would of thought that in a professionally produced application, as Open Office is, adding dictionaries should really be no more than four clicks of the mouse, from within the application.

K.

[mrmot]

I think one problem is that various flavours of Linux keep some files in slightly different locations making it difficult for applications. Hence the distro specific package manager. Asus' take on Xandros variant is rather half-baked either for lack of expertise, lack of time or both. Which is a shame. But! That's where the Linux community really shines. The questions get answered in a flash. ;-)

BTW, I was also getting the same E:'s, intermittently. That's probably another reason I switched to the other method, and forgot about it since.

[cpisbell]

Another problem is printing. OpenOffice and Firefox default to US Letter paper, not A4, despite the printer settings (Setting | Printer) showing A4. Does anyone know how to change this, please?

[mrmot]

I thought I could change default paper size in OO? Does it not reflect in Printer dialog? And once changed doe it not stick? I still haven't tried printing, but will some time.

[cpisbell]

I have done some more digging and making the following changes seem to solve the problem:

sudo kwrite /etc/papaesize

Change "letter" to "a4"

sudo kwrite /etc/cups/ppd/<your_queue_name>.ppd

Change "Letter" to "A4" as follows on the lines:

*DefaultPageSize: A4
*DefaultPageRegion: A4
*DefaultImageableArea: A4
*DefaultPaperDimension: A4

Restart the system.

There may be an easier way of doing this.

[karl101]

It looking to me like you have to set everything up properly *before* you start using open office. I just opened a document I wrote before I installed the spell checker. It kept on going back to a non-existent USA dictionary. I fix this I had to copy and paste the whole text into a new document.

With the printer. It works with A4. But the paper size needs to be set in the printer settings, not in open office. In settings, click the printer, > properties > Advanced Tab > Page Settings > Paper Size.

K.

[cpisbell]

Quote

It looking to me like you have to set everything up properly *before* you start using open office. I just opened a document I wrote before I installed the spell checker. It kept on going back to a non-existent USA dictionary. I fix this I had to copy and paste the whole text into a new document.

With the printer. It works with A4. But the paper size needs to be set in the printer settings, not in open office. In settings, click the printer, > properties > Advanced Tab > Page Settings > Paper Size.

K.

I had set the printer setting to A4 before using OO, but it still insisted on defaulting to Letter. The edits to the PPD file et al are in addition to this.

Out of interest, it is possible to administer the CUPS printing system by pointing a browser at http://localhost:631/. When saving changes, the system prompts for a user name and password. The user name is "user" and the password is your password.

[mrmot]

Apparently it is ONLY possible to administer CUPS through the browser, the GUI app being broken. Worked fine for me when I installed PDF printer last night.

[palefire]

Big BIG thanks to Karl101 for this thread, without it I may have managed to install the dictionaries, but my hair would have well and truly been pulled out. As a bloke who works in a technical field with specialized searching tools on the PC I'm a little bit appalled by the lack of user friendliness of Linux (a helpful community, but a very steep learning curve). Bearing this in mind I've put together an idiots step-by-step guide to adding the dictionaries based on Karl's outline but filling in all the little odds & ends for the completely uninitiated. . . Hope I haven't made too many typos....

Step-by-step guide for complete newbies to add UK spell checking and Thesaurus to Writer on the eeepc.

First turn the EeePC on. Then follow the steps below (where you have to type in some text I've written "Type:", just type in the words that follow that)

1)type ctrl-alt-T
2)In the new window type: sudo su
3)then type: vi /etc/apt/sources.list
4)scroll the cursor down to the last line (tap the down arrow once) and then type: o
5)you can now edit the file and it should have opened a new line, on this new line type: deb http://debian.virginmedia.com stable main contrib non-free
6)now press the Esc button
7)now type: ZZ
8)You should now be back to the earlier screen. Type: apt-get update
9)then after it's whizzed away for a bit type: apt-get install myspell-en-gb
10)more whizzing, then type: apt-get install openoffice.org-l10n-en-gb
11)then type: apt-get install openoffice.org-help-en-gb
12)then type: apt-get install openoffice.org-thesaurus-en-gb
13)then in the OpenOffice word processor (Documents – in the work tab) from the menu select Tools>Options>language Settings>Writing aids
14)Select the OpenOffice Hunspell SpellChecker and click edit. Select English UK. Do the same with the Thesaurus.


Now all I need is for someone to reassure me that the dire warnings about using Debian repositories isn't a problem in this case.

Anyway, hope this is of help

[Niel1952]

When you are certain that works, you should post it to the wiki.

[alanomaly]

Much appreciation everyone for all the hard work.

Until someone better qualified than me says so, I'd say be very cautious with that repository and if you're going to use it, keep things backed up. A couple of days ago I had to wipe my entire system back to factory settings after some un-pinned mostly xandros repositories irreversibly broke something vital in firefox.

I've found an easy and effective (if unsatisfying...!) partial fix that's worked for me so far, risk-free. I just got the Australian spell checker off that DicOOo thing, and kept everything UK except the spell checker which is in Australian.

It feels wrong in principle, but it works fine: it marks 'colour', 'honour' etc as correct, it's happy with both -isations and -izations and even has 'bollocks' and 'arse' listed! That's good enough for me. :)

I don't know if any of you had the same, but I found that the wizard thing had no problem whatsoever in installing Australian, New Zealand, South African and Canadian English. I've only tried Australian and I've yet to notice any difference to UK English. Does anyone happen to know which of these four is actually closest to UK English?

(p.s., this was on DicOOo version 1.5. I couldn't update to DicOOo to 1.8. When I tried, it wanted me to dig through my system find the file it needs to update by hand!!!? I did a search for DicOOo and three different files came up, in completely unrelated folders, without the slightest indication which was which...Frustrating, and sadly, not surprising...)

Edited by alanomaly, 30 December 2007 - 05:56 PM.

[alanomaly]

Palefire, good call on the Wiki, I'd say go for it but with a big warning at the top saying that unless you know precisely what precautions to take when using Debian repositories, be very careful and at the very least, keep all valuable files backed up.

Maybe even add a wikipedia-style line or two in italics or something requesting that someone expert on these things checks and expands on how safe that specific repository is for the eee and/or what precise precautions can/should be taken. (though I've got a feeling these would be so complicated you'd need a degree in Linux first... ARRGH! Does anyone else feel like a guinea pig having Asus test an unfinished prototype tested on them? )

Another question for those experienced people (sorry!), surely there's a simpler way? Could I not, say, just download the dictionary files that are on this repository from a website through a browser and then put them in the right place by hand?

[Niel1952]

Quote

I don't know if any of you had the same, but I found that the wizard thing had no problem whatsoever in installing Australian, New Zealand, South African and Canadian English. I've only tried Australian and I've yet to notice any difference to UK English. Does anyone happen to know which of these four is actually closest to UK English?

I have installed South African English for personal reasons but I can't think of any words which would be spelled differently in SA English to UK English. I have not done any comparison but the only difference I can think of would be that there might be some words which are peculiarly South African. Having said that, I believe the same would be true of the other three. So, in my view, it probably all depends on whether, when summer comes, you are going to invite your friends to a braai or a barbie. I have just checked and can confirm that mine recognises braai but not barbie!

[LavaChild]

Hi,

Thanks for this guide. My only problem is at the following stage:

13)then in the OpenOffice word processor (Documents – in the work tab) from the menu select Tools>Options>language Settings>Writing aids
14)Select the OpenOffice Hunspell SpellChecker and click edit. Select English UK. Do the same with the Thesaurus.

I can change this to UK and click Close but if I reopen this properties (To check it has changed) I find it is back to the default US.

Help!