We released a new service build of PowerShell HelpWriter 2018 (v2.2.41). This service build is included as part of the regular update cycle for our subscribers.
New Features
This service release introduces the new spell checking feature for the help file designer.
Spell Checker
PowerShell HelpWriter now has a built-in spell checker for the help designer. The spell checker will draw a red squiggly line under spelling errors:
Note: The real-time spell checker is limited to the active field within the designer.
Use the context menu to get suggestions for the spelling error:
You can manually trigger spell checking by pressing the Spell Check button from Ribbon > Home > Edit.
Note: This command will trigger spell check for all applicable fields in the current view of the designer.
You can also trigger spell checking for the corresponding field by using the text field’s context menu:
Spelling Suggestions Dialog
Whenever you trigger a manual spell check, PowerShell HelpWriter presents you with a suggestion dialog for potential spelling mistakes:
You can use this dialog to temporarily ignore the word or replace it with a provided suggestion. You can use the Add button to add the word to the Custom Dictionary (see below) so that it will no longer be flagged as a misspelled word.
The Options… button displays the following Spelling Options dialog:
This dialog provides an alternative way of modifying the spell checker’s options. The spelling options are covered below.
Where is Spell Checking Supported?
The designer limits spell checking to the Synopsis, Description and Notes / Remarks fields. Therefore, fields such as the Name, Type, and Code fields will be excluded.
In addition, spell checking is not available for About help files at this time.
Supported Languages
PowerShell Helpwriter is capable of supporting multiple languages. Out-of-the-box, PowerShell Helpwriter supports the following languages:
- English (US)
- Spanish (Spain)
Spelling Options
You can configure the Spell Checker’s settings in Options > Spelling:
General Settings
Enable real-time spell checking
Check this option to enable real-time spell checking as you type. When enabled, spelling errors are underlined with a red squiggly line.
Detect language from document directory
PowerShell help files are normally located in a language specific folder:
Note: The folder name is using the language tag name declared by National Language Support (NLS) API Reference at the Go Global Developer Center.
When this option is enabled, PowerShell HelpWriter will automatically select that language of the spell checker depending on the name of the parent folder of the help document. If PowerShell HelpWriter is unable to determine the language, or if the language isn’t supported by the spell checker, it will then use the default language.
For example, the files located in the es-ES folder will use the Spanish dictionary for spell checking:
Default Language
This option allows you to choose which language to use as the default setting for spell checking.
Ignore Settings
These settings control the behavior of the spell checker by specifying in which cases the spell checker should ignore a potential spelling error.
Edit Custom Dictionary
Use the Edit… button to edit the contents of the Custom Dictionary (see below).
Custom Dictionary
PowerShell HelpWriter supports a customizable dictionary which allows you to add words to the spell checker that would otherwise be flagged as misspelled because they are not included in the preset dictionary.
PowerShell HelpWriter’s default Custom Dictionary comes prepopulated with PowerShell keywords.
Project Panel – Multi-File Selection
The Project panel now allows you to selected multiple files at once:
You can use the multi-select feature to open several files at once or to bulk remove files from the project.
File Line Endings
You can now use PowerShell HelpWriter’s status bar to view the line ending of the active file:
To change the line ending, click on the line ending displayed in the status bar and select the desired settings from the pop-up menu:
You can choose from the following options:
| Option | Description | OS |
| CR LF | Carriage Return New Line | Windows |
| LF | New Line | Unix |
About Box – Copy Version Information
The About Box’s Copy Version Info button will now copy the application and OS information to the clipboard.
Use this feature to copy the relevant information for technical support on our forums:
Product: PowerShell HelpWriter 2018 (64 Bit) Build: v2.2.41 OS: Windows 10 Pro (64 Bit) Build: v10.0.17134.0
Feedback
Please continue providing your feedback. Many of the new features included in the service builds are suggestions from users like you. Submit your suggestions or feature requests on the Wish List and Feature Requests forum or the new Feature Requests page.
You can view the complete service build log here.
