User dictionary doesn't transfer with the file to external computer

[dtp_1544]

Hi,

I have 2 problems with user dictionaries.

1. I have words in user dictionary but after transfering to another computer it seems user dictionary doesn't transfer.
2. After packaging it seems user dictionary doesn't transfer with the file to the vendor. I am using indesign cs6

Is the best way to add dictionary for each file into Edet> Preferences> Dictionary> and add it under selected language? 

I am working with several files with difference languages and dictionaries. How can we simplify the working process by not uploading dictionary for each file?

Thank you

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Dictionary is "global" - not file related.

But you can Export and Import:

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

I always turn on this preference:

[Mike Witherell]

A custom-named dictionary can be a thing you made. It exists as a separate file named with a .udc extension and words that exist as a .txt file can be imported into it. If you have made one, it is a file that can be parked anywhere in a folder. Do you remember where that is?

User Dictionary: Dictionary added and removed words can also live in your computer as a sort of default custom dictionary, even though you did not make a custom-named dictionary. It lives here:

• macOS: Users/UserName/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Linguistics/UserDictionaries/Adobe Custom Dictionary/en_US/added.txt and exceptions.txt
• Windows: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\LocalLow\Adobe\Linguistics\UserDictionaries\Adobe Custom Dictionary\en_US\added.txt and exceptions.txt

Dictionary Words can also be embedded only in your current InDesign file. But I'm a little fuzzy on the implication of that. Apparently it is related to that preference checkbox "Merge User Dictionary into Document" that David pointed to, above.

[dtp_1544]

Thank you for the answer, how do you convert .txt format to .udc?
I am also not sure what is difference between this methond with merge dictionary into document.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

I usually create a .udc file under preferences and then use the Add to Dictionary option. 

BTW, you can put a user dictionary on a server. Everyone would need to add it to their user dictionary preferences. Remember that the first person that loads the dictionary is the owner--everyone else can only read it. 

Also, don't forget to mark your hypenation using 1-3 tildes (~). I always say that if InDesign doesn't know how to spell a word, it probably doesn't know how to hyphenate it.

The Merge Dictionary perference will add your user dictionary/dictionaries into your InDesign files. This can be set globally for new documents, existing documents will need it turned on per document. Granted, this will increase the InDesign file size slightly, but they are only text files. 

[Mike Witherell]

A .txt file is simply a list of words separated by returns. When you visit Edit > Spelling > User Dictionary, you can choose the empty .udc custom dictionary (that you made in Preferences > Dictionary); then click import, choose the .txt file list of words, and these go inside the .udc file custom dictionary.

[dtp_1544]

Hi Thank you for all answers,
I tried this method it didn't applied to the file that I was working on, only it applied to file after I checked the merg dictionary into document. but I opened same file later, I get this message: one or more hyphenation in this document has confilict with user dictionay file(s). use user dictionary setting?

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

I'm not sure if you were replying to any of my posts, but did you add the hyphenation settings into your user dictionary? It's possible some of the added words were already in the standard dictionary with different hyphenation. If you user dictionary is correct, I would use its settings.

[dtp_1544]

Thank you so much Dave, 

I turned off paragraph style hyphenation and now I see custom dictionary is applied to file. 🙂
But it will effect all pages break for the file that already used Para style hyphenation.
Does this method only work for new documents?
Is there anyway to fix this issues without effecting page break?

[dtp_1544]

Both ways it didn't attach dictionary into file. when I opened my file in another computer dictionary is not there.

[Joel Cherney]

I feel like this conversation really desperately needs some screenshots; it seems like you and Mike and Dave just aren't understanding one another.

When you "merge user dictionary into document" there isn't any .udc file automatically loaded into the Preferences. The words you added are treated as "User Dictionary" in the spellcheck. When you run the spellcheck, and find that there is a word being flagged as incorrect that you want to add to the dictionary, you have to choose if they go into your .udc or your "User Dictionary." Note that in this screenshot, both my User Dictionary and my Theta Demo User Dict.udc are empty:

Now, I could add θeta to my "User Dictionary" and it'd show up in my "added.txt" as pointed out by Mike. Or I could add it to my Theta Demo .udc. If I wanted this custom spelling to be portable, I have two choices:

1) Share the Theta Demo .udc with all contributors, and tell them how to install and use a .udc file, including making sure it appears in the list in the Preferences before any other dictionaries so it has priority (thanks, Mike!)

or

2) choosing the Merge User Dict with Document preference

Now, if you choose number 2, then your custom dictionary words will go along with your .indd. But it will not make a new .udc in the Dictionary section of the Preferences. Those words you added will just be in the "User Dictionary."

Now, I think that you've told Mike that you think it isn't working. I think you are still expecting a .udc to appear in the Preferences on a remote computer. If I'm wrong, then perhaps something is wrong with how your install of InDesign is merging user dictionary terms into documents? If you want to test it, you can make a dummy .indd with some user dictionary terms merged in. (I'd suggest making them ludicrous, unmissably wrong.) Post that .indd here, and we'll see if we can find your terms embedded in the file. If you're doing things in the right order (e.g. checking the Merge preference, misspelling some words in an .indd, running the spellcheck, adding the terms to the User Dictionary, saving the .indd) then we should be able to find them. If not, there may be something wrong with your installation of InDesign which would merit resetting your preferences or reinstalling your application entirely. 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

I understood myself perfectly! 😜

I don't think I ever implied that the merge dictionary preference added the dictionary to the list. I think I was clear that the dictionaries get added to the InDesign file itself. Perhaps the back and forth about the merge preference and the separate conversation about creating user dictionaries was confusing the OP.

[Joel Cherney]

I understood myself perfectly! 😜

har de har har 😄  Shouldn't be difficult, as your messages were clear & succint, as per usual. With screenshots, even! I just suspect that the OP has maybe crossed their wires on the features of merged dictionary terms versus portable .udc files. There is also the remote possibility that OP is doing everything Oll Korrect and it's something wrong with their install. 

[dtp_1544]

Thank you for explanation,
The problem is not about how to add dictionay, it is more about after adding udc and check merg to file, when I open the file I will have these issues:

1. I'll get error message with hyphenation, it will solve after unchecking merg into document save and reopen
2. custom dictionary will not apply to file unless uncheck hyphenation in paragraph style. 
   I don't want to turn off hyphenation because it effect all paragraphs and page breaks in the documents that I already worked on. Thus dictionary already transfered with the file but it doesn't apply to the file until I take actions above.

[Joel Cherney]

Well, if I understand correctly, my guess is that what's going on here is that there are words in the main dictionary that have hyphenation exceptions defined, and those same words also appear in your user dictionary, but with no hyphenation defined. That's what a "hyphenation exception" is, I think; it's an entry that states "don't hyphenate this word algorithmially, hyphenate it exactly like this: hy~~phen~~~ation." 

You have a choice about this issue in the Dictionary preferences. The default is "User Dictionary and Document" but I suspect you want "Document" only. That should prevent the competing hyphenation settings from your User Dictionary from interfering, and you can leave the hyphenation settings in your paragraph styles as-is. 

[Edit: I forgot to reply directly to this statement]

---

2. custom dictionary will not apply to file unless uncheck hyphenation in paragraph style. 

---

I really don't think that is how it works. I can't recreate this state on my own machine; I can't set it up so that my User Dictionary only applies when my paragraph styles have hyphenation turned off. I don't know how to offer you any advice here, besides "take some more screenshots, and maybe post a sample file?" I suspect that changing  your Hyphenation Exceptions settings might fix this for you, but I can't say that with any degree of confidence. 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

To add to @Joel Cherney 's post, the tildes work like this:

~ One tilde is most desirable hyphenation point

~~ Two tildes are acceptable hyphenation points

~~~ Three tildes are points you will accept but only if necessary

These can be typed into your user dictionary before you inport. They go in order, of course. 

[dtp_1544]

Thank you Joel,
The second problem fixed by a click on applied paragraph style, It seems when I import dictionary it doesn't apply to existing Paragraph style. so I have to click once on para style then it apples non hyphenated words from user dictionary to the document.
I will test your suggestion about Compose using document

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

The Paragraph Style settings just determine whether the text hypenates or not. 

Make sure you have Recompose All Stories when Modified selected (Preferences>Dictionary>User Dictionary). Try turning it off and on again if necessary. Also try composing with just the User Dictionary under the same area in preferences.

[Joel Cherney]

Make sure you have Recompose All Stories when Modified selected (Preferences>Dictionary>User Dictionary). Try turning it off and on again if necessary.

I think that when dtp_1544 reapplies the Paragraph Style by clicking on it, that forces the story to recompose. I have also found in my testing that  stories wouldn't recompose after dictionary modification until I'd cycled the state of that "Recompose all stories when modified" checkbox.  But that's not surprising to me, because there are other areas in InDesign (variables, glyph shaping, etc) where I frequently have to force story recomposition when it should happen automatically.

So instead of trusting InDesign to recompose, or reapplying styles/making manual changes to force recomposition, I use an almost-hidden menu item "Recompose All Stories Immediately." The last time I checked, it was only found in the Quick Apply menu, or in the keyboard shortcuts under Text and Tables.  

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Yes, it is under the KB shortcuts where @Joel Cherney mentioned. 

Recompose All Stories shortcut is: Cntl-Alt-/ or Cmd-Opt-/

Recompose All Stories Immediately does not have a shortcut, but one can be assigned.

I believe the difference is that the former option will recompose during InDesign's idle time.

[dtp_1544]

I have dictionary for several languages, should I change in preference each time the language. let's say I want to upload Dutch dictionaty, when I upload it in preferences I have to change language setting to Dutch?
It might effect all my paragraph styles languages.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

If you have multiple user dictionaries in your preferences and merge dictionaries, the worst that will happen is they would [probably] all get merged. You can run a test to see how much it affects document size and responsiveness. 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@dtp_1544 

If you work on Windows - my tool could set everything you need - close InDesign, copy dictionaries, open InDesign, set language, preferences, workspace, etc. - prepare complete environment for you, with just one click - but my tool isn't free, although I can let you test it for free for some time. I'll even add new / extra functionality you would need - FoC.

[Mike Witherell]

You don't have to change anything. A custom dictionary can have foreign language words in it if you want. 

Of course, you would continue to make and apply paragraph and character styles correctly. The paragraph style will carry the overall language, but any words in your custom dictionary will be acceptable to the InDesign document.