Import utility updated to version 3.2

Over the years, I have received requests from the users asking for solutions to import notes and outlines into WhizFolders from their files in various formats. Sometimes these files were created by exporting notes from other organizers and outliners. Hence, I had developed an Import utility to do that. Note that this utility is meant for advanced users only who understand what export and import means in terms of organizers and outliner programs.

This import utility has now been updated to version 3.2. Here is a brief list of what’s new in Import Utility 3.2 for WhizFolders:

  • It can import sticky notes from Windows 7 or later. You need to stop the Windows Sticky Notes program in order to do that.
  • It has an in-built Getting Started guide. Note that most of the import operations are for advanced users and can only be used after reading the somewhat geeky guide.
  • It has a Software Updates checking menu to know whether there is an update available.

Where to download from: See the bottom of the downloads page on whizfolders.com.

Note that since this import utility is meant to be used by advanced users, it has no installer. You need to unzip it into a folder and run it from there. Please click on “Getting Started” button to read the documentation to see what all import formats it supports. If you need any other, please let me know. This utility’s interface has been revamped in this version. If you find any bugs, please let me know.

If you have received some other custom import utility from me in the past that this program does not support, please send me some details so that I can move that import logic into this import utility.

SpellUtils, Custom Dictionary Utility

This is an old article. I have not revived this utility in the new support area. I guess, this is an advanced tool and hardly anyone ever used it. I will revive it only if someone asks for it.

SpellUtils utility is meant for advanced users of WhizFolders Spelling Checker. It is part of WhizFolders Addons that is available in the paid user support area. When you install WhizFolders Addons, you will see this utility on the Windows Start Menu group, WhizFolders Addons.

SpellUtils allows you to import word lists from text files to your custom dictionaries (adu files). The custom dictionaries are used in WhizFolders Spelling Checker to ignore or auto correct your own words which would normally cause a spelling error.

If you don’t know what a custom dictionary is, please read the article “All about custom dictionary files for the Spelling Checker.”

If you know what a custom dictionary is, how it is used in WhizFolders and how you can edit it to change the Ignore, Auto Correct and Exclude lists, you will appreciate this utility better. When you use the Edit button to directly edit these lists, you can only add one word or word pair at a time in the above lists. But suppose, you are already using another spelling checker with some other word processor. You have already added hundreds of words and auto correct word pairs in that tool, how can you transfer those lists to the custom dictionaries in WhizFolders spelling checker? That’s where this utility is useful.

SpellUtils has easy buttons to import the Ignore, Auto Correct and Exclude lists from plain text files. The only requirement is that for Ignore and Exclude lists, each word should be on one line. In case of Auto Correct lists, the word and its replacement should be separated by a tab character on the same line. Note that this utility and WhizFolders spelling checker can only use non-unicode text files. So if you have unicode text files, you may need to edit them to remove words that can’t be saved in a normal text file and then save that file as normal text file before using it in this utility.

When you start SpellUtils, it is automatically able to find the path where WhizFolders custom dictionaries are installed whether it is Windows XP or Vista. Then you can browse and select an existing dictionary (.adu) to work with or you can create a new adu file. Once you do that, SpellUtils allows you to import the above lists in the selected custom dictionary ADU file.

Similarly, to transfer your word lists from WhizFolders Spelling Checker to other spelling checkers, you can use the Export buttons of the utility.