Spell Check in Mail

Since upgrading to Lion after spell checking an email prior to sending, the spell check box stays on screen after the email has gone.

In SL this box disappeared as the mail was sent.

Is there a setting to get this to act like it did on SL?

Thanks,

John

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Jul 27, 2011 12:11 AM

Reply
80 replies

Dec 14, 2011 9:10 AM in response to Chris Windridge

Any solutions to this, because this is driving me crazy! Even if I close the spellcheck dialog box and press spacebar it sends the message. This makes for confusing emails. Also wish there was a way to have it check "While Typing" and "Before Sending" not one or the other. Things from Entrouge and Outlook that I really liked (obveously we can't have it all).

Dec 14, 2011 10:04 AM in response to skillet

You can set spelling in Mail preferences.


User uploaded file

When I choose "when I click send", spell check come up. It goes away when I finish correcting and sends the message. If you want it to check as you type (which is what I use), then choose that option.


For those to which it is working, try changing the setting, quit mail and restart. Verify the new setting sticks, and change it back. If it still doesn't work correctly, you may have a corrupt .plist file.

Dec 21, 2011 11:40 AM in response to Glenn Leblanc

Thanks Glenn those were the same settings I was refereing to from the Edit menu. They are linked, I would choose "as I type" but realy like the back up of the window incase I am not thinking. With the way the box works now you can't even close it and change your mind. Any buttons you press will just send the letter off if you try to do anything in the message after you hit send (other than work directly with the spell check box).


Hopefully this is changed in the 10.7.3 update since that looks to be one of the apps they are focusing on.

User uploaded file

Dec 21, 2011 12:04 PM in response to skillet

I have no problems selecting anything from the menu and using it. I can bring up the Spelling and Grammar anytime and close the box when finished. I can select to Check Document Now and continue with the message when done until finished.


You may try to create a new user account to test it and see if it works the same. Possible you have corrupt user files or possible corrupt system files, but I'm not sure where to point you to.

Dec 21, 2011 12:40 PM in response to Glenn Leblanc

Glenn,


I think you might be missing the key element that makes this problem occur. That is you have to try and edit the spelling of a word "in the email message body" and NOT in the "spellcheck window" while the settings are set to "when I click send."


Lets say as you are going through your spell checking as part of your send operation, and you find an error in the email that may not be spelling related. If you try to edit this error in the email window, the message sends without giving you any chance to stop it.


Previous behaviour allowed you to make edits in the message until you clicked "done" I think in the spellcheck window and then the message would send. It would even let you close the spellcheck window and in effect cancel your send command.


Currently it works as intended if you only deal with the spellcheck window, but if you venture into the main email body window as part of your process, then the bug reveals itself.


The bug is repeatable - you can try it out as described above.

Dec 21, 2011 1:27 PM in response to Qase

Actually, I don't think I'm missing the point. There are 5 other posters besides the orininal poster that have placed their problems here, some slightly different than what the OP posted.


I can create a new message, click to check before sending. I create multiple errors in a new message, click send, spell check comes up, then change some words manually in the message body, change some in the spell check box. Both methods work for me. When all errors are corrected, if you hit find next in spell check, then it sends automatically and the spell check box closes. Note: when it see's no more errors, then it sends after you correct the last error shown or when you hit find next and no errors are seen by spellcheck. It would be nice if you got a window saying no errors left with an option to send instead of being automatic.

Using spacebar and tab does not send the message. I have just tested this again with 3 messages. All worked as I have described. I can also bring up the check document now at anytime and close it and continue with the message.

I don't like the option of check before sending and don't use it because if it doesn't recognize the error, it will send when it thinks all are correct.

If what I've described isn't how it's working, then there is some corrupting somewhere.



If you choose not to check before sending and choose one of the other option, you can still select to check document now from the Edit Menu Spell Checking and not worry about it sending until you click send.


The OP posted his spell check window was not closing after message was sent. I believe Skillet was having problems not being able to get the other options such as "check as I type" to work.

Dec 21, 2011 2:54 PM in response to Chris Windridge

As I said before, you can create another user account, add a mail account, and see if it acts the same there. It may be a corrupt user file, or if it acts the same, it may be a corrupt system file. Also, if you're using the spellcheck box and it sees no errors, then it will send.


If you determine that the problem is with your user account, then it will be easier to drag preference files from your library to see what corrects the problem.

If the problem is the same with the new user account, then it would be more complicated to figure what's going on.


If you select to check mail as you type or never, it would make it simpler and not worry about sending messages before you're ready. You still have the option to pull up the spellcheck menu after finishing a message to go through it again whithout worrying about it autosending.

Dec 21, 2011 3:09 PM in response to Glenn Leblanc

Thanks I'll try new account setup..


BUT am not entirely a novice and if you run spell check as a last and final act, decide to make any change and hit space bar etc....poof its gone. Makes it unusable for quality mail to other professionals. I have the MacBook Pro working as it should so can compare good/bad behaviour. If I have just one mail service to depend on it would be out the window and good bye Apple. I have been an Apple user for 25years ,so a tad unhappy this has been lurking in my Mac Mini since summer and a couple of releases.


I used to run a Computer Co and Service is what it is all about.

Dec 21, 2011 3:22 PM in response to Chris Windridge

Well, spacebar does not send for me. However, I am using Lion and don't have SL installed to verify the same in SL. So, I guess I can't really say for sure what the spacebar does in SL since I only have memory to rely on at the moment. But, I haven't noticed any difference how it works from when I was using SL. I never had problems using spellcheck in SL for the many years I used it.


And as you said, it works correctly on one computer and not the other. So something is not right on your Mac Mini. New user test may help you to figure out the problem.


So, let us know what the test reveals.

Dec 22, 2011 2:02 AM in response to Glenn Leblanc

Partial success.


New user and setting up a new Mail instance on the rogue Mac Mini solves the problem, Just sent myself a mail making errors, correcting in flight with "Check while typing on", switched to "check before send". All behaviour identical with the "Normal" MacBook Pro running same setup.


In "Check while sending" it did what it should, which was send as soon as the last error it knew of was corrected ( or ignored...so a 10/10 result). So, yes if the system or specific user account has a corruption this behaviour reported on the thread will happen...but they are some form of exception and cannot be repeated on unaffected instances of OSX & Mail.


Now the questiuon is how to fix the problem with the std user account. I think it began to misbehave back in Summer after an upgrade but cannot be sure. No access to the mac Mini I know of except me. Otherwise a very reliable device.


Sounds like the corruption( bug/problem) that I have on OSX 10.6.8 and Mail 4.5, is possible to have on Lion too.


I can upgrade both systems to Lion but if settings are somehow the problem how to fix that, as I'm assuming it will carry through.


Thanks for staying with this.


My other computer used to be a Cray.

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Spell Check in Mail

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