# How to: Add local dictionary to thunderbird

## mgordon

After a few annoying trials installing the .xpi dictionaries available att the thunderbird site I found out that it wasn't possible to install a dictionary as described on the homepage. Heres what I had to do:

1. Identify the the components directory where MySpell is located (usually /opt/thunderbird/components/myspell/)

2. Download the dictionary that you want to use. I would recommend going to the openoffice site (http://lingucomponent.openoffice.org/spell_dic.html)

3. Unzip your dictionary

4. su root

5. Copy the .dic file and the .aff file from the unzipped file into the directory that you've located in the first step

6. Done   :Smile: 

I guess a chown on the MySpell directory would do the trick but I guess someone had a reason for not allowing ordinary users access to the directory...

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## diogot

I do this way:

1. Download the .xpi file

2. Install it via:

Tools -> Extensions -> Install -> choose the file .xpi

and done!

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## mgordon

Yeah... that's what the spellchecking manual says. The only issue is that an ordinary user can't install the xpi into a root folder. At least I couldn't in Thunderbird 1.5 and hence the howto.

The weird part is that Thunderbird says that the dictionary is installed although it isn't if you check for that language among the dictionaries available when spellchecking.

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## diogot

What exact version of your mizilla-thunderbird ebuild?

My is mozilla-tunderbird-1.5-r1

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## Snifffurt

Hi

 *diogot wrote:*   

> What exact version of your mizilla-thunderbird ebuild?
> 
> My is mozilla-tunderbird-1.5-r1

 

For me it didn't work too. But I have mozilla-thunderbird-bin-1.5x . 

I assume this is a problem of the thunderbird-bin solely.

Maybe it might not be that safe. But for me a "chmod a+rwx /opt/thunderbird/components/myspell/" did solve this problem. Now I can install the Dictionaries.xpi normal through the extensions -> install dialog of thunderbird.

Regards

Sniff

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## cpwins

It's not just thunderbird-bin, I'm using mozilla-thunderbird-1.5.0.2-r1 and have the same problem.

The write directory is in this case: /usr/lib/mozilla-thunderbird/components/myspell

Maybe some setting in frefs.js or user.js in the ~/.thunderbird/$$$$.deafult/ folder needs to be adjusted. Any suggestions?

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## Havin_it

Glad to find the solution for this.  I'm well sick of getting a red line under "humour", "colour" etc.   :Laughing: 

I wonder, will the dictionary be lost when you update Tbird?  (Read: do new merges delete added files as well as replacing deleted ones?)

I find these global-config "bugs" quite annoying.  Firefox search-engines are another one - these should really be only in the profile-level, if you ask me.

At least the Thunderbird one might be remedied if the ebuild can start using your LINGUAS setting - is that in the pipeline I wonder?

@mgordon: is there any specific reason you recommend the Openoffice dictionary?  How different is it from the Mozilla XPI version?

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## gotaserena

I for one, cannot install the xpi. It disapears as soon as I get the window telling me the installation was complete.

I back the LINGUAS option, it's a bit of a pain having to do this everytime thunderbird is updated. Thanks for the tip, cpwins!

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## MaitreChang

Hi guys,

I have an almost proper solution for this issue : the myspell-* packages in portage :

```
emerge -s myspell
```

After that link the *.dic *.aff files from /usr/share/myspell to /usr/lib/mozilla-thunderbird/components/myspell.

I have opened an issue in bugzilla to track this : https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=139422

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## bekkra

Trouble is, we loose the dictionaries even with this approach. I am afraid that we won't see much happening with thiss, until the Mozilla team gives up on local profile management and actually start using local settings and extensions for every user.

Until then, we could work out a reasonable ebuild that could - maybe with a USE flag combineed with LINGUAS - install dictionaries when the updates are run. The time between the updates is enough for a normal user to forget the last solution to the dictionary problem. This is really annoying, all the more when you consider that the average Windows user - with power user privileges - never even notices this problem. Then why does this work so badly under Linux :/

The 1.5.0.7 ebuild update of thunderbird sported a LINGUAS sensitivity, which made me hope that the dictionaries would install. They did not, but I feel it would be a workable solution. Well I certainly hope that one talented ebuild hacker with a non-english primary language will pick up on this  :Wink: 

Until then, any of those two presented manual methods work, bar the use of root privileges.

//

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## Voltago

One thing that goes wrong every time I install a dictionary in thunderbird is that the permissions are messed up. After using the installer, be sure to do

```
cd /usr/lib/mozilla-thunderbird/components/myspell/

chmod o+r *
```

This is usually the fix for the dictionary not appearing in thunderbird after installation. Actually, consider adding the commands to your local.start file.

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