[Aspell-user] Invoking Aspell from CLI to prompt for dict list

[stef]

Hi,

using % aspell --version
@(#) International Ispell Version 3.1.20 (but really Aspell 0.60.6.1
on linux.

I am trying to configure my spell check inside of email client "Alpine"..
I have set up Alpine to call Aspell with the command 'aspell -c" which invokes Aspell in a console; works perfectly fine.

However, I would very much like to invoke Aspell in a way that Aspell asks WHICH of the dicts it "sees" to use for the upcoming spell check.

% aspell dump dicts
en
en-variant_0
en-variant_1
en-variant_2
en-w_accents
en-wo_accents
en_CA
[snip]
es
fr-40
fr
[snip]

So for example, let's say I am composing an email in Spanish, ideally Aspell, when being invoked by the "magic" command :) would dump the above list and I could choose "es", then proceed to spell check in Spanish.

Some GUI email clients (e.g. Sylpheed) can do that or something similar.

But, Alpine is CLI and invokes Aspell in a console. Is there any (simple) way to achieve this--perhaps using options, commands, etc.? IOW, refine the "aspell -c" to something more specific which would achieve desired result.

I could also set a group of 4 or 5 languages in some environment variable? (default must stay en_US.)

It's a bit tricky; would appreciate some feedback.

Thanks.