The tools menu provides features such as spell-checking and preferences that do not necessarily change the look of a document but are nonetheless useful. Preferences allow you to modify the way that Abiword works. The spelling feature allows you to automatically check your document for spelling errors.
The tools menu provides the following features:
Menu Name
Menu Purpose
Spelling
This option will check the words in your document against a dictionary of words. If it finds a word that it does not have in its dictionary it will provide a prompt for the user to confirm whether the word is correct. It usually also provides a list of possible words that the user may have meant when typing the word concerned.
Set Language
This allows you to set the language that will be used to determine the correct spelling of words in your document.
Word Count
This will calculate the number of words in the document.
Plugins
This menu command will allow you to add extra functions into the word processor. This feature does not seem to work yet.
Scripts
Most modern word processors allow you to record a sequence of commands in what is called a "macro". This means that if you find yourself performing the same sequence of commands on a regular basis, by recording that sequence of commands in a macro you can then play back the commands instead of having to peroform each of them manually. This can save a great deal of time. This feature does not seem to work yet.
Preferences
This option will allow you to set various options relating to how Abiword will function.