enchant-lsmod

enchant-lsmod

Enchant is a generic spell-checking library designed to provide a consistent API for various spell-checking backends, often referred to as modules. The enchant-lsmod command is a utility provided by the Enchant library that lists all available spell-checking modules (backends) on your system that Enchant can potentially utilize. It's an invaluable tool for system administrators and developers to inspect which spell-checking engines are installed, properly configured, and loaded by Enchant. The output typically displays the module name, its loading status (loaded or not loaded), and if not loaded, a diagnostic message explaining the reason (e.g., missing dictionary files, incompatible library versions). This command is crucial for debugging Enchant-related issues, verifying the spell-checking environment, or understanding the capabilities of your Enchant installation.

The output format of enchant-lsmod is primarily designed for human readability and diagnostic purposes, not for programmatic parsing. It does not offer options for specifying alternative output formats (e.g., JSON, XML). The availability and loading status of modules are highly dependent on the system's installed dictionary files, specific library versions, and the overall configuration of the Enchant library.

The command's output clearly indicates whether a module is 'loaded' or 'not loaded'. If a module fails to load, enchant-lsmod often provides a specific reason, such as 'could not find any dictionaries' or 'missing shared library'. This detailed information is vital for troubleshooting and resolving spell-checking configuration problems.

Users commonly encounter modules like hunspell (widely used by applications such as LibreOffice and Firefox), aspell, and ispell. Depending on the system's installed packages and specific configurations, other modules like voikko or zimbra might also appear in the output.

The Enchant library was developed to address the fragmentation of spell-checking solutions across Unix-like operating systems by offering a unified interface to diverse spell-checking engines. enchant-lsmod has been an integral utility within the Enchant project since its early stages, providing essential introspection into the library's backend capabilities. Its development is intrinsically linked to the evolution of the Enchant project itself, with a consistent focus on broad compatibility and ease of configuration for spell-checking services.

enchant(7), enchant-lsdir(1)