run-with-aspell

run-with-aspell [ASPELLED_OPTIONS] COMMAND [COMMAND_ARGUMENTS...]

ASPELLED_OPTIONS
    These are typically options that run-with-aspell passes directly to the underlying aspell command. Common examples include:
--lang=<language>: Specifies the language dictionary to use (e.g., 'en_US', 'fr').
--dictionary=<name>: Specifies a particular dictionary by name.
--mode=<mode>: Sets aspell's parsing mode (e.g., 'sgml', 'tex', 'html', 'url').
--personal=<file>: Specifies a personal dictionary file.
--ignore-case: Ignores capitalization differences during checking.
--add-extra-dicts-from=<file>: Adds dictionaries listed in the specified file.
--conf-dir=<directory>: Specifies the configuration directory.
--conf=<file>: Specifies the configuration file.

COMMAND
    The executable command or script that run-with-aspell will execute. Its output or designated files will then be spell-checked.

COMMAND_ARGUMENTS
    Any arguments or options specific to the COMMAND being executed. These are passed directly to the command without interpretation by run-with-aspell.

The run-with-aspell command is a utility often implemented as a wrapper script designed to integrate Aspell, a popular spell-checker, with the execution of other Linux commands. Its primary purpose is to facilitate automatic or interactive spell-checking of text produced by, or fed into, another program.

When invoked, run-with-aspell typically executes a specified command and then processes its standard output (or a designated input file) through Aspell. This allows users to easily check documentation generated by build tools, log files, or even interactive input from other applications for spelling errors without manually piping content to Aspell.

While not a standard core utility with a universal manual page, its implementation varies across systems (e.g., it's common in Debian-based environments for policy checking or documentation builds). Generally, it acts as a convenient front-end, abstracting the complexities of piping and configuring Aspell, making it easier to maintain linguistic quality in text-heavy workflows.

The exact behavior and available options for run-with-aspell can vary significantly as it is often a custom script or part of a larger project (e.g., Debian build tools) rather than a universally standardized command. Users should consult system-specific documentation or the script's source code if its behavior is unclear. It fundamentally relies on Aspell being installed and properly configured on the system for correct operation.

• Documentation Builds: Automating spell-checking of generated documentation (e.g., man pages, READMEs) during the build process to catch errors early.
• Policy Enforcement: Used in projects like Debian's policy tools to ensure package descriptions and other metadata meet spelling standards.
• Interactive Editing Wrappers: Less common, but could potentially wrap text editors or input fields to provide on-the-fly spell-checking.
• Scripted Content Generation: Checking output from scripts that generate textual content.

Because run-with-aspell is typically a shell script, its specific implementation can vary. Some versions might:

• Pipe stdout of COMMAND directly to aspell.
• Create a temporary file with COMMAND's output and then run aspell on that file.
• Support additional environment variables for configuration.
• Offer custom options to control logging or error handling.

While not a command with a long, independent development history like core Unix utilities, run-with-aspell (or similar scripts) emerged as a practical solution in environments requiring automated text quality control. Its usage became prominent in project build systems, particularly within open-source communities like Debian, where it's used to ensure documentation, man pages, and other text files adhere to linguistic standards as part of the build or policy-checking process. Its development is often tied to specific project needs rather than a standalone tool.

aspell(1), ispell(1), hunspell(1), grep(1), cat(1)