Spell check MS Word

[HeavyMetal]

I have two questions but they should probably in different posts. I have nearly finished a spell checker (similar to one I did YEARS ago) that will compare all words to my dictionary, edit the file, make backup of the original and exit. It operates on ASCII files only.
The first question is: How can I spell check MS Word while it is running?
The second question is: How can I embed my VB program into MS Word's menu system?

Without a map to MS's datafile byte position and meanings, checking a .DOC file would be difficult. Does Word have a memory address where the words are stored, but I wouldn't want to fiddle with changing/editing the memory area for fear of corruption.

So where to begin? If I require the user to save as ASCII so I can spell check it, importing a checked file would loose formatting. I'd like to do it while in memory but that is a whole other can of worms. Maybe all I can do is to let the user select/highlight a group of words and make suggestions for those not found in my dictionary rather than trying to spell check the entire document.
Ideas/suggestions anyone?

[sgp3213]

If your spell checker works only on ASCII files, and is a separate VB program, as both apply here, i dont think the solution is any bit simple....

I think if you save a file as a separate ASCII file, even if that loses its formatting you can spell check that and then manually correct those in word. Having your VB program correct words written in Microsoft Word would require a good understanding of the code behind Microsoft Word, and unless you have a way to obtain that, which i doubt because that leads to piracy, then you probably wont be able to do that. Also, what makes your program better then the embedded spell checker?

--Is the new Microsoft Word expandable? If people can add features to Microsoft Word then you can add your own spell checker, but this probably isnt the case as this is not very computer-beginner-friendly.

Good Luck...