The Lao Add-In for Microsoft Word
The Lao Add-In for Microsoft Word provides many functions to make using Lao easier, using a new menu added to the Ribbon (Word 2007 and later):
or to the Menu Bar (Word 2003):
Frequently used functions have also been added to a context menu, activated by clicking the mouse right-button:
All functions can be used with text in any Lao Unicode font, and with Lao text in listed "LSWin"-coded fonts (such as Saysettha Lao). Only font conversion and romanization are supported for text in other types of (non-Unicode) Lao fonts.
Wrap (Insert Breaks)
Insert invisible breaks between Lao words and syllables in the selected text, with optional hyphenation of dictionary-listed words, to allow correct wrapping of Lao text.
Join (Remove Breaks)
Remove all invisible breaks from the selected Lao text.
Check Spelling
Check the spelling of the selected Lao text, using the LaoScript 8 main and user-defined dictionaries.
After the selected text has been checked, each error will be selected in turn, and a dialog displayed allowing the error to be corrected, or a new word to be added to the Lao user word list, in much the same way as spell-checking is used with other languages:
Convert to Unicode
Convert the selected text to Unicode. See Converting Lao Text from Other Coding Conventions for more details.
Convert to old code font
Convert the selected text from Unicode to use an "LSWin" coded font. See Converting Lao Text from Other Coding Conventions for more details.
Sort as Lao...
A table can be sorted by one or more columns in Lao alphabetical order, by selecting the table and choosing Sort as Lao... from the LaoScript 8 submenu. You can then choose how to sort the table, using a dialog that allows you to select which column or columns to sort by, and how to sort each column (Lao alphabetical, non-Lao alhabetical, numeric, or date/time), ascending or descending.
Romanize Lao Text
Convert the selected text to a romanized transliteration (Lao written in Latin alphabet). See Romanization of Lao text for more details.
Create New Lao Document
Using this option allows you to create a new document by selecting from any of the available in-built or user-defined document templates, but replaces the fonts used by the selected templates by Lao fonts that are compatible with the currently selected Lao input code convention.
Thai to Lao Translation
Translate Thai text in Word documents to Lao, either automatically or interactively. See Thai to Lao Translation for more information. (Gold Edition only.)