FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The FAQ is divided into the following sections:
Installation
Editing with PerfectIt
Problems running PerfectIt
Online Checker
Purchasing
Installation
What are the system requirements for PerfectIt?
PerfectIt requires Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7. It works
with MS Word 2000, MS Word 2002, MS Word 2003, MS Word 2007 and MS Word 2010 (32 bit).
If you're working with very large documents (more than 100 pages), then
faster processors and more memory will make a significant difference to
the speed with which PerfectIt gathers information.
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Did I download the Pro Edition or the Standard Edition?
During the trial period, the Pro Edition runs on all computers. There's no need to
re-install if you opt for the Standard Edition. When you purchase a license key, the
features unique to the Pro Edition will automatically disappear.
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I don't see the PerfectIt icon in my toolbar; how can I load it?
See if PerfectIt is in the menu bar (it should be in the 'Tools' menu and
can be run from there). If it is not, PerfectIt should be added manually.
In Word 2000/XP/2003, right-click on the toolbar and click on 'Customize' from
the menu that appears. A dialog box will appear. This is shown below.
Adding the PerfectIt icon to MS Word
As pictured above, click the 'Commands' tab, then the 'Tools' label, then
drag the label for COM add-ins to the toolbar. An icon for COM
add-ins will be created in the toolbar. Click on that icon
and see if PerfectIt is in the box called 'Add-ins available'. If it is
there, make sure it is ticked. If it is not there, click on
the button called 'Add'. Browse to the folder where PerfectIt was
installed (usually C:\Program files\PerfectIt). Then click on
the file called PerfectIt.dll. Then choose 'OK'. Make
sure the box for PerfectIt is ticked and then click on 'OK' again.
If PerfectIt still does not appear, security settings may be set to
disable it. Click on the 'Help' menu in MS Word. Click on
'About Microsoft Office Word'. In the lower right-hand
corner, click on the 'Disabled items' button. If PerfectIt
is in the list, then click on it and then click on 'Enable'.
In Word 2007/2010, right-click on the ribbon and select 'Customize quick access
toolbar'. Select 'Add-ins' from the list on the left and
click on the 'Go...' button. A screen like the one
below will load.
The add-ins dialog
Make sure that the checkbox for PerfectIt is ticked. If PerfectIt
is not in the list, click on the 'Add...' button and then browse to
the folder where PerfectIt was installed, usually C:\Program
Files\PerfectIt. Then click on PerfectIt.dll and choose 'OK'.
Still can't see an icon for PerfectIt? We're here to
help. Before you contact us, it's just worth trying to repeat that
installation. Restart your computer. Then start the
PerfectIt installation before you run any other files. When
it is finished, load Word and see if it is there. If it's not,
contact technical support and we'll get you up and running.
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I paid for PerfectIt; how do I get rid of the purchase reminder?
When you purchased PerfectIt, you should have received an email with your
license key. If you have not, please contact technical support.
When you have received your license key, start MS Word and run
PerfectIt. When the purchase reminder loads, click on the
'Register' button. Then copy and paste your name, email and license
key from the email and click 'Submit'.
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Is PerfectIt compatible with
Windows 7 and MS Office 2010?
PerfectIt is compatible with all versions of Windows 7, including both
64-bit and 32-bit installations. PerfectIt is also Office 2010 compatible.
However, make sure you install the 32-bit version of Office 2010. Even if
you're working on a 64-bit computer, the 32-bit installation is the one
that's compatible with PerfectIt. Installing the 32-bit version will also
lead to fewer compatibility issues with other add-ins.
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My anti-virus software says that
PerfectIt is malware; should I download it?
PerfectIt is not malware. Some anti-virus software incorrectly
identifies it that way. PerfectIt is produced by Intelligent Editing
Ltd, a UK registered company. If you're at all concerned about
downloading our software, feel free to contact us. You'll find a
human being at the end of the phone line. If we produced malware,
you would not.
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Is PerfectIt available for Mac
or OpenOffice?
Mac and OpenOffice users can use Intelligent Editing’s online checker
to get a free report on conistency errors in documents. In addition, Mac
users who want to get their hands on the full version of PerfectIt can
try VMWare Fusion or Parallels together with Windows and MS Word. There’s
advice on how to do that on our
forum.
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How do I remove the icon in the Word
toolbar / ribbon after I uninstall PerfectIt?
In Word 2000/02/03, right-click the mouse on the toolbar,
then select 'Customize'. You can then drag the toolbar icons away
from the toolbar and they will be deleted. Then click the 'Tools' menu
and drag the 'Run PerfectIt' entry away from the menu bar in the same way.
In Word 2007/10, right click the mouse on the ribbon, then select
'Customize'. Click 'Add-ins' to view the PerfectIt icon. You can then
drag the ribbon icon away from the ribbon and it will be deleted.
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Editing with PerfectIt
What type of documents does PerfectIt work with?
PerfectIt works with all English language documents produced in Word.
It works with both Word 2000/02/03 format (.doc) and Word 2007/10 format (.docx).
PerfectIt is most likely to find errors in documents that are:
- Long (documents over 1000 words are particularly prone to consistency errors)
- Produced by multiple authors
The online checker also works with PDF and TXT (plain text) files.
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When should I use PerfectIt?
PerfectIt is intended as one of the last checks that you do on your document
before it goes to your client or out to press. For the best
results, we recommend you run it right before you do a final spell
check / read-through.
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In the main box, I see the words 'fixed' or 'adjusted' or 'no error
found'; what do they mean?
After you run a test, each line in the box called 'Locations to check'
represents a point in your document. Click the label and it will take
you to that point in the text. After you click 'Fix', the label
changes to 'fixed'. If you click on 'Undo' in PerfectIt, it
changes back. If you decide to change the entry yourself
(instead of clicking on 'Fix'), then the text will change to
'adjusted'. If you delete the point in the document, it will change to 'no error
found'. Once it switches to 'adjusted' / 'no error found', the text at
that location cannot be changed by PerfectIt but can be changed by
typing directly into MS Word.
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Can I edit my document while I run PerfectIt?
You cannot edit documents while PerfectIt is running a test. When
each test finishes, you can jump back and forth between the document
and PerfectIt (exactly like a spell checker). Sometimes PerfectIt
will suggest that changes go directly into Word and users can switch
back and forth freely. In general, we recommend that the
changes you make while PerfectIt is running be smaller changes (editing
individual words, phrases or paragraphs). If you decide to
dramatically alter the document (e.g. by adding pages of text or
large tables or graphics), PerfectIt should be restarted so that it can
gather information on these changes.
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Do I still need to run spell and grammar check?
PerfectIt does not check spelling and grammar and is not intended to replace the
checker that is built into Word. We recommend using PerfectIt with these tools, not as a replacement for them.
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I pressed 'Fix' but nothing happened. What do I do next?
PerfectIt does not jump to the next error when you press 'Fix'. It
gives you the chance to look through the changes at each location. When
you are satisfied that all changes have been made, click 'Next' to show
the next error.
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Why do errors come up on abbreviations when
my document already has a Table of Abbreviations in it?
PerfectIt tests to see if your document has a Table of Abbreviations. If a
Table of Abbreviations is found, PerfectIt will find errors if:
- An abbreviation is defined in the main text (i.e. outside of the Table of
Abbreviations) but used without the definition before it is defined
- An abbreviation is defined more than once in the main text
(i.e. excluding the definition in the Table of Abbreviations)
- An abbreviation is found that has not been defined in the
main text and does not appear in the Table of Abbreviations
- An abbreviation is spelled out in full after it has been defined in the
main text (i.e. excluding the definition in the Table of Abbreviations)
PerfectIt will also produce a Table of Abbreviations for documents that already
have a Table of Abbreviations. This will show any abbreviations
that do not appear to be in the Table of Abbreviations marked out
separately.
In some instances, there may be a Table of Abbreviations that PerfectIt is not
able to find. These are rare.
However, if this happens, authors may wish to disregard the errors above.
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Does PerfectIt work with 'Track Changes'?
PerfectIt does work with 'track changes'. However, if you have tracked revisions
in your document, make sure you're using PerfectIt version 1.3.1 or higher
(released October 2010). and make sure that 'Revisions Mode' is enabled. To enable
revisions mode, go to the 'Tests' menu, select 'Options' and tick the box for
'Revisions Mode'. This improves the accuracy when working with tracked
changes and is a free update for all registered users.
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There is a section of my document that I don't want
to check;, can PerfectIt skip sections?
PerfectIt works on the entire document, not just selected sections. However, if
there are sections you want to exclude, this can be achieved. For example, if the
document includes large sections of code or long reference lists (where spelling
variations could be intentional), then you might want to exclude these. To do this,
you can select those sections and change the font to 'hidden' while using PerfectIt
(select 'Format', then 'Font', then tick the box for 'Hidden'). When you're done with
PerfectIt, you can reverse the process. Our thanks to Fancett Publishing Services
for sending this tip.
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I have a different file for each chapter of a book;
can PerfectIt check the whole book?
PerfectIt checks consistency within a document. So you'll get the best results
if you compile the separate chapters into one document where PerfectIt will
automatically check all chapters against each other.
There's no need to paste chapters together into one document manually:
- Paul Beverley has a free macro that will concatenate the document, and
another that will separate it back into chapters. See
Edit Faster with Free Macros.
- Editor's Toolkit from The Editorium includes similar macros for the same
functions and installs them into your Word menu bar. See the
Editorium website for details.
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Does PerfectIt work with British, American,
Canadian or Australian English?
PerfectIt is international. It works with all of the above. It won't duplicate the
functions of a spelling checker, but it will spot inconsistencies in language. So, for
example, it won't correct 'organise' or 'organize'. However, if a document uses both
'organise' and 'organize', then PerfectIt will suggest that this is likely to be an
error because the spelling is inconsistent.
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Problems running PerfectIt
After I run PerfectIt, why is my document filled with bookmarks?
If PerfectIt exits unexpectedly, it is possible that it will leave behind
some bookmarks where it located possible errors. These are
completely harmless. However, you can easily remove them just
by loading PerfectIt and then closing it again.
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Why is the fix button disabled / greyed out?
There are a number of times when PerfectIt will disable the
'Fix' button. These include:
- After you click 'Fix'
- If the text at the location of an error has been altered or deleted
The first instance of some abbreviation tests where the text is shown for
convenience, not for alteration (e.g. where a definition has
been defined twice, the first instance should not be altered and 'Fix'
is greyed out).
Some tests where PerfectIt does not know what the
replacement should be (e.g. editorial comments). In these
instances, edits should go directly into MS Word.
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How can I make PerfectIt run faster?
After you press the 'Start' button, PerfectIt needs to gather lots of
information about your document. That can take time. The
bad news is that the longer your document is, the longer PerfectIt will
take to gather information. The good news is that once the
initial gathering is over, PerfectIt runs all of the tests much
faster.
It's worth understanding that PerfectIt works by
running hundreds of searches per second. The longer a
document is, the longer each search takes. Also, the longer a document
is, the more searches that PerfectIt will have to run. This is
especially the case with documents over 100 pages. With
shorter documents, PerfectIt will run faster.
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How do I use PerfectIt to enforce my
company's style guide?
PerfectIt tests the internal consistency of a document. However, every
company has its own style, so for instructions on how to write your style
guide into PerfectIt, see PerfectIt's Help on Customizing Tests.
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Why did PerfectIt miss one instance of an
error but find all of the others?
It's rare, but there are occasions when PerfectIt will miss an entry.
These mostly occur if:
- You're working with 'tracked changes'. Make sure that 'Revisions
Mode' is enabled. To enable Revisions Mode, make sure that you're using
PerfectIt version 1.3.1 or higher, then click on the 'Tests' menu and
select 'Options'. Version 1.3.1 is a free update for all registered users.
- You're testing phrases in capitals in a document that has numerous
paragraphs with an internal heading (i.e. the first few words are in
bold / capitals followed by a colon). PerfectIt will work with these
documents. However, it may miss occasional entries if it cannot
distinguish between the heading element and the rest of the paragraph.
- You're testing phrases in capitals and you make a lot of changes
using PerfectIt. Since the patterns that PerfectIt checks depend on
all the words around a capitalized phrase, you may want to run the
test of phrases in capitals twice to make sure that PerfectIt picks up
as much as possible.
Even if none of the above apply, it's important to remember that
PerfectIt is a tool to
assist in editing, not a replacement for the human touch. Always check
through your document in addition to using PerfectIt.
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Why can't I undo a change after PerfectIt runs?
With each test that PerfectIt runs and each time the 'Fix' button is pressed,
PerfectIt deletes the record Word keeps for undoing actions. This ensures
stability while PerfectIt is running. To undo a change made in PerfectIt,
use PerfectIt's own 'Undo' button.
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Why can't I see revisions when
PerfectIt is running?
PerfectIt checks your final text, so while PerfectIt is running, the document
should be set to 'Show Final'. If you are working in Word in track changes mode,
then you should run PerfectIt in 'Revisions Mode'. This will ensure that
revisions are automatically turned off when you start PerfectIt's tests and
restored when PerfectIt is closed.
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Why do the screen flash and scroll bars move
when PerfectIt is running?
If you're working with tracked changes, you should enable 'Revisions Mode'
(found under the 'Options' section of the 'Tests' menu. In Revisions Mode,
PerfectIt scans your document in a way that may cause the screen to flash or
blur. The flashing is harmless to your document. The effect will not happen if
you accept all changes in your document before running PerfectIt.
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Since installing PerfectIt, MS Word displays the
message 'Changes have been made that affect the global template, Normal.dotm'
whenever I exit. Is there a way to prevent the message from appearing?
In Word 2003 or earlier:
- Click the 'Tools' menu in MS Word and select Options.
- Click the 'Save' tab and then clear the 'Prompt to save Normal template' checkbox.
In Word 2007 or higher:
- In the upper-left corner of the screen, click the Office button.
- In the lower-right area of the drop-down box, click 'Word Options'.
- In the 'Word Options' page, click 'Advanced' in the left menu.
- Use the scroll bar to scroll down to the 'Save' section.
- In the 'Save' section, click to clear the 'Prompt before saving Normal template' checkbox.
If you'd like to understand more about this functionality in Word, there's more information
available from Microsoft.
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Online Checker
What does 'Beta' mean?
The online checker is a new tool and we refer to it as a 'Beta' because we are still
testing it. Even in its current form, it provides helpful checking on your documents.
However, we hope to improve it further and we will take it out of its 'Beta' stage when
we feel it’s ready.
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Why do I get a screen that says 'Your request has generated an error'?
The online checker can only handle documents with a filesize that is under 10MB. If the
file is bigger than that, the checker will give this error.
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Why does it matter if I use a TXT, DOC, DOCX or PDF?
The way in which the online checker reads your documents varies by file format.
- With plain text (TXT) files, all of the text is read exactly as you see it.
- With MS Word 97 – 2003 format (DOC), footnotes are included but text in graphics
is excluded. Tables are read correctly. However, tracked changes may result in
incorrect results because any tracked changes that have been deleted or comments
that are included will be read and included in results (though we are working to resolve this).
- With MS Word 2007 – 2010 format (DOCX), footnotes are excluded, text in graphics
is usually included (though it depends on the format of the graphic) and tables are
read correctly. If there are tracked changes in the document, the latest or final
version is the one tested.
- With PDF files, footnotes and text in graphics are read by the online checker
and included in results. However, files that include tables are not always read
correctly and can produce some spurious results.
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Why does the online checker page say I get the best results with DOCX?
Although the checker won't read footnotes in DOCX files, the results offer the best treatment of
text in graphics, text in tables and documents that have tracked changes or comments. In addition, a
small percentage of PDF and DOC files are not compatible with the online checker. However,
DOCX files are almost always compatible.
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Purchasing
What's wrong with the free version?
There's nothing wrong with the free version. Apart from the reminder
screen, the free version is identical to the full version.
However, the free version expires after 30 days. When the trial license
expires, PerfectIt will not load. To use PerfectIt after the
evaluation period, you will need to purchase the full version.
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Do I have to buy online?
Buying online is the easiest and fastest way to purchase PerfectIt. Our
credit card system is reliable, well-established and well known for
software payments. However, if you prefer to pay by cheque, purchase order
or other methods, please get in touch and we can arrange that.
There may be a small administrative fee to cover any costs we incur.
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What's the difference between the Standard Edition and the Pro Edition?
PerfectIt's Standard Edition is limited to documents under 20,000 words.
In addition, the Standard Edition does not include the tests of lists,
bullets, tables and images. A full description is here.
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If I purchase the Standard Edition, can I upgrade to the Pro Edition?
It's cheaper to purchase the Pro Edition than it is to purchase the
Standard Edition and then upgrade. However, it is possible to upgrade.
Send us an email with your Standard Edition registration details and we'll
send the details to you. The charge is $40 USD (+VAT in Europe).
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Can I obtain a discount on bulk orders of PerfectIt's Standard Edition?
No. The bulk discounts are for the Pro Edition only.
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How do I find out about updates?
There are regular minor updates, which we record on the Revision History page of the website.
When we make significant improvements, we send an email to all users (using the email you supplied when you purchased PerfectIt).
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I paid for PerfectIt; why hasn't my CD arrived?
PerfectIt is sold as an electronic download. If you bought PerfectIt and are
waiting to install the full version, please download the latest trial version from
the website. When you launch PerfectIt, it will ask you about registration. At that
point, please copy and paste the license key and details that were sent to you when
you purchased the software into the registration form. That will unlock the full version.
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I paid for PerfectIt; where do I download the full version?
If you bought PerfectIt and want to install the full version, you don't need
to download anything different. Just download the latest trial version from the website.
When you launch PerfectIt, it will ask you about registration. At that point, please
copy and paste the license key and details that were sent to you when you purchased the
software into the registration form. That will unlock the full version.
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