Text File Lists
Text file lists are similar to Named lists, since they are not calculated. With text file lists, you can open a text file and display the valid words in Hoot. This is a useful tool since you normally don't just want to study a list of words, but also their hooks, anagrams, and such. You can view these lists as slide shows. Words that are not valid in the selected lexicon are displayed in a separate box.
This feature also enables you to study word lists from different lexicons. If you have a list of words from a SOWPODS lexicon and you only want to study OWL2 words, Hoot will only display the words in the selected lexicon.
You can also type in your own words into the multiline text box on the left and click Add My Words to add them to a list.
Hoot doesn't save anything you enter into this screen. If you want to save a list of words use the Named List Editor instead which can import words into a new or existing named list. The named list editor is available in the Settings screen.
Format
Hoot reads text files in two different modes. By selecting one word per line, Hoot only reads the first word of each line so a text file that includes definitions following will simply ignore the definitions as long as the first word is followed by white space (space, tab). The speed of text file lists has been improved since the first version. Lists are now shown in seconds instead of minutes.
You can now also select to read all words in the file. Words will be separated based on white space separaters. Hoot also recognizes a shortcut display of words that shows extensions in parenthesis. The complete phrase must not have any spaces. The comma separated list will be added to the root word. If an item in the list begins with a /, the last letter of the root word is dropped first.
For example, ACTUALISE(S,D,/ING) will find
ACTUALISE
ACTUALISES
ACTUALISED
ACTUALISING
An example of this format is found in the list of new OWL3 words on the NASPA website. Of course, new words would have to be included in a lexicon before they are shown in a textfile list.
Hoot also recognizes a first line comment that begins with ///.