How to add a custom dictionary to a VSCode Workspace project?

[Yohanna]

Hello, I'd like to add a custom dictionary to a Multi-root Workspace. My folder structure is like this:

• Main workspace directory located at /home/your-username/your-project.
• your-project contains two folders, client and server.

I want to create a custom dictionary at the root Workspace folder, so it'll be /home/your-username/your-project/custom-dictionary.txt.

Here's my VSCode Workspace .code-workspace file contents:

{
  "folders": [
    {
      "path": "client"
    },
    {
      "path": "server"
    }
  ],
  "settings": {
    "cSpell.language": "en,en-GB,en-US",
    "cSpell.diagnosticLevel": "Warning",
    "cSpell.customDictionaries": {
      "custom-dictionary": {
        "name": "Workspace Dictionary",
        "description": "Custom dictionary",
        "path": "${workspaceFolder}/custom-dictionary.txt",
        "addWords": true,
        "scope": "workspace"
      }
    }
  }
}

However, this didn't work. CSpell end up creating a custom dictionary at /home/your-username/your-project/client, the first folder defined in the Workspace. It also throws this error in VSCode logs:

uncaughtException Error: /home/your-username/your-project/client/custom-dictionary.txt does not exist.
    at /Users/<user_name>/.vscode/extensions/streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker-3.0.1/packages/_server/dist/main.cjs:99:99816
    at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:77:11)

The only way I could get this to work is if define a third folder in my Workspace confingurations for the root Workspace folder, e.g.:

{
  "folders": [
    {
      "path": "client"
    },
    {
      "path": "server"
    },
    {
      "name": "Root",     // <---------  Extra folder
      "path": "./"
    }
  ],
  "settings": {
    "cSpell.language": "en,en-GB,en-US",
    "cSpell.diagnosticLevel": "Warning",
    "cSpell.customDictionaries": {
      "custom-dictionary": {
        "name": "Workspace Dictionary",
        "description": "Custom dictionary",
        "path": "${workspaceFolder:Root}/custom-dictionary.txt",   // <------- Notice the added "Root"
        "addWords": true,
        "scope": "workspace"
      }
    }
  }
}

Is this the proper way to add a custom Workspace dictionary, or is this a bug in the extension? The docs and this comment doesn't mention anything about defining a root folder in your Workspace.

[Jason3S]

@Yohanna,

It is common for one of the folders in a multi-root workspace to be the "root" and it is generally the first. But, a multi-root workspace does not have to have a root, so the extension has to guess.

If you leave the name off, it looks at the first workspace.

  "settings": {
    "cSpell.language": "en,en-GB,en-US",
    "cSpell.diagnosticLevel": "Warning",
    "cSpell.customDictionaries": {
      "custom-dictionary": {
        "name": "Workspace Dictionary",
        "description": "Custom dictionary",
        "path": "${workspaceFolder:client}/../custom-dictionary.txt",   // <------- You can make it relative to the client or server.
        "addWords": true,
        "scope": "workspace"
      }
    }
  }

[Yohanna]

Thanks, Jason!
Does the extension has a way of guessing the top-level Workspace directory on its own? Basically where the .code-workspace file is located. I think this would avoid any surprises when creating a Workspace scoped dictionary file.