Table Of Contents SECTION ONE Introducing Window-Eyes 1.1: Welcome to Window-Eyes! 1.2: System Requirements 1.3: Window-Eyes Features 1.4: Package Contents 1.5: Getting Technical Support 1.6: How to Use this User’s Guide 1.7: Protecting Your Investment SECTION TWO Installing Window-Eyes 2.1: A Bit About Synthesizers 2.2: Quick Install 2.3: Custom Install 2.4: Window-Eyes and the Start Menu 2.5 General Installation Tips 2.6: Windows 95 Install Tips 2.7: Windows 98 Install Tips 2.8: Windows ME Install Tips 2.9: Windows 2000 Install Tips 2.10: Windows XP/2003 Install Tips 2.11: Advanced Install Options 2.12: Uninstalling Window-Eyes SECTION THREE Speaking of Windows 3.1: Where MS Windows and Window-Eyes Meet 3.2: What it Looks Like 3.3: How It Works 3.4: The Windows Desktop 3.5: The Dialog Box, the Property Sheet, and the Message Box 3.6: The Windows Display Screen 3.7: Some MS Windows Keyboard Commands 3.8: Understanding Windows XP/2003 SECTION FOUR An Overview of Window-Eyes 4.1: Just What is Window-Eyes? 4.2: Window-Eyes User Windows 4.3: The Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel 4.4: Colors, Video Attributes, and Highlight Tracking SECTION FIVE Globally Speaking 5.1: The Basics 5.2: How it Works 5.3: Global Versus Local Settings 5.4: Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse Voice 5.5: Verbosity Settings 5.6: The Rest of the Global Menu SECTION SIX Setting up the Voices 6.1: The Basics 6.2: How it Works 6.3: Turning the Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse Voices on and off 6.4: Setting Rate, Pitch, Tone, and Volume 6.5: Determining How Window-Eyes Reads Punctuation 6.6: The Rest of the Screen Menu 6.7: The Rest of the Keyboard Menu 6.8: The Rest of the Mouse Voice SECTION SEVEN Saving and Retrieving Speech Environments 7.1: The Basics 7.2: How it Works 7.3: Saving Set Files 7.4: Opening Set Files Manually 7.5: Supporting Associations 7.6: Keeping Track of Window-Eyes Active Files 7.7: Closing Associations 7.8: Converting Your Set Files to Text and Back 7.9: Changing Synthesizers 7.10: Changing Braille Displays 7.11: Window-Eyes and Multiple Users 7.12: Startup Type 7.13: Editing Dictionaries 7.14: Loading and Reloading Factory SET files 7.15: Exiting Window-Eyes SECTION EIGHT Introducing Window-Eyes Hot Keys 8.1: The Basics 8.2: How it Works 8.3: Reading Characters, Words, Lines, Sentences, and Paragraphs 8.4: Autodetect Caret 8.5: Reading from the Perspective of the Mouse Pointer 8.6: Assigning Your Own Hot Keys 8.7: Handling Duplicate Hot Key Definitions 8.8: Which Keys Work 8.9: Reading Parts of a Window 8.10: Identifying the Mouse Pointer 8.11: The Redraw Hot Key 8.12: The Bypass Hot Key 8.13: Reading User and Hyperactive Windows 8.14: Reading Text Up To and After the Caret 8.15: Reading a Full Document Nonstop 8.16: Reading Nonstandard Controls 8.17: Reading The System Tray 8.18: Time and Date 8.19: Field Name and Data 8.20: Speaking the Application Status Line 8.21: Adjusting Voice Parameters on the Fly 8.22: Speaking Progress Bars and Scroll Bars SECTION NINE Reading with Cursoring Keys 9.1: The Basics 9.2: How it Works 9.3: Practical Applications 9.4: The Cursoring Key Definitions 9.5: Cursor Delay 9.6: A Cursoring Key Bonus 9.7: Cursoring Keys in Standard Controls SECTION TEN Reading the Screen with the Mouse 10.1: The Basics 10.2: Moving the Mouse Pointer by Textual Units 10.3: The Mouse Directional Movement Keys 10.4: Moving by Windows Logical Units 10.5: Routing the Pointer and the Caret 10.6: Restricting Pointer Movement 10.7: Finding Things on the Screen 10.8: Using the Physical Mouse 10.9: The WE Cursor or the Mouse SECTION ELEVEN Performing Mouse Functions with Window-Eyes Hot Keys 11.1: The Basics 11.2: Single and Double Click Hot Keys 11.3: Moving the Mouse by Windows Controls 11.4: Mouse Toggle Hot Keys 11.5: Mouse Drag and Drop 11.6: Route Mouse to Window SECTION TWELVE Setting Up and Using the User Windows 12.1: The Basics 12.2: How it Works 12.3: Selecting and Adjusting the Current user window 12.4: Using the Mouse Pointer to Set Window Coordinates 12.5: The Offset 12.6: Window Logic 12.7: Confining your Reading to the User Window 12.8: The Status of the User Window 12.9: Getting User Window Status Reports 12.10: Reading User Windows 12.11: Show User Window Outline SECTION THIRTEEN Video attributes and Highlights 13.1: The Basics 13.2: How it Works 13.3: Detecting New Video Attributes 13.4: Highlight Tracking 13.5: The Window Definition Menu 13.6: Caret and Mouse ANSI/Attribute SECTION FOURTEEN Hyperactive Windows 14.1: The Basics 14.2: How it Works 14.3: The Hyperactive Window Definition Dialog Box 14.4: Window and Command Precedence 14.5: Turning Hyperactive Windows On and Off 14.6: Troubleshooting Hyperactive Windows SECTION FIFTEEN Float Windows 15.1: The Basics 15.2: How it Works 15.3: The Float Window Setup Screen 15.4: Setting the Position 15.5: Automatic Adjustment of Float Windows 15.6: Some Practical Examples SECTION SIXTEEN Pronunciation Dictionaries and More About the File menu 16.1: The Basics 16.2: How it Works 16.3: The Word-Exception Dictionary 16.4: The Key Label Dictionary 16.5: The Character Dictionary 16.6: The Graphic Dictionary 16.7: Mouse Pointer Descriptions 16.8: Clearing the Currently Loaded Dictionary 16.9: The Bubble Up Effect SECTION SEVENTEEN The General Menu 17.1: The Basics 17.2: How it Works 17.3: Turning the Voice, Hot Keys, and Cursoring Keys Off and On 17.4: Setting the Highlight Track Status 17.5: Tracking the Contents of Cells in a Spreadsheet 17.6: Include User Window with Box 17.7: Highlighted Text 17.8: Turning Pronunciation Dictionaries On and Off 17.9: Allow Speak Windows In Edit Boxes 17.10: Cursor Delay 17.11: Trigger Delay 17.12: Space Threshold 17.13: The Case of the Corrupted Screen 17.14: Auto Speak Tooltips and Flashing Applications 17.15: MSAA Application Mode 17.16: Re-Initializing the Synthesizer SECTION EIGHTEEN The Braille Menu 18.1: Scrolling Options 18.2: Control Information 18.3: Dot Patterns 18.4: Translation Tables 18.5: Hot Keys 18.6: Options 18.7: Graphics 18.8: Braille Window APPENDIX A A.1: Hot Keys – Quick Reference Guide A.2: Hot Key Definitions A.3: Default Keyboard Layout A.4: Laptop Keyboard Layout A.5: Vocal-Eyes Keyboard Layout APPENDIX B B.1: The Voice Control Panel B.2: File B.3: Screen B.4: Keyboard B.5: Mouse B.6: Hot Keys B.7: Cursoring B.8: Verbosity B.9: Braille B.10: Verbosity B.11: Global B.12: Help APPENDIX C C.1: Speech Synthesizers C.2: Accent PC / Mini / Messenger / SA / Artic Transport C.3: Apollo I and II Internal and Apollo I and II External C.4: Artic and Votalker C.5: ASP C.6: Audapter C.7: Blazie Synthesizers including Braille 'N Speak and Type 'N Speak C.8: BrailleMate C.9: DECtalk Access32 (Window-Eyes) C.10: DECtalk Access32 C.11: DECtalk Express C.12: DECtalk Original C.13: DECtalk PC C.14: DoubleTalk PC C.15: Echo PC and Echo GP C.16: Echo PC (New Model) C.17: Keynote Gold MultiMedia C.18: Keynote Gold PC C.19: Keynote Gold SA C.20: LiteTalk and DoubleTalk LT C.21: MultiVoice and PCKPR C.22: Personal Speech System Version A & B C.23: Portable DECtalk C.24: Prose-4000 C.25: Reading Edge C.26: SmarTalk C.27: SMP C.28: Sounding Board C.29: Speak-Out C.30: Speech Application Program Interface (SAPI) C.31: Speech Synthesizer Interface Library (SSIL) C.32: TextAssist C.33: Triple Talk PCI/USB C.34: VoiceCard C.35: Virtual (Citrix MetaFrame) C.36: Virtual (Microsoft RDP) APPENDIX D D.1: Braille Displays D.2: ALVA D.3: Braille Lite D.4: HumanWare D.5: Papenmeier Braillex D.6: BAUM DM80 D.7: Focus D.8: HandyTech D.9: Navigator D.10: PowerBraille D.11: Vario RBT40 (Rabbit) and Vario 80 D.12: Handialog APPENDIX E E.1: Working with the Internet E.2: What is MSAA? E.3: Access Keys E.4: Acronyms/Abbreviations E.5: Flash E.6: Forms E.7: Headings E.8: Languages E.9: Links E.10: Lists E.11: Longdesc E.12: Objects E.13: Paragraphs E.14: Quotes/Blockquotes E.15: Tables E.16: More Navigation Options E.17: More Verbosity Options E.18: Web Developers APPENDIX F F.1: Application Specific F.2: Adobe Acrobat F.3: Citrix MetaFrame XP F.4: Microsoft Terminal Services and Windows XP Professional Remote Desktop APPENDIX G G.1: Miscellaneous G.2: Using a DOS Screen Reader G.3: Reading Command Prompts in Windows 2000/XP/2003 G.4: SET2TEXT and TEXT2SET Utilities APPENDIX H H.1: Window-Eyes Troubleshooting Window-Eyes 4.5 Manual GW Micro, Inc. 725 Airport North Office Park Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Phone: 260-489-3671 FAX: 260-489-2608 WWW: FTP: E-MAIL: Window-Eyes Warranty Notice The purchase of this or any other GW Micro, Inc. software product does not constitute ownership of the software but only a license to use it. You may not sell or give away this or any other GW Micro, Inc. software product without prior written permission from GW Micro, Inc. Copy Protection The Window-Eyes program disk is not copy-protected in the United States and certain other countries. This doesn't mean you can make unlimited copies of it. Window-Eyes is protected by the copyright laws that pertain to computer software. It's illegal to make copies, other than a personal backup copy, of the program without written permission from GW Micro, Inc. In particular, it is illegal to give a copy to another person. Although Window-Eyes is not copy-protected, a unique serial number has been assigned to your copy and has been registered to you. The serial number can be obtained through the "About Window-Eyes" option from the "Help" menu. Your registration card also contains this serial number and is required to be returned to GW Micro, Inc. if you should ever require a future upgrade or support. Limited Warranty GW Micro, Inc. warrants that the original disks are free from defects in material and workmanship, assuming normal use, for a period of 30 days from date of purchase. If a defect occurs during this period, you may return your faulty CD-ROM to GW Micro, Inc., along with a dated proof of purchase, where it will be replaced free of charge. Notice Every effort has been made to make the following manual complete and easily understandable. We hope there are no errors of either fact or interpretation within. Any questions, corrections, comments or suggestions are naturally most welcome. Direct all correspondence to the Technical Publications Division of GW Micro, Inc. GW Micro, Inc. reserves the right to make improvements or changes in this manual and/or the product that it describes at any time without notice. This manual is copyrighted. All rights are reserved. This document may not, in whole or in part, be copied, photo-copied, reproduced, translated or be reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form without prior consent in writing from GW Micro, Inc. Copyright © 1995-2003 by GW Micro, Inc. SECTION ONE Introducing Window-Eyes This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides you with the nuts and bolts of the Window-Eyes packaging. You will also learn how to contact our technical support department, as well as how to set up Windows to work the best with Window-Eyes. 1.1: Welcome to Window-Eyes Congratulations on your purchase of Window-Eyes, a screen reading program which allows access to Microsoft Windows and compatible applications through synthesized speech output and refreshable Braille displays. Window-Eyes is designed for computer users at all levels - novice to advanced. GW Micro has listened to screen-reader users and incorporated many of their suggestions into Window-Eyes. The result? A wide variety of speech features and the flexibility needed for running many of today's most advanced Windows applications. GW Micro has strived to find the ideal combination of flexibility and automaticity. That's just a fancy way of saying that we want you, our customer, to have a screen reader that is adaptable to your specific needs and likes, and yet work automatically enough for you to focus attention on your application program, not so much on operating the screen reader. After all, the purpose for having a screen reader in the first place is to gain access to computers, not to use computers to operate the screen reader. 1.2: System Requirements In order to install and run Window-Eyes successfully, you need to have at least the following: Window-Eyes Standard: * IBM Compatible (Intel Pentium/Celeron, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron) with a clock speed of 300 MHz or greater (200 MHz minimum) * 128 MB RAM or higher (64 MB RAM or less may cause system performance degradation) * Windows 9X, or Windows Millennium (Me) * 20 MB available hard-disk space * CD-ROM drive Window-Eyes Professional: * IBM Compatible (Intel Pentium/Celeron, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron) with a clock speed of 400 MHz or greater (300 MHz minimum) * 128 MB RAM or higher (64 MB RAM or less may cause system performance degradation) * Windows 9X, Windows Millennium (Me), Windows 2000, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional, or Windows 2003 (and greater) * 20 MB available hard-disk space * CD-ROM drive Additional Recommendations: * For software speech, a multi-channel sound card, such as the Sound Blaster Audigy or Sound Blaster Live, is strongly recommended (Note that increased RAM will assist in the performance of software speech). * Allow 10 MB hard-drive space for each additional Eloquence language installed * Allow 35 MB hard-drive space for each additional ScanSoft RealSpeak language installed * For Internet browsing, Internet Explorer 6 or greater (Internet Explorer 5.5 SP 2 for Windows 95 only) is strongly recommended * Requirements may vary depending on your system configuration and applications installed. 1.3: Window-Eyes Features Here is a summary list of Window-Eyes features: General: * Compatible with Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, and 2003 * Support for multiple users either on a stand alone machine, or across a network * Support for remote access with Citrix MetaFrame, Microsoft Terminal Services, and Windows XP Professional Remote Desktop * Support for over 50 speech synthesizers and 40 Braille displays. * Adobe Acrobat PDF support, including access to bookmarks and secure PDF documents * Breakthrough support for Macromedia Flash * Full command prompt support for Windows 2000, XP, and 2003 * Fast, reliable, accurate, W3C compliant Internet access with Internet Explorer 6 * Error Reporting feature to help developers increase "Rock Solid" performance and responsiveness * No need to learn or use complicated scripting * Label controls, reclassify controls, and obtain control information on the fly * Ability to read last known tool tip and last flashing application (for knowing when an application has changed in the background) * Extremely easy to configure to personal taste * Full support for Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) * Support for all video systems * Easy access to Windows system tray * Exception dictionaries for altering the way words, graphics, key-labels, characters, and mouse pointers are pronounced * A Read to End feature for reading nonstop from the beginning to the end of a document * A WE cursor for reviewing the screen without disturbing the windows cursor or mouse pointer * Standard look, feel, and intuitive operations of the Windows environment * Flexible verbosity settings for hearing exactly what you want to hear * Over 170 factory hot keys at your disposal for reading desired information * 46 cursoring keys which allow speech to be added to normal application keystrokes * 50 user windows for reading/monitoring specified areas * 26 hyperactive windows for monitoring specified areas * Easy-to-use Window-Eyes manual presented in a tutorial format * Access to voice rate changes on the fly * Access to end task dialog (CTRL-ALT-DEL) with hardware synthesizers in Windows 9X/ME * Access to task manager in Windows 2000, XP, and 2003 * Eloquence, Microsoft Speech, DECTalk Access 32, and ScanSoft RealSpeak text-to-speech engines included free of charge * Easy to use talking install * Automatic labeling of graphics * Extensive information for standard Windows controls such as tree views and list views * No need to re-install to add a synthesizer or Braille display Mouse: * Full keyboard access for moving the mouse pointer without having to use a physical mouse * Automatically reads mouse pointers as they change * Automatically reads information under the mouse as it is moved * Extensive search capabilities * Mouse pointer dictionary Voice Configuration: * Set up the speech rate, pitch, tone, volume and punctuation independently for screen, keyboard, and mouse * Capitalization alert for proofing capitalization errors * Format alert for proofing spacing errors * Numbers can be spoken as digits or full numbers * Keyboard can be used to speak characters or words, or disabled for silent typing * Allows speech to be silenced with the press of a key Braille Displays: * All major displays are supported * Pre-defined Braille display keys for optimal performance * Display key presses can easily be configured through a user friendly dialog * Several factory Braille tables for 6 and 8 dot Braille * Two user definable Braille tables for maximum flexibility * Full support for all attributes * Visual Braille window for visually displaying the information represented on the Braille display * Switch to any Braille display at any time * Full control over how and what information is presented on the display * Enhanced spacing modes for exact representation of screen information 1.4: Package Contents Please take a moment to inventory the contents of the Window-Eyes package. It should include: * One CD containing all the Window-Eyes components including an electronic version of this manual in ASCII text, MP3, and PDF formats, as well as a Windows Help version located in the Window-Eyes "Help" menu. The Window-Eyes tutorial will also be included in MP3 format. * Window-Eyes tutorial on audio cassette. * Print Installation Guide * Braille Installation Guide and Hot key Quick Reference Guide * A user registration card, containing the personal registration number assigned to you by GW Micro. Please take time now to complete and return this pre-addressed postage-paid card. Having a registration card on file at GW Micro is your only way of being assured technical support from factory staff, should you ever need our help. In addition, we will use your registration information to keep you informed about upgrades and new products. If you are unable to fill out the registration card, you may register online by visiting http://www.gwmicro.com/upgrade, and entering your serial number in the appropriate place. If your record is not found, you will be prompted to enter your registration information. Upon receiving your registration information, our sales department will update our records just as if they had received your registration card. You may also access this feature through the Window-Eyes Help menu, and selecting the upgrade option. Thank you for taking the time to register your purchase. Also, please notify us if you change your address. Note that copies of the Window-Eyes manual in print, Braille, or on tape can be purchased for an additional price. 1.5: Getting Technical Support Free and unlimited technical support on the current production version from factory-trained professionals is available over the telephone on non-holiday weekdays 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. Call 260-489-3671. Our e-mail address is support@gwmicro.com. You also have the option of subscribing to the GW-INFO list via email. This list is for all GW Micro related questions. If you own a GW Micro product or are considering it, this list is an excellent resource. Several hundred users are already subscribed to this list. This list is run by the support staff at GW Micro. Every message is read by the support staff and if necessary a response is posted answering the specific questions but usually another user will answer your question first. If you have access to e-mail, you should strongly consider this resource. To subscribe to the GW-INFO list do the following: Send an email message to listserv@gwmicro.com. Leave the subject blank but in the body of the message include the following line: subscribe gw-info Now you can send and receive messages to gw-info@gwmicro.com. When you send a message to gw-info@gwmicro.com it will automatically be sent to all the other list members. GW Micro also offers a read-only email list, GW-NEWS, for announcements and important information about GW Micro and GW Micro products. Only GW Micro employees are allowed to post to the GW-NEWS list, so the traffic is substantially less than that of GW-INFO. To subscribe to the GW-NEWS list do the following: Send an email message to listserv@gwmicro.com. Leave the subject blank but in the body of the message include the following line: subscribe gw-news You can also subscribe and unsubscribe from both GW-INFO and GW-NEWS on the GW Micro website. Go to http://www.gwmicro.com/support and look for GW-INFO & GW-NEWS for more information. When you call or email for technical support, you may be asked for your Window-Eyes serial number. To obtain this number: 1. Press CTRL-\ to display the Window-Eyes Control Panel. 2. Press the ALT key to activate the menu bar and then press "H" for Help. 3. Press "A" for About Window-Eyes. This will display the version number and the serial number of your copy of Window-Eyes. 4. Press ESCAPE twice to exit the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel. Many of Window-Eyes' features, some of the most basic and some of the most advanced, are the result of input from the GW Micro customer community, and that can include you. GW Micro is never completely happy until Window-Eyes features are made as flexible and adjustable as they can be, in order to satisfy the widely varying needs of our customers. Call or write us with your comments and suggestions. 1.6: How to Use this User's Guide Everything you need to know in order to add powerful and easy-to-use voice features to MS Windows is contained within this Window-Eyes manual. It is divided into eighteen sections and eight appendices. For the benefit of those reading this manual from audio cassette tape, we have made every attempt to organize the guide in narrative, rather than some cataloged form such as alphabetical order. However, no computer software works in narrative form, so some skipping around and repeat listening to the guide may be necessary if the information presented here does not meet your learning or user needs after your first reading. Section Two tells you how to install Window-Eyes to your PC system, using the installation program supplied on the Window-Eyes program CD-ROM. Section Three gives you a rundown of Window-Eyes features and functions. If you are new to MS Windows, you will definitely find this section indispensable. Though no manual for a Windows-based software product can hope to serve as a comprehensive training program for the MS Windows operating system, Section Three does tell you the bare essentials of Windows controls and gives you a few basics for using Window-Eyes to locate and operate these controls efficiently and effectively. Section Four introduces you to some basics of operating Window-Eyes. After reading Sections Three and Four, new users might find the tape tutorial useful. It talks you through the entire process, from installing Window-Eyes, to using Windows accessories and Windows applications. The tutorial will not only help you understand Window-Eyes; it will also help in understanding Windows in general. Sections Five through Eighteen explain the technical and practical workings of Window-Eyes, starting with techniques for reviewing the screen, and moving slowly to more advanced levels. Window-Eyes is under constant development and sometimes changes occur or new features are added before new manuals can be printed and recorded. So please be sure to read the Window-Eyes Read Me file. Simply choose the Read Me option from the Window-Eyes group in the Start Menu, or the Window-Eyes help menu. This will automatically display the current Read Me file. 1.7: Protecting Your Investment Before exploring Window-Eyes any further, please store the original Window-Eyes CD in a clean, dry place, not too hot or cold. Please remember that CDs are not indestructible. Be very careful when handling any CD. A single scratch mark could permanently damage the CD. SECTION TWO Installing Window-Eyes This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides you with the Window-Eyes installation process. Installing Window-Eyes can be a simple and pain-free process if you follow the instructions provided in this manual. On the Window-Eyes CD is an easy-to-use installation program that will walk you through the install process, step by step. If you have the Windows CD autorun feature enabled (which is normally enabled by default), the installation program will startup automatically when the Window-Eyes CD is inserted in your CD-ROM drive. For information on turning autorun on, please consult your Microsoft Windows manual. As an added bonus, if you have a compatible sound card installed, you have the option of choosing the "Install With Speech" from the install menu. This will cause the installation program to speak the install to you through a temporary copy of Window-Eyes. This allows the install to be used without sighted assistance. How does the installation program speak? Your Window-Eyes CD comes with a free copy of the DECtalk Access 32 text-to-speech software synthesizer. When the "Install With Speech" starts, it immediately launches a temporary copy of Window-Eyes from the CD. Window-Eyes itself is actually speaking the installation program using the DECtalk Access 32 synthesizer. The "Install With Speech" is also smart enough to detect if another copy of Window-Eyes is currently running. If this is the case, the temporary copy of Window-Eyes will not be launched. If you are using a screen reader other than Window-Eyes, the installation program will not detect this and still launch the temporary copy of Window-Eyes. If you put the Window-Eyes installation CD in the drive and the installation program doesn't start after waiting one minute (which will be the case if the autorun feature is disabled) you will need to start the installation program manually. If the install did not start automatically after waiting 60 seconds from inserting the Window-Eyes CD, do the following: 1. Press CTRL-ESC to bring up the Start Menu 2. Type an 'R' for the Run option 3. Type "D:\SETUP" and press ENTER. If D: is not your CD ROM drive letter, replace the "D" with your actual CD ROM drive letter. The installation program will then begin. If the installation program does not begin after placing the CD in your CD-ROM drive, or after starting the installation manually, then please contact our technical support department at 260-489-3671 for troubleshooting tips. When the installation program starts, you will hear a recorded voice informing you of the different installation options. They are as follows: S = Install With Speech W = Install Without Speech T = Play Tutorial M = Play Manual R = Replay Verbal Message X = Exit Let's take a look at what each of these options entails. S = Install With Speech Selecting this option will launch a temporary copy of Window-Eyes, using DECtalk Access 32, to speak the rest of the install program. W = Install Without Speech Selecting this option will cause the installation program to continue without running the temporary copy of Window-Eyes. T = Play Tutorial Selecting this option will cause the installation program to launch an MP3 file containing the reading of the Window-Eyes Tutorial. Note that the installation program itself will exit. When the tutorial is complete, you will need to re-run the Window-Eyes installation to install the product. M = Play Manual Selecting this option will cause the installation program to launch an Internet Browser window displaying an index of the Window-Eyes manual sections in MP3 format. You will need a screen reader to read this index. You can select any section you wish in order to listen to that particular part of the Window-Eyes manual. Note that the installation program itself will exit. When the manual is complete, you will need to re-run the Window-Eyes installation to install the product. R = Replay Verbal Message Selecting this option will cause the initial recorded voice file to be replayed so that you can hear any information that you may have missed during the first playing. X = Exit Selecting this option will exit the installation program. 2.1: A Bit About Synthesizers Window-Eyes works with your speech synthesizer and its software to make a total speech-access system. Window-Eyes supports many different models of voice synthesizers. As stated above, the installation program for Window-Eyes uses the DECtalk Access 32 speech synthesizer. Unless you tell the installation program otherwise, your newly installed copy of Window-Eyes will default to using DECtalk Access 32. If, however, you are planning on using a different speech synthesizer that requires its own software, you will have to install the software according to the instructions that came with the synthesizer. At any of the installation dialogs you can press the TAB key to move between all the options in the current dialog or SHIFT-TAB to move backwards through all the options. If you are on a button, pressing the ENTER key will act on that button. If you are on a check box, pressing the SPACE BAR will toggle between selecting and unselecting the option. If you are on a radio button, pressing the UP or DOWN ARROWS will deselect the current option and select the new option. If you are in a list box or combo box, pressing the UP or DOWN ARROW will move you through the list of available options. Selecting Cancel at any of the dialogs will display a dialog asking if you are sure you wish to abort the installation. If you select the YES option from that dialog, the installation program will abort. If you select NO from that dialog, you will be returned back to the original dialog you were in before selecting the Cancel button. Most dialogs offer a "Back" and "Next" button. If you select the "Back" option, the previous dialog will be displayed again. This is nice if you change your mind and wish to change something in a previous dialog. If you select the "Next" button your settings for the current dialog will be accepted and the next dialog will be displayed. 2.2: Quick Install Once you have selected to install Window-Eyes with, or without, voice output, the installation program will then prompt you with a dialog asking if you want to use the quick install. If you choose the quick install by selecting the YES button in the Quick Install dialog the following will happen. 1. The User Information dialog will be displayed. You will need to type your name in the "Name" field and a company name if applicable in the "Company" field. Press the TAB key to move from option to option. Notice you may tab to the Serial Number field but you can not modify the serial number. This number has been registered to you at the factory. When you have typed your name and/or company, press TAB to move to the Next button and press ENTER. 2. If you are installing Window-Eyes with voice output under Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows 2003, you will be prompted to restart your computer at the beginning of the installation. If you are installing Window-Eyes under Windows 9X/Me, or are installing without voice output, the install will not prompt you to reboot. Once the installation continues, it will begin copying all the necessary files to your hard drive. 3. When all components have been installed, the "Setup Complete" dialog will be displayed. There are three buttons on this dialog. "Restart Computer Now," "Restart Computer Later," and "Cancel." It is strongly suggested you accept the "Restart Computer Now" button as your newly installed copy of Window-Eyes will probably not function until you restart your computer. Only select the "Restart Computer Later" button if you do not plan on using your newly installed copy of Window-Eyes until after you restart your computer at a later time. Note that if you installed with speech under Windows 2000, XP, or 2003, you will receive a different dialog allowing you to continue booting without having to restart. Once your computer restarts, Window-Eyes will come up automatically and start speaking. The following settings have been chosen for you automatically by choosing the quick installation: * Window-Eyes is installed in C:\WINEYES or whatever drive Windows is installed on. * The ASCII version of the Window-Eyes manual is installed in the C:\WINEYES\MANUAL directory. * The latest SET files for all applications in your current operating system have been selected and installed. * Window-Eyes has been placed in the STARTUP group meaning it will startup automatically whenever Windows is started for any user. * If your system has a compatible sound card then the Eloquence (US English) and DECtalk Access 32 text-to-speech engines have been installed. * If your system has a compatible sound card, Window-Eyes has been configured for the DECtalk Access 32 text-to-speech engine. * If you do not have a compatible sound card, Window-Eyes will be configured for the synthesizer you selected during the quick install. * By default, no Braille display has been selected. You can easily change the Braille display and speech synthesizer selection at any time. * CTRL-ALT-W has been setup as a shortcut key. * A Window-Eyes group has been added to the Start menu under Programs 2.3: Custom Install If you do not choose the quick install by selecting the NO button in the Quick Install dialog, the following will happen. 1. The User Information dialog will be displayed. You will need to type your name in the "Name" field and a company name if applicable in the "Company" field. Press the TAB key to move from option to option. Notice you may tab to the Serial Number field but you can not modify the serial number. This number has been registered to you at the factory. When you have typed your name and/or company, press TAB to move to the Next button and press ENTER. 2. The Choose Destination dialog will be displayed. This allows you to select the directory you wish to install Window-Eyes into. By default this will be "C:\WINEYES" if C: is the drive Windows is installed on. If you wish to change this option, tab to the Browse button and press ENTER. This will bring up the Choose Folder dialog. You can either type in the new path manually or use the other options in this dialog. Once you have specified the new location press ENTER on the OK button. This will return you to the Choose Destination dialog but your new location will be displayed. If this is acceptable, TAB to the Next button and press ENTER. 3. The Synthesizer Selection dialog will be displayed. There are several options on this dialog but only those options that are relevant to the synthesizer you have selected will be available. By default the DECtalk Access32 (Window-Eyes) synthesizer will be selected. If this is not the synthesizer you wish to use, press the TAB key until you get to the Synthesizer list box. Arrow up and down until you get to your synthesizer. Depending on which synthesizer you select you may or may not have to select more information. So after selecting your synthesizer press TAB to move through the options and change them if necessary. For example, if you select the DECtalk Express and you press TAB you will be in the Ports list box. You would need to tell the installation program what COM port the Express is connected to. Again, several other options may or may not be required depending on your synthesizer. Take the time to TAB between all the options and set them correctly. Refer to Appendix C for a complete description of all synthesizers and options necessary for each. When you have selected all the necessary choices, press ENTER on the Next button. 4. The Software Synthesizer Installation dialog will be displayed. You will be presented with a list of check boxes to select which languages of Eloquence, ScanSoft RealSpeak, and the Microsoft Speech Engine you wish to install. Use your TAB and SHIFT-TAB to move through the list, and press the SPACE BAR on the item that you wish to install. If you decide that you want to unselect a language, simply highlight the selected item, and press the SPACE BAR to uncheck it. Note that US English Eloquence will automatically be installed when using the Install With Speech option. Once you have selected the languages you wish to install, TAB to the Next button and press ENTER. 5. The Braille Display Selection dialog will be displayed. Using your UP and DOWN ARROW keys, you can select the Braille display that you currently have installed. After selecting your display, press the TAB key to go to the Ports list box. Here you can choose whether your Braille display is attached via a serial port (COM 1 to COM 8), a parallel port (LPT 1 to LPT 4), or USB. After selecting how your Braille display is connected, press ENTER to continue. If you have no Braille display installed, choose none and press ENTER. 6. The SETS Selection dialog will be displayed. This allows you to select which Window-Eyes factory configurations you wish to have installed. You should select all the options for any application you plan on using with Window-Eyes. You should also take care to make sure you install the correct versions for your applications. For example with Microsoft Word there are several versions. You must select the version that matches what you will be using. By default the latest versions of all applications have been selected. You can TAB through all the choices and press the SPACE BAR to select or unselect each option. There is an Unselect All SET Files button. If you press ENTER on this button, all check boxes will be unselected. If you later found you did not select something you should have or you upgrade an application and need the newer SET files you can use the Window-Eyes "Select SET File" option to later install the factory SET files for any or all of the applications. After you have made all your selections TAB to the Next button and press ENTER. 7. The Window-Eyes manual dialog will be displayed. This dialog asks if you wish to install the ASCII text version of this users guide in the subdirectory MANUAL off of your WINEYES directory. If you do, select the YES button. If you do not, select the NO button. 8. The Shortcut Key dialog will be display. This dialog allows you to set the shortcut key used to launch Window-Eyes manually. TAB to the Shortcut Hot key field, and press the hot key combination you want to use for launching Window-Eyes manually. By default, the shortcut is CTRL-ALT-W. You can press the DEL key to disable the shortcut feature. Note that only operating system key strokes can be used with this hot key field. Once you have defined the shortcut to be used, press ENTER. 9. The Window-Eyes Startup Selection dialog will be displayed. This dialog offers a radio button with three choices. You can have the installation program have Window-Eyes startup automatically every time Windows is started by using one of two options or you can tell the installation program to not automatically startup Window-Eyes when Windows is started. If you plan on using a Network and wish to have the network login dialog speak, you should select the Before Startup option. If you just want Window-Eyes to startup but you do not use a network, you should select the Windows Startup Group option (See Section 7.12 for more information). If you do not wish Window-Eyes to startup automatically, select the Do Not Start Window-Eyes Automatically option. Regardless of which option you select CTRL-ALT-W (or the hot key you have defined) has been setup as a shortcut to launch Window-Eyes. This means if Window-Eyes is not currently running at any point, you can press CTRL-ALT-W (or the hot key you have defined) and Window-Eyes will startup immediately. After choosing the option you want, press ENTER on the Next button. 10. The installation will begin copying all the necessary files to your hard drive. When all components have been installed, the "Setup Complete" dialog will be displayed. There are three buttons on this dialog. "Restart Computer Now," "Restart Computer Later," and "Cancel." It is strongly suggested you accept the "Restart Computer Now" button as your newly installed copy of Window-Eyes will probably not function until you restart your computer. Only select the "Restart Computer Later" button if you do not plan on using your newly installed copy of Window-Eyes until after you restart your computer at a later time. Note that if you installed with speech under Windows 2000, XP, or 2003, you will receive a different dialog allowing you to continue booting without having to restart. 2.4: Window-Eyes and the Start Menu Once the installation of Window-Eyes is complete, you can access the Window-Eyes program group from the start menu. The program group's contents will be different depending on which version of Windows you are running. Windows 9X/ME * Advanced Options o Virtual Channel Maintenance * Readme shortcut * Window-Eyes shortcut * Window-Eyes Manual Windows 2000/XP/2003 * Advanced Options o Video Support Maintenance o Virtual Channel Maintenance * Readme shortcut * Window-Eyes shortcut * Window-Eyes Manual Each of these items are described in detail below: Advanced Options This pull down menu provides you with specific advanced options, depending on what operating system you are using. If you are using Windows 2000, XP, or 2003, you will be presented with two options: Video Support Maintenance, and Virtual Channel Maintenance. If you are using Windows 9X/Me, you will be presented with one option: Virtual Channel Maintenance. Video Support Maintenance (Windows 2000/XP/2003)- Allows you to enable or disable video support for the local system, a remote Citrix MetaFrame XP session, or a remote Microsoft Terminal Services session. Upon selecting this option, you will be presented with a warning, reminding you that this is an advanced feature, and should only be used by advanced users. Selecting no to the warning will close the dialog, and return you to the desktop. Selecting yes to the warning will present you with four buttons: * Enable/Disable Main Video Support - Enables or disables main Window-Eyes video support. * Enable/Disable Citrix ICA Video Support - Enables or disables video support for use with Citrix MetaFrame XP. For more information, refer to Appendix F.3. * Enable Microsoft RDP Video Support - Enables or disables video support for use with Microsoft Terminal Services. For more information, refer to Appendix F.4. * Cancel - Closes the dialog without making any changes. The current state of any of the above options will be reflected by the text of the button. For example, if the main Window-Eyes video support is currently enabled, the Main Video Support button will state, "Disable Main Video Support." If the main Window-Eyes video support is currently disabled, the Main Video Support button will state, "Enable Main Video Support." Note that if the main Window-Eyes video support is disabled, speech will not be available until video support is enabled. Virtual Channel Maintenance (Windows 9X/Me/2000/XP/2003)- Allows you to enable or disable the Window-Eyes virtual channel for use with a remote Citrix MetaFrame XP session, or a remote Microsoft Terminal Services session. Upon selecting this option, you will be presented with a dialog containing two buttons: * Enable/Disable Citrix Virtual Channel Support For Window-Eyes - Enables or disables virtual channel support for a remote Citrix MetaFrame XP session. For more information, refer to Appendix F.3. * Enable/Disable Microsoft Virtual Channel Support For Window-Eyes - Enables or disables virtual channel support for a remote Microsoft Terminal Services session. For more information, refer to Appendix F.4. * Cancel - Closes the dialog without making any changes. The current state of any of the above options will be reflected by the text of the button. For example, if the virtual channel support for Citrix is currently enabled, the Citrix Virtual Channel Support button will state, "Disable Citrix Virtual Channel Support For Window-Eyes." If the virtual channel support for Citrix is currently disabled, the Citrix Virtual Channel Support button will state, "Enable Citrix Virtual Channel Support For Window-Eyes." Readme Shortcut This is a shortcut to the Window-Eyes readme file. This file contains important information regarding the version of Window-Eyes that is installed. Activating this icon will cause the readme file to be opened by Notepad. You can also access the readme by pressing CTRL-\ to bring up the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel, following by ALT-H for Help, and R for Window-Eyes Readme. Window-Eyes Shortcut This is the program shortcut that is associated with Window-Eyes. If Window-Eyes is not running, activating this icon will cause Window-Eyes to launch. The Window-Eyes installation will also place a copy of the Window-Eyes shortcut on your desktop. Window-Eyes Manual This shortcut will launch the Window-Eyes Manual in Windows Help format. You can also access the manual in this format by pressing CTRL-\ to bring up the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel, following by ALT-H for Help, and W for Window-Eyes Manual. When the manual opens, in the contents, arrow down to the topic you want to read, press ENTER, followed by F6 to load the topic. Press F6 again to return to the contents. The Window-Eyes Icon This icon, used to visually identify Window-Eyes, is a small 16 pixel by 16 pixel (or 32 pixel by 32 pixel, depending on your start menu icon size) image of an application dialog with a white background, complete with miniature title bar that contains a miniature system icon, and a miniature minimize icon. On the white background sits a small pair of wire rimmed glasses with a pair of bright red lips underneath. This icon can be seen in a number of places including the Window-Eyes program group in the start menu, the system menu on the Window-Eyes title bar, and the Window-Eyes entry on the task bar. 2.5: General Installation Tips Colors To maximize the graphic speaking capability of Window-Eyes, we recommend setting your display colors to 16 bit. While each operating system is different, the following are the general steps to change your color settings: * Open the display control panel * Open the Settings tab in the display control panel * Find the combo box that lists the colors available on your system * Choose 16 bit, and press ENTER Note that there is a big difference between 16 bit (65,536 colors), and 16 (16 colors). Resolution While you are in the area of changing colors, you might want to take a look at your screen size (also known as resolution) too. The screen size setting is located in the same place as the color settings. It is usually a track bar found near the color combo box. This track bar ranges in smallest resolution (640x480 depending on your video adapter and monitor combination) up to the largest resolution (varies depending on your video adapter and monitor combination). You will want, at the very minimum, to have your screen resolution set to 800x600. It may help, however, to increase the resolution to 1024x768. The higher the resolution, the easier it is for Windows to display more items on the screen, thereby allowing Window-Eyes access to more information. Loading Window-Eyes If you opt to install Window-Eyes using the quick install, note that the Window-Eyes Startup Type will be set to Window-Eyes Startup group. This will allow Window-Eyes to run automatically after your system has loaded. If you choose the custom install, you have the option of loading Window-Eyes in one of two ways, or not at all. You can read more about the Startup Type in Section 7.12. The important thing to remember is that you only have one of these options enabled at a time. 2.6: Windows 95 Install Tips If you are using Windows 95 you will not need to make any system adjustments in order for Window-Eyes to be fully compatible. 2.7: Windows 98 Install Tips If you are using Windows 98, you may need to make a few adjustments in order for Window-Eyes to be fully compatible. These adjustments are for Windows 98 and not Window-Eyes itself. You will need to disable the active desktop and disable certain animation features. Please take the time to do the following. If necessary you can have Window-Eyes loaded while you make the following adjustments. Do the following to setup the folder view settings: 1. Press CTRL-ESC to pop up the start menu 2. Press ESC to remove the start menu 3. Press TAB until you are at the desktop 4. Press the letter "M" until My Computer is selected 5. Press ENTER to activate My Computer 6. Press ALT-V to activate the View menu 7. Press "O" to activate the Folder Options dialog 8. Press CTRL-TAB to activate the View tab 9. Press TAB twice to activate the Advanced Settings tree view 10. Press the DOWN ARROW until you get to the "Remember each folder's view settings" check box. If the item is on, press the space bar to turn it off 11. Press ENTER 12. Press "Y" if you are presented with a Folder Views dialog 13. Press ALT-F4 twice to return to the desktop Do the following to disable the active desktop: 1. Press CTRL-ESC to pop up the start menu 2. Press "S" until the Settings pull down is activated 3. Press "A" to activate the "Active Desktop" pull down 4. Press the DOWN ARROW until you get to "Customize My Desktop..." and press ENTER 5. If the check box for "View my Active Desktop as a web page" is checked, press your SPACE BAR to uncheck it 6. Press TAB until you get to the Folder Options button 7. Press your SPACE BAR to open the Folder Options dialog 8. Press "Y" to save and close the Display Properties 9. Once the Folder Options dialog opens, press "C" for Classic View 10. Press ENTER Do the following to disable window animation: 1. Press CTRL-ESC to pop up the start menu 2. Press "S" until the Settings pull down is activated 3. Press ENTER to activate the Control Panel 4. Press "D" until you hear Display 5. Press ENTER 6. Press SHIFT-TAB once to focus the Background tab control 7. Press the RIGHT ARROW until you hear Effects 8. Press TAB until you hear the check box "Animate windows, menus and lists" 9. If the check box is checked, press your SPACE BAR to uncheck it. 10. Press ENTER 11. Press ALT-F4 to close the Control Panel 2.8: Windows ME Install Tips If you are using Windows Me you may need to make a few adjustments in order for Window-Eyes to be fully compatible. These adjustments are for Windows Me and not Window-Eyes itself. You will need to disable the active desktop and disable certain transition effects. Please take the time to do the following. If necessary you can have Window-Eyes loaded while you make the following adjustments. Do the following to setup the folder view settings: 1. Press CTRL-ESC to bring up the Start Menu 2. Press "S" to activate the settings pull down 3. Press ENTER to open the Control Panel 4. Press "F" until you hear Folder Options 5. Press ENTER 6. Press "U" for "Use Windows classic desktop" 7. Press "I" for "Use Windows classic folders" 8. Press CTRL-TAB once to View 9. Press TAB once to Advanced Settings 10. Press the DOWN ARROW until you hear "Remember each folder's view settings." If this option is on, press your SPACE BAR to turn it off 11. Press ENTER 12. Press "Y" to answer the Folder Views dialog question 13. Press TAB until you hear OK 14. Press ENTER Do the following to turn off transition effects: 1. Press CTRL-ESC to bring up the Start Menu 2. Press "S" to activate the settings pull down 3. Press ENTER to open the Control Panel 4. Press "D" until you hear Display 5. Press ENTER 6. Press SHIFT-TAB to focus the Background tab control 7. Press the RIGHT ARROW until you hear Effects 8. Press TAB until you reach "Use transition effects for menus and tooltips." If the check box is checked, press your SPACE BAR to uncheck it 9. Press ENTER to close the Display dialog Do the following to turn off the pop up descriptions for folders and files: 1. Press CTRL-ESC 2. Press 'S' for Settings 3. Press 'C' for Control Panel 4. Press 'F' for Folder Options, and press ENTER 5. Press SHIFT-TAB to focus the General tab control 6. Press RIGHT to the View tab 7. TAB to the Advanced Settings list box 8. Press 'S' for Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items 9. Press SPACE to turn off this item 10. TAB to OK and press ENTER 2.9: Windows 2000 Install Tips If you are using Windows 2000 you will not need to make any system adjustments in order for Window-Eyes to be fully compatible. Instead, Window-Eyes will make the following changes for you automatically: * Disables the slide-open effect for combo boxes. * Disables a shadow around the cursor. * Disables the gradient effect for window title bars. * Disables hot tracking of user-interface elements such as menu names on menu bars (Hot-tracking means that when the cursor moves over an item, it is highlighted but not selected). * Disables the smooth-scrolling effect for list boxes. * Disables menu animation. * Enables the underlining of menu access key letters. * Disables the selection fade effect. The selection fade effect causes the menu item selected by the user to remain on the screen briefly while fading out after the menu is dismissed. * Disables Tool Tip animation. * Disables Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing Note that these changes are only made when Window-Eyes is launched. They will revert back to their default state when Window-Eyes is closed. Window-Eyes will not make permanent changes to your system without your knowledge and consent. Although Window-Eyes will handle any system changes that are required, you may want to disable the web folder view for ease of use (this option is not required by Window-Eyes). Do the following to setup the folder view settings: 1. Press CTRL-ESC to bring up the Start Menu 2. Press "S" to activate the settings pull down 3. Press ENTER to open the Control Panel 4. Press "F" until you hear Folder Options 5. Press ENTER 6. Press "I" for "Use Windows classic folders" 7. Press TAB until you hear OK 8. Press ENTER Please note that we require the latest available service pack for Windows 2000 for the best Window-Eyes Professional performance. To download the latest Windows 2000 Service Pack, go to the following location: http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000 2.10: Windows XP/2003 Install Tips If you are using Windows XP/2003, you may need to make a few adjustments in order for Window-Eyes to be fully compatible. These adjustments are for Windows XP/2003 and not Window-Eyes itself. Please take the time to do the following. If necessary you can have Window-Eyes loaded while you make the following adjustments. It should be noted that the changes below are not necessary for Window-Eyes to function correctly. Window-Eyes will work with both the default Windows XP/2003 view as well as the Windows XP/2003 classic view. In fact, Window-Eyes will make its own changes to the visual items (listed in Section 2.9), such as menu animation, on the fly when it launches and will then put the settings back to their previous state when it closes. Users may want to make this change manually for faster performance. Regardless of what view is used, many users are comfortable with the classic view. These steps are, therefore, included primarily as a quick reference guide. Do the following to change the start menu to classic view: 1. Press CTRL-ESC 2. Press ESC 3. Press SHIFT-F10 4. Press 'R' 5. Press ALT-M for "Classic Start menu" 6. Press ALT-C for Customize 7. TAB to the "Advanced Start menu options" tree view 8. Arrow down to "Use Personalized Menus" 9. Press SPACE to turn off this item 10. TAB to OK and press ENTER 11. TAB to OK again and press ENTER The steps for the settings listed below assume that Windows XP/2003 is set for classic start menu. Do the following to change the folder options to classic view: 1. Press CTRL-ESC 2. Press 'S' for Settings 3. Press 'C' for Control Panel 4. Press ALT-T for the Tools menu 5. Type 'O' for Folder Options 6. Press ALT-I for "Use Windows classic folders" 7. TAB to OK and press ENTER Do the following to change the color scheme to classic view: 1. Press CTRL-ESC 2. Press 'S' for Settings 3. Press 'C' for Control Panel 4. Press 'D' for Display and press ENTER 5. Press 'W' until you find "Windows Classic" 6. TAB to OK and press ENTER 7. TAB to OK again and press ENTER Do the following to turn off the pop up descriptions for folders and files: 1. Press CTRL-ESC 2. Press 'S' for Settings 3. Press 'C' for Control Panel 4. Press 'F' for Folder Options, and press ENTER 5. Press SHIFT-TAB to focus the General tab control 6. Press RIGHT to the View tab 7. TAB to the Advanced Settings tree view 8. Press 'S' for Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items 9. Press SPACE to turn off this item 10. TAB to OK and press ENTER 2.11: Advanced Install Options When the initial dialog of the Window-Eyes install is displayed (where you can select to install with speech, without speech, etc.), one button that is not mentioned verbally is the Advanced button. Please note that these options are for advanced users only. If you do not understand the purpose of these utilities, or are not comfortable running them, please call our technical support department for assistance. You will also need to have speech running when you access this dialog; it will not speak automatically. A = Advanced Options Selecting this button will present you with a dialog containing the following options: Synthesizer to Install - Select the synthesizer engine that you want to install from this combo box, then TAB to the Install Selected Synthesizer button, and press ENTER. You can choose to install any of the following synthesizers: * US English Eloquence 5.0 * UK English Eloquence 5.0 * Castilian Spanish Eloquence 5.0 * Mexican Spanish Eloquence 5.0 * French Eloquence 5.0 * Canadian French Eloquence 5.0 * German Eloquence 5.0 * Italian Eloquence 5.0 * Portuguese Eloquence 5.0 * US English ScanSoft RealSpeak (Jennifer) * UK English ScanSoft RealSpeak (Jane) * Spanish ScanSoft RealSpeak (Isabel) * French ScanSoft RealSpeak (Sophie) * German ScanSoft RealSpeak (Vera) * Italian ScanSoft RealSpeak (Bianca) * US English Microsoft For more information on selecting one of these new voices, or for more information on switching between languages, see Section 7.9. * Uninstall All Eloquence 5.0 Synthesizers * Uninstall All RealSpeak Synthesizers You may run into an instance where your Eloquence or ScanSoft RealSpeak voices are not working as expected. These utilities will remove all Eloquence and/or ScanSoft RealSpeak files from your hard drive, and all Eloquence and/or ScanSoft RealSpeak entries from your system's registry. * Install Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 Selecting the above option will install Internet Explorer 6.0 SP 1 on your system. Please note that Internet Explorer 6.0 SP 1 will not install if you are using Windows 95. We recommend using Internet Explorer 6 if possible. But if you are using Windows 95, you will need to install Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2 (available from www.microsoft.com). * Install Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 Selecting the above option will install Adobe's Acrobat Reader for reading PDF files. For more information on using the Adobe Acrobat Reader, see Appendix F.6. Please note that Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 will not install if you are using an operating system older than Windows 98 SE. We recommend using Adobe Acrobat 6.0 if possible. But if you are using an operating system less than Windows 98 SE, you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.05 (available from www.adobe.com). * Window-Eyes Emergency Removal If you attempt to remove Window-Eyes from the Add/Remove Programs control panel, and are not able to do so, then you can use this utility to remove your Window-Eyes installation. If you have not tried so, please attempt to remove Window-Eyes from the Add/Remove Programs control panel before using this utility. This utility will remove all Window-Eyes files from your hard drive, and all Window-Eyes entries from your system's registry. Again, this utility should only be used as a last resort in the case that the Add/Remove Programs uninstall is not working correctly. The final two options in this dialog deal with installing Window-Eyes on a client machine for use on a network. S = Install Client With Speech Select this option to begin the client install with speech. W = Install Client Without Speech Select this option to begin the client install without speech. Network Installation Prior to attempting a network installation of Window-Eyes you will need to make sure that your network connections are working correctly. The installation process will take place in two steps: The Server Installation In order to have a successful installation of Window-Eyes on the server, you will need to be logged in either as administrator or as a user with administration privileges. After you have successfully logged in, place the Window-Eyes CD in the CD-ROM. Once you are presented with the initial installation dialog, select how you want to run the installation process (with or without speech, custom or quick install). The installation processes are described in detail in Section 2. Once Window-Eyes is installed, you will need to make sure that the Window-Eyes folder hierarchy is shared with appropriate restrictions. For maximum security, we recommend the following folder settings: * Window-Eyes Program Folder (c:\wineyes by default) Read Only Access * Window-Eyes User Folder (c:\wineyes\users by default) Read Only Access * Individual User Folders (c:\wineyes\users\user0100 for example) Read/Write Access Depending on the operating system you are working with, you should be able to assign permissions to specific user folders for specific users. The Client Installation Once you have successfully completed the server installation of Window-Eyes, proceed to the client machine to perform the client installation. In order to successfully complete the client installation, you must be logged into the client machine as either administrator or as a user with administrator privileges. Before you begin the Window-Eyes client installation, you will need to make sure that the path to the Window-Eyes server installation has been mapped to a local drive on the client machine. For example, map the server path (\\server\wineyes) to local drive s for the client installation. The mapped drive must remain constant to ensure Window-Eyes is available for use at all times, and for any Window-Eyes user. You may, however, change the mapped drive letter between client machines. Once you have verified that you are logged in as either administrator or as a user with administrator privileges, and have verified that the path to the server installation of Window-Eyes has been mapped to a driver letter, place the Window-Eyes CD in the CD-ROM. When the initial installation dialog appears, either TAB to the Advanced button and press ENTER, or press ALT-A to access the advanced setup options dialog. In the advanced setup options dialog, you have two options concerning the client installation: 1. Install Client With Speech 2. Install Client Without Speech Each install will prompt for the following information * Remote Location * Server Location * Software Synthesizer Selection * Manual Installation * Startup Selection (Note that Before Startup will be disabled for security purposes) All Window-Eyes files will be stored and accessed from the server except for the Window-Eyes video driver, the enable/disable video driver utility, and the Window-Eyes program group icons located in the start menu. The program group icons (or shortcuts) will point to the Window-Eyes server installation located on the mapped drive you designated before the client install. It is important to recognize that the speed of the network may impact the performance of Window-Eyes. On a slower network, more time may be necessary to access files such as Window-Eyes core components and set files. Multi-User Installation After you have completed both the server installation and client installation of Window-Eyes, and have verified that the software is running correctly, you will need to set up accounts for all users who need access to Window-Eyes. For more information on setting up multiple user accounts, please see Section 7.11. 2.12: Uninstalling Window-Eyes If you wish to remove Window-Eyes from your machine you should use the Add/Remove Programs option located in the Control Panel. Simply select Window-Eyes and select the Add/Remove button. Window-Eyes will automatically be removed from your hard drive. The specific steps are as follows: Windows 9X/Me: 1. Press CTRL-ESC to bring up the start menu 2. Arrow down until you get to the Settings option and press ENTER 3. Press ENTER on the Control Panel option 4. Press "A" until the Add/Remove Programs option is selected and press ENTER 5. Press the TAB key until you get to the list box which contains all the installed applications 6. Arrow down until you find the Window-Eyes entry 7. TAB to the Add/Remove button and press ENTER 8. A confirmation dialog will be displayed. Simply press "Y" to confirm the removal 9. At this point the removal process will begin. If not, follow any directions Windows gives you Windows 2000: 1. Press CTRL-ESC to bring up the start menu 2. Arrow down until you get to the Settings option and press ENTER 3. Press ENTER on the Control Panel option 4. Press "A" until the Add/Remove Programs option is selected and press ENTER 5. Arrow down until you find the Window-Eyes entry 6. TAB to the Change/Remove button and press ENTER 7. A confirmation dialog will be displayed. Simply press "Y" to confirm the removal 8. At this point the removal process will begin. If not, follow any directions Windows gives you Windows XP/2003: 1. Press CTRL-ESC to bring up the start menu 2. Press "C" for Control Panel 3. TAB to Add or Remove Programs, and press ENTER 4. Arrow down until you find the Window-Eyes entry 5. TAB to the Change/Remove button and press ENTER 6. A confirmation dialog will be displayed. Simply press "Y" to confirm the removal 7. At this point the removal process will begin. If not, follow any directions Windows gives you SECTION THREE Speaking of Windows This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides you with some basic information about how the Windows operating system works. Let us begin our presentation of Window-Eyes by exploring some MS Windows conventions that this manual will refer to extensively. Then, we will move on to learn several keyboard commands for operating Windows controls, allowing Window-Eyes to access these controls. Finally, we will briefly introduce a few Window-Eyes operations, including some you can use to operate the system mouse from the keyboard. Note that this section refers primarily to Windows 9X, Me, and 2000. For information on the layout of Windows XP, please refer to Section 3.8. If you are new to Windows, and especially if you are new to the world of personal computing, please do not be concerned if much of the material in this section seems overwhelming. Verbally understanding MS Windows' multidimensional nature requires some specialized vocabulary, much of which the average visual-access user does not need to know. So just go on reading this section; reread it later to learn it better; and then go on to explore the rest of this manual. Numerous examples of MS Windows operations will be given throughout. It is safe to say that as you learn the essentials of operating Window-Eyes, you will consequently be learning much about MS Windows as well. As you reread this section, you may find value in booting up your computer and exploring many of the concepts and trying several of the tasks discussed here. Again, do not be concerned if you find yourself lost at first. This section is only introductory. Window-Eyes will be explained in greater detail throughout the sections that follow. Because this manual cannot possibly tell you everything you need to know to take full advantage of MS Windows' rich array of features, we recommend you also read other publications and consult the MS Windows manual to learn the finer points of Windows. Several publications about MS Windows, including the manual itself and many other Microsoft publications, are available in various formats from Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic and other providers of literature in alternate formats. Taking personalized training or an introductory course in MS Windows operations may also be an idea worth considering. 3.1: Where MS Windows and Window-Eyes Meet The Windows Cursor and the Mouse Pointer MS Windows has what can loosely be thought of as two cursors: the windows cursor, also called the insertion point, and the mouse pointer. In places where you can enter text from the keyboard, as in the editor of a word processor or in an edit box, Windows normally displays a blinking vertical line immediately to the left of the place where the application program displays keyboard input. As you type, one character at a time is inserted to the right of the cursor, and Window-Eyes announces each character as you type it. After each keystroke, the cursor moves forward, indicating the place where the next character will go. When it gets to the end of the line, the application program automatically starts a new line for you; you do not have to press the ENTER key to make a new line. Use the ENTER key, instead, to make a new paragraph. You can find out if a cursor is present by pressing the Window-Eyes Cursor Position hot key, CTRL-NUMPAD-+. If no cursor is present, Window-Eyes beeps. If a cursor is present, Window-Eyes announces the cursor position in X and Y coordinates relative to the application window. Nearly always present on the display screen is the mouse pointer, which may take several different shapes, according to what the application plans to be able to do with the mouse in a given area of the display screen. When the mouse pointer changes shapes, Window-Eyes announces the new shape. So, for example, when out of nowhere you hear the word "hourglass" being spoken, you will know that Windows has changed the shape of the mouse pointer to an hourglass. Soon, however, the mouse will return to the shape of a pointing arrow or I-beam or whatever, and Window-Eyes will so inform you. More often than not, the mouse pointer takes the form of a little arrow, pointing left and upward. This feature is only available in Windows 9X/Me. You can move the mouse pointer around the whole display screen by moving the physical mouse around on its pad or-when running Window-Eyes-by using the numpad, with NUMLOCK switched off. Window-Eyes reads text that the mouse pointer crosses. When the mouse pointer is situated on a Windows control, pressing one of the mouse buttons causes Windows to perform some task. Which mouse button to press and how many times to press it is determined by the application software and the task you want the mouse to perform. To find out where the mouse pointer is, press the Window-Eyes Mouse Position hot key, CTRL-INSERT-NUMPAD-+. If the pointer is present, Window-Eyes announces the mouse pointer's position in X and Y coordinates relative to the mouse boundary. The Window-Eyes Clip Window-Eyes boasts a unique way of determining how the screen is laid out, and how items on the screen differ from each other using a method known as clip. A clip is a unit of information that shares a common characteristic among its combined elements. Graphics are the simplest example of a clip, as each individual graphic is a clip. Textual elements are more complicated, and can best be described through example. In a word processor document, each continuous line of text (moving left to right) of the same attribute is considered a clip. If a given line contains a word or words that have a bold characteristic, then that line which used to be one clip now becomes three separate clips: the normal text before the bold text, the bold text itself, and the normal text after the bold text. Bold is only one example of an attribute that can split one line into multiple clips; font family, font color, font size, italic, underline, strike through, subscript, etc. all have the same effect. Another example of multiple clips is the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel menu bar (or any menu bar). Although the words File, Edit, Screen, Keyboard, etc. appear on the same line, they are separated into individual menu items. Each individual menu item is a unique clip. This is because the items are not separated by spaces. There is simply a gap left between each menu option causing each entry to become its own clip. Moving by clip is a great way to determine how the information is being displayed. Window-Eyes has three hot keys for reading clips in the vicinity of the mouse pointer. In the Window-Eyes default speaking environment these are: Clip Prior = Insert-Numpad-Home Clip = Insert-Numpad-Up arrow Clip Next = Insert-Numpad-Page up You can use your thumb to press and hold the NUMPAD-INSERT key as if it were a shift key and press the HOME, UP ARROW or PAGE UP keys three rows above. Previous and Next Clip keys move the mouse pointer backward or forward to the previous or next clip. The Current Mouse Clip key does not move the mouse pointer, and the pointer must be situated precisely on a clip for this key to work. If this is not the case and you press this key, Window-Eyes beeps. 3.2: What it Looks Like Think of a wooden desktop-MS Windows is a virtual desktop. Think of your display screen as the work area of your desktop. Launching applications and opening files puts information and work onto the desktop. These information and work items are known as windows. They are shaped in squares and rectangles, and they come in varying sizes-from tiny windows in the center of your work area to large, complex windows covering the entire work area. On a real desktop you might have a couple books open. You might have an open notebook and some loose pages of notes. You may have a few smaller note cards sitting under a book. You might also have a telephone, a tape recorder, and talking calculator. No drinks please: spilling them in your keyboard makes the keys stick and rusts the wires. Perhaps you are a neat worker and keep just one or two items on your desktop, or perhaps you like to have five or six projects out at the same time. You can actually use just one at a given moment, however, paying no attention to the rest, and you only focus on one part of the work item you are using. You can shift attention from item to item if you wish, but if your desktop gets too cluttered and messy and you try to take on too many new projects before putting old ones away, your work pace will slow. Technically, any number of windows can be open on your desktop at the same time, and you can move them in and out of your work area. They may cascade, tile, or overlap (where the top window only reveals two sides and a joining corner of the window underneath). One window may even fully cover others, hiding them from view. So the desktop and your work area on the desktop can become a very full and cluttered place. Windows programmers have the power to put images onto your display screen almost freehand, and they do take advantage of that power in order to create a visually appealing and intuitive user interface to Windows, exploiting Window's graphical capabilities to the fullest and giving your computer's processor-and indeed Window-Eyes-a run for their money. Window Relationships and Appearance Two types of windows are application windows and document windows. When you launch an application program, such as Eudora for reading your e-mail, you are opening an application window. When you open a file within the application window, you are opening a document window under the application window. Application windows and document windows are often referred to as parent and child windows. Parent-child relationships also carry over into menus and dialog boxes. Windows are said to contain elements, such as title bars, menu bars, control menus, icons, tool bars, and scroll bars. The Title Bar Nearly always, a title bar is present at the top of a window, displaying various information, depending on the particular window-such as the program name, the name of a dialog box, etc. The title bar of an active window is displayed in different colors or shades from the title bar of any inactive windows that may remain visible on your desktop. The Menu Bar The typical application window has a pull-down menu bar located just below the title bar, with various main menu headings appearing in a single horizontal row. System and Document Control Menus To the left of an application window's title bar can be found a system pull-down control for displaying MS Windows' system control menu. The control is a miniaturized version of the application program's icon. Icons are explained later in this section. Many Windows application programs also give you an almost identical control, located immediately below the system pull-down and to the left of the application's pull-down menu bar. This is known as a child system pull-down. Generally speaking, the system pull-down lets you issue a few MS Windows commands for maximizing, minimizing, resizing, and closing application windows, while the child system pull-down lets you execute commands that generally do the same things for document windows. Different application programs, however, use the child system pull-down control differently, and many others do not have one. To the right of the title bar and menu bar, typically, you will find tiny controls for using the mouse to perform the same operations available on the control menus. They are mentioned here for the sake of completeness but have little or no value to the average speech-access user. The Icon Icons are small, nontextual, graphical designs that represent an action you can take in Windows, usually by clicking on them with the mouse, but sometimes by focusing on them with arrow keys and pressing the ENTER key. The idea of having icons is to save the computer user from having to memorize so many keyboard commands to launch a program, open a file, etc. Inside application programs a row of icons known as the tool bar is usually located immediately below the menu bar. These help the user operate the program without having to memorize shortcut keys, function keys, etc. For example, an icon to start the spell checker might be a symbolic representation of an open dictionary. The artistic quality of a program's icons are part of the program's appeal. The Window-Eyes program icon, for example, resembles a pair of open glasses from the vantage point of a slightly upward and right profile and a pair of red lips where they would be on a face, relative to these glasses. The background is white, like the background of a Windows display work area. Across the top is a thin blue line resembling a title bar. To the left of this title bar is a fashion of a drop-down control, and on the right of the title bar is a fashion of a minimize control. The whole icon, as is typical, measures less than a square inch on a 15" display. It is a symbolic representation, then, of an open window containing a face wearing glasses. Section 16.6 of this manual tells how you can easily construct a Window-Eyes graphic dictionary for pronouncing the names of icons as you run the mouse pointer across them. Scroll bars Scroll bars, when present, are situated vertically on the right side of a window and horizontally across the bottom. A scroll bar allows you to use the mouse to move (or scroll) an open window two-dimensionally on the desktop-up and down through a document window, for example, or left and right when the window is too wide to fit into the space allowed for it on the display. 3.3: How it Works Selecting and Choosing The part of the active window that accepts keyboard input (and, often, mouse input as well) is said to have focus. If you are running a word processor, for example, the active window would display the arrangement of elements as described above, and the greater part of the rest of the display screen would be taken up by the word processor's editor, where you would do your writing. The bottom of the display might also contain a status line, showing the name of the open file and the cursor position by page, line, and position. If you are typing in the editor, the editor has focus. If you are using the pull-down menu bar, the item that is highlighted in different colors and waiting for you to act on it has focus. This type of active application window, such as the one that would contain Microsoft Word or Corel Word Perfect, would normally cover the entire visible portion of the desktop. Notepad might come up in a smaller window, leaving other portions of the desktop visible, both to the eye and to Window-Eyes. If you want to know what the active window contains, presuming it contains text, press the Window-Eyes Active Window hot key, CTRL-SHIFT-W. Likewise, to read the text of the element that has focus, press the Field Data hot key, CTRL-SHIFT-D. Giving focus to a Windows element is known as selecting it. This can ordinarily be done with either the mouse or the keyboard. Putting the mouse pointer on the menu bar, for example, and pressing the left mouse button once and immediately releasing it activates the menu bar, selects the item being pointed to, and pulls down a new menu from that item. The top item on the pull-down menu has focus. Selecting an element in this manner is also called clicking it. When you are through with a menu or help screen, for example, you can clear it from your work area simply by moving the mouse pointer away from it and clicking once again. In most application programs, the ESC key also clears menus and Help screens. Executing a Windows control is known as choosing it. As with selecting, choosing is done in various ways. You can set the mouse pointer on a focused control and click it, or you can just press ENTER to choose a selected menu or list item or icon, for example. Pressing the ALT key and immediately releasing it activates your application's menu bar as well; and gives focus to the left-most item-which would be either the child system drop-down if one is present or the File menu. You do not have to use the mouse for that task. You can then move back and forth along the menu bar with the RIGHT and LEFT arrow keys selecting and deselecting items along the way. Pressing ENTER chooses the selected menu item and pulls down a new menu. The menu does not know if you have selected it with the mouse or with the keyboard; the effect is exactly the same. You can then move around in the pull-down menu with UP and DOWN arrow keys. Again, ENTER chooses the focused menu item. As you move up and down a pull-down menu with either arrow keys or mouse pointer, focus changes from one item to the next. If you come to a menu item that is the parent of a submenu, the submenu branches out to the left or right of the parent item, depending on which side has more room, and the top item of the submenu has focus. Shortcut and Accelerator Keys As a Windows convention, menu items on a menu bar have shortcut keys, which are indicated by an underlined letter within the name of the menu item-'F' for File, 'E' for Edit, 'm' for Format, etc. Shortcut keys are known to Window-Eyes and are announced either when their items gain focus or when a whole menu bar is read. Instead of activating the menu bar by means of pressing the ALT key alone, then, you can execute a combination keystroke by holding down the ALT key while pressing the appropriate shortcut key. Pressing ALT-F, for example, would activate the File menu and select the top item. Many drop-down menu bars also have shortcut keys you can use, once the new bar has been dropped down from its parent menu. Several items of a pull-down menu also display a keystroke notation on the right side of the menu item to indicate an accelerator key. You can bypass the menu bar altogether and go straight to the program feature simply by pressing the accelerator key. For example, you can go straight from working on a file to opening a new file or closing the one you are in with just one keystroke. Usually CTRL-F4 closes a child window, while ALT-F4 closes an application window. Shortcut keys and accelerator keys are merely for convenience; you can just use the arrow keys to move through menu items and select them by pressing ENTER to choose the focused item if that is the method you prefer. Possibly Windows' greatest virtue is that it gives you several different ways to accomplish a given task, which allows you to interact with your computer software in ways that best suit your experience, taste, and computing needs. Window-Eyes keeps up with the work you do and tells you what is happening. Opening the Word Perfect File pull-down with the ALT-F key as in the above example would result in Window-Eyes saying in one long phrase, "F File pull-down N New Dialog." This tells you that File is the active menu, that a menu pull-down has also been activated, that N is the shortcut key for choosing New from this menu once it is active. Scroll Bars Scroll bars operate differently; you don't select and choose them. You point with the mouse to the arrows at either end of the scroll bar, then click and hold the left mouse button to scroll the window in the direction of the arrow. Releasing the mouse button stops the scrolling. List boxes (to be discussed later in this section) commonly offer scroll bars for moving up and down through the list. Scroll bars are mentioned for the sake of completeness. They generally have little value to the speech-access user. Mainly they are offered as a convenience to the visual-access user who would rather use the mouse than the keyboard to scroll through a document window or list. The speech-access user of course can scroll vertically through a document with UP and DOWN arrow keys. 3.4: The Windows Desktop Featured is a Taskbar, which is located at the bottom of the screen. A few icons for accessing programs and features within Windows itself are displayed vertically on the left side of the desktop. Among these are My Computer, for working your way through your system's drives and folder system, and Recycle Bin for storing deleted files and giving you a second chance to keep files after you have deleted them. Depending on how your system was set up, various program and file short-cut icons may also be present for launching some of your application programs. To the right of these icons and above the Taskbar is a large blank area, unless it has been filled with program or file icons (which are referred to as shortcuts in Windows). The background for all these icons is referred to as the Desktop and it is the area being referred to if you ever receive instructions to click on the desktop. A Start button is located at the far left side of the Taskbar. To the right of the Start button lies the Quick Launch bar which houses application shortcuts. Moving to the right, past the Quick Launch bar, along the Taskbar, you would find the names of any running programs and open files. Farther to the right is the System Tray. See Section 8.17 for instructions on how to access the System Tray with Window-Eyes. At the far right of the Taskbar is the time of day. You can choose the Start button from the Taskbar in various ways when the Taskbar has focus: you can point and click, press the Windows key, or press CTRL-ESC anytime. When the Taskbar becomes active, Window-Eyes announces "Taskbar." At this point you can arrow left and right through the currently active applications. Pressing ENTER on any of them will bring that application to the foreground. This is similar to pressing ALT-TAB. Choosing the Start button pops up the Start menu, which extends upward from the left of the Taskbar. Depending on how your system was set up, the Start menu may feature several of your application programs for launching just by choosing them from the Start menu. Most items on this menu open submenus, which branch off to the right of their parent menu items. The Start menu also has several items you can choose to take advantage of widely varying Windows operations. Here is a brief and limited description of the standard items on the Start menu: Programs Programs displays a branching submenu that you can use to start many of the programs in your system. If you have upgraded from previous versions of Windows, your former groups are listed in folders by their group names. Folder, by the way, is a Windows term for directory and subdirectory. When you install Windows, several programs of the operating system itself also get included on this menu. Choosing a folder item from the Programs menu either launches a program or opens a branching submenu that lists the programs in the folder. Select and choose one of these program names from the submenu to launch the program. Documents Documents displays a menu of the last 15 documents that have been opened in your system. Choosing any of these documents launches its parent application program and loads the document into it. Settings Settings displays a submenu for using Windows to control your computer system. Find Find displays a branching submenu for finding folders or files. Help Help launches the Windows help system. Run Run lets you run any program in your system or install new programs by typing the drive, path, and filename of the program or installation program. Shut Down Shut Down opens a dialog box of radio buttons for preparing your system for total shut down, restarting, or restarting in DOS mode. 3.5: The Dialog Box, the Property Sheet, and the Message Box The dialog box is so named because it is a box and because it lets you communicate with your application software in a somewhat more conversational style when compared to mere menus and icons. Choices you can make are presented in various forms and formats, located in various areas of the box. For example, if a dialog box contains a tab control, it is considered to be a property sheet. Dialog boxes display all the options you might need to know about and all the choices the program allows you to make on a given feature. For example, let us say you want to open a file. You would choose File from the menu bar and then choose Open from the File drop-down. The Open File dialog box would open, giving you a place to type the drive, path, and name of the file you want to open. Or, if you prefer, you could move on to the next control to scroll up and down a list of files in the currently logged directory to select and choose a file or even a group of files, instead of typing the name of the desired file. Choosing a file or files to open would close the Open File dialog and open the file or files you have chosen. In still another area of the dialog you might find a list of the last several files you have worked on recently, in case you wanted the last file you worked with but did not happen to recall its name or path. More sophisticated applications even let you move, copy, delete, and rename files right within the same dialog box. Convenience is also of key importance in MS Windows. You can change focus from one control to another in a dialog box in several different ways: You can point and click, rotate through the controls with TAB and SHIFT-TAB, or press one of the shortcut keys that Window-Eyes announces when it first reads the pop up dialog. To read the selected item of the focused control in a dialog box, press the Speak Summary hot key, CTRL-SHIFT-S. Here are some brief discussions of the various controls commonly found in dialog boxes: The Edit Box In an edit box you have free rein to type more or less any text you wish. Ordinarily edit boxes control how long your answer can be, and sometimes they are programmed to reject certain characters. When you select an edit box, Window-Eyes says Edit Box and then reads the prompt and anything that has already been filled in within that edit box. The prompt is usually displayed to the left or above the space where you are allowed to type and there is usually a cursor within the box. You can edit text by moving with arrows or deleting with BACKSPACE or DELETE. Windows also allows read-only edit boxes. A minor contradiction in terms, the read-only edit box looks exactly like an edit box. You can move the cursor around in one, however, read-only edit boxes do not accept keyboard input. Window-Eyes recognizes read-only edit boxes and tells you when you are in one. The Button The button, sometimes called a push button or button bar, is a very small control, ordinarily distinguished from other text by brighter or deeper colors and by a frame drawn around the text within the button. The text usually consists of one word, such as OK, Help, Options, Cancel, etc. Buttons can be chosen by pressing ENTER or the SPACE BAR when the button has focus. You can ordinarily point and click to select and choose a button all in one operation. Application programmers often choose which button you are most likely to use and so often have set one button in a dialog as the default (or selected) button. Pressing ENTER chooses the default button. When Window-Eyes reads you the dialog box, it tells you which button is the default button and tells you the shortcut keys you can press to choose any of the buttons. You can also press the Default Button hot key, NUMPAD-DELETE, to have Window-Eyes tell you the default button name in the current dialog box. If Window-Eyes beeps, there is no default button. Some buttons open new dialog boxes; others execute some action such as canceling the changes made to the information in the dialog box. The OK button conventionally saves the choices you have made in the dialog and closes it. The Cancel button restores the settings that were in place before you opened the dialog and, it too, closes the dialog for you. In most dialog boxes, ENTER automatically chooses the OK button or the selected button. The ESCAPE key chooses the Cancel button. Most feature-rich dialog boxes also have a Help button, which gives you access to the program's help system. Generally, the system is context sensitive, that is, the help screen that pops up gives you information about the dialog you are in. The simplest of dialog boxes sometimes do no more than ask you a very basic question that calls for a yes or no response. You can respond by choosing the Yes button or the No button. Again, the button you are most likely to need will have focus initially when the dialog box opens. The Radio Button Imagine a car radio. You get to choose one and only one station at a time by pushing buttons arranged in a row, but even if the radio is shut off, one of its station buttons is selected, and that corresponding radio station will play when you turn the radio on. Radio Buttons in MS Windows operate the same way, but they are typically displayed vertically instead of horizontally. Each radio button is depicted as a tiny hollow circle with a textual label to the right of the circle, describing the function of the button. One of these buttons is selected, as indicated by the circle being filled in for the benefit of the visual-access user. You tab to get into the array of radio buttons. When the first radio button gains focus, Window-Eyes tells you if it is checked or unchecked. You then move through them with arrow keys. As you move, you select the button you move to and, in so doing, deselect the previous one. After selecting the radio button you want, you can move on to the next area of the dialog box once again with the TAB key. You can also select a radio button by pointing and clicking with the left mouse button. When Window-Eyes reads an entire dialog box containing radio buttons, it reads the selected radio button as "checked" and all others as "unchecked. A good example of radio buttons can be found in the Windows 9X Shut Down dialog. The dialog asks the question: Are you sure you want to: Shut down the computer? Restart the computer? Restart the computer in MS DOS mode? You can select one of these three radio buttons, or you can TAB out of the radio button and then choose the OK, Cancel, or Help button bars. OK selects the selected radio button. Cancel returns you to where you were before you opened the Shut Down dialog. Help opens the Windows Help dialog with a description of what the Shutdown dialog does. The Check Box Check boxes are displayed in groups of one or more in their own areas of a dialog box, in a similar manner to radio buttons. Here, you can select none, one, more than one, or all the check boxes in a given set. Instead of being represented by tiny circles, check boxes are represented by tiny squares. Selecting a check box places a check mark inside the square. Slightly different from the procedure of selecting radio buttons you select a check box by clicking on it or by moving through the check boxes with the TAB key and pressing the SPACE BAR as each desired check box comes into focus. Window-Eyes tells you if the selected check box is checked or unchecked. A good example of check boxes can be found in the property sheet of the taskbar. Press CTRL-ESC, press ESC, tab to the taskbar, press SHIFT-F10, arrow down to properties, and press ENTER. As you tab through the check boxes, notice how you can select none, one, more than one, or all the check boxes presented in this dialog. The List Box Many dialog boxes include a list of items from which to select or choose. This might be a list of file names, file types, fonts, or other choices. The list is usually displayed vertically, and one item in the list is indicated as the selected item by being displayed in a different color from other items in the list. You can move among the listed items by pressing up and down arrows or by pressing the first letter of the item you are looking for. Either way, Window-Eyes reads each newly selected item. When you move into a list box, Window-Eyes announces, "List box," and reads you the selected item. Then it tells you the number of the selected item in the list and how many items are in the list. If there is no selection, Window-Eyes tells you that as well. Some list boxes allow more than one selection to be made at a time. For example, you might want to select several files for deletion. In cases like this, Windows application programmers normally designate the list box as a multi-selection list box. When you go to a multi-selection list box, Window-Eyes tells you so and, of course, reads you the selected item if one is selected. You may make multi-selections either by pressing and holding the left mouse button and moving it through the list of items you want to select or by holding down the SHIFT key while moving through the list with arrow keys. In keeping with a Windows convention, many applications let you switch to multi-selection mode in a list box, with a pressing of the SHIFT-F8 key. Once in this mode you can usually use the SPACE BAR to select or deselect multiple items. The Combo Box Combo boxes are not wholly different from menu or list boxes, in that they contain several items you can select and choose. The difference is that in a combo box only the selected item is visible, much as the case with button pull-downs. Pressing up and down arrow keys moves you through the choices from top to bottom. With many combo boxes, you can press ALT-DOWN ARROW to let the combo box be shown as a drop-down menu. You can still move through the items in the combo box by using the arrow keys. You can typically choose the selected item in the combo box with the ENTER key or the ALT-UP key. Once an item is chosen, the drop-down disappears, showing only the chosen item in the combo box. After selecting a new item in a combo box or allowing the current item to remain selected, you can TAB to the next area in the dialog or press the OK or Cancel buttons to close the dialog. Combo boxes are not rotors; they stop at a bottom and a top choice. You have to go the other direction if you come to either end before finding the item you are looking for. Combo boxes often let you select an item in the list by typing its first letter. You may notice what sounds at first like a lot of chatter when you type in a combo box. For example, let us say that your application program uses a combo box to present its list of available files you can open. You know the name of the file you want so you just start keying its name. With each keystroke, your application moves down the list, changing focus to the file closest to what you have typed so far. Thus if there were three files-Jackson, Johnson, and Jolson-and you wanted Jolson, you would hear "Jackson" when you typed the J, "Johnson" when you typed the O, and "Jolson" when you typed the L. Some combo boxes only allow you to type the first letter of the item you want; then, you have to use the arrow keys to move up and down the list of items that begin with that letter. The Combo Edit Box Sometimes a small edit box, known as a combo edit box, appears just above a list box. You can type in the combo edit box and, if there is an item in the items in the list box that corresponds to what you are typing, Windows selects that item for you. Window-Eyes tells you when you are in a combo edit box. The Tab Control Imagine a notebook with tabbed dividers sticking out past the edges of the notebook's pages. The subject matter within each tabbed section is different from the other two, per its tab label. Flipping through the notebook from tab to tab reveals pages that are very different from those in the previous tabbed section of your notebook; but being all in the same notebook, they surely have something in common. Windows tab controls are similar. Visually, they somewhat resemble a row of push buttons at the top of some dialog boxes. Like radio buttons, one and only one tab control can be selected at a time. There is no difference between selecting and choosing a tab control. The one that is chosen causes the rest of the dialog box beyond the tab controls to display its tab page. As you move to select a new tab control, you flip to a new tab page. You can get to the tab controls by pressing SHIFT-TAB. Then you can move back and forth through the tab controls with left and right arrows. When you get to the one you want, you can press the TAB key to move into the controls for that page. Pressing TAB repeatedly will eventually take you back to the tab controls. The advantage to tab controls is that they allow dialog boxes to contain more information and options, while saving space and lessening clutter. The Windows Accessibility dialog has a good example of tab controls. You can get to this dialog as follows: Choose Settings from the Start menu. Choose Control Panel from the resulting submenu. Choose the Accessibility icon, which is located at the top left of the Control Panel's box of icons. The five tab pages are: Keyboard Sound Display Mouse General The List View This control is similar to the list box. In appearance, the list view is not unlike a list box; however, all list views let you make multi-selections. You can change the view of most list views to be either iconic, which is similar to the desktop or to a list view, which is similar to the list box. In Explorer, for example, you can make this change through the View menu. You can press SHIFT-F10 or press the right mouse button to bring up a context menu for items in a list view. This menu allows you to perform specific operations on the selected item in the list view. For example in dial-up networking, the context menu for each connection allows you to connect, get status, disconnect, etc. To select multiple items in a list view, you need to move to the first entry and hold the CTRL key down (do not let it up). Press the SPACE BAR, and the first item will be selected. While still holding down the CTRL key, arrow to the next entry you wish to select. Once there, press the SPACE BAR. The space bar will select the item if it is currently unselected or unselect the item if it is currently selected. Continue this procedure until you have selected all the items of interest. Once they are all selected, you may let up on the CTRL key. Once you arrow with the CTRL key up, you will loose all your selections. You may also use the SHIFT key in conjunction with the arrow keys to select multiple, contiguous items. The Tree View The tree view control is used in Windows to present a tree-type view of folders and their sub folders. A good example of this control is in the Windows Device Manager, which can be found under the System section of the Control Panel. Items in a tree view can be closed or opened. When tree views are closed, sub folders are hidden from view. You can open a tree view by clicking on it or selecting it and then pressing the RIGHT arrow key. If an item is opened, pressing the DOWN ARROW will give focus to the sub folders in the tree, which are displayed downward and to the right of their parent folder. The Up/Down Edit Control Windows introduces the Up/Down Edit Control, which is not functionally unlike a vertical scroll bar that runs items up and down in an adjacent list box. The Up/Down Edit control, however, is adjacent and linked functionally to another control which contains information that can be increased or decreased in value. An excellent example can be found in the Date Time section of the Control Panel. Here are provided Up/Down controls for changing year, date, time, etc. You can point, click, and hold, while values for these items increase or decrease, depending on which end of the control you are using. You can use the UP and DOWN ARROWS to change the value in this control. The Rich Edit Control Windows offers an enhanced form of the edit box called the rich edit. This control allows the application designer to do more complicated operations which have no impact on the speech access user. As far as Window-Eyes is concerned, rich edit controls behave exactly like edit boxes. Read-only rich edit controls are also available. Track Bars Windows also offers the track bar. This is a slider control. Use the UP and DOWN arrows to make the selection. Some track bars work opposite of the way that you would logically think that they should. For example a volume track bar might tell you that you are on "0 of 255" when you are actually at the loudest volume setting. Some experimentation might be necessary when working with track bars to make sure that you have set the setting that you intended. Custom Controls When software developers design dialog boxes, they usually choose from among the above Windows controls to direct your responses. Programmers can, however, create their own mini-interfaces to interact with you, or they can modify existing controls to better fit their needs. When Window-Eyes encounters one of these controls, it announces that you are in a custom control. On their own, some custom controls speak through Window-Eyes better than others. But some would not speak at all if it were not for Window-Eyes' Reclass feature, which lets Window-Eyes access many custom controls as if they were standard controls. Section 8.16 of this manual tells how to use this important speech feature when you encounter custom controls that don't speak well on their own. When you use application programs that are supported by set files that came on your Window-Eyes program CD, all known custom controls will already be reclassed for you, so in that case you needn't be concerned with using the Window-Eyes Reclass hot key. But if you are having difficulty with getting a control in a dialog to speak well, you should refer to Section 8.16 for a complete explanation of reclassing custom controls. Message Boxes Message boxes are very similar to dialog boxes. However, usually message boxes display messages and simply wait for you to acknowledge the message. Usually, an OK button has focus and this is the only control in the message box. Choosing it removes the message box from your desktop. Error messages, for example, are commonly displayed in message boxes. 3.6: The Windows Display Screen Video Resolution The Windows screen is made up of a matrix of dots, called pixels. The term resolution is used to express the number of pixels from left to right and from top to bottom on the screen. The resolution of your screen is determined by the video card you are using, the video driver Windows is using for your video card, and the resolution that was selected when MS Windows was installed in your system. Distances from the left edge of the display screen are expressed as X pixels. Distances from the top are expressed as Y pixels. If the mouse pointer is positioned at the top left corner of the display screen and you press the Window-Eyes Mouse Address hot key, CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-+, Window-Eyes announces, "X0 Y0," assuming that the mouse boundary is set to full screen. If the screen is 640 pixels wide, the center of the top edge is expressed as X320 Y0. A quick way to find out the resolution of your system is to position the mouse pointer in the lower right corner of the display screen and then press CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-+. Window-Eyes announces the mouse' pointer's position, which happens to equal the total value of pixels across and down from the top left of the display. To accomplish this task: 1. Press CTRL-SHIFT-B until Window-Eyes announces, "Full Screen." This allows you to use the keyboard to move the mouse pointer freely around the entire display screen. 2. Press NUMPAD-PAGE DOWN, to move the mouse pointer to the lower right corner of the display screen. 3. Press CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-+. Window-Eyes announces a position such as X639 Y479. This would indicate that your system's resolution is 640 X 480 pixels. The top left corner, by the way, is X0 Y0, not X1 Y1. Colors Six values are necessary to express Windows colors, three for the foreground and three for the background. The foreground color comprises varying amounts of red, green, and blue (often called RGB values). Each of these three primary colors can have a value 0-255. R255 G255 B255 makes white. The opposite, R0 G0 B0, makes black. The background color is formed the same way. Other colors are formed by using various RGB values. Section 13 of this manual tells in detail how Window-Eyes lets you work with Windows colors. 3.7: Some MS Windows Keyboard Commands As indicated earlier in this section, MS Windows and most Windows-based applications allow you to operate the controls with the keyboard instead of the mouse. Here is a review of keystrokes you can take to accomplish many of the tasks discussed in this section: ALT Press and release the ALT key by itself to activate the drop-down menu bar. The child drop-down control menu or the File menu may have focus, depending on your application program. From any place in the menu bar or drop-down menus, press and release the ALT key a second time to deselect the menu bar and restore focus to the place where you were in your application program before you went to the menu bar. ALT-TAB Press Alt-TAB to display an information box containing the program icon and label for the application window that was open immediately before the current application window. Holding down the ALT key and repeatedly pressing the TAB key rotors through all application windows, displaying their program icons and labels along the way. Window-Eyes reads the contents of the information box as new information is displayed. ALT-SHIFT-TAB does the same thing, but rotors backward through the list. Releasing these keys simultaneously activates the application window whose program icon is currently shown in the box. Window-Eyes voices the contents of the active title bar. ALT-ESCAPE ALT-ESCAPE rotors through all open application windows. Each open program in turn becomes the active application window. Window-Eyes reads the title bar of each window as the window is activated. CTRL-ESCAPE CTRL-ESCAPE simply displays the Start Menu. ALT-SPACE ALT-SPACE activates the system drop-down. You can operate this drop-down through the same means as all other menus. ALT-HYPHEN ALT-HYPHEN activates the child drop-down in the same manner. When either of these menus is displayed, pressing and immediately releasing the ALT key closes the menu and restores focus to the element that had focus before the control menu was activated. Pressing ESCAPE while the control menus are displayed removes the menu. TAB In an editor, TAB moves the cursor to the next tab stop. In a dialog box, the TAB key places focus on the next of control in the box. SHIFT-TAB, in an application window, normally moves the cursor back one tab stop or enters a hanging indent. In a dialog box, SHIFT-TAB places focus on the previous of control in the box. Windows Key Commands If you are using a keyboard that supports the Microsoft Windows key, then you can use the following keyboard commands. Note, the Windows key is located between the ALT and CTRL keys on newer keyboards. Windows-E Windows-E will open a single copy of the Windows Explorer to let you browse the contents of your files and folders. Windows-M The Windows-M command will minimize all applications that are currently running. Windows-D Like Windows-M, the Windows-D command will minimize all applications, plus add focus to the desktop. Windows-TAB Windows-TAB is related to the ALT-TAB command; it rotors between all applications that are running. Windows-TAB, however, doesn't bring up a message box. Rather it rotors through the applications by focusing the respective application's entry on the taskbar. Press the SPACE BAR to activate the application that you've selected by using the Windows-TAB command. 3.8: Understanding Windows XP/2003 Although Windows XP and Windows 2003 are similar in terms of functionality to their predecessors, they do warrant their own section in order to explain the re-designed layout of the graphical user interface components (ie. the start menu, task bar, desktop, etc). Unlike Windows 9X, Me, and 2000, Windows XP and Windows 2003 are designed to be "task oriented." In other words, performing a task in Windows XP/2003, such as changing video resolution, is much easier, and more user friendly, than it was in previous versions of Windows. An example is included later in this section which will help demonstrate the user friendly-ness that Windows XP boasts. The Start Menu The start menu of the past usually consisted of a list of applications that were installed on the machine. In Windows XP/2003, the start menu has been redefined to display the most commonly used tasks and applications, rather than a list of every application available (although that list is still available by selecting the All Programs menu item). The start menu in Windows XP/2003 is divided into two parts: the pinned programs list (programs that are always visible and available for action), and the most frequently used programs list (programs that are used most frequently). The most frequently used programs list contains a fixed number of entries. When that number of programs is reached, program entries that you haven't used recently are replaced with program entries that you used last. This makes for a more dynamic menu list. The Task bar The Windows XP/2003 task bar is very similar to previous versions of Windows' task bar with two noticeable differences: the ability to group similar icons, and the ability to hide unused icons in the system tray. For example, if you have a number of miscellaneous windows open, and three of them happen to be Internet Explorer windows, the three Internet Explorer windows will be grouped together in a single button titled "Internet Explorer." Selecting this button will present you with a list of the related windows, allowing you to choose the one you want to activate. If icons exist in the system tray that have not been used in a certain amount of time, they can be hidden from view. If any icon in the system tray becomes "unused," an arrow will appear to the left of the system tray. Activating this arrow will cause all hidden icons in the system tray to be displayed temporarily. Activating a hidden icon will return it to its visible state. This feature should be avoided due to the fact that focus will no longer go to the system tray while tabbing around the desktop, and will cause problems with the Window-Eyes system tray access feature. While the Window-Eyes mouse keys could be used to traverse the screen, and click on the show icons button, it tends to be more work than the feature is worth. The Desktop In previous versions of Windows, the desktop contained several icons including (but not limited to) My Computer, My Documents, Recycle Bin, Network Neighborhood, and Internet Explorer. The Windows XP/2003 desktop (by default), however, contains only the Recycle Bin. All of the items that were commonly known as existing on the desktop now exist in the Windows XP/2003 start menu. The purpose in this reduction of icons is to create a more organized, less cluttered work area. The Control Panel True to the idea of task orientation, the Windows XP/2003 control panel has a new layout that makes system specific tasks much easier than previous versions of Windows. The newly designed control panel (located in the start menu) displays the items most commonly used organized by category. Selecting a category causes a list of tasks that can be performed as well as a list of individual control panel items (such as the ones listed in previous versions of Windows). The example below demonstrates the use of the control panel in further detail. The Folder View By default, when a folder is opened, a list of tasks that can be performed on that folder are listed on the left side of the folder window. The most common tasks listed, grouped in their respective categories, are as follows: File and Folder Tasks Make a new folder Publish this folder to the web Share this folder Other Places My Computer My Documents Shared Documents My Network Places Details Hard Disk Name Hard Disk Type File System Type Free Space Total Size The contents of these categories will change depending on whether a file is selected, a folder is selected, or whether the contents of the folder warrant different categories (such as folders that contain music or movies). Comparing the old and the new The best way to understand the significance of the new task oriented view is to examine a procedure in both Windows XP/2003 and an older version of Windows. This example includes the steps for changing the screen resolution in both Windows 9X, and Windows XP/2003. Note that these steps are listed to display the simplicity of the task oriented view, and may not be comprehensive enough to follow for actually completing the task. Windows 9X 1. Press CTRL-ESC to bring up the start menu 2. Press "S" until the Settings pull down is activated 3. Press ENTER to activate the Control Panel 4. Press "D" until you hear Display 5. Press ENTER 6. Press SHIFT-TAB once to focus the Background tab control 7. Press the RIGHT ARROW until you hear Settings 8. Press TAB until the track bar is focused 9. Arrow LEFT or RIGHT to decrease or increase the screen resolution respectively 10. Press ENTER Windows XP/2003 1. Press CTRL-ESC to bring up the start menu 2. Press "C" for Control Panel 3. Tab to "Appearance and Themes" 4. Tab to "Change the screen resolution" 5. Press TAB until you hear the track bar labeled "Screen Resolution" 6. Arrow LEFT or RIGHT in decrease or increase the screen resolution respectively 7. Press ENTER While steps still exist for changing the resolution under Windows XP/2003, they tend to be easier to understand and easier to access than in previous versions of Windows. Although all of these options make the task of changing system components easier, Windows XP/2003 still allows the display to be returned to the classic view, similar to that of Windows 9X, Me, and 2000. Please refer to Section 2.10 for more information on reverting to the classic view in Windows XP/2003. SECTION FOUR An Overview of Window-Eyes This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides you with the basic features of Window-Eyes. 4.1: Just What is Window-Eyes? Window-Eyes is an application program that monitors the activities of other application programs and reports textual information to speech synthesizers designed to receive text from screen readers. Window-Eyes monitors keyboard, screen, and Windows activities and acts on information it needs, such as screen text changes, opening and closing windows, the appearance of dialog boxes, changes in focus, the pressing of its own hot keys, etc - all the while allowing other applications to run normally. Your application program - spreadsheet, word processor, whatever - does not even know Window-Eyes is running. What does Window-Eyes look for as it does this monitoring? That depends on what you, the computer user, ask it to look for - characters or words, whole numbers or individual numerals as you type them, cursor keys and function keys as you press them, information on the screen, changes in color attributes as they occur, pop-up boxes - and much more. Window-Eyes processes this information and sends it as electronic text to your speech synthesizer software for conversion into audible speech. Dozens of Window-Eyes settings and functions, which can be saved and recalled automatically, allow you to operate application programs interactively and without pause. For example, while creating a document in your word processor, Window-Eyes announces the letters you type, reads the dialog boxes that appear, and reads menu items as you move from one to another, all without your needing to press extra keys or enter any special mode. Window-Eyes lets you correct words your speech synthesizer mispronounces, and even lets you decide through character dictionaries how to pronounce individual characters such as punctuation marks and ANSI graphic characters. 4.2: Window-Eyes User Windows Window-Eyes Windows Not to be confused with Microsoft Windows, Window-Eyes user windows are user definable, rectangular portions of the display screen. You define them in terms of coordinates relative to the active window. For example, a window defined as the full active Window would have a left edge 0 pixels from the left edge of the active window, 0 pixels from the top edge of the active window, 0 pixels from the right edge, and 0 pixels from the bottom of the active window. As the active window is resized or moved, Window-Eyes user windows adjust to accommodate the changes. Two Kinds of Windows Window-Eyes has two kinds of windows, standard and hyperactive. Standard user windows are for reading portions of the display screen while ignoring other portions. They can be set to any size, from one character to the entire display screen. You can read the contents of any of the first twenty standard windows with the press of a hot key. Windows 0 through 9 can be read with ALT-0 through ALT-9. Windows 10 through 19 have their hot keys undefined by default. Any of the 50 standard windows can be read with the Any Window hot key, undefined in the default Window-Eyes speaking environment. Though fifty standard user windows are available, few speech-access users ever need to use all, or even most of them. A bit more complicated than standard windows but no less important, hyperactive windows help automate Window-Eyes. Once set, a hyperactive window watches constantly for user-specified changes on the display screen and then instructs Window-Eyes to carry out some pre-selected task. For example, a hyperactive window might be set to watch for any change on your application program's status line and then instruct Window-Eyes to read the line. Ordinarily located at the very bottom of the application window, a status line is a line of information about the status of a program where the cursor is in a document, the name of the currently open file, etc. Meanwhile, another hyperactive window might be set to watch for a certain color to pop up, and then trigger Window-Eyes to beep or maybe make some announcement. 4.3: The Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel A brief tour of Window-Eyes first reveals the Voice Control Panel, which can be accessed any time Window-Eyes is running. This Voice Control Panel is operated from a menu bar. To access the Voice Control Panel, hold down either CTRL key and then press the BACKSLASH (\) key. Release them together. The Voice Control Panel is activated, and its title bar and menu bar are displayed at the top of your display screen. Window-Eyes reads its title bar, which includes its own program name, the name of the set file currently running, and the name of the set file currently associated with the active application window. Set file associations are discussed thoroughly in Section 7. The Voice Control Panel runs in its own application window, just as any other application program. Thus, though the CTRL-\ key has been provided as a convenience for you to access the Voice Control Panel, you can activate it through the same means you would use to activate any of the applications you are running. In Windows, for example, you can press and hold the ALT key while repeatedly pressing the TAB key to rotor through your application programs until you get to Window-Eyes. You can activate the Taskbar by pressing CTRL-ESC followed by ESC and then tabbing until you get to the task bar. Once you get to the task bar you can then arrow through the programs displayed there until you come to Window-Eyes, then choose it. After activating the Voice Control Panel's menu bar with a press and release of the ALT key, you can move focus across the menu bar from one item to the next by repeatedly pressing the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys. Menu item names will be read by Window-Eyes, along with their shortcut keys and what they will activate if chosen, thus: F = File pull-down S = Screen pull-down K = Keyboard pull-down M = Mouse pull-down O = Hot Keys pull-down C = Cursoring dialog G = General pull-down B = Braille pull-down V = Verbosity pull-down L = Global pull-down H = Help pull-down Once you learn the shortcut keys, you can use the ALT key along with any of them as a combination keystroke to go straight from the Voice Control Panel to activating the pull-down menu from the menu bar. Since all of the pull-downs and their branching submenus have shortcut keys in turn, you will add to your speed and efficiency by learning and using them. If you do not use a shortcut key, preferring instead just to get to a desired menu item with the arrow keys, you have to press ENTER to choose that item once you get there. When you choose an item from a Window-Eyes pull-down menu, one of three things will occur, depending on which menu item you choose: If the menu item is a toggle, for turning the voice on and off for example, choosing the item will select the opposite option and deactivate the entire menu bar. You have to reactivate the menu bar every time you want to make an adjustment through the pull-down menus. Window-Eyes announces, "Menu closed." The menu item may lead to a branching submenu. For example, if you choose Save from the File menu, a branching submenu offers several options. Window-Eyes calls branching submenus pull-downs. When you come to a pull-down from within a pull-down, you can use the ENTER key to make the new pull-down appear. Some menu items open dialog boxes, which contain several different kinds of controls, as discussed in Section 3.5. Window-Eyes Files The Window-Eyes File menu is used primarily for manually opening and saving Window-Eyes files. These include speaking environments constructed through the Voice Control Panel (which you will also learn about in this section) and pronunciation dictionaries for setting and changing how Window-Eyes pronounces words, individual characters, graphical images, and keyboard activity. You can also select different synthesizers, or Braille displays, in the file menu, as well as select and convert optional set files. Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse Voices Window-Eyes has separate screen, keyboard, and mouse voices. You can determine whether each of these voices is on or off; the speed or rate of the speech; the pitch, tone, and volume of speech output; what Window-Eyes should do about reading things like punctuation marks, control and enhanced characters, capitalization, and many other important aspects of all three voices. These are set through the three menu pull-downs on the Voice Control Panel's menu bar. Hot Keys Hot keys are user-definable keys that operate Window-Eyes without affecting the application program. Window-Eyes is shipped with CTRL-NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW set to read the sentence containing the cursor, also called the insertion point. Pressing this key would read the current sentence without the application program ever knowing the key had been pressed. If the application program needs a Window-Eyes hot key for one of its functions, Window-Eyes can easily be reset to any other key or can be bypassed with a single keystroke, Insert-B. Hot keys are available to read characters, words, lines, sentences, or paragraphs; change or read user windows; spell words; read from the cursor location to the end of the document; and do many other tasks discussed throughout this manual. Cursoring Keys Window-Eyes cursoring keys allow the application and Window-Eyes to cooperate. These are keys such as ARROW keys, PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN, TAB, and other keys the application software would use to move the cursor or pointer around. The application still does not know Window-Eyes is there, but Window-Eyes shares cursor keys with the application. Consider the TAB key. Pressing TAB would normally tell a word processor to move the cursor to the next tab stop. When you press TAB, you might want to hear the word the cursor lands on, or the position the cursor moves to. A database management program might use the TAB key quite differently, moving the cursor to the next field of data. In this case, you might want the TAB key to read the data in the new field or maybe the name of the active field. Window-Eyes lets you decide. General For now, we shall forego discussion of the General menu except to say that it contains a wide variety of features and settings which, as a rule, apply to the program as a whole. Braille The Braille menu consists of all the options available to determine how your Braille display functions with Window-Eyes. You can, among other things, define the display's hot keys, define translation tables, and define a number of scrolling options. The Braille menu also includes a visual representation of a Braille display that aids sighted individuals (such as trainers) in seeing what information is being sent to the Braille display. For more information concerning the Braille menu's options, please refer to Section 18. Verbosity The Verbosity menu is for adjusting Window-Eyes' response to information that appears on the display screen as your application programs run. If a menu pops up, do you want to have it read automatically? When Window-Eyes reads or you move through menu items with arrow keys, do you want to have shortcut keys or accelerator keys read? Do you want Window-Eyes dialog and information boxes read as they open? As you move from control to control in a dialog box, do you want to be told what type of control you have landed on? These and many more adjustments are available to you through the Verbosity menu. Decisions you will make depend on how much you know about the particular application program you are running and how much you want to be told about what they are doing on-screen. In general, the more familiar you become with your programs, the less you will need or want Window-Eyes to tell you about them. Global Within a short time of working with Window-Eyes you will build up a rather large library of Window-Eyes set files, especially if you have a lot of large application programs. And a fair number of set files are supplied by GW Micro with Window-Eyes. What if you suddenly decided you would prefer to listen to your keystrokes at Rate 8 rather than Rate 5, for example, in all applications? The Global menu lets you make changes to the Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse voices as well as the Verbosity settings of WINEYES.000 (the default Window-Eyes speaking environment) and then apply these changes to all your set files as they run. Two Types of Help Window-Eyes has two kinds of help at your disposal: the Window-Eyes on-line manual and Application help. The on-line manual is available through the Help item of the Voice Control Panel's menu bar. Choosing this item pulls down a menu with five choices: the Window-Eyes Manual, the Window-Eyes Readme, Error Reporting, the Window-Eyes Update, and About Window-Eyes (which gives you a message box about Window-Eyes, displaying among other things, the serial and version numbers). The manual has all the information in this manual and is organized into sections whose titles are hypertext links to the various sections. You may find this more convenient than loading the text files of the manual (located in the manual folder underneath the Window-Eyes folder) into a word processor and reading them, especially when you just have one topic you want to look up. Application Help is entirely another matter; it helps you use Window-Eyes to access the various windows that your application software uses. If you are using application programs supported by GW Micro-supplied set files, you can get help information on many windows that your applications are likely to open. Application Help is available through a Window-Eyes hot key. The combination keystroke defined to this hot key is CTRL-SHIFT-F1 in factory-supplied set files. You can also use this valuable feature when constructing your own set files, and you can add information to the feature as you learn more about your application programs. When you press CTRL-SHIFT-F1, the Help Information dialog box opens. The top half of the dialog is taken up with an edit box, which may contain information about the window you are currently using, especially focusing on information about that window that will guide you in using Window-Eyes to access it. If this box already contains information, it will automatically be designated as read-only. If you want to change the information in this edit box, delete, or add to it, you have to choose the Edit button near the lower-right corner of the dialog, which will change the box from read-only to edit. Then you can edit the information freely. The edit box has focus when the Application Help dialog first opens. For user purposes, an explanation of how this dialog works is that it automatically overlaps with the application windows you use. So as new windows open, for example a spell checker, new Application Help becomes available. As you move around in the dialog, here is what you will find: Original Overlap Read-Only Edit Box This box contains the name of the window that Window-Eyes originally used to associate Application Help for the current application. Recall from Section 3 that windows open as parent and child of one another. The overlap is the highest-level window running. For example, if application help existed for the spell checker in Microsoft Word, the Original Overlap would be the Word document window. Current Overlap Read-Only Edit Box This box contains the name of the window that Window-Eyes is currently using to associate Application Help for the current application. If your application has opened a new overlap, then the name of the Current Overlap may differ from the name of the Original Overlap. In the Microsoft Word example, the Current Overlap would be the spell check window. Help Overlap List Box This box contains a list of all overlaps associated with the current window, in the order they were loaded in. You can move up and down this list with arrow keys to select higher or lower levels. If you add or modify the help presented in this dialog it will be saved in the overlap that is selected in this list box when you exit the Application Help dialog. Associate with Window Radio Button Associate with Class Radio Button Window-Eyes will determine if it may be appropriate for you to choose whether to associate the current Application Help with the particular window that is active or with the class of windows of which the current window is a member. If this is the case, Window-Eyes will allow you to tab to these radio buttons and select one. Associating with the window is specific to the current window that has focus, while associating with class applies to all windows that are the same type as the one currently in focus in the selected overlap. For example, if you associate with window and a button has focus, the help will only apply to this button; whereas if you associate with class, the help will apply to all buttons in this overlap. Sometimes it is not possible for Window-Eyes to allow you to associate with the window in which case it will only allow you to associate with the class. OK Button This is a run-of-the-mill OK button, which will close the dialog and save your text and settings for future use. Cancel Button Selecting this option will close down the context sensitive help dialog and place you back at the point prior to pressing CTRL-SHIFT-F1. Edit Button As already explained, this button, if not disabled, will allow you to change the edit box from read-only to edit. As you use Window-Eyes to improve access to your applications, you might want to use Application Help to leave notes for yourself on what you have learned about the various operations of your programs. Window-Eyes will keep track of your notes for you. Error Reporting We at GW Micro have always been under the assumption that having to reboot your computer because of an error is far more than just an annoyance; it's unacceptable. Whether you are analyzing data for your employer, organizing recipes, sending e-mail to your family, or having fun with ZForm Poker, you rely on your computer to be as stable as possible. Window-Eyes takes stability one step further by offering error reporting: the ability for Window-Eyes to report when it has encountered a problem. You can access the error report feature by either launching Window-Eyes after an error has occurred, or by accessing the Error Reporting dialog under the Help menu of the Window-Eyes control panel. Error reports are sent through the Internet directly to the GW Micro development team, so you will need to make sure that you are connected to the Internet before attempting to send an error report. You can disable the automatic notification of error reporting, but we strongly encourage you to use it if you have an error to report. Otherwise your error may go unresolved. If, however, you do decide to disable this feature, you may re-enable it by selecting the Error Reporting option under the help menu at any time. This feature, which has already proved highly effective, allows our developers to solve problems quickly. No private information is sent along with the error report, although you do have the option of including any comments (such as your computer specifications, steps to duplicate the problem, etc.) that you feel may help our developers in resolving the problem. Note that this feature is only available under Windows 2000, XP, or 2003. 4.4: Colors, Video Cards, and Light Bar Tracking Colors Changes in color frequently visit the display screen, and Window-Eyes lets speech-access users identify and utilize these colors in many ways. Window-Eyes lets you read text in certain colors while ignoring text in other colors, lets you track items of a particular color, and more. Video Cards One of the more important things to remember is that Window-Eyes is not video card dependent. From the oldest video card to the newest, Window-Eyes will always support your video adapter. Window-Eyes is also color independent. Although graphics are usually labeled in 16 bit colors, Window-Eyes is not limited to these color depths. Graphics can be defined in any color, under any color scheme. Highlight Tracking One important use of screen colors used by most popular application programs is the highlight. Active menu choices, hypertext, and other features are typically shown in bright colors, or at least in colors different from the rest of the screen. No matter where they appear, Window-Eyes can find and read highlights. SECTION FIVE Globally Speaking This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides information on the Window-Eyes global features. With Window-Eyes you have the power to set voice options such as the rate, pitch, tone, and volume in your set files individually or globally. When Window-Eyes is running, you can make several speech adjustments and have them apply to any or all of the set files you use during the current session with Window-Eyes. You can even save these global settings for future sessions. 5.1: The Basics As we have already discussed, Window-Eyes comes with adjustable speaking environments that you can load manually through the Window-Eyes File menu or that can be loaded and unloaded automatically by Window-Eyes itself as application and document windows are opened and closed by you or your application software. Also already discussed was the fact that the so-called default speaking environment used by Window-Eyes is saved in a file named WINEYES.000, located in the directory containing Window-Eyes. Speaking-environment files are known as set files. More information about naming set files is given in Section 7. What has not yet been discussed, however, is that, even though you may be running some application program such as a spreadsheet and Window-Eyes has loaded some set file which we will call SP-SHEET.000, Window-Eyes is also running WINEYES.000 in the background and can access information in this set file any time it needs to. Thus, certain features in the set file you are using can simply be shut down, and Window-Eyes can substitute the settings of these features with settings it knows about in WINEYES.000. Furthermore, through the set file you are running, you can alter these settings in WINEYES.000 so that any, some, or all of your other set files that may come into play during your current computing session will use your new settings. And once you make these changes, you can even save the altered WINEYES.000 file to disk so that in the next computing session, Window-Eyes will launch with your changes in effect. We call these settings Global settings because they give you the option of functionally changing them for any of your set files in use. 5.2: How it Works Global speech settings are made from Window-Eyes' Global menu. To access them, choose Global from the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel. The resulting pull-down menu contains the following items: G = Global Settings Voice and Verbosity Separator S = Screen pull-down K = Keyboard pull-down M = Mouse pull-down V = Verbosity pull-down A = Apply Settings Separator H = Hyperactive Status = Messages Off L = Autoload Status = Messages Off O = Show User Window Outline = Off Separator C = Cursor Blink Rate = 100 I = Minimum Graphic Size = 7 X = Maximum Graphic Size = 100 U = Use Clip Boundaries With Mouse = On 5.3: Global Versus Local Settings In any given speaking environment that happens to be running, you can determine whether you want global speech settings to be Off, Voice Only, Verbosity Only, or Voice and Verbosity. In other words, do you want the settings in the Global menu to affect the current set file or not and, if so, exactly how? To change the current setting, choose Global Settings from the Global Pull-down. Window-Eyes will display a list box with the four choices. Simply arrow to the option you want and press ENTER. When Global Settings is set to Voice Only or Voice and Verbosity, corresponding menu items in the Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse menus are set to "Global" and are disabled. Settings for rate, pitch, volume, and tone are then used from the Global menu instead of the specific menus. When Global Settings is set to Verbosity Only or Voice and Verbosity, all items in the main Verbosity menu are set to "Global" and are disabled. Settings for all verbosity options are then used from the Global menu instead of the main Verbosity menu. When Global Settings is set to Off in a given SET file, Screen, Keyboard, Mouse, and Verbosity features run according to settings in their corresponding menus of that SET file. By default, most SET files supplied by GW Micro have the Global Settings set to Voice and Verbosity. This is so you can easily adjust the rate, pitch, volume, tone, and verbosity settings for all environments through the global menu. This will all become clearer as you keep reading. 5.4: Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse Voices You can set five features of the Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse voices globally. The pull-down branching menus that come off of the Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse, items of the Global pull-down all contain identical items, set thus by default: V = Voice = On R = Rate = 30 P = Pitch = 3 T = Tone = I V = Volume = 9 The Voice option is simply a toggle. When you select the Voice option it will turn off if it was on or on if it was off. Turning off the screen voice only affects speak windows (which will be discussed later in this manual). Turning off the keyboard voice will silence the speaking of keys as you type. Turning off the mouse voice will silence the speaking of the physical mouse movements and the mouse pointer. Choosing any of the remaining four menu items will open a dialog box for you to change the current setting. The rate can be set from 1 to 100. The pitch, and volume can be set from 0 to 9. The tone can be set from A to Z. A Scroll Bar has focus and the current setting is the default in that Scroll Bar. Press the LEFT ARROW for a lower setting or the RIGHT ARROW for a higher setting. As you change the setting, Window-Eyes will announce the new setting using that new parameter. Press ENTER to accept your new change. Window-Eyes will accept your choice, announce it, and return you to the Voice Control Panel. Now, other SET files you may use in the current session with Window-Eyes will speak according to the adjustments you have made to the screen, keyboard, or mouse voices under the Global menu of the current SET file, that is, if Global Settings is set to Voice Only or Voice and Verbosity in the other SET files you run. What you have actually done in changing global settings is to change the setting in the version of WINEYES.000 now running. You can easily save that version of WINEYES.000 by selecting Apply Settings from the Global menu of any SET file that happens to be running. Caution: We recommend that you not make any changes to WINEYES.000 except for the changes that are made to it by applying Global settings. You should maintain all other settings of this SET file as they have been set at the factory. Reset any of your other SET files as you prefer. If you never load and change WINEYES.000 through the Window-Eyes File menu, you need never be concerned about changing something in WINEYES.000 that you should not change. Instead, always make the changes to WINEYES.000 by globally applying the settings available through the Global menu. Before closing this subsection, let us work through an example and thus make all this seem as easy as it really is. Let us say you think the mouse voice should be a little squeakier than the screen voice, and you want that to happen in all your SET files. Tone 'K' should do the trick. Here is what to do: 1. Press CTRL-\ to activate the Voice Control Panel. 2. Press ALT-L to activate the Global menu. 3. Press 'M' to open the Mouse pull-down. 4. Press 'T' to open the Mouse Tone dialog. 5. Press the RIGHT ARROW twice to reset the tone from 'I' to 'K'. 6. Press ENTER to put the new setting into effect in WINEYES.000. The box will disappear, Window-Eyes will announce your new setting, and the menu bar will deactivate. 7. Press ALT-L to activate the Global menu once again. 8. Press 'A' to choose Apply Settings. Window-Eyes will save the newly adjusted WINEYES.000 set to the WINEYES directory of your system's hard disk, and the menu bar will deactivate. 9. Press ESCAPE to deactivate the Voice Control Panel and return to your application program in the same state it was in before you started this procedure. Now all of your SET files that have global settings set to Voice Only or Voice and Verbosity will use tone 'K' for the mouse voice. Section 8.21 describes how to adjust the rate, pitch, tone and volume for the screen, keyboard and mouse voices from the keyboard. 5.5: Verbosity Settings When you are first learning to use Window-Eyes or are quite familiar with Window-Eyes but are learning some new application program, you probably will want Window-Eyes to speak with much verbosity; that is, you will want to have Window-Eyes tell you most everything your application program is doing on-screen. When menus pull down or dialog boxes open, for example, you may want to have everything in them read to you. But once you have worked with the program enough to know what is going to pop up, when, and what Window-Eyes is going to say, a high amount of verbosity may quickly grow annoying. As is the case with screen, keyboard, and mouse voices, you may either make your verbosity settings for the current SET file through the Verbosity menu or to WINEYES.000 through the Global menu of any SET file. GW Micro recommends that you generally start with the Global menu, perhaps having some differences in the Verbosity menus of individual SET files, when specific needs dictate. Thus, once you come to a general level of verbosity that you tend to prefer, you can apply your settings globally to suit your taste. As long as you have the Global Settings set to Verbosity or Voice and Verbosity, you can adjust the verbosity through the Global menu. To work with verbosity changes globally choose Verbosity from the Global menu. Items on this menu are identical to those on the Verbosity menu on the Voice Control Panel menu bar (to the left of the Global menu), and are as follows: M = Menu O = Mouse A = Activated I = Miscellaneous F = Focused C = Attribute Changes S = MSAA When chosen, each of these menu items opens a different dialog box, different in content, but similar in the way they work. Each dialog has several check boxes which are arranged vertically, an OK button and a Cancel button. You move from check box to check box with the TAB key. Window-Eyes reads as you go and tells you if the check box you are on is checked or unchecked. To change the option from checked to unchecked or unchecked to checked, press the SPACE BAR. When you are through making changes in the dialog, either tab to the OK button and press ENTER or just press ENTER at any check box. The dialog box will close, and you will be returned to the Voice Control Panel. As always in a dialog box, you can tab to the Cancel button and press ENTER to cancel your changes and return to the Voice Control Panel. Pressing ESCAPE at any point has the same effect. Let us now consider what Window-Eyes does when Verbosity settings are checked. The Menu Dialog Section 3 of this manual discussed MS Windows conventions for menu bars and pull-down menus and told how Window-Eyes reads them. That is, an explanation was given for how Window-Eyes reads menus according to the factory settings for the Menu Verbosity Settings dialog, which has seven options, as follows: O = Menu Opened - Default = Unchecked Window-Eyes announces "Menu activated" when you activate a menu. C = Menu Closed - Default = Checked Window-Eyes announces "Menu closed" when a menu is deactivated. This happens once for each pull-down and menu bar being closed. P = Option - Default = Checked Window-Eyes reads the current menu option name. Typically, you would not want to turn this off unless your vision is good enough to see the current menu option. Don't Include Shortcut, Include Shortcut Before Option (Default), Include Shortcut After Option Unchecked By default, Window-Eyes will read shortcut keys, the underlined character in each menu item, before each option (i.e. F File). If the Include Shortcut After Option is checked, Window-Eyes will read shortcut keys after each option (i.e. File F). If the Don't Include Shortcut option is checked, Window-Eyes will not read any shortcut keys (although the Speak Summary command will override this setting). This feature works both when a menu is read automatically and when a menu is read manually as you move from item to item with arrow keys or the mouse pointer. A = Accelerators - Default = Checked Window-Eyes reads accelerators, those key names displayed to the right of menu items in many applications. Accelerator keys let you bypass the program's menu system altogether and go straight to performing the program's task that would be handled by the menu. For example, CTRL-C for Copy. D = Descriptions - Default = Checked Window-Eyes tells you what the menu item does when chosen, activate a pull-down or open a dialog, for example. R = Read New Pull-down - Default = Unchecked Window-Eyes automatically reads a pull-down menu when one is activated when this item is enabled. Monitoring Mouse Movement Relative to Windows When you move the mouse pointer around the screen, whether you do so by means of the physical mouse or by means of Window-Eyes keyboard commands, you may need to know more than just the textual and accessible graphical information on-screen. You may also need to know if the mouse goes into or out of a window and what kind of window it is. One example of a need for these verbosity features would be for when you are roaming around with the mouse pointer in a dialog box to see what information is there and what kinds of controls are available to you. The Mouse Verbosity Settings dialog has five check boxes as follows: I = Mouse In - Default = Unchecked. Window-Eyes announces "Mouse in," followed by the type of window the mouse has entered. O = Mouse Out - Default = Unchecked. Window-Eyes announces "Mouse out," followed by the type of window the mouse has left. L = Notify On Line Change - Default = Unchecked. Window-Eyes will beep through your PC speaker when the mouse crosses line boundaries. If, however, you're already moving by line, then line change will not make a sound because you are already moving the mouse from line to line. C = Notify On Clip Change - Default = Unchecked. Window-Eyes will beep through your PC speaker when the mouse crosses clip boundaries. If, however, you're already moving by clip, then clip change will not make a sound because you are already moving the mouse by clip or icon. W = Notify On Window Change - Default = Unchecked. Window-Eyes will beep through your PC speaker when the mouse crosses window boundaries. Window-Eyes will always pay attention to the size of the current reading item (character, word, line, clip, etc.), and notify you accordingly depending on your verbosity settings. For example, when moving the mouse by character or word, Window-Eyes will pay attention to all three verbosity settings (assuming that they are all checked). If you are moving the mouse by clip, then Window-Eyes will notify you when you have changed lines and when you have changed windows. If you're moving the mouse line by line, then Window-Eyes will only notify you when you have changed windows. These five check boxes have been left unchecked because the mouse voice is entirely too verbose if you do not have need of the information they provide. Identifying and Reading New Windows When a window first opens, you may want Window-Eyes to tell you automatically what kind of window it is and what information is in it. But if you already know these things, you might find too much verbosity in having them voiced. The Activated Verbosity Settings dialog has five check boxes as follows: A = Activated - Default = Unchecked. Window-Eyes announces "Activated" when a new window is activated. W = Window Type - Default = Checked. Window-Eyes announces the window type when a window opens (dialog, property sheet, etc.) T = Window Title - Default = Checked. Window-Eyes reads the title bar of a newly opened window, if a title bar is present. M = Entire Window if Message Box - Default = Checked. Window-Eyes reads the contents of a message box when one opens. Many application programs rely heavily on message boxes to let you know what they are doing in response to what you are doing. The message box is a great type of window for the application to post an error message. D = Entire Window if Dialog - Default = Unhecked. Window-Eyes reads the contents of a dialog box when one opens. This can increase your speed in making settings when you know what you are looking for but do not know where it is. Instead of pressing the TAB key repeatedly until you come to what you are looking for, you can just listen to the box as it is read and interrupt the reading at any time by pressing a short-cut key, for example, to check a box or push a radio button, etc. Miscellaneous Settings The Miscellaneous Verbosity Settings dialog offers two sets of three radio buttons, and three check boxes that do not readily clarify into any particular category. These are: Don't Include Shortcut = Unchecked Include Shortcut Before Option - Default = Checked Include Shortcut After Option = Unchecked Many dialog boxes have shortcut keys that work just like those in menus, which have already been discussed. You would probably not want to know that "Y Yes" or "N No," but many dialog boxes have lots of controls with lots of shortcut keys in them. So until you have used the dialog boxes in your programs enough to have memorized their shortcut keys, you might want to check one of the Include Shortcut options. T = Top/Bottom Index - Default = Unchecked. Window-Eyes informs you that you have come to the top or bottom of a list box or list view. This may be helpful in a long list, because it lets you keep from pressing the arrow keys several times and having to infer that you are at the top or bottom of a list because you have heard the same item being read repeatedly. This feature would also be helpful if several items in the list box tend to sound very similar to one another when read. C = Current Index - Default = Checked. Window-Eyes counts the number of items in a list box, list view, tree view, tab control, or radio button and tells you the number of the item you are on and the total number of items in the list, counting from the top, every time you press an UP or DOWN arrow. If no item is selected when you enter a list box, Window-Eyes announces, "No Selected Item." For example, let us say you are moving through a list box of 157 fonts. If Garamond were the twenty-seventh item in the list, Window-Eyes would announce, "Garamond 27 of 157." This feature would be useful if you were in a long list and wanted to know how many more you have to go if you are reading the whole thing. Don't Include Listview Headers = Unchecked Include Listview Headers = Unchecked Include Listview Headers (Excluding First Column) - Default = Checked Listviews are popular controls that allow for items to be sorted in multiple ways. Windows uses list views to list files and folders by icon, small icon, list, thumbnail, or detail. The detail view provides columns of information about each file or folder, and those columns can change depending on the types of files in a given folder. A detailed folder listing for My Computer uses column names such as name, type, total size, free space, and comments. A folder with a mixture of different file types uses column names such as name, size, type, and date modified. Listviews in applications may use column names completely different from those in Windows Explorer. This feature allows you to control how Window-Eyes announces the names of the columns in listviews. For example, in Windows Explorer, with this feature set to Include Listview Headers, and with a folder view set to details, you might hear something like, "Name myfile Size 706KB Type Text Document Date Modified 8/26/2003 3:55 PM." With this feature set to Include Listview Headers (Excluding First Column), you might hear something like, "myfile Size 706KB Type Text Document Date Modified 8/26/2003 3:55 PM." With this feature set to Don't Include Listview Headers, you would only hear the name of the file and the file's details, but no column headers. Regardless of the setting for this option, the Speak Summary hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-S by default) will always read all column information while in details view. P = Silence Password Edit Boxes - Default = Checked. The Silence Password Edit Boxes option will cause Window-Eyes to say "star" when you type in a password style edit box. When Focus Changes Throughout this manual we have been talking about focus and changes in focus. The Focus Verbosity Settings dialog provides six settings for monitoring focus changes, as follows: F = Focused - Default = Unchecked. When focus changes, Window-Eyes announces, "Focused." This does not apply when you activate a menu bar, but it does when you deactivate a menu bar. It applies when a dialog or message box opens, for example, and it applies when you tab from control to control within a dialog box. W = Window Type - Default = Checked. Window-Eyes announces the type of window that gains focus when focus changes. For example, when you are tabbing through a dialog box, you may go into list boxes, buttons, combo boxes, radio buttons, etc. Until you learn your application program's dialog boxes thoroughly, this feature may assist in comprehending the characteristics of each box. T = Window Type First - Default = Checked. As you tab from control to control in a dialog box for example, with this option checked, Window-Eyes will first announce the window type and then its setting. For example, "Button OK" or "Check box unchecked B Bold." If you uncheck this option, Window-Eyes will read the window type at the end. For example, "OK Button" or "B Bold check box unchecked." N = Field Name - Default = Checked. The different areas of a dialog box are ordinarily named and typically have shortcut keys you can press to give focus to the area you want. As you tab from area to area, Window-Eyes can read you these names, just as it would read you the field names in a database management program. You can also press the Field Name hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-N) to hear the field name. Hot keys will be described in Section 8. D = Field Data - Default = Checked. In the same case as the item just above, Window-Eyes uses this feature to read you the information in the actual control you are on, such as the information identifying a check box. If you wish, you can also press the Field Data hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-D) to hear the field data. Hot keys will be described in Section 8. C = Custom Control - Default - Checked. The Window Type option described above causes Window-Eyes to announce the type of window that gains focus. This works very well for standard controls. However, many applications use custom controls and you may not want to hear Window-Eyes speak "custom control" for each of them. If this option is unchecked, Window-Eyes will not speak "custom control" when a custom control gets focus. If the Window Type option is unchecked, "custom control" will not be spoken regardless of the Custom Control status. Although you may quickly find the Focused, Window Type First, and Custom Control features to be of little value, the other three features are very necessary. Without their being checked in the Focused Verbosity Settings, the controls in your dialog boxes will not speak at all. But, on the other hand, you may discover that you do not need to check them all. Monitoring Attribute Changes In Windows, there are four kinds of attributes for displaying text on-screen, and all can be monitored and reported by Window-Eyes - colors, fonts, size, and style. Foreground and background colors are known by their primary-color combinations expressed in values 0-255 for red, green, and blue (stated as RGB values). See Section 13 for more details on working with colors. Fonts are different shapes and proportions for print letters, they have most value to the visual-access user. Size refers to the point size of the text - 72 points per inch, on paper. Style has to do with characteristics of the text, such as bold, underlined, Italic, and double-underlined. The Attribute Changes Verbosity Settings dialog box has four check boxes for reporting changes in attributes of displayed text, as follows: C = Color Changes - Default = Unchecked. Window-Eyes reports RGB values for the foreground and background when either the cursor or mouse pointer encounter a change in colors. F = Font Changes - Default = Checked. Window-Eyes announces the name of any font when it encounters a change in fonts while reading text from the screen. S = Size Changes - Default = Checked. Window-Eyes announces the size of any text if it encounters a change in text size while reading from the screen. Y = Style Changes - Default = Checked. Window-Eyes announces any style change it encounters while reading text from the screen, for example, Bold, Italic, Underlined, or Double Underlined. You must have the attribute changes setting turned on in the screen menu for any of these features to function. Microsoft Active Accessibility The Window-Eyes MSAA Verbosity options are quite powerful and extensive. Each option is detailed in Appendix E.4. 5.6: The Rest of the Global Menu The Global menu has eight more items as follows: Apply Settings As discussed earlier in this section, choosing this item saves the current Screen, Keyboard, Mouse, and Verbosity settings in the Global menu to the disk version of WINEYES.000, the Window-Eyes default speaking environment. H = Hyperactive Status - Default = Messages Off. Hyperactive windows are explained in full detail in Section 14 of this manual. For now, suffice it to say for the sake of completeness in discussing the global menu, that hyperactive windows are a special form of Window-Eyes adjustable user windows where Window-Eyes watches for certain events to occur and then performs actions such as loading a new set file. Because hyperactive windows can load and unload SET files, it would make no sense for each SET file to have the capability of having hyperactive windows set to be on or off. Thus, this feature has been made to be a global setting. Choosing Hyperactive Status opens the Select Hyperactive Status dialog box. The box contains a list box with the following items: * Off * Messages Off * Messages On When Hyperactive Messages is set to Off, hyperactive windows do not function. When Hyperactive Windows is set to Messages Off, hyperactive windows function but Window-Eyes does not tell you when a hyperactive window triggers. This is the default setting, and it is not saved when you choose Apply Settings. It is in effect when Window-Eyes starts. You must make any changes manually. When Hyperactive Windows is set to Messages On, hyperactive windows function and Window-Eyes tells you when a hyperactive window triggers. L = Autoload Status - Default = Messages Off Choosing Autoload Status opens the Autoload Status dialog box. The box contains a list box with the following items: * Off * Messages Off * Messages On When Autoload Status is set to Off, automatic SET file loading does not occur. In other words, when you open up a new application, Window-Eyes will not automatically load the associated sets (assuming that they already exist). When Autoload Status is set to Messages Off, SET files will be loaded automatically, however, Window-Eyes will not speak any indication that a new set has been loaded. When Autoload Status is set to Messages On, SET files will be loaded automatically, and Window-Eyes will announce each SET file name when it becomes active. O = Show User Window Outline - Default = Off This option is for the sighted access user. While setting up user and hyperactive windows, it is nice to be able to see on the screen the exact position of the window. When this option is set to on, whenever you read a user window or hyperactive window, the screen area under the window will be displayed in an inverse setting. This makes the area under the window stand-out making it very obvious what area your user or hyperactive window covers. If you read the user window a second time, the area under the window will invert back to its original color. It may be necessary to press the Redraw hot key, INS-\, to cause the screen to completely restore to normal. C = Cursor Blink Rate - Default = 100. When the cursor is present on the display screen, it always blinks off and on, at a rate measured in milliseconds. A millisecond equals one one-thousandth of a second. Thus when the Cursor Blink Rate is set to 100, the cursor blinks on for 100 milliseconds and off for 100 milliseconds, or off and on, five times per second. But, for example, at a blink rate of 530 milliseconds, the cursor may momentarily disappear when you press the BACKSPACE key. The BACKSPACE key deletes the character left of the cursor just fine and moves the cursor back one character. But if the cursor should happen to disappear when Window-Eyes is trying to read the character being deleted, Window-Eyes cannot see the character. Speeding up the cursor blink rate significantly decreases the chance of this event occurring. Choosing the Cursor Blink Rate from the Window-Eyes Global menu activates the Global Cursor Blink Rate dialog box, which contains an edit box, showing the current setting. You can just key in a new setting and press ENTER to choose the OK button. ESCAPE chooses the Cancel button. I = Minimum Graphic Size - Default = 7. This advanced feature's purpose, although rarely used, is to compensate for application programs that put a lot of tiny graphics on the screen that would not be useful to the speech-access user. But if Window-Eyes were constantly monitoring so many tiny graphics, this could tie up processor time, hence, slowing the computer down. The Minimum Graphic Size item of the Global menu permits Window-Eyes to ignore graphical images with any one side that is smaller than 7 pixels. If you have a program that you know uses a lot of graphics, you might try increasing this number slightly, being careful not to increase it to the point that Window-Eyes stops looking for graphics you may need. Choosing this item opens the Minimum Graphic Size dialog box, which features an edit box containing the current setting. You can type in your preferred setting and press ENTER to close the dialog and deactivate the menu bar. This setting is saved when you close the dialog in WINEYES.INI. X = Maximum Graphic Size - Default = 100. This option works just like the Minimum Graphic Size option just described. However, this option sets the maximum graphic size Window-Eyes will keep track of. If any one side of a graphic image is larger than the value specified here, it will be ignored. Choosing this item opens the Maximum Graphic Size dialog box, which features an edit box containing the current setting. You can type in your preferred setting and press ENTER to close the dialog and deactivate the menu bar. This setting is saved when you close the dialog in WINEYES.INI. U = Use Clip Boundaries with Mouse - Default = On. This option will be discussed in further detail in Section 12. SECTION SIX Setting Up the Voices This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides information on tailoring the Window-Eyes voice settings. 6.1: The Basics The Window-Eyes screen voice is the voice that reads information on the display screen. The keyboard voice is the voice that echos your keystrokes as you type, including information put there by your application program. The mouse voice is the voice that responds to the mouse pointer, whether you move the mouse pointer with your physical mouse by moving it around on its mouse pad or with the Window-Eyes mouse hot keys. So if you type information onto the display screen, you hear the keyboard voice. If you read it back with cursoring keys or hot keys, you hear the screen voice. If you go over it with the mouse pointer, you hear the mouse voice. All three of these sound the same in the Window-Eyes default speaking environment. Window-Eyes has separate voices for screen, keyboard, and mouse pointer because speech-access users need them. For example, if you were using your word processor to read a rough draft, you would generally not want to have punctuation marks read. But if you were editing as you read, you would probably want to hear the punctuation marks as you typed them in order to minimize the frequency of keying errors. 6.2: How it Works If your computer is running and you are in Windows and are ready to begin looking at your Window-Eyes settings, go through the menu while reading this manual. Press CTRL-\ to display the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel. Window-Eyes will announce that it is active, tell you the name of the SET file currently running, and then tell you the name of the SET file that is associated with the active application window. Now press the ALT key to activate the menu bar. Window-Eyes will announce "F File pull down." 6.3: Turning the Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse Voices On and Off If the Global Settings item of the Global menu is set to Voice Only or Voice and Verbosity, then the voice rate, pitch, tone, and volume items of the Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse menus will be set to Global and will be disabled. That is, you cannot choose these items. If you do want to reset them for the current SET file only, you have to go to the Global menu and choose the Global Settings option. Once there, you should select either Verbosity Only or Off, which will then allow you to activate and work with these menu items. The screen, keyboard, and mouse voices can be turned on and off independently. The first item of the Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse pull-down menus is Voice. All three of these Voice items are toggles; that is, choosing them sets the voice to its opposite state, On or Off and deactivates the menu bar. The default setting is On. When the screen voice is off, cursor keys, hot keys, user windows, and hyperactive windows are still active, but speak windows are shut off. Full details about Window-Eyes speak windows can be found in Section 12. Suffice it to say for now that speak windows are windows that automatically speak text that is being written to the screen by your application program. 6.4: Setting Rate, Pitch, Tone, and Volume All four of these items in all three of these menu pull-downs work exactly like those of the Global menu, which was explained in the previous section of this manual. The default settings are: R = Rate - Default = 30, Range = 1-100 P = Pitch - Default = 3, Range = 0-9 T = Tone - Default = I, Range = A-Z O = Volume - Default = 9, Range = 0-9 But, again, since the default value for Global Settings is "Voice and Verbosity", these menu items are all set to Global and are disabled. Tone effects differ from speech synthesizer model to model. On models which have more than one voice selection, such as the DECtalk, this item is used to select the voice. See Section 8.21 for a description on how to adjust these five parameters for the screen, keyboard and mouse voices directly from the keyboard. 6.5: Determining How Window-Eyes Reads Punctuation The next item down in both the Screen and Keyboard menus is U = Punctuation. Choosing this item pulls down a branching submenu with the following choices, all of which work identically. T = Textual This includes comma, semicolon, colon, period, question mark, and exclamation point (pronounced "bang"). A = Math This includes the following symbols: plus, minus (pronounced "dash"), asterisk (pronounced "star"), forward slash, percent sign, caret, equals sign, parentheses, the less-than symbol, and the greater-than symbol. The minus sign and hyphen have the same appearance on screen but different application programs may use them differently. Window-Eyes calls them both "dash." M = Miscellaneous This includes the following symbols: at sign, number sign, dollar sign, euro sign, pound sign, ampersand (pronounced "and"), apostrophe, quotation marks, tilde, backslash, bar, underline, grave accent (pronounced "accent"), braces and brackets. S = Space This includes empty spaces represented by the ANSI character for a space. Set Space to On when the exact number and location of empty spaces must be known. For general use, having Space set to Off makes for more tolerable speech. Choosing any of these menu items opens a dialog box that contains a list box with the following choices: * Off * Dictionary Only * On The current setting for each menu item is highlighted in the list box. You can move up and down with arrow keys and press ENTER at the desired item to choose it or press ESCAPE to cancel any change. When items on the Punctuation pull-down are set to Off, punctuation marks they represent are never voiced. When items on the Punctuation pull-downs are set to Dictionary Only, punctuation marks contained in the character dictionary are voiced, while those not in the character dictionary are not voiced. The character dictionary is a list of single ANSI characters and rules you design for pronouncing these characters. The simple process of constructing pronunciation dictionaries can be found in Section 16. When items in the Punctuation pull-downs are set to On, punctuation marks they include are always voiced. The following two options are also available in both the Screen and Keyboard punctuation menus. C = Control This includes the ANSI control characters whose ANSI values are from 1 to 26. Choosing this menu item opens the Select Control Punctuation Mode dialog box, with a list box that contains the following items: * Off * Dictionary Only * ANSI * Say Control When Control is set to Off, ANSI characters are not voiced. When Control is set to Dictionary Only, only those ANSI characters represented in the active character dictionary are voiced. When Control is set to ANSI, ANSI characters are voiced by their ANSI number. When Control is set to Say Control, ANSI characters are voiced as control characters. For example, "Control A" for ANSI 1. E = Enhanced This includes the following ANSI characters: 0, 27-31, and 127-255. Choosing this menu item opens the Select Enhanced Punctuation Mode dialog box, with a list box that contains the following items: * Off * Dictionary Only * ANSI * Describe When Enhanced is set to Off, ANSI characters are not voiced. When Enhanced is set to Dictionary Only, only those ANSI characters represented in the active character dictionary are voiced. When Enhanced is set to ANSI, ANSI characters are voiced by their ANSI number. When Enhanced is set to Describe, ANSI characters are voiced with a visual description of the character. For example, "One fourth" for ANSI character 1/4. 6.6: The Rest of the Screen Menu The rest of the items in the Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse menus differ from each other, so let us continue this section, discussing them separately, starting with the Screen menu. Reading Numbers With the next item of the Screen menu, you can determine how Window-Eyes reads numbers from the screen: N = Numbers-Default =On. Choosing this item toggles this feature On or Off. When numbers is set to Off, Window-Eyes pronounces digit names, for example 1 7 5 0 1 1 7. When numbers is set to On, Window-Eyes pronounces numerical names, for example one-million-seven-hundred-fifty-thousand-one-hundred-seventeen. When numbers is set to On, and Window-Eyes encounters a number containing at least one hyphen character, it voices the number in digits. This is for ease in reading telephone and social security numbers, for example. When numbers is set to On, four-digit numbers that do not contain a comma are pronounced in pairs of two-digit numerical names. The purpose of this feature is for ease and convenience in reading year numbers and street addresses, etc., which are popularly pronounced in the United States as two pairs of numerical names. For example 1995 is pronounced as nineteen ninety-five and 7433 is pronounced as seventy-four thirty-three. Four-digit numbers containing a comma are read with numerical names unsplit. For example 7,433 would be pronounced as seven-thousand-four-hundred-thirty-three. When numbers is set to On, money values noted with dollar sign and decimal point are read in terms of dollars and cents, euro sign and decimal point are read in terms of euros and cents or pound and decimal point as pounds and pence. This option can also be toggled with the Numbers Toggle hot key (undefined by default). Hot keys will be discussed in Section 8 and Appendix A. Distinguishing Between Uppercase and Lowercase Letters C = Capitalization Alert-Default = Off Choosing this item opens the Select Capitalization Alert Mode dialog box with a list box that includes: * Off * Say Cap * Pitch When capitalization alert is set to Off, Window-Eyes does not distinguish between lower-case and capital letters when reading. When capitalization alert is set to Say Cap, Window-Eyes says "cap" just before pronouncing a word which begins with a capital letter. If a particular word is written in all capital letters, Window-Eyes says "cap cap." If a word contains a combination of capital letters and at least one lowercase letter, Window-Eyes says "cap cap cap." When capitalization alert is set to Pitch, Window-Eyes raises the pitch of the voice as it pronounces a word beginning with a capital letter. If a particular word is written in all capital letters, Window-Eyes raises the pitch higher still. If a particular word contains a mixture of capital and lowercase letters, Window-Eyes raises the pitch to a level highest of all capitalization indicators. This option can also be adjusted with the Capitalization Alert Rotor hot key (undefined by default). Hot keys will be discussed in Section 8 and Appendix A. About Blank Spaces There is a difference between empty areas of the screen that have no information and blank spaces in a line of text that are there to separate words, sentences, etc. The latter kind are inserted as invisible ANSI characters by the SPACE BAR of the keyboard. Empty space on the display screen can also be created with the TAB key or by using your application's indentation feature. Through the next item of the Screen menu, you can instruct Window-Eyes how you want blank spaces and indentations spoken or not spoken, as follows: F = Format Alert-Default = Off. Choosing this item toggles this feature Off or On. When format alert is set to Off, changes in format such as indentations and extra blank spaces are not identified. When format alert is set to On, Window-Eyes says "Indented x inches" when it encounters a left indentation. When Window-Eyes encounters more than one space after a word, it says the number of spaces immediately after it says the word. This feature is ideal for identifying more than one space between words, or identifying indented lines. In order to account for margins and borders of blank space which Windows applications often display, Window-Eyes has a Set Format Alert Offset hot key. Hot keys will be explained in detail in Section 8 and Appendix A, but suffice it to say for the present that pressing this key (which is undefined by default) will set the border to the indentation of the line the cursor is on, allowing Window-Eyes to differentiate between wide margins and indented text. This option can also be toggled with the Format Alert Toggle hot key (undefined by default). Hot keys will be discussed in Section 8 and Appendix A. H = Spell Alpha/Numeric-Default = Off. Choosing this item toggles this feature Off or On. This item sets the method of spelling items such as ham sign calls that contain both letters and numbers. For example, with this option On, KA9UDN would be spelled out as K-A-9-U-D-N. X = Split Mixed Case Words-Default = Off. Choosing this item toggles this feature Off or On. This item sets the method of speaking concatenated words with multiple capitalization. For example, with this option On, the word "FileOpen" would be spoken as "File Open." This will help when reading programming code. Skimming Through an E-mail Message E-mail messages are full of back-and-forth communication. Consider this example: Harry sends Martha an e-mail message through the Internet. After reading Harry's message, Martha chooses the Reply button in her e-mail client and types a response to Harry and then chooses the Send button. The e-mail client patches Harry's and Martha's writing together-Harry's first, then Martha's-before sending the message back to Harry through the Internet. It also puts greater-than characters or perhaps hyphen characters in front of each of Harry's lines. This helps guide Harry's eye past his own writing and straight to Martha's writing when he gets Martha's response message. Harry can simply look for the first line that doesn't have a greater-than character and start reading there. But if he wishes to do so, he can look back to lines that have the greater-than character in front of them so that he can refer back to what he had written originally. This is the simplest example. Things get more complicated when we start talking about e-mail lists, where three or more people may get into the act. Here the text of the original message may get displayed on the list a dozen or more times, often with three or more greater-than characters at the beginning of several lines of text. This occurs because the message has been run through several list members' e-mail clients and each has added its greater-than characters. Or maybe some user has manually added his or her own characters-whatever they may be. Window-Eyes' Line Filter gives the speech-access user the power to filter out lines of text that begin with specified characters in specified places. This is done through the next item of the Screen menu. I = Line Filter This pull-down menu contains the following three items: S = Status-Default = Off P = Position-Default = 0 C = Characters (blank by default) When Status is set to Off, the Line Filter is nonfunctional; that is, it does not filter any line from being read. When Status is set to Read to End, Window-Eyes applies its Line Filter to the Read to End hot key, CTRL-SHIFT-R, which instructs Window-Eyes to move the cursor downward line by line through the end of the document, reading along the way. When Status is set to On, Window-Eyes applies its Line Filter to keys you might use to read one line at a time, such as UP and DOWN ARROW keys and Read to End. Window-Eyes also filters lines when you read a window with one of the window reading hot keys. If you use the Line Filter, you have to tell it where to look for the characters that indicate a line you want to filter out. You do this by choosing Position and entering a numeric value 0-4 in the edit box of the dialog that appears when you choose this item. This instructs Window-Eyes to begin looking all the way from the left edge of the application window and count characters 0-4. If you use the Line Filter, you also have to tell it what characters to look for in order to identify a line you do not want to read. The Characters item works just like the Position item, except that in this edit box you can enter up to five characters, using any ANSI characters you might want to use as filtering signals. Most always, however, this will be the greater-than character, also known as the right angle bracket. Window-Eyes will look for any or all of the characters in any order in the relative positions you indicated for the Position item of this pull-down. This option can also be adjusted with the Line Filter Status Rotor hot key (undefined by default). Hot keys will be discussed in Section 8 and Appendix A. Squelching Textual Ornamentation Rows of dashes, asterisks, diamonds, and other ANSI characters are often used by application software designers to decorate the display screen or separate and emphasize text. While visually appealing, these characters can clutter speech. Window-Eyes lets you squelch these characters through the next Screen menu item: E = Repeat Filter-Default = Off. Choosing this item opens the Select Repeat Filter Mode dialog box with a list box containing the following items: * Off * Say Repeats * Ignore When Repeat Filter is set to Off, Window-Eyes speaks every character. For example, a row of asterisks that extends clear across the screen would cause Window-Eyes to say "star star star star . . . " many times. When Repeat Filter is set to Say Repeats, Window-Eyes voices the repeating characters a given number of times and then says, "Repeats X times," where X equals the number of consecutive identical characters. When repeat filter is set to Ignore, Window-Eyes screens out repeating characters and does not voice any of them. The next menu item lets you decide how many identical characters in a row you want Window-Eyes to allow before it activates the Repeat Filter, as follows: L = Repeat Value-Default = 3 Choosing this item opens the Screen Repeat Value dialog box with an edit box where you can enter number 1-9. When the Repeat Filter is set to Say Repeats, Window-Eyes recognizes characters that are displayed and then repeated the number of times set by Repeat Value or more. For example, three occurrences of a backslash would be recognized as "backslash backslash repeats three times" if the repeat value were set to '2.' Identifying or Ignoring Blank Lines Window-Eyes lets you choose whether or not it should give you an indication when you cross a blank line when reading. A good example of an occasion when you might need to have this information would be when you are editing a document and need to know where the paragraph breaks are. But if you do not need this information and the document you happen to be reading contains many blank lines, you may not want to be informed every time you cross a blank line. The next Screen Menu item lets you make this choice, as follows: B = Blank Lines-Default = Off. Choosing this item displays a dialog with the following choices: Off, Say Blank and Read to End Off * When Blank Lines is set to Off, Window-Eyes ignores blank lines. * When Blank Lines is set to Say Blank, Window-Eyes says the word "blank" when it comes to a blank line. This is the case if you are moving up and down with arrow keys, reading with Window-Eyes hot keys, or reading through the end of a document with the Window-Eyes Read to End hot key, CTRL-SHIFT-R. * When Blank Lines is set to Read to End Off, Window-Eyes says "blank" when it comes to a blank line for all cases except for the Read to End hot key. Locating the Cursor Position within Text The next item of the Screen menu lets you instruct Window-Eyes to alert you to the presence of the cursor when it is located within text being spoken, as follows: S = Signal Cursor Position-Default = Off. Choosing this item toggles this feature Off and On. When signal cursor pos is set to Off, this feature is disabled. When signal cursor pos is set to On, Window-Eyes says "cursor," immediately before the text being spoken crosses the character containing the cursor. For example, if the cursor were on the N of "nimble" in the phrase "Jack be nimble, Jack be quick," Window-Eyes would say, "Jack be cursor nimble, Jack be quick." If the cursor were on the B of "nimble," Window-Eyes would say, "Jack be nim cursor ble, Jack be quick." This option can also be toggled with the Signal Cursor Position hot key (undefined by default). Hot keys will be discussed in Section 8 and Appendix A. Monitoring Changes in Attributes You can instruct Window-Eyes to alert you to changes in color, font, size, or style as you read from the screen by setting the next item of the Screen menu, as follows: A = Attribute Changes-Default = Off. Choosing this item toggles this feature Off and On. When Attribute Changes is set to Off, Window-Eyes does not announce changes in color, font, size, or style on the display screen. When Attribute Changes is set to On, Window-Eyes announces any changes in attribute presented within text being spoken. Which attributes are announced is determined by settings on the verbosity menu, explained in detail in Section 5.5. By default, font, size, and style are all announced when attribute changes is turned on. Application programs use color changes in text for a variety of purposes-to indicate changes in text to be printed such as bold or italics, to group or emphasize text, to indicate that text is part of a status line or box and not part of text in an editor, etc. This option can also be toggled with the Attribute Changes Toggle hot key (undefined by default). Hot keys will be discussed in Section 8 and Appendix A. Removing the End of Line Pause The following feature only works for DECtalk Access32, DECtalk PC, DECtalk Express, and SAPI synthesizers. D = Read Paragraph Style-Default = Auto. Choosing this item presents a dialog with the following options: * Off * On * Auto When Read Paragraph Style is set to Off, Window-Eyes will pause (with most synthesizers) at the end of lines, most notable with the DECtalk and SAPI synthesizers. When Read Paragraph Style is set to On, Window-Eyes will eliminate pauses at the end of lines. When Read Paragraph Style is set to Auto, Window-Eyes will eliminate pauses at the end of lines during Read to End, or when using any of the twelve reading keys: Prior/Current/Next Sentence for cursor and mouse, and Prior/Current/Next Paragraph for cursor and mouse. Many DECtalk and SAPI users will want to set this feature to Auto so that the pause will be present during CTRL-SHIFT-W, cursoring through menus, and tabbing through dialog boxes, and absent during reading a sentence, paragraph, or Read to End. 6.7: The Rest of the Keyboard Menu As stated earlier in this section, the first six menu items of the Screen and Keyboard menus work identically. So let us move on to the rest of the Keyboard menu, which differs completely from the rest of the Screen menu. You may not want identical settings for the screen and keyboard voices. First consider rate. Fast typists often find they can type fast enough that one keystroke interrupts the voicing of the previous keystroke. A fast typist, then, might set a faster rate for the keyboard voice than for the screen voice. You may want the keyboard voice quieter, deeper, and more resonant. The factory settings for these voices in the default speaking environment were selected to be the most pleasant and articulate for the average user. Though punctuation may not be so important when listening to text, you may want all forms of punctuation spoken by the keyboard voice in order to confirm typing accuracy. Or, you may not want to have the keyboard voice on at all. To activate the Keyboard pull-down menu: 1. Press CTRL-\ to activate the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel. 2. Press ALT to activate the menu bar. 3. Press 'K' to pull down the Keyboard menu. 4. Select the desired item by moving to it with the DOWN ARROW key and pressing ENTER to choose it, or choose it by pressing the appropriate shortcut key. Voicing the Special Keys For purposes of using Window-Eyes, think of keys on your keyboard other than letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and the BACKSPACE key as special keys. The next Keyboard menu item lets you determine whether Window-Eyes should voice the names of the special keys as you press them, as follows: S = Special Keys Choosing this item activates a branching submenu with the following items: Function Keys-Default = Off Toggle Keys-Default = On Cursor Movement-Default = Off Key Enhancements-Default = Off ESCAPE Key-Default = Off ENTER Key-Default = Off Enable Both Inserts as Modifier-Default = Off Here is a complete list of the keys included with each of the above menu items. F = Function Keys: all 12 function keys T = Toggle Keys: CAPS LOCK, NUMLOCK, SCROLL LOCK, and INSERT. Note: Window-Eyes does not distinguish between Insert Mode and Overwrite mode, because different application programs handle the INSERT key differently. Since Window-Eyes cannot anticipate the programming of application software, Window-Eyes has been programmed to voice only the name of the key when INSERT is pressed. Window-Eyes does not tell you whether you are in insert or overwrite mode. When CAPS LOCK is on and either SHIFT key is pressed in combination with a letter key, the computer enters a lower-case letter. Since pressing SHIFT when CAPS LOCK is on is such a common error, but potentially a challenge for the speech-access user to detect, we have programmed Window-Eyes to send a tone to the system speaker to alert you that your keystroke may be in error. An unpleasant tone was selected deliberately. If you have a sound card installed in your computer Window-Eyes sends this tone to your sound card rather than sending it to your PC speaker. C = Cursor Movement: ARROW keys, PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN, DELETE, HOME, and END. K = Key Enhancements: left and right SHIFT, ALT, CONTROL, Windows, and Application. For Window-Eyes to fully voice function-key combinations such as SHIFT-F10, both function keys and key enhancements must be set to On. E = ESCAPE: ESCAPE key only. N = ENTER: ENTER key only. Choosing any of these items toggles their corresponding keys Off and On; that is, when you press one of these keys and its above menu item is set to On, Window-Eyes will echo the key by name. When the menu item is set to Off, Window-Eyes does not echo the name of the key. In either case, the effect of the keystroke on your application program is completely unaffected. Note: when you set the keyboard voice to Off, the special keys that you have set to be spoken still speak. Since the computer does not distinguish between the alphanumeric and Numpad-ENTER keys, both are pronounced when pressed. I = Enable Both inserts as Modifier. This option prevents insert mode from toggling when using the dedicated insert key (not the numpad insert key) in a hot key combination. Some applications, like Microsoft Word, do not allow this feature to be enabled while maintaining insert mode functionality. Typing Uppercase Letters Through the following Keyboard menu item, you can determine how Window-Eyes responds to letter keys typed in uppercase, as follows: C = Capitals-Default = Pitch. Choosing this item opens the Select Keyboard Capital Mode dialog box with a list box containing the following choices: * Undefined * Say Cap * Pitch When capitals is set to Pitch, Window-Eyes slightly raises the pitch of its voicing of the uppercase letter. When capitals is set to Undefined, Window-Eyes voices upper- and lower-case keystrokes identically. When capitals is set to Say Cap, Window-Eyes voices the word "cap" before voicing the uppercase letter, as though "cap" were a prefix. Interruptability As we all know, and have said before, the only thing worse than a computer that does not talk is a computer that talks too much. The speech-access user needs to be able to silence speech instantly, and without thought. So Window-Eyes gives you several different ways to silence speech in progress when you work the keyboard. The following Keyboard menu item lets you control this feature, as follows: I = Interruptability-Default = All Keys. Choosing this item opens the Select Interruptability Mode dialog box which displays a list with the following items: * All Keys * Cursor Keys Off * Cursor Keys Only * Control or Alt * Off When Interruptability is set to All Keys, pressing any single key on the keyboard immediately halts speech in progress. When Interruptability is set to Cursor Keys Off, pressing any key on the keyboard, except the four arrow keys, instantly halts speech in progress. This feature is useful if you want to have Interruptability in force when typing but not when reviewing the screen with the ARROW keys. When Interruptability is set to Cursor Keys On, only the ARROW keys halt speech in progress. That is, Interruptability is turned off for all keys except the four ARROW keys. When Interruptability is set to Control or Alt, only the CONTROL or ALT keys halt speech in progress. In other words, Interruptability is turned off for all but CONTROL or ALT. Speech is interrupted when either left or right CONTROL or ALT keys are pressed alone or as a part of a combination keystroke. When Interruptability is set to Off, no keystroke except the Window-Eyes momentary silence key interrupts speech in progress. Keys pressed while speech is in progress have to wait to be voiced until the speech in progress is complete. The momentary silence hot key is Undefined by default. The responsiveness to Interruptability varies from model to model of speech synthesizers. Note: Window-Eyes shares processor time with other applications running under Windows; thus, if another application happens to be hogging processor time with a job such as saving a file to the disk drive at the time you happen to press the Silence hot key or other interrupting keys, you may have to wait momentarily for the other application to complete its work before Window-Eyes actually silences speech in progress. Most always, however, Window-Eyes Interruptability features take effect instantly. Hearing Whole Words as You Type Them Would you prefer that Window-Eyes' keyboard voice echos all your keystrokes, or would you prefer to have your keystrokes held silent until you finish a word and then have whole words spoken right after you type them? This is a matter of personal preference. You can set Window-Eyes to do your bidding on this matter through the next item of the Keyboard menu, as follows: W = Word Mode-Default = Off. Choosing this item displays a dialog with the following options: Off, On and On With Numbers When word mode is set to Off, individual keystrokes are voiced as they are typed. When word mode is set to On, individual letters you type are held in a queue until you press the SPACE BAR, ENTER key, any digit or a punctuation-mark key. Then, the whole word is voiced. When word mode is set to On With Numbers it acts just like the On setting but also queues digits. Note: When word mode is set to "On" or "On With Numbers" Interruptability is disabled for the SHIFT and ENTER keys and for letters and numbers. This option can also be adjusted with the Word Mode Rotor hot key (undefined by default). Hot keys will be discussed in Section 8 and Appendix A. Selecting a Keyboard Layout Sometimes, when using a laptop, some of the Window-Eyes hot keys can be difficult to perform. Similarly, you may be used to the Vocal-Eyes layout, and may want your Window-Eyes hot keys to resemble the Vocal-Eyes hot keys. Rather than editing the entire list of hot keys to suit your preference, you can choose between three keyboard layouts from the keyboard menu. K = Keyboard Layout Selecting this option from the keyboard menu will present you with three choices: D = Default Layout L = Laptop Layout V = Vocal-Eyes Layout For information on how the default layout is assembled, check out Appendix A.3. For information on how the laptop layout is assembled, check out Appendix A.4. Finally, for information on how the Vocal-Eyes layout is assembled, check out Appendix A.5. 6.8: The Rest of the Mouse Voice Only a few items on the mouse menu differ from those on the keyboard menu. Again, the first five menu items of the three voices work identically, except that when you set the Mouse voice to Off, you affect only mouse-pointer movement, pointer identification, and mouse clicks by the physical mouse. Window-Eyes mouse-movement hot keys still speak normally. Access these items in the same way you accessed them for the Screen and Keyboard menus-either through the Global Mouse menu for affecting the mouse voice for all your SET files that have Global Settings set to Voice Only or Voice and Verbosity or at the Mouse menu of the main menu bar for affecting the mouse voice in the current SET file only. The Mouse Boundary Once you have set your preferences for the rate, pitch, tone, and volume of the mouse voice, you can move on to the rest of the Mouse menu, starting with a Window-Eyes' feature that lets you restrict mouse pointer movement when you are using the mouse hot keys, as follows: Y = Mouse Boundary-Default = Active Window Choosing this item opens the Select Mouse Boundary Mode dialog box with a list box which contains the following four items: * Full Screen * Active Window * Focused Window * User Window The four settings work as follows: Full Screen This setting places no restrictions on the mouse hot keys; they can be used to move the pointer anywhere on the screen. Active Window This setting restricts mouse pointer movement by hot keys to the contents of the active window. Any background applications which may be displayed on the screen will be out of range. The mouse pointer will not leave the active window. Focused Window This setting restricts mouse pointer movement by hot keys to the contents of the focused window. This may be a very small area like a button or a very large area such as an entire application window. The mouse hot keys cannot move the mouse pointer in areas within the active window but outside the focused window. User Window This setting restricts mouse pointer movement to the area defined as the current Window-Eyes user window. User Windows are fully discussed in Section 12. By default, user windows are the size of the active window and so these two options are exactly the same. If you define a user window to be a smaller portion of the active window, however, such as one column of text or only the lower portion of the active window, the hot keys used to move the pointer will not allow it to move outside your user window. Remember that these settings affect only mouse movement hot keys. Movement of the physical mouse and the find feature are not restricted to these boundaries. This menu item is identical to the function of the Mouse Boundary Rotor hot key, CTRL-SHIFT-B, described in Section 10.6. Mouse Buttons Through the next item of the Mouse Menu, you can determine whether the mouse buttons or hot keys which serve as mouse buttons speak when pressed, as follows: B = Mouse Buttons-Default = On. When this item is set to On, Window-Eyes announces the name of the mouse button when it is pressed or when the hot key to click or double-click the button is pressed. When this item is set to Off, the button name is not announced for the physical mouse. Window-Eyes will, however, continue to announce the click and double click hot keys. Adjusting the Distance for Mouse Movement When you move the mouse pointer by pressing one of the Window-Eyes mouse-movement hot keys just one time, you move the mouse pointer a specified number of pixels. That number is set with the following Mouse menu items: U = Pointer Up Delta D = Pointer Down Delta L = Pointer Left Delta G = Pointer Right Delta As explained in Section 10, the mouse pointer can be moved by pressing any of the four hot keys for the four directions. These four keys are defined as CTRL-SHIFT-NUMPAD-UP ARROW, CTRL-SHIFT-NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW, CTRL-SHIFT-NUMPAD-LEFT ARROW, and CTRL-SHIFT-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW. These four Pointer Delta items on the mouse menu determine how far the mouse pointer can move in each of the four directions when any of the hot keys are pressed. The Delta value for each of these directions is set to a value of five by default. This means that the mouse pointer will move five pixels in the specified direction each time the hot key is pressed. Experiment with these settings by first pressing your mouse position hot key (CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-+) to find out where your mouse pointer is, then pressing one of the CTRL-SHIFT-NUMPAD-ARROW keys then pressing the Mouse Position hot key again to see that the pointer has moved five pixels. The values you prefer for these four settings will depend largely on how you and your application use the mouse pointer. If you primarily use the mouse to read the screen, large values that allow you to move the pointer quickly might be preferable. If, on the other hand, you prefer a higher degree of control over the movement of the mouse pointer, you may prefer smaller values. You can set the value for each of these items from 1 to 99 pixels. Describing the Pointer As the mouse pointer changes function, it also changes shape. For example, the pointer often becomes an hourglass to let you know that you should wait for the system to perform a task. It may be useful to have these changes announced, or it may simply be extra verbiage you would like to eliminate. So, Window-Eyes gives you the option, through this next item of the Mouse menu, as follows: N = Pointer Identification-Default = Delayed. Choosing this item opens the Mouse Pointer Identification dialog box with a list box containing the following items: * Off * On * Delayed * Dictionary Only * Delayed Dictionary Only When Pointer Identification is set to Off, Window-Eyes does not announce pointer changes. When Pointer Identification is set to On, Window-Eyes announces pointer changes immediately. When Pointer Identification is set to Delayed, Window-Eyes does not announce pointer changes which last less than one-half second. If the application flashes an hour glass on the screen only briefly, Window-Eyes does not mention the change. This is useful in eliminating unwanted chatter while allowing Window-Eyes to alert you to significant pointer changes. When Pointer Identification is set to Dictionary Only, Window-Eyes will announce, with no delay, only those pointers that have been defined and saved in the appropriate location. When Pointer Identification is set to Delayed Dictionary Only, Window-Eyes will only announce those pointers that have been defined and saved in the appropriate location, and will not announce pointer changes which last less than one-half second. Note that this feature is only available in Windows 9X/Me. Interrupting Speech in Progress Through the next item on the Mouse menu, you can determine which mouse activities will interrupt speech in progress, as follows: I = Interruptability-Default = Move or Click Buttons. Choosing this item opens the Select Interruptability Mode dialog box with a list box containing the following items: * Move * Click Buttons * Move or Click Buttons * Off When Interruptability is set to Off, no mouse activity interrupts speech in progress. Text on the screen which is passed over by the mouse pointer has to wait to be voiced until the speech in progress is complete. When Interruptability is set to Move, pointer movement interrupts speech. This applies to movement by means of both the physical mouse and Window-Eyes hot keys. When Interruptability is set to Click Buttons, buttons on the physical mouse or the Window-Eyes hot keys that emulate mouse buttons interrupt speech. When Interruptability is set to Move or Click Buttons, any movement of the mouse pointer or any click of a mouse button, either on the physical mouse or a hot key, interrupts speech. The responsiveness to Interruptability varies from model to model of speech synthesizers. Automatic Tracking of Focus with the Mouse Through the next item of the Mouse menu you can set the mouse pointer to move when focus changes. As you type, the mouse stays with the cursor. As you move focus from control to control, the mouse pointer moves with you. This setting is made as follows: K = Track Mouse with Focus-Default = Off. Note: the mouse will not track menu options. This was blocked on purpose since the presence of the mouse on a pull down menu option causes the menu to automatically be opened. Reading Characters, Words, or Lines with Vertical Mouse Movement When you move the mouse up and down by using the Numpad-Up and Down Arrow keys, Window-Eyes can read either the character the mouse pointer lands on, or the word or line. You set this up through the next item of the Mouse menu, as follows: S = Up Down Speak-Default = Line. Choosing this item opens Select Mouse Up Down Speak Mode dialog box with a list that contains the following items: * Character * Word * Line You can also change this setting functionally and in the menu item with the Mouse Up Down Speak hot key, which is ALT-NUMPAD-CENTER. The settings on this hot key work exactly like the settings in the menu item. When this item is set to Character or Word, and the mouse lands at a place on the new line that does not contain a character or a word, Window-Eyes beeps. When this item is set to Line, and the mouse pointer passes a blank line, Window-Eyes says "Blank." If it crosses several lines, Window-Eyes only says "Blank" at the first blank line it encounters. Searching for New Attributes You can search for the next or previous change in attributes with the Attribute Prior and the Attribute Next hot keys. A = Attribute Search Selection Selecting this item opens the Attribute Search Selection dialog box containing the following check boxes: * Underlined * Bold * Highlighted * Italic * Strikeout All of these check boxes are unchecked by default. Check boxes were used for controlling this Window-Eyes feature so that you can use any, some, all, or none of them in using the mouse to search for the next or previous attribute change. You can move up or down from check box to check box with arrow keys and check or uncheck them by pressing the SPACE BAR or by pointing and clicking with the mouse. The ENTER key presses the OK button, closes the dialog, and deactivates the menu bar. ESC presses the CANCEL button, closes the dialog, and deactivates the menu bar. This feature is especially useful for finding hypertext links. Use it to select the attribute or attributes used by your application to denote links, such as underlined text. If the mouse pointer is located within the Window-Eyes Mouse Boundary, Next and Prior hot keys (both undefined by default) move it to the next attribute within the mouse boundary. If the mouse pointer is outside the Mouse Boundary, the search for the next attribute begins at the top left of the area within the Mouse Boundary. CTRL-SHIFT-B rotors through available settings of the Mouse Boundary. H = Specify Mouse Highlight Window. This option pops up a dialog that allows you to specify a highlight window that the Route to Specified Highlight hot key will use to route the mouse. This option is discussed in more detail in Section 8.9. SECTION SEVEN Speech Environments This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides information on Window-Eyes speech environments. In the overview of the Voice Control Panel, all discussion of the File menu was deferred to this Section for the sake of brevity and (we hope) clarity. 7.1: The Basics As previously discussed, Window-Eyes speaking environments are saved in files known as SET files. Any time you make an adjustment to the current speaking environment, you can save the speaking environment to your hard disk as a SET file. The only limit to the number of SET files you can save is the limit of your disk's ability to store data. You can of course retrieve SET files. Window-Eyes, too, retrieves SET files for you automatically to save you the labor of thought and keystrokes when new application windows open. Window-Eyes accomplishes this feat by making associations between the names of application windows and its own SET files. Recall from Section 3 of this manual that application windows are opened when you launch application programs. The desktop remains the parent of all other top-level application windows. Application programs in turn open their own child application windows: For example, when you perform a search and replace, your application program opens a child window. Application windows are thus opening and closing frequently in any computing session. Throughout this manual we have referred to Window-Eyes settings in the default speaking environment, which is stored in the SET file WINEYES.000. Window-Eyes default settings were made and saved to WINEYES.000 by GW Micro technicians through just the same procedures described throughout this manual. 7.2: How it Works When you activate the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel (with CTRL-\), in addition to the Window-Eyes program name, two SET file names are given: the name of the active SET file and the name of the associated SET file. The active SET file is always the SET file containing the speaking environment that Window-Eyes is currently using, as suggested by its designation, "active." The associated SET file is the SET file that Window-Eyes has been instructed to look for when the current application window opens. Of course, if Window-Eyes happens to have an association already formed for the application window, then when that window first opens, the names of the active SET file and the associated SET file would be the same, because the associated SET file is the one Window-Eyes just loaded. If there was no association for the active window, Window-Eyes would stay with the SET file for the parent window. It would keep looking upward, if necessary, until it got all the way back to the SET file associated with the desktop. The default association at that level is WINEYES.000. 7.3: Saving SET files Here is an example to demonstrate the method for saving the current speaking environment: 1. Press CTRL-\ to access the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel. 2. Press ALT to activate the menu bar. 3. Press 'F' to pull down the File menu. If you do not wish to change the name of the SET file, press 'S' for Save. Otherwise Press 'A' for Save As. A branching submenu will pull down. Choose SET file. Window-Eyes will open its Save As dialog box with an edit box for you to name the SET file. You can accept the name already given, which will be a new file name based on the current SET file name but slightly different, or you can key in a different name of your liking. You can also tab to a list box immediately below, which contains the names of all SET files. You can move up and down this list with arrow keys to select one to overwrite. Press ENTER. Window-Eyes will open its File Settings dialog box asking if you want to confirm the association. The dialog has two buttons, Yes (the default button), and No. Choose one of these two buttons and press ENTER. No matter whether you have chosen Yes, or No, Window-Eyes will save the SET file, close the dialog, and deactivate the menu bar. If you have chosen Yes, then the next time you start Windows, your new SET file will be the active and associated SET file and would be running as the Window-Eyes speaking environment. If you have chosen No, the SET file would still be saved, but will not be associated. It is recommended here that you use the conventional .00x (where 'x' is a number from 0-9) for the file extension, but you may use any three-character extension you wish. Note: Window-Eyes saves some association information in files with .WE extensions. If you move SET files from an installed copy of Window-Eyes to another computer, you must copy these files as well, or Window-Eyes will not make associations in the next computer. 7.4: Opening SET files Manually The procedure for opening a SET file is fairly straightforward, as indicated by the following example: 1. From any application window, press CTRL-\ to activate the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel. 2. Press ALT to activate the menu bar. 3. Press 'F' to activate the File menu. 4. Press 'O' to activate the Open menu. Window-Eyes will display a pull-down, which lets you choose between SET file and several pronunciation dictionaries. 5. Choose SET file. Window-Eyes will open a dialog box with an edit box where you can type in the name of a known SET file. 6. Press ENTER to load that SET file, close the dialog, and deactivate the menu bar. Just for your information, below the list box is a combo box informing you that SET files is the type of files listed in the list box. If the SET file you have requested is not found, Window-Eyes activates a message box that informs you: Open FILENAME: This file can not be found. Make sure that you have specified the correct path and filename. Press ENTER to select the OK button, then rekey your file name correctly. If you do not know the name of the SET file you want to load, you can tab to the next control in the dialog, which is a list box containing all SET files for the current Window-Eyes user. The active SET file is the focused item in this list, and all SET files are listed in alphabetical order. Simply move up and down with the ARROW keys until you find the set file you want to load, then press ENTER. Why would you want to open a SET file manually? You might find yourself in an application window you have never used before, but one that resembles a situation you are already familiar with that works well with some other SET file. Just open that SET file and save it. Window-Eyes will ask if you want to confirm the association. Select Yes from the dialog. Now, until you change the association, every time this particular application window opens, Window-Eyes will run and get your SET file. In another case, you might make some change to the current SET file and happen to think the same change would be appropriate for some other SET file. Just load it, make the change, and save it. This time, when Window-Eyes prompts for your choice on whether to confirm the association, choose No from the dialog. Now you can manually reload the SET file you were in before you got the brilliant idea to make the adjustment -- and go on with your work. You can also load a SET file with the Load Set hot key (INSERT-L). Hot keys will be discussed in Section 8. 7.5: Supporting Associations The item on the File menu just below Edit Dictionaries provides information about the current application window and offers the option to associate the active set file with the class name of the active window. The menu item works as follows: W = Window Information Choosing this item opens the Module, Window, and Class Information dialog. The dialog consists of three read-only edit boxes as follows: Module Name Here will appear the disk file name that Windows ran in order to open the current application window. Window Name Every application window has a name, which is often displayed in the window's title bar. When an application window opens, Window-Eyes queries it to learn its name and displays it in this read-only edit box. Window-Eyes ignores changes in window name, unless a new module is launched, that is, a new disk file is run by Windows to open a new application window. Class Name Every window has a class name, and there are names for standard windows, such as button, list box, combo box, etc. Custom controls have custom names, made up by the programmer who designed them. The next control in the Module, Windows, and Class Information dialog is a button: A = Associate with Class If the Window name and class name for the current window are the same, or if your SET file has an association with a class name, the Associate with Class button is disabled. If they are different, you can press this button so that the Window-Eyes SET file for accessing the current window will be associated with the class of the window instead of its name. Now every time this application window is opened within the current module, Window-Eyes will know where to go to find and open the associated SET file. Some programs, such as Internet Explorer and Netscape, have a different window name every time they launch, as indicated by their title bar. If you start Internet Explorer with a web address (www.gwmicro.com, for example), its window name will contain the web page's title. Window-Eyes will not have an associated SET file to open because Window-Eyes, by default, associates SET files with window names. 7.6: Keeping Track of Window-Eyes Active Files Thus far in this manual the pronunciation dictionaries have not been discussed in detail, and they will not be discussed in detail here. For that, please refer to Section 16. For now, however, it should be noted that the pronunciation dictionaries Window-Eyes uses to pronounce character names, key-label names, word exceptions, and graphics, are all kept in individual disk files in the WINEYES directory and are loaded automatically by Window-Eyes. But you can load these kinds of dictionaries into Window-Eyes manually and have them associate with SET files when you save them. By this point, you may have noticed items on the File Open menu for opening such dictionaries. You can use the next item of the File menu to find out what files Window-Eyes is running, as follows: V = Active File List Choosing this item opens the Active Files dialog box. This dialog contains one read-only edit box and four list boxes, as follows: * SET file * Character Dictionaries * Exception Dictionaries * Graphic Dictionaries * Key Label Dictionaries. Though only one SET file can be running at a time, several pronunciation dictionaries of each type may be running. Remember that windows can run on top of other windows in a parent-child relationship - the child window running on top of the parent. You can have pronunciation dictionaries especially for child windows in this circumstance, and when the child window opens, Window-Eyes uses the dictionaries for both the parent and the child. This is called the Bubble-Up effect. This is why GW Micro programmers chose list boxes to show the names of active files for each category. Within these list boxes, you can move up and down with arrow keys to find out what pronunciation dictionaries are running and what order they have in the Bubble-Up effect. Choosing OK closes the dialog and deactivates the menu bar. 7.7: Closing Associations If you decide you no longer wish to use a particular SET file with a particular application window, you can clear the association between the window and the SET file in one of two ways. First, you can save the settings under a new name, creating a new association between the active window and the new SET file. The old association will be lost. If you have been using a SET file for several active windows and now wish to change the settings to accommodate something in one of the windows, this is a good approach, since it will not cause Window-Eyes to stop working properly in the other windows. The second method is to go to the File menu in the Voice Control Panel and select Close. Window-Eyes will activate a branching pull-down menu with several items, including SET file and the pronunciation dictionaries. Choosing SET file activates the Settings File dialog box, prompting you to confirm the closing of the association and offering you a default OK and a Cancel button. Choose OK to confirm your desire to close the association. 7.8: Converting Your SET files to Text and Back The Set to Text and Text to Set utilities are located in the Window-Eyes File pull down. The Set to Text utility decompiles a SET file into an ANSI text file that lists all settings and saves it to the WINEYES directory. The Text to Set utility compiles a text file (created with a standard text editor such as Notepad, or with Set to Text) into a Window-Eyes SET file and saves it, also to the WINEYES directory. Choosing Set to Text from the Window-Eyes File menu opens the Decompile dialog box running on top of an inactive read-only edit box titled SET2TEXT. The dialog box consists of: an edit box labeled I = Input File(s), an edit box labeled O = Output File(s), a check box labeled C = Compare SET files, an OK button and a Cancel button. You have only to enter a SET file name with its file extension, without the drive and path name, in the Input File box and the name of the file for its text version in the Output File box. Then press ENTER to choose the OK button. Set to Text does its work and closes the dialog, leaving the read-only edit box containing a message summarizing the work. You can load the ANSI files that Set to Text generates into any word processor or text editor. You can also use Set to Text to compare two SET files. Just type their file names and extensions in the Input File and Output File edit boxes, check the Compare SET files check box by pressing ALT-C, then press ENTER to choose the OK button. Set to text creates a new text file, with the same file name as the output file you just compared. The first character of the file extension will be changed to 'T'. The dialog box closes, leaving you in the SET2TEXT read-only edit box. The box contains a message informing you of the work. You can load this output file into a word processor or text editor, where you will observe items that were set the same in both SET files are not listed. Items that were different are shown as having the value equal to the setting in the output SET file. Text to Set works essentially the same, except that it converts a text version of a SET file into a real SET file that Window-Eyes can run. Text to Set uses the same interface as Set to Text. In Text to Set the Compare SET files check box has been replaced with the Search SET files check box. If you check this check box while compiling a SET file, Text to Set will search the SET file for the options listed in your text file rather than compiling them into your SET file. It will place the results into the read-only edit box once it has finished searching the SET file. For example, if you wanted to see how many of your sets contained the option "Track Mouse with Focus," you would create a text file containing just that option, and place it in the Input File(s) edit box of Text to Set. You would then put the matching criteria of the SET files that you wanted to search for (*.0* to match all sets) in the Output File(s) edit box. Make sure that the search SET files check box is checked, and press ENTER. The dialog will close and you will be presented with a list of SET files that matched the criteria in your text file. Advanced users will want to read Appendix G for all the details. It should be noted by all, however, that the text files used in these two utilities have a specific syntax that needs to be followed. If this syntax is not followed, then you could have problems. Again, refer to Appendix G for more information. 7.9: Changing Synthesizers If you wish to take advantage of Window-Eyes' support for different synthesizers you can use the Select Synthesizer dialog. You can access this dialog from the File menu. Choose the Select Synthesizer option to bring up the Synthesizer Selection dialog. This dialog consists of the following controls with options for specific synthesizers, including a list box containing all synthesizers that Window-Eyes supports: S = Synthesizers P = Ports B = Baud Rate D = Data Bits O = Stop Bits A = Parity F = Flow Control Y = Synthesizer Location M = Miscellaneous E = SAPI Engines U = Use Specified Speech Parameters K = Use As Backup Synthesizer C = Set Speech Parameters To Current L = Command Line Startup In the synthesizer list box, use the arrow keys or type the name of a synthesizer to select it. Some synthesizers do not require any additional information. For these, most other options will be disabled. If you choose an external synthesizer such as the DECtalk Express, you can tab to a list box which allows you to select serial ports one through eight or parallel ports one through four. If you select a serial port you can tab through several combo boxes that allow you to select the baud rate, data bits, stop bits, parity, or flow control. The baud rate box allows you to select the correct baud rate for your synthesizer. The available baud rates differ from synthesizer to synthesizer, but 9600 baud is usually the correct rate. The data bits box allows you to choose between 7 and 8 bits with 8 being the default. The stop bits box allows you to select either 1 or 2 bits with 1 being the default. The parity box allows you to select between none, odd, even, or mark with none being the default. Finally, the flow control box allows you to select between Xon/Xoff, RTS/CTS, or DSR/DTR with RTS/CTS being the default. Window-Eyes ships with several Eloquence languages. Assuming during the installation you installed multiple languages and you are using one of them now but you wish to switch to another language, simply press the Switch Language hot key (undefined by default). When you press this hot key Window-Eyes will remember what language you were using. You can continue to press this hot key until you get to the desired language. When you are ready to switch languages again simply press the Switch Language hot key. You will notice the rotor always starts at the language you previously used. So if you are switching between two languages you can simply hit the hot key once. But if you wish to switch to a third language you will need to continue through the rotor. Some software synthesizers require you to tab to the synthesizer location edit box and fill in the location for the synthesizer. For example, by default, the stand alone DECtalk Access32 synthesizer is located in c:\dec32\gwdec32.exe. Some software synthesizers such as SAPI do not require you to specify a synthesizer location. If you are using a SAPI synthesizer such as Eloquence, Microsoft or ScanSoft RealSpeak, you will need to tab to the SAPI Engine list box. Once in the list box you can arrow up and down to select the desired SAPI speech engine. Some synthesizers such as the DoubleTalk PC and the Internal Apollo synthesizers allow you to specify a base address setting. For most cases you should choose the auto setting to allow Window-Eyes to automatically find the base address of the synthesizer. If Window-Eyes does not talk, then you should manually pick the correct base address. Along with its native drivers Window-Eyes supports the Speech Synthesizer Interface Library (SSIL) created by Arkenstone. If you are using a synthesizer that has an SSIL driver that Window-Eyes does not directly support or if you are using an external synthesizer and you want to use another speech product that uses SSIL such as OpenBook, you may need to use the SSIL driver for Window-Eyes. To do this, choose SSIL for the synthesizer and enter the driver name for your SSIL driver. To make all of this work, you must have the following files in the directories specified. SSILEXE.EXE and SSIL.INI (if required) in your Windows directory which is usually c:\windows. Your SSIL driver and SSIL.DLL in the Window-Eyes directory which is usually c:\wineyes. Window-Eyes provides you with the ability to set up different speech parameters for different synthesizers by using the Use Specified Speech Parameters check box, and the Set Speech Parameters to Current button in conjunction with each other. An example of this feature might be that some DECtalk Access 32 users like using high rates of speech, but prefer slower rates for SAPI. With this option, you can specify different speech parameters for different synthesizers. When you tab to, and select the button labeled Set Speech Parameters to Current, Window-Eyes will immediately take the global speech parameters and save them for the currently selected synthesizer. Note that this button is the only way to save specific speech parameters (volume, tone, pitch, or rate) for a specific synthesizer. Selecting OK or Apply will only save other settings (baud rate, port selections, sapi engines, or any other relevant information) for the selected synthesizer. You can then check the Use Specified Speech Parameters check box to enable this feature for your currently selected synthesizer. You can do this for any number of synthesizers that you are using. If you want to turn this feature off for a specific synthesizer, select that synthesizer, and uncheck the Use Specified Speech Parameters check box. Note that if you do not press the Set Specified Speech Parameters button before checking the Use Specified Speech Parameters check box, there will be no parameters to use for the currently selected synthesizer. You can also specify a backup synthesizer in this dialog. Simply select the synthesizer you would like to use as a backup, tab to the check box labeled Use as Backup Synthesizer, and press your space bar. You can only have one synthesizer checked at a time and Window-Eyes will save this setting with both the Apply and OK buttons. By default SAPI is designated as the backup synthesizer. You can activate the backup synthesizer by holding down either shift key while Window-Eyes is launching. Window-Eyes also offers the ability to be run with a command line parameter to specify which synthesizer to start with. For example, if you wanted to start Window-Eyes using the SAPI synthesizer, you would type the following at a command prompt (assuming Window-Eyes was not already running): wineyes /ssapi Note: You will need to have the Window-Eyes directory in your environment PATH, or be in the Window-Eyes directory before running this command. You can find other synthesizer command line parameters by tabbing to the Command Line Startup read only edit box once you have selected the appropriate synthesizer. The Synthesizer Selection dialog allows you to quickly and easily switch between many synthesizers (assuming that they are installed correctly). Window-Eyes will remember all of the settings that you have chosen for each synthesizer. Once you have picked the correct com port, SSIL driver name, or any other settings Window-Eyes will use these settings the next time you choose this synthesizer. Therefore you will not need to reset them each time you change synthesizers. 7.10: Changing Braille Displays If you wish to take advantage of Window-Eyes' support for different Braille displays you can use the Select Braille Display dialog. You can access this dialog from the File menu. Choose the Select Braille Display option to bring up the Braille Display Selection dialog. This dialog consists of a list box containing all of the Braille displays supported by Window-Eyes as well as another list box containing a number of ports that your display may be able to connect to. Use your UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move through the list of Braille displays. Once you have your installed display selected, press your TAB key. In the Ports list box, you can again use your UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move through the list of ports that your display can be attached to. Make sure you select the port where your display is currently attached. The Braille Display Selection dialog allows you to quickly and easily switch between many displays (assuming that they are installed correctly). Window-Eyes will remember all of the settings that you have chosen for each display. Once you have picked the correct port, Window-Eyes will use these settings the next time you choose this Braille display. Therefore you will not need to reset them each time you change displays. For more information on setting up your Braille display, please consult your display's manual. 7.11: Window-Eyes and Multiple Users Multi-User Information Multi-user information allows Window-Eyes to be customized for multiple users, either on a stand alone machine, or across a network. Each user created with the multi-user feature manages their own Window-Eyes environment (sets, synthesizers, Braille displays, and all local and global settings) apart from other Window-Eyes users. For example, if users Wendy and Stan exist on the same machine/network, and Wendy wants to increase her global rate of speech, she may do so without affecting Stan's global rate of speech. If Stan wants to modify his Word Perfect set files, he may do so without making any changes to Wendy's Word Perfect set files. You can access multi-user information by selecting this option from the File Menu: M = Multi-User Information The multi-user information dialog is laid out in the following manner: M = Allow Multi-User Support-Default = Unchecked This check box allows multi-user support to be enabled (checked) or disabled (unchecked). If this option is enabled, Window-Eyes will look to see who the user is that is currently logged in, and will then search the Window-Eyes list of users for a match. If a match is found, Window-Eyes will load the appropriate environment for that particular user. If the user did not exist as a Window-Eyes user, then Window-Eyes will search its list to see if a user called Unregistered User exists. Unregistered User is a user name that Window-Eyes will recognize as being set up specifically for those users who are not Window-Eyes users. If the user, Unregistered User, is not set up, then the non Window-Eyes user will automatically use the default Window-Eyes environment. Let's examine why this is important. If you have the users Eric and Kenny set up as Window-Eyes users, and the user Stan (who is not set up as a Window-Eyes user) logs into the machine, Window-Eyes needs to know what environment to assign to Stan. If you do not have the Unregistered User set up, then Window-Eyes will assign the default environment for use with Stan. But let's say that Stan begins to wreak havoc to the default environment. The next time a new user logged in, they would be presented with that now corrupted environment. If you have a user called Unregistered User set up, then only that environment would be corrupted. The default environment would still be intact for new users who are not already defined as Window-Eyes users. Note that this information is only applicable for Window-Eyes Professional users under Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows 2003. Users of Windows 9X/ME will always start with the default environment loaded. If you want to switch users under Windows 9X/ME, you will have to do it manually after Window-Eyes loads. You can, however, utilize the Window-Eyes command line support for multi-user information to specify that Window-Eyes launch using a specific user's environment. To perform this function, on a command line type: wineyes /uUserName where UserName is the name of the Window-Eyes user that you want to load when Window-Eyes launches. For example, if you wanted Window-Eyes to launch using the user Wendy, you would type: wineyes /uWendy If the user name contains spaces, you would place the user name in quotes on the command line like this: wineyes /u"Wendy with Fast Speech" L = Allow Non Operating System Users By default, multi-user information will list all of the users that have the ability to log into the machine that Window-Eyes is currently running on. If you wanted to add a user specific to Window-Eyes (not a user that can log onto the machine), you would need to check this check box. Enabling this feature will also activate the Set Active User option also located in the Window-Eyes file menu (this option will be discussed later). Note that this feature is only available for Window-Eyes Professional, and is always enabled for Windows 9X/ME. P = Operating System User Names Window-Eyes will query the operating system for a list of current users who have the ability to log into the machine that Window-Eyes is currently running on, and place that list into this multi-selection list box. This list will also contain a user name called Unregistered User. This user is explained later on in this section. This option is only available in Windows 2000, XP, and 2003. O = Add Selected Operating System Users After you select one or more users from the Operating System User Names multi-selection list box, selecting this button will add those selected users to the Current Window-Eyes User Names multi-selection list box (which is discussed below), and create a default Window-Eyes environment specific to each user. If you have a user name selected in the Add/Update Using Settings From list box (discussed below), and you select this button, the new user will be created using the existing environment from the selected user. For example, if you have the user name Kyle selected in the operating system user names multi-selection list box, then select Stan from the Add/Update Using Settings From list box, then select this button, the user Kyle would be created with a Window-Eyes environment exactly like the one that Stan has set up. E = Non Operating System User Name This feature will only be enabled if you have checked the Allow Non Operating System Users check box, or if you are using Windows 9X/ME. You can use this edit box to create new users specific to Window-Eyes. These users will not have the ability to log into the machine that Window-Eyes is currently running on. In other words, creating users in Window-Eyes does not automatically create a user for Windows. These non operating system users will only be available to Window-Eyes. N = Add Non Operating System User Selecting this button will cause a default Window-Eyes environment to be created for the user name that was entered into the non operating system user name edit box, and the user name will be added to the Current Window-Eyes User Names multi-selection list box which is discussed below. If you have a user name selected in the Add/Update Using Settings From list box (discussed below), and you select this button, the new user will be created using the existing environment from the selected user. For example, if you type the user name Kyle into the non operating system user name edit box, then select Stan from the Add/Update Using Settings From list box, then select this button, the user Kyle would be created with a Window-Eyes environment exactly like the one that Stan has set up. S = Add/Update Using Settings From This list box contains the same users listed in the Current Window-Eyes User Names multi-selection list box. These users are listed for creating new accounts or updating existing users' environments. C = Current Window-Eyes User Names This multi-selection list box contains all of the user names that have been added to the Window-Eyes multi-user system. Each of the users listed have their own Window-Eyes environment separate from the other users listed. R = Remove Selected Users Selecting this button will cause each selected user in the Current Window-Eyes User Names multi-selection list box to be removed from the Window-Eyes multi-user system. When a user is removed, the Window-Eyes environment associated with that user (sets, synthesizer selection, Braille display selection, and all local and global settings) will also be removed. This procedure cannot be reversed. U = Update Selected Users With this button, you have the ability to update one or more users with settings that already exist for another user. For example, say that you have the users Wendy, Stan, and Eric already defined with different Window-Eyes environments. Then the user Eric tells you that he has gotten comfortable with, and would like to use the environment that Stan is using. To accomplish this task, you would select Eric's user name from the Current Window-Eyes User Names multi-selection list box, then select Stan's user name from the Add/Update Using Settings From list box, and then select the Update Selected Users button. The environment that Eric originally had would then be replaced with a copy of Stan's environment. If you wanted to apply Stan's environment to multiple users, you would select those users from the Current Window-Eyes User Names multi-selection list box, and with Stan's user name still selected in the Add/Update Using Settings From list box, select the update button. A = Set Admin Privilege If the user currently logged in (via the Windows login) has administrator privileges, then that user will be able to edit the multi-user information dialog where all of these options are kept. If you have created users who do not have the ability to gain administrator privileges by logging in, and you would like to grant those users the ability to edit the multi-user information dialog, select the users from the Current Window-Eyes User Names multi-selection list box, and then select this button. This will only set administration privileges for Window-Eyes users. Note that if you are logged in under a user that does not have Windows administrator privileges, or if your current Window-Eyes user does not have administrator privileges, you will not be able to edit the multi-user information dialog. The text "WE Admin" will be appended to the user name in the Current Window-Eyes User Names multi-selection list box so that you will be able to tell if a user has admin privileges or not. D = Clear Admin Privilege If you would like to remove Window-Eyes administrator privileges for a Window-Eyes user, or multiple users, you can select those users from the Current Window-Eyes User Names multi-selection list box, and then select this button. B = Enable LBS After Logon I = Disable LBS After Logon In order for these two options to function, the Start Up Type (located in the Window-Eyes File menu) must be set to "before startup." This will cause Window-Eyes to always load at the login screen. These two options then control how Window-Eyes will launch for a specific user once that user has logged in. To enable Window-Eyes to re-launch for the current user, select the Enable LBS After Logon button. To prohibit Window-Eyes from re-launching for the current user, select the Disable LBS After Logon. If Start Up Type is set to something other than "before startup," these two options will not be used. Newly created users automatically default to "LBS After Logon." These options are only available in Windows 2000, XP, and 2003. If you do not want Window-Eyes to load at the logon screen, but you do want Window-Eyes to load for a given user, Startup Type can be set to "after logon (current user)." Setting the Active User It is possible that you would want to change the current user environment to another previously defined environment for any number of reasons. Maybe you are using Window-Eyes in a computer lab, and you are not allowed to log in or out of the computer. If someone had been using Window-Eyes before you, and had made changes to the current environment, you may want to load your own settings instead of using the default. Or imagine that you have one user set up for everyday use, and another user set up for creating or modifying set files. You would want the ability to switch between those users to keep your current set files from being changed. It could be that you are a system administrator, and you want to create a new Window-Eyes user while another user is currently active. You could switch to a user with administrator privileges, create a new user, and switch back to the previous user. You can begin to see the importance of being able to switch between users on the fly. Like most Window-Eyes features, setting the active user is a very easy process (note that this option is only available if you have enabled the Allow Non Operating System Users feature, or if you are using Windows 9X/ME). U = Set Active User Select this option from the Window-Eyes file menu, and you will be presented with the following options: C = Current User This read only edit box displays the Window-Eyes user that is currently active. U = User List This list box displays all of the Window-Eyes users available for use. To set the current user to one of the users listed in this list box, TAB to the list box, arrow up or down to select the user you want to set active, and press ENTER. F = Current Folder This read only edit box displays the location of the Window-Eyes environment for the current user. This folder is located in the Window-Eyes folder, under the users folder (by default C:\WINEYES\USERS). 7.12: Startup Type Startup Type When you are on a computer network, at your place of employment for example, if the login procedure runs under Windows, the login and password prompts would normally come up before Window-Eyes had a chance to load: Therefore the startup protocols would not speak. You can solve this problem with the next item on the File Menu, as follows: R = Startup Type - Default = Off. Choosing this item displays the Select Startup Type dialog, containing a list box with the following options: * Off - Window-Eyes will not start automatically. * Before Startup - Window-Eyes will launch before your network startup protocols to read any login prompt. * After Startup (Current User) - A shortcut to Window-Eyes will be placed in the current user's Startup program group. * After Startup (All Users) - This option is only available under Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows 2003. A shortcut to Window-Eyes will be placed in the "All Users" Startup program group (sometimes known as the common startup). Fast User Switching Windows XP introduces a new feature called Fast User Switching. Fast User Switching allows a user to stay logged in while switching to another user. If you have Fast User Switching turned on in Windows XP, and Before Startup turned on in Window-Eyes, you should be aware of some circumstances that may arise. Take the following scenario for example: When you first turn on the machine in the morning, the friendly log on screen will speak normally; you will be able to log on as any user without any problems. After logging on, Window-Eyes will launch on that user's desktop, and speech will continue normally. If you log out at this point, the friendly log on screen will again speak fine just like it does after a cold boot. You may continue to log in and out as any user with continuous speech with Window-Eyes. If, instead of logging out, you use FUS (Fast User Switching) to switch between users, things will start to get interesting: Window-Eyes will automatically be unloaded from the first user's desktop. This is due to the special way in which the friendly log on screen is handled when it is accessed from the first logged in user. In all other cases from this point on, the friendly log on screen will not speak. When you log in as another user, Window-Eyes will not automatically launch on that user's desktop. If you want to run Window-Eyes after switching to another user by using FUS, then you can use the hot key CTRL-ALT-W to launch Window-Eyes manually. If you FUS to a previously logged in user or log into another user, the situation will be the same as above, meaning the current copy of Window-Eyes (if one is running at the time) will be unloaded and the friendly log on will not speak. But, remember, that you can launch it manually with the CTRL-ALT-W hot key on the desktop after you log in. If you need access to speech during the friendly login, we recommend using Narrator, the voice application that ships with Windows XP. If you have a keyboard that contains the Windows key, you can use that key in conjunction with the U key to initialize Narrator. Although Narrator is not a full fledged screen reader, and is limited in its capabilities, it will provide you with speech during the friendly log in process. To recap, when using FUS, Window-Eyes will be unloaded when you log off or switch users. You will always be able to launch it manually after logging in. But the friendly log on will not speak when you switch away or log out from the first logged in user while other users are still logged in. To boil this down even further, just remember the following: basically, Window-Eyes will never start automatically when more than one user is logged in. It will run, but you'll have to start it manually with CTRL-ALT-W at the desktop after you log in. If you need speech at the friendly log in, use Narrator by pressing Windows-U. 7.13: Editing Dictionaries Window-Eyes allows you to change the way individual characters, entire words and individual keystrokes are pronounced through the character, exception, and key label dictionaries. Selecting the Edit Dictionary option displays a pull down menu allowing you to select one of these three dictionaries. Once selected you can add, remove, or edit entries. Section 16 discusses dictionaries in detail. 7.14: Loading and Reloading Factory SET files During the installation of Window-Eyes you had the opportunity to install SET files for several applications. If you installed Window-Eyes using the quick install, the latest versions of all the application sets were automatically loaded. If you did not use the quick install, you were able to pick and choose which SET files to use. The Select SET file option on the File menu allows you to load different SET files or reload an existing SET file. If you upgrade an application, you may be required to install the corresponding SET file. For example if you were using Word 2000 and later upgrade to Word XP, you will need to install the Word XP SET files. The Word 2000 SET files will not work correctly in Word XP. Or maybe you have been experimenting with a SET file and somehow modified it such that it is no longer usable or a particular feature no longer speaks the way it did prior to your change. If you know what you changed, you can simply reverse the change; but in many cases you may not know or forget what the change was. So it would be simpler to just reload the factory SET file. When you select the Select SET file option, a dialog will be displayed which contains a list box, a read only edit box, and three buttons. The list box displays all the SET files that are available from the factory. Move through the options with UP and DOWN ARROW keys, or type the name of the SET file, to highlight the sets you wish to reload. Pressing the TAB key once will take you to a read only edit box also known as application info. This edit box will display any important information for the selected SET file if needed. You can use your arrow keys to move around this edit box. Press TAB again to select the install option. Install will copy the original factory defaults of the sets you highlighted. Tab once more for the uninstall option. Uninstall will completely remove the sets you have selected. Press TAB again for the cancel option. Cancel will close the dialog without making any changes to your present SET file configuration. Pressing ENTER on the selected option will execute your request. If you wish to copy more than one SET file you will need to repeat the process for each SET file. If you are reloading a SET file, it is a good idea to make sure Window-Eyes does not have that SET file currently loaded. You can make sure by closing down the application the SET file is associated with. This way the new SET file will take effect when you launch the desired application. It may be necessary to convert older set files to the latest set file format. In order to do this, simply select the Convert Sets to Current Format option under the File menu. Pressing ENTER on this option will convert all of the set files located in the current Window-Eyes user's space to the latest set file format. You will want to make sure that you have all applications closed when you perform this task. If you have set files open while you are trying to convert them, then problems may arise. If you convert any set files that deal specifically with Window-Eyes settings, then you'll need to restart Window-Eyes in order for the new set format to work correctly. 7.15: Exiting Window-Eyes You need not exit Window-Eyes before exiting Windows. You can, however, exit Window-Eyes without exiting Windows. After that, your computer will not talk in Windows until the next time you load Window-Eyes. Be sure to save all dictionaries and set files if you have made any changes in them that you want to remain in effect the next time you run Window-Eyes. To exit Window-Eyes without exiting Windows: From the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel Choose the Exit item on the File menu, which is the bottom item on that menu. *Or* From the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel, press ALT-F4, the Windows keystroke for closing the current application window. Window-Eyes will open the Window-Eyes Exit dialog box, informing you that this will shut down Window-Eyes. The dialog contains two buttons, OK and Cancel. The OK button is active. Press ENTER to exit Window-Eyes and remove it from active memory. SECTION EIGHT Introducing Window-Eyes Hot Keys This Section of the Window-Eyes manual explains the use of Window-Eyes hot keys. Section 3.1 of this manual explained that the cursor and the mouse pointer are the two places where your application software and Window-Eyes meet. Technically, they meet in hundreds of places, but functionally, from the viewpoint of the computer user, these two cursors are the most common ways in which you can command Window-Eyes to interact with the application. Later Sections will discuss Window-Eyes' two kinds of user windows, which are also meeting places for your applications and Window-Eyes, and pronunciation dictionaries as well. But in this Section and the next Section, let us concentrate on information from the perspective of the cursor, the mouse pointer, and a third kind of cursor that has thus far been given very little attention: the Window-Eyes WE cursor. 8.1: The Basics Hot keys are keys you can use for two kinds of purposes, again, without your application programs ever knowing you have pressed a single key. The first of these purposes is to gather textual and some graphical information from the display screen. The second is to issue commands directly to Window-Eyes, in cases where a hot key would serve that purpose better than dragging you through the Voice Control Panel's menu bar. Hot keys will not be discussed in the same order in which they are arranged in the Keys list of the Hot Key Definitions dialog because Key order on the menu was arranged for convenience of operation. Key order in this manual, on the other hand, was arranged by topic. Also, this section will defer discussion of most hot keys to places throughout the guide, where their use and meaning are contextually relevant. Appendix A has a complete listing of hot keys and their definitions in the order in which they appear in their list box. Every hot key offered by Window-Eyes can be assigned your choice of keystroke. The default hot key layout described in this manual has been selected to be easy to remember and have little conflicts with the operating system or applications. In order to accomplish this, extensive use of the numeric keypad was required. Although this is the default layout, you can easily change between two other hot key layouts. For example, if you are a Vocal-Eyes user, you may find the Vocal-Eyes layout to be very handy. Or if you are using a laptop which doesn't offer a dedicated numeric keypad, you may want to switch to the laptop layout. Appendix A describes how to switch to these other keyboard layouts and describes the keystrokes used for all three layouts (default, Vocal-Eyes, and laptop). 8.2: How it Works The first trick is knowing where the cursors are located on your display screen, if you like to maintain that mental perspective. Window-Eyes always knows where they are and can so inform you on the demand of a single keystroke. By default, the keystroke for ascertaining the location of the cursor is CTRL-NUMPAD-+. The keystroke for ascertaining the location of the mouse pointer is CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-+. Cursor locations are reported by Window-Eyes in terms of X and Y coordinates. For the Mouse, X being the distance measured in pixels from the left edge of the current mouse boundary and Y being the distance measured in pixels from the top of the current mouse boundary. For the cursor, X is the distance in pixels from the left edge of the application window while Y is the distance in pixels from the top of the application window. Section 3.6 gives a more thorough discussion of this concept. When the mouse is in the top left corner of the display screen, its address or location is X0 Y0 (if the mouse boundary is set to full screen). So when you press CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-+ and Window-Eyes says "X 52 Y 164 mouse full screen," you know that the mouse is fairly near the left edge of the screen and a little less than a third of the way down from the top (if your display is a 800 X 600-pixel display). If the mouse is not on the screen, Window-Eyes beeps when you press CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-+. You should take note that windows come in many different sizes and places in Windows, so the cursor location information might take some getting used to. 8.3: Reading Characters, Words, Lines, Sentences, and Paragraphs Some of the most basic Window-Eyes hot keys are the ones that read information from the perspective of the cursor. While you are composing a document, you may need to leave your computer to attend to other tasks. When you stop typing, your cursor is left at the end of the current line (assuming you left immediately after you stopped typing). When you resume your typing, you may not remember where you are in the document. By using a combination of the CTRL and NUMPAD ARROW keys, you can read various parts of the document without disturbing the application. Pressing CTRL-NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW at your current location will read you the sentence your cursor is located in. CTRL-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW will read the word where your cursor is located. This is assuming that your cursor is in the middle of some text. If you finished typing a sentence at the end of your document, your cursor wouldn't be in the middle of a word, so CTRL-NUMPAD RIGHT ARROW would most likely ding at you in this case. If you are in the middle of some text, Pressing CTRL-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW a second time will spell the current word letter by letter. Pressing CTRL-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW a third time will spell the current word phonetically, using letters in an aeronautic radio style: Alpha for 'A', Bravo for 'B', Charlie for 'C', and so on. Pressing CTRL-NUMPAD-LEFT ARROW will speak the current character. Pressing CTRL-NUMPAD-LEFT ARROW twice will speak the current character phonetically. If no cursor is available while pressing the current line hot key (CTRL-NUMPAD-CENTER), Window-Eyes will execute a speak summary command, providing you with a single keystroke that will always provide some information. All other cursor related hot keys will beep if no cursor is present. All of these hot keys can be performed without moving or disturbing the cursor. The factory default settings for these functions are as follows: Character Prior = Undefined Character = CTRL-NUMPAD-LEFT ARROW Character Next = Undefined Word Prior = Undefined Word = CTRL-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW Word Next = Undefined Line Prior = Undefined Line = CTRL-NUMPAD-CENTER Line Next = Undefined Sentence Prior = Undefined Sentence = CTRL-NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW Sentence Next = Undefined Paragraph Prior = Undefined Paragraph = CTRL-NUMPAD-UP ARROW Paragraph Next = Undefined 8.4: Autodetect Caret Most of the time Window-Eyes will locate and track the cursor correctly. If you discover an application that has a cursor that is elusive to Window-Eyes, there are a few things that you can try. First, look through the options in your application and make sure that the cursor is set to blink. Some applications will not have this option available in which case most of them will use a blinking cursor. If an application uses a cursor that does not blink, Window-Eyes will not be able to detect it. Next, look for options that allow the cursor to be different shapes. Generally, you want to set the cursor to be a line rather than a block, but try both settings if one doesn't work. Finally, you are ready to use the Window-Eyes Autodetect Cursor feature. To engage this feature while the cursor is displayed press the autodetect cursor hot key which is INS-C by default. Window-Eyes will say "determining cursor please wait." If the application is using a system cursor, Window-Eyes will immediately respond with "uses system cursor." If this happens, Window-Eyes is unable to properly track the system cursor in this application and you should contact GW Micro technical support. If the application isn't using a system cursor Window-Eyes will wait for five seconds and then it will either say "cursor found" if it finds a cursor or "no cursor detected" if it doesn't detect a cursor. If a cursor is found, then you are in business. Window-Eyes will automatically save this cursor information and will use it in the future when you use this application. If the cursor is not found, then you should try changing options in the application relating to the cursor and try detecting it again. If you go through all of these options and Window-Eyes is never able to detect the cursor or if it says that it detects the cursor, but it is still unable to track it, you will need to contact technical support to assist you with this problem. 8.5: Reading from the Perspective of the Mouse Pointer In nearly every computing situation, Windows displays a mouse pointer. Since the mouse pointer can move freely to any place on the screen generally without disturbing or acting on anything, Window-Eyes lets you use the mouse pointer to review on-screen information. Complete details of how to use the mouse pointer to review the screen are discussed in Section 10, but a quick overview of some essential hot keys will get you started. Factory settings of the hot keys for reading characters, words, lines, sentences, and paragraphs relative to the mouse pointer are as follows: Character Prior = NUMPAD-LEFT ARROW Character = CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-CENTER Character Next = NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW Word Prior = INS-NUMPAD-LEFT ARROW Word = INS-NUMPAD-CENTER Word Next = INS-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW Line Prior = NUMPAD-UP ARROW Line = NUMPAD-CENTER Line Next = NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW Sentence Prior = INS-NUMPAD-END Sentence = INS-NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW Sentence Next = INS-NUMPAD-PAGE DOWN Paragraph Prior = CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-END Paragraph = CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW Paragraph Next = CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-PAGE DOWN Icon Prior = Undefined Icon = Undefined Icon Next = Undefined As you experiment with these hot keys, you will notice one very big difference between the way the mouse hot keys behave and the way the cursor hot keys behave. If you are in the middle of a paragraph of text, for example, and you press the read next sentence hot key relative to the cursor (undefined by default), Window-Eyes will read the next sentence without moving the cursor. If you press the hot key a second time, you will hear the same sentence read again. Using the mouse hot key, INS-NUMPAD-PAGE DOWN, on the other hand, will allow you to move sentence by sentence through the text on the screen. You may not want, however, to move the mouse pointer any more than you want to move the cursor just to review information on the screen. So Window-Eyes gives you a third cursor, the WE cursor. Press the Mouse WE Cursor-Toggle hot key, NUMPAD-DASH. Now you can use all the mouse hot keys to move this invisible cursor around the screen. Press this same key to restore control to the mouse pointer at any time. WE-cursor mouse movement from the keyboard is identical to mouse pointer movement from the keyboard, but it does not totally double as a mouse pointer: you cannot move it around with the physical mouse, and you cannot click it. Section 10 will explain in detail the power of this screen-review method. 8.6: Assigning Your Own Hot Keys You can assign your own combination keystrokes to Window-Eyes hot keys. This is called defining the hot key. You can define hot keys that were undefined in original SET files, and you can redefine keys that are already defined, to suit your needs or pleasure. Window-Eyes' hot keys are set through the Hot Keys menu of the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel. To access the hot keys menu: 1. Press CTRL-\ to activate the Voice Control Panel. 2. Press ALT to activate the menu bar. 3. Press 'O' to open the Hot Key menu pull down. The Hot Key menu lists five categories, each containing hot keys that relate to a specific task: C = Cursor - For reading in relation to or manipulating the cursor (Sentence, paragraph, word, etc.). M = Mouse - For reading in relation to or manipulating the mouse pointer (Sentence, paragraph, word, etc.). S = MSAA - For navigating web pages (Headings, Lists, Tables, Links, etc.) I = Miscellaneous - For determining characteristics of your current environment (Application title, status line, time and date, etc.) W = User Windows - For reading and manipulating user defined windows (Section 12 details the functions of User Windows). Each menu option displays a dialog containing the following controls: K = Keys List Box - This list box contains all hot key definitions available for the chosen hot key group, and their keystroke assignments. R = Cursor Radio Button - Selecting this radio button will populate the keys list box with all available hot keys for interacting with the cursor. M = Mouse Radio Button - Selecting this radio button will populate the keys list box with all available hot keys for interacting with the mouse pointer. S = MSAA Radio Button - Selecting this radio button will populate the keys list box with all available hot keys for interacting with MSAA. I = Miscellaneous Radio Button - Selecting this radio button will populate the keys list box with all available hot keys for interacting with assorted aspects of your current environment. U = User Windows Radio Button - Selecting this radio button will populate the keys list box with all available hot keys for interacting with user windows. C = Capture Key Button - Selecting this button will cause Window-Eyes to prompt you for a hot key definition for the currently selected item in the keys list box. Once you press your hot key combination, the keys list box will update to indicate the keys you pressed for the currently selected item. D = Undefine Hot Key Button - If the currently selected item in the keys list box has a hot key definition associated with it, selecting this button will replace the hot key definition with the word undefined, indicating that the item has no hot key definition associated with it. OK Button - Selecting this button will close the dialog retaining all of the changes you have made to any of the hot key lists. Cancel Button - Selecting this button will close the dialog dismissing any changes you have made to any of the hot key lists You can access any item on the hot keys list by using arrow keys to move up and down through the list box one item at a time. You can also move more directly to a specific item by hitting the first letter of the item. For example, if you wish to change the key you use to read the previous line, press 'L'. Pressing 'L' a second time would move you to Line, then Line Next, and so on. The problem with pressing the first letter of the option is you may have to hit it several times before you get the option you wish. Because of this, Window-Eyes gives you one final option of moving through the list. You can spell out the option you wish to find. As you start spelling out the entry, Window-Eyes will highlight the first option that matches what you have typed so far. So if you wanted the Line Next hot key, you would just start spelling it out. Window-Eyes will be taking you to different options as you spell, but as soon as you get to the 'N' of Next, Window-Eyes will have found the correct option. If you pause more than one second between keystrokes, Window-Eyes will start the search over starting with the first key press after the one second pause. Once you have located the item you are looking for, you can change its setting. To assign the Field Name hot key to ALT-F, while in the Miscellaneous Hot Key Definitions dialog, for example: 1. Press 'F' to move to the Field Data item. 2. Press 'F' a second time to move to Field Name. Window-Eyes announces that the key is CTRL-SHIFT-N. 3. Press ALT-C to move to the Capture Key button. Window-Eyes will prompt, "Press a key for field name." 4. Press ALT-F to assign the keystroke to the hot key definition. 5. Press ENTER to choose the OK button or ESCAPE to choose the Cancel button. Either will close the dialog and deactivate the menu bar. You can remove a keystroke that is assigned to a hot key by locating it in the list box and pressing ALT-D. After altering the Hot Key Definitions dialog box, you can use the File Save pull-down to save the current SET file to disk, under its current name. Alternatively, you can use the File Save As pull-down to save the SET file to a different name, one supplied automatically by Window-Eyes, or a new name that you make up. 8.7: Handling Duplicate Hot Key Definitions If you attempt to define a combination keystroke to a hot key and that keystroke has previously been defined to some other hot key, Window-Eyes will open its Duplicate Key Definition dialog as a child window to the Hot Key Definitions dialog. This dialog consists of four buttons, as follows: Replace Key Choosing this button undefines the former item, defines the keystroke to the new item, closes the Duplicate Key Definition dialog, and returns you to the Keys list box at the location of the new hot key (where you were when you pressed the duplicate keystroke). Replace and Redefine Key Choosing this button undefines the former hot key, defines the keystroke to the new hot key, closes the Duplicate Key dialog, and returns you to the Keys list box at the location of the former hot key definition-that is, the hot key that had already claimed the duplicate keystroke you just attempted to redefine. Allow Duplicate Key Choosing this button allows you to define a keystroke for both an MSAA action as well as another other action, closes the Allow Duplicate Key dialog, and returns you to the Keys list box at the location of the hot key you are defining. Cancel This is the default button. Choosing this button closes the dialog and reactivates the Hot Key Definitions dialog, returning you to the Keys list box at the location of the same hot key. In short, you can choose Cancel to stay with the former key definition and pick a different keystroke for the new hot key, choose Replace Key to define the keystroke to the new hot key and undefine the former hot key, choose Replace and Redefine Key to define the keystroke to the new hot key and go to the former hot key to define a new keystroke there, or choose Allow Duplicate Key to allow a keystroke to perform two separate actions, depending on whether you are in or out of MSAA mode. Here is an example: You want to define CTRL-TAB to Read Any Window, but when you try to do so, Window-Eyes opens the Duplicate Key Definition dialog box, which informs you that the keystroke is already defined as Frame Next in MSAA. If you choose Cancel, Window-Eyes will take you back to the Read Any Window item of the list box, where you can try a new keystroke such as ALT-SHIFT-W. If that key is not in use, you can go on to exit the dialog and save the SET file. If you choose Replace Key, Window-Eyes will define CTRL-TAB to Read Any Window, undefine Frame Next, close the Duplicate Key Definition dialog, and return you to the Read Any Window hot key-in the Keys list, just as though there had never been a conflict. If you choose Replace and Redefine Key, Window-Eyes will define CTRL-TAB to Read Any Window, set Frame Next to Undefined, close the Duplicate Key Definition dialog, and take you to Frame Next, where you can define a different keystroke, a keystroke such as ALT-SHIFT-W. If you choose Allow Duplicate Key, Window-Eyes will allow CTRL-TAB to be defined for both Frame Next and Read Any Window. This option is available due to the fact that Window-Eyes treats hot keys differently when in MSAA mode (i.e. while on a web page in Internet Explorer). Out of MSAA, Window-Eyes would cause CTRL-TAB to perform the Read Any Window command. The CTRL-\ key combination for displaying the Voice Control Panel is nothing more than a Window-Eyes hot key. If you find the CTRL-\ inconvenient to locate and press, you can change it as you would change any other hot key. 8.8: Which Keys Work All the keys discussed so far have been letter keys enhanced by CTRL, ALT, or SHIFT keys. To further increase the possibilities, try using the INSERT key on the numeric keypad as a key enhancement. INS-G or INS-NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW might be useful combinations. You could try CTRL-ALT-SHIFT-INS-F3 if you had enough fingers. If you have a 104-key keyboard, you can also use the Windows or the Application keys as key enhancements. And you do not have to confine yourself to letter keys. You can use numeric keys and function keys as well. Generally, do not assign the alphanumeric keys needed for routine keyboarding. If you decide to assign a hot key function to the letter 'E' for example, each time you press 'E', Window-Eyes will use it as a hot key instead of passing it to your application program so it can type the 'E'. GW Micro programmers left it possible for you to assign these keys, however, because in some programs typing is not done, un-enhanced alphabet and number keys may prove useful as hot keys. One exception would be to define these keys while in MSAA mode, which is discussed in Appendix E. NUMLOCK must be on for Numpad to produce numbers, or off for the Numpad to function as arrow keys. NUMLOCK being off or on also affects these keys when they are enhanced with SHIFT, ALT, etc., as well. 8.9: Reading Parts of a Window You can read the entire display screen at any time, though you may seldom if ever wish to do so. More often, you will want to read everything in the active window, for example, when acquainting yourself with a new application window. Even more often you will want to look at individual parts of a window. Here are some examples of Window-Eyes hot keys for accomplishing these kinds of tasks: Entire Screen = Undefined Active Window = CTRL-SHIFT-W Title/Status = CTRL-SHIFT-T Status Line = CTRL-INS-S Menu Bar = Undefined Speak Summary = CTRL-SHIFT-S Highlighted Block = CTRL-SHIFT-M Line = CTRL-NUMPAD-CENTER The Title/Status hot key reads the title bar for the current focused window (assuming a title exists) and then the current title bar for the active window (assuming a title exists). This key also tells you if the window is minimized, maximized, or normalized. If no active title bar exists, then Window-Eyes will speak, "No active application." Note: you can try different hot keys to exit this state, such as ALT-TAB, or CTRL-\, then ESC. The Status Line hot key reads the status window of the current application if the application has such a window programmed correctly. If there is no such window, Window-Eyes will read the last line of the application which usually is a status line. The Menu Bar hot key will read all the options of the menu bar for the current application. The Speak Summary hot key reads the focused control, such as the active item of a menu bar or a list box, the active button, the text in an edit box, etc. Pressing this key a second time spells the text; a third time spells phonetically. The Highlighted Block hot key reads a block of text that you have marked from the keyboard or by clicking and dragging the mouse pointer across text. The Line (cursor) hot key will read the line at the cursor, or if no cursor is available, will perform a speak summary command. Accessing your Word Processor's Spell Checker Most spell checkers within word processors present an access challenge: they open a new window for a spell checker dialog box as a child window of the editor. Then they deactivate the editor, although managing to highlight suspect words, one at a time. But how to identify the suspect word and read it in context of the sentence containing it is the challenge. So Window-Eyes has been fitted with a Route to Specified Highlight hot key. The first time you use this hot key, you will have to go through just a few tedious steps to set it up. But from then on, you can simply use the key to route the mouse pointer to the highlighted suspect word and then use the mouse-reading hot keys to read suspect words in context. This setup has already been done for you with the popular word processors such as WORD and Word Perfect. If you wish to set up an application not already configured, do the following. To set up the Route to Specified Highlight Hot key: 1. Open a new document window in Word Perfect or other word processor whose spell checker highlights suspect words. 2. Type one word into the new document and deliberately misspell it. 3. Run the spell checker. The misspelled word will be highlighted. 4. Press CTRL-SHIFT-F to open the Window-Eyes Find dialog. 5. Key the suspect word, exactly as you have misspelled it. 6. Tab to the radio buttons for where to search and choose full screen. 7. Press ENTER. Window-Eyes closes the dialog and routes the mouse pointer to the highlighted word. Now it is time to help Window-Eyes specify the highlight window as the window it will look for when you use the Route to Specified Highlight hot key in the future. So continue the process as follows: Press CTRL-\ to open the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel. 1. Press ALT-M to choose the Mouse pull-down menu. 2. Choose H = Mouse Specify Highlight Window, the bottom item on this pull-down. Window-Eyes will display its Specify Highlight Window dialog, which only lets you respond Yes, No or Cancel to the question, "Set the Window under the Mouse as the Search Window?" 3. Yes is the default button, so just press ENTER to choose it. Window-Eyes will close the dialog and deactivate the menu bar. Now it is time to define a hot key that will always route the mouse pointer to this highlight window any time it is open and you press the hot key: 1. Press ALT-O to open the Window-Eyes Hot Keys menu. 2. Press M for mouse. 3. Type "ROUTE T" to select Route to Specified Highlight. 4. Press ALT-C to capture a keystroke to define to this hot key. How about ALT-CTRL-S? 5. Press ENTER to close the dialog and deactivate the menu bar. 6. Press ALT-F to activate the File pull-down. 7. Choose Save. 8. Choose SET File. 9. Press ESCAPE to close the Voice Control Panel. 10. Try your new hot key. Once you learn about Hyperactive Windows (Section 14), you will see how all of this can be done automatically. The mouse can be instructed to move to the highlighted word automatically whenever it changes. 8.10: Identifying the Mouse Pointer The shape of the mouse pointer reflects its function. Sometimes it is an arrow for pointing and clicking. At other times it is a two-headed arrow for dragging edges of windows to resize them. At still other times it is an I-beam, which is a good shape for visual-access users when lining the mouse pointer up with text to be marked. You may seldom want to be informed of the shape of the mouse pointer, but when you do, press the Describe Pointer hot key, undefined by default. Section 16 of this manual tells you how to change the name of any of the mouse pointer shapes. The default names, however, are as follows: arrow cross I beam icon size size northeast southwest size north south size northwest southeast size west east up arrow hourglass app starting no size all help If Window-Eyes encounters a pointer it can't identify, it says Pointer XXX undefined. Note that this feature is only available in Windows 9X/Me. 8.11: The Redraw Hot Key Sometimes application programs draw text on top of other text, covering it up to the eye. But Window-Eyes can still detect the covered-up text and occasionally tries to read it. To avoid these occurrences, Window-Eyes itself redraws portions of the display screen when it detects these kinds of changes, which is rarely noticeable to the eye. Because some text on the display screen is nearly always in motion relative to some other text, it can go undetected by any screen reading program. So Window-Eyes has been fitted with a Redraw hot key, INS-BACKSLASH in factory-supplied SET files. Use the Redraw hot key any time Window-Eyes is either not reading text you know should be displayed or it is reading text in some strange order. The Redraw hot key also initializes your voice synthesizer. Initializing your voice synthesizer can also be accomplished by selecting the Initialize Synthesizer option from the General menu. The location for the Redraw hot key may be considered inconvenient to use by some, but it was chosen to keep the hot key out of the way from everyday use because you should rarely need it. Occasionally, automatic screen redrawing by Window-Eyes can be visible and can actually interfere with an application program's screen activity. This option is on by default. You can prevent automatic redraws by going to the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel and activating the General pull-down menu and choosing Allow Auto Redraw. This menu item is an off/on toggle; The default setting is On. This option is automatically saved when you change it from the general menu so you need not worry about saving it. 8.12: The Bypass Hot Key If you want to assign to Window-Eyes a combination keystroke that your application program uses, you can do so without causing a conflict. You just have to use the Window-Eyes Bypass hot key (INS-B). Pressing this key tells Window-Eyes to ignore your next keystroke, even if it happens to be a Window-Eyes hot key. For example, let us say you want CTRL-C to be the hot key for voicing the current character, but your application program uses that key as its block copy key, a Windows convention. Go ahead and assign it as the Window-Eyes hot key, and when you want to use it to copy a block of text, just press INS-B before you press CTRL-C. You could find some other key to use to read the current character or even relocate the copy key if your application program lets you do this. But it would probably be a better idea to acquire the bypass habit from the beginning, even if this seems somewhat annoying at first. By using the Bypass hot key, you leave every key available as a hot key and can feel free to assign as many hot keys as you would like. Trying to avoid bypassing by continually looking for unused application-program keys to assign as hot keys gives you much more to memorize since you may quickly run out of mnemonics. On the other hand, the Windows operating system, and especially the 104-key keyboard, allow many more combination keystrokes to be defined. 8.13: Reading User and Hyperactive Windows Twenty hot keys are available for reading the first twenty Window-Eyes user windows. Pressing the hot key assigned to User Window 0 would read all information in that user window. If a window is set to coordinates which make it smaller than the dimensions of the active window in the current application and the hot key assigned to that window is pressed, information outside the user window is not read. ALT-0 through ALT-9 will read the first ten user windows. For example, ALT-0 reads window 0 and ALT-9 reads window 9. The hot keys for windows 10 through 19 are undefined. The Any Window hot key lets you read any user or hyperactive window. This key is not defined by default. This hot key activates a prompt for the number of the user window or letter for the hyperactive window you want to read. Enter the number or letter and press ENTER. Window-Eyes will immediately read the corresponding window. 8.14: Reading Text Up To and After the Caret Sometimes it is useful to know not just where the cursor is on the screen, but where and what information is on the screen above, below, to the left, and to the right of the cursor. Four Window-Eyes hot keys are available for reading screen information relative to the cursor, restricted to the current User Window. You can find the four keys quickly in the Keys list box of the Cursor Hot Key Definitions dialog box by pressing 'T' which will take you directly to Top to Cursor. The other three keys - Cursor to Bottom, Left to Cursor, and Cursor to Right - follow immediately below. Combination keystrokes have not been assigned to these hot keys, but you might consider assigning the ALT-ARROW keys. The Top to Cursor hot key reads all information from the top-left corner of the current user window through the character immediately preceding the cursor. The Cursor to Bottom hot key reads all information from the cursor location through the bottom-right corner of the current user window. The Left to Cursor hot key reads only the text in the line containing the cursor, from the left edge of the current user window through the character containing the cursor. The Cursor to Right hot key reads only the text in the line containing the cursor, from the cursor location through the right edge of the current user window. You can read text relative to the mouse pointer in the same manner by using the Top to Mouse (ALT-INS-NUMPAD-UP ARROW), Mouse to Bottom (ALT-INS-NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW), Left to Mouse (ALT-INS-NUMPAD-LEFT ARROW), and Mouse to Right (ALT-INS-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW) hot keys. Reading from these four hot keys is restricted to the Mouse Boundary, which you can set by going through the Mouse Boundary rotor or the CTRL-SHIFT-B combination keystroke. The mouse hot keys are located in the Mouse Hot Key Definitions dialog box. 8.15: Reading a Full Document Nonstop Window-Eyes lets you start with the cursor at any point in a document and read the document from that point forward, all the way to its end or until you press the ESCAPE key. This task is accomplished by pressing the Read to End hot key, CTRL-SHIFT-R by default, defined in the Miscellaneous Hot Key Definition dialog box. When you press this hot key, Window-Eyes reads the current line of the document and then automatically issues a DOWN-ARROW command to your application program. This process is repeated until the document runs out of new lines to move down to. The cursor will visually run several lines ahead of the reading. You can also use the RIGHT ARROW to jump forward a line or the LEFT ARROW to jump backward a line while in Read to End. It should also be noted that the line prior/next feature will only work if you are using a synthesizer that supports indexing. This feature is useful not only for reading whole documents without having to work the keyboard, but it is also a handy editing tool. You can get Read to End going, keep a finger near the ESCAPE key, and press it to suspend the Read to End feature on the line where you want to correct an error or make some revision. You can also use the CONTROL key to silence the reading but the cursor will keep moving downward at a fast clip, until you press the CONTROL a second time. Then the Read to End service will pick up again. This feature is useful if you wish to skip some text from time to time. Does the Read to End hot key contradict our definition of hot keys as keys which only operate Window-Eyes and do not affect the application program? Functionally, yes, in that when you issue this hot key, Window-Eyes does command your application program to scroll its text. When you halt the Read to End hot key, your cursor is not in the place it was before you issued the command. But, in reality, it is not the pressing of this key that affects the operation of your application program. It is Window-Eyes itself that does this, running its own mini-program to issue repeated keystrokes after the reading of each line-in response to your using the hot key. The application still never sees the key press. 8.16: Reading Nonstandard Controls In Section 3.6 the concept of custom controls that Windows application programmers frequently use to meet program needs was introduced in the context of dialog boxes. Because Window-Eyes often cannot see text in custom controls, it needs your help via the Reclass hot key, which is INS-R, which is defined in the Miscellaneous Hot Key Definition dialog box. As you are tabbing through a dialog box and hear Window-Eyes announce, "Custom Control," and the control itself does not speak interactively, or if you are scanning the screen with the mouse, and you hear the same "Custom Control," you will know it is time to get out the Window-Eyes Reclass hot key. To the visual-access user, a custom control may look just like a list box or a button, for example, but the speech-access user may have no way to know what it looks like or how it functions. Thus some experimenting may be required. Pressing the Reclass hot key (INS-R) opens the Reclass dialog box, which contains three buttons: Focus Window, Mouse Window, and Cancel. If you hit enter on the Focus Window button, the reclass will take place for the currently focused item. If you choose the Mouse Window button, Window-Eyes will reclass the window underneath the mouse pointer. Choosing Cancel will cancel the operation. Note that if the mouse and the focus window are one in the same, the Focus Window dialog will automatically be presented. After choosing the appropriate button, you will be presented with a dialog of the following controls: A list box (Classes) with the following items, Original Class Dialog Property Sheet Menu Multi Document Window M D I Client M D I Frame Button Check Box Combo Box Edit Box Group Box Icon Text List Box Radio Button Scroll Bar Static Box Tab Control Track Bar List View Tree View Hot Key Field Rich Edit Animation Up Down Control, a read only edit box titled Original Class, which includes the current class name of the control that you have selected to reclass, a read only edit box titled Window Style, which includes the style bits of the control that you have selected to reclass, a check box labeled Include Style with Class, which, when checked, will allow the reclass to exist for both the window class name and style, an OK button, and a Cancel button. The title of this dialog will also display the type of window you have chosen to reclass (Focus Window, or Mouse Window). When you are reclassing a control that has not already been reclassed, you will hear Window-Eyes announce whether you are reclassing a custom control or an MSAA control. Although MSAA controls can send Window-Eyes information, sometimes reclassing will provide even more information. For example, in the Word file open dialog, the list view will sometimes speak garbage, or erratic entries, even though it is an MSAA control. Reclassing it to a list view will allow Window-Eyes to provide more information such as correct entries, index information, and more. When programmers write custom controls into their programs, they make up names for them, which are called class names. These class names tend to resemble the function of the custom control. For example, a custom control that works like a button in a first-aid program might be called a FA-BTN. Window-Eyes can find and report to you the class name and style for a given custom control. Just TAB to the Original Class read-only edit box. The class name might not sound much like audible English, but you can reread it when you get there by pressing the Speak Summary hot key CTRL-SHIFT-S. You can also use the LEFT and RIGHT ARROW keys to move the cursor through the edit box to read one character at a time. Now, hopefully equipped with a clue as to how the custom control may work, use UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move through the list box until you find a reclassification that should work. Choose it and then try the custom control to see if it does in fact speak interactively. If not, you may simply have to use trial and error until you find the appropriate reclassification-there almost always is one. Sometimes applications programmers use the same class name to represent two different types of controls. For example, a programmer might use the class name "myclass" to represent both a button and a check box. To solve this problem Window-Eyes allows you to include the window style in the reclassification definition. In the Reclass dialog box, just TAB until you come to the Include Window Style with Class check box and check it. You do not have to save the SET file for Window-Eyes to retain the new information; Window-Eyes saves it for you automatically in its .WE file. Does Window-Eyes actually alter your application software to make custom controls compatible with Window-Eyes? No, Window-Eyes never alters the programming of your application software. What Window-Eyes does when you invoke the Reclass feature is merely change how Window-Eyes looks at and handles the custom control. You cannot experiment with the Reclass hot key until you happen across a custom control; standard controls cannot be reclassed. If you attempt to do so, Window-Eyes will give you an error message telling you, "Unable to reclass standard X," where X is equal to the control type that you are attempting to reclass. Unfortunately, not all custom controls can be reclassified and made to speak interactively, though most can. If you should encounter this situation, use the original-class item in the Reclass dialog box. If that happens, and you find it difficult to work your way back through the extraneous speech, you can open the .WE file and look for a section titled "Reclass on Create" and delete the reclassification from the file. Do not attempt this unless you have already developed reliable skills with editing a file and saving it. Even then, keep a backup copy of the .WE file until you make sure your work is correct. GW Micro technicians have tested Window-Eyes extensively and have written SET files and .WE files with many reclassifications done for you, but if you do encounter a control that you cannot reclassify successfully, please contact us and report it. 8.17: Reading the System Tray Windows has an area on the right side of the task bar known as the system tray, also called sys tray. This area is used by applications such as the volume control. These applications are not accessible from the task bar or the ALT-TAB list. Under Windows 95 or 98, there is no keyboard access provided by the operating system for the sys tray, while Windows Me (Millennium), Windows 2000, and Windows XP/2003 do allow you to TAB to the sys tray and ARROW LEFT and RIGHT through its contents. To solve the lack of sys tray keyboard support in 95 and 98, Window-Eyes has the Sys Tray hot key which is INS-S in the default layout (Note that this hot key is also available for use in Windows Me, 2000, XP, and 2003). When you press this hot key, Window-Eyes will say "scanning system tray." Once the scan is complete, Window-Eyes will put a dialog on the screen. This dialog consists of a list box which contains the tool tips for the items in your sys tray, four action buttons (for single/double, left/right clicking), and a cancel button. Applications must display a tool tip when the mouse is moved over their icons in order for them to be present in the list box of applications. Applications that don't do this are rare so Window-Eyes should catch all of the applications in your sys tray. You can use the arrow keys or the first letters of application tool tips to move through the list box. When you find an application that you wish to work with you can either single or double click the left or right mouse buttons on its icon. Generally you should choose the single right click button to bring up a context menu for the selected application. If you wish to execute the selected application you should select the double click left button. If you wish to abort the sys tray dialog, press the cancel button. Using this dialog will provide you with comprehensive access to the sys tray which will give you access to many applications on your system that are not accessible via the task bar, ALT-TAB list, or any other means. 8.18: Time and Date When you press the Time/Date hot key, which is INS-T in the default layout, Window-Eyes will speak the current time and date. The time and date used are retrieved from your computer system. It is important that your computer clock be set correctly in order for Window-Eyes to read the correct time and date. Window-Eyes honors different date formats. For example, if your date format is set to month/day/year, Window-Eyes might say, "February 6 2003." If your date format is set to be day/month/year, Window-Eyes might say, "6 February 2003." Window-Eyes also honors the 24 hour time format. 8.19: Field Name and Data As you tab between different controls Window-Eyes reads you the type of control (list box, button, etc.) that you have tabbed to. It will also try and read what is termed as field name and field data. The field data is simply the option in the current control. For example, in a list box, the field data is all the options in the list box. In a check box the field data is the state of the check box, checked or unchecked. In an edit box the field data is all the text in the edit box. If you wish to hear the field data spoken on command you can press the Field Data hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-D). The field name for a control is the text that is usually placed to the left or above the current control. For example, if you are in the file name edit box of an open dialog, the field name may be "File Name." If you wish to hear the field name spoken on command, you can press the Field Name hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-N). Window-Eyes can always determine what the field data is but it must guess what the field name is for the current control. As stated above, usually the field name is to the left or above the current control. But the application developers can place the field name any where they want. Window-Eyes may get confused and read the wrong information for the field name. Or Window-Eyes may not read any field name even if the visual access user sees one on the screen. Some applications don't display a field name on the screen at all. Because the field name can not be determined with 100% accuracy, Window-Eyes gives you the ability to tell it what the field name is. After tabbing to a control which doesn't speak the correct field name or a name you dislike, simply press the Label Field Name hot key (CTRL-INS-F). A dialog will be displayed with an edit box, ok button and cancel button. You will be placed in the edit box. Type in what you want Window-Eyes to read as the field name for the current control and press ENTER on the OK button. From that point forward, Window-Eyes will read what you typed as the field name. Remember, you can label any control even if Window-Eyes was reading the correct field name as displayed on the screen. In other words, you can always override what Window-Eyes would have read. Once you press ENTER on the OK button the field name is automatically stored for that particular control only. If you issue the Label Field Name hot key on this same control later, the same dialog box will pop up but the edit box will contain what you previously typed as the default. You can edit it or delete it at this point. Field name labels are stored in the .WE file associated with the application running during the label process. Regardless of what causes Window-Eyes to read the current field name, the entry you type in the Label Field Name dialog will always have precedence over what Window-Eyes itself thought it should have spoken. 8.20: Speaking the Application Status Line Almost every Windows application has a status line of some sort. In a word processor, the status line may display how many pages your document is and what page, line and column your cursor is currently on. In a WEB browser, the status line may display the status of loading the current page or the URL for the currently selected link. In other words, the status line usually gives the user very specific information regarding the application at any given time. Window-Eyes has the ability to look for a status line and read it automatically. When you press the Status Line hot key (CTRL-INS-S), Window-Eyes will search the application for a status line and read it. Window-Eyes uses one of two methods to determine where a status line is. Application developers have the option of using a special type of window to display status information. This window was designed by Microsoft to be used specifically for status information. Window-Eyes will first scan to see if the application is using this special type of window. If it is, the contents of that window will be read. This is a relatively new type of window so many of the older applications don't use it. But as applications get updated the use of this special type of window is getting used more and more. This is the most reliable way for Window-Eyes to determine where the status line is displayed. If Window-Eyes couldn't find the special type of status window, it will automatically read the last printed line of the application. Since most applications display the status line as the last line of the application, this usually gets the correct information read. So when you press the Status Line hot key, Window-Eyes will usually read something based on the two rules above. If, however, Window-Eyes isn't reading the correct information for your application you will need to set up a user window (which will be discussed in Section 12) around the actual status line and read that user window. In older versions of Window-Eyes this was your only option. You will find, however, that the Status Line hot key will more than likely read the status line of a new application right out of the box with no user set up required. 8.21: Adjusting Voice Parameters on the Fly By now you have read how to adjust the screen, keyboard and mouse voices for rate, pitch, tone and volume. You can either use the global menu or the individual screen, keyboard and mouse menus. You then select the parameter you wish to adjust and use a scroll bar to adjust to the setting you wish. This is all well and good but it can be a bit time consuming. Window-Eyes offers a set of hot keys which will allow you to quickly adjust any of these parameters. The hot keys default to using the Insert key in combination with the four dedicated arrow keys. Not the arrow keys on the numeric keypad. You will first need to select which voice you wish to adjust and then the parameter for that voice. Finally you can adjust the specific parameter itself. You can press the Voice Selection rotor (INS-RIGHT ARROW) hot key to select which voice you wish to adjust. This will rotor between screen, keyboard, mouse and all. If you select the all option, then all three voices will be adjusted at the same time. You should also note that if you are currently using global settings, this voice adjustment will effect the global settings. If you are not currently using global setting, this will effect the settings for the currently active SET file only. Now that you have the correct voice selected you will need to press the Voice Parameter Rotor (INS-LEFT-ARROW) hot key to select what parameter you wish to adjust. This will rotor between rate, volume, tone and pitch. Once you have selected the correct voice and parameter you can press the Voice Down (INS-DOWN ARROW) and Voice Up (INS-UP ARROW) hot keys to actually adjust the setting. Each press will either decrease or increase the current setting and Window-Eyes will read the new value. If you have selected all voices, then the current setting for all three voices will be either decreased or increased and Window-Eyes will voice "All voices up" or "All voices down." When Window-Eyes is first loaded, the currently selected voice is all voices and the currently selected parameter is rate. Window-Eyes will retain your current voice and parameter selection until you restart Window-Eyes. It will then reset back to the screen and rate settings. If after adjusting the voice parameters you wish to make the new setting permanent, you should save the settings to disk. If you are using the global settings you should go to the global menu and choose the "Apply Settings" option. If you are not using global settings you should go to the file menu and save the current SET file to disk. 8.22: Speaking Progress Bars and Scroll Bars When you are reading a long e-mail message, it might be nice to know how far along you are in the message, and how far you have to go before you are done. In a word processor, you could read the status line to see what line number you are on. But in an e-mail client, those kinds of statistics are rarely available. To find your position in a window, you can use the Progress or Scroll Bar hot key (CTRL-INS-B). When this hot key is pressed, Window-Eyes will first look in the active window for progress bars and if it finds them it will read them from top to bottom along with their field names. If Window-Eyes does not find any progress bars it will search the focus window for scroll bars and read them, first vertical and then horizontal. If Window-Eyes does not find either progress bars or scroll bars it will say "No progress or scroll bars found." Note that Window-Eyes will only read standard progress and scroll bars. For example, some word processors (like Word) have what look like scroll bars, but are not standard scroll bars. The same goes for applications that have what look like progress bars, but are not standard progress bars. In these cases, Window-Eyes will speak, "No progress or scroll bars found." Progress bars are visual indications of the progress of a certain task. One of the most popular examples of a progress bar is located in the download dialog box of Internet Explorer. Most progress bars range from 0% to 100%. Pressing the Progress or Scroll Bar hot key while you are downloading a file will present you with the percentage of the download already complete. Scroll bars are visual, sliding bars usually located on either the right, or bottom sides, and are relative to, the edge of a window. Let's assume that a vertical scroll bar has a range of 0 to 100. Pressing the Progress or Scroll Bar hot key may indicate that you are on index 0. Index 0 is either at the top or bottom of the focus window depending upon the direction of the scroll bar. Note that most scroll bars are left to right for horizontal and top to bottom for vertical. Scroll bars that are right to left, or bottom to top may exist, but we have never encountered any. In our vertical scroll bar example, if you are at index 0 that means that index 0 is at the top of the window so you will have to scroll through the contents of the window, allowing the contents to scroll in order to change the index. Once you get to the bottom of the data in the window, the scroll bar might be at 80 of 100 meaning that the top of the window is now at index 80. You may find that no matter how much you scroll down, the scroll bar will never be 100 of 100. The reason is because Window-Eyes always speaks the top of the window as the index point. Even when your cursor is at the bottom of your window, Window-Eyes will still refer to the top of the window as the index point. Therefore, you will never get to 100 of 100 because 100 of 100 is the bottom of the window. SECTION NINE Reading with Cursoring Keys This Section of the Window-Eyes manual explains the task of reading the screen with the Window-Eyes cursoring keys. 9.1: The Basics In Section 4.3 of this manual we defined cursoring keys as keys Window-Eyes always shares with the application software. Some common cursoring keys are the ARROW and CTRL-ARROW keys, TAB, PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN, HOME and END, BACKSPACE, and DELETE. When you type these keystrokes, Window-Eyes can intercept and respond to it and allows your application program to respond as well. 9.2: How it Works Window-Eyes' cursoring keys are set through the cursoring menu of the Voice Control Panel. By default, only a few of these cursoring keys have been defined for you. The rest remain undefined for your convenience and pleasure. You can also reassign both cursoring keys and their definitions. Chances are you will never need 46 cursoring keys, but 46 are available should you decide to use that many. To access the Window-Eyes cursoring key menu: Press CTRL-\. Press ALT-C to activate the Cursoring Key Definitions dialog box, which contains the following: S = Keys list box C = Capture Key button F = First Action combo box I = First Action Info button (may be disabled) E = Second Action combo box O = Second Action Info button (may be disabled) L = Delay Factor edit box D = Undefine Cursor Key button OK button Cancel button This dialog is somewhat different from the Hot Key Definitions dialog in that when you define hot keys, all you get to set are the keystrokes themselves. When you define cursoring keys, you define the keystroke and then move to the First Action and then if desired to the Second Action combo boxes where you select what Window-Eyes will speak when you press the keystroke you have defined. The default factory assignment for the first item in the list is LEFT ARROW and the key is defined to Character After. Since a key can be defined to speak two things and this key has only been defined to speak one, the entry in the list ends with Undefined, meaning that the second definition is undefined. Upon intercepting this keystroke when you are working in your application program, Window-Eyes first passes it to the application, then voices the character. Upon receiving a LEFT ARROW keystroke, most applications would move the cursor to the left one character; therefore, the user would ordinarily want to identify the character the cursor has moved to. Some application programs, however, would move the cursor one word, not merely one character to the left, upon receiving the same keystroke. In that case, the user probably would want to identify the word instead of the character the cursor has moved to. To reset the Window-Eyes definition for LEFT ARROW to read the word rather than the character: 1. In the Cursoring Key Definitions dialog, Press TAB. Window-Eyes will move you to the Capture Key button. 2. Press TAB again to move to the First Action combo box. 3. Press DOWN ARROW three times to arrive at the Word item of the list in the combo box or press 'W'. 4. Press ENTER to choose the OK button. Window-Eyes closes the dialog box and deactivates the menu bar. If you would like to remove a key from the list, simply move to that key by pressing UP and DOWN ARROWS in the list, then press ALT-D to choose the Undefine button. Press ENTER to choose the OK button. If you return to the list later, you will find the word Undefined where the key had been before you defined it. What if you attempt to assign a keystroke that has already been assigned to a different item? Window-Eyes opens its Duplicate Key Definition dialog, which works identically to its counterpart in the Hot Key Definitions dialog. 9.3: Practical Applications Most of the items have been left undefined so that you can assign keys that are used by your application program. Let us say, for example, that your database management program uses ALT-N to move the cursor to the next field. You could assign that key to any of the undefined items in the Keys list box and then select the appropriate definition-probably Field Name, Field Data, or Field Name and Data. Or, your word processor may allow you to move the cursor directly to the top of the document by pressing CTRL-HOME. In this case, you might prefer to have CTRL-HOME speak the page, line, and column of the new location of the cursor within the document. So, you could set a user window to contain that information and then define CTRL-HOME to read that window. Section 12 explains the method for setting user windows. 9.4: The Cursoring Key Definitions The definitions in the Cursoring Key Definitions list box are summarized in the following table. Items in the table appear in the following order: Definition; Function Undefined - Ignores the keystroke. Prior Character Before - Voices the character to the left of the cursor before Window-Eyes passes the keystroke to the application program. Prior Character After - Passes the keystroke to the application, then voices the character to the left of the cursor in its new position. Character Before - Voices the character containing the cursor, then passes the keystroke to the application. Character After - Passes the keystroke to the application, then voices the character containing the cursor in its new position. Next Character - Voices the character immediately to the right of the cursor. Word Prior - Voices the word to the left of the cursor. Word - Voices the word containing the cursor. Word Next - Voices the word to the right of the cursor. Line Prior - Voices the line above the cursor. Line - Voices the line currently containing the cursor. Line Next - Voices the line below the cursor. Sentence - Voices the sentence containing the cursor. Paragraph - Voices the paragraph containing the cursor. To End Of Line - Voices all text from the character containing the cursor to the end of the line containing the cursor. Highlight - Reads text within the current user window that is highlighted based on default operating system or user defined colors. Highlighted Text - Reads newly selected or newly unselected text, punctuation, and spaces-followed by the word Selected or Unselected as appropriate to whether cursor movement is marking or unmarking text. Cursor Position - Voices the column and line coordinates of the cursor. Field Data - Voices the data in the field containing the cursor. Field Name - Voices the name of the current field to the left of the cursor when the cursor is located within the field data. This cursoring key also works in many dialog controls. Field Name And Data - Voices both the name of the field and the data in the field containing the cursor. This cursoring key also works in many dialog controls. Title/Status - Reads the title bar of the focused window and then the title bar of the active window. Speak Window - When being set, prompts you to select a window number 0-49; when responding to a keystroke, speaks the selected window. Activate Window - When being set, prompts for the number of a Window-Eyes standard window, 0-49; when responding to a keystroke, makes the specified window the currently active window. Mouse To Window - When being set, prompts for the number of a Window-Eyes standard window, 0-49, when responding to a keystroke, moves the mouse pointer to the top left of the specified user window. Mouse Top Left - Instantly moves the mouse to the top left corner of the mouse boundary but makes no announcement. Load Set - When being set, prompts for the name of a SET file. When responding to a keystroke, loads the Window-Eyes SET file. Ignore Speak Windows - Ignores new text in a speak window for twice the length of the cursor delay. Execute Hot Key - Executes the specified hot key. When you set this up, you will be presented with a list box of all hot keys. You simply arrow to the hot key you wish to use and press ENTER. Word Enhanced - Reads all consecutive punctuation in a word (or group of characters) if the cursor is on a punctuation mark or reads all consecutive text if the cursor is not on a punctuation mark. This is useful for applications that consider punctuation as a separate word. Explanations Five of the above definitions-Speak Window, Activate Window, Mouse To Window, Execute Hot Key, and Load Set-prompt for a window number, hot key or file name. You have to press TAB to move to the First Action or Second Action Info button and then press ENTER in order to be prompted for the needed information. If you are setting up the Speak Window, Activate Window, or Mouse To Window, simply key in the number of the user window and press ENTER. If you are setting up Execute Hot Key, you will be presented with a list box of all hot keys. Simply move to the hot key you wish to select and press ENTER. If you are setting up Load Set, key in the name of the SET file to load and then press ENTER. Now simply TAB to the OK button or return to the Keys list box and define more cursoring keys. The definitions Character Before, Character After, Prior Character Before, and Prior Character After require some explanation and an example. Before and after refer to whether Window-Eyes speaks the character before handing the key stroke off to the application or afterward. Prior means the character immediately preceding the cursor. The reason for having before and after definitions is that some keys, such as BACKSPACE and DELETE, are destructive; that is, they delete characters from the screen. Normally, Window-Eyes first hands off the cursoring keystroke and then follows its defined instruction for that key. But if the application deletes the character, word, etc., it will not be present on-screen for Window-Eyes to read. So, typically, the BACKSPACE would be set to the Prior Character Before definition. This means that Window-Eyes would carry out its defined instructions for the key before passing it along. If this all sounds a bit confusing, play awhile with these four settings, experimenting to see how they interact with the BACKSPACE key. If you want the BACKSPACE to voice the character it is deleting, set its definition to Prior Character Before. If you want BACKSPACE to voice the character to the left of the cursor after your application software moves the cursor and deletes the character, set BACKSPACE to Prior Character After. The highlighted text definition also requires some explaining. The Windows convention for selecting text from the keyboard is to hold down either SHIFT key while moving the cursor with a cursoring key-ARROW keys, CTRL-ARROW keys, HOME, PAGE DOWN, etc.-for example. Continuing to hold down the SHIFT key while moving the cursor across text that is already selected unselects it. So if you were to assign SHIFT-RIGHT ARROW as a cursoring key and set the definition to highlighted text, that key would in your application program move the cursor one character to the right and select it, and Window-Eyes would read the character newly selected and then say "selected." If you were to move back one character to the left still holding the SHIFT-LEFT ARROW key and it were also assigned as a Window-Eyes cursoring key defined to highlighted text, the effect would be just the opposite: the cursor would move one character to the left and unselect the character you just selected. Window-Eyes would read the character newly unselected and then announce, "unselected." SHIFT-CTRL-RIGHT ARROW and SHIFT-CTRL-LEFT ARROW would have the same effects; however, Window-Eyes would read the words. The same with other keys that move the cursor. You may need to assign 10 or more keys as cursoring keys defined to Mark Text, depending on how many your application program provides for marking text. The Mouse Top Left definition can be very useful when reading, for example, with the PAGE DOWN and PAGE UP keys in a program like Netscape. You could use the PAGE DOWN key to move to the next screen and have Window-Eyes place your mouse at the top left corner of the new screen. Then you could press the Mouse Bottom hot key to read the next screen. The Mouse To Window definition is handy if you need to route the mouse to a specific location on the screen. You can simply set up a user window and have Window-Eyes route the mouse to it. The mouse is routed to the top left of the user window. The Execute Hot Key definition allows you to execute any of the standard hot keys. You simply select the desired hot key and Window-Eyes will execute it just as if you pressed the assigned hot key when the cursoring key is pressed. Note that the hot key doesn't need to have an assigned keystroke. It can be undefined. An explanation for the Ignore Speak Windows definition will have to wait for an explanation of the Cursor Delay feature, whose explanation follows immediately: 9.5: Cursor Delay Some application programs run so slowly that Window-Eyes hands off a cursoring key keystroke and then speaks before the application program has a chance to carry out the cursor-movement or whatever command. For example, let's say you have defined CTRL-UP ARROW to Paragraph. Your application program uses this key to move the cursor to the previous paragraph. Ideally, the process goes like this: you press CTRL-UP ARROW; Window-Eyes hands off the keystroke to the application program; the application program executes the command, moving the cursor to the first word of the previous paragraph; and Window-Eyes reads the paragraph. If, however, your application program cannot get its work done before Window-Eyes voices the information called for by the cursoring key, the information Window-Eyes speaks is likely to be inaccurate in terms of where the cursor really is. Consequently, you hear the paragraph where the cursor was when you pressed the CTRL-UP ARROW key, not where the application would send it. You can solve this problem by increasing the Cursor Delay, as follows: 1. Press CTRL-\ to display the Window-Eyes control panel. 2. Press ALT-G to activate the General menu. 3. Choose Cursor Delay. Window-Eyes will open the General Cursor Delay dialog box with an edit box where you can enter a value from 1-99. The OK button is highlighted, so you can press ENTER to accept the new value or ESCAPE to cancel and close the dialog. By setting the Cursor Delay in this manner, you are globally effecting all the defined cursoring keys (in your current SET file) with the same amount of delay. In most cases this is what you would prefer, since the application is likely to respond the same with all keystrokes. However, there will be times when certain application keys take longer to respond than others. If you used the global cursor delay, you would need to set the delay high enough to work with the slowest of application keys. This would have the side-effect of slowing up the application keys which don't need to be. Because certain keys may require a large delay, you may want to use the general cursor delay to set the minimum delay for most keys and then use the specific delay for the other keys. You may have noticed in the Cursor Key Definitions dialog there is an edit box "L = Delay Factor." This option allows you to set a specific delay value for the specified cursoring key. Each cursoring key can have a unique value, although its value will be added to the global cursor delay mentioned in the above paragraph. Simply TAB to the Delay Factor edit box and type in a number from 0 to 99. Experiment with gradual increments of change in settings until you find the lowest setting that will work appropriately with your application program. Now, to return to an explanation of the Ignore Speak Windows definition in the Action combo boxes of the Cursoring Key Definitions dialog, which can best be done through an example: Let us say the TAB key in your application program takes you to some new area where the program displays text in a read-only edit box. The text contains a highlight, which you want the TAB key to read. You would define TAB as a cursoring key, set First Action to Highlight and set Second Action to Ignore Speak Window. Thus, automatic reading of the text in the Speak Window would be delayed long enough for the highlight to be read, no matter how long the Cursor Delay is set for. The speak window would be delayed for twice that length of time. 9.6: A Cursoring Key Bonus As already mentioned, we call keys that Window-Eyes shares with the application program cursoring keys, because ordinarily keys you need to share are keys which move the cursor. But Window-Eyes is not limited to sharing keys that move the cursor. In fact, Window-Eyes is capable of sharing any key known to Windows. This means you can set any of the Window-Eyes cursoring key definitions to any of your application program's keys. For example, CTRL-N in Word Perfect opens a new document. You might like to have Window-Eyes announce the number of the document that has opened. You could define CTRL-N to read a window which you have set to the top line of the screen where Word Perfect displays this information. Pressing PAGE DOWN may fill the active window with more text, and you may wish to define this key to read the new information. This is why Window-Eyes gives you 46 cursoring keys, to anticipate your needs in running large and complex application programs. 9.7: Cursoring Keys in Standard Controls Since Window-Eyes already knows how to handle standard windows controls like check boxes, radio buttons, list views, etc., Window-Eyes will automatically disable cursoring keys for all standard controls except for edit boxes and rich edit boxes. If you think about this, it only makes sense. For example, as you arrow up and down a list view you wouldn't want Window-Eyes to also read the current line. But in edit and rich edit boxes, you would want Window-Eyes to obey your cursoring key definitions. Which it does. SECTION TEN Reading the Screen with the Mouse This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides information on reviewing the screen with the Window-Eyes mouse keys. 10.1: The Basics So far we've been allowing Window-Eyes to read us the screen by using its verbosity settings or by attaching speech commands to cursoring keys. There are times, however, when we will want to browse around the screen to find out what's there or want to go looking for specific information that we know is displayed. As we discussed earlier, the function of the mouse pointer is usually to locate icons or buttons on the screen in order to cause an action. Since the pointer is allowed to roam freely around the screen, however, it is ideal for simply reviewing the screen without "clicking" on any of the available selections. So, Window-Eyes allows you to move the mouse pointer and read text, icons, menu options, buttons, and symbols. There are keyboard commands which cause Window-Eyes to move the pointer up, down, left, right, word by word, icon by icon, and more. Of course, you can move the mouse pointer by moving the physical mouse by hand; however, movements of this kind are quite random with respect to text and graphics on the screen and hence cause what is being spoken to sound like word salad. To solve this problem, go to the Window-Eyes Control Panel and pull down the Global menu, followed by the Mouse menu. The first menu item is the Voice setting, which is "On" in factory-supplied SET files. By choosing the item, you turn the mouse voice off, which causes Window-Eyes to ignore text and graphics when the mouse pointer is moved across them with the physical mouse. All the mouse-movement hot keys, however, speak as indicated, regardless of the mouse voice setting. The specific hot keys used to move the mouse pointer are all definable from the hot keys menu (see Section 8 to find out how to change them). You already know many of them: CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-CENTER reads the current character, NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW moves the mouse pointer forward one character, INS-NUMPAD-CENTER reads the current word, INS-NUMPAD-LEFT ARROW moves the mouse pointer back one word, etc. 10.2: Moving the Mouse Pointer by Textual Units If you read Section 8 you already know how to read the character, word, line, sentence, and paragraph which contain the mouse pointer. You also know that you can move forward by word or sentence by pressing the "Word Next" or "Sentence Next" hot key. Likewise, you can move backward by pressing "Word Prior" or "Sentence Prior." Experiment with these hot keys by doing the following: Run WordPad by doing the following: Press CTRL-ESC followed by 'R' to activate the run dialog. Type "WORDPAD" followed by a press of the ENTER key to activate WordPad. When Wordpad is ready, press ALT to activate the menu bar. Press "F" to select "File." The file menu will come down. There are many ways to select an item, but for now we'll press the letter "O" for "Open." The open dialog will appear. Enter the file name C:\WINEYES\MANUAL\SECT10.TXT and press ENTER. This will cause this file (Section 10 of the Window-Eyes manual) to be loaded into Wordpad so that you can read it. Press CTRL-SHIFT-B until Window-Eyes says "Focused Window." This restricts your mouse hot key movement to the area of the screen containing the text of this document. Press the HOME key on the numeric keypad (with Numlock off) to move your mouse pointer to the top left corner of the focused window. Press INS-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW to move to and read the next word. Continue moving one word at a time through the text for several words. Press NUMPAD-CENTER to hear the line of text. Is hearing the text a line at a time more practical here than one word at a time? If you think this is the case, move to the next line of text by pressing NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW. Experiment with moving up and down by lines of text by pressing NUMPAD-UP ARROW to move up and NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW to move down. Experiment with moving by sentence as well by using the hot keys described in Section 8 (INS-NUMPAD-END, INS-NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW, and INS-NUMPAD-PAGE DOWN) or the ones you've defined. As you move the mouse pointer within the text, note that the pointer moves independently of the cursor. For example, try pressing NUMPAD-CENTER to see what line your mouse pointer is on. Now press CTRL-NUMPAD-CENTER to find out what line the cursor is on. Since you have just opened the file and have not changed any of the text, your cursor is probably at the top of the document. Rarely will you find that the cursor and pointer coincide. In Section 10.5 we'll learn how to bring them together. 10.3: The Mouse Directional Movement Keys In the previous section we discussed moving the mouse pointer from one unit of text to another, that is, from one word to another, or from one sentence to another. As useful as this is, there will often be times you'll want to move directly across the screen without moving up or down or you'll wish to move directly down for a distance and then over to the left, without the benefit of textual units to use as a framework. At these times, you'll want to move a predetermined number of pixels in a specified direction. The mouse up, down, left, and right keys have been assigned to CTRL-SHIFT-NUMPAD-UP ARROW, CTRL-SHIFT-NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW, CTRL-SHIFT-NUMPAD-LEFT ARROW, and CTRL-SHIFT-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW respectively. Like all hot keys, they can be redefined to other keys if you find you have another preference. Experiment with these four keys this way: Make sure Numlock is off. The state of the Numlock is toggled by pressing the key in the top left corner of the numeric keypad. While you're in WordPad (see Section 10.2 for directions for getting into WordPad), press CTRL-SHIFT-B until Window-Eyes says "Full Screen" and then move your pointer to the top left corner by pressing the HOME key on the numeric keypad. You can determine where the pointer is at any time by pressing CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-+ (top left should be at X0, Y0). Note that the mouse coordinates are relative to the current mouse boundary (set by CTRL-SHIFT-B). The current mouse boundary will be announced when you press the mouse coordinates hot key (CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-+). Press CTRL-SHIFT-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW. Now press CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-+. You should find that your mouse pointer is positioned at X5, Y0. Pressing CTRL-SHIFT-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW again should put you at X10, Y0. You can move continuously across the screen until you reach the far right edge. Move your mouse pointer left or right until you have positioned it at X300, Y5. Move down by pressing CTRL-SHIFT-NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW on the numeric keypad. Note that you have moved the pointer to X300, Y10. As you continue to move down, you'll probably pass the mouse pointer across items on the screen such as the name of a window which is open or an item in a menu bar. Notice that Window-Eyes speaks the clip the pointer crosses, not the entire line or one specific character within the text. For example, when you move your pointer onto the menu bar near the top of the WordPad window, you may land on the word "File." However, since Window-Eyes is reading clips instead of words, it says "F File Pull Down," not simply "File." What if you would like to move more quickly around the screen? One alternative would be to increase the number of pixels by which the directional keys move. This value is set on the mouse menu of the Voice Control Panel. Try setting your "Pointer Down Delta" value to a maximum of ninety nine to see what effect this has on pointer movement. 10.4: Moving by Windows Logical Units In addition to moving by textual units, you are able to move through the units of MS Windows. These consist of two types of units, icons and clips. To read the icon the mouse pointer is sitting on, press the Mouse Current Icon hot key. To move the pointer to the previous icon, press the Mouse Prior Icon hot key, and to move to the next icon press the Icon Next hot key. Window-Eyes skips over any intervening text on its way to the next icon. By default, all three hot keys are undefined. If you wish to use them you will need to assign them keystrokes through the Hot Key menu. Moving by clip is accomplished by pressing INS-NUMPAD-HOME and INS-NUMPAD-PAGE UP. Moving by clips usually includes much more information than moving by icon, since there are usually far more clips on the screen than icons. What exactly is a clip? Graphics are simple because each graphic image is one clip. Text characters get a bit more involved. Consecutive text with the same attribute values is a clip. For example, in your word processor, every line in your document is a clip. Assuming you used the same attributes for the entire document. If you get to a line where the middle word is bold, then that line contains three clips. The first half of the line, the bold word, and finally the right half of the line. If you are in a menu bar like "File," "Edit," etc., each menu item is a clip. Even though they are using the same attributes for the text, they are not consecutive. There is a gap between each word. To practice moving by clip, return your pointer to the top left corner of the screen and press INS-NUMPAD-PAGE UP. You will most likely move to the title of the application. Pressing INS-NUMPAD-PAGE UP again will move you to the minimize graphic near the top right corner of the title bar. As you move through the information on the screen one clip at a time (by pressing INS-NUMPAD-PAGE UP repeatedly) you'll find the text of the menu bar, "File, Edit, Etc," as some of the clips. The text within the text window of WordPad will be segmented into clips, probably one line per clip. Since Window-Eyes determines what it includes in a clip based on font and attribute changes, it is difficult to guess how text will be formatted. When you've reached the last clip and try to continue to the next, nonexistent, clip, Window-Eyes beeps to let you know there are no more. You can move back clip by clip by pressing the INS-NUMPAD-HOME key. You can read the current clip under the mouse by pressing INS-NUMPAD-UP ARROW. When working with textual clips, pressing the INS-NUMPAD-UP ARROW key a second time will spell the clip. Pressing the INS-NUMPAD-UP ARROW key a third time will spell the clip phonetically. When working with graphical clips, pressing the INS-NUMPAD-UP ARROW key a second time will speak graphic (or the graphic label if one exists), and a truncated CRC value. Pressing the INS-NUMPAD-UP ARROW key a third time will speak graphic (or the graphic label if one exists), width, height, position relative to application window, and entire CRC value. 10.5: Routing the Pointer and the Caret As you bounce around the screen, discovering interesting things as you go, you may decide that you would like to move the cursor to the position of the pointer. This is especially true in a word processor, where you might discover that you have made an error or you would like to rephrase a paragraph. You have found the problem by reading with the pointer and now you would like to move the cursor to the spot so that you can edit the text. The hot key to perform this task (Cursor To Mouse) is defined as the PLUS key (+) on the numeric keypad. It doesn't matter whether Numlock is on or off, when you press the key Window-Eyes will attempt to move the cursor to the position of the pointer. We say "attempt" because there are many places on the screen your cursor cannot go. Of course, if your pointer is outside the active window, Windows will not allow you to move the cursor to that position. Likewise, if you attempt to bring the cursor from the editor within your word processor to the word "File" in the menu bar, your cursor will be left where it began. If Window-Eyes is unable to route the cursor, you will hear, "Unable to route cursor." On the other hand, you may wish to move the pointer to the position of the cursor. Perhaps you are entering text into an edit box within a dialog box and want to browse the text in the vicinity. Your cursor can't leave the edit box, but your pointer can be free to roam. To bring the pointer to the position of the cursor, use the Mouse To Focus hot key (INS-NUMPAD-PLUS by default). Window-Eyes will announce, "Pointer Routed to Cursor" and bring your pointer to the position of the cursor. You can now use hot keys to move the pointer to other parts of the dialog box. If there is no cursor to route to, Window-Eyes will place the mouse pointer at the top left corner of the object on the screen that currently has focus. 10.6: Restricting Pointer Movement As you are reading the information on the screen, you will often find you would like to limit the pointer movement to one area of the screen. You may have several applications open and want to hear only the icons in the active application. You may wish to read the text in your document and not be interrupted by menu bars and other "outside" information. Or, you may find you want Window-Eyes to read only part of the text, such as one column. The mouse boundary hot key, CTRL-SHIFT-B, tells Window-Eyes to limit the movement of the mouse pointer to one of four regions: full screen, active window, focused window, and user window. The four settings behave as follows: Full Screen - Allows the mouse hot keys to move the pointer anywhere on the screen. Active Window - Restricts mouse pointer movement (hot keys only) to the contents of the active window. Any background applications which may be displayed on the screen will be invisible to the mouse pointer. Focused Window - Confines the mouse pointer to the contents of the focused window. This may be a very small area such as a button or a very large area such as an entire application window. Anything which is in the active window which is not also in the focused window will be outside the range of the mouse pointer. User Window - Confines mouse pointer movement to the area defined by the current user window (see Section Twelve to learn how to set up a user window). By default, user windows are the size of the active window and so these two options are exactly the same. If you define a user window to be a smaller portion of the active window, however, such as one column of text or only the lower portion of the active window, the hot keys used to move the pointer will not allow it to move outside your user window. Once you have selected the boundary you prefer, you can move the pointer directly to one of the four corners by pressing one of the following hot keys: NUMPAD-HOME = Top Left NUMPAD-END = Bottom Left NUMPAD-PGUP = Top Right NUMPAD-PGDN = Bottom Right Put simply, once you have told Window-Eyes to restrict your mouse pointer movement to a particular area, you won't be able to use the hot keys to move the pointer outside that area. In reality, however, it is likely that at times your pointer will already be outside the boundary before you've told Window-Eyes your intention. In this case, as long as the pointer remains outside the boundary, it can move freely. Once it falls within the limits you've set, however, you will not be able to move outside again without changing your boundary. If you wish to maintain access to the full screen, set your mouse boundary to "Full Screen" and save the SET file. If you wish to browse a particular area of the screen, say the active window, set the boundary as described above and then press the "Top Left" hot key. This will ensure that your pointer is within the designated boundary and placed at a convenient starting point. The mouse boundary rotor hot key is identical to the "Mouse Boundary" option on the mouse menu of the Voice Control Panel. Changes to the restrictions on the mouse can be made either through the mouse menu or by pressing the hot key, with identical results. You can move the mouse to the beginning or end of the line of text containing the mouse pointer by pressing the Mouse Beginning of Line (ALT-INS-NUMPAD-HOME) or Mouse End of Line (ALT-INS-NUMPAD-END) hot keys. Movement is limited to the left and right edges of the current Mouse Boundary setting. Note: If you prefer to use the physical mouse rather than the hot keys, the pointer will not be restricted to the selection of the mouse boundary hot key, but will have access to the full screen. 10.7: Finding Things on the Screen What if you want to move your mouse pointer directly to something you know is on the screen? You may have a dialog box on the screen and may simply want to click on the "OK" button. You could press TAB until you landed on the button and then press ENTER, but in some dialog boxes this could make for a lot of tabbing. Instead, it would be handy to simply put the pointer on the button and click. To locate specific text or a specific icon on the screen, press the mouse search hot key, CTRL-SHIFT-F. Window-Eyes displays a dialog box, allowing you to type in the text you're seeking. If Window-Eyes can not find speech labels when searching the screen with the mouse search command, it will look for Braille graphic labels. Let's try an example. Press CTRL-\ to activate the Window-Eyes control panel. Press CTRL-SHIFT-F to bring up the Window-Eyes Find dialog box. Type in the word "file" and press ENTER. Window-Eyes removes the dialog box from the screen, places your pointer at the beginning of the word "File," and announces "Found file." Window-Eyes retains the search string and will redisplay it the next time you press the Mouse Find hot key. To replace the search string with a new one, just type in a string. If the find function fails to find the text you have entered in the edit box, Window-Eyes announces "Not Found" and leaves your mouse pointer where it was before the search. If Window-Eyes finds the text, it announces "Found" and reads the clip containing the text from the found position to the end of the clip. By default, the find function limits its search to the active window. However, it is simple to change its scope. After typing in the text you would like to find, press TAB instead of ENTER. Window-Eyes announces, "Radio Button Checked Search A Active Window 2 of 4." Arrow left or right to hear the other options, "Search Focused Window," "Search User Window," and "Search Full Screen." Once you find the selection you prefer, press ENTER to initiate the search. Normally, Window-Eyes finds text which matches your search string regardless of case or video attribute. However, it is possible to specify that you wish Window-Eyes to find only the text that matches what you typed in, case and all. To do this, press TAB until you come to the "Match Case" check box and press the SPACE BAR to check it. Press ENTER to initiate the search or press TAB to move to the "Forward Find" button and press ENTER. What if the text you are searching for appears in several places? Window-Eyes finds the first occurrence of the string within the specified area. Of course, that may not be the one you wanted. INS-F, the "Continue Search" hot key, continues the search with the same options. So, if in the CTRL-SHIFT-F dialog box you told Window-Eyes to search the full screen for an uppercase "S," INS-F will move to the next capital S on the screen. Pressing INS-F repeatedly causes Window-Eyes to continue the search as many times as you press the key or until you run out of text which matches your search. Once Window-Eyes can no longer find a match, you must begin again with CTRL-SHIFT-F if you wish to start back at the top of the screen. What if someone has thoughtlessly filled the top half of the screen with the letter "P" and you're trying to find a particular "p" somewhere near the bottom of the screen? You would like to move the mouse below the clutter before continuing your search. No problem. The "Mouse Continue Search" hot key continues its search from the position of the pointer, so you can use your hot keys to drop down below the decorative text before searching again. If the item you're searching for is an icon or other graphic, the procedure is identical. Simply type in some part of the text of the label you have assigned for the icon, choose any options within the search dialog box, and press ENTER. What if you're looking for a particular attribute instead of text? What if you would rather start at the bottom of the screen and search backward? If you tab through all the options in the Find Dialog Box, you'll find the following choices: Find Combo Edit Box Search Radio Button Full Screen Active Window Focused Window User Window Match Case Check Box Underlined Check Box Bold Check Box Highlighted Check Box Italic Check Box Strikeout Check Box Forward Find Button Reverse Find Button Cancel Button If you would like to find anything displayed in bold text on the screen, for example, simply check the "Bold" check box and the "Full Screen" option in the Search radio button field and press the ENTER key. Window-Eyes will begin at the top of the screen and search until it finds something displayed in bold. If you would like to place your mouse pointer on the word "File" displayed in bold, type in the word "File" and check the appropriate boxes. Bold, strikeout, italic, and underlined text are often found in word-processed text and these options in the Find Dialog provide a quick way to jump to headings within documents or search for corrections displayed on the screen. These attributes are also often used as hypertext links and are also useful in telecommunications. Highlighted text is read by Window-Eyes' auto highlight setting. In Windows Explorer, for example, the text of each icon or each folder name is highlighted. If you would like to move your mouse pointer to the highlighted item in the current folder, simply check the "Highlighted" check box and set the Search radio button to "Focused Window." When you press ENTER, Window-Eyes will move your pointer to the text of the highlighted item. What if you would like to move your pointer to the last bold item on the screen? Search for bold text as usual, but press ENTER on the "Reverse Find" button or press ALT-R to initiate the search. Window-Eyes will begin its search at the bottom right corner of the designated area and search backward until it comes to the specified text or attribute. You may have noticed you typed the find string in a combo edit box. Because of this, Window-Eyes allows you to arrow through strings you have previously used. If you wish to search for a string you previously typed, you can simply down arrow to that entry and continue on as if you typed it from scratch. Window-Eyes remembers the last ten entries used per session. Note: the scope of the find feature is not determined by the mouse boundary hot key. If your mouse pointer is restricted to the focused window, for example, setting the option in the find dialog box to search the full screen will allow Window-Eyes to place your pointer on text which is outside the focused window. You can cancel these settings by selecting the Cancel button or by pressing the ESCAPE key. Window-Eyes removes the Find dialog from the display and reads the focused item. 10.8: Using the Physical Mouse If you don't find the ability to move the mouse pointer by character, word, line, sentence, paragraph, icon, clip, and pixel and the ability to restrict its movement to one of four regions sufficient, you can use the physical mouse. Window-Eyes has several features which enhance its usefulness. In addition, many users with partial sight find a combination of physical mouse and mouse hot keys to be an efficient way to work. Horizontal and Vertical Locks If you attempt to move the mouse pointer directly across the screen from left to right, you'll probably notice that it tends to wander upward or downward instead of moving in a straight horizontal line. To eliminate this problem, press the vertical lock hot key (you'll need to assign a key to this function in the hot keys menu). Once the key is pressed, the mouse pointer will move only horizontally. To release the lock, press any key. As you might guess, pressing the mouse horizontal lock hot key prevents the pointer from moving horizontally. As with the mouse vertical lock hot key, pressing any key releases the lock. Hint: Although you can move the mouse directly across or down in the direction you wish, you may find that the mouse seems to fly across the icons and text and does not give you time to stop when you find what you're looking for. You can slow down its tracking by adjusting the "Pointer Speed" feature in the mouse section of the Windows Control Panels (not the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel). Try a number such as zero or one instead of the default of five. 10.9: The WE Cursor or the Mouse Sometimes you might find that it is not convenient to move the mouse around the screen or maybe you would like to have two reviewing pointers to keep track of multiple locations. Window-Eyes has the WE cursor to address this problem. To activate the WE cursor press the NUMPAD-- hot key. This key toggles between the mouse pointer and the WE cursor. You can use the mouse movement hot keys to move the WE cursor around the screen. If you want to sync the two pointers press INS-NUMPAD-- to route the inactive pointer to the active pointer. So, for example, if you are using the WE cursor and you press INS-NUMPAD-- you will route the mouse pointer to the WE cursor. On the other hand, if you are using the mouse pointer and you press this hot key you will route the WE cursor to the mouse. SECTION ELEVEN Performing Mouse Functions with Window-Eyes Hot Keys This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides information on performing mouse functions with the Window-Eyes mouse keys. 11.1: The Basics As you probably know, much of what users typically do in Windows includes using a mouse or other device to "click" on icons, move text from one place to another, etc. Since it is extremely difficult to reliably move the pointer around the screen without visual orientation, Window-Eyes provides you with keyboard equivalents for mouse functions. For details on how to move the mouse by using the keyboard, review Section 10. Here, we'll point out that it is a simple matter to position the pointer on an icon. You can move by icon or by clip to arrive at the right place or use the "Find" feature to land exactly on the right spot. 11.2: Single and Double Click Hot Keys Once you have located an icon on the screen, you may want to click on it. This simply means that you'll press one of the mouse buttons. As you are learning your applications, you'll learn which button to use for which function, so we won't address that here (this is primarily determined by your application). Once you know which button to use, you could reach over and press the button on the mouse. If you are like most Window-Eyes users, however, you prefer not to move your hands off the keyboard. So, Window-Eyes has a set of hot keys which are indistinguishable from the buttons on the mouse, as far as your Windows application is concerned. Window-Eyes has three hot keys for the single-click function, one for each of the three mouse buttons (don't be alarmed if your mouse has only two buttons). Since the left and right buttons are by far the usual ones to use, they are the only ones assigned a hot key by default. To click with the left mouse button, press the SLASH key on the numeric keypad. Window-Eyes says "Left" and Windows or your application performs whatever function clicking the left mouse button normally performs. To click the right mouse button, press the STAR key on the numeric keypad. Experiment with the single click hot key: Go to the Window-Eyes control panel. After making sure Numlock is off, press CTRL-SHIFT-F or your "Mouse Search" hot key to search for the word "File." Once your mouse pointer is on the word "File" in the menu bar, press the SLASH key on the numeric keypad. Window-Eyes announces "Left." Because no menu item is highlighted, nothing else will be spoken. Arrow down to highlight the next File menu option. Double-clicking can be accomplished three ways. Of course, you can reach over and press the button on the mouse twice in rapid succession. Similarly, you can press the single-click hot key twice in succession. Or you can press the double-click hot key which corresponds to the button you wish to use. The double click hot keys are unassigned by default. Some application programs allow you to hold down a SHIFT or control key while clicking a mouse button. To perform a SHIFT-click or a CTRL-click with the Window-Eyes Mouse-click hot keys, press and release either SHIFT or either CTRL key; then press the appropriate Mouse-click hot key. SHIFT- and CTRL-click combinations are available to you in multi-selection list boxes (see Section 3.6). The difference is that the SHIFT-click selects a range of items in the list. When you use the SHIFT-click and then move the mouse pointer with the Mouse Up or Mouse Down hot keys, all the items from your starting point to your finish point will get selected. When you use a CTRL-click, only the item currently containing the mouse pointer gets selected. You can move the mouse away without either deselecting the item or selecting another item, using the Mouse Up or Mouse Down hot keys but you can apply the CTRL-click to other items and individually select any number of them as well. In other words, the SHIFT-click is for marking all items within the range of mouse movement, and CTRL-click is for picking and selecting over the range of mouse movement. If you are in a list box and want to make multi-selections but the box will not allow you to do so, try pressing the SHIFT-F8 key. This key by convention is assigned to switching a list box to multi-selection mode. As with many windows conventions, some programmers honor it, some don't. 11.3: Moving the Mouse by Windows Controls In a dialog box, for example, you can choose the control containing the mouse pointer with a single click of the mouse button, but a means of moving the mouse from one control to the next or back to the previous control with mouse hot keys is needed. For these operations, Window-Eyes provides the Control Next and the Control Prior hot keys (undefined by default). By pressing either of these keys, you can move the mouse to the next or previous control respectively, and this will set the focus of your application program to the new control. Simply press the Mouse Left Single Click hot key to choose the control. You can move the mouse to the focused control by pressing the Mouse to Focus hot key (NUMPAD-INS-PLUS). The usual purpose of this hot key is to move the mouse pointer to the cursor position, but if no cursor is present, this hot key moves the mouse pointer to the focused control and announces, for example, "Pointer routed to list box." The mouse pointer sits on the selected control. You can move from control to control with the TAB and Shift-TAB keys and have the mouse follow along. On the Window-Eyes control panel, Mouse menu is an item named Track Mouse with Focus. Choosing this menu item toggles between "Off" and "On." When this item is set to "Off," the mouse stays where you put it. When this item is set to "On," Window-Eyes moves the mouse to whatever has focus. The principle advantage of this feature is that you can move from control to control and have the mouse immediately available for choosing the control, marking files, etc. The mouse will also track with the cursor when you are working in the editor of a word processor, spreadsheet, or other Windows-based application program when the track mouse with focus option is on. Using this Window-Eyes feature, the mouse is always available for marking text, for example. The mouse pointer, however, will not route to menu options. This was disabled on purpose; if the mouse moves to a menu option which is a pull-down menu, the pull-down will open automatically. This can get very confusing. Therefore the mouse will not auto route to menu options. 11.4: Mouse Toggle Hot Keys Instructions for performing tasks in Windows applications often include dragging icons or text with the mouse. What this amounts to is placing the pointer on an item, holding down a mouse button (usually a particular button), moving the pointer to another location while the button is held down, and then releasing the button. To experiment with the toggle mouse button keys, go to Notepad and retrieve this Section of the manual. Save it with the name "JUNK" so that if you accidentally save your changes, you won't alter this document. But you can throw it away later. To illustrate how to select text, we will delete the second sentence in the first paragraph of this section. It begins with the word "Since" and ends with "functions." Use CTRL-SHIFT-F to place your pointer on the "S" of since. Press your "Toggle Left Mouse Button" hot key (INS-NUMPAD-/). This turns on the blocking operation in WordPad. Read the sentence one word at a time by pressing INS-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW. When you arrive at the word "functions," press INS-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW one more time to place the pointer after the last word. Press the "Toggle Left Mouse Button" hot key (INS-NUMPAD-/) again to "let up on" the button. Since we want to delete the sentence we have highlighted, press the DELETE key. Use your arrows or mouse movement keys to determine that the text has been deleted. That's all there is to it. The same basic procedure can be used to move icons, but you may find it more effective to move by pixel than by word, since groups of icons frequently do not have words surrounding them. In any case, simply press the correct mouse toggle hot key (the application determines which mouse button is to be used), use arrows or hot keys to relocate the pointer, then press the mouse toggle hot key again. 11.5: Mouse Drag and Drop As we have shown in the previous Section, you can use the mouse toggle hot keys to select text or move items. Window-Eyes also provides the drag and drop facility to allow you to perform this function. Using the drag and drop feature is generally simpler than using the mouse toggle hot keys and it allows you to change focus without losing what you were doing, whereas the mouse toggle hot keys do not allow you to do this. To use the Drag And Drop hot key (INS-NUMPAD-DELETE by default) you need to move the mouse to where you want to start the drag, press the Drag And Drop hot key, move the mouse to where you want to do the drop, press the Drag And Drop hot key again, and choose drop from the Drag And Drop dialog. For example, if you want to highlight a sentence by using the drag and drop feature you must first use the mouse hot keys to find the beginning of the sentence. Next press INS-NUMPAD-DELETE to place a mark and Window-Eyes will say "mark." Next move the mouse to the end of the sentence and press the Drag And Drop hot key again. When you do this a dialog will appear with three buttons. If you choose the mark button, Window-Eyes will reset your beginning mark (the beginning of the selected text). If you press the drop button, Window-Eyes will cause the section of text to be selected. Finally, if you press the cancel button, the dialog will be aborted. Once you have the text highlighted you can manipulate it with the options in the edit menu of your application. You can also use the Drag And Drop hot key to move files from one window to another. To do this place the mouse on the file you want to move, press the Drag And Drop hot key to mark the location of this file, move the mouse to the new location where you want the file to be, press the drag and drop hot key and choose drop to move the file. For the drag and drop hot key to work, both the beginning "mark" location and the ending "drop" location must be visible on the screen at the same time. You can not use the Drag And Drop hot key to select text that has been scrolled in a word processor for example. Finally, Windows applications can behave differently when you use the Drag And Drop hot key. If you are in a word processor this key will select text to be manipulated with the clipboard. If you are in a file management application, the key will allow you to move files from one location to another. You will need to experiment with your windows applications or read their documentation to see how the Drag And Drop hot key will interact with them. 11.6: Route Mouse to Window There are a few occasions where you will want to be able to route the mouse to a specific user window. Window-Eyes allows you to do this with the Route Mouse To Window hot key. To use this key you will need to first set up a user window so that its top left will be where you want to route the mouse. We will discuss setting up user windows in the next Section. Once you have set up the user window you will need to define the Route Mouse To Window hot key. Pressing this hot key brings up the Route Mouse To Window dialog. This dialog will allow you to enter a user window from 0 to 49 and route the mouse to the top left of the specified user window. Some applications such as Grolier Encyclopedia require the user to click on an item such as a specific part of a large picture. Window-Eyes is unable to "see" this picture so the Route Mouse To Window is the perfect feature to allow you to get past this picture and get working with the encyclopedia. You might need to have sighted assistance to find the point on the picture where you need to click, but once you find this location you can set a user window around it and use the Route Mouse To Window hot key to find this location later. Now for a quick example of how to use this feature. Lets say that you want to quickly be able to route the mouse to the status line in your application and lets assume that the status line uses Window 1. Define the Route Mouse To Window hot key in this application and when you want to quickly move the mouse to the beginning of the status line, press this hot key followed by the digit 1. Once you press ENTER, the mouse will move to the beginning of the status line. SECTION TWELVE Setting Up and Using the User Windows This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides information on defining and using Window-Eyes user windows. 12.1: The Basics Window-Eyes has seventy six user windows, comprising two types; the fifty user windows (0-49) and the twenty six hyperactive windows (A-Z). In Section 4.2, we began a discussion of Window-Eyes' user windows, just thorough enough to support references to user windows in other contexts and get you started with Window-Eyes. We also showed how to read user windows with their individually assigned hot keys. In this section, we shall complete our discussion of user windows by telling how to define and use them. As we mentioned in Section 4, Window-Eyes windows are user definable, rectangular portions of the display screen, defined in coordinates relative to the active window. Window-Eyes windows are not visible on the screen, but rather sit invisibly on top of other application windows. A window defined to correspond to the full active Window would have a left edge 0 pixels from the left edge of the active window, 0 pixels from the top edge of the active window, 0 pixels from the right edge, and 0 pixels from the bottom of the active window. As the active window is resized or moved, the user windows adjust to accommodate the changes. Also, we introduced the concept of the current user window. The current user window is not a type of window, but rather a choice of any one of the fifty user windows as boundaries (top left to bottom right) for the Window-Eyes hot keys and cursoring keys. Thus, for example, when window 9 is the current user window, the read-current-sentence hot key can only read whatever portion of the current sentence happens to lie within window 9. The current user window does not restrict the twenty read-window hot keys, however. 12.2: How it Works Setting and adjusting the user windows is done with a set of hot keys, defined by default as INS-F3 through INS-F7. Like all hot keys, these can be redefined if necessary. Window-Eyes needs two pieces of information for each of the four user window coordinates. For the left position, for example, Window-Eyes must know not only a numeric value for the setting of that position, but also whether or not that value is relative to the left or right edge of the active Window. 12.3: Selecting and Adjusting the Current User Window The "Select User Window" hot key, INS-F3, prompts you to select one of the fifty user windows (0-49) as the current user window. Once you select a window to be the current user window, it remains so until you change it or load a new SET file. When you press INS-F3, Window-Eyes displays a dialog box which prompts you to select a window number. Key in a number, 0-49, and press ENTER; Window-Eyes immediately selects the window that corresponds to your choice and removes the dialog box from the screen. INS-F4 sets the coordinates of the current user window. When you want to set another window, you have to make that window the current window with the select user window hot key. Window coordinates are saved when you save SET files through the File menu. To set window coordinates with the INS-F4 key: Press INS-F4. A dialog box prompts you for the left, top, right, and bottom coordinates of the current user window. Window-Eyes announces the number of the current user window and its status speak, float, neutral, or silent (these window types will be explained in detail later on in this section). Window-Eyes continues by announcing, "L Left x," where X represents the current setting for the left column. Key in a number between 0 and the maximum resolution of your video card to set the left edge of the window and press TAB or press TAB without typing in a new number to confirm the current setting. Window-Eyes accepts the setting and moves the cursor to the next field in the dialog box, which is a radio button. Window-Eyes announces, "Radio Button Checked Offset From Left 1 of 2." Use the arrow keys to move from Offset From Left or Offset From Right. When offset from right, Window-Eyes offsets the coordinates from the opposite edge of the active window. Press TAB again to move to the next field for the value of the setting for the top of the user window. Window-Eyes prompts for the number of the top line. Key in the number you want for the top of the window. Use a value between 0 and the maximum resolution of your video card. Pressing TAB again takes you to the pair of radio buttons where you determine whether you wish the value you assigned to the top of the window to be interpreted as an offset from the top or bottom edge of the active window. Use the arrow keys to change the setting of the radio buttons. Once again, if you choose Offset From Bottom, the offset will be the opposite edge of the active window, which in this case would be the bottom. Set the right and bottom, proceeding as above. Pressing TAB from the bottom radio buttons moves you to a button labeled "Copy Settings From Window." Pressing ENTER on this button brings up a dialog with an edit box allowing you to type the number of a user window you wish to copy coordinates from. Once you have made all the changes you wish to make, press ENTER or move to the OK button and press ENTER and Window-Eyes will remove the dialog box. You can use the ESCAPE key at any point in this process to cancel changes you have made. 12.4: Using the Mouse Pointer to Set Window Coordinates A fair amount of concentration is needed when ascertaining the number-values of the coordinates you want to use to define window boundaries and then keeping them in mind while you work through the above procedure for setting these coordinates. So Window-Eyes has an alternative method which does not require you to go through all this. The mouse pointer is available to set window coordinates. Since Window-Eyes' user windows always come in rectangles, their boundaries are always defined as top-left and bottom-right. You only have to know these two coordinates to have the other two, bottom-left and top-right, defined logically. It can be easy to find the conceptual top-left and bottom-right of a window without knowing, or even caring, about the number-value of these coordinates. The first line of text above or below a status line, the color attributes of a grouping of text, the place where application-program menus pop up; these and other clues to appropriate window locations and sizes can often be determined simply by moving the pointer around. When you do this and find a place you want to use as one of the two boundaries, just press INS-F5 to set the top-left or INS-F6 to set the bottom-right boundaries. Window-Eyes enters pixel values for you. Since it is difficult for you to position the mouse pointer exactly at the top left or bottom right of the area, by default Window-Eyes adjusts your values to correspond to the beginning or end of the current clip. If you wish to have Window-Eyes use the exact position of the mouse to only include part of the clip, turn the use clip boundaries with mouse item off in the global menu. This is a global setting that is stored in WINEYES.INI. Generally you will want to leave this option on, but in some programs such as terminal emulators or sound editing programs the clip might be an entire line and you might want to set the user window to exclude part of this line. In these cases you would want to turn the use clip boundaries with mouse option off. 12.5: The Offset When should you use the opposite value for the offset options when setting up a window? Generally speaking, you will probably use one or more of the opposite values for most windows. There are times when you will not want a particular coordinate to be an offset from its corresponding edge. Let's look at an example. Let's suppose that in your word processor the page and line numbers are displayed at the bottom of the active window. You would like to have a hot key to read that information. So, you select window 5, place your mouse pointer on the word "Page" and press INS-F5. You place your pointer on the line number and press INS-F6. You press ALT-5 to hear the text enclosed within window 5 and hear "Page 1 Line 9." This is what you had in mind, so you select window 0 and save your settings. You might want to get in the habit of setting the current user window back to a more frequently used window after you have made other user window changes. In our example, if you leave the current user window at window 5, then the majority of cursoring and reading hot keys will be relative to the status window only, and not the rest of the application. You don't, however, have to set the current user window back to 0. But we do recommend setting it to a user window that covers the majority of your application area, or at least the area where you will be doing the majority of your work. If you look at the settings of window 5, they might look something like this: Left = 498 - Offset from Left checked Top=467 - Offset from Top checked Right=64 - Offset from Right checked Bottom=8 - Offset from Bottom checked It might seem confusing to think that the top is 467 and the bottom is 8, but remember, this is the distance from the edge, not the absolute position. This user window works fine, but for reasons unrelated to it or the status line, you decide to resize or maximize the application window. This shifts the position of the status line. It is the same distance from the bottom edge of the active window, but it may be much closer to the top than it was previously. So, you might need to reset the top of user window 5 to a location more like 300 pixels from the top of the active window. Should you continually adjust your user window to match the active window? Should you vow never to resize a window so as to avoid this problem? No. What you should do in this case is to use the "Offset from Bottom" option for the top position in window 5. Then, set the top value to a distance from the bottom edge which will catch all of the information you wish to read and none of the surrounding text. In this case, you might try a value somewhere around fifty. Just as Window-Eyes can determine the correct pixel values by the position of the mouse it can also attempt to detect the correct window offsets. If you press the INS-F5 or INS-F6 keys twice in a row without moving the mouse or pressing any other keys on the keyboard Window-Eyes will attempt to automatically set the window offsets correctly and say "auto offsets" after either saying "top left" or "bottom right." To determine the offset to use, Window-Eyes looks for the closest window boundary and uses this offset. So if you were setting a user window for a status line at the bottom of the application and the status line included the full width of the application window then Window-Eyes would set the left to offset from left, top offset from bottom, right offset from right, and bottom offset from bottom. The auto offset feature is not always correct because sometimes the closest offset is not always the window boundary that remains constant when you resize a window. But you will find that this feature is correct most of the time; and when it is right, it makes choosing the correct offset much easier. Even when Window-Eyes chooses the incorrect window offset, you can use the INS-F4 dialog to choose the other setting for the offset and then use INS-F5 and INS-F6 to reset the window coordinates. If you manually set the offset make sure that you only press INS-F5 and INS-F6 once so that you don't engage the auto offset feature accidentally. This would override your manual offset settings. 12.6: Window Logic Caution: The PC, powerful and quick as it is, cannot defy logic. But we can control how the computer reacts to illogical commands. If you go rummaging around outside the current window and you want to set new coordinates for the current user window, you can do this. But logic precludes you from setting the top line to a place below the present setting for the bottom line or the left column to a place to the right of the present setting for the right column. If you attempt to do this and then read the window you have set, Window-Eyes will simply read nothing. Likewise it is possible to set a window with perfectly valid coordinates and then to resize the window and inadvertently place the top below the bottom or the right to the left of the left (what?). If you're confused, just think how Window-Eyes feels, which again, is why Window-Eyes will read nothing. 12.7: Confining Your Reading to the User Window Why would you want one window to be the current user window instead of another? There are several reasons, but one can be illustrated by a common reading situation. Imagine that you are reading a document in your word processor. Imagine that the document is displayed in two newspaper-style columns. Imagine that when you read a line, you hear text across the two columns, making the information incomprehensible. You want Window-Eyes to recognize only the text in the first column as you arrow down through the document. The solution is to set a user window to include the text in the first column and to exclude the text in the second column. When you press the hot key to hear the window you have set, you hear only the portion of the document which is in the first column and is displayed on the screen. If you then make this new user window the current user window, as you arrow down through the text Window-Eyes reads only the portion of each line which falls inside the user window. When the cursor is outside the current user window, the Window-Eyes hot keys do speak, regardless of current user window boundaries. If, through the cursoring menu, you have set UP and DOWN ARROWS to read the current line, and you use these keys to move the cursor above or below the current window boundaries, the lines outside the current user window are still voiced. If under similar circumstances, however, you do not have the current user window set for the full width of the active window, only the text that lies within the range of the window is voiced. 12.8: The Status of the User Window In most cases, you would not want to hear everything your application program displays on the screen in the order in which it puts it there. Dialog boxes, edit windows, menus, etc. provide too much information in too disorganized a manner to be easily interpreted if read exactly as displayed. However, there are times when information flows smoothly to the screen and capturing it as it appears is a useful and efficient way to access that material. Communications programs, in which you are connected to a bulletin board or on-line service, are good examples of cases in which you will probably prefer to hear the information the remote system is sending you exactly as it sends it. Whether you wish this type of speaking or not influences how you set the speaking status of Window-Eyes' windows. This is done from the user window definition dialog box, accessed by pressing INS-F7. The window definition dialog will be discussed in Section 13.5. The Speak Window A "Speak" window is a window that captures and voices everything that is written onto your PC's screen as it is written. For example, let's say you are on-line with your favorite communications program. The software at the other end of the phone line might display a menu of five items on the screen. By default, Window-Eyes does not read this automatically - you must press a window hot key to hear the menu read. This is worse than inconvenient, since you cannot always know when a new menu has appeared on the screen. So, the solution is simply to set a user window to correspond to the area of the active window in which the material from the host appears and then to tell that window to "speak" everything. After this is accomplished, Window-Eyes intercepts the text as it hits the display screen and then sends the text to your speech synthesizer software for voicing. If only one user window is set to "Speak," and that window does not cover the whole display screen, only text which appears within that window speaks automatically. For example, imagine window 0 is the only user window set to "Speak." The boundaries of window 0 are set to Left=0 pixels from the left edge of the active window and right=300 pixels from the right edge of the active window (we will ignore the top and bottom settings for now), meaning that much of the information on the right side of the active window is being ignored. Window-Eyes speaks only the portion of the menu which falls inside the speak window, probably only the first few words of each item. Other information is not spoken. If you aren't aware of where your application program or remote source is going to write new text to your screen or before you go through the procedure of setting up speak windows, you might consider trying the Speak All Toggle hot key (INS-A). This hot key is a toggle and hence has two settings, "Off" and "On." When Speak All is set to "Off," it does not affect the functioning of Window-Eyes. When Speak All is set to "On," text which your application or remote source writes to the screen is spoken as it appears, regardless of where it appears on the display. If you want some newly presented text to speak as it appears in some places but not in other places, use speak windows. Otherwise, the Speak All hot key may meet your needs single-handedly. You can have as many of the fifty user windows set to "Speak" as you'd like, and if they happen to overlap, that's okay too, the overlap will not cause text to be spoken twice. For example, let's say you have two windows (with different boundaries) set to "Speak." Text written to the screen within the confines of either of the two windows would be spoken as it is written, while text which is not within the boundaries of either of these two windows would not. It doesn't matter for speaking purposes whether either or neither of these windows is the current window or what the current user window boundaries are. Speak windows speak regardless. Pressing the CTRL key interrupts speech that emanates from a speak window. When the flow of new text to the display screen within the speak window is finished, Window-Eyes beeps. Pressing the CTRL key a second time resumes speech. Some application programs and communication systems write information into edit boxes. By choosing "Allow Speak Windows in Edit Boxes" through the General menu of the Window-Eyes Control Panel, you can instruct Window-Eyes to read such information as it is written. This setting does not affect text you key into edit boxes. The Silent Window When a window is set to "Silent," text written to the display screen within the boundaries of that window does not speak. It's not quite that simple, though, because of Window-Eyes "window precedence," that is, the ability of one window's speaking status to supersede that of another. The lower the window number, the higher the precedence. Thus, for a silent window to restrict speech from an area of the screen chosen to be spoken by a speak window, the silent window must have precedence, that is, a lower number than the speak window. For example, let's say you want all the text but the top line in the active window to speak automatically. Set the top coordinates of window 1 to left=0, top=0, right=0, and bottom=50 with offset from top selected. Set Window 1 to "Silent." Set the coordinates of window 2 (or some higher number) to the entire active window and set the window to "Speak." Set all other windows to "Neutral." Text written to the top line of the active window is unspoken. The silent window might be useful in a situation in which you are on line and the host system is displaying the time in one part of the screen. The time might read "10:04:25" and you probably don't want to hear the time updated every second, or even every minute. You might set user window 3 to cover the clock as a silent window and window 7 to cover the rest of the area used by the host to display important information as a speak window. This would give you all of the meaningful information and none of the rambling "10:04:25 10:04:26 10:04:27...." The Neutral Window Of all four options for user window status, "Neutral" requires the least discussion. A window set to "Neutral" neither permits nor restricts the speaking of text written to the screen. Do any of the choices of the three settings discussed so far alter the function of the read-window hot keys? No. If you want to press the hot keys to have the contents of any window spoken, you can use that key regardless of the window's speaking status. The Float Window At this point in the discussion, we can't give float windows a proper treatment because concepts not yet covered in this manual are needed. For now, we will say that the coordinates of float windows vary automatically, according to the positions of things like the cursor and highlight. We will discuss float windows in detail in Section 15. 12.9: Getting User Window Status Reports Pressing the "Read User Window Coordinates" Hot Key (undefined by default) gives the following information: the number of the current user window; whether it is set to "Speak," "Float," "Neutral," or "Silent"; and the window coordinates. It gives similar information for one of the hyperactive windows, but this will be discussed in Section 14. You can also use the "User Window Status" Hot Key (undefined by default). Pressing this Hot Key will display a dialog with a list of all user windows (0 - 49) and all hyperactive windows (A - Z) as well as their current status for the set file that is loaded at the time of pressing the Hot Key. 12.10: Reading User Windows There are a number of ways to read a user window. The most direct method and the method easiest to understand is to read a window by pressing a hot key. There are a number of these available. The first twenty user windows, window 0 through window 19, have their own hot keys. By default, these keys are defined as ALT-0 through ALT-9 for windows 0 through 9. The hot keys for reading Windows 10 through 19 are undefined. Pressing the hot key reads the corresponding window. Any of the user or hyperactive windows can be read by pressing the "Any window" hot key (undefined by default) and keying in the number (0 - 49) or letter (A - Z) of a window. To read window 37, for example, press the any window hot key (you will need to assign a key to this function if you haven't already), type in 37, and press ENTER. Window-Eyes reads the information contained within window 37. If you wanted to read hyperactive window Z, you would simply press the "Any window" hot key and type in the letter Z followed by ENTER. There may also be times when it is convenient to read the current user window without having to know which window is current or what its hot key is. Window-Eyes has a "Read Active User Window" hot key to perform this function. This is useful when you have set up user windows to read columns or other complex text arrangements and you simply want to read the window you are in now without regard to its number. This hot key is undefined by default. 12.11: Show User Window Outline The show user window outline feature is controlled by an option on the global menu. This option is not saved with the SET file or anywhere else. It is an option that gets reset to off each time you load Window-Eyes. If you turn this option on, Window-Eyes will invert the colors of the area of the user or hyperactive window on the screen each time you read it. So the first time you read a window it will be inverted on the screen. The second time you read it it will be inverted again (or set to normal) on the screen. It is possible for the contents of the screen to get scrambled during this process if the screen changes between the two times that you read the user window. If this happens you can restore the screen either with the screen redraw hot key which is INS-\ or by minimizing and then maximizing the application. You can minimize the application with ALT-SPACE followed by N and you can maximize it with the command ALT-SPACE followed by X. This feature is for visual access users to assist them in debugging the boundaries of user windows as they are being set up. SECTION THIRTEEN Video attributes and Highlights This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides information on video attributes and highlight tracking. So far, we have discussed practices of accessing information from two perspectives: that of the cursor or mouse pointer and that of locations within Window-Eyes windows. This would be enough if application programs always did things in the same place on the display screen and in the same colors . . . but they don't. They group text in odd patterns marked by changes in colors and they use highlights to display information such as active menu items, highlighted information, columns and row headings, and hypertext. As application programs advance from one release to the next, they become more and more filled with visually appealing but programmatically more complex video features; features which can be described vocally, but only one sound at a time. 13.1: The Basics Before a process-oriented discussion of how Window-Eyes can help you routinely access the visual display features of Windows application programs, some explanation of just a few basic concepts may be helpful. Each item on the screen: character, icon, graphic, etc., is displayed by a collection of pixels, each with its own color expressed in degrees of red, green, and blue foreground on a red, green, and blue background. Each attribute on the screen must be expressed with at least these six values. Windows often displays one item in a different combination of attributes than all other items on the screen. For example, in some Windows Help systems, the text of hypertext links can be displayed in a brighter color than all other text. As you move from one link to another with the TAB key, the link you leave returns to the normal color and the link you move to is "highlighted." We call these bits of highlighted text "Highlights." Window-Eyes, for example, uses highlights to highlight the active menu item in the Voice Control Panel. Similarly, when you select text in a word processor it is often highlighted, which Window-Eyes can treat as a highlight. Hypertext is a link to some other portion of text. When hypertext is present, it is usually shown in a highlight. When a hypertext highlight is displayed, you can just press ENTER and the application program jumps to a screen that contains information related to that bit of hypertext you just responded to. Hypertext is popular for some on-line help systems. 13.2: How it Works At this point, we begin considering Window-Eyes in a more general way than we have so far. That is, Window-Eyes' features for working with video attributes and highlights will take us to the screen menu, the hot keys menu, and into the user window definition dialog box to use more of Window-Eyes' function keys. 13.3: Detecting New Video Attributes It may be important for you to detect when new attributes show up in text you are reading. For example, bold or underlining ordinarily show up in different attributes from other text. A popular method of editing text for others to review is to bold, redline, or underline changes as a method for differentiating the new from the old. A database may display fields which cannot be changed in a color different from other fields. You can use the attribute changes hot key to switch this feature "On" or "Off," or you can use the "Attribute Changes" screen menu item. There is no functional difference between these two methods of controlling this feature. Which attribute changes are mentioned when this feature is turned on is determined by your settings on the verbosity menu, as described in Section 5.5. 13.4: Highlight Tracking We already know that Window-Eyes can isolate and voice text shown in specific color sets, but what happens when color sets move? Highlights ordinarily are movable by pressing ARROWS and other cursoring keys. If highlights always contained a cursor, they would present the screen-reader user little problem. But often, the cursor is removed from the screen completely when highlights appear. A fully functional screen reader must be able to read highlights as they move. Window-Eyes meets this challenge with a feature called "Highlight Tracking," which tracks and voices highlights and their movements. To take full advantage of highlight tracking, you have to do three things: tell Window-Eyes what color attributes you want it to consider to be a highlight, set the "Highlight" hot key, and set the "Highlight Rotor" hot key. If you prefer a minimal use of hot keys, you can go to the "Highlight Track" item of the general menu and select from among its three settings in its list box. Setting Highlights To set the highlight color, place the mouse pointer on some item of text within the highlight. Press the "Set Highlight Color" hot key (undefined by default). Window-Eyes sets the colors of the character containing the mouse pointer to the highlight colors. When you press the set highlight color hot key, Window-Eyes announces a color such as "R255 G255 B255 on R0 G0 B0" (white on black). You can find the highlight by turning on attribute changes (by using your hot key or by toggling the option on the screen menu) and reading the active window. Attributes of the text shown in the highlight are announced just before the text is voiced. Another method of locating the correct color for the highlight is to move the mouse pointer from item to item and to press the set highlight color hot key on each article of text until you have found the item that is displayed in a different color. The key you assign as the read highlight hot key, when pressed, reads a highlight, if one is present in the currently active window. Pressing this key a second time spells the word or words in the highlight. Pressing it a third time spells phonetically. Pressing this key when there is no highlight results in a beep. The key you assign as the highlight rotor hot key, when pressed, rotors through three settings "Highlight Track Off," "Highlight Track Auto," and "Highlight Track On." Remember that these settings only apply to the current window. If you want them to be the same for a different window that you make active, you have to set them again in the new window. At first, this may mean some extra work, but the benefit is that you can have different windows set for different highlight-reading situations, without having to load a new set file every time you want some new setting. For example, the help and menu systems of your application program might well look completely different from one another, so you may want them to respond differently. When highlight track is set to "Off," as the setting-name implies, Window-Eyes functions normally when ARROW keys are pressed. When highlight track is set to "On," Window-Eyes reads the highlight when an ARROW, CTRL-TAB, or CTRL-SHIFT-TAB is pressed. If no highlight is present in the current user window, Window-Eyes speaks nothing. It is important to note that the cursoring menu definition of the ARROW keys, CTRL-TAB, and CTRL-SHIFT-TAB is overridden by the "On" setting of highlight track. When highlight track is set to "Auto," Window-Eyes attempts to read a highlight when ARROW keys, CTRL-TAB, or CTRL-SHIFT-TAB are pressed even if highlight colors have not been set. We say "attempt," because Window-Eyes cannot anticipate all possible screen activities an application program might employ. If no highlight is present when these keys are pressed, Window-Eyes reads as it would normally. If Window-Eyes can find a highlight, it reads one of several known color combinations which Windows uses for menus and icons. 13.5: The Window Definition Menu Now that highlights and how to take advantage of Window-Eyes features for managing them have been introduced, we can reveal the window definition menu, which is found by pressing INS-F7. When you bring up the window definition dialog box Window-Eyes announces, "Standard User Window Definition, Window X" (where X equals the number of the current user window). The following table lists and describes the functions of the dialog box, item by item: I = Window X Definition (where X is equal to the current user window number) Sets the speaking status of the current user window. UP and DOWN ARROWS move through a combo box with choices "Float," "Neutral," "Silent," and "Speak." M = Comment Line This edit box allows you to enter a description of the function of the defined window. This is simply used for internal documentation for set file developers who wish to note the purpose of the window either for their own reference, or for other developers. Only 25 characters are allowed in this edit box. E = Match Any Foreground Color Allows you to determine whether or not the current user window speaks any foreground color or only the one designated later in this dialog box. SPACEBAR toggles this item between "Checked" and "Unchecked." K = Match Any Background Color Allows you to determine whether or not the current user window speaks any background color or only the one designated later in this dialog box. Pressing the SPACEBAR toggles this item between "Checked" and "Unchecked." W = Enter Window Attributes This option is only available if either the Match Any Foreground Color check box, or Match Any Background Color check box listed above is unchecked. Enter Window Attributes allows you to set the RGB values for foreground and background attributes for the current user window for voicing in response to a read window hot key or through a speak window. Pressing ENTER on this item produces a dialog box in which you can enter each of the six values for red, green and blue, foreground and background. At the bottom of this dialog box are three buttons: "OK," "Cancel," and "Accept Mouse." If you choose "Accept Mouse," Window-Eyes sets the colors to the attributes that are under the mouse pointer. Window-Eyes announces, "Mouse accepted." P = Speak and Spell Causes every word in the window to be spelled immediately after the word is voiced. SPACEBAR toggles this check box between "Checked" and "Unchecked." C = Window to Chain Read Lets you designate a standard window for Window-Eyes to read immediately after it finishes reading the current window. A window cannot be chain-read twice. While in this combo box, use UP and DOWN ARROWS to select the window you wish to chain read, or simply press the number of the window. T = Highlight Status Offers the same choices as the highlight rotor hot key--Auto, On, and Off. UP and DOWN ARROWS move among these choices. L = Enter Highlight Attributes Allows you to enter the values for the foreground and background of the highlight for the current user window. Pressing ENTER on this item produces a dialog box in which you can enter each of the six values for red, green and blue, foreground and background. At the bottom of this dialog box are three buttons: "OK," "Cancel," and "Accept Mouse." If you choose "Accept Mouse," Window-Eyes sets the colors to the attributes that are under the mouse pointer. Window-Eyes announces, "Mouse accepted." U = Autodetermine Highlight Color Allows you to instruct Window-Eyes to attempt to determine the highlight colors as highlights move. Press ALT-U to check the check box. Pressing this key again or the SPACEBAR while the check box still has focus unchecks it. Press ENTER to accept the setting and leave the dialog box. Y = Copy Settings From Window Allows you to type the number of a user window you wish to copy settings from The window definition menu is ideal for getting a quick and concise look at these features and quickly making changes from one convenient place, without waiting for the preferred attributes to come up on the display screen or moving the mouse pointer around. Status The selections are: "Speak, Float, Neutral, and Silent." See Section 12 for a detailed explanation of these options. Window Attributes This feature adds another dimension of power to standard windows. Let's look at an example application. In your favorite database, the memo field is always displayed in white letters on a black background whereas all other data and field names are displayed in some other set of colors. The size of the memo field varies and its position shifts within the focused window, so you find it difficult to set a user window to a size that will catch all of every memo without catching any of the other material. Fortunately, the memo is consistently displayed in specific attributes. So, you set your memo-field user window to the entire focused window and set the window attributes to the displayed color set (R255, G255, B255 on R0, G0, B0, for example), and press the hot key to read the user window. Only the memo field is read. There is a quick and simple way to do this. First, get a memo on the screen. Press INS-F3 and key in the number of the window you would like to use as the memo-field window. We'll use window 8 for this example. After selecting the window, place your mouse pointer somewhere in the text of the memo field. Press your "Set User Window Color" hot key (undefined by default). Window-Eyes will announce, "Window Set for R255 G255 B255 on R0 G0 B0." When you press the hot key, Window-Eyes will automatically uncheck the "Match Any Foreground Attribute" and "Match Any Background Attribute" options. Later, you notice that certain types of memos are not spoken with ALT-8 (or whatever hot key you have defined). When you use the mouse pointer to inspect the text, you find that it is displayed in a slightly different shade of white on a black background, say R255 G248 B255 on R0 G0 B0. It is not uncommon for programs to mix foreground colors on a single background color. Your window can easily be corrected to accommodate these displays. Select window 8 and press INS-F7 to bring up the window definition menu. TAB to the "Match Any Foreground Attribute" check box and use the SPACE BAR to check it. Press ENTER, select user window 0 (or your usual work-area window), and save the settings. Now ALT-8 will read any memo displayed on a background of R0 G0 B0. Note: We recommend that you never allow a user window set for specific attributes to be used as the current user window. Always choose a window other than your usual work-area window for these functions. You can attach different color sets to each of the fifty standard windows. Speak and Spell This feature is handy for spell-checking functions or memorizing spelling lists. Words of more than one letter are spelled after they are spoken. Window to Chain Read What if your favorite word processor displays the number of the document at the top of the focused window and the page and line numbers at the bottom? You might like to have two windows set up to read the two areas of the focused window and press two separate hot keys to hear all the information. Or, you might like to have only one hot key read document number, page, and line all at once. Set up a window for the document number. We will suppose you are using window 5. Set up a window for the page and line numbers at the bottom of the focused window. We will suppose you are using window 4. Now, select window 5, since that's the one you want to hear first, and go into the window definition menu by pressing INS-F7. TAB down to "Window to Chain Read" and arrow up and down until you find 4, the number of the window we have set for the page and line number information. Press ENTER to exit the menu, select window 0 again, and save the settings. Now when you press the hot key to hear the document number, that message will be followed by the information at the bottom of the focused window. You can chain as many standard windows together as you wish. If you chain to a window which has previously been read in the chain, Window-Eyes will not read the new window and the chain will be ended. Highlight Status and Highlight Attributes Highlight attributes are set through the same procedure as the window attributes: choosing the "Enter Highlight Attributes" button displays a dialog box identical to the one brought up by the "Enter Window Attributes" button, and all controls in both of these boxes operate identically. Since programs often change the color or style of highlights many times in a computing session, Window-Eyes gives you fifty independent highlight settings within each SET file. The highlight status (on, off, auto) is designated for each user window independently of the highlight status of any other user window. This is true whether you use the highlight rotor hot key, the highlight status option on the window definition menu, or the highlight track option within the general menu. This setting is never "global." Likewise, the attribute settings are specific for the window and do not affect the highlight settings of any other window. What does this mean? If your application gives you two different situations which have two different highlight colors in them, you can easily cause Window-Eyes to track the correct color simply by switching windows. Likewise, if the program has a third mode in which there is no highlight at all, you can turn highlight tracking off by switching to a third user window. Copy Settings From Window This button, when pressed, will provide you with an edit box where you can enter the number of a window to copy settings from. All of a user window's settings (status, comment, all window attributes, speak and spell status, window to chain read, highlight status, and all highlight attributes) are copied when you use this function. 13.6: Cursor and Mouse ANSI/Attribute The cursor and mouse ANSI/attribute hot keys will announce the ANSI and attribute information for the character under the cursor or the mouse. If there is no character, then these two keys will beep. The cursor ANSI/attribute hot key is CTRL-NUMPAD-DELETE while the mouse ANSI/attribute hot key is CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-DELETE. If you press one of these keys it will say the ANSI character number, the font of the character, the size of the font, the font style of the character, and the color of the character. If you have any of these options turned off in the attribute changes section of the verbosity menu, these hot keys will honor these settings the first time you press the hot key, but announce all of the information the second time you press the hot key. Window-Eyes will slow the voice by two rates when it announces the color numbers given in RGB format for both the foreground and background. For an example, let's assume that the mouse is on the capital letter A and that this letter is in the system font at ten point. We will also assume that the character is bold and that it is white on black. If you have all of the verbosity settings turned on and you press CTRL-INS-NUMPAD-DELETE, Window-Eyes would say "ANSI 65 system ten point bold R255 G255 B255 on R0 G0 B0." The rate of the voice would be slowed by two when the RGB values were announced. If you turned off the color setting in the verbosity menu, Window-Eyes would say "ANSI 65 system ten point bold" the first time you pressed the mouse ANSI attribute hot key and it would add the color information in RGB form the second time you pressed the key. Now that you know how the cursor and mouse ANSI/attribute hot keys work, you will be able to use them to determine the color information of a character to set window or highlight colors. SECTION FOURTEEN Hyperactive Windows This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides information on defining and using Window-Eyes hyperactive windows. The basic purpose of the windows discussed so far (standard user windows) is to make the reading of information as quick and convenient as possible. Hyperactive windows are different in their purpose: they are designed for Window-Eyes to monitor the display screen for any of nine kinds of changes and then automatically perform up to three instances of nine routine Window-Eyes commands. Hyperactive windows are similar to standard windows in that they are shaped like rectangles. 14.1: The Basics You learned in Section 5 that you could control how much or how little Window-Eyes spoke automatically by adjusting the settings on the verbosity menu. There may be times, however, when you want greater refinement of the speech. You may find, for example, that reading a particular dialog box from beginning to end provides you with so much information that you find it useless, but reading each item in turn as you move through it is not enough. Telling Window-Eyes to monitor what is happening on the screen and to speak specific items only under particular circumstances is the answer to the problem. To cause the relevant information to be spoken without subjecting the user to a great deal of unwanted chatter, Window-Eyes can monitor the activities of the screen and take predetermined actions based on what it finds without necessarily voicing anything at all through the speech synthesizer. It can watch for certain strings of text, changes in color attributes, any change at all on a status line, etc., and then read something or do some other housekeeping chore such as load a new SET file automatically or make some announcement. Hyperactive windows, then, are windows which Window-Eyes reads to itself, not to the speech synthesizer. Window-Eyes reads the contents of these windows over and over again until it sees what it is looking for, and then carries out preset instructions previously given by you. 14.2: How it Works Much of what you already know about setting up windows holds for setting up hyperactive windows. We have already shown how to use your keyboard's function keys to set up standard windows. Many of these same function keys are used for setting up the hyperactive windows, but in combination with the CTRL and SHIFT keys. CTRL-SHIFT-F3, for example, prompts for a window letter (A-Z) to designate as the current hyperactive window for the purpose of setting or adjusting it. All twenty six hyperactive windows can run at the same time, once they are set up. There is no such thing as a current hyperactive window in the same sense as the current user window. CTRL-SHIFT-F4 displays a box which names the current hyperactive window, tells the status ("Hyperactive" or "Off"), and prompts for the left, top, right, and bottom window coordinates. CTRL-SHIFT-F5 sets the top-left boundary of the hyperactive window to the position of the mouse pointer. CTRL-SHIFT-F6 sets the bottom-right boundary of the hyperactive window to the position of the mouse pointer. Like standard user windows, hyperactive windows also offer offsets for the four positions. You can manually adjust the offsets using the CTRL-SHIFT-F4 dialog. Or you can try the auto offset option by pressing CTRL-SHIFT-F5 and CTRL-SHIFT-F6 twice in a row without moving the mouse pointer between presses. Window-Eyes will attempt to set the offsets based on the location of the mouse pointer. There need be no relationship between the locations of any of the standard windows and the locations of hyperactive windows. You can let them overlap. You can set several hyperactive windows to exactly the same location and have them monitor the screen for different events to occur. 14.3: The Hyperactive Window Definition Dialog Box The CTRL-SHIFT-F7 key displays a dialog box called the hyperactive user window definition dialog. This box is for switching the current hyperactive window on or off; deciding whether the hyperactive window should interrupt speech; telling Window-Eyes what to watch for (or "Trigger On") in the hyperactive window; and finally, setting up to three commands to be carried out when it does trigger. Once you have set the boundaries for a hyperactive window, press the CTRL-SHIFT-F7 key. Before doing this it is a good idea to go to the Window-Eyes Global menu and turn Hyperactive Status to Off so that the window does not get a chance to trigger before you can save your settings. Window-Eyes puts up its hyperactive window definition dialog box and announces, "Hyperactive User Window Definition: Window X" (where X equals an alphabet letter A-Z). Several items in the dialog box are combo boxes. UP and DOWN ARROWS move among items in the list. TAB moves you to the next item in the dialog box. Pressing ENTER on an item selects that item. Pressing ESCAPE is the same as selecting the "Cancel" button. Pressing ENTER on the OK button confirms your selections. Items in the dialog box include: Status - combo box Comment Line - edit box Interrupt - combo box Trigger - combo box Trigger Info... - button (may be disabled) First Command - combo box Command Info 1 - button (may be disabled) Second Command - combo box Command Info 2 - button (may be disabled) Third Command - combo box Command Info 3 - button (may be disabled) Copy Settings From Window - button OK - button Cancel - button Each item works as follows: Switching the Hyperactive Window On and Off Status: Determines whether the hyperactive window is operational. UP and DOWN ARROWS select "Off" or "Hyperactive." When status is set to "Hyperactive," the window is operational. When status is set to "Off," settings are retained in memory, but the hyperactive window is non-operational: it will not monitor for changes on the screen. Comment Line: Allows you to enter a description of the function of the defined window. This is simply used for internal documentation for set file developers who wish to note the purpose of the window either for their own reference, or for other developers. Only 25 characters are allowed in this edit box. Interrupt: Determines whether the action to be taken by the hyperactive window should interrupt speech in progress or wait for speech to play out. UP and DOWN ARROWS select "No" or "Yes." When interrupt is set to "No," the hyperactive window will trigger as it always did but any speech produced by the window will be buffered to the end of the existing text being spoken. When interrupt is set to "Yes," Window-Eyes interrupts speech to trigger the window. This feature prevents you from inadvertently interrupting a hyperactive message with the keyboard. If you really need to interrupt the hyperactive window you can press the CTRL at any time to do this. Window-Eyes will always interrupt speech with the CTRL key unless you disable this feature (from the option on the keyboard menu). It should also be noted that if one hyperactive window generates speech (say, by speaking a string), it will not be interrupted by another hyperactive window set to speak. What the Hyperactive Window Should Watch For, and Why Trigger: Tells Window-Eyes what you want it to watch for in the hyperactive window. UP and DOWN ARROWS move among items in a combo box. Items in the list include: "Any Change," "Contains Attribute," "Does Not Contain Attribute," "Contains String," "Does Not Contain String," "Contains Cursor," "Does Not Contain Cursor," "Contains Focus," and "Does Not Contain Focus." When trigger is set to "Any Change," Window-Eyes watches everything in the hyperactive window for any change in character, case (upper or lower), or color attributes. For example, your application program may use the top or bottom line of the focused window as a status line, giving such information as the file name, cursor position, error messages, etc. You want Window-Eyes to voice the contents of this line any time any change of any kind occurs there but ignore the line otherwise. "Any Change" will help in this situation. When trigger on is set to "Contains Attribute," Window-Eyes watches for the appearance anywhere in the hyperactive window of only the color attributes specified when the hyperactive window was defined. When you select this item, you must also press ENTER on the "Trigger Info..." button. Pressing ENTER on this item produces a dialog box in which you can enter each of the six values for red, green and blue, foreground and background. At the bottom of this dialog box are three buttons: "OK," "Cancel," and "Accept Mouse." If you choose "Accept Mouse," Window-Eyes sets the colors to the attributes that are under the mouse pointer. Window-Eyes announces, "Mouse accepted." You might use this option in a hyperactive window when you block text in your word processor, the blocked text changes to a particular color, and you'd like to hear it read. When trigger on is set to "Does Not Contain Attribute," Window-Eyes watches for the designated color attributes to disappear. The designated attributes are those you entered in the "Enter Attributes" dialog box (through the "Trigger Info..." button) when you defined the hyperactive window. Pressing ENTER on this item produces a dialog box in which you can enter each of the six values for red, green and blue, foreground and background. At the bottom of this dialog box are three buttons: "OK," "Cancel," and "Accept Mouse." If you choose "Accept Mouse," Window-Eyes sets the colors to the attributes that are under the mouse pointer. Window-Eyes announces, "Mouse accepted."Other attribute changes are ignored. When trigger on is set to "Contains String," Window-Eyes watches for the appearance of a specified string anywhere in the hyperactive window; changes in color and other text changes are ignored. When you select this item you must also provide the string by pressing ENTER on the "Trigger Info..." button. Key in up to thirty-two characters, if you wish, and press ENTER. For example, let's say you know the host to which you are connected via your communications program is going to send you a message somewhere within the hyperactive window, prompting for some value, but the exact location of the message is uncertain. When this message appears, you want Window-Eyes to announce, "Enter a Value." "Contains String" is not case sensitive; that is, Window-Eyes will watch for either uppercase or lowercase occurrences of the letters in your string. If you wish to search for a graphic, simply label it and use the graphic label as the string. When trigger on is set to "Does Not Contain String," Window-Eyes watches for the disappearance from anywhere in the hyperactive window of a specified string. When you select this item you must also provide the string by pressing ENTER on the "Trigger Info..." button. When trigger on is set to "Contains Cursor," Window-Eyes watches for the cursor to appear anywhere in the hyperactive window. When trigger on is set to "Does Not Contain Cursor," Window-Eyes watches for the cursor to disappear from the hyperactive window. For example, on a number of occasions, your application program removes the cursor from the editor, or from the screen altogether. You want Window-Eyes to announce, "Cursor Missing." When trigger on is set to "Contains Focus," Window-Eyes watches constantly for a window gaining focus within the boundary of your hyperactive window. For example, let's say you want Window-Eyes to watch for a certain window to get focus and when this happens, you want Window-Eyes to load a new set file. When trigger on is set to "Does Not Contain Focus," Window-Eyes watches constantly for no window to have focus within the boundary of your hyperactive window. What Window-Eyes Should Do If the Hyperactive Window Triggers First Command, Second Command, and Third Command: Instruct Window-Eyes what to do when the hyperactive window triggers. UP and DOWN ARROWS move through the following choices: "Undefined," "Speak Window," "Speak String," "Speak Highlight," "Activate Window," "Load SET," "Execute Hot Key," "Beep," and "Route Mouse To Window." When the hyperactive window triggers, Window-Eyes executes the setting for first command, then the setting for second command, then the setting for third command. If all three are set to "undefined," Window-Eyes takes no action when the hyperactive window triggers. When command is set to "Speak Window," you must press ENTER on the "Command Info" button in order to tell Window-Eyes which user window to speak. Window-Eyes will pop up a dialog box and prompt for the number of the window to be spoken. Key in the number of any standard window 0-49 or the letter of any hyperactive window A-Z and press ENTER. When the hyperactive window triggers, Window-Eyes reads the contents of the window set for the command. When command is set to "Speak String," you must press ENTER on the "Command Info" button to cause Window-Eyes to prompt for the text. Key in a string up to thirty-two characters long and press ENTER. When the hyperactive window triggers, Window-Eyes voices the specified string. When command is set to "Speak Highlight," Window-Eyes reads a highlight if one is present within the currently active window when the hyperactive window triggers. For more information on how Window-Eyes determines the highlight, refer to Section 13.4. When command is set to "Activate Window" you must press ENTER on the "Command Info" button in order to have Window-Eyes prompt for the number of the standard user window to Switch. Key in the number of any standard window 0-49 and press ENTER. When the hyperactive window triggers, Window-Eyes switches the current standard user window to the one you have set here. When command is set to "Load Set," you must press ENTER on the "Command Info" button in order to type in the name of the SET file to load. Key in the name of any SET file in the current user's directory. This item does not accept a drive or path specification. When the hyperactive window triggers, Window-Eyes loads the named SET file. When command is set to "Execute Hot Key" you must press the "Command Info" button to choose the hot key to execute from a list box of hot keys. It is not necessary for the hot key to be defined in your SET file for it to be executed. When the hyperactive window triggers, the hot key is executed. When command is set to "Beep," Windows beeps (normally through your sound card) when the hyperactive window triggers. When command is set to "Route Mouse To Window" you must press ENTER on the "Command Info" button in order to have Window-Eyes prompt for the number of the standard user window to route to. Key in the number of any standard window 0-49 and press ENTER. When the hyperactive window triggers, Window-Eyes will route the mouse to the top left of the specified window. Note: If you are setting more than one command, and one of these loads a disk set, be sure not to follow this command with a speak string or another load disk set. The string to be spoken or the name of the SET file to be loaded is stored in the original SET file and will not be retained when the new SET file is loaded. 14.4: Window and Command Precedence As with standard user windows 0-49, hyperactive windows A-Z follow an ordinal precedence. That is, if conditions on screen provide a match that two or more hyperactive windows are set to trigger on, the one with the first letter triggers first. For example, let's say you have set hyperactive window A to watch for a particular word to appear on the status line and window B set to watch for some particular color attributes (R255, G0, B0 on R0, G0, B0, for example). If the status line were to change at the same instant that the colors red on black appeared, window A would trigger first, then window B. If Interrupt were set to "Yes" in window B, it would not interrupt a speak command going on in window A (as explained in Section 14.3). While considering this window precedence, keep in mind that there are times when you want things to happen in a particular order. You may find that you always wish to hear the highlight before you hear the status line. Be sure that your windows are ordered accordingly. If you wish to have certain windows trigger only when the conditions of other windows are not true, you can have a window of a higher precedence load a SET file. If window A loads a SET file, window B will never be triggered because new settings have been loaded. As a rule, if you have windows which load SET files and windows which speak information, place your "loading" windows near the beginning of the alphabet and the "reading" windows near the end. This will reduce extraneous chatter. 14.5: Turning Hyperactive Windows On and Off You can turn all twenty six hyperactive windows on or off with the hyperactive windows rotor hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-F8). This key rotors between "Off," "Messages Off," and "Messages On." When hyperactive windows rotor is in the "Off" position, none of the hyperactive windows can trigger, although all their settings are still stored in the computer's memory. When hyperactive windows rotor is in the "Messages Off" position, hyperactive windows set to "Hyperactive" trigger as usual. When hyperactive Windows Rotor is set to the "Messages On" position all hyperactive windows trigger as normal. They also send a message to the speech synthesizer that they are triggering. This is useful for debugging your hyperactive windows. You do not have to use the hyperactive windows rotor hot key. Instead, you can go to the Hyperactive Status option on the global menu, "H=Hyperactive Status," which functions exactly the same as the hot key. Simply press ENTER on the menu item to bring up a list box allowing you to choose from "Off," "Messages Off," or "Messages On." 14.6: Troubleshooting Hyperactive Windows Circumstances are possible in which hyperactive windows can work against, rather than for you. For example, let's say you set a hyperactive window to look for some screen event such as a particular attribute and then load another SET file. In the second SET file, you might accidentally set up a hyperactive window that looks for the same attributes and then reloads the SET file you were just in. In such a case, the two SET files would load and reload each other in an infinite loop. Fix this kind of problem by going to the hyperactive window definition dialog box (CTRL-SHIFT-F7) and correcting the circumstances leading up to the loop. Or use the hyperactive windows rotor hot key to turn all hyperactive windows off and then fix the problem. Another problem comes when part of a status line reflects the new cursor position every time the cursor moves. If you were to set a hyperactive window to monitor the entire line and read it upon every change, Window-Eyes would try to read the line at every key you typed. In this case, you should set the dimensions of the hyperactive window to some portion of the status line that does not contain the cursor-position indicator. Set a standard user window to cover the whole status line and set the hyperactive window to read the standard window. The other benefit is that you can read the contents of the status line any time simply by pressing the appropriate read window hot key. Eve SECTION FIFTEEN Float Windows This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides information on defining and using Window-Eyes float windows. In Section 12, we introduced the concept of float windows but didn't elaborate for two reasons: first, information on color attributes and highlight tracking had not yet been fully covered; second, enough can be said about float windows to fill a whole section in this manual. 15.1: The Basics So far, we have defined window boundaries (whether standard or hyperactive) strictly in relation to the boundaries of the active window. For many purposes of speech access, these window boundaries are adequate, especially considering the fact that Window-Eyes offers a total of 76 windows you can use to read the screen. You can predetermine numerous screen locations where text you want to read might be located, often with a high degree of certainty. But application programs are active; they paint blocks of information to the screen in varying locations, which in turn vary in size. Window-Eyes meets the challenge of letting you read what you want and not be bothered with what you don't want, by adding windows that "float." A float window can let any or all of its boundaries float with the movements of a highlight, cursor, or focus window. It can set positions a constant distance left or right of, up or down from the cursor or highlight. To illustrate the need for float windows, imagine a table which contains several columns of information across like a spreadsheet. The columns may vary in width, and the document as a whole might be so wide that not all of its columns even fit on the screen at once. Furthermore, the width of the columns can be changed in order to fit them to the amount of text you plan to put in them. As you move from column to column and back with either the TAB and SHIFT-TAB keys, or the ARROW keys, the application program moves text left or right to fit a whole column on-screen. A highlight in bright white text on a red background highlights the column heading because it is marked for bold print, and that is the only distinguishing feature of a column, apart from a varying number of blank spaces. You want to read information in the active column without reading surrounding information. You want your UP and DOWN ARROWS to read lines, but only the portion of each line in the current table column. What you need is a window whose coordinates will vary depending on the location and size of your highlight. As you move from column to column, you want your window to move with you and to grow and shrink as you move from narrow columns to wide to narrow. Another example might be if you want to read the row and column headings of a spreadsheet as you arrow through your information. Normally an Excel spreadsheet will tell you the coordinates of the cell you are on before reading you the cell contents. With float windows, you can have the column and row headers read to you instead of the cell coordinates. So instead of hearing "B4, John," with a float window, you could hear, "First Name, John." 15.2: How it Works We already know INS-F4 as the key for setting Window-Eyes window coordinates. When you press INS-F4, Window-Eyes displays a box for setting constant values for the left, top, right, and bottom of the current window; that is, if the window status is set to "Neutral," "Silent," or "Speak." But if the window status is set to "Float," the box Window-Eyes displays is much bigger and contains more prompts. To Designate any Standard Window as a Float Window: 1. Press INS-F3 to select any standard window 0-49 not now in use. 2. Bring up the user window definition dialog box with INS-F7 and set status to "Float." 3. Press ENTER or the SPACE BAR on the OK button to leave the dialog box. 4. Press INS-F4. Window-Eyes displays the float window setup screen and announces, "Float Window Definition: Window X - Float" (where X is the number of the user window you have selected). 15.3: The Float Window Setup Screen If we move through the float window set-up screen with the TAB key, we see that we have more or less the same four items as with other types of windows: left position, top position, right position, and bottom position. In the float window dialog, however, each position has different properties such as option, value, offset, and string. 15.4: Setting the Position When the definition dialog box first appears, the selected item is the option for the left position, which is a combo box. The default setting is "Constant." The UP and DOWN ARROWS move through the other possibilities within the combo box and the TAB key moves to the next item in the dialog box. Let's go through the combo box and look at each setting, telling along the way what Window-Eyes prompts for, and then how your choices will play out in your computing session. Finally, we will work our way through setting up a few float windows, step by step. Setting the Position to a Constant The default setting for all four boundaries of the float window is "Constant." Many of the float windows you will set will have one or more of the four boundaries held constant. Like the standard and hyperactive windows, the values of the constants can be any value within the range of your video driver's limitations. Leaving the position set to "Constant" would be like setting the coordinates of a standard window; in other words, the constant position does not move, or "float." You can also set the boundary to "Constant plus Attribute" and "Constant minus Attribute." When you request a window to be spoken with either of these boundaries, Window-Eyes will calculate the boundary position by examining the constant you enter, and then adding or subtracting (depending on whether you chose plus or minus) the distance to the next different attribute (different from the one your constant is on). Note: The attribute characteristic refers only to the color of the text, not any of the font characteristics like style, or size. When you press TAB, Window-Eyes moves you down one line and announces the value for constant. Key in the number you want to serve as the left constant position and press TAB. Window-Eyes moves you to the offset item. These offsets are the same as in the user windows described in Section 12. Setting the Position to the Highlight Six other options for the float option are "Beginning of Highlight," "End of Highlight," "Beginning of Highlight Plus Constant," "End of Highlight Plus Constant," "Beginning of Highlight Minus Constant," and "End of Highlight Minus Constant." As may appear obvious, this position setting puts the position of the window at the beginning or end of a highlight if one is present on-screen within the current user window. If left position is set to "Beginning of Highlight" and/or the right position is set to "End of Highlight," it doesn't matter if the highlight itself is outside the range of the top and bottom window boundaries; only the left and right boundaries are concerned with the highlight in this case. Likewise, if top and bottom positions are set to either "Beginning of Highlight" or "End of Highlight," it doesn't matter if the highlight itself is outside the range of the left and right window boundaries. Note: When you choose settings such as "Beginning/End of Highlight Plus/Minus Constant" for a position, pressing TAB takes you to an edit box where you can fill in the appropriate constant information. If you select "Beginning/End of Highlight" by itself, then pressing TAB will take you to the next option since there would be no need to enter any information in the constant edit box. Setting the Position Relative to the Cursor Four of the possible settings for the float window fix the position relative to the cursor. These are: "Cursor plus Constant," "Cursor minus Constant," "Cursor plus Attribute," and "Cursor minus Attribute." Plus means to the right of or below the cursor; minus means to the left of or above the cursor. When you choose "Cursor plus/minus Constant" and press TAB, Window-Eyes moves you to the "Constant" prompt and announces the current value set for constant. Key in a number of pixels left or right of, up or down from the cursor that you want to serve as boundaries for the float window. You can have the cursor itself define the current boundary by setting the position to "Cursor plus Constant" and then setting the constant to 0. In practice, then, the float window sets its boundary the distance from the cursor that you have just set for the constant. If the cursor happens to be sitting closer to any edge of the active window than the constant value, Window-Eyes compensates and only gives you the information that is actually in the active window. When you choose "Cursor plus/minus Next Attribute" and press TAB, Window-Eyes skips the constant edit box and offset radio buttons. In practice, as you request that the window be spoken, Window-Eyes calculates the distance from the cursor to the first instance of any attribute (in the direction you chose) different from the attribute at the cursor position, and sets the boundary accordingly. Position Minus One The float window doesn't actually set its position on the next attribute. Instead, it looks left or right, up or down; whatever direction you have chosen and moves back one character before fixing the position. Why? Because that's what you are most likely to want it to do. For example, let's say you are working in text with your application program. You want Window-Eyes to read only the material between sets of text of another color. You don't want it to read the text of the surrounding attribute, only the text in the center. So, you set the left and top to "Cursor minus Attribute," and right and bottom to "Cursor plus Attribute." You would not want the letters included in the surrounding color to be a part of the window, only the text that lies between the groups of background attribute. This is not the case with "Beginning/End of Highlight" and "Cursor plus/minus Constant," however. Consider our first example in Section 15.1. A column of text is signified by a highlight, and you want the highlight to define the left and right edges of the float window. So you set the positions as follows: left "Beginning of Highlight," top "Constant," right "End of Highlight," and bottom "Constant." In this case, you want to be able to read all the text that falls directly under the highlight when any Window-Eyes feature calls for the window to be voiced. Setting the Position Relative to the Focus Window Six other options for float windows are "Beginning of Focus Window," "End of Focus Window," "Beginning of Focus Window plus/minus Constant," and "End of Focus Window plus/minus Constant." As may appear obvious, this position setting puts the window position at the beginning or end of the currently focused window within the application window (for example, a button, combo box, edit box, or some other control). If left position is set to "Beginning of Focus Window" and/or the right position is set to "End of Focus Window," it doesn't matter if the focus window itself is outside the range of the top and bottom window boundaries; only the left and right boundaries are concerned with the focus window in this case. Likewise, if top and bottom positions are set to either "Beginning of Focus Window" or "End of Focus Window," it doesn't matter if the focus window itself is outside the range of the left and right boundaries. If you select one of the Focus plus or minus constant options, when you press the TAB key you will be prompted for the constant value to add or subtract. Setting the Position Relative to a String This position setting puts the window position at the beginning or end of a string within the application window. After tabbing past the position coordinates, you can enter a string of up to 10 characters in the string edit box. Window-Eyes will search the current default user window for the specified string. If left position is set to "Beginning of String" and/or the right position is set to "End of String," only the left and right boundaries will be concerned with the string in this case. The same goes for setting the top and bottom positions to either "Beginning of String" or "End of String;" only the top and bottom boundaries will be concerned with the string. If you select one of the String plus or minus constant options, when you press the TAB key you will be prompted for the constant value to add or subtract. 15.5: Automatic Adjustment of Float Windows A float window does not adjust its size and location constantly (with every movement of the cursor, for example). It waits for a Window-Eyes command that reads the float window; whether the command is issued by a cursoring key, a hot key, or a hyperactive window. The reason is that there is no point in tying up your computer with shuffling float windows around when you don't need to read them. 15.6: Some Practical Examples Spreadsheet programs provide a good example of where you might use float windows with some positions set to "Beginning/End of Highlight." Spreadsheet programs ordinarily have several columns across the screen. These columns can vary in width, in order to correspond to the width of the column label or to the data in the column. Consider these column titles, for example: Phone Bill Gas Bill Electric Bill Mortgage Payment Total Ordinarily, the contents of the active cell are shown in highlight colors, which expand across the entire width of the current cell. As you move from column to column, you could have Window-Eyes read the new cell contents by turning the Window-Eyes bar track on. But with a float window, you could read the column title before the cell contents. Column titles ordinarily show up in a fixed position within the focused window. As you move to different screens of data in the spreadsheet file, the column titles remain fixed while the data below them scroll upward. Thus, you always know what line or lines the column titles are on. For the sake of communication, lets say they fall between fifty and eighty pixels from the top edge of the focused window. Designate some standard window as a float window (window 2, for example). Make window 2 a float window, and set the top and bottom line position items to "Constant." Let the constant for the top equal 50, offset from the top, and for the bottom let constant equal 80, not offset from the bottom but from the top instead. Because the active cell, again, is shown in a highlight, you can choose "Beginning of Highlight" for the left position and "End of Highlight" for the right position. Thus, as the width of the spreadsheet column grows and shrinks, the width of the float window can grow and shrink correspondingly. The float window is only for reading the spreadsheet column titles and cannot be the current user window where you would be working in the spreadsheet editor, filling in or reading the data in each active cell. Perhaps the current user window should be window 0. You would need to set the highlight colors for that window to those of the active cell. When you press the Window-Eyes hot key to read the float window, Window-Eyes looks for the highlight in the current user window and sets the left and right columns of the float window to the same ones occupied by the highlight. If it can't find a highlight, Window-Eyes beeps when you press the hot key for reading the float window. Now, go to the cursoring menu and set your ARROW keys, or whatever keys move your application cursor from cell to cell. For each key, set the first action to "Speak Window" and specify the number of your float window. Set the second action to "Highlight." Now, when you move from one spreadsheet cell to another, the cursoring key calls for window 2 to be read. Window 2, being a float window, looks for the beginning and end of the highlight in window 0, the current window, and sets left and right columns accordingly; then, it voices the contents of window 2 (whose top and bottom coordinates have already been defined as constant values). Finally, the cursoring key calls for the information shown in the highlight to be voiced. It doesn't matter what line in window 0 the highlight is on. When trying this, make sure highlight status is turned off in window 0. Also most spread sheets use a moving box rather than a traditional highlight so you will need to turn the Include Box in Highlight option on in the Window-Eyes general menu. If the rows, not the columns, were labeled, you could just determine how wide the longest label extended to the right from the left edge of the focused window (75, let us say). You would set the float window's left position to "Constant," and let constant equal 0, offset from left. You would set right position also to "Constant," and let constant equal 75, offset from left. Top position and bottom position you would set to "Beginning of Highlight" and "End of Highlight," respectively. If the spreadsheet has both column and row labels, you could set up two float windows and, through the window definition menu (INS-F7), chain one to the other. You would need, in that case, only to have the cursoring key read the first float window, then the highlight. Upon your pressing of the cursoring key, Window-Eyes would voice first the contents of the first float window, then the contents of the second float window, and finally the highlight of the current user window. Other possibilities exist. Maybe your spreadsheet or financial management program doesn't use highlights. It does something, though, to separate columns or rows. It may have a fixed width or length and place the cursor at the beginning of the cell. If you are using tabular columns in a word processor, you don't have highlights to work with, but you can still use float windows to read text within the current tabular column, that is, if the cursor is at the beginning of that column. In a float window, set top line position and bottom line position to constant values ranging from the top to the bottom of the word processor's editor. Set left position to "Cursor minus Constant," and let the constant equal 0. Set right position to "Cursor plus Constant," and let the constant equal the width of your tabular columns (in pixels). You can now assign a Window-Eyes hot key to the float window and use it to read the contents of the whole tabular column. You could even have another float window (let's say window 3) with top and bottom position set to "Cursor plus Constant" and let the values for constant equal 10. Then the Window-Eyes hot key for that window would only read the portion of the tabular column that contained the line which held the cursor. If you wanted to read only the portion of the current line which contained the current tabular column as you moved up and down with ARROW keys, you would define the ARROWS as Window-Eyes cursoring keys to read window 3. Then, if you wanted the keys that move the cursor from tabular column to tabular column (often TAB and SHIFT-TAB) to read the whole column vertically as you moved across, you could define them as Window-Eyes cursoring keys to read window 2. The possibilities for float windows are endless. Work with them and find new applications we haven't yet found. SECTION SIXTEEN Pronunciation Dictionaries and More About the File Menu This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides information on defining and using Window-Eyes pronunciation dictionaries. So far in this manual, we have shown scores of ways to adjust what Window-Eyes sends to your speech synthesizer, according to what you want to know about what is happening with your computer's screen and keyboard. We have also left room in the Window-Eyes program for you to refine the speech even further by constructing four kinds of pronunciation dictionaries which tell Window-Eyes, "When you see something, call it something else." You can change the pronunciation of whole words, single characters, keys, and graphics-according to how you want them pronounced. Here are some examples: You like to log onto the Internet and read the weather forecast from the Associated Press, and you get tired of hearing wind pronounced with a long I. The word period has three syllables, and you would rather hear the punctuation mark spoken as dot. F1 is the help key in your application program, and when you press F1, you want Window-Eyes to say Help, not F1. Your database management program uses a small graphic symbol to indicate the function for searching the database and you would like to hear the word Search when it is encountered. 16.1: The Basics To get the PC to talk at all, several things must happen. Window-Eyes monitors the activities of the screen and keyboard buffers to find text to be spoken. It generates some of its own text, too, such as menus, prompts, and words for naming Windows entities. Then, it lines up all this text and sends it to the speech synthesizer's text-to-speech software for conversion into code that can in turn be converted to sound by the synthesizer itself. 16.2: How it Works Each SET file holds the name of all four dictionaries (character, exception, key label and graphic). When Window-Eyes loads a new SET file (regardless of how it is loaded) it will automatically load all the dictionaries that are specified for that SET file. It is not required to have all or any of the dictionaries associated with a SET file. However, those dictionaries that are associated with the SET file will be loaded automatically when the SET file is first loaded. If you wish to associate one of the dictionaries to the current SET file you will need to do the following: Press CTRL-\ to pop up the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel. Note the name of the active SET file as this will be the SET file that the dictionary will be associated with. If you wish to associate the dictionary with a different SET file you will need to load the new SET file before continuing. Press ALT to activate the menu. Press 'F' for file. Press 'O' for open Press 'C' to open a character dictionary, 'K' to open a key label dictionary, 'E' to open an exception dictionary, or 'G' to open a graphic dictionary. Type in the name of your file. You can use an existing file or type a new file name. The dictionary itself doesn't have to exist in order to open it. If it does exist, the current entries will take effect immediately. If the name doesn't exist, a fresh dictionary will be created internally. Regardless, the file name will be stored as part of the SET file. When you type in the dictionary name it is strongly suggested you use the extension ".CHR" for character, ".KEY" for key label, ".DIC" for exception, and ".GRA" for graphic. Press ALT to activate the menu once again. Press 'F' for file. Press 'S' for save. Press 'S' for SET file. This will save the current SET file to disk which now holds the name for your new dictionary. If you forget to save the SET file, the name will be lost and the next time you load this SET file the dictionary will not be loaded. Now that the dictionary is associated to the SET file, you can continue adding, editing, or removing entries to the dictionary. You only need to open the dictionary if you are associating it for the first time. There are a couple of ways you can edit the dictionaries. You will notice an "Edit Dictionaries" option in the Window-Eyes file menu. This is a pull down menu offering: character, key label, and exception dictionaries. When you select one of these, a dialog is displayed allowing you to edit the dictionary. Notice the graphic dictionary was not offered. This is because the graphic dictionary is handled a bit differently and must be edited using a different method. All four dictionaries can be edited by pressing the Edit Dictionaries hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-E). If the mouse pointer is currently sitting on a graphic when this hot key is pressed, the Enter Graphic Description dialog will be displayed allowing you to label or re-label the graphic under the mouse pointer. If the mouse pointer is not on a graphic when the hot key is pressed, Window-Eyes will display the Dictionary Selection dialog. This dialog offers four buttons, Exception Dictionary, Character Dictionary, Key Label Dictionary, and Cancel. Simply TAB to the button which represents the dictionary you wish to use and press ENTER. The dialog representing the dictionary you selected will be displayed. The following sections will discuss each dialog in detail. After you have modified any of the four dictionaries, you must save the dictionary to disk for the changes to be made permanent. Remember, you saved the SET file to disk to save the dictionary file name with the SET file, but you must also save the individual dictionaries to disk to hold the new dictionary modifications. To save the dictionaries you should do the following: Press CTRL-\ to pop up the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel. Press ALT to activate the menu. Press 'F' for file. Press 'S' for save There are several options for saving dictionaries. If you want to save all of the active dictionaries you may want to select the "SET file and All Dictionaries" option. This will save the current SET file and all active dictionaries to disk (even those currently loaded for other applications). You can also select the individual dictionary options. Each dictionary has an option for the current dictionary only or all the dictionaries of a single type. For example you can select "Graphic Dictionary" or "All Graphic Dictionaries." 16.3: The Word Exception Dictionary Some speech synthesizers make fewer pronunciation errors than others, but none pronounce every word correctly, or at least the way you pronounce certain words in the part of the world in which you live. And it is safe to say that in the foreseeable future, you will not have a system that pronounces every word just the way you want to hear it pronounced. Consider the word space bar. If Window-Eyes sends this word, just as it is spelled, for conversion to speech, the synthesizer software might see the word as a three-syllable word, using the e in the middle to form an extra syllable and pronounce it that way. But if Window-Eyes knew to change the spelling of the word to two words, space and bar, then your synthesizer software would be denied the opportunity to misunderstand that space bar does not contain three syllables. That's all the exceptions dictionary does: it lies to the speech synthesizer to get the speech synthesizer to tell the truth. To add an entry to the exceptions dictionary you need to bring up the Edit Exception Dictionary dialog. You can do this by going to the Window-Eyes file menu and selecting the Edit Dictionaries pull down. From there select the Exception Dictionary option. The Edit Exception Dictionary is now displayed. Or you could have pressed the Edit Dictionaries hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-E). From there press ENTER on the Exception Dictionary button. The Edit Exception Dictionary is now displayed. The only difference between these two methods is if the mouse pointer was sitting on a word when you pressed the Edit Dictionaries hot key, that word will be offered as the default entry in the Edit Exception Dictionary dialog. This can save you from having to type the word you are about to add. However, if the mouse pointer was sitting on a graphic image, the Edit Dictionaries hot key would have placed you in the Enter Graphic Description dialog. So make sure the mouse is either on the word you wish to add or not on a graphic image if you choose to use the hot key. Now that you are in the Edit Exception Dictionary dialog, simply type the word you wish to add (Window-Eyes is case insensitive). For example, let's say a friend's last name is Whiteleather, spelled W H I T E L E A T H E R. But your speech synthesizer pronounces the name Whitteleether. Type the name (spelled correctly and without any spaces). Then press the TAB key to move to the Replacement edit box. Now type the name (misspelled) but in a way that would be correct phonetically. For example, whightleather. Press ENTER. You just added an entry to the current exception dictionary. You might want to add some entries of more practical value. Abbreviations such as lb for pound or ft for feet, and numerous others make good use of the exceptions dictionary. Roman numerals are another example. Of course, sometimes abbreviations and Roman numerals have meanings different from what you had intended when you made your exceptions dictionary. It is nice to have Ave. pronounced avenue or St. as street. But be careful: your dog might turn into a Street Bernard. Also, remember not to put in the periods at the end of abbreviations; punctuation, except for the apostrophe, is not allowed for the original spelling of the entry. Numbers are also not allowed for the original spelling. The replacement string can hold any character including spaces, punctuation and numbers. The word-exception dictionary does not give you the power to change the pronunciation of anything but whole words which are text matches. For example, if you correct the pronunciation of the word psychologist, the word in the plural form is not corrected. You would also have to correct the pronunciation of the word psychologists. Thus, generally speaking, the exceptions dictionary is best for changing words you might not otherwise recognize or those which you find to be pet peeves when mispronounced. It is not a means for you to program the pronunciation of the entire language. Hard and Fast Rules The original word can only contain alphabet characters (upper- or lowercase) and the apostrophe. No spaces, numbers, other punctuation or enhanced ANSI characters are allowed in the word to be changed. Remember this fact when working with abbreviations: no periods. Spaces and other printable characters are allowed in the replacement string. Putting spaces in the replacement string is a good way to have Window-Eyes spell acronyms, rather than pronounce them as words. Actually, the name Whiteleather could probably be represented successfully with no change in spelling but as words white and leather with a single space between. You may have noticed the Edit Exception Dictionary dialog box has some additional features. You know what the Original edit box and Replacement edit boxes are used for. As you TAB around the dialog you will notice other options. The next control after the Replacement edit box is the Associated File read-only edit box. This contains the name of the dictionary that has been associated with the current SET file. The next control is the Current File read-only edit box. If the exception word has been previously defined, this entry shows which dictionary the definition came from. This may or may not be the same as the Associated File above. If there was no original definition for this exception word, this box contains the name of the current association. The next control is the Current Dictionaries list box, which is the list of all the exception dictionaries currently running, in the order in which they were loaded. Of course, as application windows close, the number of exception dictionaries running reduces, assuming you have several exception dictionaries for running with various application windows. The point to all this is that you can move up and down through this list box and when you save the exception word, it will be placed in the dictionary that is currently selected in this list box. The next control is the Dictionary Contents list box, which is the list of all the entries for the dictionary selected in the Current Dictionaries list box. This is a good way to just browse through all the entries in the currently selected dictionary. If you wish, you can arrow through this list and if you wish to change an entry simply TAB back to the Replacement edit box and type the new replacement. You might notice that the words in this list box are not pronounced with the new exception, but with the original that you replaced. The reason being, if you made an exception entry for apple to be pronounced orange (for some odd reason), and you saw orange in the dictionary contents list, you might not know whether orange was the word orange or the exception for apple. To combat this potential confusion, Window-Eyes will send the original pronunciation of this list of entries to the synthesizer instead of the replacement. The next control is the Add Entry button. Selecting this button will add the current entry in the replacement edit box to the dictionary. The next control is the Remove Entry button. Selecting this button will remove the current entry displayed in the original edit box from the dictionary. The next control is the OK button. The next control is the Cancel button. After adding all your entries to the exception dictionary you should save the dictionary back to disk using any of the options discussed earlier in this section. Now, each time Window-Eyes encounters one of the words in its exception dictionary, it will change the word to the pronunciation you have provided. When you go to another application, however, such as Word Perfect or Windows Explorer, you will find that those same words are mispronounced. This is especially useful if you have abbreviations that have different meanings in different contexts; in your word processor you want Ln to be line, in your database you prefer that it be pronounced lane, for example. You can have as many different exception dictionaries available as you wish. If you like, you can have a different dictionary for each window within each application, until you run out of disk space to store them all. By default the desktop is associated with the file EXCP.DIC so if you wish to have a global exception dictionary entry simply add the word to the EXCP.DIC. To do this make sure the EXCP.DIC dictionary is selected in the Current Dictionaries list box before typing in the original and replacement word. 16.4: The Key Label Dictionary The key label dictionary lets you give Window-Eyes a name to pronounce when you press any legal key on your keyboard. If you use several different application programs, each of which requires you to use several function and combination keystrokes, the key label dictionary can help you identify the functions of various keys in the same way that function-key templates assist visual-access users. For example, CTRL-C can be set up to say "Copied to clipboard" when it is pressed. Or F1 can be set up to say "Application help" when pressed. To add an entry to the key label dictionary you need to bring up the Edit Key Label Dictionary dialog. You can do this by going to the Window-Eyes file menu and selecting the Edit Dictionaries pull down. From there select the Key Label Dictionary option. The Edit Key Label Dictionary is now displayed. Or you could have pressed the Edit Dictionaries hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-E). From there press ENTER on the Key Label Dictionary button. The Edit Key Label Dictionary is now displayed. However, if the mouse pointer was sitting on a graphic image, the Edit Dictionaries hot key would have placed you in the Enter Graphic Description dialog. So make sure the mouse is not on a graphic image if you choose to use the hot key. Now that you are in the Edit Key Label Dictionary dialog, simply press ENTER on the Capture Key button (which is the default control when the dialog is first displayed). Window-Eyes will say "press a key" and wait for you to press the key stroke you wish to define. Go ahead and press the keystroke. If you are defining F1 to say "application help," press the F1 key now. After pressing the keystroke Window-Eyes will take you to the original read-only edit box and it will place the keystroke in the edit box. You can press TAB to move to the replacement edit box and type in the description ("application help" in our example). You may have noticed the Edit Key Label Dictionary dialog box has some additional features. You know what the Capture Key button, Original edit box and Replacement edit boxes are used for. As you TAB around the dialog you will notice other options. The next control after the Replacement edit box is the Associated File read-only edit box. This contains the name of the dictionary that has been associated with the current SET file. The next control is the Current File read-only edit box. If the keystroke has been previously defined, this entry shows which dictionary the definition came from. This may or may not be the same as the Associated File above. If there was no original definition for this keystroke this box contains the name of the current association. The next control is the Current Dictionaries list box, which is the list of all the key label dictionaries currently running, in the order in which they were loaded. Of course, as application windows close, the number of key label dictionaries running reduces, assuming you have several key label dictionaries for running with various application windows. The point to all this is that you can move up and down through this list box and when you save the keystroke, it will be placed in the dictionary that is currently selected in this list box. The next control is the Dictionary Contents list box, which is the list of all the entries for the dictionary selected in the Current Dictionaries list box. This is a good way to just browse through all the entries in the currently selected dictionary. If you wish, you can arrow through this list; if you wish to change an entry simply TAB back to the Replacement edit box and type the new replacement. The next control is the Add Entry button. Selecting this button will add the current entry in the replacement edit box to the dictionary. The next control is the Remove Entry button. Selecting this button will remove the current entry displayed in the original edit box from the dictionary. The next control is the Ok button. The next control is the Cancel button. After adding all your entries to the key label dictionary you should save the dictionary back to disk using any of the options discussed earlier in this section. Now, each time Window-Eyes encounters one of the keystrokes in its key label dictionary, it will speak the associated label you typed. When you go to another application, however, such as Word Perfect or Windows Explorer, you will find that those same key labels are not spoken. This is especially useful since each application assigns different functions to the same keystrokes. You can have as many different key label dictionaries available as you wish. If you like, you can have a different dictionary for each window within each application, until you run out of disk space to store them all. By default the desktop is associated with the file KEYLAB.KEY so if you wish to have a global key label dictionary entry simply add the word to the KEYLAB.KEY. To do this make sure the KEYLAB.KEY dictionary is selected in the Current Dictionaries list box before typing in the original and replacement text. 16.5: The Character Dictionary The character dictionary functions like the word exception dictionary. The difference is that Window-Eyes uses the character dictionary to alter its pronunciation of any ANSI character, whether it is surrounded by other characters or is displayed alone on the screen. To add an entry to the character dictionary you need to bring up the Edit Character Dictionary dialog. You can do this by going to the Window-Eyes file menu and selecting the Edit Dictionaries pull down. From there select the Character Dictionary option. The Edit Character Dictionary is now displayed. Or you could have pressed the Edit Dictionaries hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-E). From there press ENTER on the Character Dictionary button. The Edit Character Dictionary is now displayed. The only difference between these two methods is if the mouse pointer was sitting on a character when you pressed the Edit Dictionaries hot key, that character will be offered as the default entry in the Edit Character Dictionary dialog. This can save you from having to type the character and font (if required) you are about to add. However, if the mouse pointer was sitting on a graphic image, the Edit Dictionaries hot key would have placed you in the Enter Graphic Description dialog. So make sure the mouse is either on the character you wish to add or not on a graphic image if you choose to use the hot key. Now that you are in the Edit Character Dictionary dialog simply type in the character you wish to define if it has not already been placed there for you. If you wish to define a character which can not be typed from the keyboard, you can use an alternative method. For example, an ANSI 147 is often used as a quote symbol. But this character can not easily be typed from the keyboard. You can use the following to make an entry for this character: /147 Simply start the entry with the SLASH key followed by the ANSI value of the character you want to define. At this point, the entry remains the same as before. After keying in the character or ANSI value simply press TAB to move to the replacement edit box and type in the description you wish Window-Eyes to use in place of the specified character. You may have noticed the Edit Character Dictionary dialog box has some additional features. You know what the Original edit box and Replacement edit boxes are used for. As you TAB around the dialog you will notice other options. The next two controls after the Replacement edit box are the Font read-only edit box and the Include Font check box. These two controls may be skipped depending on how the original character was entered in the original edit box. If the character was automatically placed in the original edit box because you pressed the Edit Dictionaries hot key with the mouse pointer sitting on the character, these two controls will be available. If you manually keyed in the character, they will be skipped. Assuming you did not key in the character manually, you can TAB to the Font read-only edit box. This displays the font for the character that the mouse pointer was sitting on. If you press TAB again, you are placed on the Include Font check box. This check box allows you to tell Window-Eyes if you are defining only the character of this particular font or all characters regardless of the font. If you leave this check box selected, Window-Eyes will only use your replacement for the specified character if it is using the current font displayed in the font edit box. If you unselect this check box, Window-Eyes will always use your replacement for the character you specified regardless of the font. In general you will probably want your replacement to hold regardless of the font. But some fonts use certain symbols that you may want to define differently but leave the other fonts alone. The next control is the Associated File read-only edit box. This contains the name of the dictionary that has been associated with the current SET file. The next control is the Current File read-only edit box. If the character has been previously defined, this entry shows which dictionary the definition came from. This may or may not be the same as the Associated File above. If there was no original definition for this character this box contains the name of the current association. The next control is the Current Dictionaries list box, which is the list of all the character dictionaries currently running, in the order in which they were loaded. Of course, as application windows close, the number of character dictionaries running reduces, assuming you have several character dictionaries for running with various application windows. The point to all this is that you can move up and down through this list box and when you save the character, it will be placed in the dictionary that is currently selected in this list box. The next control is the Dictionary Contents list box, which is the list of all the entries for the dictionary selected in the Current Dictionaries list box. This is a good way to just browse through all the entries in the currently selected dictionary. If you wish, you can arrow through this list and if you wish to change an entry simply TAB back to the Replacement edit box and type the new replacement. You will notice if there is an entry which includes the font name, the font name will immediately follow the character. The next control is the Add Entry button. Selecting this button will add the current entry in the replacement edit box to the dictionary. The next control is the Remove Entry button. Selecting this button will remove the current entry displayed in the original edit box from the dictionary. The next control is the OK button. The next control is the Cancel button. After adding all your entries to the character dictionary you should save the dictionary back to disk using any of the options discussed earlier in this section. Now, each time Window-Eyes encounters one of the characters in its character dictionary, it will replace the original character with the pronunciation you have provided. When you go to another application, however, such as Word Perfect or Windows Explorer, you will find that those same characters are no longer using the dictionary entries. You can have as many different character dictionaries available as you wish. If you like, you can have a different dictionary for each window within each application, until you run out of disk space to store them all. By default the desktop is associated with the file CHAR.CHR so if you wish to have a global character dictionary entry simply add the character to the CHAR.CHR. To do this make sure the CHAR.CHR dictionary is selected in the Current Dictionaries list box before typing in the original and replacement string. 16.6: The Graphic Dictionary The graphic dictionary allows you to label graphic symbols which applications (and Windows itself) use to provide visual information. Graphics are commonly used in e-mail applications to denote unread messages, attachments, message priorities, etc. You might also find graphics in your word processor for bold, italic, and underline buttons for manipulating text attributes. If your graphic options are turned on, or set to graphic only, you will hear all graphics, including unlabeled graphics, as you encounter them while reading by character, word, line, sentence, or paragraph. Window-Eyes will announce unlabeled graphics with the word "graphic." If your graphic options are turned off, or set to dictionary only, then only graphics that have been labeled will be announced. All other graphics will be ignored. Regardless of your graphic settings, you can rely on the Clip and Icon Prior/Next mouse hot keys to always speak a graphic's status, even if the graphic has no label. Using this feature can be useful if you need to hear the presence of a graphic when manually navigating a window, but do not want unlabeled graphics to be read with any other command. Constructing the Graphic Dictionary The steps for creating a graphic dictionary are similar to those for all the other dictionaries. However, since you can't type in a graphic and then a description as you can with words and characters, Window-Eyes lets you capture the image and then label it. The general procedure is this: Place your mouse pointer on a graphic you would like to label. Press the Edit Dictionaries hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-E). Type in the description you would like to hear when you encounter this graphic in the future. Save the dictionary. If the current SET file being used does not have an associated graphic dictionary, then the new graphic label will become part of the global dictionary. If you wish to label graphics and only use the labels while in this particular application, you should first open up the graphic dictionary from the Window-Eyes control panel. This will create a new local empty graphic dictionary and all graphic items will be placed in this local copy. Let's start with a specific example. Let's suppose that you have installed an application, and it contains a toolbar (underneath the file, edit, view pull down list) with a number of different graphics that you would like to label. Go into the application, and place your mouse on the first graphic of that toolbar. You might notice as you move the mouse from graphic to graphic that the text labels (or tool-tips) are already spoken. But if you use your icon prior and next hot keys, the mouse pointer simply speaks graphic over and over. Let's suppose that the first graphic in this toolbar is for a New Document dialog. How would you know that? The easiest way to find out the function of a graphic is to click on it. The task that the graphic is set to carry out will execute, and you will then be able to use the read current window hot key, or the title/status hot key to read information in the new dialog. This will usually provide you with a good idea of what the graphic is for even though it is unlabeled. For the purposes of our example, let's say that Window-Eyes said the title of the new dialog was "New Document." Close the new dialog. Your mouse pointer (assuming that you didn't move it) will still be on the graphic that you want to label. To label, follow these steps: Press CTRL-SHIFT-E to tell Window-Eyes to capture the graphic under the pointer. Type in the text you would like to hear. Use New Document for this example. Press ENTER. Save the dictionary by going to the Voice Control Panel (CTRL-\), activating the file menu, selecting save, and then selecting graphic dictionary. Saving the Graphic Dictionary When you first install Window-Eyes, you have a graphic dictionary which is named GRAPHIC.GRA. If you like, you can continue using this dictionary and simply add to it as you find graphics you would like to name. Or, if you have a particular application with its own unique graphics, you can have a dictionary just for that application. Within that application, then, you will use the definitions of all the graphics of your special dictionary and all those in your general dictionary. This is known as the bubble up effect (see Section 16.9). The Enter Graphic Description dialog box has some additional features which allow you to control associations between your graphic dictionaries and application windows as well as some other speaking options. The next control you come to when tabbing through this dialog, after the edit box where you enter a graphic label, is the Silence Graphic check box. If this option is checked, Window-Eyes will completely ignore this graphic. Even if you have a description for it, Window-Eyes will act as if the graphic is not on the screen. You may want to do this for a useless graphic which just gets in the way. The next control is the Exclude From Lines check box. If you don't want to completely silence a graphic using the above check box but you don't want it read when you read information by lines, you can check this option. With this checked, Window-Eyes will only voice the graphic if you move the physical mouse over it, use the mouse find feature, or move to it by using the mouse clip movement hot keys. For example, if you are moving by clip, Window-Eyes will still read the graphic. If however, you ask the current line to be read that contains the graphic, Window-Eyes will ignore the graphic. One very useful option for this feature is if your application supports the scroll up and scroll down arrows. In WordPad for example, to the right of the document window these scroll arrows appear. If you allow Window-Eyes to include the arrows when building lines, it may cause Window-Eyes to join two text lines together since both text lines are to the left of the scroll down arrow. This would cause Window-Eyes to read two lines instead of one. In this case you would want to disable the scroll down arrow from lines. Now Window-Eyes will not get confused and put two text lines together as one. The next control is the Braille edit box. Here you can type a graphic description that you want to be displayed on the Braille display when that graphic is encountered. Like the previous graphic description edit box, this one is also followed by two check boxes: silence graphic, and exclude from lines. Both of these options work the same as they do above. The next control is the Associated File read-only edit box. This contains the name of the dictionary that has been associated with the current SET file. The next control is the Current Speech File read-only edit box. If the graphic image has been previously defined for speech, this entry shows which dictionary the definition came from. This may or may not be the same as the Associated File above. If there was no original speech definition for this graphic, this box contains the name of the current association. The next control is the Current Braille File read-only edit box. If the graphic image has been previously defined for Braille, this entry shows which dictionary the definition came from. This may or may not be the same as the Associated File above. If there was no original Braille definition for this graphic this box contains the name of the current association. The next control is the Current Speech Dictionaries list box, which is the list of all the speech graphic dictionaries currently running, in the order in which they were loaded. Of course, as application windows close, the number of graphic dictionaries running reduces, assuming you have several graphic dictionaries for running with various application windows. The point to all this is that you can move up and down through this list box and when you save the speech graphic, it will be placed in the dictionary that is currently selected in this list box. The next control is the Current Braille Dictionaries list box, which is the list of all the Braille graphic dictionaries currently running, in the order in which they were loaded. Of course, as application windows close, the number of graphic dictionaries running reduces, assuming you have several graphic dictionaries for running with various application windows. The point to all this is that you can move up and down through this list box and when you save the Braille graphic, it will be placed in the dictionary that is currently selected in this list box. A Graphic Dictionary Bonus Windows application programs commonly have a feature known as tool tips. A tool tip is a textual label that appears below an icon in the tool bar when the mouse pointer points to the icon. Tool tips can be a challenge for the speech-access user, because they disappear as soon as the mouse leaves the icon. So Window-Eyes gives you an alternative: the Auto Label Graphics hot key (INS-G). When you press this hot key, Window-Eyes will send the mouse door to door, visiting every graphical image on your display screen, looking for tool tips. You will hear Window-Eyes say "Graphic" every time it finds a graphic, but when it finds one with a tool tip, it reads the text of the tool tip and saves each iconic symbol and the text in the graphic dictionary. All you need do now is save the graphic dictionary in the File menu. * Next, place the mouse pointer in the top left of the screen and repeatedly press the Icon Next hot key until you get to the tool bar. Then, as you move the mouse across it, you will hear the graphic read per their tool tips. The auto labeling feature will not change the description of an already labeled graphic. In other words, if the graphic has already been labeled, it will not change with this feature. This auto labeling process can take a minute or so to complete. If you wish to stop the process, you can press the ESCAPE key. All entries prior to the ESCAPE key will be defined but the remaining graphic images will remain unchanged. Note that the Auto Label Graphics hot key only applies to speech labels. 16.7: Mouse Pointer Descriptions The mouse pointer has its own dictionary. All of the system pointers have been defined and saved in a dictionary. Actually, the system pointers have been stored in the WINEYES.INI file located in your current user's directory. But there will be times you would like to change these definitions or you would like to add new, unusual pointers. The pointer is captured just as is a graphic, but the dictionary maintenance is much simpler. The description is stored in the .WE file automatically. Note this feature is only available in Windows 9X/Me. Capturing the Mouse Since you can't type in a mouse pointer and then assign it a definition the way you can with words and characters, Window-Eyes lets you capture the image and then label it. The general procedure is this: Persuade your application to display the pointer you would like to label. Press the Capture Pointer hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-P). Type in the description you would like to hear when you encounter this pointer in the future. Let's look at a specific example. Let's suppose you have installed an application which uses a fancy, customized pointer. Window-Eyes says, "Pointer 1234 undefined" each time it sees it, so you would like to give it the name Patty's Pretty Pointer. Make the new application active and get it to display the undefined pointer. If you like, press the Describe Pointer hot key (undefined by default) to make sure you are labeling the right pointer. Press your Capture Pointer hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-P). Window-Eyes displays a dialog box with the name of the pointer in an edit box in which you can type in your own name for the pointer. Type in the text you would like to hear. Use Patty's Pretty Pointer for this example. Press ENTER. It is not necessary to save the SET file in order to make the pointer description permanent. Ignoring Unwanted Mouse Pointers As with graphic symbols, there may be certain mouse pointers you would like Window-Eyes to completely ignore. In order to cause Window-Eyes to ignore a particular mouse pointer, you will need to define the mouse pointer using the Capture Pointer hot key as discussed above. You can give the pointer a description or not but you should check the Silence Pointer check box. When you check it, Window-Eyes will completely ignore the current mouse pointer. System Pointers If you label a system pointer, one additional check box will be available to you in the Enter Pointer Description dialog. The Save As System Pointer check box can be used to tell Window-Eyes if you wish to save the system pointer globally, meaning it will be used for all applications or only use your new label for the current application. For example, an application might have a pointer that you label "My Pointer." If any other application uses this pointer, and you have saved it as a system pointer, then Window-Eyes will speak the defined pointer name, regardless of whether you are in your specific application or not. Obviously this is not a good thing. So you can unselect the Save As System Pointer check box so Window-Eyes will only use your new definition for a specific application instead of system wide. This check box is only available for system pointers. Application generated pointers will disable this check box. 16.8: Clearing the Currently Loaded Dictionary You can eliminate the association between a SET file and any of the four pronunciation dictionaries. Simply go to the file menu of the Voice Control Panel and select Close. Choose the type of dictionary you would like to disassociate. Window-Eyes will bring up a dialog box for you to confirm your choice. Press ENTER, or TAB to Cancel if you change your mind. When the dictionary has been closed, two things happen: it is no longer associated with your SET file, so you won't be using it in the future (if you save the SET file, of course), and the dictionary will cease to function during this session. The dictionary is still on your disk but it will no longer be associated with the current SET file. 16.9: The Bubble Up Effect The effect of your dictionaries is cumulative: if you have a dictionary for an application and a dictionary for a dialog box within that application, the dialog box uses both dictionaries. It works like this: You have created a word exception dictionary for WordPad. Your dictionary contains 100 entries. You bring up a dialog box in WordPad and discover that there are a few words in it which your synthesizer does not handle well. So, you create a dictionary containing only those four words. You save it under a new name, create a SET file to go with the dialog box, and associate your new dictionary with that SET file. You now have a total of 104 words at your disposal within that dialog box, but only 100 within the editor of WordPad. Let's try another example: in your favorite word processor, you often read memos from coworkers who use their initials instead of their whole names. You include these initials in your dictionary so that you can easily distinguish between CG and TG. When you go into a dialog box to select a new font, however, you discover that CG is used there as well, but you don't want your synthesizer to say Chuck Gammon Times, so you save a new SET file, create a dictionary with a new entry for CG, and associate the new dictionary with the new SET file. Now, when you are reading a memo from Chuck you hear Chuck Gammon, but when you arrow from one font to another in the dialog box you hear CG. To clarify, if the same entry is in both dictionaries, the entry in the dictionary associated with the current SET file wins. By default, the factory supplied WINEYES.000 SET file has the following associations: character dictionary --> CHAR.CHR key label dictionary --> KEYLAB.KEY exception dictionary --> EXCP.DIC graphic dictionary --> GRAPHIC.GRA Of course these associations can be changed at anytime. However, we recommend these settings not be changed. Because all dictionaries eventually bubble up to the dictionaries associated to WINEYES.000, the above dictionaries will always be in effect. Keep this in mind if you wish a setting to be global for all Windows applications. SECTION SEVENTEEN The General Menu This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides information on Window-Eyes general menu and its options. 17.1: The Basics In several sections of this manual, we have referred to the general menu, but only in limited ways (usually for solving some problem). Adequate discussion of the general menu items and submenus had to wait for instruction on various general features found throughout this manual. The rest of this section lists and discusses all items on the general menu in the order in which they appear. Items discussed previously in this manual are not covered as comprehensively as those which involve concepts presented here for the first time. 17.2: How it Works Access the General Menu as follows: Press CTRL-\ to display the Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel. Press the ALT key to activate the menu and press 'G' to bring down the general menu. 17.3: Turning the Voice, Hot Keys, and Cursoring Keys Off and On V = Voice: activates or deactivates the voice. The instant this item is set to Off, the path from Window-Eyes to your speech synthesizer is completely cut off. The voice does not speak again until you set this item back to On or until a new SET file with the voice turned on is loaded. You can also use the Toggle All Voices hot key (undefined by default) to toggle the voice on and off. O = Hot Keys: activates or deactivates all hot keys. When hot keys are set to Off, none of the Window-Eyes hot keys work, except the menu hot key. It is as though your hot keys have never been assigned. Returning this item to On instantly restores normal function to the hot keys. K = Cursoring Keys: activates and deactivates Window-Eyes cursoring keys. When this item is set to off, Window-Eyes does not respond to the pressing of any of the cursoring keys you have defined. The application programs use of these keys is unaffected. Returning this item to On completely restores the functioning of all Window-Eyes cursoring keys. 17.4: Setting the Highlight Track Status H = Highlight track: sets the operational status of highlight tracking. This item works exactly the same as the highlight track hot key. Selecting this item produces a list box with the following items: Auto, Off, and On. When highlight track is set to On, ARROW keys, CTRL-TAB, and SHIFT-CTRL-TAB read the highlight instead of reading the text defined in the cursoring keys menu. When highlight track is set to Off, ARROWS read as defined in the cursoring key menu. When highlight track is set to Auto, Window-Eyes attempts to read a highlight when ARROW keys, CTRL-TAB, and SHIFT-CTRL-TAB keys are pressed even if highlight colors have not been set. If no highlight is present when these keys are pressed, Window-Eyes reads as it would normally. If Window-Eyes can find a highlight, it reads one of several known color combinations which Windows uses for menus and icons. If it perceives a highlight, it reads the highlight text when any of the ARROWS, CTRL-TAB, or SHIFT-CTRL-TAB are pressed; otherwise Window-Eyes will use the cursoring key definition to determine what, if anything, should be read. 17.5: Tracking the Contents of Cells in a Spreadsheet N = Include Box in Highlight To track the information in the active cell of a spreadsheet as you move from cell to cell, go to the Window-Eyes General menu and choose Include Box in Highlight. Choosing this item toggles the setting on and off. When Include Box in Highlight is set to On, pressing the Highlight hot key will read the contents of the active cell of the spreadsheet. Setting the highlight rotor to On or Auto will cause arrow keys to read the contents of the newly active cell. Cursoring keys set to read highlights will read the contents of the active cell. When Include Box in Highlight is set to Off, all highlight tracking and highlight reading features operate normally. 17.6: Include User Window with Box W = Include User Window with Box Selecting the Include User Window With Box option from the general menu brings up a dialog that allows you to select a user window for Window-Eyes to read. You can select from window 0 to window 49 or none. If you select a window number Window-Eyes will read this user window if it has been told to read a box instead of the highlight and the box contains no text. See Section 17.5 for information on reading a box for the highlight. 17.7: Highlighted Text X = Highlighted Text Normally Window-Eyes is able to automatically determine the color of highlighted text so that if you use the highlighted block hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-M by default) or define a cursoring key to read highlighted text, it is able to determine the correct color and read the text. If this does not work in an application, you can change the highlighted text option from auto to highlight and set the color of the highlight for the user window to the color of the highlighted text. This will enable Window-Eyes to recognize the correct color that the application is using to display highlighted text. See Section 13 of this manual to learn how to set the color of the highlight. Doing this will allow Window-Eyes to correctly track and read highlighted text. 17.8: Turning Pronunciation Dictionaries On and Off D = Character Dictionary L = Key Label Dictionary E = Exception Dictionary G = Graphic Dictionary When each of the dictionaries is On, Window-Eyes uses the entries in the respective dictionary to pronounce the items it encounters. When a dictionary is Off, Window-Eyes does not look at the dictionary entries to see whether an item is listed or not. Normally, you will probably want to keep these items turned on. However, it is sometimes useful to establish whether a word or phrase is actually displayed on the screen or is a dictionary entry you have created. Turning off the appropriate dictionary allows you to determine this. The Character, Key Label, and Exception dictionaries all have two settings you can choose on the General menu. The Graphics Dictionary, however, has four settings. Choosing the Graphic Dictionary item displays a dialog box, with an active list box. You may choose only one of the four settings in the list box. The settings are as follows: * Off * Dictionary Only * On * Graphic only The Off setting causes graphics not to be spoken when encountered. This is useful in dialog boxes and elsewhere when graphics would be distracting when spoken. The Dictionary Only setting causes only those graphics in the graphic dictionary to be spoken. All others are ignored, unless you place the mouse or cursor directly on a graphic that is not in the graphic dictionary. Then, Window-Eyes says, "Graphic." Thus you can take the opportunity to pause from what you are doing, to define that particular graphic in the graphic dictionary. The On setting causes all graphics to be spoken when encountered. Graphics that are in the graphic dictionary are announced according to names given them in the graphic dictionary. Graphics not in the graphic dictionary are announced as "Graphic." The Graphic Only setting causes all graphics to be announced as "Graphic." When the graphic dictionary is set to On, or Dictionary Only, hot keys for reading characters, words, lines, sentences, and paragraphs will always read any labeled or unlabeled graphics. When the graphic dictionary is set to Off, or Graphic Only, hot keys for reading characters, words, lines, sentences, and paragraphs will always ignore any unlabeled graphics. Note, however, that the Clip and Icon Prior/Next hot keys will always read all labeled and unlabeled graphics, regardless of the graphic dictionary setting. 17.9: Allow Speak Windows In Edit Boxes A = Allow Speak Windows in Edit Boxes This option is defined in Section 12.8. 17.10: Cursor Delay C = Cursor Delay Choosing the Cursor Delay item on the General menu displays a dialog box which allows you to key in a value from 1 to 99 to increase or decrease the cursor delay, which is the length of time between a cursoring key press and Window-Eyes' voicing of the information designated for that cursoring key. (See Section 9.5). 17.11: Trigger Delay T = Trigger Delay If Window-Eyes ever seems to stutter or the first part of a line is repeated, you may have to increase the trigger delay. That is, you can adjust the length of time Window-Eyes takes to buffer text before it is passed on to the synthesizer. Selecting this option causes Window-Eyes to display a dialog box with an edit box where you can key in a value from 1 to 99. The OK button is highlighted, so you can press ENTER to input the new value. Or you can click on Cancel or press ESCAPE to cancel the new setting. Experiment until you find the lowest value that will work for your application. Note: This feature is only useful for speak windows and the Speak All hot key. 17.12: Space Threshold S = Space Threshold Window-Eyes looks at the cursor location relative to the last non-space character in a document to determine if the cursor is next to it. Many applications don't actually display spaces at the end of a document rather they simply move the cursor farther and farther away from the last non-space character. Window-Eyes uses the space threshold value to know how far the cursor must be away from the last non-space character before it considers there to be spaces between the cursor and the last non-space character. The value can range from 1 to 9 with 4 as the default. If you notice Window-Eyes saying the last non-space character in the document when you backspace rather than saying "space" try adjusting the space threshold value to compensate for this behavior. 17.13: The Case of the Corrupted Screen R = Allow Auto Redraw If things are not reading the way you would expect or if you have vision and you notice that your screen is getting corrupted, you can use the Allow Auto Redraw option to try to resolve this problem. By default this option is set to on. If you turn it off, Window-Eyes does not attempt to redraw the screen to keep in sync. This option is discussed further in Section 8.11. 17.14: Auto Speak Tooltips and Flashing Applications U = Auto Speak Tooltips Window-Eyes normally speaks the Tool tip for a graphic as the mouse moves over the graphic. If you wish to disable this behavior, turn the general menu Auto Speak Tooltips option from Auto to Off. A tool tip is textual information relating to the specific graphic that Windows pops up in a small window near the location of the graphic on the screen when the mouse is positioned over the graphic. This information usually describes the function of this graphic and it only stays on the screen for a small amount of time. Because the information does not stay on the screen very long Window-Eyes normally automatically speaks it to assist users in knowing what the graphic they are on does. This option has three settings: On, Auto, and Off. On means that all tooltips will be spoken. Auto means that if a graphic already has a speech label, the tool tip will be suppressed to avoid double reading. Off means that no tooltips will be spoken. Auto Speak Tooltips also controls the notification of flashing icons on the task bar, indicating that they want your attention. Window-Eyes will ignore this flashing if the application is the current active application. Both the auto and on settings behave the same with this feature. Usually applications flash multiple times, but Window-Eyes only reads the first flash. If an application stops flashing and then starts flashing again, Window-Eyes will read the new flash. The title bar of the application is spoken followed by "wants attention" to indicate that the application wants your attention. MSN Messenger is an example of an application with this feature. If an application has flashed the taskbar, but you missed the notification, you can use the Last Flash and Tool tip hot key (CTRL-INS-T) to have the last flashed application and last tool tip spoken. If no applications have flashed it will say "no applications flashing" and if there is no last tool tip it will say "no tooltips." 17.15: MSAA Application Mode P = MSAA Application Mode This option is discussed in Appendix E. 17.16: Re-Initializing the Synthesizer I = Initialize Synthesizer If your synthesizer is connected to a serial port, it is possible for a Windows application (or any other program) to attempt to send information to it instead of to a modem, mouse, or other serial device. Since the synthesizer or serial port may react unpredictably, it is essential to have a quick, easy way to put things to right. When this happens, your synthesizer may begin to speak characters which are not contained in the text being spoken or may suddenly stop speaking altogether. It may even start speaking at the wrong pitch or rate. You can re-initialize your synthesizer by doing the following: CTRL-\ to bring up the Voice Control Panel. Press the letter I. Window-Eyes will send a string of commands to your synthesizer which includes rate, pitch, tone, and volume commands, serial port initialization, and the original initialization string sent to the synthesizer on startup. Finally, it will announce Synthesizer re-initialized. Press ESC to leave the Voice Control Panel if you wish. You can also re-initialize your synthesizer by pulling down the General menu and pressing I, or by using the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move to the last item in the General menu, Initialize Synthesizer and pressing ENTER. Window-Eyes announces, Synthesizer re-initialized. The Redraw hot key (INS-\) will also re-initialize the synthesizer after the screen has been refreshed. SECTION EIGHTEEN The Braille Menu This Section of the Window-Eyes manual provides information on Window-Eyes Braille Menu and its options. Appendix D lists all of the Braille displays that Window-Eyes currently supports. Along with support for Computer Braille and Grade 2 Braille comes a Braille menu option that exists between the General and Verbosity menus in the Main Window-Eyes menu bar. Aside from selecting a Braille display, which is done in the file menu, the Braille menu contains the appropriate interface allowing you to select how your Braille display should perform in conjunction with Window-Eyes. All of the Braille options that you select under this menu are handled on a global fashion. In other words, when you make any change, it will automatically affect all applications. Aside from the graphic descriptions (which are stored in their own dictionary), the Braille display settings are all saved automatically so there are no extra steps to save the Braille settings. 18.1: Scrolling Options Horizontal Scrolling Horizontal Scrolling indicates how Window-Eyes should scroll the display when it needs to be scrolled. For example, when you arrow to the right in a word processor, as the cursor gets to the right of the display you don't want it to simply disappear off the display area. You want the information currently displayed to scroll or shift toward the left so you can see the character under the new cursor position. Horizontal Scrolling contains two radio buttons: Scroll Display Width Scroll Specified Width Setting the Scroll Display Width will cause the display to scroll so the cursor will be at the left most cell position as you scroll off the right. In other words, the display information will scroll the width of your display. A 40 cell display would shift the contents 40 cells when you reached the right side of the display. An 80 cell display would shift the contents 80 cells when you reached the right side of the display, and so on. If you select the Scroll Specified Width, an edit box is enabled which allows you to select how many cells the display should scroll. For example, if you enter 5 in the edit box and you arrow right through a line of text as you arrow off the right of the display, the display would scroll 5 characters to the left and the cursor would be five cells from the right of the display. Only one of these options can be selected at a time. 18.2: Control Information This is the second option in the Braille menu. In Windows, as you tab around different controls, Window-Eyes needs to know how you want to represent the control information on the display. Each control can be broken up into three pieces of information: Field type (check box, edit box, etc.) Field name (first name, phone number, etc.) Field data (content of the control such as the person's first name or phone number.) With the Control Information dialog you can control exactly how this information is represented. Information Order There are six radio buttons to choose from under the Information Order option. This allows you to select the order in which the three pieces of information will be displayed. The default is the first radio button entitled "Type, Name, Data" meaning the type will be first, then the name, and finally the data. Since there are three pieces of information, there are six possible combinations for the display order, which is why there are six radio buttons to choose from. Type, Name, Data - default Type, Data, Name Name, Data, Type Name, Type, Data Data, Type, Name Data, Name, Type Include Name / Include Type After selecting the order of the information, you come to two check boxes. Each of these tells Window-Eyes if that particular piece of information should even be displayed. Include Name - If this is unchecked, the NAME field will not be displayed. Include Type - If this is unchecked, the CONTROL type will not be displayed. Not only can you set the order to display the information, you can also control whether the information should be displayed at all. Include Index The Include Index check box allows for the display of index marks in list boxes, list view, tree views, and tab controls. For example, if this option is checked, and you tab to a list box, something like "lb separator 1 separator 34 separator Field Name separator Field Data," will be displayed (Note: The steps to defining a separator pattern can be found in the next paragraph). The 1 separator 34 is the index mark. If this check box is left unchecked, then the display will not display any index marks. Separator Dot Pattern The Separator Dot Pattern edit box currently defaults to blank (no dots), providing a blank cell for the separator. A separator will be placed between bits of information. You can control what the separator should be by typing in the dot numbers (from one to eight) you wish to use. If you don't specify anything for the dot pattern, then the separator cell will be blank. Control Types The Control Types list box displays all controls that Window-Eyes knows about. You can select any item and adjust how Window-Eyes represents that particular control. For example, move down to the button option. A