Window-Eyes 6.0 Revision
History
Document Layout
This document is laid out as follows:
- Each heading level 1 represents one major version of
Window-Eyes.
- Each heading level 2 represents one minor version of
Window-Eyes
- Each heading level 3 represents a category of new features under
each version of Window-Eyes.
6.1
Released: 4/11/2007
Welcome to Window-Eyes 6.1
Congratulations!
You are about to experience the cutting edge leader in screen access
technology: Window-Eyes 6.1.
GW Micro is proud to offer Window-Eyes 6.1, the most powerful screen
reader to support Microsoft’s newest operating system: Windows Vista.
Window-Eyes 6.1 provides the familiar and expected stability,
performance, and reliability under Microsoft’s newest operating system,
along with Windows 2000, XP, and 2003. Some exciting changes have
happened in Window-Eyes 6.0 and Window-Eyes 6.1. Read on to learn
more.
Installation
When installing Window-Eyes 6.1, you will be asked if you want to
make a backup of your existing set files. If you choose yes, the
Window-Eyes installation will default the Path edit box to a location of
x:webackup (where x: is the drive letter where Window-Eyes is currently
installed). You may, however, enter a path in the Path edit box
manually, or select a different location using the Directories tree view
provided. Note that you should not choose your Window-Eyes directory as
a location for backing up your set files, as that directory will be
removed if Window-Eyes is ever uninstalled. If you choose no to the
backup prompt, no backup of your existing set files will be created.
New Features in Window-Eyes
6.1
The following section provides detailed information about the new
features of Window-Eyes 6.1. Please read through this documentation
carefully so that you can use the new features of Window-Eyes
successfully.
Windows Vista
Window-Eyes 6.1 provides complete access to all versions of
Microsoft’s newest operating system: Windows Vista. Windows Vista is
similar to Windows XP in terms of layout: there’s a start menu, task
bar, system tray, and desktop, all of which you can tab between. Windows
Explorer still lets you browse your file system, the Internet and Email
are still accessible through Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Mail
(formerly known as Outlook Express), and all other third party
applications will still sound and feel the same. Window-Eyes 6.1
provides additional access to some of Vista’s new features,
including:
- Start Menu
- Integrated desktop search: Just enter the name of an application you
want to run (for example, Word), and press ENTER. If multiple search
results are found, just arrow up and down through the options, and press
ENTER on the one you want to launch. Window-Eyes will also automatically
read the selected item as it changes. All of this functionality is
contained completely within the start menu.
- All Programs tree view: Instead of using multiple expanding menus,
the All Programs menu now resolves to a tree view listing all installed
applications. The standard method of opening and closing the various
folders and files works similar to other tree views. This feature is
also contained completely in the start menu.
- Tab between various portions: Common folders and shutdown/power
tasks are also included in the start menu. Simply press the TAB key to
move between each start menu group. After pressing TAB, use your arrow
keys to move through the items in that group. Press ENTER on the
selected item to open it.
- Windows Explorer
- Address: The address area in Windows Explorer is similar to the
breadcrumb feature found on some web pages: it contains items that show
you how to get back to where you started. For example, opening up the
Window-Eyes program folder causes the command bar to display �Program
Files -> GW Micro -> Window-Eyes,� with each of the options linked
to their respective folders. Once you select one of the items in the
command bar, you can either press ENTER to open that selected folder, or
press the DOWN ARROW to open a list of folders contained in the selected
folder.
- Search: Much like the search feature of the start menu, each Windows
Explorer window also contains a search edit box.
- Navigation pane: The navigation pane provides links to common
folders, as well as a tree view containing all of the drives, folders,
and files on your computer.
- Command Bar: The command bar displays tasks that are relevant to the
files displayed in the Explorer window. For example, a folder containing
music files will have command bar buttons that are relative to music
tasks, such as a Burn command for burning music to a CD. A list of
documents might bring up other command bar actions, such as emailing or
sharing the selected file.
- List View Headers: When you�re in a list of files or folders,
pressing TAB once takes you to the current folder�s list view headers.
List view headers function differently under Windows Vista than they do
under XP. First, the headers are always present, regardless of which
view your folder is in. Second, you can actually TAB to the headers, and
arrow through them. Once you have selected a header, you can press the
DOWN ARROW to open a menu containing various options for the selected
header.
- Additional Views: Windows Vista introduces new methods of sorting
files in Windows Explorer, including Group by, and Stack By. For
example, using Group By Name, Explorer will group folders and files into
alphabetical groups A-H, I-P, Q-Z. Names like Internet Explorer would
show up in the I-P group. Window-Eyes would show up in the Q-Z group.
Groups can also be expanded (to display all contained files and folders)
or collapsed (to hide all contained files and folders).
- Security Features
- User Account Control: When issuing a command in Windows Vista that
requires special permission to run (such as opening the Device Manager,
or running an Administrator tool), a User Account Control dialog will
pop up, asking you for your permission to continue with the task.
Window-Eyes provides full access to all UAC prompts.
- Login Screen: As with Windows XP, the Windows Vista login screen is
fully accessible. One special note about the login screen is that you
may hear a different voice from what you have selected as a normal user.
This is due to the fact that Window-Eyes is using the settings provided
during the initial installation rather than your current user
settings.
- Switching Users: Unlike Windows XP, Window-Eyes fully supports
switching users under Windows Vista. Multiple users are able to stay
logged in at the same time. Each of those users could even be running
Window-Eyes, and any changes made to Window-Eyes would only affect the
user currently logged in.
- Common Applications
- Internet Explorer: Windows Vista ships with Internet Explorer 7. If
you�re familiar with IE7 under Windows XP, you�ll be right at home with
IE7 under Windows Vista.
- Windows Mail: Formerly known as Outlook Express, Windows Mail
provides an easy, familiar way to access email under Windows Vista.
- Windows Media Player: Windows Vista ships with Windows Media Player
11. If you�re familiar with WMP11 under Windows XP, you�ll be right at
home with WMP11 under Windows Vista.
- Windows Games: Microsoft enhanced the functionality of Windows Games
(such as Minesweeper, Solitaire, Mahjong, etc.), and Window-Eyes takes
full advantage of the games that have been enhanced.
- Remote Desktop: Just like under Windows XP, Window-Eyes works
seamlessly with Windows Vista Remote Desktop. Window-Eyes also fully
supports Citrix and Terminal Services under Windows Vista.
NOTE: There are several versions of Windows Vista. Some versions may
not contain some features listed above (such as support for Remote
Desktop). For more information on the differences between various
versions of Windows Vista, please visit
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/editions.
Video Drivers
GW Micro has worked very closely with Microsoft to incorporate mirror
driver technology in Window-Eyes, a significant enhancement over DCM
used in previous versions of Windows. The Window-Eyes mirror driver
technology makes working with video adapters (such as updating drivers,
or installing new video cards) a seamless task.
Regardless of whether you’re using the latest high end video card
with the latest Vista drivers, using a lower end card running only XP
drivers, or a high end video card with XP drivers, Window-Eyes will
function the same, ensuring full access regardless of video adapter.
Automatic Changes
Although customization is possible, it is not necessary for
Window-Eyes to function under Windows Vista. In other words, you don’t
have to change resolutions, schemes, or the like for Window-Eyes to
read. Graphic labels do require the default theme, but there is no need
to set Vista to use the “Classic” view, as was often suggested (although
also not required) under Windows XP.
Microsoft mirror driver technology automatically disables many visual
affects, thereby increasing performance and accuracy for adaptive
technology using mirror drivers (such as Window-Eyes). Some of the
changes made automatically include:
- Disabling Aero/Glass (if enabled)
- Disabling ClearType
- Disabling Window and Menu animation
- Disabling Menu and Mouse Shadows
Locations of Files
Due to security restrictions, installing under the root of your
default hard drive isn�t a simple task under Windows Vista. To conform
to the Microsoft installation standards, the Window-Eyes program files
will be installed (by default) to C:Program FilesGW MicroWindow-Eyes.
Under previous operating systems, set files were stored in a
usersdefault folder under the Window-Eyes program data folder. This is
no longer possible under Windows Vista, so set files are stored (by
default) in C:UsersAppDataRoamingGW MicroWindow-Eyesusersdefault (where
is the name of the currently logged in user).
To maintain consistency, new installations of Window-Eyes, regardless
of operating system, will conform to this new directory structure. If
you upgrade a previous version of Window-Eyes (pre 6.1) under Windows
2000/XP/2003, however, your directory structure will be maintained, and
will not be altered. The new directory structure is only used for new
installations of Window-Eyes 6.1.
Ease of Access Center
Windows Vista contains a new control panel called Ease of Access
Center, which contains all of the default accessibility tools that ship
with the new operating system, including Narrator. Similar to Windows
XP, the hot key WINDOWS-U will open the Ease of Access Center control
panel. Unlike Windows XP, Narrator will not start speaking
automatically. Once the Ease of Access Center control panel is open,
press ALT-N to start Narrator.
Another caveat of the Ease of Access Center control panel is that it
cannot be launched via the WINDOWS-U hot key while Window-Eyes is
running. This is, according to Microsoft, by design. The Ease of Access
control panel can still be accessed through the normal control panel
window.
The Ease of Access Center control panel lets you choose which
accessibility tools will launch automatically when Windows starts.
Although Window-Eyes is listed in the Ease of Access Center control
panel, its startup behavior should be controlled with the Startup
Options in the Window-Eyes file menu.
Additional
Features Between Window-Eyes 6.0 and Window-Eyes 6.1
Startup Options
The Window-Eyes startup options have been dramatically improved for
all supported operating systems. The Startup Type option in the File
menu has been renamed to Startup Options, and the startup dialog has
been redesigned, and includes the following controls:
Administrative Options group box:
- L = Run Window-Eyes at the Login Screen - Check Box - Default:
Checked - This system wide option allows administrator to control
whether or not Window-Eyes will launch at the Windows login screen.
- R = Run Window-Eyes after login for all users - Check Box - Default:
Checked - This system wide option allows administrators to control
whether or not Window-Eyes will launch at the desktop after a user logs
in.
Note: The previous check boxes will not be disabled under user
accounts that do not have administrative privileges so that they can
still be read. Changing them when not administrator, however, will
result in an error message stating that you don’t have permission to
modify the settings in a non-administrator account.
After Login for Current User, Run Window-Eyes group box:
U = Using Above Configuration - Radio Button - Default: Checked,
A = Always - Radio Button - Default: Unchecked, N = Never - Radio Button
- Default: Unchecked - This option allows the currently logged in user
to control how Window-Eyes starts after logging in. If Using Above
Configuration is selected, Window-Eyes will launch after login for the
current user based on the administrators settings specified in the
previous check boxes. If Always is selected, Window-Eyes will always
launch for the current user after login for the current user, regardless
of the second administrative option check box described above. If Never
is selected, Window-Eyes will never launch for the current user after
login, regardless of the second administrative option check box
described above.
These options provide administrators control for all system
users, and provide each individual user control for themselves.
S = Set Admin Options - Button - Note: This button is only
available under Windows Vista, and will only be enabled if Window-Eyes
is not already running as an elevated process. - This option will bring
up the User Account Control dialog, providing true Vista administrator
privileges for modifying administrative Window-Eyes Startup options. The
administrator check boxes described above will not be active under Vista
until the Set Admin Options button has been selected, and the UAC dialog
has been successfully confirmed.
The Startup options in the Window-Eyes install have also changed to
reflect these new settings. Both administrative check boxes (described
above) are enabled for both the Quick Install and Custom Install
List View Grouping
Window-Eyes now fully supports listview grouping under both Windows
XP and Windows Vista. Listview groups allow you to group folder items in
related sets. Listview groups are separated visually with a horizontal
group header that describes the items in the group. You can group
listview items alphabetically, by date, or any other logical grouping.
For example, a folder of files could be grouped by date, putting files
into categories like Last Week, Last Month, Two Months Ago, Yesterday,
Today, and so on. Under Windows Vista, the group headers are focusable
making navigation between groups quick and easy. Groups under Vista can
also be collapsed and expanded, much like a tree view.
User Profiles
Window-Eyes Multi-User information has been changed to User Profiles.
Window-Eyes now controls speech environments for individual operating
system users automatically. Multiple user profiles can be created to
support various speech environments for the currently logged in
user.
Talking About Security
Along with stability and performance, Window-Eyes leads the way in
security by taking advantage of Windows Vista security enhancements,
such as User Account Control. Not only does Window-Eyes provide access
to UAC dialog, it takes advantage of them when modifying administrative
options, such as the new Window-Eyes Startup Options. Instead of
requiring security options to be disabled, Window-Eyes strives to ensure
all security enhancements are supported and encouraged, making your
computing experience a safe and reliable one.
Enhancements
between Window-Eyes 6.0 and Window-Eyes 6.1
The following section provides detailed information about the
enhancements between Window-Eyes 6.0 and Window-Eyes 6.1.
Microsoft Office
- Window-Eyes would re-speak message list information, or the title
bar, when opening a message in Outlook. This problem has been
resolved.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would not read message context
menus.
- We fixed a problem where the attachment list was not reading
correctly in Outlook 2007.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes was not reading the Outlook
2007 ribbon correctly.
- Window-Eyes was not reading selected text, or the word “Selected”
when selecting text in all versions of PowerPoint. This problem has been
resolved.
- The ribbon items in Word 2007 were not visible in Braille. This
problem has been resolved. Now all ribbon items, including gallery
controls, are available in Braille.
- We fixed a problem in Word 2007 where Window-Eyes was not reading
the first line of a document if it began with auto-corrected text.
- We fixed a problem where line numbers (if visible) where not being
read when using the mouse keys in Word.
- We fixed a problem where the initial Outlook 2007 dialog regarding
privacy and customer improvement was not being read correctly.
- Window-Eyes was not reading all Office 2007 installation screens
correctly under Vista. This problem has been resolved.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes was not reading numbering or
bullet options on Word context menus.
- We fixed a problem where INS-TAB would bring up on empty links list
in Outlook Today.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes was not picking up the To field
when composing a message in Outlook 2007.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes was not reading the manual
filter option in Excel Auto Filters.
- Link text in INS-TAB would be clipped in some Outlook 2007 messages.
This problem has been resolved.
- Window-Eyes now provides useful information when navigating through
the Office 2007 Help treeview.
- We have beefed up auto complete support for Outlook 2007.
- We fixed a problem where the Office attribute command was not
working in Outlook 2007.
- Window-Eyes now reads group names more accurately when navigating in
the Office 2007 ribbon.
- Window-Eyes now read the checked/unchecked status of calendars in
the Outlook 2007 calendar view.
- We fixed a problem where tri-state checkboxes were not speaking in
Office 2003.
- Window-Eyes would sometimes double speak information in PowerPoint
2007 slide shows. This problem has been resolved.
- Office 2007 help now works in Browse Mode.
- We fixed a problem where the text in the PowerPoint notes pane was
not showing up in our OSM.
- Window-Eyes now correctly indicates checked items in gallery-like
pulldown menus in the Office 2007 ribbon.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes had issues with non-printable
strings in the Insert Form dialog in Office 2007 applications.
Browse Mode
- We fixed a problem where Browse Mode would come back on after
selecting items in combo boxes in Internet Explorer 7.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would incorrectly read list box
entries on web pages with multiple list boxes when using Internet
Explorer 7.
- We fixed a problem where combo box items were not being shown in
Braille on some web pages when using Internet Explorer 7.
- We fixed a problem where checking check boxes or radio buttons on a
web page would cause the page to reload when using Internet Explorer
7.
- In Firefox, if a password dialog popped up, Window-Eyes would
re-read the entire dialog each time a key was pressed when typing a
username or password. This problem has been resolved.
- We have made some speed enhancements for Browse mode, regardless of
browser choice.
Braille
- Window-Eyes now includes updated support for the Handytech Braille
displays. Note: this may require new Handytech drivers.
- We have added support for the BrailleConnect, VarioConnect, Conny
Braille displays, and the Papenmeier Braillex Trio.
- We fixed a problem where Braille translation tables were not staying
selected.
- We fixed a sluggishness problem when using bluetooth with the
Braillenote.
- We fixed a problem where dates in Vista were presented with question
mark characters in Braille.
- We fixed a problem where some Braille settings, such as translation
table languages, were not being saved correctly.
- The Window-Eyes 6.1 installation will now install Braille drivers
automatically if needed. Note: this only applies to all Handy Tech,
Focus, and PacMate displays.
Miscellaneous
- We fixed a problem where the Windows Media Player library list was
not reading column titles.
- When an autoplay dialog popped up, the list view text was being
clipped. This problem has been resolved.
- We now force punctuation off for key labels.
- We fixed a problem where set files were not keeping their
associations.
- We fixed a problem where the Time/Date function would report
incorrectly after the time zone was changed.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes was looking in the wrong place
for set files under Windows Vista.
- We fixed a problem where winks and emoticons were not reading in
Windows Live Messenger.
- Window-Eyes would not read correctly when inviting a contact to join
a conversation in Windows Live Messenger. This problem has been
resolved.
- We have modified the Beginner menu level to include the Keyboard and
Mouse voice options, as well as Keyboard Layout.
- We fixed a problem where individual set files were not being listed
in the Set File Manager for set files that were outdated.
- We have made several changes in the Window-Eyes user interface in
order to be more consistent, and logical. The list of changes is as
follows:
- The window information dialog previously said, “Module, Window and
Class Information.” Now it says, “Window Information.”
- The active files dialog previously said, “Active Files.” Now it
says, “Active File List.”
- The select synthesizer dialog previously said, “Synthesizer
Selection.” Now it says, “Select Synthesizer.”
- The dictionary selection dialog included the word “dialog.” Now it
does not.
- The error reporting dialog now says, “Window-Eyes Error
Reporting.”
- The attribute search selection dialog width was increased.
- The include user window with box dialog width was increased.
- “Line Filter Column” now says, “Line Filter Position.”
- “Select Line Filter Status” now says, “Line Filter Status.”
- “Select Keyboard Capital Mode” now says, “Keyboard Capital
Mode.”
- “Select Keyboard Voice Mode” now says, “Keyboard Voice.”
- “Select Mouse Voice Mode” now says, “Mouse Voice.”
- “Select Highlight Track” now says, “Highlight Track.”
- “Select Capital Mode” now says, “Capital Mode.”
- The Mouse menu item “Specify Mouse Highlight Window” has been
changed to “Specify Highlight Window.”
- The General menu item “Auto Speak Tooltips” has been changed to
“Speak Tooltips.”
- The controls in the Active File dialog have been rearranged to match
the dictionary menus.
- Window-Eyes was not reading any of the controls or menus in AIM 6.0.
This problem has been resolved.
- Window-Eyes would occasionally encounter problems when the Startup
Type was set to Before Startup. This problem has been resolved. This
should also fix problems when a user was logged in before Window-Eyes
was fully loaded.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes could, under very specific
circumstances, use more memory than necessary when launched.
- We fixed an intermittent problem where Browse mode would not engage
properly after logging in when Window-Eyes loaded at the login
screen..
- The Window-Eyes Voice Control Panel is now completely disabled on
secure desktops (such as the login screen) for maximum security.
- We fixed a problem where not all individual set files were being
displayed in the Set File Manager.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would triple speak entries in
the Control Panel when set to use a list view.
- The mouse pointer would often become visually sluggish when pressing
CTRL-ALT-DEL, or locking the machine. This problem has been
resolved.
- We fixed a problem where the Window-Eyes system tray hot key (INS-S)
would respond with “System Tray Unavailable” in Windows 2000.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would quick speaking when
creating lists in Lotus Notes 6.5.3.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes was incorrectly reading list
view items in common open/save as dialogs.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would say, “Custom Control”
when opening bookmarks or the history windows were opened in
Firefox.
- We fixed a problem where list boxes were sluggish.
- Sometimes, when an application opened, such as the Duxburry Braille
Translator, focus would not go to the active window. This problem has
been resolved.
- We fixed some problems with Nero list boxes.
Silent Install
The Window-Eyes 6.1 installation now provides a silent install
method. In order to do the silent install you need to run the setup.exe
located in the wineyes dir from the Window-Eyes install CD. The
following command line options available:
- /vs - this option signals the install to be silent
- /vn”name” - this option specifies the user name.
- /vc”company” - this option specifies the company name.
Note the same checks are used with the /vn and /vc commands as would
be done in the actual username/company dialog. Also note the name and
company MUST be enclosed in quotes. If the name and/or company do not
pass the same test used at the actual dialog, the install will run as if
the silent parameter were not specified.
The silent install acts like the quick install except the startup
options for at the logon screen and after logon are both disabled. The
normal quick install has them both enabled. However you can use the
following two parameters to force one or both startup options on:
- /vb - forces before logon on
- /va - forces after logon on
Set File Enhancements:
The following set files have been added or updated:
- Firefox
- Goldwave
- K1000
- Office XP/2003/2007
- Skype
- Outlook Express
- All InPlay
- Skype
- Window-Eyes Defaults
- Windows Explorer
- Libera
- Microsoft Outlook Express/Windows Mail
- All set files have been updated to include all Browse Mode hot keys,
and to set the Mouse Voice to On with Pointer Identification Delayed
(Dictionary Only)
You will need to use the Set File Manager to update any set file
package for the applications that you use, including the Window-Eyes
default sets. Once you have updated the Window-Eyes default set file
package, you will need to restart Window-Eyes.
Thanks to the Window-Eyes error reporting utility, we have been able
to track down and resolve over 20 elusive GPFs. Thank you to everyone
who continues to report problems when they exist. Because of you,
Window-Eyes continues to offer unprecedented stability.
6.0
Released: 12/4/2006
Cost: $150
Welcome to Window-Eyes 6.0
Congratulations!
You are about to experience the cutting edge leader in screen access
technology: Window-Eyes 6.0.
With more people switching to Window-Eyes, it is important to
recognize that we have a lot of beginner users. To show our commitment
to new customers, we have engineered Window-Eyes to be easier to use for
new users. Intermediate users will appreciate the flexibility they’re
familiar with by using existing enhanced features. Advanced users will
be able to harness the power of new application support. Window-Eyes
covers all areas of computer expertise and experience levels.
Installation
When installing Window-Eyes 6.0 (as well as any future upgrade), you
will be asked if you want to make a backup of your existing set files.
If you choose yes, the Window-Eyes installation will default the Path
edit box to a location of x:webackup (where x: is the drive letter where
Window-Eyes is currently installed). You may, however, enter a path in
the Path edit box manually, or select a different location using the
Directories tree view provided. Note that you should not choose your
Window-Eyes directory as a location for backing up your set files, as
that directory will be removed if Window-Eyes is ever uninstalled. If
you choose no to the backup prompt, no backup of your existing set files
will be created.
New Features in Window-Eyes
6.0
The following section provides detailed information about the new
features of Window-Eyes 6.0. Please read through this documentation
carefully so that you can use the new features of Window-Eyes
successfully.
PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation software package, which
provides visual information through the use of slide shows to enhance
oral presentations such as training sessions, classroom lectures, and
business seminars. PowerPoint slides contain combinations of text,
images, and multimedia effects, and are often displayed by connecting a
computer to a projection system so the presentation can be visible to a
large number of people. PowerPoint presentations can also be distributed
electronically, and accessed much like other Microsoft Office documents.
Window-Eyes supports PowerPoint 2000 and up.
The
Microsoft PowerPoint DOM (Document Object Model)
Window-Eyes uses the Microsoft PowerPoint DOM (Document Object Model)
to communicate directly with PowerPoint (much like the Microsoft Word
and Microsoft Excel DOM support in Window-Eyes), insuring a robust,
100%-text-accurate-100%-of-the-time environment when navigating through
PowerPoint presentations.
PowerPoint Navigation
When you initially launch PowerPoint, you will commonly be presented
with four different panes: the Slide pane, Task pane, Notes pane, and
Thumbnails pane. The Slide pane is where you can edit the contents of a
given slide. Pressing the TAB key will move you between the slide
objects, and announce the object type (such as “title place holder”),
the text content (if any content exists), and object details (such as
size, placement, etc. � object details are controlled by verbosity
options which are discussed below). You can press ENTER to edit the
selected object. After you�re done editing an object, you can press
ESCAPE to exit the edit mode, and re-select the object. The contents of
the Task pane will differ depending on the situation, and may contain
one of several topics, including Getting Started, Help, Search Results,
Clip Art, Research, Clipboard, New Presentation, Template Help, Shared
Workspace, Document Updates, Slide Layout, Slide Design, Slide
Design-color schemes, Slide Design-Animation Schemes, Custom Animation,
and Slide Transition. The Notes pane allows you to enter notes regarding
the selected slide (notes are not visible to the audience during a slide
show presentation). The Thumbnails pane can be used to navigate through
the individual slides of a presentation. The F6 key is used to rotor
between all open panes.
PowerPoint
Presentation Playback/Slide Show
PowerPoint presentations are displayed using a feature called Slide
Show, wherein the slides are displayed full screen with no other portion
of the Windows desktop visible. In Slide Show mode, Window-Eyes will
present each slide in the Browse Mode buffer. Basic navigation keys such
as arrow keys, page up/down, home, etc, etc. can be used to navigate the
information in the slide. You can also press the letter I to move to the
next list item, and H to access any slide notes. Pressing the space bar
will cause the presentation to move forward one slide. Pressing
backspace will cause the presentation to move backward one slide. When a
new slide is displayed, Window-Eyes will refresh the Browse mode buffer
with the new slide information. Window-Eyes can also announce diagrams
(and sub objects of diagrams) and animations within a slide. If a slide
contains animated content, Window-Eyes will announce the number of
effects when the slide loads, and additionally indicate the effect at
the beginning of the line containing the animation by announcing, �E X
on/off/other,� where E stands for Effect, X is the number of the effect
on the slide, and on/off/other indicates the behavior of the animation
(on means that the effect will add information to the slide, off means
the effect will remove information from the slide, and other means the
effect will animate without adding or removing information from the
slide). Pressing the space bar will run the animations in the order they
are listed on the slide without affecting Browse mode. Window-Eyes gives
you the power to review slide animations before they happen, giving you
total control over your presentation, and providing you with accurate
information, especially in cases where animations do not run top to
bottom.
PowerPoint Verbosity
Window-Eyes provides two categories of PowerPoint verbosity options:
Playback (for controlling the verbosity of a Slide Show), and Slide Pane
(for controlling the verbosity while editing slide contents).
- Playback
- Start At Previous Position � Default: Checked � This option will
allow you to return to the previous position of a previously viewed
slide during the same presentation rather than beginning at the top of
the previously viewed slide. This feature is similar to the previous
position feature found in Browse Mode.
- Include Slide Notes � Default: Checked � This option will cause any
notes associated with the selected slide to appear at the bottom of the
Browse Mode buffer during the Slide Show. An indication of notes is
added to the slide announcement with the phrase, �has notes.� For
example, �slide 2, 4 effects, has notes.� The notes are separated from
the slide content with the text �Slide Notes,� and can be accessed
quickly using the Browse Mode Heading key (H by default).
- Do Not Indicate Effects, Indicate Effects Summary Only, Indicate
Effects Summary and Details (default) � This option indicates the level
of effect summary used during a Slide Show. Indicate Effects Summary
Only will indicate the number of effects for the selected slide.
Indicate Effects Summary and Details includes the number of effects for
the selected slide, and effect details for each animation for the
selected slide. Do Not Indicate Effects means no indication of existing
animations.
- Slide Pane
- Indicate Object Size � Default: Checked � This option indicates the
width and height of the selected object using user specified units.
- Indicate Overlapping Objects � Default: Checked � This option
indicates if an object overlaps another slide pane object, and if so,
what object is being overlapped by announcing, �Overlaps X� where X is
the object being overlapped.
- Indicate Object Placement � Default: Checked � This option indicates
the position of an object in relation to the top and left sides of the
slide using user specified units.
- Indicate Text Overflow Within Object � Default: Checked � This
option indicates if the selected object contains more text than will fit
in the dimensions of the object. If the text overflows the object�s
dimensions, Window-Eyes will indicate the details of the overflow by
announcing, for example, �Overflows top margin by 2 lines and bottom
margin by 3 lines.� If the text overflows to the left or to the right,
Window-Eyes will indicate the amount using user specified units.
- Indicate Object Overflow Within Slide � Default: Checked � This
option indicates if the selected object is positioned off the top,
bottom, left, or right side of the slide.
- Inches (default), Centimeters, Millimeters, Points � This option
indicates the measurement used when announcing object units.
PowerPoint Hot Keys
Page Navigation � The Page Navigation dialog (INS-TAB by default)
provides the ability to quickly navigate through or review the
components for the selected area. You can select hyperlinks, objects,
comments, or slides for the entire presentation, or hyperlinks, objects,
and comments for a selected slide. Selecting the Focus Item button will
automatically focus a selected item (hyperlink, object, comment, or
slide), making navigation through presentations quick and easy.
Tables � All of the table hot keys that exist for Microsoft Word
function the same in Microsoft PowerPoint, including Cell Right, Cell
Left, Cell Up, Cell Down, To First Cell of Row, To Last Cell of Row, To
First Cell of Column, To Last Cell of Column, To Top Left Cell, To
Bottom Right Cell, Row, From Row Start, Row To End, First Row Cell,
Column, From Column Start, Column To End, First Column Cell, and current
Cell. The table hot keys will only work while you are editing a cell�s
contents in the slide pane within a true table.
Element Properties � If no object is selected in the Slide pane when
you press INS-E, you will receive all information about the slide. When
an object is selected, the information presented in the Element
Properties dialog will be relative to the selected object.
Outlook Calendar
Window-Eyes boasts a revolutionary new way to access the Calendar
feature of Microsoft Outlook. Rather than attempting to retrofit the
existing, inaccessible Outlook Calendar interface, Window-Eyes provides
all appointments and dates in a concise and simple to use Window-Eyes
Outlook Calendar dialog.
The Window-Eyes Outlook Calendar supports both local and remote
calendars (such as those used with Exchange servers), and can be
accessed from anywhere (assuming that Outlook is running), regardless of
what application is active when the Window-Eyes Outlook Calendar hot key
(INS-C by default) is pressed. Note: In previous versions of
Window-Eyes, INS-C was defined as the AutoDetect Cursor hot key.
AutoDetect Cursor has been redefined as CTRL-INS-C. The Window-Eyes
Outlook Calendar will stay open until you close it. This way, you can
ALT-TAB between the Window-Eyes Outlook Calendar dialog and other open
applications.
Window-Eyes Outlook Calendar supports Microsoft Outlook 2000 and
greater. We recommend Outlook 2003 for the best in Outlook Calendar
accessibility.
The Window-Eyes Outlook Calendar dialog consists of the following
controls:
- Appointments - List View: This list view contains day (i.e. Monday),
date (i.e. 7/11/2006), Start Time (i.e. 12:00pm), Subject (i.e. Lunch
with Bill), and location. The Appointments list view is populated based
on the selected Timespan (see below).
- Details - Read Only Edit Box: This read only edit box contains all
of the available information about the appointment selected in the
Appointments list view. If no appointment is selected, the details read
only edit box will be disabled.
- Timespan - Group Box: The Timespan group box contains the following
controls:
- Day - Radio Button: The day radio button populates the Appointments
list view with all appointments for the selected day. By default, day
starts with today�s date.
- Work Week - Radio Button: The work week radio button populates the
Appointments list view with all appointments for the selected work week.
Work Week includes the days defined in the Outlook Calendar options, as
well as which day the work week begins. By default, work week contains
Monday through Friday, and begins with the Monday prior to today�s
date.
- Week - Radio Button: The week radio button populates the
Appointments list view with all appointments for the selected week. Week
includes all seven days of the week. By default, week starts with the
Sunday prior to today�s date (or with the beginning week day you
selected in Outlook options).
- Month - Radio Button: The month radio button populates the
Appointments list view with all appointments for the selected
month.
- Year - Radio Button: The year radio button populates the
Appointments list view with all appointments for the selected year.
- Custom - Radio Button: The custom radio button populates the
Appointments list view with all appointments between the user defined
start and end dates, specified in the Start Date and End Date edit
boxes.
- Custom Range - Group Box: The Custom Range group box contains the
following controls if the Custom timespan is selected:
- Start - Edit Box: The Start Date edit box allows you to enter the
beginning date for the custom date range. If you enter a start date
without specifying an end date, then only the date entered in the start
date edit box will be displayed. You can enter the date in just about
any format you want using numbers.
- End - Edit Box: The End Date edit box allows you to enter the ending
date for the custom date range.
- Display - Group Box: The Display group box contains the following
controls:
- Show Appointments - Check Box: The Show Appointments check box
causes all appointments for the selected timespan to be displayed in the
Appointments list view
- Show Available Times - Check Box: The Show Available Times check box
causes available time periods (specified in the Outlook Calendar
options) for the selected timespan to be displayed in the Appointments
list view.
- Compact - Check Box: The Compact check box causes all items
pertaining to a specific day in the Appointments list view to be
collapsed into a single entry. For example, with the Week timespan
selected, pressing the Compact check box will cause all of the
appointments for the week to be collapsed into single days. Un-checking
the compact check box causes all of the Appointments to be expanded into
individual entries in the Appointments list view. When the compact check
box is checked, the Appointments list view headers will change to Day,
Date, and Appointments, where Appointments is the number of appointments
in the selected day. If you select the Open button while in compact
mode, the timespan will switch to Day view, and the Appointments list
view will include all appointments for the selected day.
- Previous - Button: The Previous button causes the Appointments list
view to populate with the previous unit of the selected timespan. For
example, with week selected, pressing the Previous button will cause the
Appointments list view to populate with the appointments for the week
prior to the current week. Pressing the Previous button again will cause
the list view to populate with the appointments for two weeks prior to
the current week.
- Current - Button: The Current button causes the Appointments list
view to populate with the current unit of the selected timespan. For
example, if Day is the selected timespan, and you navigated several days
prior to the current day using the Previous button, pressing the Current
button would cause the Appointments list view to populate with the
appointments for today.
- Next - Button: The Next button causes the Appointments list view to
populate with the next unit of the selected timespan. For example, with
week selected, pressing the Next button will cause the Appointments list
view to populate with the appointments for the week after the current
week. Pressing the Next button again will cause the list view to
populate with the appointments for two weeks after the current
week.
- New - Button: The New button causes Outlook to open a New
Appointment dialog for the day selected in the Appointments list view.
If the Day timespan is selected, pressing the New button will cause the
New Appointment dialog to open for the selected day. If any timespan
other than Day is selected, and an appointment is selected in the
Appointments list view, pressing the New button will cause the New
Appointment dialog to open for the selected day, with the start time set
to 8:00am. If any timespan other than Day is selected, and no
appointment is selected in the Appointments list view, pressing the New
button will cause the New Appointment dialog to open for the current
day, with the start time set to the specified Outlook day start time (by
default, 8:00am). In addition to the date information, if a unit of
available time is selected in the Appointment list view, pressing the
New button will cause the New Appointment dialog to set the start time
to the corresponding available time.
- Open - Button: The Open button causes Outlook to open the
Appointment dialog for the appointment selected in the Appointments list
view.
- Delete - Button: The Delete button causes Outlook to delete the
selected appointment in the Appointments list view. You may also press
the DELETE key to cause Outlook to delete the selected appointment. A
confirmation dialog will be presented in both cases.
- Close - Button: The Close button closes the Window-Eyes Outlook
Calendar dialog. You can also close the dialog using the standard
methods of pressing ESCAPE, or ALT-F4.
The Window-Eyes Outlook Calendar dialog works similar to the
Window-Eyes Word Page Navigation dialog in terms of loading a large
amount of data. If five seconds have passed after you open the
Window-Eyes Outlook Calendar dialog, Window-Eyes will announce,
�Building element list. Please wait.� At this point, you can either
continue to wait for the data to populate the appointments list view, or
you can press any key to abort the loading, and leave the appointments
list view empty.
If you open a recurring appointment using the Window-Eyes Outlook
Calendar dialog, you will be asked if you would like to open the entire
series. If you say yes, you will be able to edit the properties to
affect all associated appointments. If you say no, you will be able to
edit the properties to affect only the selected appointment. If you
delete a recurring appointment using the Window-Eyes Outlook Calendar
dialog, you will be asked if you would like to delete the entire series.
If you say yes, you will delete all appointments in the series. If you
say no, you will delete only the selected appointment. This feature is
only available in Outlook 2003 and up.
If you close Outlook with the Window-Eyes Outlook Calendar dialog
open, the dialog will close automatically. When the Window-Eyes Outlook
Calendar dialog closes, all settings used in the dialog will be retained
and used the next time the dialog is opened, even if Window-Eyes has
been shut down, and reopened.
The Window-Eyes Outlook Calendar supports multiple calendars. You can
choose which calendars to use in the Calendar section of Microsoft
Outlook. For example, to access the list of available calendars in
Microsoft Outlook 2003, do the following:
- Press CTRL-2 to open the Microsoft Outlook calendar view.
- Press F6 to focus the list of available calendars.
- Press the Up or Down arrow to maneuver through the list of available
calendars.
- Press the Space bar to check or uncheck the selected calendar.
When new calendars are selected, the Window-Eyes Outlook Calendar
dialog will automatically refresh to include the new information.
Outlook/Outlook Express Email
Window-Eyes offers easy and intuitive access to Microsoft Outlook and
Microsoft Outlook Express email information. Access to status
information, From, Date, To, CC, BCC, Subject, and Attachment fields can
be read and accessed using several new hot keys:
- ALT-1: From
- ALT-2: Date/Sent
- ALT-3: To
- ALT-4: CC
- ALT-5: BCC
- ALT-6: Subject
- ALT-7: Attachments
- ALT-8: Status
The first press of any of the previous keys will cause the
information to be read. If the field does not exist, Window-Eyes will
announce the field type followed by, �Not found.� You can press any of
the previous keys a second time to move focus to the appropriate field
so that you can interact with the control (assuming that control allows
focus the Status bar, for example, does not).
For example, pressing ALT-7 will read the names of any attachments
that exist in a message. Pressing ALT-7 a second time will focus the
attachment control so that you can arrow through the list, able to
interact with the attachment of your choice. Once you hear an attachment
name, you can press SHIFT-F10 to bring up a context menu of options for
the selected attachment (such as opening and saving depending on the
attachment file type).
Both Outlook and Outlook Express will often reformat text in the To,
From, CC, and BCC fields once focus has moved away from the control, or
once auto-complete engages, making it difficult to review email
addresses. In other words, while you can enter wesupport@aisquared.com
in the to edit box, and arrow between each letter individually, once you
tab away and then back, you are no longer able to get the cursor between
the individual characters. Instead, the cursor will only be placed
either at the beginning of the text object, or the end when pressing the
left and right arrow keys. When using the arrow keys to move through
text objects in these fields, Window-Eyes will automatically read all
the text in the object next to the cursor. Window-Eyes also gives you
the power to read these text objects by pressing the Word hot key
(CTRL-NUMPAD-RIGHT ARROW). Pressing the Word hot key twice will spell
the text. Pressing the Word hot key a third time will spell the text
phonetically. You can use the Character hot key in the same manner as
the Word hot key.
Accessing Attachments
Thanks to the Window-Eyes Attachment hot key, accessing the
attachments list in Outlook and Outlook Express is quick and easy. Once
you have focus in the attachment list (by pressing ALT-7 twice), you can
select an attachment and press ENTER to open it, or you can press
SHIFT-F10 to bring up a context menu of additional options (including
opening, printing, and saving).
Internet Explorer 7
Internet Explorer 7 brings, among other things, the popular feature
of tabbed browsing to Microsoft�s web browser. Tabbed browsing enables
you to open multiple web pages in a single browser window rather than
using multiple windows. Window-Eyes fully supports tabbed browsing in
Internet Explorer 7 much like it does in Mozilla Firefox.
The following hot keys allow you to manipulate web page tabs in
Internet Explorer 7:
- CTRL-ENTER: Opens the selected link in a new tab in the
background.
- CTRL-SHIFT-ENTER: Opens the selected link in a new tab in the
foreground.
- CTRL-T: Opens a new, blank tab in the foreground.
- CTRL-TAB: Rotor forward through open tabs.
- CTRL-SHIFT-TAB: Rotor backward through open tabs.
- CTRL-W: Close the current tab.
- CTRL-# (where # is a number between 1 and 8): Switch to a specific
tab number.
- CTRL-9: Switch to the last tab
- CTRL-ALT-F4: Close all other tabs
- CTRL-Q: Toggle Quick Tabs view
- CTRL-SHIFT-Q: Display Tabs List menu
- CTRL-E: Access the Search edit box
You can also access the actual tab control by focusing the search
edit box, and then pressing TAB until you read the web page tabs. Once
the tabs are focused, you can use the left and right arrow keys to move
between the available tabs.
Internet Explorer 7 has a new command bar that offers the most widely
used features for more direct access. Buttons on the command bar have
associated hot keys as follows:
- ALT-M: Opens the Home context menu
- ALT-R: Opens the Print context menu
- ALT-J: Opens the RSS context menu
- ALT-O: Opens the Tools context menu
- ALT-L: Opens the Help context menu
Window-Eyes will automatically speak any security alerts that
Internet Explorer 7 provides, such as phishing, IDN, and SSL alerts. You
can use the Window-Eyes Speak Summary hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-S by default)
or the Window-Eyes Status line hot key (CTRL-INS-S by default) to reread
current security warnings.
Internet Explorer 7 also provides the ability to review RSS feeds for
a given page. RSS feeds are a popular method for web sites to distribute
news headings, articles, and/or multimedia content (such as podcasts).
When RSS feeds are available, you can access the RSS feed menu with
ALT-J. You can then select a feed, and press ENTER. A new page will load
with the links to the various offerings available from the RSS feed.
Thanks to a close partnership between GW Micro and Microsoft, Browse
Mode performance has been increased across the board in all supported
versions of Internet Explorer. In addition, Microsoft has boosted
Internet Explorer 7 performance substantially, and Window-Eyes happily
takes advantage of this speed increase.
Microsoft Office 2007
Window-Eyes provides full support for Microsoft Office 2007. The
power and stability that Window-Eyes introduced to previous versions of
Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint can be found in the same Office
2007 applications.
Although much of the functionality of the Office applications has
been retained between versions, Office 2007 introduces one major change,
advertised by Microsoft as �the most significant update to the Microsoft
Office user interface in more than a decade�: the Microsoft Office
Ribbon. The following three sections include text taken from The
Microsoft Office User Interface website describing the functionality of
the Microsoft Office Ribbon.
The Ribbon
The traditional menus and toolbars have been replaced by the Ribbon,
a new device that presents commands organized into a set of tabs. The
tabs on the Ribbon display the commands that are most relevant for each
of the task areas in Office Word 2007, Office PowerPoint 2007, or Office
Excel 2007. For example, Office Word 2007 has tabs for writing,
inserting, page layout, working with references, doing mailings, and
reviewing documents. Office Excel 2007 has a similar set of tabs that
make sense for spreadsheet work: creating worksheets, inserting objects
like charts and graphics, page layout, working with formulas, managing
data, and reviewing. These tabs simplify accessing application features
because they organize the commands in a way that corresponds directly to
the tasks people perform in these applications.
Contextual tabs
Certain sets of commands are only relevant when objects of a
particular type are being edited. For example, the commands for editing
a chart are not relevant until a chart appears in a spreadsheet and the
user is focusing on modifying it. In current versions of Microsoft
Office applications, these commands can be difficult to find. In Office
Excel 2007, clicking on a chart causes a contextual tab to appear with
commands used for chart editing. Contextual tabs only appear when they
are needed and make it much easier to find and use the commands needed
for the operation at hand.
Galleries
Galleries are at the heart of the redesigned applications. Galleries
provide users with a set of clear results to choose from when working on
their document, spreadsheet, or presentation. By presenting a simple set
of potential results, rather than a complex dialog box with numerous
options, Galleries simplify the process of producing professional
looking work. The traditional dialog box interfaces are still available
for those wishing a greater degree of control over the result of the
operation.
Window-Eyes
and the Microsoft Office 2007 Ribbon
Whether you’re moving through the Ribbon tabs, commands, command
groups, or command options, Window-Eyes will consistently and reliably
tell you where you are, and what short cut keys are available.
Take, for example, the Microsoft Word 2007 Ribbon. Pressing the ALT
key causes the Ribbon tabs to gain focus. You can then arrow left and
right through the tab options (such as Home, Insert, Page Layout,
References, and so on). Once you have a tab selected, you can press TAB
to access the commands for the selected tab. Once in the command list,
you can TAB and SHIFT-TAB to move between the commands. Commands are
contained in horizontal containers (called command groups) that span the
width of the Ribbon, each group dealing with a specific function such as
font, paragraph, styles, etc. When you move between command groups,
either by tabbing from the last command in one group to the first
command in the next group, or by using the SHIFT-LEFT and RIGHT ARROW
keys to move between groups, Window-Eyes will indicate that you�ve moved
into a new group.
For example, moving from the Proofing command group to the Comments
command group under the Review tab would cause Window-Eyes to say,
“Comments Group. New Comment. ALT, R, C. Button.” Window-Eyes tells you
the command group you�re in (in this case the Comments group, which
contains commands that deal specifically with comments), the name of the
selected command (New comment, which, if selected, would create a new
comment where the cursor is located in the document), the shortcut keys
to access the command quickly (in this case, ALT, R, C, which, when
pressed from the document, would insert a comment where the cursor is
located), and the type of control (in this case a button).
Window-Eyes also supports Ribbon galleries. Galleries are complex
controls similar to menu items, but which can contain multiple kinds of
controls, like list boxes with multiple groups of items combined with
menu items. Take, for example, the shapes command located in the
Illustrations command group under the Insert tab. The shapes gallery
includes a list box of several groups of shape items. Window-Eyes not
only announces each group as they�re accessed, but also reads the index
of the selected item in the selected group. The shapes gallery also
contains a menu item located after the shape list box, which Window-Eyes
reads easily after navigating from the shapes list box.
Window-Eyes Key Describer
For beginner users, knowing where keys are on the keyboard, and what
keys perform what commands, is essential to successful computing. The
Window-Eyes Key Describer offers beginner users the comfort of examining
keyboard keys without worrying about performing erroneous commands, or
typing unwanted characters.
The Window-Eyes Key Describer hot key is INS-1 by default, and when
pressed the first time will say, �Key describer on.� From this point on
until the Key Describer is disengaged, Window-Eyes will speak the keys
that are pressed.
For example, if you press the letter A, Window-Eyes will say, “A.” If
a hot key is pressed, Window-Eyes will speak the function of that hot
key. For example, if you press CTRL-BACKSLASH, Window-Eyes will say,
�Menu. Activates the window-eyes voice control panel.� If a key label
has been assigned to a key stroke, Window-Eyes will read the key label
as well. For example, if you engaged the Key Describer in Microsoft
Word, and then press CTRL-HOME, Window-Eyes would say, �Top of
document.� In Internet Explorer or Firefox, Window-Eyes would say, �Top�
while in the Key Describer. You can change a key label to speak whatever
you want, and the Window-Eyes Key Describer will reflect that change.
For example, you could change the key label for the hot key CTRL-HOME in
Microsoft Word to be �My favorite key label.� When that key is pressed
with the Key Describer engaged in Microsoft Word, Window-Eyes would say,
�My favorite key label.�
If a Braille key is pressed, the Braille key name will be spoken, and
its function (if one exists). The text will also be displayed in quick
message mode for Braille users. If you press the Window-Eyes Key
Describer hot key again, Window-Eyes will say, �Key describer off,� and
normal keyboard functionality will resume.
The Key Describer will automatically disengage if focus changes (such
as when you press ALT-TAB to focus another window, or press the Windows
key to focus the start menu). Window-Eyes gives beginners and advanced
users alike the power to learn available keystrokes in different
applications with the Window-Eyes Key Describer.
Tip of the Day
Window-Eyes is packed with features, and learning the ins and outs of
all of them can take quite a bit of time. The Window-Eyes Tip of the Day
feature alleviates the overwhelming fear of having to memorize the
entire manual by providing small snippets of information about various
Window-Eyes features every time Window-Eyes is launched.
The Tip of the Day dialog contains a read only edit box of tip
information, a Previous button to move to the previous tip, a Next
button to move to the next tip, a check box labeled Show Tips at Startup
(used to control the showing of the Tip of the Day when Window-Eyes
launches), and a Close button. Several tips also provide a View Help
Topic button, which when selected, will open the Window-Eyes manual
directly to the section that corresponds with the tip information. If a
tip has a web site associated with it, a View Web Site button will be
available. When the View Web Site button is selected, the associated
page will load in your default web browser.
If you elect to hide the Tip of the Day dialog when Window-Eyes
launches, you can always choose to view the Tip of the Day dialog using
the Tip of the Day menu item in the Window-Eyes Help menu.
Each time the Tip of the Day dialog is displayed, a new tip will
appear, much like using the Next button moves to the next tip.
Window-Eyes will remember the last tip displayed so that you don�t
always start on the same tip every time Window-Eyes launches.
Application Help
The Window-Eyes Application Help feature introduces the idea of
creating personal notes for specific controls, dialogs, and applications
and combines it with factory written, generic control information,
helping to create a comprehensive environment for keeping track of, and
learning how to use an application.
The Window-Eyes Application Help hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-QUESTION by
default) opens a dialog containing the following controls:
Information: Edit Box. The title of this edit box, as well as the
contents, will change depending on the radio buttons discussed below.
The information presented in this edit box is completely user editable,
and can contain notes on how to use specific features of an
application.
- Control: Radio Button. When selected, this option will cause the
information edit box to be labeled �Control Information� and the
contents of the Control Information edit box will be relevant to the
control that was focused when the Application Help hot key was
pressed.
- Dialog: Radio Button. When selected, this option will cause the
information edit box to be labeled �Dialog Information� and the contents
of the Control Information edit box will be relevant to the dialog that
was active when the Application Help hot key was pressed.
- Application: Radio Button. When selected, this option will cause the
information edit box to be labeled �Application Information� and the
contents of the Application Information edit box will be relevant to the
application that was active when the Application Help hot key was
pressed.
Generic Control Information: Read-only Edit Box. This edit box
contains information describing the control that was focused when the
Application Help hot key was pressed. Generic control information
includes detailed control descriptions, as well as Window-Eyes specific
information on reading and interacting with controls.
Save: Button. This button, when selected, will save any information
entered into the Information edit box.
Close: Button. This button, when selected, will close the Application
Help dialog.
Take, for example, everyone’s favorite text editor: Notepad. If you
bring up the Application Help dialog in Notepad, and select the
Application radio button, you can enter details to the Application
Information edit box that deal with using Notepad as a text editor. You
might choose to keep track on hot keys used often in the editor, such as
ALT-O, W to toggle Word Wrap, or CTRL-H for find and replace. These
notes apply to the application as a whole, and would therefore be stored
with the Application radio button selected. If you opened the Print
dialog in Notepad, you might choose to make notes regarding what kind of
paper setup you prefer for printing text document, or how to collate
more than one copy. These notes apply to the print dialog alone, and
would therefore be stored with the Dialog radio button selected. Once in
the list of printers in the print dialog, you might then want to make
notes regarding which printers are connected to your machine locally,
and which are remote, or which are inkjet, and which are laser printers.
These notes apply to the list view of printers located specifically in
the print dialog of Notepad, and would therefore be stored with the
Control radio button selected.
Once you’ve entered custom information regarding the control, dialog,
or application, you can select the Save button to save all the
information you entered.
If control information exists for the focused control when you open
the Application Help dialog, the control radio button will be selected
automatically. If no control information exists, but dialog information
does exist for the dialog that is active when you open the Application
Help dialog, then the dialog radio button will be selected
automatically. If no control information or dialog information exists,
but application information does exist for the window that is active
when you open the Application help dialog, the application radio button
will be selected automatically. If no information exists for any of the
three categories, the application radio button will be selected by
default. You can easily review information contained in all three
categories by selecting the appropriate radio button.
Window-Eyes Set File Manager
The Window-Eyes Set File manager offers a comprehensive method of
installing, uninstalling, and keeping track of Window-Eyes Set
files.
Selecting the Set File Manager option from the File menu in the
Window-Eyes voice control panel will cause a dialog to open, containing
the following controls:
Applications List View: The applications list view will present all
available set files, along with their installed status, as well as
version information. The list view contains four columns used to
represent this information – Name, Status, Factory Version, and
Installed Version. The Name column lists the names of the Set File
packages that are available for use. Status will be one of the
following:
- Not Installed: Indicates that the selected set files have not been
installed.
- Installed: Indicates that the selected set files have been
installed.
- Modified: Indicates that the selected set files have been installed,
and have been modified from the original, factory version.
- Out Dated: Indicates that the selected set files have been
installed, but are older than the available, factory version.
- Newer: Indicates that the selected set files have been installed,
and are newer than the available, factory version.
The Factory Version column indicates version numbers for the set file
packages that are included with Window-Eyes.
The Installed Version column indicates version numbers for the set
file packages that are currently installed for the active Window-Eyes
user. If the Installed Version column contains “n/a”, then Window-Eyes
is unable to determine the version number for the installed set files.
This can happen when upgrading from an older version of Window-Eyes. A
new install of Window-Eyes, however, will always have correct version
numbers listed. Also, if you choose to reload any factory set file
packages, the version number will show up after the set file package
installation.
The Applications list view allows you to select multiple set file
packages for batch installing or uninstalling. In other words, rather
than selecting and installing several set file packages individually,
you can choose to install multiple set file packages at one time.
Information Read-only Edit Box: The Information read-only edit box
contains the readme included for the selected factory set file. Set file
readmes include information on using the set files successfully with the
associated application. The title of this read-only edit box will change
when a new set file package is selected to reflect the name of the
associated application. For example, if the Adobe Reader set file
package is selected in the Applications list view, the title of the
Information edit box will change to say, �Information for Adobe Reader.�
If more than one set file is selected, the Information read-only edit
box will be disabled.
Set Files Read-only Edit Box: The Set Files read-only edit box lists
all files contained in the set file package selected in the Applications
list view, along with each individual file�s installed status. If a set
file or dictionary file has been installed, the word Installed will
appear after the file name. If a set file or dictionary file does not
exist, the word Missing will appear after the file name. If the set file
or dictionary file differs from the factory version, the word Modified
will appear after the file name. The title of this read-only edit box
will change when a new set file package is selected to reflect the name
of the associated application. For example, if the Adobe Reader set file
package is selected in the Applications list view, the title of the
Information edit box will change to say, �Set Files for Adobe Reader.�
If more than one set file is selected, the Set Files read-only edit box
will be disabled.
Install Button: When selected, this button will cause Window-Eyes to
install the set file package (or packages) selected in the Applications
list view.
If you are installing set files that already exist, you will be
prompted to confirm set file replacement. When a dictionary file already
exists, you will be prompted with an additional choice to replace your
existing dictionary, to leave your existing dictionary, or to merge the
contents of your existing dictionary with the contents of the factory
dictionary. In other words, if you have modified your exceptions
dictionary, for example, and you choose to install newer Window-Eyes
default set files, you have the option of retaining your existing
exception dictionary entries, while still installing the latest
exception dictionary file. The dialog that prompts to you Replace,
Leave, or Merge contains three checkboxes:
- Apply to all dictionaries: This option will cause the selected
action (Replace, Leave, or Merge) to apply to all dictionaries,
regardless of type, or application.
- Apply to all X dictionaries (where X is a type of dictionary, such
as graphic, exception, character, key label, or color) � This option
will cause the selected action (Replace, Leave, or Merge) to apply only
to the indicated type of dictionary.
- Apply to all Y dictionaries (where Y is the name of an application,
such as Adobe Reader, or Internet Explorer) � This option will cause the
selected action (Replace, Leave, or Merge) to apply only to the
dictionaries of the indicated application.
These Replace, Leave, or Merge check box options can come in handy
when installing multiple set file packages at one time.
Uninstall Button: When selected, this button will cause Window-Eyes
to uninstall the set file package (or packages) selected in the
Applications list view.
Update Outdated Button: When selected, this button will cause
Window-Eyes to determine which installed set files are out of date, and
automatically update them to the latest factory version.
Keyboard Features
Window-Eyes includes several new keyboard features, including five
new hot keys:
- Toggle All Voices (global): Undefined by default: This hot key will
toggle all Window-Eyes speech off globally, regardless of the active
application when the key is pressed. Speech will stay off until the hot
key is pressed again, or when Window-Eyes is re-launched. This feature
allows Braille users to disable speech with a single Braille hot
key.
- Shutdown Window-Eyes: CTRL-INS-F4 by default: This hot key will
prompt you to close Window-Eyes, just like pressing
CTRL-BACKSLASH/ALT-F4, but with a single key stroke.
- Battery Level: INS-Q by default: This hot key will query the status
of the current battery level on computers using battery power. The
information read is dependent on what information the battery hardware
provides, and may be different from machine to machine. If no battery
information is available, Window-Eyes will say, �No battery.�
- Key Describer: INS-1 by default: This hot key will engage the
Window-Eyes Key Describer.
- Outlook Calendar: INS-C: This hot key will open the Window-Eyes
Outlook Calendar dialog assuming that Microsoft Outlook is running. If
Microsoft Outlook is not running when the Outlook Calendar hot key is
pressed, Window-Eyes will say, �Microsoft outlook must be running to use
the Outlook calendar.� To free up the INS-C hot key for the Window-Eyes
Outlook Calendar dialog, the Autodetect Cursor hot key has been
redefined to CTRL-INS-C.
Additionally, two popular Window-Eyes keys have been redefined:
- Autodetect Cursor: CTRL-INS-C, Formerly INS-C. To free up the INS-C
hot key for the Window-Eyes Outlook Calendar dialog, the Autodetect
Cursor hot key has been redefined to CTRL-INS-C.
- Application Help: CTRL-SHIFT-QUESTION, Formerly CTRL-SHIFT-F1. To
minimize conflicts with help features of other applications, and to
provide a more intuitive key stroke, the Application Help hot key has
been redefined to CTRL-SHIFT-QUESTION.
Window-Eyes supports the ability to define number pad hot keys based
on the status of the numlock setting. For example, with the numlock on,
the star key would be captured as NumOn-Star. With the numlock off, the
star key would be captured as NumOff-Star. The same goes for slash,
star, dash, plus, and ENTER. With numlock on, you can use the keys in
conjunction with all the other numpad number keys, which can be useful
for use applications such as the Windows calculator. If you want to
define one of these keys to function the same, regardless of the numlock
settings, define the key using the current numlock status, and then
toggle the numlock status, and define the key again. Using this feature
with the star example above, the key would then be called Numpad-star,
indicating the key would function the same regardless of whether the
numlock is on or off.
The Word Mode option has been removed from the Keyboard menu, and
integrated into the Keyboard Voice menu item. Previously, the Keyboard
Voice option could be either on or off. Now, the Keyboard Voice option
can be one of the following options: Off, On with Characters, On with
Words, On with Words and Numbers, On with Characters and Words, or On
with Characters, Words, and Numbers.
- With this option set to Off, the keyboard voice will silence the
speaking of keys as you type.
- With this option set to On with Characters, individual keystrokes
are voiced as they are typed.
- With this option set to On with Words, 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.
- With this option set to On with Words and Numbers, individual
letters and digits you type are held in a queue until you press the
SPACE BAR, ENTER key, or a punctuation-mark key.
- With this option set to On with Characters and Words, individual
keystrokes are voiced as they are typed, and whole words are spoken when
you press the SPACE BAR, ENTER key, any digit or a punctuation-mark
key.
- With this option set to On with Characters, Words, and Numbers,
individual keystrokes and digits are voiced as they are typed, and whole
words are spoken when you press the SPACE BAR, ENTER key, or a
punctuation-mark key.
One advantage to integrating the word mode option into the Keyboard
Voice menu item is that now the word mode settings are automatically set
globally when the Keyboard Voice option is set globally.
The Word Mode Rotor hotkey has also been changed to Keyboard Voice
Rotor in the Miscellaneous hot key dialog. Also, if you have any of the
Keyboard Voice options containing word mode enabled, we automatically
silence the space.
The Mouse Pointer Identification option has been removed from the
Mouse menu, and integrated into the Mouse Voice menu item. Previously,
the Mouse Voice option could be either on or off. Now, the Mouse Voice
option can be one of the following options: Off, On with Pointer
Identification Off, On with Pointer Identification Delayed, On with
Pointer Identification Delayed (Dictionary Only), On with Pointer
Identification Immediate, or On with Pointer Identification Immediate
(Dictionary Only).
- With this option set to Off, the mouse voice will silence the
speaking of the physical mouse movements and will not announce pointer
changes.
- With this option set to On with Pointer Identification Off, physical
mouse movements will be spoken, and pointer changes will not be
announced.
- With this option set to On with Pointer Identification Delayed,
physical mouse movements will be spoken, and only pointer changes that
last more than one-half second will be announced.
- With this option set to On with Pointer Identification Delayed
(Dictionary Only), physical mouse movements will be spoken, and only
pointers that have been defined and saved in the appropriate location
and that last more than one-half second will be announced.
- With this option set to On with Pointer Identification Immediate,
physical mouse movements will be spoken, and all pointer changes
(regardless of how long they last) will be announced.
- With this option set to On with Pointer Identification Immediate
(Dictionary Only), physical mouse movements will be spoken, and only
pointers that have been defined and saved in the appropriate location
will be announced (regardless of how long they last).
One advantage to integrating the pointer identification option into
the Mouse Voice menu item is that now the pointer identification
settings are automatically set globally when the Mouse Voice option is
set globally.
The Keyboard Layout option in the Keyboard menu of the Window-Eyes
Voice Control panel (available when the Menu Level option is set to
something other than Beginner) will indicate the last layout selected.
In other words, if you choose the Default layout, and accept the
“Continue to update your keyboard layout?” prompt, the Default layout
menu item will become checked. If you then switch to the Laptop layout,
the Laptop layout menu item will become checked. The storage mechanism
for all keyboard layout options has been updated, meaning that
additional keyboard layouts may be available in the future (most likely
from the GW Micro web site) without requiring a new version of
Window-Eyes. If you are upgrading, this option will not be set until you
select a keyboard layout (although selecting a layout is not required if
all your keys are functioning as you like).
Included in the Keyboard Layout menu is the JAWS keyboard layout. The
primary purpose of having a JAWS keyboard layout for Window-Eyes is to
offer individuals who use JAWS, an easy way to use Window-Eyes without
having to learn all new hot keys. In addition, trainers that are already
familiar with JFW will have an easier time teaching others to use
Window-Eyes. They will be able to concentrate on the computer, Windows
and applications and spend less time on the screen reader. The JAWS
keyboard layout does not change the functionality of Window-Eyes, but
rather allows JAWS users to experience the power and stability that
Window-Eyes offers using familiar keystrokes.
Miscellaneous Features
- Mouse Pointers are now available in Windows 2000 and up. The default
names 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. Mouse pointers can be labeled with the Capture
Pointer hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-P by default).
- The Sound Card combo box option in the Select Synthesizer dialog now
uses the Windows system names to indicate what sound devices are
available for use with the DECtalk Access 32, or ViaVoice synthesizers.
For example, instead of saying Sound Card 1, you might hear, “SB Live!
Audio [B000]”
- The Window-Eyes API has been marked “Safe for Scripting” meaning web
applications that take advantage of the Window-Eyes COM interface can
now do so without receiving a security warning from Internet
Explorer.
- The following set file packages have been updated in Window-Eyes
6.0:
- Eudora
- IE
- Office 2000, XP, 2003, and 2007
- Outlook Express
- Window-Eyes Defaults
- Windows Explorer
- Windows Help
- Window-Eyes fully supports long file names. The Window-Eyes file
open and file save dialogs have been updated to reflect long file name
usage for set files, and all dictionary files.
- Window-Eyes support for the latest version of Skype has been
enhanced to include full support for menus, the contact list,
Contacts/Dial/Live/History tab controls, and more.
- The Window-Eyes Number feature now supports a “synthesizer” option
(in addition to On and Off) in the Screen menu (or with the Numbers hot
key). The Synthesizer setting tells Window-Eyes to pass on numbers
without any modification, giving the the synthesizer full control over
number pronunciation.
Braille Features
Window-Eyes Braille support continues to mature thanks to constant
feedback and testing by dedicated Braille users, and raises the bar for
Braille display support by providing several new Braille features.
- Several Braille features can now be set locally (per application),
including:
- All options in the Braille Scrolling Options dialog
- All options in the Braille Options dialog
- Braille graphics, verbosity, and graphic symbols
- Hotkeys can also be global and/or set file specific (described
below)
- All other items remain global You can use the TEXT2SET and SET2TEXT
utilities to apply Braille settings to multiple applications at once.
Read section F.4: SET2TEXT and TEXT2SET Utilities in the Window-Eyes
Manual for additional information.
- Braille hot keys have the ability to be application specific, or
global. The Window-Eyes Braille hot key dialog contains two radio
buttons that let you switch between the application specific and global
settings.
- All Applications: When selected, this radio button will cause
Window-Eyes to allow defined hot keys to work in all applications.
- Current Application Only: When selected, this radio button will
cause Window-Eyes to treat hot keys as application specific, meaning
that hot keys will work in the application where they are defined.
- You can define hot keys for either or both groups in the Braille hot
keys dialog. When you accept the OK button, all settings will be saved
automatically.
- The Application hot keys override global hot keys when using a
Braille display key. Application specific hot keys are stored in a
unique section of a .WBC file. WBC files are much like WE files, only
they deal with Braille information vs. speech. The WBC file will be
named after the executable file used to launch the application (for
example, Notepad.wbc contains Window-Eyes Braille information used with
the Notepad text editor). Each Braille display will have a unique
section in the WBC file, meaning that application specific hot keys will
be Braille display specific. Global hot keys are also Braille display
specific, and are still stored in the Braille.ini file.
- The Braille hot key list has been enhanced to show all hot keys
alphabetically. In addition, the hot key list contains the first action
defined for the hot key. If multiple actions exist for a hot key, the
first action will be displayed, followed by the phrase, �multiple
actions.� For example, the Braille Sense hot key advance 1 now says,
�advance 1 � Up Arrow� in the list of hot keys. Advance 3 advance 4 now
says, �advance 3 advance 4 � Shift-Tab � (multiple actions).�
- Braille can now be toggled on and off, much like how Voice, Hot
Keys, and Cursor Keys can all be toggled on and off using the Braille
option in the General menu of the Window-Eyes voice control panel.
Toggling Braille off can be a useful feature when dealing with
applications that self-Braille (similar to turning off speech in
applications that are self-voicing).
- When toggling the Voice off, using the General menu, Braille will
continue to function as if the voice were still on (even though no
synthesized speech is available), ensuring full Braille functionality,
even when voice has been disabled.
- The Braille Scrolling Options dialog contains a new option called
�Indicate Line Change.� Previously, the beep to indicate a line change
was always enabled; now you can turn the beep off. With this option
enabled, if you pan left or right and consequently navigate to a new
line, a beep will sound.
- Auto Route Cursor moves the application cursor (rather than the
mouse pointer) to new lines automatically, allowing for continuous
reading of documents. In other words, as you scroll, the cursor will
move with you. Relying on the application cursor means that you have the
ability to navigate through an entire document and not just the text
that�s on the screen (as is the case when tracking with the mouse
pointer). The Previous and Next line hot keys, as well as scrolling to
the right, will place the cursor at the beginning of a new line.
Scrolling to the left will place the cursor at the end of a new line.
Applications with no cursor, or disabling this feature, will cause the
mouse pointer to be tracked. The Auto Route Cursor option can be access
from the Scrolling Options dialog in the Braille menu of the Window-Eyes
voice control panel, or can be assigned to a Braille hot key.
- Window-Eyes raises dots 7 and 8 to indicate the location of an
application�s cursor. Dots 7 and 8 will blink when indicating the mouse
pointer. If both the application cursor and the mouse pointer exist at
the same location (after routing the mouse to the cursor, for example),
Window-Eyes will keep dot 7 raised, and blink dot 8. Although still a
user definable setting, this hybrid raised/blinking set of dots provides
you with clear feedback when the mouse and the cursor reside in the same
position.
- Window-Eyes now supports the Braille Pronto Braille display, the
Hedo MultiLine Braille display, and continues to support more Braille
displays than any other screen reader.
- German grade 2 Braille is now supported.
- The method used to store Braille display information has been
revamped, allowing for new displays to be added in the future without
affecting existing Braille settings. This revamping, however, does
require a new Braille.ini file to be installed, meaning any hot keys
that differ from the factory defaults will be lost during the
installation. Future upgrades, however, will provide additional Braille
display functionality without affecting custom settings. This update
will happen automatically with the upgrade install.
- A new option has been added to the Braille Menu called Apply Braille
Settings. This option will take all current Braille settings (i.e. those
active settings shown in the Braille menu) that are set file specific,
and apply them to all installed set files. Beginners can use this
feature to retain all Braille settings in all applications. Advanced
users can detail which options to use globally, and which to use for
specific applications. You can customize Braille settings even more by
first applying all the settings you want globally, and then making
individual set file changes. If you make any additional Braille
settings, and wish to apply them globally, you will need to activate
this option again.
Enhancements
between Window-Eyes 5.5 and Window-Eyes 6.0
The following section provides detailed information about the
enhancements between Window-Eyes 5.5 and Window-Eyes 6.0.
Set File Enhancements:
To take advantage of any new set file feature listed below, you must
install the factory default sets using the Set File Manager dialog in
the File menu of the Window-Eyes control panel. You should reload all
factory set files for any application that you use, regardless of
whether or not they are listed below.
- Window-Eyes Defaults
- Window-Eyes uses a more robust method of determining executable
names when creating .WE files for associating set files with
applications to avoid conflicts with applications that used common DLLs.
Now, Window-Eyes appends the module name before each section name if the
module and exe names are different. In other words, instead of [reclass
on create] for example it would be [module name:reclass on create] where
module name is the actual module name.
- The global graphic dictionary has been updated with checked,
unchecked, and checked disabled graphics for Outpost, and Windows XP
network connection check boxes.
- CTRL-Z (Undo) has been added to the global key label
dictionary.
- Initial application help has been added to for the majority of all
Window-Eyes dialogs. More will be added before the final Window-Eyes 6.0
release.
- Command prompt set file has auto route turned off, show extra
spacing enabled, and set pixels per space to 8.
- Kurzweil 1000 have been updated.
- Winamp sets have been updated.
- Eudora
- Added the spell check set file for Eudora 7.
- Office 2000, Office XP, Office 2003 have all been updated.
- Includes email hot keys for reading headers and attachments.
- Office 2007 sets have been added.
- Removed Easy CD Creator 4 and 5 as the set files were
incomplete.
Braille Enhancements:
- We resolved a problem where Window-Eyes would stop speaking after
reading a user window twice in a row with Braille enabled.
- We fixed a problem in Microsoft Word where strange characters were
showing up at the end of lines in Braille.
- If you had a Braille hotkey setup in the Braille hot key dialog, and
then pressed the Clear Key button, it wouldn�t clear the actions. This
problem has been resolved.
- After updating to Tieman/Optalec Voyager drivers version 3.0,
Window-Eyes started seeing each keypress twice. This problem has been
resolved.
- All Handy Tech Braille displays now require the new Handy Tech
driver to be installed. Without their driver installed the display will
not function. If you use a HandyTech Braille display, you will need to
download the latest HandyTech drivers from
http://gwmicro.com/Support/Downloads/?fileNo=1109. Your HandyTech
Braille display will not function with Window-Eyes 6.0 until the updated
drivers have been installed.
- We fixed a problem where Braille would list the path to the root of
a tree view twice.
- Some Braille toggle hot keys were labeled inconsistently. This
problem has been resolved.
Browse Mode enhancements:
- We resolved a problem where Google would take several minutes to
load in Internet Explorer.
- We fixed a problem where Browse mode would turn on, even after
turning it off, and setting AutoLoad to be off.
- We resolved a problem where moving by paragraph in both Internet
Explorer and Firefox was skipping large portions of text.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would get stuck while trying to
load web pages in Firefox.
- We resolved a problem where a certain combination of Braille and
Verbosity settings would cause problems when reading headers.
- After performing an unsuccessful Window-Eyes find in Browse mode,
Window-Eyes would announce, �not found,� and then reload Browse Mode.
This has been resolved.
- We have added support to Window-Eyes for Firefox 2.0a1 and
beyond.
- We resolved a problem where Read to End in Browse Mode would not
start on the current line if you were not at the top of a document. Now,
when Window-Eyes does an automatic read to end in Browse mode, it reads
the current line first rather than starting on the line after the
current line. The only time it doesn’t start on the current line is if
the current line is “top”
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would get stuck in a loop of
announcing, �Browse Mode Not Available.�
- We fixed a problem where Browse Mode would not refresh on a new
message when deleting an old message in Outlook Express.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would not load Browse Mode in
the latest version of the Talking Communities conference/chat
client.
- Browse Mode would load continuously when using the arrow keys or
tabbing through a PDF document using Adobe Acrobat Reader. This problem
has been resolved.
Office Enhancements:
- We have resolved two problems regarding the Window-Eyes Office
add-in. First, it was possible the Enhanced Support for Current Word
Document option in the global menu would be disabled even though you
truly were in Word. Second, it was possible for Window-Eyes to get
confused on what had focus, causing us to think we were not in the
document window, and consequently not load the Window-Eyes Office
add-in.
- Window-Eyes would read entire lines of text when characters were
entered into the new appointment dialog in the Outlook Calendar. This
problem has been resolved. Cursoring keys are also allowed to now be
used in this control.
- We fixed a problem where not all attributes were being reported
correctly by the ANSI/attribute hot key.
- We resolved a problem where Window-Eyes would announce attribute
changes in Word as black on transparent.
- The time fields in the Outlook Calendar new appointment dialog were
not reading correctly when using the up and down arrows. This problem
has been resolved.
- We fixed a problem where Read to End could hang in Microsoft Word XP
tables.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would announce document
information each time a key was pressed in Microsoft Word XP.
- We resolved a problem where the verbosity dialog wouldn’t always
open to the correct group when opening it in Word, Excel, or
PowerPoint.
- We can now tell the difference between combo edit and standard combo
boxes in all versions of Outlook.
- Window-Eyes now reads email auto complete addresses for all versions
of Outlook as you select between multiple items.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes was not reading the correct
name as you arrowed through the Select Names dialog in the Outlook
contact manager.
- Pressing the TAB key in the Outlook 2000, Select Names dialog would
read the wrong item. This problem has been resolved.
Miscellaneous Enhancements:
- We have cleaned up some memory leak issues.
- We have resolved several problems submitted by the Window-Eyes error
reporting utility.
- We have improved stability and performance significantly.
- We resolved a problem where Window-Eyes was not detecting the
correct module name of an application when it was started with runas to
run the program as a different user.
- We changed the verbosity phrase “menu activated” to “menu
opened.”
- The TEXT2SET and SET2TEXT applications are now full, 32-bit
applications.
- We have enhanced the feature of speaking field names. Now, when
Window-Eyes detects that a control is in a group box, that group box
name will be spoken in addition to the control�s associated field
name.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would turn off the Clear Type
Windows text effect.
- We fixed a problem where speech would disappear when exiting a
Terminal Services session.
- If Window-Eyes was running on a terminal server, and a screen saver
was also running, Window-Eyes would be shut down when the screen saved
was cleared. This problem has been resolved.
- We resolved a crash that would happen when connecting with Windows
XP Remote Desktop.
- Shift Left Mouse click and Control Left Mouse Click were not
working. This has been resolved.
- We resolved a hook error on launch of Window-Eyes when using
Messenger Plus Live.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes was unable to determine certain
executable names of an application when Window-Eyes launched.
- Window-Eyes now ignores invisible status lines, such as the status
lines for hidden tabs in Internet Explorer 7.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would not use the correct voice
when changing voice settings in the Window-Eyes control panel.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes was not reading help, search
results correctly in Visual Studio 2005.
- Specific speech parameters for SAPI5 engines were not being saved.
This problem has been resolved.
- INS-NUMPAD-DOWN ARROW would not work correctly as a Read to End hot
key. Actually, any time the INS key was used as a modifier for Read to
End, you wouldn’t be able to abort; You had to alt-tab to stop it. This
problem has been resolved.
- The keyboard layouts have been updated to set the hotkeys to NumOff
(meaning only with numlock off) instead of Numpad (meaning with numlock
on or off) for the slash, star, dash, and plus.
- We fixed a problem in the default keyboard layout where the Read
Status hot key (CTRL-INS-S) was not defined.
- We have moved the “Identify MSAA Controls” verbosity from the Browse
Mode verbosity group to the Focus verbosity group.
- We fixed a problem where links in email were not being identified
until one was activated. This allows you to enable the Outlook Express
security setting �Block images and other external content in HTML
e-mail,� and still be able to access links. Note that this setting is
enabled by default under Windows XP SP2.
- We fixed a problem where TITLE attributes would be ignored when a
blank ALT attribute existed for an image in Browse mode in Firefox.
- Replying to a message in Outlook Express would sometimes cause
Window-Eyes to say “browse mode not available”. This problem has been
resolved.
- We fixed a problem where combo boxes were not working in either
Windows Defender or CPRS. We also resolved a problem where list boxes
were not speaking in CPRS.
- When using the System Tray hot key (INS-S), and then right clicking,
a context menu would pop up, but many items would not read. Also,
Window-Eyes would say, �system� instead of the menu option. This problem
has been resolved.
- Thanks to the Window-Eyes Error Reporting feature, we fixed a GPF
that existed when navigating tree views.
- We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would lock up when coming out
of stand-by or hibernation.
- We fixed a random GPF involving Braille.
- We fixed a GPF that would happen when closing Window-Eyes after
associating a set file containing hyperactive windows.
- Thanks to the Window-Eyes Error Reporting feature, we were able to
fixe a GPF that would occur when shutting down Window-Eyes.
- We fixed some stability problems reported in some synthesizer
drivers.
- We fixed a stability problem in the Brailliant/Vario/Pronto Braille
displays.
- We fixed a major problem with applications that could use an
alternative desktop.
- We fixed several other errors submitted through the Window-Eyes
Error Reporting feature.
Keep reading!