What's new with JAWS 11?
JAWS Features
Research It
Features such as Web Slices in Internet Explorer 8 and gadgets saved in your Windows Sidebar are intended to make it easy for you to quickly obtain information. This material is presented in a format that is quick to scan visually. However, when using assistive technology tools, there is often extra information presented that is easier to ignore visually than when listening or reading with braille.
Research It is a new feature that provides quick access to information while also making it easy to return to your primary task. Use just a few keystrokes to look up information and display salient data in the Virtual Viewer. When you have finished researching, press another keystroke to return to the task you were performing before the research started. All that is required to use Research It is an Internet connection.
There are multiple ways to launch and use Research It. By default, Wiktionary is the primary lookup source. This means that while the cursor is on a word in a document or Web page, you can press the default keystroke, INSERT+WINDOWS Key+R, to quickly lookup the Wiktionary description for that word. You can always change the primary lookup source at any time using the JAWS Configuration Manager, which lets you select which lookup source to use as the JAWS default or as the default for individual applications. As you become more familiar with Research It, and as more lookup modules are created and made available to you, you will want to change the default lookup source used by JAWS, or just use a different lookup source on the fly.
The most efficient way to search for a term is to use the new layered keystroke, INSERT+SPACEBAR, R. By pressing and releasing INSERT+SPACEBAR, and then pressing R, you can open the Research It edit field to type a word or expression of interest. This can be a zip code, or city and state, or city and country that can be used with the Weather lookup tool to read a forecast, or a date that is used to view baseball or football schedules and scores, or a word to use with the Wikipedia search query to view its meaning or description. After viewing these results, press ESC to close the Virtual Viewer window and return to your original focus point.
If you are a software developer or script developer, you can create and customize your own lookup module DLL and tailor it to your organization's needs. For example, if your company specializes in medical equipment, you can create a lookup source that is essentially a glossary of medical and industry terms. A developer's guide that outlines formatting for rule sets and debugging techniques is available at Research It Developer's Guide.
The next section provides examples of how to use Research It. If you need more information, refer to the Research It topic in the JAWS help file.
Research It Examples
The following shows how you can use the Weather, Wikipedia, NFL Scores, and Reuters Top News Stories search options in Research It to look up specific information.
Use the Weather lookup source to receive the current weather forecast for any location based on city name, airport code, or zip code. The following example uses the INSERT+SPACEBAR, R keystroke.
1.Press INSERT+SPACEBAR, R to open the Research It edit field.
2.In the edit field, type your current location, for example, St. Petersburg, Florida, or your local airport code, for example, TPA, or your local zip code, for example, 33771, and then press ENTER.
The Research It dialog box opens with a list of available resource items. The primary search item always appears first in the list.
3.Use the UP and DOWN ARROWS or first letter navigation to select Weather and then press ENTER.
4.After a few seconds, the Virtual Viewer window opens and displays the weather forecast for the entered location. After reading the information, press ESC to close the Virtual Viewer.
You can use Wikipedia to quickly research an item. The following example uses the INSERT+CTRL+WINDOWS Key+R keystroke.
1.Press INSERT+CTRL+WINDOWS Key+R to open the Research It edit field.
2.In the edit field, type the term that you want to look up, for example, Freedom Scientific, and press ENTER.
The Research It dialog box opens with a list of available resource items. The primary search item always appears first in the list.
3.Use the UP and DOWN ARROWS or first letter navigation to select Wikipedia and then press ENTER.
4.After a few seconds, the Virtual Viewer window opens and displays the results returned from the Wikipedia lookup. Press ESC to close the Virtual Viewer,
If you want to look at the NFL schedule or scores for Sunday, October 4, 2009, use the NFL Scores lookup source as described in the following procedure.
1.Press INSERT+SPACEBAR, R to open the Research It edit field.
2.In the edit field, type the date using the MM/DD/YYYY format, for example, 10/04/2009, and press ENTER.
The Research It dialog box opens with a list of available resource items. The primary search item always appears first in the list.
3.Use the UP and DOWN ARROWS or first letter navigation to select NFL Scores and then press ENTER.
4.After 2 or 3 seconds, the Virtual Viewer window opens and displays a list of games scheduled for that day. Press ESC to close the Virtual Viewer.
For a summary of current news stories, you can set Reuters news service as your primary lookup source, and then issue the default Research It keystroke so that you can review the news summary from any application. To do this, first configure the primary lookup source as described in the following procedure.
JAWS 11 Program DVD
JAWS 11 screen reading software now ships on a DVD that combines both 64- and 32-bit versions of JAWS. When you insert the DVD, it detects if your computer is running 64-bit or 32-bit Windows and then installs the appropriate JAWS version for your operating system.
The additional space available on the DVD also lets us provide you with several RealSpeak Solo Direct English and Spanish voices, a free and full functioning DAISY book reader, a number of basic training audio files in DAISY format, and MAGic screen magnification software, which can be run together with JAWS.
FSReader 2.0
FSReader, the $79 Freedom Scientific software DAISY book reader, is now included free of charge as part of the JAWS 11 installation. Even if you do not have a JAWS 11 license, you can still install and run FSReader directly from the JAWS 11 Demo. In addition to reading all of the DAISY training material provided for free from Freedom Scientific, you can use FSReader to read DAISY books from other sources such as BookShare.org. Note that some DAISY book providers, such as RFB&D, require a valid account to access certain DAISY material. When installed, the full version of FSReader places a shortcut on your Windows desktop and has its own entry in the Programs menu.
MAGic 12, scheduled to release later in 2009, will also include FSReader for free and there is even a version of FS Reader available today for download and use on the PAC Mate Omni at no additional charge.
Word Index
Word Index (INSERT+CTRL+W) is the ideal tool for those who do a lot of reading for study and research purposes. Word Index generates a list of words that appear in a document or on a Web page. The words are sorted and appear in the list based on the number of occurrences with the highest number coming first and then alphabetized. You can scan the list for a specific word or concept, and then press enter to jump to that occurrence of the word and use the Navigational Quick Key W to move between occurrences of the word you selected. You may also choose to create a summary of all the sentences in your document containing the word and review these sentences in the Virtual Viewer. They will appear as links that take you back to that location in your document. This is a useful timesaver since you can get a feel for the context of the word, and then move to the appropriate section of the document and continue reading.
Use Word Index when reading Web pages or Microsoft Word, Outlook, Outlook Express, Notepad, WordPad, or Adobe Acrobat files.
Focus 40 Blue Braille Display Support
JAWS supports the new Focus 40 Blue braille display, a 40-cell display with both USB hardware and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. Refer to the Focus 40 Blue user documentation for general information about the unit. For a brief overview of Bluetooth partnership information, refer to the Focus Bluetooth Connection topic in the JAWS help file.
PlaceMarker Enhancements
When you add a PlaceMarker to a page that is frequently updated, the PlaceMarker can drift from its original position or even disappear as Web content is added and removed. In JAWS 11, you can now anchor PlaceMarkers to specific text or HTML elements such as heading tags. This allows greater flexibility when adding temporary or permanent PlaceMarkers on dynamic Web pages. For more information, refer to the PlaceMarkers topic in the JAWS help file.
Filter Duplicate Links
JAWS 11 introduces a new feature that filters duplicate and consecutive Web page links so that only the text link is announced. This is useful when a graphic link and text link, which both point to the same URL, appear side by side on a Web page. Hearing duplicate links can be both confusing and annoying to novice and experienced JAWS users.
The Filter Duplicate Links check box, which is selected by default, is a new Links page control for HTML Options in Configuration Manager. You can also toggle this feature on or off using INSERT+V or INSERT+SHIFT+V with your Web browser or Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Speaking Number Strings as Single Digits
JAWS is now configured to read telephone numbers, serial numbers, and other long number strings as individual digits. For example, JAWS will read the telephone number 727-803-8000 as 7 2 7 – 8 0 3 – 8 0 0 0 instead of seven hundred twenty-seven dash eight hundred three dash eight thousand.
This change has been made by adding the "Speak Single Digits if Number Contains" combo box and the "Dashes" check box to the Text Processing dialog box in Configuration Manager. They are located in the Number Processing group. Select a value in the combo box to set a threshold for JAWS so that if several digits appear in a row, JAWS will announce the digits individually instead of as a large number. Select the Dashes check box so that JAWS knows how to read the number string if it contains dashes without spaces. These changes are both active by default.
Show Word Comments, Footnotes, Endnotes, or Revisions in Virtual Viewer
You can now quickly see a list of comments, endnotes, footnotes, or revisions in a Virtual Viewer window when running Microsoft Word. When you press WINDOWS Key+SEMICOLON, the Items to Display in Virtual Viewer dialog box opens. From this dialog box, you can choose to view comments inserted in a document, footnotes or endnotes that appear in a document, or, if Track Changes is turned on, any revisions made to a document. After selecting which type of item to view, JAWS searches the document and shows the results in a Virtual Viewer window.
Multiple Sound Card Support
Multiple sound card support, originally introduced in JAWS 10, has been expanded so that now both JAWS speech and JAWS event sounds are output to the same sound card. This means that the WAV sound files heard when you enter and exit Forms Mode are sent to the same audio device as JAWS speech. Previously, if these sounds interfered with your audio output, it was necessary to turn off the Forms Mode Indication sounds using Configuration Manager. Note that non-JAWS sounds, such as system sounds, continue to be sent to your Windows default audio card.
Having JAWS speech and sounds directed to the same sound card is also beneficial during a JAWS Tandem session. The JAWS user on the controller system can now hear when he or she navigates in and out of edit fields and combo boxes while in Auto Forms Mode on the target system.
JAWS Tandem Sounds
During a JAWS Tandem session, events that generate sounds on the target system, such as a Windows program error, entry and exit of Auto Forms Mode, or other JAWS sounds associated with the Speech and Sounds Manager, can be heard on the controller system. This means that when an event occurs on the target system, JAWS sends a notification to the controller system so that the controller computer plays the same or a similar WAV file. This is very helpful to support personnel and trainers running the JAWS Tandem session.
Outlook Message List Customization
An Outlook message list is a list box, such as the Inbox and Sent Items lists, that contains e-mail messages. These lists typically contain multiple columns, such as From, Subject, and Received, that provide information about each e-mail message. In JAWS 11, you can use the Customize Outlook Message List feature, which is available by pressing INSERT+F2 and then selecting Customize Outlook Message List, to arrange the column order, determine if certain columns are read, and configure if JAWS announces these columns with speech or braille. The Customize Outlook Message List dialog box functions very similar to the way the Customize List View dialog box operates.
Skype Enhancements
Several improvements for JAWS support of Skype versions 3.8 and 4.1 have been made. Dialog boxes and controls are now speaking as expected in most areas of the application. In addition, there are several third-party Skype scripts available for use with JAWS. For more information about these scripts, visit http://users.visi.com/~dgl/skype/. As with all third party scripts, this information comes from another source. Always use your own discretion when downloading and installing third party scripts.
AOL Instant Messenger 7
New scripts are now available for AIM 7. These scripts support the latest AIM 7 features such as Lifestream and Me tabs, IM Bubbles, and real time messaging. For more information about AIM 7 support, refer to the AOL Instant Messenger topic in the JAWS help file, or the AOL Instant Messenger Web page.
Windows 7 Calculator
New scripts have been created to provide JAWS support for the Windows 7 Calculator, which is available in the Windows 7 operating system scheduled to release in October of 2009. JAWS will work with the expanded calculator modes of Standard, Scientific, Programmer, and Statistics, and will also support Basic, Unit Conversion, Date Calculation, and Template controls. Improvements have also been made to the Function List (INSERT+F8) to eliminate confusion and provide full function names.
UIA Support
User Interface Automation (UIA) support is available in JAWS 11 and later. UIA is successor to the older Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) framework. It is an Application Programming Interface (API) for User Interface (UI) accessibility that is designed to help Assistive Technology products such as JAWS and MAGic to interact with standard and custom UI elements of applications or the operating system.
ARIA Drag-and-Drop Support
JAWS 11 supports the ARIA drag-and-drop properties known as aria-grabbed and aria-dropeffect. When a Web content author applies these properties to objects on a Web page or application, it makes it easier for assistive technology to identify objects that can be selected, moved to another location, and released.
The WINDOWS Key+CTRL+EQUALS keystroke opens the ARIA Drag and Drop dialog box. It shows a list of droppable objects, as tagged by the author, on the current Web page. When you select one of these objects, JAWS will move focus to that object. If no droppable objects are available, JAWS will announce the message, “No droppable elements were found on the page” instead of opening the dialog box.
Use this keystroke with Internet Explorer 8 or later and Firefox 3 or later.
ARIA Live Region Text Filter
An ARIA live region is a dynamic section of a Web page that receives constant updates, such as news headlines, business information, and weather updates. JAWS will announce when text in a region is updated. You may turn this off in the Adjust JAWS Options dialog box using the Announce Live Region Updates option.
Using the ARIA live region text filter, you can determine if JAWS speaks when updates occur, based on a given text string. Open the text filter by pressing WINDOWS Key+CTRL+DASH. Next, type a string of text into the edit field that may be contained in a live region update. Finally, select one of the radio buttons to have JAWS announce only those updates that contain the filter text, or to make JAWS ignore updates that contain the filter text. As a JAWS user, this gives you greater control over the information that is announced when the live region of a Web page updates.
Lost Focus Message
The Lost Focus message is a JAWS alert feature that you can turn on to let you know when a window loses focus, becomes invisible, or becomes inoperable. When these conditions exist for longer than three seconds, JAWS will announce, “Lost focus,” and if tutor messages are turned on, you will also hear, “Press ALT TAB,” which will let you regain focus of an open application, window, or desktop. The Lost Focus message is turned off by default. To turn it on, press INSERT+V and choose the Focus Loss Announcement option to toggle it on. The setting of this option is saved to the Default.JCF file and is constant across applications and JAWS sessions.
A window can lose focus for a number of reasons, for example, when installing or closing an application. When this occurs, the computer can be left in a state where nothing is in focus, which is why the Lost Focus message is such a useful aid.
Application Specific Voice Profiles
For JAWS 11, voice profiles have been modified to make it very easy to select, create, change, and save voice settings for use with JAWS or specific applications. Previously when changing voice profile settings, you had to choose between making a Global Voice Adjustment or an Individual Voice Adjustment, and then decide if the changes would apply as the default setting for all of JAWS or just the current open application. Now when modifying settings, you open one dialog box, Voice Adjustments, configure the profile, and save it. Next, using INSERT+CTRL+S you can select any available profile to use as the JAWS default, and also select the same or a different profile for the current application open on your computer.
JAWS ships with several factory voice profiles based on the synthesizers installed on your computer. This makes it easy for you to use these settings as a template for future voice profiles that you create and save for JAWS and other applications. To create a new profile from a factory default profile, open Voices from the Options menu in the JAWS user interface, and then choose Voice Adjustments. Select any of the available factory settings from the Profile Name combo box, make the necessary voice adjustment changes, and save the profile using a name that can easily be identified with the profile.
Control Description and Verbosity Preferences
Control Description is a new item available for Verbosity Options in Configuration Manager. When selected, JAWS will announce any descriptive MSAA text associated with content or controls such as edit boxes, combo boxes, radio buttons, and so on. This functionality is off by default except when using Beginner Preferences or Intermediate Preferences with Internet Explorer or Firefox.
To toggle Control Description on or off, do the following. Press INSERT+F2 and select Configuration Manager. Next, press ALT+S and choose Verbosity Options. Choose the Beginner Preferences, Intermediate Preferences, or Advanced Preferences button. Move to the Control Description check box, and press SPACEBAR to select or clear the check box. Close the Preferences dialog box and save the verbosity settings.
Third Party Braille Displays
When installing the 32-bit version of JAWS, all braille display drivers previously shipped in earlier versions of JAWS will continue to be provided and work with JAWS 11 as expected.
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For JAWS 64-bit, Freedom Scientific braille displays, such as the Focus, PAC Mate Portable, and PowerBraille displays, will be included and installed as part of the JAWS 11 installation. Third party braille display manufacturers will be provided separately from the manufacturers themselves. At the time of this writing, only Papenmeier in Germany has completed and published their drivers for JAWS 11 and JAWS 10 on 64-bit Windows.
After the support files are installed on your computer, you will continue to use the JAWS Synthesizer and Braille Manager to add a third party braille display to use with JAWS.
Table Reading Keystrokes
The keystrokes to read the previous or next row and previous or next column in a table now include the ALT keystroke to avoid conflicts with the Windows 7 operating system. Use the following keystrokes when reading by row or column in a table:
Read prior row: WINDOWS Key+ALT+UP ARROW
Read next row: WINDOWS Key+ALT+DOWN ARROW
Read prior column: WINDOWS Key+ALT+LEFT ARROW
Read next column: WINDOWS Key+ALT+RIGHT ARROW
Virtualize Current Window Keystroke
The Virtualize Current Window keystroke is now INSERT+ALT+W. The previous keystroke, INSERT+CTRL+W, is now used for Word Index.
Virtualize Current Control Keystroke
The Virtualize Current Control keystroke is now INSERT+ALT+SHIFT+W. The previous keystroke was INSERT+CTRL+SHIFT+W.
Messenger Conversation Keystrokes
The keystrokes to cycle between Windows Live Messenger or MSN Messenger conversations, WINDOWS Key+1 through 0, have changed due to conflicts with the Windows 7 operating system.
In Messenger, you now press INSERT+SPACEBAR+1 through 0 to switch to a different conversation. For Windows 7 and Windows Vista computers, the WINDOWS Key+1 through 0 keystrokes launch or cycle between applications on the Taskbar.
Script Utility Mode Keystroke
The name of the Home Row Utility has been changed to Script Utility Mode. In addition, the keystroke to toggle this mode on or off is now INSERT+WINDOW Key+NUM PAD MINUS instead of INSERT+SPACEBAR. Script Utility Mode is a function for advanced scripters. The laptop keystroke for Script Utility Mode is CAPS LOCK+WINDOWS Key+DASH.
Drag and Drop for Laptop Layout Mode Keystroke
The laptop keystroke for Drag and Drop has changed from CAPS LOCK+CTRL+8 to CAPS LOCK+SHIFT+8.
Toggle Outlook Reminder and Research It Keystroke
The keystroke previously used to toggle into and out of an Outlook reminder dialog box, INSERT+WINDOWS Key+R, is now used to launch the new Research It feature. If you want to continue using the ToggleOutlookReminder script, open the default.jkm file and assign a new keystroke.
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