screader1

Usage

Overview

The screader background program reads the screen and puts the information through to a software Text-To-Speech package (Like `festival') or a hardware speech synthesizer. (like `Accent') It uses the device /dev/vcsa. (See below)

A reverse space at column 80 indicates the line containing the internal pointer.

Screader keys

The following TTS-commands are available: (Each command must be pressed with the left-ALT-key, unless screader is in direct mode. See the `z'-command.)

a

Toggles auto_speak on or off. When toggled on screader will speak out the character being typed or the typed word if word_mode is toggled on.

b

Put internal pointer to begin of current line and speaks that line out if line_speak is toggled on.

c

Screader speaks out the line containing the cursor.

d

Puts the internal pointer one line down. If line_speak is on screader speaks out that line.

e

Speak out character or word under the cursor.

f

Toggle for the internal pointer to follow the cursor or not.

g

Puts the internal pointer to the bottom of the screen. If line_speak is on screader speaks that line out.

h

Puts the internal pointer to the top of the screen. If line_speak is on screader speaks that line out.

i

Toggles line_speak on or off. When toggled on screader will speak out the line, which is pointed to by the internal pointer, every time it has changed.

k

Toggles key clicking on or off. When toggled on screader will give a short click after a key is pressed.

,

Puts the pointer left one word. If auto_speak is toggled on screader speaks out that word.

l

Puts the internal pointer one character left. If auto_speak is on, screader speaks out the character pointed to by the internal pointer.

m

Toggles the word_mode on or off. When toggled on screader speaks out words instead of characters.

n

Toggle for numbers. If toggled on (default) screader speaks out the value of the digits. Otherwise screader speaks out digit by digit. If in word_mode, words will be spelled.

o

Silence please.

p

Speaks out character or word pointed to by the pointer.

q

Toggles punctuation on or off. When toggled on screader will put each punctuation mark through to a script punctuation.N.sh. Otherwise screader will replace each punctuation mark by a space, so that only alphabetic characters and digits are spoken. (See PUNCTUATION SCRIPT.)

.

Puts the pointer right one word. If auto_speak is toggled on screader speaks out that word.

r

Puts the internal pointer one character right. If auto_speak is on, screader speaks out the character pointed to by the internal pointer.

s

Screader speaks out the line pointed to by the internal pointer.

u

Puts the internal pointer one line up. If line_speak is on screader speaks out that line.

w

Speaks out the whole screen.

x

Re-read the `tts' file. (if another TTS is desired.) Each time this combination is pressed screader will select the next TTS-command from this file. (if any, else the first one will be selected. and so on)

z

Put screader in direct mode. In this mode each command can be given without the alt-key, so that reviewing the screen is easier. When the `z'-key is pressed, screader goes back to application mode, so that you can work with your application again.

-

Toggles repeat_mode on or off. If toggled on, every sequence of the same characters will be spoken as `character n times`. where n stands for the number of that character in the sequence.

'

Toggles caps_mode on or off. If toggled on screader speaks the word `cap' before each capitalized character.

=

Makes the internal pointer equal to the cursor.

Screen_device

Screader reads its information from a device /dev/vcsa. Kernels 1.1.92 or later provide this device.

Punctuation script

Each time screader encounters a punctuation mark, it will be put through to a script called punctuation.N.sh, where N corresponds to the Nth tts-command in the tts-file. If there is no punctuation script the punctuation mark will be directly put through to the current tts-command.

Festival client

If you want to use the server/client option of Festival place the line:

festival_client.sh

as first command in the file /etc/screader/tts. It is supposed that before using this tts-command the festival server is started by the following command:

festival --server &

Festival Speech Synthesis System
Copyright (C) University of Edinburgh, 1996,1997.
All rights reserved.

Files

/etc/screader/tts

This file contains the name(s) of the Text-To-Speech utility(s) to be used.

/etc/screader/punctuation.?.sh

Punctuation scripts.

/dev/vcsa

Screen_device.