Chapter 4
JAWS MENU BAR
AND OTHER TOOLS
(Also contained in the disk file "J4MENU.TXT".)
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONTENTS OF CHAPTER 4
 
     1.   CHAPTER INTRODUCTION                              33
     2.   ACTIVATING AND USING THE JAWS MENU BAR            33
     3.   FILES MENU                                        34
     4.   VOICES MENU                                       34
          4.1 Global Dialog                                 35
          4.2 Keyboard Dialog                               37
          4.3 PC Cursor Dialog                              37
          4.4 JAWS Cursor Dialog                            38
          4.5 Uppercase                                     38
     5.   OPTIONS MENU                                      38
          5.1 Typing Echo                                   38
          5.2 Typing Interrupt                              39
          5.3 Reading Interrupt                             39
          5.4 Key Repeat                                    39
          5.5 Screen Echo                                   40
          5.6 Verbosity Level                               40
     6.   UTILITIES MENU                                    40
          6.1 Macro Editor                                  40
          6.2 Graphics Editor                               41
     7.   HELP MENU                                         41
          7.1 Contents                                      41
          7.2 Quick Reference                               41
          7.3 Changes                                       42
          7.4 Customer Support                              42
          7.5 About JAWS for Windows                        42
 
 
 1.   CHAPTER INTRODUCTION
 
     This chapter describes the JAWS menu bar.  Each of its
menus are introduced and brief notes about the use of menu items
are provided.
 
 
2.   ACTIVATING AND USING THE JAWS MENU BAR
 
     The JAWS menu bar is used to modify the way your
speech synthesizer speaks, to control how JAWS responds as you
type or read the desktop, and to activate program features or to
carry out commands.  It can be used to make your speech
synthesizer speak faster, speak slower, or to use a different voice. 
You can use it to limit the speaking of punctuation characters and
the amount of information that is to be spoken as you type or
move the cursor.
 
     The JAWS menu bar functions in the same way as other
menu bars in Windows.  
 
a.   To use the menu bar, switch to the JAWS application
     window by using ALT+TAB, Windows Task List, or by
     using the JAWS hot key INSERT+J.  You can activate the
     Task List by pressing CONTROL+ESCAPE.  Use your arrow
     keys to find "JAWS" in the list, then press ENTER to
     switch to the application.
 
b.   Press ALT or F10 to activate the menu bar.
 
c.   The menu bar contains the names of several menus
     arranged along a horizontal bar.  Use LEFT ARROW or
     RIGHT ARROW to select a menu name.  JAWS speaks
     menu names as the highlighted selection cursor moves
     along the menu bar.
 
d.   Press ENTER to choose a menu name and to display its
     dropdown menu box.  If there is more than one menu item
     in the list, then the items are arranged in a vertical list.
 
e.   Use UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW to select a menu item,
     and press ENTER to choose an item.  This will either display
     a dialog box, start an application, or execute a command.
 
f.   To get a description of how to use the current menu or
     dialog option, you can use screen sensitive help by pressing
     INSERT+F1.  To obtain information about the use of a
     program option or setting, press F1 for context help.  For
     example, screen sensitive help might tell you about which
     keys to press when setting a dialog option, while context
     help tells you about the purpose or use of the dialog setting
     itself.
 
g.   Use ALT, F10, or ESCAPE to exit a menu or a dialog.  Use
     ALT+F4 to quit an application.  Use ALT+TAB or the Task
     List to switch away from the JAWS application window.
 
 
3.   FILES MENU
 
     The Files Menu contains the Exit dialog.  You can use this
dialog to quit JAWS.  You also can use INSERT+F4 to quit JAWS
from anywhere in Windows.
 
 
4.   VOICES MENU
 
     When you choose the Voices Menu, you can use various
dialog boxes to set up the speech characteristics of your speech
synthesizer.  Settings in these dialog boxes determine the rate of
speech, speech synthesizer volume, the pronunciation of
punctuation characters, etc.  The general function of each dialog
in the dropdown voice menu box is listed below.
 
Global Dialog = Adjusts speech characteristics that universally
affect all other voice menus.
 
Keyboard Dialog = Separately adjusts the voice characteristics of
speech that is produced when you type text and numbers on the
keyboard.
 
PC Cursor Dialog = Separately adjusts voice parameters for
speech that is produced when the PC cursor is active and the
speech pad is being used to move the cursor.
 
JAWS Cursor Dialog = Separately adjusts the voice
characteristics for speech that is produced when the JAWS cursor
is active and the speech pad is used to move the cursor.
 
Uppercase Dialog = Adjusts the pitch that is used when speaking
uppercase characters.
 
4.1  Global Dialog
 
     When a setting is made in the Global Dialog, it affects the
speech that is produced when the keyboard, PC cursor, and
JAWS cursor are used.  Each of these sources of speech also can
be separately adjusted from within their respective dialog boxes,
but the global dialog offers greater speed for making general
changes.
 
     TIP!  It is best to first change Global dialog settings and try
     them out.  After you are satisfied with your synthesizer's
     performance, then you may want to try using the other
     dialogs in the Voices menu.  If you make changes in the PC
     cursor, JAWS cursor, and Keyboard dialogs, and then go
     back and make changes in the Global dialog, your new
     global settings will replace the settings in the other dialogs.
 
Volume
     The Volume Scroll Bar is used to adjust the volume level of
speech that is produced by your speech synthesizer.  Use your
arrow keys to change the volume, then press TAB to move on to
the next dialog option.  Higher numbers increase the level of
speech volume while lower numbers decrease the loudness of
output.  Many synthesizers also have a built-in volume knob which
must be adjusted before this setting can be used.
 
Rate
     The Rate Scroll Bar is used to adjust the rate or speed of
speaking.  Use your arrow keys to change the setting, then press
TAB to move on to the next dialog option.  Higher numbers
increase the rate at which words are spoken while lower numbers
decrease the number of words that are spoken per minute.  Tip! 
To move more rapidly through the settings on the scroll bar, use
your PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN.
 
Pitch
     The Pitch Scroll Bar is used to adjust the pitch of spoken
words.  Pitch is easier to explain when thinking in terms of
singing.  A bass singer has a very low pitch voice while a soprano
sings very high musical notes.  Lowering the setting for pitch
makes the synthesizer sound more like a bass, while increasing
the setting makes the speech output sound more like a soprano. 
Raising the pitch level to the top of its range may give the
synthesizer certain childlike qualities.  Use your arrow keys to
change the setting, then press TAB to move on to the next dialog
option.
 
Voice
     The Voice Combo Box is used to choose a speaking voice
for the synthesizer.  The number of available voice selections and
their names vary from synthesizer to synthesizer, and you will
need to try the voices that are listed to learn about how they
sound.  Use your arrow keys to change the voice selection, then
press TAB to move on to the next dialog option.
 
Punctuation
     The Punctuation Combo Box is used to determine how
many of the punctuation symbols and other special characters are
to be spoken.  A setting of zero turns off the speaking of
punctuation.  Use your arrow keys to change the selection, then
press TAB to move on to the next dialog option.
 
OK Button
     The OK Button is used to indicate that you are satisfied
with the changes you have made, and that you are ready to exit
the dialog.  Your changes are automatically saved when you use
this button.
 
Cancel Button
     The Cancel Button is used to indicate that you want to exit
the dialog and you do not want the changes you made to be
saved or used.
 
Help Button
     When you press the Help Button, you activate a help
window that describes the general use of the dialog box.  If you
want specific help about an option, move the selection cursor to
the item, and press F1 for context sensitive help.
 
4.2  Keyboard Dialog
 
     Settings in the Keyboard Dialog determine the voice
characteristics of information that is spoken as you type text and
numbers.  The dialog options for volume, rate, pitch, voice, and
punctuation are used in the same way as was previously
described in the section on the Global dialog.  Settings in the
Keyboard dialog only affect speech that occurs as you type. 
There are additional settings that determine what is spoken as you
type, and these settings are adjusted in the User Options dialog of
the JAWS Options menu.
 
4.3  PC Cursor Dialog
 
     Settings in the PC Cursor Dialog determine the voice
characteristics of information that is spoken when you use the PC
cursor.  The dialog options for volume, rate, pitch, voice, and
punctuation are used in the same way as was previously
described in the section on the Global dialog.  The majority of
screen reading is done with the PC cursor, and these dialog
settings determine how the synthesizer speaks when the PC
cursor is used.  There is an additional setting that determines
whether speech pad keys will interrupt the speaking of
information when they are pressed.  The Options menu contains
this setting.
 
 
4.4  JAWS Cursor Dialog
 
     The JAWS Cursor Dialog is used to adjust the
characteristics of speech output that you hear when the JAWS
cursor is active.  Some JAWS users give the JAWS cursor a
somewhat different voice quality to serve as an auditory reminder
that they are using the JAWS cursor for reading the desktop. 
This provides a subtle reminder of which cursor is active and is
being used for reading.  The speech synthesizer can be made to
speak faster or slower when the JAWS Cursor is active and it can
be given a totally different voice.
 
4.5  Uppercase
 
     The Uppercase dialog is used to determine whether
uppercase letters will be read in a higher pitched voice when they
are spoken.  A setting of zero means that this feature is turned
off.
 
 
5.   OPTIONS MENU
 
     The Options Menu contains a variety of settings that affect
the behavior of JAWS in different situations.  The following
options can be set in the User Options dialog.
 
5.1  Typing Echo
 
     When the setting for Typing Echo is on, JAWS speaks the
text as you type it.  When this setting is off, then JAWS remains
silent as you type.
 
5.2  Typing Interrupt
 
     The use of Typing Interrupt is directly linked to your setting
for typing echo.  If the setting for typing echo is turned off and
nothing is spoken as you type, then the typing interrupt setting
does not have an effect on speech output.  If typing echo is on,
then this setting determines whether all of your typing is spoken
or whether speech can be interrupted.  For example, if the setting
for typing echo causes individual characters to be spoken as you
type them and the setting for typing interrupt is off, then JAWS
keeps up with your typing no matter how fast you type.  If typing
interrupt is on, then JAWS speaks every character you type and
its speaking may lag behind your typing.  If you want to be sure
of every character you type, then you would want to have the
setting for typing interrupt turned off.
 
5.3  Reading Interrupt
 
     When the setting for Reading Interrupt is on, then JAWS
stops the current speaking of information whenever a speech pad
key is pressed.  For example, if you are using your DOWN
ARROW to move down through a list of names, you may not
want to listen to all of the information on each line.  When reading
interrupt is on, then JAWS starts speaking the next line of
information as soon as the DOWN ARROW is pressed, even if
there is additional information from the previous line that has not
been spoken.  When reading interrupt is off, then JAWS reads all
information regardless of how fast you press the DOWN ARROW.
 
5.4  Key Repeat
 
     The setting for Key Repeat determines how your keyboard
responds when a key is continually held down.  If this check box
is checked, then you can hold down a key and produce a series of
repeated characters such as a string of PERIODS.  When it is
unchecked, then each keystroke produces one character
regardless of how long the key is held down.  Keeping the key
repeat check box unchecked is often preferred by new keyboard
users.
 
5.5  Screen Echo
 
     When information on the desktop changes, such as when
a dialog box is displayed, or a new block of text is inserted into a
document, you can determine whether some or all of this
information is spoken.  If you set up JAWS to read all changes,
then everything that appears on the desktop will be spoken as it
is displayed.  If you choose to only have highlighted information
spoken, then much less information is spoken.  If you do not wish
to have any information automatically spoken, then choose
"none".  A setting of "all" is often appropriate when using a
telecommunications program.
 
5.6  Verbosity Level
 
     You can control the amount of descriptive information that
JAWS speaks by choosing a Verbosity level.  The "highest level"
provides the maximum information about the Windows desktop. 
The "intermediate level" and "lowest level" provide progressively
less information.  Those who are very familiar with the Windows
environment may want to use the intermediate or lowest level.
 
 
6.   UTILITIES MENU
 
     The Utilities Menu is used to activate software programs
called JAWS utility programs.
 
6.1  Macro Editor
 
     The JAWS Macro Editor is a text editor that is used for
creating and modifying macros.  Macros are sets of instructions
that determine how and when JAWS reads the desktop.  The use
of the JAWS macro editor and JAWS macro functions are fully
described in the JAWS Technical Reference.  The macro editor
also can be used for general text editing activities.  
 
6.2  Graphics Editor
 
     The JAWS Graphics Editor is used for two activities.  It can
be used to merge two graphics label files, or it can be used to edit
the existing entries in a graphics label file.  It can not be used to
create new labels.  The simplest and quickest method for creating
and/or editing a single graphics label is to use the Graphics Wizard
that was described in Chapter 3.
 
 
7.   HELP MENU
 
     Several types of help can be started from the JAWS Help
menu.  These are in addition to context help and screen sensitive
help which can be used at any time.
 
7.1  Contents
 
     When you choose Contents from the Help menu, you
activate the JAWS help system.  The JAWS Help System can be
thought of as the instruction manual for JAWS.  It actually
contains the JAWS manuals and can be used, for example, to
read chapters from a manual or to search for information on a
specific topic.  The JAWS help system also contains tips for using
help that were specifically written for JAWS users.  When you
finish using the JAWS help system, press ALT+F4 to exit the
help system.
 
7.2  Quick Reference
 
     When you choose Quick Reference from the JAWS Help
menu, you can read through a list of JAWS and Windows
commands.  The quick reference is designed as a resource tool for
those who already understand the use of JAWS and Windows. 
When you finish using the quick reference section of the JAWS
help system, press ALT+F4 to exit the help system.
 
7.3  Changes
 
     When you choose Changes from the JAWS Help menu, you
activate a resource that contains information about JAWS that
may not be included in the printed manuals.  Information in this
resource is most useful to persons who have just updated their
JAWS software to the latest version.
 
7.4  Customer Support
 
     When you choose Customer Support from the JAWS Help
menu, you can read information about how to contact Henter-
Joyce when you need assistance with solving problems related to
JAWS for Windows.
 
7.5  About JAWS for Windows
 
     When you choose About JAWS from the JAWS Help menu,
you can read your JAWS version number and your JAWS serial
number.
