Henter-Joyce, Inc. Newsletter April 1994 WINDOWS The development of JAWS for Windows (JFW) is proceeding smoothly. We are planning to start distributing the software to our beta testers in the very near future. Once our beta testers have pushed JAWS for Windows as hard as they can and we have responded to their suggestions, then we will be ready to release our newest software innovation. JAWS for Windows is much more than a translation of JAWS to the graphical user interface of Microsoft Windows -- it is a completely new screen reader! It will enable blind PC users, for the first time, to fully step into the Windows generation of software programs. JFW takes the strongest features from JAWS, developed over the past seven years, and combines them with the advances made available by the graphical environment of Windows. The results will impress the longtime users of DOS software and will be a significant aid to those who will be learning to use a PC for the first time. Thus far, over a year of work has gone into the development of JFW. The depth of our program design will establish performance standards that will overshadow the attempts of all others who have tried to create a screen reader for Windows. JFW is not a partial tool for limited access to Windows based software -- it is a full set of tools that provide complete access. The fully integrated features of JFW take advantage of Windows' ability to speed up routine tasks and simplify complex activities. JFW invisibly conforms to the standard operation of Windows. It assumes that the blind PC user wants to interact with Windows and application software programs in a manner consistent with sighted PC users. Thus JFW users begin by using the same keys as would be used by sighted users when not using a mouse. JFW adds automatic speech functions and preserves the sense that the user is actually using a software program running under Windows. The set-up of JFW is managed by the fully interactive "JAWS Control Panel", which is equally friendly to beginners and experts alike. The comprehensive JAMAL macro language makes JAWS macros more powerful and flexible than they have ever been. The ability to have access to detailed descriptive information about text size, font selection and other screen characteristics goes far beyond the simple ability to read the words on the screen. The detailed context sensitive help system virtually eliminates the need for separate documentation, because the JFW software manual is built into the software. No other screen reader for a graphical user interface offers so much ease of use and power in one program. JFW will be ready to use right out of the box and you will not outgrow it, because it can respond to the advances introduced into Windows and your application software. It is truly going to be a breakthrough that is worth the wait. For an early peek at JAWS for Windows, please join us at the National Federation for the Blind and the American Council for the Blind conventions in July. For additional information about our summer convention schedule or for additional information about Windows, please call us at 800-336-5658. Henter-Joyce Awarded D.O.D. Contract Henter-Joyce, Inc., is pleased to announce that they have been awarded a contract to provide reading machines to the U.S. Department of Defense. These PC based reading systems will enable blind and visually impaired employees to listen to printed materials that the computer reads aloud. The reading machines are a combination of Henter-Joyce's powerful 486DX2-66 transportable computer (HJ220), with a Hewlett-Packard Scanner and Arkenstone's "An Open Book" software. The Department of Defense has plans to purchase up to sixty reading machines over the next three years. PRAISE FOR H-J TECHNICAL SUPPORT The quality of our technical support has always been a Henter-Joyce strength. We pride ourselves in giving free, prompt, and accurate advice to our customers. Since hiring Jeff Belina, who now works as our Manager of Technical Support, we have been able to establish a new standard for technical support. The following letter sums up the opinion of many of our customers. "I am writing this letter in regards to one of your employee's in technical support. This individual has been assisting me for the past four years with the usage of JAWS on a wide range of PC's and laptop computers. Recently, he was of great assistance in the usage of JAWS with HandiCODE. The individual I am speaking about is Jeff Belina. Mr. Belina has called me at home or at work to assist me with my problems when using JAWS with unique adaptive computer configurations. I have spent up to an hour with Jeff on some of my technical issues. He has been always very polite and immediately sent out files on disk to repair my problems. I have been an adaptive computer instructor for four years and worked with adaptive computer products for nine years, and during that time I have not met a technical support person like Jeff Belina yet. If we had more technical support individuals like Mr. Belina, this field would be a much better place to work." Christopher M. McMillan, Computer Specialist VA Medical Center, West Haven, CT Assistive Technology Loans The Virginia Department for the Visually Handicapped is administering a new low interest loan program to support the purchase of assistive technology by Virginia residents. The interest rate is 3% below the prime rate. Loans range from $500 to $10,000 and may be repaid over sixty months. To receive an application, or to find out if you qualify for the loan, call or write Phil Mertz, Assistive Technology Loan Program, VDVH, 397 Azalea Avenue, Richmond, VA 23227. Glenn Smith, the Henter-Joyce sales representative for Virginia, would be happy to assist persons complete a Virginia loan application and to prepare a list of equipment and to summarize the intended usefulness of the products to be purchased. This assistance is offered without charge. Glenn can be contacted at 703-455-3770. For information about the Adaptive Technology Loan Program in North Carolina, contact Larry Bauerer, Technology Loan Coordinator, 704-375-3977, Programs for Accessible Living, 1012 South Kings Drive, Suite G-2, Charlotte, NC 28283. This is a partnership program between Programs for Accessible Living (independent living center) and Nations Bank. Other states also may be setting up low interest loan programs to help disabled persons to purchase assistive technology. Please let us know about loan programs in your state so that we can spread the word to others. FROM SAILING TO SALES (An Employee Biography) We would like you to "meet" Charles Potts, our National Sales Manager. It was through the Lions Club that Charles met Ted Henter. Ted was presenting a program on the JAWS screen reading program to the Lions Club where Charles was a member. Through the conversations that followed, it became clear that Charles might be able to combine his interest in computers with his desire to work toward improving the lifestyle of visually impaired persons. These interests soon led him to a position at Henter- Joyce where he has become our National Sales Manager. Charles, a believer in Ted's maxim that a salesperson should always exceed the client's expectation, is always ready to answer your questions about our products, whether it's for a single program or for a complete computer system. He strives to keep up with other related products that you may need to accomplish your goals and is a wealth of information. Charles was a Maryland native before moving to Florida in 1979. He was born and raised in the Baltimore area. He later moved to Annapolis where he started sailing. He and two friends eventually set off on a major journey in a thirty-five foot sailboat. They traveled up the east coast to Cape Cod, and joined in with the Marblehead to Halifax race before sailing on to St. Johns and making the long crossing to Scotland. They ultimately reached Sweden before sailing back home. After returning to the U.S. and the University of Baltimore, Charles completed his accounting studies. He received the Gold Key Award; graduating with the second highest average. For many years he enjoyed a successful career in public accounting where he specialized in system design and computerization. He left the field to salvage two unrelated companies that were on the brink of bankruptcy before moving to Florida. Charles began to operate his own commercial real estate company known as Fairplay Realty after moving to Florida, and became very active with the Clearwater Lions Club. This served as the impetus for his entry into the field of visual impairment. He has served on the Boards of Directors of the Lions Club for many years and on the Board of Directors of the local IBM Computer Club. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Pinellas Center for the Visually Impaired -- our local facility for the training of blind and visually impaired persons. You will find that Charles always has a smile for you, and in the winter, he will be more than happy to tell Northerners about how nice it is to live in sunny Florida. 310,000 DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS AND MUCH MORE The popular College Edition of the American Heritage Electronic Dictionary (AHD) is now available for purchase either separately or with any of our software packages. Users can quickly use the AHD software to expand their vocabulary, check spelling, and learn the meaning of words all at the touch of a key. Put the cursor on a word, press a key, and the definition and its pronunciation appear on the screen. Words can be cut from definitions and pasted into documents, thus eliminating the need for retyping. The anagram function can unscramble misspelled words and display a list of words that contain the re-arranged letters. In addition to these functions, a thesaurus is featured along with several other powerful tools for those who work with words. The AHD may be purchased from Henter-Joyce for $99. or may be purchased as part of other Henter-Joyce software packages. The AHD comes with a manual in print and on disk, and is easy to install and use. NEW H-J DEALER -- AN OLD PRO! Mitch Green of Lincoln, Nebraska, is a recent addition to our dealer network. Mitch has been a longtime friend of H-J and has recently entered the business world of adaptive technology. His vigor and product knowledge make him a natural to succeed, and we are pleased to have him on our team. Mitch used JAWS Version 1.0 while a student in high school. He would call us on the 800 number between classes just to kill some time and see what was happening. After completing high school, Mitch was determined to be involved with H-J, so he purchased a bus ticket and made the journey to Florida. With guidance and encouragement from Ted Henter, Mitch returned to Nebraska where he pursued studies in (what else) computer programming. As destiny would have it, Mitch ended up being Ted Henter's roommate while they were getting guide dogs at Guiding Eyes. Mitch began putting into place the plans for his business, which was to provide others with the tools he used for independence, just as Ted had done for him. During our recent conversation, I asked Mitch why he had chosen JAWS and what kept him interested in H-J. He said that it was the sound of the Accent synthesizer and his need for a compatible screen reader that first captured his attention. It was the flexibility of JAWS that made it the hands-down winner. Today he states that the dual cursors and "macros on the fly" make JAWS powerful enough to keep up with his many computer needs. Finally, Mitch points out that the soft-keys give him the ability to configure the keyboard to meet the individual needs of each client. When Mitch isn't pounding the keyboard, he enjoys spending time on his HAM radio or skiing (both snow & water). He extends a standing invitation to other users and dealers of H-J products to meet him via the phone or on H-J's BBS. You can contact Mitch Green and Alternative Technologies at (402) 438-3637. To our network of H-J dealers: Please let us know if you would like to have your work featured in future issues of "News From Henter-Joyce". Henter-Joyce Technical Bulletin April 1994 A MACRO TO REMOVE UNWANTED HARD CARRIAGE RETURNS FROM WORDPERFECT DOCUMENTS When you retrieve a DOS text file into WordPerfect, a hard carriage return is automatically placed at the end of each line in the document. The Hard Carriage Return (hard return) is inserted by WordPerfect to keep the physical format of the original document intact. This is desirable if the text needs to be restricted to separate lines, as when preparing batch files; however, it can be a significant source of irritation if you plan to edit the DOS text file and create a properly formatted WordPerfect document. If you edit a document with hard returns at the end of each line, then WordPerfect will be unable to automatically rearrange partial lines of text into full lines of text. Some lines will contain a word or two while other lines will stretch from margin to margin. This creates a printed document that appears to be very haphazard. In a word processing program, one or more hard returns are used at the end of paragraphs or after headings to create a definite ending point and to add blank lines. Word processing programs also use a Soft Carriage Return (soft return) to temporarily mark the end of lines. The locations of these soft returns change as you edit text so that text can move to fill up empty space. Thus, text is constantly shifting between lines on the PC's screen as you add and delete text. Soft returns allow WordPerfect to reformat paragraphs, but hard returns in the middle of paragraphs and sentences prevent reformatting. The following JAWS 2.3 macro, CONTROL + DOWN ARROW, can be created to remove hard returns that are in the middle of paragraphs. It will not remove hard returns that create blank lines (hard return characters located in column 1), or the hard returns that intentionally terminate a paragraph. When the macro is used, it will delete an unwanted hard return and then read the additional text that has moved up to the end of the line. It will also try to delete the indent at the start of a paragraph, which you may not want. If the hard return is where it should be, then the macro will beep and you can use the macro to find and check the correctness of the next hard return. Information contained in brackets "[ ]" represents a macro function. Information contained in braces "{ }" identifies the name of a key or combination of keys. Information contained in parentheses "( )" explains the purpose or intent of the macro function. Letters or words not enclosed by brackets or parentheses is information that is typed into the macro. Spaces between items in a macro have been added to help with readability. [BIOS Macro Start] {CONTROL + DOWN ARROW} 1. (The macro begins by instructing WP to use its own strategy to move the PC Cursor to the next "paragraph" after a hard return.) 2. [Pause Macro] [Pause Macro] [Pause Macro] (The macro waits for WP to finish moving the cursor.) 3. [Route JAWS to PC] (move JAWS Cursor to the location of the PC Cursor.) 4. [Prior line] (Move the JAWS Cursor up one line.) 5. [Menus] s \016 {ENTER} x {ENTER} (Invoke the JAWS menu system and use the search function to test for the hard return character in this case, ASCII 016. The presence of the hard return character indicates a blank line. The notes at the end of this bulletin present information regarding the selection of the hard return character in WP.) 6. [If] [Success flag] [Then] [Beep] (if the ASCII character that indicates a hard return is found, then beep.) 7. [Else] [Menus] s ---- {ENTER} x {ENTER} (Otherwise, if the hard return character is not found, then invoke the menu system and check for a soft page break, which is indicated by a string of dashes.) 8. [If] [Success flag] [Then] [Beep] (If a soft page break is found, then beep.) 9. [Label begin] soft page break [Label end] (Speak this message after the beep when a soft page break is found.) 10. [Else] [Menus] s ==== {ENTER} x {ENTER} (Otherwise, invoke the menu system and check for a hard page break. A string of EQUAL SIGNS are used by WP to indicate a hard page break.) 11. [If] [Success flag] [Then] [Beep] (If a hard page break is found, then beep.) 12. [Label begin] hard page break [Label end] (Speak this message after the beep when a hard page break is found.) 13. [Else] [Perform macro]{CONTROL + DELETE} (If the three preceding tests described in steps 5, 7, and 10, fail to find a hard return, a soft page break, or a hard page break, then call another JAWS macro to delete the hard return. The CONTROL + DELETE macro that is used to delete the hard return is presented later.) 14. [PC Cursor] [Prior line] (After doing all of the preceding, then turn on the PC Cursor and move it up one line in the text.) 15. [Endif] (Terminates influence of inner most nested "if-then-else" statement.) 16. [Endif] (Terminates the influence of the middle nested "if-then-else" statement.) 17. [Endif] (Terminates the influence of the outer most "if-then-else" statement.) 18. [Macro End] (indicates the end of the CONTROL + DOWN ARROW BIOS macro.) [Macro Start] {CONTROL + DELETE} 1. [PC Cursor] (Turn on the PC Cursor.) 2. [Prior character] (Move the PC Cursor left one character.) 3. [Say prior character] (Move the PC Cursor left again and say the character.) 4. [Menus] s {SPACE CHARACTER} {ENTER} x {ENTER} (Invoke the JAWS menu system and check for the presence of the SPACE CHARACTER.) 5. [If] [Success flag] [Then] [Next character] (If a SPACE CHARACTER is found, then move the PC Cursor one character to the right.) 6. [Else] [Next character] (Move the PC Cursor to the right one character when the SPACE CHARACTER was not found by the test in step 4.) 7. {SPACE CHARACTER} (Place a SPACE CHARACTER at the position of the PC Cursor to separate words. This is necessary to keep words from being combined when the unwanted hard return is deleted.) 8. [Endif] (End the influence of the "if-then-else" statement.) 9. [Delete] (This will delete the hard return character.) 10. [Pause Macro] [Pause Macro] [Pause Macro] (Wait for WP to rearrange text on the screen.) 11. [Say from to] c {SPACE} 80 (Speak the text between the cursor and the end of the line at column 80.) 12. [Macro End] (End of CONTROL + DELETE macro.) This macro assumes that WordPerfect is using a graphic character (ASCII \016) to indicate a hard carriage return. WordPerfect may be set up to use a variety of characters to indicate a hard return; including the SPACE CHARACTER which appears as a blank space. If your configuration for WP does not use the \016 for the hard return, then you can either change the above macro to match your WP configuration, or you can change your WP setup to match this macro. To determine what character is being used as the hard return character, you can just press the ENTER key while working in WP and then use an arrow key to Move the PC Cursor left one space. Press the 5-key on the number pad twice within one second, and the ASCII value for the character will be spoken. JAWS should say something such as "graphic 16". The number that is spoken is the number that you must use when writing your macro. In the preceding example, the return character is represented by a "\016". If JAWS says "space" when you press the 5-key, then this means that WP is not using a visible graphic character to indicate hard returns. If this is the case, then you will need to use the WP setup menu to select a hard return character. You can do this by pressing SHIFT + F1, 2, 6, 4. When this menu is selected, the PC cursor will be on the hard return display character. At this point WP expects you to enter a three digit ASCII value to indicate the return character. Hold down the ALT key and press the appropriate three numbers on the numeric keypad. (Do not release the ALT key until you have pressed all three numbers.) This is the common way of generating characters that are not already on the keyboard. If you decide to restore the use of the SPACE CHARACTER as the indicator for a hard return, then just press the SPACEBAR at the prompt. If you are using the standard JAWS configuration for WP, then you will probably have to delete a few JAWS macros to access the ALT + number keypad keys you will need to enter the ASCII value. Several of the ALT + number pad keys are used in WP to move and speak within menus and within the reveal-codes window. You can temporarily delete the macros by selecting "delete" from the macro menu of the JAWS menu system. Press the macro key to be deleted when prompted. With a bit of creativity, the preceding macro structure could be modified to solve other problems that are troublesome to the visually impaired users of work processing programs. For example, perhaps a macro to remove extra spaces between words could be developed. A macro of this type would need to check to be sure that extra spaces are not deleted after periods, question marks, colons, and exclamation points where two spaces are customarily used. The macro would probably need to include the use of the WP search function to find each occurrence of two blank spaces. If this is not a challenging proposal, then consider adding checks to insure that two and only two spaces are placed after punctuation that should be followed by two spaces. If someone comes up with reliable macros that meet these specifications, then we will publish the solution in our next Technical Bulletin and of course provide full credit to the solver of the problem. TECHNICAL QUESTIONS? If you would like to submit questions or ideas for this bulletin regarding H-J products, then please contact us. Questions can be left on our BBS 813-528-8903, or you can talk with us toll free at 800-336-5658. Henter-Joyce, Inc. 2100 62nd Ave., N. St. Petersburg, FL 33702