screader - Screen reader using a software Text-To-Speech package or a hardware speech synthesizer.

screader [`screen' options]

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

When typing fast sometimes the whole line will be spoken out instead of the characters being typed when line_speak and auto_speak are toggled on. Also when word_mode is toggled on the whole line will be spoken out when typing.

/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.

screen(1L), vcs(4), festival(1)

Jos Lemmens (jlemmens@inter.nl.net)