Hi,
We are having a new update of JF
http://www.freedomscientific.com/downloads/JAWS/JAWSWhatsNew#Enhancements
Enhancements in JAWS 17.0.1214 (November 2015)
Smart Navigation, More Efficient Interaction with Complex Web Pages and
Applications
Today and in the future, users will be faced with an increased need to work
with complex web forms, tables, and even applications that run inside of a
web browser. This will impact your day to day interactions with services
on-line such as banking and shopping, in addition to many web apps found in
both companies and government agencies. For instance, Internet Explorer can
be used to log onto a Microsoft SharePoint server to collaborate with other
co-workers and create and store documents. The new Smart Navigation™
feature is designed to make it more efficient when navigating web-based
applications with the Virtual Cursor as the LEFT and RIGHT ARROW or CTRL
+LEFT and CTRL+RIGHT ARROW commands move by control instead of character
and word. This makes navigation such as moving across toolbars, tab strips,
and navigation links more like navigating around a desktop application.
Pressing the Say Character, Say Word, or Say Line commands twice quickly
changes to the traditional navigation by character, word, line, sentence,
and paragraph so you can review the text of the control. Smart Navigation
resumes when you move to a different control by pressing UP or DOWN ARROW
or TAB. Alternatively, you can use the INSERT+X command to quickly toggle
Smart Navigation on or off depending on the type of web site you are
navigating.
For example, if you use the LEFT and RIGHT ARROW keys to move across a tab
strip, you might hear JAWS announce something like; "Home tab selected,"
"Insert tab," and "Page Layout tab." If you wanted to review the items on
the tab strip character by character, press the Say Character (NUM PAD 5),
Say Word (INSERT+NUM PAD 5), or Say Line (INSERT+UP ARROW) commands twice
quickly. You can now navigate by character or word until you press DOWN
ARROW to move away from the tab strip to another control.
Smart Navigation is off by default. To turn it on, there are a few ways.
The quickest way to enable Smart Navigation is through the Startup Wizard
which automatically launches after JAWS is installed. When the wizard
starts, select the Next button until you reach the Common Options page. You
will be focused on a group of radio buttons where you can use the ARROW
keys to choose the Smart Navigation option you want to use (Controls and
Tables or Controls). Pressing TAB moves you to another group of radio
buttons that allow you to select how Forms Mode activates. For the best
experience with Smart Navigation, it is recommended that users set Forms
Mode to Semi-Auto or Manual. This prevents JAWS from unexpectedly turning
on Forms Mode while navigating with the ARROW keys. Once you have changed
the options you want, continue selecting Next until you reach the Braille
Settings page and then select Finish to save your changes. Smart Navigation
will now be enabled for any environments that use the Virtual Cursor.
Alternatively, Smart Navigation can be configured through Settings Center
or Quick Settings. For instance, you may want to use Smart Navigation in
Firefox, but not in Internet Explorer.
You can also temporarily toggle Smart Navigation on or off using the INSERT
+X command. For instance, if you have configured Smart Navigation to be
enabled by default and you encounter a web page where you would prefer not
to use it, you can press INSERT+X to turn it off and use the more
traditional navigation. JAWS will switch back to Smart Navigation when
focus moves away from the browser or you navigate to a different web site.
This command is also useful if you do not want to use the Say Character,
Say Word, or Say Line commands twice quickly to switch to standard
navigation. It offers the additional benefit of not automatically switching
back to Smart Navigation when you move to a different control with the UP
or DOWN ARROW keys. You can just press INSERT+X again to toggle back to
Smart Navigation when you are ready. As Smart Navigation is toggled, the
JAWS focus will always remain at the current location of the toggle.
Anytime you are using Smart Navigation, JAWS will work in Screen Layout.
This presents pages in the virtual buffer similar to how they appear
visually on the screen. Toolbar buttons or other lists of controls that are
visually laid out horizontally on the screen are displayed on one line in
the virtual document, allowing a single press of the DOWN ARROW to skip the
entire toolbar instead of having to move from button to button to get past
it.
For a great example, please try JAWS 17 on a web form such as the WebTrack
sample form on the Surf's Up pages. On this page, you will be able to see
the power of navigating more efficiently with the DOWN ARROW then in
previous versions.
Smart Navigation offers two modes, Controls and Tables, or Controls.
Controls and Tables offers the most complete experience with Smart
Navigation and is the mode that is enabled when using the INSERT+X toggle.
When set to Controls and Tables and you are currently not in a table, most
web-based controls, including, but not limited to, buttons, links, edit
fields, list boxes, tree views, and headings, are treated as single units
when navigating by character or word. Performing a Say Character, Say Word,
and Say Line command twice quickly while focused on a control will switch
to character and word Navigation so you can use the traditional navigation
by character, word, line, sentence, and paragraph to review a control, such
as the text of a button or link, in greater detail. Smart Navigation by
controls automatically resumes when you move to another control using TAB
or UP or DOWN ARROW.
If focused inside of a table, the RIGHT and LEFT ARROW keys move between
columns while the UP and DOWN ARROW keys move between rows. If you press
RIGHT ARROW to move from the last column in the current row to the first
column of the next row, an ascending sound is heard. If you press LEFT
ARROW to move from the first column in the current row to the last column
in the prior row, a descending sound is heard. JAWS also announces the
number of the row that was moved to.
When focused in a cell and it contains any controls, such as a heading, or
an edit field, pressing the Say Character, Say Word, or Say Line commands
twice quickly will switch to control navigation, and performing these
commands again twice quickly will switch to character and word navigation.
If the cell does not contain controls, you can only switch to character and
word navigation. Moving focus away from the current table cell using LEFT
or RIGHT ARROW will switch back to the prior navigation level, for example,
pressing RIGHT ARROW while in character and word navigation will return to
Smart Navigation in tables as soon as you move to a different cell. When
you are in control navigation, or character and word navigation, pressing
UP or DOWN ARROW will move to and read the entire row. Pressing UP or DOWN
ARROW from the beginning or end of the table will also resume Smart
Navigation by Controls and Tables.
For an example of using Smart Navigation in tables, visit the Tables with
JAWS and MAGic page on the Surf's Up pages.
When set to Controls and focus is not in a table, navigation is the same as
the Controls and Tables option. The only difference is that if you
encounter a table, you will need to use the standard table reading commands
(CTRL+ALT+ARROW keys) or the Table layer (INSERT+SPACEBAR, t) to navigate
the table.
When Smart navigation is active, press ALT+DELETE or INSERT+TAB to have
JAWS announce the current Smart Navigation level.
New Sound Indication for Links
As you navigate by line with Smart Navigation active, JAWS plays a sound if
the current line contains one or more links which would generally be
displayed on separate lines when you are not in Smart Navigation. This
sound helps you identify that a link exists and gives you a chance to pause
to hear about it or use TAB or the ARROW keys to move to it. To keep this
sound from being too intrusive, it is not heard if a line contains a link
that is preceded by less than five characters. For instance, a bulleted or
numbered list that contains a link directly after the number or bullet.
Use Settings Center to Configure Settings for a Specific Web Site
In JAWS 17, you can now apply settings changes to a specific web site
domain using Settings Center. For instance, if you use Smart Navigation and
you have a particular web site where you would prefer not to have this
feature active, you can open Settings Center from the current site and turn
it off. Smart Navigation will continue working on all other web sites.
To configure web site specific settings, do the following:
1. Open the web site where you want settings changes to apply.
2. Press INSERT+F2, select Settings Center, and press ENTER.
3. Press CTRL+SHIFT+W to open the settings file associated with the
currently active web site. Alternatively, press SHIFT+TAB to move to
the application list, press CTRL+HOME to move to the top of the list,
and then press DOWN ARROW one time to move to the settings file for
the current site. For example, if you open Settings Center from the
Freedom Scientific web site, you should see something like
www.freedomscientific.com (Domain).
4. From the Search edit box, type all or part of the setting you want to
change. For example, "smart" for Smart Navigation, "Forms" for Forms
Mode options, etc.
5. Press DOWN ARROW to move to the filtered results of the Settings
Center tree view and make your preferred settings changes.
6. Press TAB to move to the OK button and activate it with the SPACEBAR.
The changes are made and saved. Settings Center closes.
Now, whatever you have set for the current web site should only be applied
when any pages on this site are open and have focus. For example, if you
set Smart Navigation to Controls and Tables for the Freedom Scientific web
site, it should be off for all other web sites which is the default, unless
you are on Freedomscientific.com.
New Options Added to Startup Wizard
The Startup Wizard contains a series of pages that allow users to quickly
configure some of the more commonly used JAWS options including speech
settings, startup options, keyboard settings, verbosity options, and
braille settings. The Startup Wizard automatically launches after a full
install of JAWS, but can be accessed any time through the JAWS Help menu.
In JAWS 17, we have added a few more options we expect users will want
convenient access to.
The page which follows the Run JAWS Settings page is now called
Common Options. It contains new controls to configure Smart
Navigation and Forms Mode.
A new Braille Translation Settings page has been added directly after
the Verbosity Settings page and before the Braille Settings page. It
contains the following new options:
Language: Use this combo box to specify the Braille language.
For example, English, Spanish, French, German, and so on.
Output: Use this combo box to configure the output mode for
reading Braille on your display. The first option is always
Computer Braille. The other available options depend on the
currently selected language. For example, when the language is
set to English United States, the available output modes are
U.S. English Grade 1, U.S. English Grade 2, Unified English
Braille Grade 1, and Unified English Braille Grade 2. If you
set the language to French, the available modes are French
Grade 1 and French Grade 2.
Input Use this combo box to specify the input mode used when
typing Braille from the Perkins-style keyboard on your display.
The first option is always Computer Braille. The other
available option depends on the currently selected output mode.
For instance, if you have chosen to display Unified English
Braille Grade 2, then you can choose to type in either Computer
Braille or Unified English Braille Grade 2. This setting is not
available if the selected output mode is Computer Braille, or
the selected output mode does not support input.
Create domain specific scripts for Web Pages and Web Applications
JAWS has always provided the ability to script desktop applications,
enabling many non-standard applications to be made accessible to JAWS
users. In recent years, however, more and more applications are being
developed to run inside web browsers. For example, Microsoft SharePoint and
Google Docs are web applications that allow you to create, edit, and save
documents, as well as collaborate with other users, directly through web
pages opened in Internet Explorer or Firefox.
Since each web application can offer its own unique functionality, the JAWS
scripts for the web browser are too general to be of use for specific
pages. JAWS 17 extends the scripting functionality to enable you to create
scripts that only load when a particular web site is being accessed, so you
can customize a web page or application to your specific needs. For
instance, if you created scripts for www.microsoft.com, these scripts would
be loaded for any page opened on the Microsoft web site. Domain specific
scripts are loaded on top of the browser scripts so that JAWS can fall back
to the general scripts in situations where a domain specific script
behavior is not available. This gives scripters much more control when
scripting a web-based application for a client at a job site as they can
create specific functionality for the application without affecting how
JAWS performs on other web pages.
To aid in creating domain specific scripts, three new script functions have
been added.
GetDocumentXML: This function obtains well-formed XML from the Dom
Server for parsing using the MSXML com object.
PerformActionOnElementWithTagAndAttribute: This function finds an
element in the DOM by tag and attribute/value pair and performs an
action on it such as setFocus, makeVisible, doDefaultAction,
leftClick, or rightClick.
PerformActionOnElementWithID: This function finds an element in the
DOM by unique ID and performs an action on it such as setFocus,
makeVisible, doDefaultAction, leftClick or rightClick.
Using these functions, you could write scripts to do things like find and
speak a particular heading, add the numbers in the last row of a table and
speak the total, and much more, all without moving the Virtual Cursor.
To demonstrate domain-specific scripting, we have included sample
SharePoint scripts that allow you to access web-based toolbars on a
SharePoint domain using the INSERT+CTRL+F8 keystroke. To enable these
sample scripts, do the following:
1. Create a confignames.ini file in your JAWS user settings folder
located at C:\Users\Your User Name\AppData\Roaming\Freedom Scientific
\JAWS\17.0\Settings\enu.
2. Add the following lines.
[Domains]
fsservices-my.sharepoint.com=SharePointWeb
If the scripts are not working, meaning that toolbars cannot be activated
with the INSERT+CTRL+F8 keystroke, check the address of the current domain.
If necessary, add another line to your confignames.ini to enable that
domain to be recognized so that the SharePoint sample scripts load.
Liblouis Braille Translator now included for English
JAWS 17 has switched to the popular and widely accepted open-source
Liblouis braille translator. This new translation now offers both
contracted and uncontracted Unified English Braille (UEB) and the more
traditional Contracted English Braille (CEB) when reading and writing.
Starting in 2016, UEB will become the standard in the United States.
Switching now to Liblouis will ensure JAWS offers the latest standards for
UEB translation.
New in JAWS Touch Screen Support
Since JAWS 15, users have had the ability to interact with the touch
screens found on various devices like the Dell Venue series of Windows
tablets. Using one and multi-finger gestures such as taps, flicks, and
swipes, users navigate to and activate controls, read text, and perform
other common JAWS functions. In JAWS 17, we have continued to enhance touch
screen support by providing access to the Windows touch keyboard as well as
adding the ability to edit and select text in documents, messages, or web
pages right from the touch screen.
Support for the Windows Touch Keyboard
JAWS 17 offers full support for the Windows touch keyboard, enabling you to
write documents, email messages, and fill out forms on the Internet right
on your device's touch screen if you do not have access to a physical
keyboard. While a regular keyboard is still recommended for writing lengthy
documents or performing complex editing tasks, using the Touch keyboard is
convenient for writing a quick note, composing or replying to an email, or
filling out a form on a web site.
To activate the Touch Keyboard, double tap the Start Touch Keyboard button
on the Desktop, or perform the new JAWS gesture, four-finger swipe down
then up. JAWS announces "opened Touch Keyboard" and plays an ascending
sound. Once enabled, the keyboard is positioned in the bottom part of the
screen and each key is represented by a button. Use flick gestures to move
to each key, or drag your finger around the screen to explore and locate
keys. While exploring, JAWS plays a unique set of sounds to alert you when
you enter or leave the area of the screen containing the touch keyboard.
Once you become familiar with the touch keyboard layout, you can tap at the
location of each key. To close the touch keyboard, perform another
four-finger swipe down then up. JAWS announces "closed touch keyboard" and
plays a descending sound.
JAWS offers two different modes for typing characters:
Standard Typing: A key is typed when a double tap or split tap is
performed on the screen after exploring to any of the keyboard
buttons. If alternative characters are available for the current
keyboard button, a triple tap will open a panel of alternative keys
related to the selected key. Performing a triple tap on any keyboard
button in the alternative characters panel will close the panel.
Standard Typing is the default mode.
Touch Typing: A key is typed when the finger is lifted from any of
the keyboard buttons, or a split tap is performed on the selected
keyboard button. If alternative characters are available for the
current keyboard button, a split double tap will open a panel of
alternative keys related to the selected key. Performing a split
double tap on any keyboard button in the alternative characters panel
will close the panel.
Use the new Touch Keyboard settings group located in the main Keyboard
group in Settings center to change the typing mode as well as choose
whether JAWS announces characters, words, both characters and words, or is
silent as you type using the touch keyboard. You can also change how you
are notified when the touch keyboard or the panel of alternate characters
opens and closes.
Note: Changing the feedback for the touch keyboard is separate from the
feedback for the physical keyboard. This means you can have JAWS say
nothing when using a regular keyboard, but continue to announce both
characters and words when using the touch keyboard.
Text Selection and Other Improvements in Text Reading Mode
Text reading is one of the three gesture modes that can be activated by
rotating two fingers on the screen. JAWS 17 will now also automatically
switch to Text Reading if you double tap on an element that supports cursor
navigation such as an article in the News app, or the text area of an
editing application like Microsoft Word. When Text Reading is activated
using a double tap on a text element, for instance, the second paragraph of
a document, JAWS attempts to position the cursor at the location of the
double tap.
When Text Reading is active, flicking left or right moves by character,
flicking left or right with two fingers moves by word, flicking up or down
moves by line, flicking up or down with two fingers moves by paragraph,
flicking left or right with three fingers moves to the beginning or end of
a line, and flicking up or down with three fingers moves to the top or
bottom of the text area. In addition, you can now flick up or down with
four fingers to move by page, similar to using PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN. These
gestures also move the cursor, enabling you to navigate to the location in
a document where you want to insert text or begin selecting text. For
example, you could flick up with two fingers to move to the prior
paragraph, flick left or right to position the focus on a blank line, and
then begin typing to insert text at that location.
Performing a triple tap on the screen with one finger will now toggle text
selection on or off. When enabled, using any of the above text reading
gestures will select the specific unit as well as move to it. For example,
to move to and select the next line, perform a triple tap and then flick
down. Text will continue to be selected as you navigate until you perform a
triple tap again to turn it off. To read currently selected text, you can
now perform a two-finger triple tap.
Other Touch Screen Improvements
Dragging a finger around the screen to explore and hear each element now
works in Text Reading mode in addition to Touch Navigation mode. If Text
Reading is currently active and you explore to an item that does not
support this mode, JAWS will automatically switch back to Touch Navigation.
As you explore, you can now have JAWS announce the character or word at the
current location by performing a split tap or split double tap.
If you encounter an element that does not support standard cursor
navigation, such as a button, or an item in a list, performing a
three-finger swipe down then up now opens a Virtual Viewer window
containing the name of the element. You can then use the navigation
gestures described above to review this information. This is useful if you
want to review a control in greater detail that you did not quite
understand when it was announced by JAWS during exploration or when tapping
it. When this mode is active, you will not be able to navigate to other
items on the screen. If you explore outside of the Virtual Viewer, JAWS
plays a sound to indicate you are no longer in the window. Performing the
three-finger swipe down then up gesture again will close the Virtual
Viewer.
Tablet Orientation Notification
JAWS now indicates in both speech and braille when the screen orientation
changes between portrait and landscape. When changing to landscape, JAWS
says "landscape, with home button to the left" or "landscape, with home
button to the right", depending on the position of the tablet. When
changing to portrait, JAWS says "portrait" or "portrait flipped."
Explore Scripts
A new Explore Scripts shortcut has been added to the Utilities folder in
Windows 8 and later and the Explore JAWS submenu located under the JAWS
program group in Windows 7 and earlier. Selecting this shortcut opens the
folder where the shared script files are stored.
Script Compatibility with Prior Versions of JAWS
By default, scripts compiled using the Script Manager or the scompile.exe
command line tool in JAWS 17 will not work with prior versions of JAWS.
This is due to changes in JAWS 17 to improve the localization process. In
order to compile scripts that will work in JAWS 17 as well as prior
versions, the following line must be added to the JSS file before compiling
your scripts.
;#pragma usePoFile 0
If this line is not included, scripts will be compiled using the new
localization model and will only work with JAWS 17 and later.
Sports Scores Lookup Sources Temporarily Removed from Research It
Until we can get cooperation from ESPN to allow access to their sports
results using the Research It feature, the MLB, NFL, NBA, and NCAA Scores
lookup sources have been removed. We hope to add them back in the future
once a solution is reached.
Merge Utility No Longer Available
Major changes have been made to improve the JAWS localization process. This
included reorganizing many of the JAWS settings files. Due to these
changes, the Merge utility is no longer installed with JAWS 17 as settings
from prior versions cannot be merged. We are planning a solution for the
future which will replace this utility and provide an even greater benefit
for our customers.
Back to top from Features
Enhancements in JAWS 17.0.1214 (November 2015)
The following is a list of improvements made between the initial JAWS 17
release and the November 2015 update.
To download the latest release, visit the Downloads web page.
Smart Navigation
When INSERT+X is used to toggle Smart Navigation, the JAWS focus now
remains at the location on the web page where you performed the
toggle.
The command to temporarily toggle Smart Navigation (INSERT+X) can now
be found using the JAWS Command Search feature (INSERT+SPACEBAR, J).
Resolved an issue where JAWS was not reading list items on certain
web pages when using Smart Navigation.
Addressed a reported issue with the commands to read from the
beginning of the line to the cursor (INSERT+HOME) and from the cursor
to the end of the line (INSERT+PAGE UP) not working in a table cell
when using Smart Navigation.
When using the V and SHIFT+V Navigation Quick Keys to move to the
next or previous visited link, resolved an issue where all links on
the current line were being read instead of the specific visited link
if Smart Navigation was active.
Addressed an issue where many blank lines were appearing on some web
pages with Smart Navigation active.
JAWS
Addressed an issue with the Amazon Product Search Research It lookup
source not returning results as expected.
Addressed an issue with symbols not being read as expected when
inserted into a document using the Select a Symbol to Print dialog
box (INSERT+4).
In response to customer feedback, the folder path for the Explore
Scripts shortcut has been changed from C:\ProgramData\Freedom
Scientific\JAWS\17.0\Scripts\enu to point to C:\ProgramData\Freedom
Scientific\JAWS\17.0\Scripts.
This update contains new drivers from HumanWare for the Brailiant BI
braille display in order to support Windows 10.
If Active Follows Braille is not enabled, addressed issues where the
braille display would not move away from the structured line when
panning, or using the commands to move the braille cursor to the next
or prior line (RIGHT ROCKER BAR on Focus Blue braille displays).
When entering text from the Perkins-style keyboard on a braille
display using Unified English Braille (UEB) or another form of
Contracted English Braille, resolved an issue where contracted words
beginning with dots 4-5-6, such as spirit, many, world, etc., were
not appearing correctly in documents. The dots 4-5-6 portion of the
word was being dropped when the word was back-translated.
When verbosity for Braille Flash messages is set to Advanced,
resolved customer reported issues where "sts" messages were being
shown on the braille display even when the option to display status
information was turned off. In addition, the flash messages for the
INSERT+T and INSERT+Q commands now display the short message as
expected instead of the long message.
If the JAWS cursor is configured to follow the PC Cursor using the
CTRL+INSERT+NUM PAD Minus command, an issue was resolved where JAWS
was not reading as expected when moving between applications with ALT
+TAB.
Addressed an issue with JAWS not correctly identifying the factorial
symbol in MathML content.
If you perform a two-finger double tap to open a context menu while
text selection is active, the flick gestures will now work as
expected to navigate through the menu items. Text selection is
toggled by performing a triple tap with one finger.
If you perform a five-finger tap to open the Run JAWS Manager dialog
box from an Internet Explorer window, addressed an issue where you
could not use touch gestures to navigate this dialog box.
To address potential issues, changes have been made to the process of
compiling scripts so they are compatible with versions of JAWS prior
to 17. The Compatibility Mode option has been removed from Script
Manager and the –c command line switch has been removed from
scompile.exe. To compile scripts that will work with prior versions
of JAWS, you must now insert the following line without the quotes
into your JSS file: ";#pragma usePoFile 0"
Adobe Acrobat
Resolved an issue reported by Adobe where labels for check boxes in
PDF documents were being read twice in the virtual buffer.
Microsoft Excel
In Windows 8.1, resolved an issue where the backstage view in Excel
2013 was not being announced when it gained focus.
Resolved a reported issue with the GetCellSpan script function.
Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox
Resolved a customer reported issue where JAWS was not indicating the
Next and Prior links as well as links to other pages in the search
results on Bing.com.
After typing some text into the Search edit field on Google.com,
addressed a reported issue where JAWS was not reading the list of
search choices that appears directly below the edit field. This was
observed in Internet Explorer 11.
Resolved a customer reported issue with a particular web site where a
menu was opening and it was not possible to return to the Virtual
Cursor.
Addressed an issue where the removed text in a live region using the
aria-relevant="removals" attribute was not being spoken by JAWS in
Internet Explorer.
Improved JAWS performance with navigating and reading ARIA slider
controls in Internet Explorer.
Microsoft Outlook
When opening the Advanced Find dialog box using CTRL+SHIFT+F to
search for specific messages and you press F6 to move to the message
list, a customer reported issue was resolved where JAWS would
sometimes stop reading the selected message if the window scrolled as
you navigated through the list.
Resolved an issue reported by some customers where JAWS would
sometimes not read the currently selected message as you navigated
through a list of messages in a folder. You would hear the message
status, such as "unread", but no additional info, like the message
sender or the subject.
In the Outlook 2010 calendar, resolved a reported issue where JAWS
was not indicating the "checked" status of shared calendars.
Microsoft Word
Resolved an issue with the Text Reading mode touch gestures to move
to the prior line, prior word, and prior character not working as
expected in Word 2013.
When switching pages in a document, resolved an issue where JAWS was
not announcing the page number until after reading the line. This
occurred if there were no spaces between page breaks.
Resolved a customer reported issue where the Design and Layout tabs
were not accessible when using the JAWS Virtual Ribbon.
You can now use the CTRL+WINDOWS Key+K keystroke to set a place
For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit:
http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
