Hi Esther, I will look into Text Expander, it may be useful for me. It seems sometimes my substitutions are working and sometimes not, even taking into account cursoring up then down again, I must get someone sighted to look at what I'm doing ad see whether the substitutions are being made or not. I can't work out any pattern to what's happening. Maybe the semicolon immediately followed by an a only works when there's a space immediately before the semicolon as well which isn't much use for that particular substitution. That does seem to be the case actually, if I do a space then semicolon a it gets submitted but not in the middle of a word. And there is no space before the semicolon in the table of substitutions n preferences…I should maybe choose a different string to substitute...I must have a look at those other apps as well.
Yes I can make use of the numpad on my Maltron keyboard, I haven't ventured much into the yet <smile> Thanks, Catherine On 4/16/13, Esther <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Catherine, > > I should have thought of having you move away and then back to the word or > line in question to check that substitution was being done. The issue is > that the screen dynamically updates, and your screen reader is telling you > what it it read when you first navigated to that text. It doesn't refresh > the content until you move off and then back on again. This can be one of > the problems in using iOS apps, if one of the elements changes but the > developer hasn't had the screen do a refresh. > > With third party text substitution software, there's generally a setting > enabled by default to have a distinctive alert sound played when a > substitution is made. This is what I hear when I use TextExpander on my Mac > or TextExpander Touch on my iOS devices and a substitution has been made. > It's also why, when I suggested that some list members might want to look > into the "aText" text expansion software 15-day free trial version, I > suggested that they go into the preferences pane (Command-comma), and change > the default notification sound from "click" to something more distinctive. > > By the way, I think that part of my description of the "aText" text > substitution software got cut off in the original post. I meant to detail > one of my reasons for preferring the TextExpander interface is that it's > easy to review the list of substituted strings, whereas in "aText" you get > the list of your defined text snippets, but you have to VO-J to the detailed > panel for editing, in order to read the substituted text string. On the > other hand, "aText" sounds like a bargain for what it does at $4.99 -- seven > times less than the TextExpander list price -- especially since it can now > be used for synced Dropbox content, and I think also Google Drive. As I > said, I hope some other list member checks this out in more detail from the > aText web page: > http://www.trankynam.com/atext/ > I also read at the web page that some of the functionality of being able to > do text expansion involving AppleScripts and shell scripts may be limited if > you get the version from the Mac App store instead of the one at the > developer's site. That's because of the restrictions placed on software in > the Mac App store. While the policy limits the ability of malicious > software to take over other software, it also limits the ability of your > software to use certain system-wide actions, or bits of other software. > It's difficult for me to do more than a casual test of the "aText" software > because I already have TextExpander running for most of my text expansion. > > Catherine, I read that the Maltron one-handed keyboards also have a separate > numpad. I don't know how convenient it is for you to use the number pad, > but you could also customized those keys by turning on NumPad Commander in > VoiceOver Utility, if that is a desirable option for you. I'm deleting some > of the earlier messages in this thread, to keep the post from being too > long. > > HTH. Cheers, > > Esther > > > On Apr 15, 2013, at 8:54 PM, Catherine Turner wrote: > >> Hi Esther, >> >> Ah, I have progress. It seems the substitution was being made but >> Voiceover wasn't necessarily reporting it accurately. I discovered >> that if I did the substitution and then went down onto a new line and >> then cursored back up again VO would read it accurately. THis also >> happens with the other (default) substitutions such as the copyright >> sign - if I type left paren c right paren and then cursor left to >> check it VO still reports as left parent c right paren. But if I >> cursor up or down to a different line and then back again VO reports >> the copyright sign. So I guess it takes VO a while to pick up on it >> or I need to refresh/refocus VO somehow to make it realise it has >> changed. Well I can be confident it's working now. I guess I just >> need to make sure that checkbox for allowing substitutes is checked in >> any apps I want to use it in. Thank you very much for your help. And >> yes, by the way, my Windows key is functioning as the Command key. >> >> Catherine >> >> On 4/15/13, Esther <[email protected]> wrote: >>> Hi Catherine and Colin, >>> >>> I thought that Catherine was probably using TextEdit, but the >>> instructions I >>> gave her should have worked for Mail (and notes in Mail), too. >>> Catherine, >>> when you type in your first string, just type the semi-colon and the a, >>> and >>> then press tab. Then, in the next field, paste in the apostrophe with >>> Command+v and press return. You want your string to end with a >>> character, >>> and you want your substituted text to also end with a character. If >>> you're >>> typing a space after the semi-colon and the a in the table, that might >>> be >>> the problem. >>> >>> If your Mac is accepting letters and key combinations from your Maltron >>> keyboard, then you should be able to do the character substitution. Can >>> you >>> check whether you can use the Windows key of your Maltron keyboard as a >>> Command key so that you can copy with Command+c and paste with >>> Command+v? >>> That's usually what works with PC keyboards that have a Windows key. >>> >>> If I type a note with ";a" (where I omit the quotation marks, and where >>> I've >>> changed the substitution characters to match the ones you've used), as >>> soon >>> as I press the spacebar after typing the "a", the string turns into an >>> apostrophe for me. This should work for you, too. >>> >>> By the way, is it easier for you to repeat using the arrow keys to move >>> to >>> the "Add" button, or would you prefer to use item chooser menu >>> (Control+Option+i) and type "a d" to move to the "Add" button? >>> >>> HTH. Cheers, >>> >>> Esther >>> >>> >>> >>> On Apr 14, 2013, at 10:13 PM, Red.Falcon wrote: >>> >>>> Hi sorry I've got nothing about the coding but you said you did not >>>> have >>>> textedit! >>>> But if your using a MBA MBP textedit is already on there to use! >>>> >>>> On 15 Apr 2013, at 08:31, Catherine Turner >>>> <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Hi Esther, >>>>> >>>>> Thanks for these instructions. I haven't been able to get the text >>>>> substitution to work though. This is most likely something I've done >>>>> wrong but I can't figure out what. >>>>> >>>>> I haven't got Textedit at the moment but I was trying it out with >>>>> Notes. In notes if I go to edit, Substitutions, Show Substitutions, >>>>> the checkbox "Text replacement" s checked, and I press the Text >>>>> Preferences button. In the ensuing preferences the "use symbol and >>>>> text substitution" checkbox is selected. I pressed the add button and >>>>> used the string ;a that's semicolon a space. I've tried other strings >>>>> too ad can't get any of them to work. When I interact with the table >>>>> of substitutions now at the bottom is the one I've added and the >>>>> checkbox on the left of it is checked. I've gone in and out of the >>>>> preferences a few times and it's still there so I guess it's saved. >>>>> But it doesn't appear in notes when I type it. I tried out some of >>>>> the other substitutions from that table like left paren c right paren >>>>> for copyright symbol and it works. I can only think that there's some >>>>> small thing I haven't noticed but not sure what. Let me know if you >>>>> get any ideas. I'll see if I can go to a Mac store though it's a bit >>>>> awkward because they're quite noisy and don't know if there'd be a >>>>> space I could set my stuff up with a desk I could get under (I'm in a >>>>> wheelchair). Anyway at least I have the unicode entry working now... >>>>> >>>>> Thanks, >>>>> Catherine >>>>> >>>>> On 4/14/13, Esther <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>>> Hi Catherine, >>>>>> >>>>>> If you simply need to type an apostrophe, then the quickest way to >>>>>> enable >>>>>> you to do that is to use your Mac's facility for keyboard >>>>>> substitution. >>>>>> This will let you continue to use your Maltron keyboard, but give you >>>>>> access >>>>>> to the apostrophe character when you type some other string. Here's >>>>>> how >>>>>> to >>>>>> do this. I'm going to set up a shortcut so that the 2-letter >>>>>> combination >>>>>> ";l" when typed together, with no space between the semi-colon and >>>>>> the >>>>>> "l", >>>>>> will be substituted with an apostrophe character. So the >>>>>> substitution >>>>>> will >>>>>> use the two character groups: >>>>>> ;l ' >>>>>> (that's semi-colon+l, a space separator, and the apostrophe >>>>>> character, >>>>>> so >>>>>> you can copy and paste). You should choose a convenient key or key >>>>>> combination that is easy for you to type on your Maltron keyboard in >>>>>> place >>>>>> of the semi-colon+l that I use in my example. Those two keys are next >>>>>> to >>>>>> each other on the Mac keyboard, and it's unlikely that you'll type a >>>>>> semi-colon+another letter without an intervening space in regular >>>>>> usage. >>>>>> >>>>>> I think the following instructions will minimize the number of >>>>>> keystrokes, >>>>>> but you'll have to use sticky keys. I'll assume that you have the >>>>>> TextEdit >>>>>> application open. Before you start the steps below, use Command+C to >>>>>> copy >>>>>> the apostrophe character to your clipboard so you are ready to paste >>>>>> it >>>>>> in. >>>>>> Here is the apostrophe character again on a line by itself: >>>>>> ' >>>>>> 1. Control+F2 to move to the menu bar >>>>>> 2. Press "e" to move to the "Edit" menu >>>>>> 3. Down arrow into the "Edit" menu >>>>>> 4. Press "s u" to move to "Substitutions" >>>>>> 5. Right arrow to the "Show Substitutions" submenu option, then press >>>>>> "return" >>>>>> 6. In the "Substitutions" window, right arrow through, and make sure >>>>>> that >>>>>> the "Text Replacement" box is checked. Continue to right arrow to the >>>>>> "Text >>>>>> Preferences" button and press it (with your up+down arrow keys if >>>>>> QuickNav >>>>>> is on, or with VO-Space). If your keyboard is set up so that you can >>>>>> use >>>>>> NumPad commander and this is turned on, I think you can also press >>>>>> the >>>>>> "5" >>>>>> key. >>>>>> 7. You'll be on the "Text" pane of the "Language & Text" preferences. >>>>>> Right >>>>>> arrow in the pane. The first entry in the pane should be a check box >>>>>> for >>>>>> "Use symbol and text substitution" that should be checked by default. >>>>>> If >>>>>> it >>>>>> isn't already checked, check this box. Then continue to right arrow >>>>>> to >>>>>> the >>>>>> "Add button" >>>>>> 8. Press the "Add" button to append an entry to the "Substitutions" >>>>>> table >>>>>> 9. Type the letters you want to use for substituting >>>>>> (e.g.,semi-colon+l, >>>>>> in >>>>>> the above example) >>>>>> 10. Press tab, then type or paste the character you want substituted. >>>>>> Here >>>>>> is where you can press Command+v to paste in the apostrophe symbol. >>>>>> Then >>>>>> press "return" >>>>>> 11. Press Command+w to close the "Text Preferences" window >>>>>> 12. Press Command+w to close the "Substitutions" window >>>>>> >>>>>> You should now be able to type the letter combination you selected, >>>>>> and >>>>>> have >>>>>> it replaced with an apostrophe. You'll have to type your letter >>>>>> combination >>>>>> and then press space for the substitution to be made. This means >>>>>> that >>>>>> you'll have to press the left arrow key or the delete key to move >>>>>> back. >>>>>> >>>>>> HTH. Cheers, >>>>>> >>>>>> Esther > <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> > > To reply to this post, please address your message to > [email protected] > > You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at > either the list's own dedicated web archive: > <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/mac-access/index.html> > or at the public Mail Archive: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/>. > Subscribe to the list's RSS feed from: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> > > As the Mac Access Dot Net administrators, we do our very best to ensure that > the Mac-Access E-Mal list remains malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and > worm-free. However, this should in no way replace your own security > strategy. We assume neither liability nor responsibility should something > unpredictable happen. > > Please remember to update your membership preferences periodically by > visiting the list website at: > <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mac-access/options/> > > -- Twitter: CTurner1980 My blog: http://catherineturner.wordpress.com <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> To reply to this post, please address your message to [email protected] You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at either the list's own dedicated web archive: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/mac-access/index.html> or at the public Mail Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/>. Subscribe to the list's RSS feed from: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> As the Mac Access Dot Net administrators, we do our very best to ensure that the Mac-Access E-Mal list remains malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free. However, this should in no way replace your own security strategy. We assume neither liability nor responsibility should something unpredictable happen. Please remember to update your membership preferences periodically by visiting the list website at: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mac-access/options/>
