NAME¶
orca - is a scriptable screen reader
SYNOPSIS¶
orca [
option...]
DESCRIPTION¶
orca is a screen reader for people with visual impairments, it provides
alternative access to the desktop by using speech synthesis and braille.
In addition,
orca only provides access to applications/toolkits that
support the assistive technology service provide interface (AT-SPI), which
include GTK, Mozilla, Firefox, Evolution, OpenOffice, StarOffice, Java/Swing,
etc.
WARNING: suspending
orca, e.g. by pressing Control-Z, from an AT-SPI
enabled shell (such as gnome-terminal), can also suspend the desktop until
Orca is killed.
OPTIONS¶
- -s, --setup, --gui-setup
- When starting orca, bring up the GUI configuration
dialog.
- -t, --text-setup
- When starting orca, initiate the text-based
configuration.
- -n, --no-setup
- When starting orca, force the application to be
started without configuration, even though it might have needed it. This
is useful when starting orca via something like gdm.
- -u, --user-prefs-dir=dirname
- When starting orca, use dirname as an
alternate directory for the user preferences.
- -e,
--enable=speech|braille|braille-monitor|main-window
- When starting orca, force the enabling of the
supplied options.
- -d,
--disable=speech|braille|braille-monitor|main-window
- When starting orca, force the disabling of the
supplied options.
- -l, --list-apps
- Prints the names of all the currently running applications.
This is used primarily for debugging purposes to see if orca can
talk to the accessibility infrastructure. Note that if orca is
already running, this will not kill the other orca process. It will
just list the currently running applications, and you will see orca
listed twice: once for the existing orca and once for this
instance.
- --debug
- Enables debug output for orca and sends all debug
output to a file with a name of the form 'debug-YYYY-MM-DD-HH:MM:SS.out'
in the current directory. The YYYY-MM-DD-HH:MM:SS portion will be replaced
with the current date and time.
- --debug-file=filename
- Enables debug output for orca and sends all debug
output to the given filename.
- -v, --version
- outputs orca version number and exits.
- -?, -h, --help
- displays orca help and exits.
- --replace
- Replace a currently running orca process. By
default, if orca detects an existing orca process for the
same session, it will not start a new orca process. This option
will kill and cleanup after any existing orca process and then
start a new orca in its place.
- -q, --quit
- Kill and cleanup after any existing Orca process.
KEYBOARD SETTINGS¶
Orca provides two keyboard modes, Desktop and Laptop keyboard layout. The
Orca_Modifier key is
Insert in desktop keyboard layout and
Caps_Lock in laptop keyboard layout.
Orca uses default GNOME keyboard shortcuts to navigate the desktop and
interact with various applications. The flat review commands provide an
alternative method of interaction in certain inaccessible applications. It
should not be confused with flat review functionality provided by other screen
readers.
Desktop Mode¶
Flat review commands
Numpad-7 move the flat review cursor to the previous line and read it.
Numpad-8 read the current line.
Numpad-9 move the flat review cursor to the next line and read it.
Numpad-4 move the flat review cursor to the previous word and read it.
Numpad-5 read the current word.
Numpad-6 move the flat review cursor to the next word and read it.
Numpad-1 move the flat review cursor to the previous character and read
it.
Numpad-2 read the current character.
Numpad-3 move the flat review cursor to the next character and read it.
Numpad-slash perform a left mouse click at the location of the flat
review cursor.
Numpad-star perform a right mouse click at the location of the flat
review cursor.
Bookmark commands
Alt+Insert+[1-6] assign a bookmark to a numbered slot. If a bookmark
already exists in the slot it will be replaced with the new one.
Insert+[1-6] go to the position pointed to by the bookmark bound to this
numbered slot.
Alt+Shift+[1-6]
'Where am I' information for this bookmark relative to the current pointer
location.
Insert+B and Insert+Shift+B move between the given bookmarks for the
given application or page.
Alt+Insert+B save the defined bookmarks for the current application or
page.
Miscellaneous functions
Numpad+Plus
'say all' command; reads from the current position of the caret to the end of
the document.
Numpad+Enter
'Where am I' command; speaks information such as the title of the current
application window, as well as the name of the control that currently has
focus.
Insert+H enter into orca's 'learn mode'; press Escape to exit.
Insert+Shift+Backslash toggle live regions monitoring on and off.
Insert+F speak font and attribute information for the current character.
Insert+Space Launch the orca Configuration dialog.
Insert+Ctrl+Space reload user settings and reinitialize services as
necessary. Also launches the orca Configuration dialog for the current
application.
Insert+S toggle speech on and off.
Insert+F11 toggle the reading of tables, either by single cell or whole
row.
Insert+Q quit orca.
Debugging
Ctrl+Alt+Insert+Home report information on the currently active script.
Ctrl+Alt+Insert+End print a debug listing of all known applications to
the console where orca is running.
Ctrl+Alt+Insert+Page_Up print debug information about the ancestry of the
object with focus.
Ctrl+Alt+Insert+Page_Down print debug information about the hierarchy of
the application with focus.
Laptop Mode¶
Flat review commands
Caps_Lock+U move the flat review cursor to the previous line and read it.
Double-click to move flat review to the top of the current window.
Caps_Lock+I read the current line. Double-click to read the current line
along with formatting and capitalization details.
Caps_Lock+O move the flat review cursor to the next line and read it.
Double- click to move flat review to the bottom of the current window.
Caps_Lock+J move the flat review cursor to the previous word and read it.
Double-click to move flat review to the word above the current word.
Caps_Lock+K read the current word. Double-click to spell the word.
Triple-click to hear the word spelled phonetically.
Caps_Lock+L move the flat review cursor to the next word and read it.
Double- click to move flat review to the word below the current word.
Caps_Lock+M move the flat review cursor to the previous character and
read it. Double-click to move flat review to the end of the current line.
Caps_Lock+Comma read the current character. Double-click to pronounce the
character phonetically if it is a letter.
Caps_Lock+Period move the flat review cursor to the next character and
read it.
Caps_Lock+7 perform a left mouse click at the location of the flat review
cursor.
Caps_Lock+8 perform a right mouse click at the location of the flat
review cursor.
Caps_Lock+8 perform a right mouse click at the location of the flat
review cursor.
Bookmark commands
Alt+Caps_Lock+[1-6]
add a bookmark to the numbered slot. If a bookmark already exists for the slot
it will be replaced with the new one.
Caps_Lock+[1-6] go to the position pointed to by the bookmark bound to
this numbered slot.
Alt+Shift+[1-6]
'Where am I' information for this bookmark relative to the current pointer
location.
Caps_Lock+Band Caps_Lock+Shift+B move between the given bookmarks for the
given application or page.
Alt+Caps_Lock+B save the defined bookmarks for the current application or
page.
Miscellaneous functions
Caps_Lock+Semicolon
'Say all' command; reads from the current position of the caret to the end of
the document.
Caps_Lock+Enter
'Where am I' command; speaks information such as the title of the current
application window, as well as the name of the control that currently has
focus.
Caps_Lock+H enter learn mode (press Escape to exit).
Caps_Lock+Shift+Backslash toggle live regions monitoring on and off.
Caps_Lock+F speak font and attribute information for the current
character.
Caps_Lock+Space launch the orca Configuration dialog.
Caps_Lock+Ctrl+Space reload user settings and reinitialize services as
necessary; also launches the orca Configuration dialog for the current
application.
Caps_Lock+S toggle speech on and off.
Caps_Lock+F11 toggle the reading of tables, either by single cell or
whole row.
Caps_Lock+Q quit orca.
Debugging
Caps_Lock+Alt+Ctrl+Home report information on the currently active
script.
Caps_Lock+Alt+Ctrl+End prints a debug listing of all known applications
to the console where orca is running.
Caps_Lock+Alt+Ctrl+Page_Up prints debug information about the ancestry of
the object with focus.
Caps_Lock+Alt+Ctrl+Page_Down prints debug information about the object
hierarchy of the application with focus.
FILES¶
- ~/.orca
- Orca user preferences directory
- ~/.orca/user-settings.py
- Orca user preferences configuration file.
- ~/.orca/orca-customizations.py
- Orca user customizations configuration file
- ~/.orca/orca-scripts
- Orca user orca scripts directory
- ~/.orca/bookmarks
- Orca user bookmarks directory
- ~/.orca/app-settings
- Orca user application specific settings directory
AUTHOR¶
Orca originated as a community effort led by the Sun Microsystems Inc.
Accessibility Program Office and with contributions from many community
members.
SEE ALSO¶
For more information please visit
orca wiki at
<http://live.gnome.org/Orca>
The
orca mailing list
<http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/orca-list>
To post a message to all
orca list, send a email to
orca-list@gnome.org