NAME¶
screader - Screen reader using a software Text-To-Speech package or a hardware
speech synthesizer.
SYNOPSIS¶
screader [`screen' options]
DESCRIPTION¶
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.
SCREADER KEYS¶
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.
SCREEN_DEVICE¶
Screader reads its information from a device /dev/vcsa. Kernels 1.1.92 or
later provide this device.
PUNCTUATION SCRIPT¶
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.
FESTIVAL CLIENT¶
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.
BUGS¶
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.
FILES¶
- /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.
SEE ALSO¶
screen(1L),
vcs(4),
festival(1)
AUTHOR¶
Jos Lemmens (jlemmens@inter.nl.net)