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)