Voice of Vision
Volume 3 Number 4 -- October 1995

Welcome to Voice of Vision, GW Micro's quarterly newsletter.  VV
is available in several formats; subscription information can be
found at the end of the magazine.

This issue announces the release of GW Micro's long-awaited
Windows screen reader, Window-Eyes!  See the second article,
"Announcing Window-Eyes" for a short description of features. 
Keith Reedy of Evansville, Indiana has contributed a short review
of the ONLINE BIBLE and how it works with speech.  Michael Lawler
of GW Micro's product support staff tells us how to have
Vocal-Eyes use different voices for different documents in
WordPerfect, and Dan Weirich, our electrical engineer, talks
about recycling batteries.  Crista Earl, also of our product
support staff, introduces a few basic Windows concepts to help
Windows newcomers get going.  

THE ONLINE BIBLE SPEAKS
by Keith Reedy

I suppose that there are many good Bible study programs on the
market, but my favorite is THE ONLINE BIBLE.

I attended a workshop not long ago on computers and the ministry. 
During this workshop probably every major Bible study program on
the market was reviewed.  I believe that THE ONLINE BIBLE came
out number one.  THE ONLINE BIBLE actually has more features and
costs less. 

THE ONLINE BIBLE includes Greek and Hebrew lexicons, a dictionary
for reference, Thompson chain reference notes, topic notes on
many Bible related subjects, the complete Strong's concordance
and it is usable with several Bible versions.

Almost every kind of search is possible.  Using the verse at the
top of the screen, you can look at context, cross reference, and
much more. 

The manual is on disk and talks well.  The menus are
straightforward and are easy to get around in.

It is a shareware program maintained, packaged and shipped for a
small fee by ONLINE BIBLE INC.  These folks are really serious
about maintaining the integrity of God's Word.

One of the most important factors to me in a Bible study program
is that it be speech-friendly.  THE ONLINE BIBLE is certainly
that.  With the .SET files that we have provided to GW Micro,
available on their bulletin board, [219-484-0210] it talks very
well.

These .SET files were created with VOCAL-EYES 3.0 and will work
with  ONLINE BIBLE versions 6.12 and 6.13, but will not work well
with earlier versions.

If you are using auto loading on, which is the VOCAL-EYES
default, these .SET files should load automatically. Remember,
you must use ONLINE BIBLE'S default settings for these .SET files
to work properly.  I do not have a CD-ROM, but I am told that
these .SET files should also work well with THE ONLINE BIBLE
CD-ROM package.  The complete ONLINE BIBLE system is included on
the ONLINE BIBLE CD package.

There are many other study packages available from ONLINE BIBLE,
INC, which include: several Bible translations, a concordance,
cross reference material, commentaries,  and lexicons for both
Greek and Hebrew.

I suggest that you give ONLINE BIBLE, INC. a call at
1-800-243-7124.

I don't know about you, but the thought of all of this
Bible-related material available to me for the first time in my
life is really exciting!  What a way to grow!

Keith Reedy, Director
BIBLES FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY HANDICAPPED INTERNATIONAL

____________________
Announcing Window-Eyes
by Crista Earl

Yes, it's true, Window-Eyes 1.0 is shipping!  GW Micro's screen
reader for Microsoft Windows 3.1 and Windows for Work Groups
(3.11) started to ship in mid-October.  If you've ordered
Window-Eyes and have not yet received it, stand by; there are
probably hundreds of people ahead of you.  We're shipping as fast
as we can and many, many packages have been shipped already. 
Yours should arrive soon.

What does the package include?  An easy-to-understand DOS-based
installation process modeled after the Vocal-Eyes 3.0 install
program, a new manual on disk, in print, and on audio cassette,
an audio cassette tutorial featuring  basic Windows techniques
and first-day Window-Eyes concepts, and, of course, our powerful
new software.

If you're already a Vocal-Eyes user, you'll find Window-Eyes to
be easy to use right out of the box.  It has a control panel
similar to the VE control panel, separate voices for activities,
hot key and cursoring key menus for specifying which keys should
perform what task, and  a menu of more advanced features.  You'll
find you can also define windows as areas of the screen so that a
hot key or a hyperactive window can read information such as a
status line or file name on demand or automatically.  There is
even a section in the manual for Vocal-Eyes users to help cut
down on learning time.

Many of Vocal-Eyes' most popular features can be found in
Window-Eyes, too.  Format alert and capitalization alert are both
here, along with hyperactive windows and float windows for
find-tuning automatic speech.  The familiar dictionaries for
adjusting the speaking of words, characters, and keys are here,
too.

But, Window-Eyes does a lot of things Vocal-Eyes doesn't do. 
Windows provides us with at least one big advantage over DOS: 
Window-Eyes can find out what is happening on the screen without
looking at the screen.  With Vocal-Eyes, it's often necessary to
have a hyperactive window monitor for something to tell it that a
menu has been pulled down, for example, while Window-Eyes knows
when a menu has been pulled down and knows what to do with it. 
So, Window-Eyes has a "Verbosity" menu where you control how much
automatic speaking you want.  When a menu is pulled down, do you
want to hear the entire menu or only the highlighted item?  When
a dialog box pops up, do you want its contents read?  Do you want
it identified as a dialog box?  Do you want to know when the
mouse pointer has moved into a window?  These and many other
selections can be turned on and off.  As you become familiar with
an application, you'll probably find you'll turn more and more of
these options off.

If you're a little bit familiar with Windows, you probably know
that applications can be displayed anywhere on the screen and
their windows can be moved around and changed in size.  Because
of this, it isn't possible to simply set a user window as a
specific region and rely on the information you want to hear to
always show up in that spot on the screen.  So, Window-Eyes' user
windows are relative to the active window-- when you move your
application to another part of the screen, all the windows you
set up to read the status line, the text, etc. move with it. 
Likewise, if you resize the application's window to take up less
space, Window-Eyes' windows shrink correspondingly.

What about the mouse?  Don't worry, you don't have to use it if
you don't want to.  Window-Eyes has hot keys to substitute for
mouse movement in all four directions and clicking, double
clicking, and toggling of all three buttons.  In addition, you
can use hot keys to move the mouse pointer by word, line,
sentence, paragraph, icon, or clip.  If you do use the mouse,
however, Window-Eyes will read any text or icons the pointer
passes over.

Speaking of icons, Window-Eyes has a dictionary, similar to
Vocal-Eyes' exception dictionary, which allows you to label any
graphic image such as an icon.  Many icons have been labeled for
you, and it is easy to add to the dictionary or to remove or
change existing entries.

There are many, many features in Window-Eyes not described here. 
If you'd like to try the program out, you can download the
demonstration version from our bulletin board (219) 484-0210 or
call us and we can mail it to you.

____________________
NiCad Battery Recycling
by Dan Weirich

Many of our customers use products that utilize rechargeable
NiCad batteries.  Several states have enacted legislation
requiring battery manufactures to have recycling plans on file in
order to sell in that state.  The company that manufactures our
Speak-Out battery pack has forwarded information to us regarding
the recycling of NiCad batteries.  

To accomplish this task several of the large battery
manufacturers formed a non-profit organization called the
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) and we pay
approximately 1% more for the Speak-Out batteries to pay for
their recycling.  The recycling process reclaims the cadmium,
nickel and iron from the batteries and properly disposes of the
plastic cases.  The easiest way to recycle Speak-Out or other
NiCad batteries is through your local Batteries Plus, K-Mart,
Walmart or other retail stores which have an RBRC recycling box
outside the store.  If you do not have such a box in your area
you may send Speak-Out battery packs to us and we will recycle
them for you.

____________________
Using MS Windows to Copy Disks
by Crista Earl

Since most of our readers are only now beginning to become
familiar with Microsoft Windows and its operation, this is a 
good time to introduce the steps to perform a simple but
essential task.  We've chosen one which is not only necessary,
but which Windows does more efficiently than DOS.

If you have two floppy drives of dissimilar type on your
computer, you know how much trouble it can be to copy a disk with
some versions of the DOS DISKCOPY command.  Windows reads all of
the contents of the source disk, then prompts you to switch
disks, then writes the information to the second disk, meaning
that you need only change disks once.

For these steps, we'll assume that you want to copy a disk and
you only have one drive of that size, so you'll need to place
both source and destination disks in the drive (not at the same
time, of course).  

To copy a disk, be sure that your destination disk (the one to
which you'll copy all the information from your original disk) is
of the same type as the original.  That is, make sure they are
both double density or both high density and that they are both
the same size, 3.5- or 5.25-inches.

Once you have the disks ready, go into the File Manager.  One way
to get there is this:

     Go to the Program Manager (if you don't come up in the
Program Manager automatically when you start Windows, just hold
down the ALT key and press TAB until Window-Eyes announces
"Program Manager."  Then let go of the ALT key.).

     Go to the "Main" group.  One way to get there is to press
the ALT key followed by "W" to bring down the Windows menu, then
arrow through the groups until you find Main.  Press ENTER when
you find it.  If you have a lot of groups, you might have to
choose "More" before you can find the Main group.

     When the Main group opens up, it presents you with a number
of icons.  You could arrow around until you found File Manager,
but it would be quicker to press the letter "F."  This brings you
directly to the correct icon.  Press ENTER.

Okay, that's the hard part.  Once in File Manager, you can press
ALT to activate the menu bar.  Press the right arrow and move
over to "Disk" and press ENTER.  If you prefer, press "D."

Pressing "D" or ENTER brings down a menu of disk activities such
as format, label, etc.  The first option is "Copy Disk."  Press
ENTER on this item.

A dialog box appears.  The items presented are:  

     Source in:          (Combo box)
     Destination in:     (Combo box)
     OK                  (Button)
     Cancel              (Button)
     Help                (Button)

Since Windows knows what kind of hardware your system includes,
the source and destination combo boxes list only the floppy
drives you actually have.  For example, if your system has only
one 3.5-inch and one 5.25-inch drive, only A and B will be listed
as choices.  

Use up and down arrows to select the drive you plan on using for
the source.  Press TAB to move to "Destination" and do the same. 
For example, if you plan to put the original disk in drive A: and
copy to another floppy disk also in the A: drive, select "A" for
both source and destination.

Once you have selected the drive or drives, press ENTER or use
the TAB key to move to the "OK" button and then press ENTER.  The
dialog box will disappear and a message box will appear, warning
you that all the data on the destination disk will be lost.  If
you're sure the disk to which you plan to copy is new or is one
which contains no useful information, press ENTER to proceed,
otherwise use TAB to move to the "No" button and press ENTER (you
could use "Y" to proceed or "N" to stop the process, too).

After you've given the go-ahead, another message box pops up
prompting you to insert the source disk in the drive you
specified.  Put your original disk in the drive and, if
necessary, close the door.  Press ENTER to tell File Manager
you're ready.  

File Manager begins to read the data from the source disk.  This
will take anywhere from several seconds to a few minutes,
depending on the speed of the floppy drive and the type of disk.  
Once all the data has been read, File Manager prompts you to
place the  destination disk in the drive.  Remove the original
from the drive and insert the target disk.  Press ENTER to tell
File Manager to continue.

Your drive will whir again as File Manager writes the data to the
new disk.  When the operation is complete, the main File Manager
screen becomes the active window and Window-Eyes reads the title
and the highlighted item.

That's all there is to it.  If both disks were valid and of the
same type, they are now identical.  The whole operation took less
than five minutes, probably less time than it took to read how to
do it.

____________________
Two Different Speech Environments for WordPerfect Documents
by Mike Lawler

Have you ever wanted to have a different voice environment for
each open document within WordPerfect?  Well, Kathy Wheeler told
us at the ACB conference in Greensboro, North Carolina that she'd
like to use two different voices for the two different documents
in WordPerfect, so we decided to write an article on how to do
this.  To accomplish this task you will need to be using
WordPerfect 5.1 or 6.0.  We will describe how to do this only for
the editor screen.

First, we need to make copies of our WP5 or WP6 SET file for each
document.  If you are using WordPerfect 6.0 you can have up to
nine documents open at a time, but for this article we will only
use two open documents.  To copy the above listed set files from
the DOS prompt change to the SPEECH directory with the following
command:

CD\SPEECH

Next, you need to make two copies of WP5.SET or WP6.SET depending
upon which version of WordPerfect you are using.  You would do
this with the following commands for WordPerfect 5.1:

COPY WP5.SET WP5D1.SET
COPY WP5.SET WP5D2.SET

and if You are using WordPerfect 6.0 or 6.1 the commands would
be:

COPY WP6.SET WP6D1.SET
COPY WP6.SET WP6D2.SET

For the rest of this article we will assume that you are using
WordPerfect 6.0.  If you are using version 5.1 substitute a 5 for
the 6 in the example file names.

Now that we have the necessary SET files created we need to add
some hyperactive windows to each set file to have the correct SET
file loaded for each document.  First, in WP6.set we need to find
two free hyperactive windows.  You can use the SHIFT-F8 command
in review to find free hyperactive windows.  If a window is off
and not used by another window, then it is available for use.  I
would set one window up at a time for all of the instructions
listed below.  We will use the SHIFT-F4 command from within
review to set the coordinates of these windows to left 48, top
25, right 68, and bottom 25.  Next set both windows to be
hyperactive with the SHIFT-F7 command in review.  We will set the
first window to trigger on contains string "Doc 1" and the first
command will be load disk set WP6D1.  The second window will be
set to trigger on contains string "Doc 2" and the first command
will be load disk set WP6D2.  Finally, you should save WP6.SET
with these changes.

To complete this task we must set a hyperactive window in
WP6D1.SET and WP6D2.SET.  Load WP6D1.SET and find a free
hyperactive window.  Set this window to the coordinates of left
48, top 25, right 68, and bottom 25.  Next make the window
hyperactive, set the trigger on to does not contain string doc 1,
and set the first command to load WP6.SET.  Finally, load
WP6D2.SET and find a free hyperactive window.  Set the
coordinates of this window to left 48, top 25, right 68, and
bottom 25.  Next make the window hyperactive, set the trigger on
to does not contain string doc 2, and set the first command to
load disk set WP6.  Now you have separate voice environments for
Doc 1 and Doc 2.  To confirm that you have everything working
correctly set something, such as the screen pitch, differently in
WP6D1.SET than the pitch in WP6D2.SET.  Now, use the SHIFT-F3 key
to switch back and forth between documents and you should notice
a different pitch in each document.

If you are using more than two documents in WordPerfect 6.0 you
can make additional SET files and create additional hyperactive
windows to have different voices in these documents as well.  You
could also customize the SET file for each document further.  For
example, you could turn the capitalization alert and format alert
on in the doc 2 SET file and use doc2 as your proof reading
document.  By taking advantage of the flexibility of Vocal-Eyes,
you open yourself to endless possibilities for the types of
customization that you can perform.

____________________
Hints
by Crista Earl

Have you run across a computer or two running Windows 95?  Would
you like to be able to get to DOS where you can run your old,
trusty applications with your old, trusty screen reader?  Here
are the steps to get to DOS and get ready to run Vocal-Eyes or
any other DOS software.

In Windows 95, press Control-Escape to bring up the task list.
Press the letter "U."
Press the letter "M."

If the system is not on a network, you should now be at a DOS
prompt.  Of course, nothing up to this point is talking.  Before
you run Vocal-Eyes, type

MODE BW80

and press ENTER.  Now run Vocal-Eyes as usual.

On many systems, this is not quite enough.  You might find that
the DIR command gives only the last character of each line, for
example.  If this happens and hot keys, hyperactive windows, and
cursoring keys read normally, there is one more small thing to
do.

Edit the CONFIG.SYS file to include the following line:

     switches=/c

Save the file and reboot the system.  

Get to the DOS prompt as described above.

Run Vocal-Eyes as usual.

Now everything should work as usual.

____________________
Do you use email or the internet?  Are you tired of remembering
those long email addresses  and cryptic sequences of locations
for all the good stuff?  Have you ever tried using the Vocal-Eyes
clipboards to cut down on the listening and typing?

Try this next time you have an email address you'd like to send a
message to:

     Go into review and put the review cursor somewhere on the
address. 

     Press "R" for "replace clipboard."  Vocal-Eyes will prompt
for the textual unit.  Press "W" for "word."  Come out of review.

When you get to the point where you would normally type in the
address, press your block write hot key instead.  It's the last
key on the hot key menu, so if you haven't already assigned a key
to it, just pop up the control panel (Control-\), bring down the
hot key menu (number three), and press the up arrow once.  Press
the key you'd like to assign as block write (Alt-W, for example),
and press ESCAPE twice to leave the control panel.  

When you press the block write hot key, Vocal-Eyes sends the
characters in the clipboard buffer just as if you had typed them,
only faster.  Proceed as you normally would after typing in the
mail address.

Some addresses are surrounded by extra symbols such as brackets. 
If this is the case, Vocal-Eyes will see these characters as part
of the word and your mail program will probably not know what to
do with them.  You can still pick up such an address and put it
in the clipboard, though.  Put your review cursor on the first
character you want to include and press "P."  Then move the
review cursor to the last character you want to include and press
"R."  This will place everything between the two marks into the
clipboard.  After that, do everything else the same as above.

There is a lot more you can do with the clipboards.  There are
five of them, so you might find situations where you'd like to
pick up two addresses and a subject line for the next message. 
You might like to "clip" four or five file names to bring into
your word processor or to copy or delete.  

____________________
Window-Eyes users:  would you like to have the voice settings for
all your set files set the same way?  When you received
Window-Eyes, all the set files except one had the "Voice
Settings" option on the general menu set to "Default," meaning
that the rate, pitch, tone, and volume settings are taken from
the main set file, WINEYES.000, not the current set file.  This
is an efficient way to get all your voice settings in all your
set files to agree.

So, all your settings are the same, but what if you don't like
them?  What if the rate is too fast, for example?  To change the
rate in all your set files at once, follow these steps.

Go to a window for which you don't have a set file.  The Program
Manager is a good choice if you haven't done anything for it. 
You can tell whether or not you have a set file by popping up the
Voice Control Panel (Control-\) and listening to the last thing
it says.  If it says "Untitled," that means there is no set file
specifically for that window.  If there is a set file in use, its
name is the last thing mentioned.

While in the Voice Control Panel, open the set file WINEYES.000.

Make the changes in the voice settings.

Save the set file with the same name (Alt-F, S, S).

If you don't want WINEYES.000 associated with this window, you
can close the association, but it isn't necessary.

Now all your set files will use the new settings for rate, pitch,
tone, and volume for the screen, keyboard, and mouse voices. 

Oh, but what if you have one application in which you'd like to
have the rate a little slower?  You don't want to slow down the
rate everywhere just to accommodate one file list in one program. 


To adjust the rate in one set file only, bring up the Voice
Control Panel while you're in that window, go to the general
menu, and set the first option, "Voice Settings" to "Specified." 
This means that the rate, pitch, volume, and tone settings are
specified in this set file, not some other.  Set the rate the way
you like it and save the set file.

____________________
Announcements

Window-Eyes 1.0 is shipping!  If you've already ordered it, it
should arrive soon.  If you still haven't decided whether you'd
like Window-Eyes or not, try the demonstration version.  It's on
our bulletin board or, if you prefer, we can mail you a copy. 
Our BBS number is (219) 484-0210 and our voice number is (219)
483-3625.  

If you'd like to order Window-Eyes, you can use American Express,
Discover, MasterCard, or Visa and call us at (219) 483-3625.  If
you'd like to mail a check, send it to the address at the end of
the newsletter.

Prices:  If you're a registered user of Vocal-Eyes, the special
price of $250.00 for Window-Eyes 1.0 still extends through the
month of November.  If you order by mail, be sure to include your
Vocal-Eyes serial number or make sure your Vocal-Eyes is
registered so you get the special price.  If you're not a
registered Vocal-Eyes user, or if you wait until after November
to order, Window-Eyes is $495.00.

____________________
Vocal-Eyes users:  many set files have been added to the
collection on the GW Micro BBS over the last few months.  Rather
than list new and updated files here, we're presenting a complete
list of the Vocal-Eyes set files available now.  This list is
continually being updated, so if you're looking for something in
particular, please check the board occasionally.  Likewise, if
you have set files you've created and you feel someone else might
benefit from them, feel free to upload them to the board.

Many of the set files listed below are not polished, completed
environments, but works in progress.  If they don't exactly meet
your needs, you can modify them to suit you or check the board
from time to time for updates.

Academic Software Resume Program
American Heritage Dictionary 
BiblioFile, The Library Corporation's Public Access Catalog 
BookManager 
Calcworthy
Calendar Creator Plus 5.0 
CC-MAIL
CD Bible Library from Ellis Software 
CD-ROM phone directory
CLSIlib Library card catalog system
dBASE 3 
Delphi front-end reader dlite 
DOS EDIT 
DOS Lynx 
Enable 4.5
First  Choice 
FoxPro 2.5 
Gopher internet server
Groliers Encyclopedia 
HandyWorks 
LetterPerfect 
Lexis 2.7 
Lotus 1-2-3
Lynx 
Managing Your Money 
Manifest 
MegaDots
Memory Commander 
Microsoft Word 6.0
Microsoft Works 3.0 
Multi/Point TR10 version 3.0 Cash Register 
Noteworthy
NUPOP 
Online Bible version 6.13 
Oscar 
Paradox 4.0 and 4.5 
Passpak from Exam Co. 
PC Bible 3.0 
PC Typer and PC Typer Demo from APH
PINE mail reader
Premise 
Procomm Plus 
Professional File
Professional Write 
QBASIC 
Qmodem
QuattroPro 
QuickBooks 2.0
Quicken 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0 
Random House Electronic Dictionary 
RapidFax 
Sequencer Plus Gold 
Tapcis 
Telix 
The Word Processor Bible program
WestLaw 
Word-Talk
WordPerfect 5.1
WordPerfect 6.0 and 6.1
WordPerfect Works 
Xtree Gold 

Subscription Information

Voice of Vision is published four times a year in large print, on
audio cassette, on 5.25- or 3.5-inch PC diskette, and in Braille. 
You can receive a subscription for $10.00 for each format.  VV is
also available on GW Micro's bulletin board at no charge. 
Payment can be made by check, MasterCard, Visa, American Express,
or Discover.  Send checks and format specifications to the
address below.

We seek reader input.  If we use an article you've submitted,
you'll receive a year's subscription at no charge.  

Please send articles on IBM compatible diskette or in print to:

     GW Micro, Inc.
     310 Racquet Dr.
     Fort Wayne, IN  46825

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at:
Voice: (219) 483-3625
Fax: (219) 482-2492
BBS: (219) 484-0210
Internet: crista@gwmicro.com
