13.2 Reassigning Window Classes

There is a standard list of window classes used by most programmers during the development of Windows based applications. The JAWS default scripts contain the necessary logic to allow proper speaking of these standard classes. However, application programmers do not always use standard window classes during application development. Many times, a programmer creates custom window classes that are non-standard. JAWS is unable to recognize the custom class and speak the window correctly.

You use JAWS to equate the unknown class to a standard class to allow JAWS to process the window correctly. This process is called reassigning the window class. Once you have reassigned a custom window class, JAWS is able to identify the window and speak it correctly. During window reassignment, you may need to try more than one class to determine what standard class works best.

To reassign a window class, you can use the JAWS, invisible or PC cursor to locate the window. To reassign a window class, do the following:

1. Move the JAWS, invisible or PC cursor to the window with the non-standard class.
2. Press INSERT+F2 to activate the Run JAWS Manager dialog.
3. Press W to move to the Window Class Reassign list box item followed by ENTER.
4. The Window Classes dialog opens with the New Class edit box being the active control. The non-standard window class is shown in this edit box.
5. Press TAB to move to the Assign To list box. This list box contains all of the standard window classes JAWS recognizes.
6. Use your arrow keys to move through the list. Select the window class you think best suits the non-standard window class.
7. Press TAB to move to the Add Class button and press SPACEBAR. You can also press ENTER from the Assign To list box to activate the Add Class button.
8. Press SPACEBAR to activate the Ok button to close the dialog. Focus returns to your application.