2.7 Adding, Changing, and Removing Keystrokes

After you locate the desired script, you can use the Action menu to Add, Change, or Remove the keystroke assigned to this script. Freedom Scientific does not recommend changing keystroke assignments within key map files provided with JAWS. You should give careful consideration to the keystroke assignment before you change the keystroke. You should try to add a new keystroke instead of changing an existing keystroke assignment. You can add a new keystroke from the Action menu. When you add a keystroke, the Keyboard Manager does not replace the existing keystroke assignment. Rather, the Keyboard Manager creates an additional keystroke assignment for the same script. If more than one keystroke is assigned to a script, the script is listed once for each keystroke in the key map file.

When you delete a keystroke assignment from the key map file, the Keyboard Manager does not delete the associated script from the corresponding script file. Only the keystroke assignment is deleted.

Adding Keystrokes

You can add a keystroke to the key map file in one of two ways. You can choose Add Keystroke… from the Action menu or press CTRL+A to display the add Keystroke dialog.

When the Keyboard Manager displays the Add Keystroke dialog, the Assign To edit box is active. This edit box behaves exactly as the edit box used in the Find Keystroke dialog. Press the desired keystroke and the Keyboard Manager interprets this as the new keystroke you want to add. If you press a keystroke that is already in use, the Keyboard Manager displays a warning dialog box advising you that the keystroke is already in use. The warning dialog box also displays the key map file in which the keystroke is assigned. At this point, you should choose cancel and try another keystroke.

After you have pressed the new keystroke, press TAB to move to the assign Key To checkbox. The Keyboard Manager determines the label for this checkbox based on the keyboard layout you are using. This check box is checked by default. If you leave this checkbox checked, then the keystroke assignment is active for the current keyboard layout only. If you want to allow the keystroke assignment to be used within all keyboard layouts, then it is best to press SPACEBAR to clear this checkbox.

For example, when you are using the desktop keyboard layout the Keyboard Manager displays the label of Assign Key to DESKTOP Keys only. When you leave this checkbox checked, the keystroke is only available when the desktop keyboard layout is in use. When you assign a keystroke to a script using a keystroke combination that uses a key from the number pad, then the new keystroke is only available when the desktop keyboard layout is in use. Laptops typically do not have number pads. If you change to the laptop keyboard layout, the keystroke is no longer available. When you clear this checkbox, then the keystroke assignment is available in all keyboard layouts.

This checkbox determines what is displayed in the Key Map Section column of information shown in the right hand pane of the Keyboard Manager.

After you have determined the keyboard layout for which the keystroke will be available, press TAB to move to the Ok button. When you press SPACEBAR to activate the button, the Keyboard Manager displays the Confirm Add Keystroke dialog. When you press SPACEBAR to activate the Yes button, the Keyboard Manager adds your keystroke to the key map file. After the Keyboard Manager adds the keystroke information to the current key map file, the right hand pane of the manager is active.

Note: After you have added a keystroke, you do not need to save the current key map file. The Keyboard Manager saves the file after the new keystroke is written to the key map file.

Changing Keystrokes

As stated previously, you should use care when changing existing keystrokes. The only exception to the rule of changing keystroke assignments involves scripts that you have written. In this case, your scripts are not provided with JAWS and changing the assigned keystroke has no impact on the operation of JAWS.

To change a keystroke assignment, first locate the desired script. You can then choose Change Keystroke… from the Action menu or press CTRL+H to display the Change Keystroke dialog. Like the add Keystroke dialog discussed above, the Assign To edit box is active when the Keyboard Manager displays the change Keystroke dialog. Like the Assign To edit field in the Find Keystroke and Add Keystroke dialogs, this edit box accepts any keystroke you press. So do not try to use the say line command, or INSERT+UP ARROW, to reread the contents of this field. JAWS interprets any keystroke you press as the keystroke you want to add. When you press a keystroke that is already assigned, the Keyboard Manager displays the Keystroke in the Use dialog. You can choose to add the keystroke anyway, or press SPACEBAR to activate the Cancel button and clear the dialog.

After you have pressed the desired keystroke, press TAB to move to the Assign Key To checkbox. Again, the Keyboard Manager determines the label for this checkbox based on the keyboard layout currently in use. If you leave this checkbox checked, then the keystroke assignment is active for the current keyboard layout only. If you want to allow the keystroke assignment to be used within all keyboard layouts, then it is best to uncheck this checkbox.

When you press TAB from the Assign Key To checkbox, the OK button becomes active. You can activate this button with SPACEBAR. The Keyboard Manager displays the Confirm Change Keystroke dialog. The default button in this dialog is the Yes button. Press SPACEBAR to activate the button and confirm the keystroke change.

Removing Keystrokes

If you have previously added a new keystroke to a key map file, you can remove that keystroke as well. To remove a keystroke, select the keystroke and choose the Remove Keystroke option from the Action menu or press DELETE.

When you initiate the remove keystroke action, the Keyboard Manager displays the Confirm Remove Keystroke dialog. The default button in this dialog is the Yes button. If you want to remove the keystroke, press SPACEBAR to activate the Yes button, and confirm the removal of the keystroke.

Important: You only remove the keystroke assignment from the key map file, not the attached script.

If you are removing a keystroke assignment you have added previously, then the entire entry is removed from the key map file. If the keystroke assignment you are removing is an existing keystroke assignment that came with JAWS, then you will see the word "none" placed in the keystroke column in the right hand pane of the Keyboard Manager.

 

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