2.9 Chapter Exercises

The following exercises give you practice in using many of the functions of the Keyboard Manager. The objective of the exercise is listed first.

Exercise 2.1: Finding a Keystroke

The objective of this exercise is to find a specific keystroke within the default key map file and view the corresponding script documentation.

  1. Press INSERT+F2 to display the Run JAWS Managers dialog.
  2. Type K to select the Keyboard Manager option followed by ENTER. This action starts the Keyboard Manager.
  3. Press INSERT+UP ARROW to read the current line. This is the current key map file. Did the selected key map file match the active application?
  4. Press CTRL+SHIFT+D to select the default key map file. The contents of the file are shown in the right hand pane of the Keyboard Manager.
  5. Press TAB to move to the right hand pane of the manager. How many items does JAWS tell you are contained in the list?
  6. Press CTRL+F to activate the Find Keystroke dialog.
  7. Press INSERT+F12. JAWS speaks the keystroke after you press it as JAWS KEY+F12. The keystroke is also shown in the Search for Key edit box.
  8. Press ENTER to begin the search. Did JAWS find the keystroke? Did JAWS read the script name, keystroke, key map file name and section? If you did not hear this information, press INSERT+UP ARROW to read the current line and repeat the information.
  9. Press CTRL+D to activate and display the Script Information dialog. Press TAB and SHIFT+TAB to move to and read the edit boxes contained in the dialog.
  10. Press ESCAPE to close the dialog after you have reviewed the script information.

Exercise 2.2: Adding a Keystroke

The objective of this exercise is to locate a specific keystroke in the default key map file and add a second keystroke to the script attached to that keystroke. If you already have the Keyboard Manager running, you can move to it by pressing ALT+TAB. If the Keyboard Manager is not running, then follow steps 1 through 3 in exercise 2.1 to start the Keyboard Manager and open the default key map file.

  1. Press CTRL+F to activate the Find Keystroke dialog.
  2. Press INSERT+F11. This is the keystroke for which we want to search. JAWS echoes the keystroke as you press it and JAWS KEY+F111 is placed in the Search for Key edit box.
  3. Press ENTER to begin the search. When JAWS finds the keystroke, the information is selected and spoken automatically by JAWS.

Note: If the keystroke was not found, then the Keystroke Not Found dialog is displayed.

  1. Press CTRL+A to activate the Add Keystroke dialog. The Assign To edit box is active.
  2. Press CTRL+F11. JAWS echoes the keystroke and CTRL+F11 is placed in the Assign To edit box.
  3. Press TAB to move to the Assign To X Keys Only check box where X represents the keyboard layout in use. If you are using the desktop layout then this is the Assign Key To Desktop Keys Only checkbox.
  4. Press SPACEBAR to uncheck the Assign Keys to X check box.
  5. Press ENTER to activate the Ok button in the Add Keystroke dialog. Since the default button is the Ok button, the dialog is closed. Next, the Confirm Add Keystroke dialog is displayed.
  6. Press SPACEBAR to activate the Yes button. The Confirm Add Keystroke dialog is closed and you are returned to the Keyboard Manager.
  7. Press INSERT+UP ARROW to read the current line. Did you hear the original keystroke information for INSERT+F11 spoken by JAWS?
  8. Press DOWN ARROW to move to the next entry in the list. Did you hear the new keystroke echoed by JAWS? If you want to repeat the information, press INSERT+UP ARROW to read the current line.

After you have completed the steps above, be sure to test both new and old keystrokes. Do they both work?

Exercise 2.3: Changing an Existing Keystroke

The objective of this exercise is to locate the keystroke we just added in the previous exercise and change it. You should still have the Keyboard Manager running with the default key map file open. If you closed the Keyboard Manager, follow steps 1 through 3 from exercise 2.1 to activate the Keyboard Manager and open the default key map file.

  1. Press CTRL+F to activate the Find Keystroke dialog. The focus is in the Search for Key edit box.
  2. Press CTRL+F11. This is the keystroke for which the search is carried out. JAWS speaks the keystroke and CTRL+F11 is displayed in the Search for Key edit box.
  3. Press ENTER to activate the Ok button. The find keystroke action is performed. When the keystroke is found, the keystroke information is spoken automatically by JAWS.
  4. Press CTRL+H to activate the Change Keystroke dialog. The Assign To edit box is active in this dialog.
  5. Press SHIFT+F11. This is the new keystroke. JAWS echoes the keystroke and SHIFT+F11 is placed in the assign To edit box.
  6. Press TAB to move to the Assign to X Keys Only check box, where X represents the keyboard layout in use. . If you are using the desktop layout, then this check box is labeled as Assign to Desktop Keys Only.
  7. Press SPACEBAR to uncheck the Assign to Desktop Keys Only checkbox.
  8. Press ENTER to activate the Ok button. The Change Keystroke dialog closes. The Confirm Change Keystroke dialog box is then displayed and the Yes button is active.
  9. Press SPACEBAR to activate the Yes button. The Confirm Change Keystroke dialog closes and you are returned to the Keyboard Manager.
  10. Press INSERT+UP ARROW to read the current line. What keystroke information was spoken by JAWS?
  11. Since the current keystroke entry is not the changed entry, press UP ARROW to move to the prior entry. Is this your new keystroke?

After you have followed the steps above, be sure to test both the old and new keystrokes. Do they both work as expected?

Exercise 2.4: Removing a Keystroke

The objective of this exercise is to find the keystroke we changed in the previous exercise and remove it. This will leave only the original keystroke to list the items in the system tray.

If the Keyboard Manager is not running already refer to steps 1 through 3 in exercise 2.1 to start the Keyboard Manager and open the default key map file.

  1. Press CTRL+F to activate the Find Keystroke dialog. The Search for key edit box is active.
  2. Press SHIFT+F11. This is the keystroke for which the search is carried out. JAWS echoes the keystroke and SHIFT+F11 is placed in the Search for Key edit box.
  3. Press ENTER to perform the Find Keystroke action. When the keystroke is found, the information is highlighted and spoken automatically by JAWS.
  4. Press DELETE to remove the keystroke. The Remove Keystroke dialog is displayed and the Yes button is active.
  5. Press SPACEBAR to activate the Yes button and close the Confirm Remove Keystroke dialog. The keystroke is removed from the default key map file.
  6. Press INSERT+UP ARROW to read the current line. Is the SHIFT+F11 keystroke gone? Is the default keystroke, INSERT+F11, the only keystroke displayed?

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