braillekbd 1.2

Usage of a script

• If you do not have the program autohotkey (http://www.autohotkey.com) installed on your computer, use the *.exe version (braille.exe).
• The script emulates a standard 8 dot braille keyboard. It runs in background and it can be used in any application.
• The letters fds represent dots 123, jkl dots 456, keys a; represent dots 78. To write a space, use the space bar.
• For typing a capital letter, press the letter with the 8th dot. Taping the 8th dot itself switches the capslock on, what means all the letters you type are capitalized until you tap the 8th dot again (it switches the capslock off). The capslock doesn't switch off himself automatically. If you want to write a period or coma, the capslock has to be switched off.
• The numbers you can write as a combination of the first ten letters of english alphabet (abcdefghij - of course in braille) and the 7th dot. Taping the 7th dot itself activates the numlock which works like the 8th dot with capslock. While the numlock is ctivated you can write all the numbers and coma as well.
• the space bar in combinations with following letters activates special functions:
• e: exit - exit the braille keyboard emulator
• b: typingbeep - switching on or off the beeping while typing. This setting influences the correct typed letters only. When the undefined combination is pressed, the program beeps even if this setting (typingbeep) is switched off.
• a: loading the slovak braille keyboard - The program allows to use more keyboards which can be defined in the keyboards.ini file (discussed below).
• k: Keyboard loading dialog - displays the keyboard loading dialog with the list of all correctly defined keyboards. If you want to load some keyboard, just choose it then from that list with arrows and press the enter key. The chosen keyboard will load and you can use it.
• c:Cursor features - switching the status of cursor functionality. In many text editors where some of standard edit components are used for work with text, it is possible to switch these cursor functionalities on. After switching on, following routines activate:
• beeping from a K-column: By the short sound signal the program announces that the cursor extended behind the defined column. The number of column is defined by the number value bellcol in an options section of the ini file keyboards.ini (see below).
• beeping on a K-row: By the short sound signal the program announces that the cursor is on the number of a row which is dividable by the number value set in bellrow key defined in an options section of the ini file keyboards.ini (see below). E.G.: if bellrow=20 then the program beeps on the rows 20, 40, 60, 80,...
• Automatic enter: While typing, the program inserts the enter automatically after the column defined in an autobreak key in an options section of the ini file keyboards.ini. When the value is set to 0 (autobreak=0), the function automatic enter is switched off. Attention! This function does not replace the functionality of automatic formatting in the text editor (typing in a middle of a row cause that the row can be longer than string defined in autobreak).

The keyboards definition

The file keyboards.ini contains all defined keyboards. It is a standard .ini file. Thus every defined keyboard starts with a line

[keyboard_name]

which defines the keyboard name.

following lines look like:

dots_combination=letter or string

Those define the interpretations of pressed combinations. E.G.:

1=a

1346=x

2347=degrees

It means - when dot 1 is pressed the letter "a" is typed, when dots 1346 are pressed the letter X and when dots 2347 are pressed the word "degrees" is written.

Behind the = on a line, the program recognizes few control words:

• capslock -: switching the capitalized letters typing (discussed above).
• numlock: switching the numbers typing (discussed above)
• customlock: While it is switched on, the dots 7 and 8 are automatically added to a tapped combination.
• exit: exit the program
• typingbeeps: switching the beeps while typing
• space: write a space. This gives a possibility to define typing a space with any other key, not just with space bar. The key spacebar is represented as dot 9 in the program. Thus in .ini file there is a line "9=space", so that it is possible to write a space with a spacebar.
• kbdselector: Displays the Keyboard loading dialog.
• cursorfeatures: Switches the status of cursor functionality (see above).
• kbdx: loads the keyboard named X.

For example:

7=numlock

8=capslock

1578=exit

19=kbdslovak

File keyboards.ini included in this zip file contains few defined keyboards. With the defined keyboards the .ini file must contain the section [keyboards]. This section defines the default keyboard (keyword default), which is loaded at start of a program. Then it must contain the list of defined keyboards (kbd1, kbd2,...), which will be displayed in the keyboard loading dialog.

For example:

[keyboards]

default=slovak

kbd1=slovak

kbd2=english

kbd3=phonetic_transcription

The options section contains default settings for functions E.G. typingbeep or cursor functionality. It is not necessary to have this Options section written in keyboards.ini file in case you don't want to use these functions. (for options section, see above or see the keyboards.ini file).

Limitations

The program doesn't work properly with many laptop keyboards. The reason is an electronic equipment of these keyboards, which usually allows to press less than 6 alphanumeric keys together. The laptop users can use an external keyboard. These usually have better electronic equipment.

Suggestions

All suggestions (constructive tips for improvement, information about bugs etc.) are welcomed at the e-mail address

Lecky_lists at nextra dot sk

All necessary files (script source, compiled exe and predefined keyboards) are in the