NAME

       screader - Screen reader using a software Text-To-Speech package or a hardware speech synthesizer.

SYNOPSIS

       screader [`screen' options]

DESCRIPTION

       The  screader background program reads the screen and puts the information through to a software Text-To-
       Speech package (Like `festival') or a hardware speech synthesizer. (like `Accent')  It  uses  the  device
       /dev/vcsa. (See below)

       A reverse space at column 80 indicates the line containing the internal pointer.

SCREADER KEYS

       The  following  TTS-commands  are  available: (Each command must be pressed with the left-ALT-key, unless
       screader is in direct mode. See the `z'-command.)

       a      Toggles auto_speak on or off. When toggled on screader will speak out the character being typed or
              the typed word if word_mode is toggled on.

       b      Put internal pointer to begin of current line and speaks that line out if  line_speak  is  toggled
              on.

       c      Screader speaks out the line containing the cursor.

       d      Puts the internal pointer one line down.  If line_speak is on screader speaks out that line.

       e      Speak out character or word under the cursor.

       f      Toggle for the internal pointer to follow the cursor or not.

       g      Puts  the  internal pointer to the bottom of the screen.  If line_speak is on screader speaks that
              line out.

       h      Puts the internal pointer to the top of the screen.  If line_speak is on screader speaks that line
              out.

       i      Toggles line_speak on or off. When toggled on screader will speak out the line, which  is  pointed
              to by the internal pointer, every time it has changed.

       k      Toggles  key  clicking  on or off. When toggled on screader will give a short click after a key is
              pressed.

       ,      Puts the pointer left one word. If auto_speak is toggled on screader speaks out that word.

       l      Puts the internal pointer one character left.  If  auto_speak  is  on,  screader  speaks  out  the
              character pointed to by the internal pointer.

       m      Toggles the word_mode on or off. When toggled on screader speaks out words instead of characters.

       n      Toggle  for  numbers.  If  toggled  on  (default)  screader  speaks  out  the value of the digits.
              Otherwise screader speaks out digit by digit.  If in word_mode, words will be spelled.

       o      Silence please.

       p      Speaks out character or word pointed to by the pointer.

       q      Toggles punctuation on or off.  When toggled on screader will put each punctuation mark through to
              a  script punctuation.N.sh.  Otherwise screader will replace each punctuation mark by a space,  so
              that  only  alphabetic characters and digits are spoken.  (See PUNCTUATION SCRIPT.)

       .      Puts the pointer right one word. If auto_speak is toggled on screader speaks out that word.

       r      Puts  the  internal  pointer  one  character  right.  If auto_speak is on, screader speaks out the
              character pointed to by the internal pointer.

       s      Screader speaks out the line pointed to by the internal pointer.

       u      Puts the internal pointer one line up.  If line_speak is on screader speaks out that line.

       w      Speaks out the whole screen.

       x      Re-read the `tts' file. (if another TTS is  desired.)   Each  time  this  combination  is  pressed
              screader  will  select  the  next  TTS-command from this file. (if any, else the first one will be
              selected. and so on)

       z      Put screader in direct mode. In this mode each command can be given without the alt-key,  so  that
              reviewing  the  screen  is easier.  When the `z'-key is pressed, screader goes back to application
              mode, so that you can work with your application again.

       -      Toggles repeat_mode on or off. If toggled on, every sequence of the same characters will be spoken
              as `character n times`. where n stands for the number of that character in the sequence.

       '      Toggles caps_mode on or off. If toggled on screader speaks the word `cap' before each  capitalized
              character.

       =      Makes the internal pointer equal to the cursor.

SCREEN_DEVICE

       Screader reads its information from a device /dev/vcsa. Kernels 1.1.92 or later provide this device.

PUNCTUATION SCRIPT

       Each  time  screader  encounters  a  punctuation  mark,  it  will  be  put  through  to  a  script called
       punctuation.N.sh, where N corresponds to the Nth tts-command in the tts-file. If there is no  punctuation
       script the punctuation mark will be directly put through to the current tts-command.

FESTIVAL CLIENT

       If you want to use the server/client option of Festival place the line:

              festival_client.sh

       as  first  command  in the file /etc/screader/tts.  It is supposed that before using this tts-command the
       festival server is started by the following command:

              festival --server &

       Festival Speech Synthesis System
       Copyright (C) University of Edinburgh, 1996,1997.
       All rights reserved.

BUGS

       When typing fast sometimes the whole line will be spoken out instead of the characters being  typed  when
       line_speak  and  auto_speak  are  toggled  on.   Also when word_mode is toggled on the whole line will be
       spoken out when typing.

FILES

       /etc/screader/tts
              This file contains the name(s) of the Text-To-Speech utility(s) to be used.

       /etc/screader/punctuation.?.sh
              Punctuation scripts.

       /dev/vcsa
              Screen_device.

SEE ALSO

       screen(1L), vcs(4), festival(1)

AUTHOR

       Jos Lemmens (jlemmens@inter.nl.net)

27 Februari 2000                              Screader version 1.8                                   SCREADER(1)