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- SECTION 4.0 SHORT INSTRUCTIONS
-
- This section covers Flipper's basic functions. Learning these
- aspects of Flipper will enable you to use most computer
- programs. Later sections will explain advanced features
- which will allow you to use your computer more efficiently,
- and work with more complicated programs.
-
- In programs which allow you to move around the screen
- with the arrow keys, Flipper will read off the material that
- you are moving over. For example, if you move a character
- at a time to the right or left, Flipper will read the character
- that you are moving over. If you move a line at a time up
- or down, Flipper will read the lines. You can move to the
- right or left a word at a time by holding down the control
- key and pressing the left or right arrow keys, and Flipper
- will read the words. You can hold down alt while pressing
- down the right or left arrow keys and Flipper will move one
- sentence forwards or backwards, and read the
- corresponding sentence. Flipper will also do things like
- beep when you get close to the end of the line, and tell you
- when the caps lock is on.
-
- The help mode can be used at any time to find a key on the
- keyboard. Just start the help mode with an alt "h", then press
- keys and Flipper will announce them. Press alt spacebar
- when you have found the keys you want.
-
- Quick keyboard commands. The quick commands are used
- by holding down the alt key with your left hand and pressing
- one of the keys near the right hand home row. The alt key
- is the key to the left of the space bar. The keys on the
- right hand home position, "J", "K", and "L", will read the
- word to the left of the cursor, the word under the cursor,
- and the word to the right of the cursor, respectively. The
- keys below them, "M", "comma", and "period", respectively,
- will spell the same words. The keys above the right hand
- home row, "U", "I", and "O", will read the line above the
- current line, the current line, and the line below the current
- line, respectively. Note that these keys form a block on the
- keyboard around the right hand home row. The middle key
- reads the current item, the right key reads the next, and the
- left key reads the last. The top keys, "U", "I", and "O", refer
- to lines, the next row to words, and the bottom row refers
- to characters.
-
- Holding down the alt key and pressing "slash" will announce
- the position of the cursor. Alt "semicolon" will start the
- review mode which will be discussed shortly. Alt "H" will
- start the help mode. Alt "P" will read the page meaning the
- whole screen. Alt "Y" will read the line before last. Alt "N"
- will let you use these keys with another program. Alt "space
- bar" will stop any mode and silence the voice.
-
- The most powerful tool you have for reading the screen is
- the review mode, which you start by pressing alt "semicolon".
- While you are in the review mode the computer is stopped,
- and you can move across the screen having its contents read
- to you. Many of Flipper's other functions are also
- controlled from the review mode.
-
- After you start the review mode, you can move around the
- screen, and use the following keystrokes to have various
- parts of it read to you. If you hold down control while
- pressing a letter key, the function of that key is announced.
- To get out of the review mode at any time, press alt
- "spacebar".
-
- There are a set of keys which are related to the quick keys
- in the regular mode. "J", "K", and "L" read the previous,
- current, or next word. The difference between using the
- review mode and the quick keys is that you also move to the
- corresponding place. For example, if you continue to press
- the "L" key in the review mode, you will advance a word at
- a time, reading out each word. Similarly, the "U", "I", and
- "O" keys will take you to the last line, read the current line,
- and take you to the next line. The "M", "comma", and
- "period" keys do the same one character at a time.
-
- Additionally, there are keys in the review mode which do
- functions which are unique to the review mode. For
- example, the "T" key will announce the time of day.
-
- You will probably want to customize the way Flipper does
- some things. Many of these can be changed by pressing the
- function keys during the review mode, and others are
- changed by holding down alt and pressing function keys, also
- during the review mode. All of them alternate on and off,
- so the best way to use them is not to memorize where they
- are, but to just try them until you find the one you want.
-
- Flipper has many other ways to help you productively use
- your computer. After you are familiar with these basic
- instructions, you should read the complete instructions.
-