Work with Text

The text you hear spoken on a Web page when using JAWS may not always be visible on the screen. Use the same techniques for selecting that text as you do when you are selecting text in a document where text is visible.

Practice

EXERCISE: Open a blank document in your favorite word processing program and practice selecting text from the page below for this topic in the following areas:

• Virtual Lists: Move to one of the lists on the page by pressing the navigation quick key L. Select the line of text that tells how many items are in the list. Copy and paste it into the blank document. Note that this string of text with the number of list items is not visible on screen.
• Repeat the step above, but this time use the FSClipboard, INSERT+WINDOWS Key+C, to copy the number of items mentioned at the top of the list and the words "List end" at the bottom of the list. Paste them simultaneously into the practice document.
• Virtual Viewer: Press INSERT+F1 to open the virtual viewer while in this lesson. Move to the line in the virtual viewer that begins "This is an HTML or PDF document." Copy the next two sentences, but no more, and paste them into the practice document. You may be asked to overwrite the FSClipboard. Answer "yes" if asked.
• Graphic link with no alt tag: Move to the unlabeled graphic link, the second graphic on the page. Select the graphic link and the text below it that reads, "Graphic link with no alternative text," by pressing SHIFT+DOWN ARROW twice. Paste it into the practice document. What happens? The graphic link's image is pasted into the practice document along with the text below it.

Graphic link with no alternative text

JAWS List of Links and JAWS Speech History

Use the JAWS list of links and JAWS Speech History to determine the web site the unlabeled graphic link points to.

1. First, press INSERT+F7 to open the JAWS list of links.
2. Select the first link in the list, \images\\abcdefg76-trnnjp_436783334. Since it is not labeled properly, it doesn't make any sense. It does not give you the information you need to know, such as what web site it goes to. But did you know that the JAWS list of links has a status bar that shows the URL, or address of the web page that each link points to? Press the JAWS keystroke to read the bottom line of the list of links window, INSERT+PGDN. You hear that the link points to the Freedom Scientific eLearning page.
3. Now, press ESC to close the JAWS list of links.

JAWS maintains a history of the last 500 strings of text that is sent to the speech synthesizer. Use the JAWS Speech History to find the web page that the unlabeled graphic link points to.

1. Open JAWS Speech History by pressing INSERT+SPACEBAR to enter layered mode, and then press H for History. JAWS Speech History opens in the Virtual Viewer.
2. Press CTRL+END to move to the bottom of the speech history window. That is where the most recent text that was spoken appears.
3. Press UP ARROW if needed to move backwards through the speech history. You should find the web page address, http://www.FreedomScientific.com/elearn.
4. Select this text and copy it to the clipboard.
5. Finally, paste the address of the web page into your practice document.

Selecting Content Between a Temporary PlaceMarker and the Cursor Position

You can set a temporary JAWS PlaceMarker in web pages or other HTML documents, PDF documents, and Word documents. Once a temporary PlaceMarker is set you can then move focus to a different spot in the web page or document and then select all the text between the cursor location and the temporary PlaceMarker.

To set a temporary PlaceMarker do the following:

1. Move the virtual cursor to the location on the page where you want to put the PlaceMarker. When performing this in Word, the PC cursor is the active cursor.
2. Press CTRL+WINDOWS Key+K. A temporary PlaceMarker is now set on the page at the virtual cursor or PC cursor location.

To select text between a temporary PlaceMarker and your current position in a web page, HTML document, or document edit field, do the following:

1. Press CTRL+WINDOWS Key+K to set a temporary PlaceMarker if you have not already done so.
2. Navigate to another location on the web page or document text, then press INSERT+SPACEBAR, followed by M. All text between the temporary PlaceMarker and the current cursor position is selected and ready to be copied to the clipboard.

NOTE: This method is often easier than using the SHIFT key in conjunction with the ARROW keys when attempting to select large blocks of text.

Select a Table on the Web

Press the navigation quick key T when JAWS is running to move to the table on the page. JAWS announces the number of rows and columns as well as the information about column and row header information. Focus is in the first cell of the table.

1. Move out of the table by pressing UP ARROW. JAWS reads, "table with 2 columns and 6 rows." This text is not visible on the screen, but JAWS gives it to you as informational content.
2. Select the table now by pressing F8.
3. Next, copy the table and its formatting by pressing CTRL+C, and then paste it into the practice document you have been using with . Note that the table formatting and styles are maintained when copying and pasting with JAWS in the Chrome or Edge browsers, however the styles may need to be manually adjusted once they are brought into Word.

When you are finished practicing, close the practice document without saving the changes and move on to the next topic.