ZoomText
User Guide
Freedom Scientific, Inc.
www.FreedomScientific.com
440945-001 Rev H
Copyrights
Fusion
Copyright © 2024, Freedom Scientific, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ZoomText Magnifier
Copyright © 2024, Freedom Scientific, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ZoomText Magnifier/Reader
Copyright © 2024, Freedom Scientific, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ZoomText User Guide
Copyright © 2024, Freedom Scientific, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized copying, duplicating, selling or otherwise distributing this software or documentation is a
violation of Federal Copyright Law. No part of this publication can be reproduced, transmitted, stored in a
retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form by any means without the express written
consent of Freedom Scientific, Inc.
Trademarks
ZoomText and xFont are registered trademarks of Freedom Scientific, Inc.
Fusion, ZoomText Magnifier and ZoomText Magnifier/Reader are trademarks of Freedom Scientific, Inc.
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Sentinel is a registered trademark of SafeNet, Inc.
March 2024
Freedom Scientific, Inc.
Contents
Contents 3
Welcome to ZoomText 1
Magnifier Features 3
Magnifier/Reader Features 5
Getting Started with ZoomText 7
Setting Up ZoomText 12
System Requirements 13
Step 1—Install ZoomText 14
Step 2—Start ZoomText 15
Step 3—Activate ZoomText 16
Step 4—Update ZoomText 18
Adding More Voices 19
Using the Startup Wizard 20
Uninstalling ZoomText 21
Running ZoomText 22
Starting ZoomText 23
Enabling and Disabling ZoomText 24
ZoomText's Use of the Caps Locks Key 25
Exiting ZoomText 26
Getting Help with ZoomText 27
Windows Logon and Secure Mode Support 29
The ZoomText User Interface 32
The ZoomText Toolbar 33
Quick Access Bar 35
Screen Shade (Fusion only) 44
Command Keys 45
Types of Command Keys 46
The Essential ZoomText Hotkeys 48
The Command Keys Dialog 50
Layered Keys Banner 55
Resolving Hotkey Conflicts 57
Touch Screen Support 58
Using ZoomText on a Touch Screen 59
Using the ZoomText Touch Icon 60
Accessing ZoomText Features with Touch Gestures 63
Magnifier Features 67
The Magnifier Toolbar Tab 68
Zooming In and Out 70
Using Zoom to 1x 75
Scrolling the Magnified View 76
Zoom Windows 78
Running with One Monitor or Multiple Monitors 79
Selecting Zoom Windows 80
Adjusting Zoom Windows 88
Tethered View 89
Freeze View 94
Using Overview Mode and the View Locator 102
Managing Multiple Monitors 105
Multiple Monitor Options 106
Supported Multiple Monitor Hardware 109
Recommended Monitor Configurations 110
Configuring Displays for Multiple Monitor Support 111
Automatic Adjustment to Display Changes 113
Feature Behaviors in Multiple Monitors 114
Troubleshooting Multiple Monitors 116
Screen Enhancements 118
Color Enhancements 119
Pointer Enhancements 123
Cursor Enhancements 127
Focus Enhancements 131
Using Smart Invert 135
Navigation Settings 136
Tracking 137
Alignment 139
Mouse 142
Panning 144
Reader Features 146
The Reader Toolbar Tab 147
The ZoomText Voice 149
Enabling and Disabling the Voice 150
Adjusting the Voice Rate 151
Voice Settings 152
Text Processing 156
Hints 160
Audio 163
Echo 165
Keyboard Echo 166
Mouse Echo 169
Program Echo 172
Verbosity 174
AppReader 177
AppReader Reading Modes 178
The Text View Environment 180
Starting and Using AppReader 183
App View Settings 187
Text View Settings 190
Shared Settings 194
Reading Zones 197
Creating, Editing and Deleting Reading Zones 198
Using Reading Zones 201
The Reading Zones Toolbar 203
Reading Zones Settings 204
Reading with the Text Cursor 208
Say Commands 211
Tools Features 213
The Tools Toolbar Tab 214
Finder 215
ZoomText Camera 225
Background Reader 235
ZoomText Recorder 240
Voice Assistant 245
Configurations 259
The Default Configuration 260
Saving and Loading Configurations 261
Configurations Hotkeys 262
Application Settings 263
Preference Settings 266
Program Preferences 267
User Interface Preferences 271
Smoothing Preferences 274
Legacy Reading Preferences 279
Run ZoomText As 281
ZoomText Commands 282
AppReader Commands 283
Background Reader Commands 285
Camera Commands 287
Finder Commands 289
Layered Keys Command Mode 291
Magnifier Commands 293
Program Commands 295
Reader Commands 296
Reading Zones Commands 297
Recorder Commands 299
Say Commands 300
Scroll Commands 302
Support Commands 304
Text Cursor Commands 306
Window Commands 307
ZoomText Support 309
System Information 310
Data Reporting 312
Tools (Support) 315
FS Support Tool 316
Remote Desktop 318
Fix-It Command 320
Display Adapter 322
Early Adopter Program 324
Training Center 327
About ZoomText 328
Message Center 330
Scripting 333
What are Scripts and Scripting Languages? 335
Chapter 1
Welcome to ZoomText
ZoomText is a powerful computer access solution that allows low vision
computer users to see, hear and use everything on Windows desktops,
laptops and tablet devices. ZoomText gives you the tools to enlarge,
enhance and read everything just the way you want, so that you can
fully enjoy using your computer.
ZoomText is available in two product versions: ZoomText Magnifier and
ZoomText Magnifier/Reader.
• ZoomText Magnifier provides the complete set of screen
magnification tools for enlarging and enhancing everything on
your computer screen.
• ZoomText Magnifier/Reader provides all of the features of
ZoomText Magnifier, plus a user-friendly set of screen and
document reading tools tailored for low vision users. ZoomText
reading tools are also perfect for individuals with learning
disabilities, low literacy and other print disabilities.
2
Both versions of ZoomText are designed for users of all ages and skill
levels and with the goal of providing independence, productivity and
success at home, school and in the workplace.
Chapter 1—Welcome to ZoomText 3
Magnifier Features
ZoomText Magnifier is an advanced screen magnification program that
enlarges and enhances everything on your computer screen.
ZoomText Magnifier features include:
• Flexible Magnification. ZoomText provides a full range of
magnification levels up to 60x. Levels include: 1x to 8x in steps of
1, 10x to 16x in steps of 2, 20x to 36x in steps of 4, 42x, to 60x in
steps of 6, and fractional powers of 1.2x, 1.4x, 1.6x, 1.8x, 2.5x, 3.5x
and 4.5x. You can zoom in and out using All Zoom Levels,
Favorite Zoom Levels Only or Whole Power Levels Only.
• Powerful Zoom Windows. ZoomText provides a wide variety of
zoom window types for both single and multiple monitor
configurations, allowing you to configure the magnified view
according to your needs.
• Advanced Smoothing. ZoomText provides two types of advanced
smoothing, xFont® and Geometric Smoothing, ensure the text and
graphics (including photographs) are crisp and legible at all zoom
levels.
• Multiple Monitor Support. ZoomText's Multiple Monitor Support
allows you to see more information in a variety of ways.
ZoomText’s unique MultiView modes—MultiView Local and
MultiView Global (patent pending), allow you to simultaneously
view multiple applications or multiple locations within the same
application.
• Enhanced Screen Colors. Innovative color controls improve
screen clarity and reduce eyestrain. Special effects include color
dyes, two-color modes and, replacement of problem colors.
• Visible Pointers and Cursors. Size and color enhancements make
it easy to see the mouse pointer. Special locators around the mouse
pointer and text cursor make them easy to find and follow.
4
• Focus Enhancements. Focus enhancements make it easy to locate
and follow the control focus when you navigate through menus,
dialogs, and other application controls.
• Smooth Navigation. Navigating your applications and scrolling
the view is always smooth and comfortable.
• Support for Touch Screen Devices. ZoomText for can be used on
Windows 10 and 8.1 touch screen devices including tablets,
laptops and desktop monitors. ZoomText follows along as you
tap, drag and swipe your way through all of your applications.
And you can instantly access key ZoomText features using the
ZoomText Touch Icon and gestures. Note: Requires a 5-point or
greater multi-touch device. For more information, see Touch
Screen Support.
• Finder. Finder helps you search, skim, navigate, and read in
documents, web pages and email. You can search for single words
or phrases throughout the entire document or only in specific
items, such as headers, forms and links.
• ZoomText Camera. ZoomText Camera allows you to magnify
printed documents, books and other items using a standard HD
webcam.
• Application Settings. Save unique settings for each application
that you use. As you switch applications, ZoomText automatically
loads the desired settings.
• Windows Logon Support. ZoomText provide magnification and
screen reading support in the Windows logon screen and other
secure mode prompts.
Chapter 1—Welcome to ZoomText 5
Magnifier/Reader Features
ZoomText Magnifier/Reader is a fully integrated magnification and
screen reading program that enlarges, enhances and reads aloud
everything on your computer screen.
ZoomText Magnifier/Reader includes all the features of ZoomText
Magnifier, plus:
• Complete Screen Reading. ZoomText automatically speaks all
program controls and events as you navigate through
applications; including menus, dialogs, list views and messages.
Three verbosity levels give you complete control over the amount
of information spoken.
• AppReader. With the AppReader you can read right in the target
application or switch on-the-fly to the high contrast text view
that's better for visual reading. You can also spot read blocks of
text by clicking and dragging the mouse. Use AppReader's 'Read
from Pointer' command to instantly start AppReader at the word
under the mouse pointer.
• Reading Zones. Reading Zones allow you to instantly see and
hear selected locations in your applications. Define up to 10 zones
per application that you can trigger via a pop-up menu or
keyboard commands.
• Full Internet Accessibility. ZoomText reads any web page, in the
proper reading order. You can read automatically or manually
navigate by word, line, sentence and paragraph.
• Text Navigation. Navigation keys make it easy to read while
creating and editing documents. With simple commands you can
read by character, word, line, sentence and paragraph, even while
selecting text.
• Typing Echo. Each key or word that you type is automatically
spoken. You can choose to have all keys spoken or only selected
groups of keys.
6
• Mouse Echo. Mouse echo automatically reads text that you point
to. Single words or complete lines of text are spoken instantly or
after hovering briefly.
• SpeakIt Tool. The SpeakIt tool allows you to read selected areas of
the screen by clicking or dragging the mouse.
• Background Reader. Background Reader allows you to listen to
documents, web pages, email or any text while you
simultaneously perform other tasks.
• ZoomText Recorder. ZoomText Recorder allows you to turn text
from documents, web pages, email or other sources into audio
recordings that you can listen to on your computer, or transfer the
recordings to your mobile device for listening to on the go.
• Built-in Premium Voices. ZoomText Magnifier/Reader includes a
full library of Vocalizer Expressive speech synthesizers, providing
voices for the most commonly spoken languages and dialects from
around the world.
Chapter 1—Welcome to ZoomText 7
Getting Started with ZoomText
ZoomText has a lot of features designed to cover the varying needs of
users. This topic provides an overview of how ZoomText works along
with quick start instructions for the essential features that all users need
to learn and use.
How ZoomText Works
Most of the time ZoomText works in the background providing a
magnified and enhanced view that follows all of your activity. So as you
move the mouse pointer, type text, and navigate your applications, your
point of interest is always in view. If you're running ZoomText
Magnifier/Reader, ZoomText also echoes and narrates what you're
doing, audibly confirming where you are, what you type, and more. All
of this happens automatically, so you can think of ZoomText as your
personal guide in your computer.
The ZoomText Toolbar
The ZoomText toolbar has a streamlined and modern layout that makes
it easy to learn and fast and fluid to use. You can access and operate the
entire toolbar using the mouse or the keyboard.
The ZoomText Toolbar
Using the arrow keys, you can navigate in and between the ZoomText
menu, toolbar tabs, toolbar controls and button menus. When the focus
is on a split button, pressing the Enter key will toggle the feature, while
pressing the down arrow will open the attached menu. When the focus
8
is in the Zoom Level spin box (on the Magnifier toolbar) or the Rate spin
box (on the Reader toolbar), pressing the Up and Down keys will adjust
the spin box value and pressing the Left and Right keys will move the
focus to the next control. On the Zoom Level spin box, pressing the
Enter key will also toggle the Zoom to 1x feature.
Setting Up the Magnified View
Since the primary purpose of ZoomText is to make everything larger
and easier to see, the first task is to adjust the zoom level and screen
colors for comfortable viewing. Here are the fast-track methods for
making these adjustments.
▪ To increase and decrease the Zoom Level
Hold down the Caps Lock key and press the Up and Down arrow
keys.
▪ To toggle between the current Zoom Level and 1x
Hold down the Caps Lock key and press the Enter key.
▪ To invert the brightness of the screen
Hold down the Caps Lock key and press C.
You can learn more about all of ZoomText's visual features and settings
in Chapter 5—Magnifier Features.
Setting Up the ZoomText Voice and Echo Features
If you're running ZoomText Magnifier/Reader, ZoomText audibly
echoes and narrates everything you do, so your second task is to adjust
ZoomText's voice rate and echo settings so that ZoomText speaks
program activity the way you like. This includes how the keyboard is
echoed when you type, and how ZoomText's program echo announces
menus, dialog boxes and other controls as you navigate through your
applications. Here are the fast-track methods for making these
adjustments.
Chapter 1—Welcome to ZoomText 9
▪ To speed up and slow down ZoomText's voice rate
Hold down Caps Lock + Alt and press the Up and Down arrow keys.
▪ To adjust how the keyboard is echoed when you type
Hold down Caps Lock + Alt and press K. Each press cycles the
keyboard echo to hear a choice of characters only, words only,
characters and words, or nothing at all.
▪ To adjust the verbosity level for program echo
Hold down Caps Lock + Alt and press B. Each press cycles the
verbosity level between a choice of Low, Medium and High levels.
Low verbosity speaks the minimum details about each item, while
high verbosity speaks the maximum details.
You can learn more about all of ZoomText's voice and echo features in
Chapter 6—Reader Features.
Reading Documents, Web Pages and Email
Once again, if you are running ZoomText Magnifier/Reader, there is one
more important feature that you should learn, and that's ZoomText's
AppReader. AppReader makes it easy to have documents, web pages
and email read aloud with simple commands. You can choose where
AppReader starts reading and let it read continuously to the end of the
document. You can take control to pause and resume reading, or skim
forwards and backwards through the text. And you can choose to read
in App View or Text View. App View reads right in the source
application, while Text View reads in a special environment where text
is displayed in high contrast text in teleprompter and ticker tape style
views.
The easiest way to start AppReader is using the Read from Pointer
command. Here's how it works...
10
▪ To launch AppReader using the Read from Pointer command
Position the mouse pointer over the word where you want to start
reading, and then press the Read from Pointer hotkey: Caps Lock +
Alt + Left-Click
AppReader launches in the selected mode and begins reading at the
clicked on word.
▪ To stop automatic reading
Press Enter or click.
▪ To resume automatic reading
Press Enter or double-click where you want to resume reading.
▪ To skim read by sentence and paragraph
Press the left and right arrow keys to read the previous or next
sentence. Press the up and down arrow keys to read the previous or
next paragraph.
▪ To switch between App View and Text View
Press Tab.
▪ To exit AppReader
Right-click or press Esc.
When AppReader exits, the cursor is automatically positioned at the
last word that was highlighted in AppReader, if a cursor exists in the
application.
You can learn more about AppReader in the AppReader section of
Chapter 6—Reader Features.
Chapter 1—Welcome to ZoomText 11
Toggling ZoomText Off and On, and Exiting ZoomText
While most ZoomText users keep ZoomText running and active
throughout each work session, there may be times when you want to
toggle ZoomText off, or exit ZoomText altogether. You can do each of
these as described below.
▪ To toggle ZoomText off (and back on)
Click on the ZoomText menu and select Disable ZoomText or Enable
ZoomText. You can also toggle ZoomText off and on by holding
down Caps Lock + Ctrl and press the Enter key.
▪ To exit ZoomText
Click on the ZoomText menu and select Exit ZoomText.
Next Steps
The instructions provided above should allow you to start working
productively in all of your applications. But there are many other
features and settings to be learned that will help you optimize your use
of ZoomText even more. So we recommend that you invest some time in
exploring the entire user guide to learn more about how to use
ZoomText.
Chapter 2
Setting Up ZoomText
Getting ZoomText set up on your system is a straightforward process
that only takes a few minutes and a few steps to complete.
This section will walk you through the steps to get ZoomText fully
installed and ready to use.
• System Requirements
• Step 1—Install ZoomText
• Step 2—Start ZoomText
• Step 3—Activate ZoomText
• Step 4—Update ZoomText
• Adding More Voices
• Using the Startup Wizard
• Uninstalling ZoomText
Chapter 2—Setting Up ZoomText 13
System Requirements
The following hardware and software are required to run ZoomText:
• 64-bit Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2019, or
Windows Server 2016.
• Processor: 2 GHz i7 dual core processor recommended.
• 16 GB recommended.
• Video/Graphics card or integrated graphics with support for
DirectX 11 or later.
• 2 GB hard drive space. SSD drive recommended.
• Windows compatible sound card (for speech).
• 5-point multi-touch display for touch screen support.
• USB 2.0 for ZoomText Camera support.
14
Step 1—Install ZoomText
Installing ZoomText is very straightforward, allowing you to complete
the process in a few simple steps.
▪ To install ZoomText
1. If you have not already downloaded ZoomText, you can get it
from the Freedom Scientific website. Once the download is
complete, navigate to where you saved the executable file, select it,
and press ENTER.
The ZoomText Setup program will start automatically.
2. Follow the instructions to complete the installation.
3. Restart Windows.
When upgrading to a new version of ZoomText, any custom settings
from a previous release are automatically imported. This includes
features such as magnification level, color, pointer, cursor, and mouse
enhancements, and any custom settings you created for applications.
(Custom settings older than the two previous versions will not be
imported.)
Note: The ZoomText setup program will install system-level
components. In order to install these components, you must have
administrator privileges. If you do not have these privileges, contact
your network administrator before proceeding with the installation.
Chapter 2—Setting Up ZoomText 15
Step 2—Start ZoomText
By default, the setup program will configure ZoomText to start
automatically when Windows starts up. If you unselected this option in
the Setup program you will need to start ZoomText manually using one
of the methods described below.
▪ To start ZoomText
Do one of the following:
• In the Windows Start menu, choose ZoomText {version}.
• On the Windows desktop, double-click on the ZoomText {version}
program icon.
• Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, then type
"ZT{version}" and press Enter.
When ZoomText starts up, it changes your display to show a magnified
view of your Windows desktop and applications. As you move the
mouse, type text and navigate within your applications, the magnified
view automatically scrolls, keeping the area of activity in view. If you
have installed ZoomText Magnifier/Reader, ZoomText will also speak
aloud, to echo and narrate each event and action you perform in your
applications. All of your Windows programs will operate normally
while ZoomText is running.
Note: A shortcut key can be added to the ZoomText program icon
allowing you to start ZoomText with a keyboard command. Adding
shortcut keys to a program icons is standard Windows functionality.
Refer to Windows Help for instructions on adding a shortcut key.
16
Step 3—Activate ZoomText
The License Manager lets you activate ZoomText using an Internet
connection. The activation process begins automatically when you start
ZoomText.
Note: If you do not have an Internet connection, you can activate
ZoomText by telephone, fax, or by visiting www.fsactivate.com from a
computer that has Internet access. For more information on these
options, choose Activation Help when the activation process begins.
▪ To activate ZoomText using the Internet, do the following:
1. In the Activation dialog box, choose Start Activation.
2. Read the message that displays and then use the arrow keys to
select Internet (recommended), and then press Enter.
3. If your 20-digit Authorization number is not automatically
displayed, type it into the Authorization Number edit box. You
can find your Authorization number in print and braille on your
ZoomText DVD sleeve.
4. Press Enter to continue. You will be asked to connect to the
Internet if you have not already done so. You must establish an
Internet connection before continuing with the activation.
5. If you have not registered ZoomText, you are asked to do so now.
Registering ZoomText lets you receive technical support. Choose
Register Now and complete the online registration form by
following the instructions provided. You can choose to register
later, but you must register the next time you activate ZoomText.
6. After you submit your registration, Internet License Manager
attempts to activate ZoomText. This process may take several
minutes. When the activation is successful, choose Finish.
Note: If Internet License Manager cannot activate ZoomText, you may
need to reconfigure your firewall. Refer to the Activation Help for more
information.
Chapter 2—Setting Up ZoomText 17
Dongle Authorization
A dongle is a hardware device that you can connect to a computer's USB
port. ZoomText is authorized to run on that computer as long as the
dongle remains connected. This is useful if you frequently need to use
ZoomText on many different computers and do not want to activate the
program on each of them.
When ZoomText starts, it first determines whether a dongle is
connected to the computer. If one is connected, ZoomText uses the
features and information for the license associated with the dongle to
authorize ZoomText. If no dongle is connected, ZoomText searches for
the license information stored on the computer. You can use the Dongle
Viewer utility to view information on the license associated with the
dongle currently connected to your computer. To start the Dongle
Viewer utility; in the ZoomText menu, choose Manage License
> Explore Utilities Folder, then choose Dongle Viewer.
Dongles are sold separately or as an additional ZoomText feature. If you
want to purchase one, contact Freedom Scientific Sales.
Network License
If you have a multi-user network license, your system administrator
must go to www.fsactivate.com/network and download the network
authorization tools and license server. This page also contains simple
instructions for setting up the license server and activating the network
license.
18
Step 4—Update ZoomText
ZoomText includes automatic updating that makes sure that your
installation of ZoomText is always current with the latest enhancements
and fixes, so that you always have the best possible experience. For this
reason alone, we highly recommend that you keep the automatic
updating feature enabled. If you choose to disable automatic updates,
you can still manually check for updates at any time.
Note: An Internet connection is required to use this feature.
▪ To enable or disable automatic updating
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > Program
2. Check or uncheck the box next to Check for online updates each
time ZoomText is launched.
3. Click OK.
▪ To use automatic updating
• When automatic updating is enabled, each time you start
ZoomText the Update Wizard checks to see if you are running the
latest version. If an update is available, the Update Wizard will
ask if you want to download and install the update. Select the Yes
button to download and install the update.
▪ To manually check for updates
• In any version of Windows; In the ZoomText menu, choose Help
> Check for Updates
The Update Wizard appears and walks you through the update
process.
Chapter 2—Setting Up ZoomText 19
Adding More Voices
ZoomText Magnifier/Reader includes a library of Vocalizer Expressive
voices for the most commonly spoken languages and dialects from
around the world. When you install ZoomText, at least one male or
female voice matching the language of your Windows operating system
is automatically installed with ZoomText.
You can install more Vocalizer Expressive voices using the Add/Remove
Voices utility.
▪ To install additional Vocalizer Expressive voices:
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Voice or
navigate to Voice and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Voice menu, choose Add/Remove Voices.
The Add/Remove Vocalizer Expressive Voices dialog box appears.
3. In the Select a Language combo box, select the language for which
you want to download voices.
4. In the Premium Voices list box, select the voices that you want to
install. You can select as many voices as you like. To hear a sample
of the current voice before deciding if you want to select it, select
Play Sample or press ALT+P. If a voice is already installed, this
will be indicated in the list.
5. Select Install Selected Voices to begin the installation.
6. When the installation is complete, select Finish to close the utility.
You must restart ZoomText to use the newly installed voices.
Note: In ZoomText, you can switch to any of the installed voices using
the Settings option in the Voice menu.
20
Using the Startup Wizard
The ZoomText Startup Wizard displays a series of simple dialogs that
make it easy for you to configure ZoomText's most popular features and
settings. The Startup Wizard automatically runs right after you activate
ZoomText. The Startup Wizard can also be run at anytime when
ZoomText is running.
▪ To manually run the Startup Wizard
• In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > Run Startup Wizard
The Startup Wizard appears and walks you through the startup
configuration process.
Note: These settings also appear in ZoomText’s Program Preferences
dialog. To learn more, see Program Preferences in Chapter 9—
Preference Settings.
Chapter 2—Setting Up ZoomText 21
Uninstalling ZoomText
If you no longer need ZoomText on your system, you can uninstall it at
any time.
▪ To uninstall ZoomText
1. Open the Windows Start menu.
2. In the Search box, type: Programs and Features
3. Press Enter.
The Windows Programs and Features app will appear displaying a list
of applications that are installed on your system.
4. In the list of applications, choose Freedom Scientific ZoomText
{version}, and then press Enter.
The ZoomText uninstall program will appear and guide you through
uninstalling ZoomText.
5. Follow the on-screens instructions to complete the uninstall
process.
Chapter 3
Running ZoomText
ZoomText is a standard application that you can start up and exit at any
time during your Windows session. You can even configure ZoomText
to start automatically when Windows starts up, both in the Windows
logon screen and at the Windows desktop.
To help you learn and master ZoomText faster, we recommend that you
explore the information and resources described in Getting Help with
ZoomText (later in this chapter). These resources are always available
and we encourage you to use them.
Knowing how to manage your ZoomText software and license is also
important. This includes keeping your software up to date with the
latest improvements, knowing when and how to transfer the activation,
and utilizing the ZoomText Support resources.
• Starting ZoomText
• Enabling and Disabling ZoomText
• Using the Caps Lock Key
• Exiting ZoomText
• Getting Help with ZoomText
• Windows Logon and Secure Mode Support
Chapter 3—Running ZoomText 23
Starting ZoomText
If ZoomText is not configured to start automatically when Windows
starts up, you can start ZoomText manually using any of the following
procedures.
▪ To start ZoomText
Do one of the following:
• On the Windows desktop, select the ZoomText {version} program
icon.
• In the Windows Start menu, choose ZoomText {version}.
• Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type
"ZT{version}" and press Enter.
When ZoomText starts up, it changes your display to show a magnified
view of the normal screen. As you move the mouse, type text and
navigate within your applications, the magnified view automatically
scrolls, keeping the area of activity in view. If you have installed
ZoomText Magnifier/Reader, ZoomText will also speak aloud; echoing
and narrating each event and action you perform in your applications.
All of your Windows programs will operate normally while ZoomText
is running.
Note: Once ZoomText is running, you can enable and disable the Start
ZoomText automatically when Windows starts option in the Program
Preferences dialog. To learn more, see Program Preferences in Chapter
9—Preference Settings.
24
Enabling and Disabling ZoomText
You can enable and disable ZoomText at any time, without exiting the
program. When disabled, ZoomText returns the screen to its normal
(unmagnified) state and all speech output is suspended.
▪ To enable and disable ZoomText
Do one of the following:
• Press the ZoomText On/Off hotkey: Caps Lock + Ctrl + Enter
• In the ZoomText menu, choose Enable ZoomText or Disable
ZoomText.
Tip! If you are frequently disabling and re-enabling ZoomText to view
the unmagnified screen, try using the Zoom to 1x feature. To learn more,
see Using Zoom to 1x in Chapter 4—Magnifier Features.
Chapter 3—Running ZoomText 25
ZoomText's Use of the Caps Locks Key
The Caps Lock key is used in many of ZoomText’s keyboard commands.
These commands involve holding down the Caps Lock key while
pressing one or more additional keys. These commands do not toggle
the caps lock state and do not interfere with pressing and releasing the
Caps Lock key (by itself) to toggle the caps lock on and off.
Announcement of the Caps Lock State
By default, ZoomText does not announce when the caps lock state is
toggled on or off. However, you can configure ZoomText to announce
the Caps Lock caps lock state as follows:
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Keyboard or
navigate to Keyboard and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Keyboard menu, choose Settings.
The Echo Settings dialog box appears with the Keyboard tab displayed.
3. In the Echo these keys when they are pressed section, check the
Locking Keys check box.
4. Click OK.
26
Exiting ZoomText
You can exit ZoomText at any time. When you exit ZoomText, the
screen returns to its normal (unmagnified) state and all speech output is
terminated.
▪ To exit ZoomText
Do one of the following:
• In the ZoomText menu, choose Exit ZoomText.
• In the ZoomText title bar, click the close box.
Chapter 3—Running ZoomText 27
Getting Help with ZoomText
A wide variety of ZoomText features and services are available to help
you get the most from ZoomText. Below are descriptions of these
features and services and where to find them.
• ZoomText User Guide. The full package version of ZoomText
comes with the English version of the printed ZoomText User
Guide, which provides complete instructions for using both
ZoomText Magnifier and ZoomText Magnifier/Reader. Features
and instructions that are unique to ZoomText Magnifier/Reader
are grouped and marked for easy identification. Printable versions
of the ZoomText User Guide in all localized languages are
available for download.
• ZoomText Help. ZoomText Help is your complete ZoomText User
Guide built right into ZoomText. ZoomText Help allows you to
quickly browse and search for help topics on the features you
want to use. For extra convenience, you can add topics you refer to
often to a list of Favorites. To learn how to open ZoomText Help,
see Using ZoomText Help below.
• Toolbar Tooltips. When you move the mouse pointer over a
control on the ZoomText toolbar, a tooltip will appear, displaying
the name, description and the associated hotkeys for the control.
This is the quick way to learn what action each of the toolbar
controls perform and how to perform the action in any application
using the hotkey. To learn how to enable and disable the toolbar
tooltips, see Using Toolbar Tooltips below.
• Technical Support. The ZoomText support team is available
Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 7 pm Eastern Time. Give
us a call at 727-803-8600.
Using ZoomText Help
You can open ZoomText Help at any time when you are running
ZoomText.
28
▪ To open the ZoomText Help System
From the ZoomText toolbar, do one of the following:
• Press the F1 key.
• In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > ZoomText Help.
• Inside of a ZoomText dialog boxes, click the Help button that
appears in the lower-right corner of the dialog. This action opens a
help topic about that dialog and feature.
The ZoomText Help system appears.
▪ To use the ZoomText Help System
In the Help window, click one of the following tabs:
• Contents. Allows you to choose a topic from a section of the
online Help.
• Index. Allows you to use the index to find a topic.
• Search. Allows you to find a topic by searching for a particular
word or phrase in the online Help.
Note: Each ZoomText dialog box also contains a Help button that,
when selected, displays context-sensitive Help for that dialog.
Using the Toolbar Tooltips
You can enable and disable the toolbar tooltips as needed.
▪ To enable and disable the Toolbar Tooltips
1. From the ZoomText toolbar, choose ZoomText > Preferences
> User Interface.
The Preferences dialog appears with the User Interface tab displayed.
2. Check or uncheck Display tooltips for the ribbon controls.
3. Click OK.
Chapter 3—Running ZoomText 29
Windows Logon and Secure Mode Support
ZoomText Secure Mode provides essential magnification and screen
reading features in the Windows logon prompt and other Windows
secure mode prompts. The ZoomText Secure Mode toolbar allows you
to zoom in and out, invert the screen colors, and enable the voice to
announce each control and action you perform in the secure mode
prompts.
ZoomText Secure Mode is enabled by choosing Enable ZoomText in the
Windows logon prompt in ZoomText's Program Preferences dialog box.
See Enabling and Disabling ZoomText in the Windows Logon Prompt
below.
The ZoomText Secure Mode Toolbar
When ZoomText's logon support is enabled, the ZoomText Secure Mode
toolbar will appear whenever the Windows logon prompt or a secure
mode prompt becomes active. This toolbar provides controls to adjust
the settings that are available in ZoomText Secure Mode.
The ZoomText Secure Mode toolbar
• ZoomText button. Enables or disables ZoomText. When
ZoomText is disabled, all magnification and screen reading
features are turned off without exiting the program.
Hotkey: Caps Lock + Ctrl + Enter
• Zoom Level. Sets the magnification level from 1x to 60x.
Hotkey: Caps Lock + Up / Caps Lock + Down
30
• Invert. Enables and disables color inverting.
Hotkey: Caps Lock + C
• Voice. Enables and disables the ZoomText voice.
Hotkey: Caps Lock + Alt + Enter
Note: ZoomText Secure Mode settings are automatically saved
and restored each time you exit and enter a Windows secure mode
prompt.
Enabling and Disabling ZoomText Secure Mode
ZoomText Secure Mode is enabled and disabled in ZoomText's Program
Preferences dialog box.
▪ To enable and disable ZoomText Secure Mode
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > Program.
The Preferences dialog appears with the Program tab displayed.
2. Check or uncheck Enable ZoomText in the Windows logon
prompt.
Note: You must be logged in with administrative privileges to
adjust this option. If you are not logged in with administrative
privileges this option will be grayed out.
3. Select OK.
Chapter 3—Running ZoomText 31
The Program tab
Setting
Description
Logon Support
Enable ZoomText in
the Windows logon
prompt
Enables the ZoomText Secure Mode utility in
the Windows logon prompt and other
Windows secure mode prompts.
Chapter 4
The ZoomText User Interface
The ZoomText user interface provides a variety of ways to operate
ZoomText, including the ZoomText Toolbar, Command Keys, and touch
screen gestures.
The primary way to operate ZoomText is using the ZoomText Toolbar,
which provides complete access to all of ZoomText's features and
settings through toolbar controls, menus and dialogs that are easy to
use. The ZoomText user interface can be fully accessed using the
keyboard, mouse, or touch screen gestures.
You should learn to use at least some of ZoomText's Command Keys,
which will allow you to adjust and operate ZoomText without having to
activate the toolbar and switch away from where you are working. You
don't need to learn and use all of the command keys, but utilizing
command keys for frequently used features will allow you to work
much faster in all of your applications.
If you are using a desktop, laptop or tablet that includes a touch screen,
you can use ZoomText's Touch Screen Support to access the ZoomText
Toolbar, modal tools, and key feature adjustments using standard touch
screen gestures.
• The ZoomText Toolbar
• Quick Access Bar
• Screen Shade (Fusion only)
• Command Keys
• Touch Screen Support
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 33
The ZoomText Toolbar
When you start ZoomText the ZoomText toolbar appears on the screen.
The ZoomText toolbar contains all of the controls for operating
ZoomText, neatly organized in the "ZoomText" menu and several
toolbar tabs. Each tab provides quick-action buttons for enabling and
adjusting all of ZoomText's core features. Many of these buttons are
split-button controls that allow you to toggle the feature on and off and
open a menu of related settings. The buttons are grouped by category
and have intuitive icons and labels for easy identification.
The ZoomText Toolbar
• ZoomText menu. Displays the ZoomText menu, where you can
toggle ZoomText on and off, open ZoomText Help, save and load
configurations, configure the command keys, use support tools
and more.
• Magnifier toolbar tab. Displays toolbar controls for ZoomText's
magnification features.
• Reader toolbar tab. Displays toolbar controls for ZoomText's
screen reading features.
• Tools toolbar tab. Displays toolbar controls for ZoomText's Finder,
Camera and Listening features.
Note: The Reader toolbar tab only appears when running
ZoomText Magnifier/Reader.
34
Operating the ZoomText Toolbar with the Keyboard
The ZoomText toolbar is fully keyboard accessible using standard
Windows navigation commands. For added ease of use, the toolbar can
be fully navigated and operated using only the arrow keys and Enter
key. Using the arrow keys, you can navigate in, out and between the
ZoomText menu, toolbar tabs, toolbar controls and button menus. When
the focus is on a split button, pressing the Enter key will toggle the
feature, while pressing the down arrow will open the attached menu.
When the focus is in the Zoom Level spin box (on the Magnifier toolbar
tab) or the Rate spin box (on the Reader toolbar tab), pressing the Up
and Down keys will adjust the spin box value and pressing the Left and
Right keys will move the focus to the next control. On the Zoom Level
spin box, pressing the Enter key will also toggle the Zoom to 1x feature.
Minimizing and Restoring the Toolbar
The ZoomText toolbar can be minimized (hidden) and restored (made
visible) without affecting the operation of ZoomText.
▪ To minimize ZoomText
Do one of the following:
• On the ZoomText title bar, click on the minimize button.
• While the ZoomText toolbar is active, press Esc.
▪ To restore ZoomText
Do one of the following:
• Click on the ZoomText button in the task bar.
• Press the Show User Interface hotkey: Caps Lock + Ctrl + U.
Note: If the ZoomText toolbar is already open but covered by
other applications, restoring it will bring it into view.
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 35
Quick Access Bar
The Quick Access Bar is a toolbar that lets you place up to eight
shortcuts of your most commonly used magnification and speech
features in one convenient place. By doing this, you no longer have the
distraction of having to jump to the ZoomText or Fusion user interface
and locate various features to perform an action or memorize keystrokes
to perform a task. With the Quick Access Bar, you can search for and
quickly perform magnification and speech features, add features to your
shortcuts list, and read a brief description to learn more about these
features.
Choose any of the following to learn more about the Quick Access Bar:
• Accessing and Using the Quick Access Bar
• Using Search to Launch a Shortcut
• Adding Shortcuts
• Application-Specific Shortcuts (Fusion only)
• Deleting Shortcuts
• Restoring Default Shortcuts
• Preferences
Accessing and Using the Quick Access Bar
1. To access the Quick Access Bar, do one of the following:
• Press CAPS LOCK+RIGHT-CLICK.
This places the bar at your current location on the screen.
• Press CAPS LOCK+SPACEBAR+Q.
This places the bar at your current location on the screen.
• Use Voice Assistant to place the bar in the center of the screen
• In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > Quick Access
Bar.
36
• Click the Quick Access Bar button located on the right side of
the ZoomText or Fusion toolbar
2. The Quick Access Bar appears on the screen in either collapsed
view or expanded view.
The Quick Access Bar shown collapsed and expanded
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 37
3. Click the feature that you want to use.
Note: The Quick Access Bar disappears from view when you
move focus away from it. If you need to return to the bar, use the
methods mentioned in step 1.
Using Search to Launch a Shortcut
The Quick Access Bar can have up to eight shortcuts. If a feature you
want to use is not assigned to the bar, you can quickly find it and launch
it from the Search box.
The Search box shown collapsed and expanded
To select and run a feature using Search, do the following:
1. Go to Search on the Quick Access Bar, and enter a word associated
with the feature you want to use. Search results appear in the
Quick Access Bar list. It displays a maximum of six items. If the
list is empty, try again using different words.
Note: If you want to learn more about any shortcut displayed in
the list, select the More Information button for a brief description.
The button is located next to the shortcut in the list and can be
selected using your mouse or pressing the Right Arrow key.
38
An example showing the More Information button and shortcut description
2. Select the feature you want to use.
Adding Shortcuts
Note: You can have a maximum of eight shortcuts on the bar. Before
adding another shortcut to the bar, you must delete an existing shortcut.
See Deleting Shortcuts for more information.
To add a shortcut to the bar, do the following:
1. Launch the Quick Access Bar.
If the bar is collapsed, click the Show Shortcut Names button to
expand the bar.
Show Shortcut Names button
2. Click the Customize button then Add Shortcut.
Customize button
3. In the Search box, enter a word associated with the feature you
want to add, and then select it (click, right-click, or press
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 39
SHIFT+F10) from the list of available features in the Add Shortcut
dialog box.
4. Click OK to close the Customize dialog box. The feature now
appears in the Quick Access Bar.
Note: If necessary, you can restore the Quick Access Bar to its
factory default shortcuts. See Restoring Default Shortcuts for more
information.
Application-Specific Shortcuts (Fusion only)
The Quick Access Bar has eight default shortcuts. You can create
customized shortcut lists for any application you use when running
Fusion. When you switch to an application, the Quick Access Bar will
automatically change to that application’s shortcut list.
To make an application-specific shortcut list, do the following:
1. Go to an application and open the Quick Access Bar (CAPS
LOCK+RIGHT-CLICK).
2. Click the Customize button and then Add Shortcut.
Customize button
3. The Customize window opens.
The Application list shows the current application name followed
by (default), for example, Microsoft Word (Using default). This
indicates that Word is currently using the bar’s default shortcuts.
4. You can delete shortcuts that are currently displayed in the list
and add new shortcuts that you want to use for the application. As
you add and delete shortcuts, the application name is no longer
labeled as a default.
40
5. When finished, click OK to close the Customized dialog box. The
shortcut list will now be used when running that specific
application.
Note: When you move away from the application, the bar will
return to its default shortcuts list.
Deleting Shortcuts
To remove a shortcut from the bar, do the following:
1. Launch the Quick Access Bar.
If the bar is collapsed, click the Show Shortcut Names button to
expand the bar.
Show Shortcut Names button
2. Click the Customize button and then click the Delete icon (located
to the right of the shortcut name) to remove the shortcut from the
list.
Customize button and Delete icon
3. Click OK to close the Customize dialog box.
Restoring Default Shortcuts
To restore the Quick Access Bar to its factory default shortcuts, do the
following:
1. Launch the Quick Access Bar.
If the bar is collapsed, click the Show Shortcut Names button to
expand the bar.
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 41
Show Shortcut Names button
2. Click the Customize button and then Restore Default.
Customize button
3. Click Yes to restore the default shortcuts.
Preferences
Quick Access Bar preferences include:
• Hiding the Quick Access Bar after using it
• Docking the Quick Access Bar to one of four corners of your
screen
• Choosing the color and size of the Quick Access Bar's outside
border
42
The Quick Access Bar preferences
Setting
Description
When leaving the Quick Access Bar, it will:
Automatically hide
If you choose to hide the Quick Access
Bar, it disappears from view
immediately when you click in an area
of the screen away from the bar.
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 43
Setting
Description
Automatically dock to
screen corner
The Quick Access Bar is docked in one of
four corners on the screen. This provides
a location for the Quick Access Bar to
return to when it loses focus and is not
pinned on the screen.
The bar can be docked in the top right
corner, top left corner, lower right
corner, or lower left corner of the screen.
Quick Access Frame
Color
Sets the color of the outside border of the
Quick Access Bar.
Thickness
Sets the thickness of the Quick Access
Bar border: None, Thin, Medium, Thick.
44
Screen Shade (Fusion only)
The Screen Shade feature prevents others from seeing what you are
typing or reading by turning your computer screen black. When turned
on, the status message "Fusion Screen Shade, Right-click to exit"
displays and the message "Screen Shade on" is announced. Screen Shade
remains active until it is turned off, or Fusion is restarted.
Note: Screen Shade is strictly a privacy feature and will not increase the
battery life on a laptop or tablet.
Toggle Screen Shade On and Off
To toggle Screen Shade on, do one of the following:
• In the Fusion menu, choose Screen Shade
• Press INSERT+SPACEBAR followed by the F11 key
• Triple tap with three fingers on a touch screen
• Use Quick Settings (INSERT+V) and search for Screen Shade
To toggle Screen Shade off, do one of the following:
• Click the right mouse button
• Press INSERT+SPACEBAR followed by the F11 key
• Triple tap with three fingers on a touch screen
Note: If you are using a tool such as AppReader, it will stop reading
when Screen Shade is toggled on or off. To resume reading, you must
restart AppReader.
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 45
Command Keys
ZoomText's Command Keys allow you to adjust and operate ZoomText
without having to activate the toolbar and switch away from where you
are currently working. Using the command keys will allow you to work
faster and more productively in all of your applications.
• Types of Command Keys
• The Essential Command Keys
• The Command Keys Dialog
• The Layered Keys Banner
• Resolving Hotkey Conflicts
46
Types of Command Keys
ZoomText provides two types of command keys, Hotkeys and Layered
Keys.
• Hotkeys are the fastest and recommended way to operate
ZoomText, as they allow you to trigger commands in a single
keyboard action. Hotkeys are performed by holding down one or
more modifier keys and then pressing a primary key. For example,
to toggle ZoomText on and off, you hold down the Caps Lock and
Ctrl keys and then press the Enter key. This hotkey appears as
Caps Lock + Ctrl + Enter in the ZoomText user interface and
documentation. Hotkeys for other ZoomText commands appear in
this same format.
Note: Some applications may have hotkeys that use the same
combination of keys as ZoomText hotkeys. When this occurs
ZoomText will process the hotkey without passing it through for
processing by the application. To work around this problem, see
Resolving Hotkey Conflicts.
• Layered Keys are not as fast to perform as hotkeys, but have the
advantage of never conflicting with other applications and being
easier to perform if you have limited hand dexterity. Layered keys
are performed by pressing a sequence of keys that (1) enters the
Layered Key Mode, (2) selects a command group, and (3) triggers
the desired command. For example to toggle ZoomText on or off
with layered keys, you would (1) press Caps Lock + Spacebar to
enter the layered key mode, (2) press P to enter the Program
group, and (3) press Enter to toggle ZoomText on or off. This
layered key sequence appears as Caps Lock + Space, P, Enter in
the user interface and documentation. Layered keys for other
ZoomText commands appear in this same format.
Note: Because use of hotkeys is recommended over using layered
keys, in the ZoomText documentation the layered keys only
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 47
appear in feature topics where the feature does not have
equivalent hotkeys. To see a full list of the available layered keys,
open the ZoomText Command Keys dialog box or see list of
command key tables in the ZoomText Commands section.
Tip! For each ZoomText command, the hotkey and layered key
use the same key to complete the command, which makes learning
both commands intuitive.
Tip! If you are running ZoomText Magnifier/Reader, while you
are in any level of the Layered Key Mode, you can type a question
mark to hear a list of the commands that are available in the
current level. You can also press the F1 key to exit the layered
mode and open the help system to the list of commands for the
current level.
48
The Essential ZoomText Hotkeys
To use ZoomText in your applications, it is helpful to learn and use the
essential hotkeys. These hotkeys will allow you to adjust and operate the most
commonly used features and settings without having to switch away from
your application.
Note: Commands specific to each feature and setting are located in the topics
throughout the ZoomText documentation. You will also find a complete list of
commands hotkeys in the ZoomText Commands section and in the Command
Key dialog box.
Essential Commands
Hotkeys
Global ZoomText Commands
Start ZoomText
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Z
Toggle ZoomText On /
Off
Caps Lock + Ctrl + Enter
ZoomText User
Interface
Caps Lock + Ctrl + U
Magnifier Commands
Zoom In
Caps Lock + Up
Zoom Out
Caps Lock + Down
Zoom to 1x (toggle)
Caps Lock + Enter
Scroll Up
Caps Lock + Shift + Up
Scroll Down
Caps Lock + Shift + Down
Scroll Left
Caps Lock + Shift + Left
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 49
Essential Commands
Hotkeys
Scroll Right
Caps Lock + Shift + Right
Enhancement Color
Caps Lock + C
Reader Commands (ZoomText Magnifier/Reader only)
Voice On / Off
Caps Lock + Alt + Enter
Voice Rate Faster
Caps Lock + Alt + Up
Voice Rate Slower
Caps Lock + Alt + Down
Verbosity (program
echo)
Caps Lock + Alt + B
Echo Keyboard Mode
Caps Lock + Alt + K
Launch AppReader
from Pointer
Caps Lock + Alt + Left-Click
Launch App View
Caps Lock + Alt + A
Launch Text View
Caps Lock + Alt + T
Launch SpeakIt Tool
Caps Lock + Alt + S
50
The Command Keys Dialog
The ZoomText Command Keys dialog box displays a list of all
ZoomText commands and allows you to customize the hotkey for each
command. You can quickly find any command or group of commands
by typing the name, keys or status in the Search box. You can also
reassign, unassign and enable/disable hotkeys according to your needs
as described in the instructions below. You can sort the list
alphabetically by clicking on any column in the list.
Note: Access keys have fixed key assignments that cannot be reassigned.
▪ To open the ZoomText Command Keys dialog box
• On the ZoomText toolbar choose ZoomText > Command Keys.
The ZoomText Command Keys dialog appears.
The ZoomText Command Keys dialog box.
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 51
Setting
Description
Search
Allows you to search and filter the list of
commands by typing the command name,
keys or status you are looking for.
ZoomText Command
Keys
Displays a complete or filtered list of the
ZoomText command keys. You can sort the
list alphabetically by any column by clicking
on the column title.
Assign Hotkey
Opens the Assign Key dialog box where you
can assign (or reassign) the key combination
for a command’s hotkey.
Import Hotkeys
Opens the Import Hotkeys dialog box where
you can browse to and select a ZoomText
configuration file from which to import hotkey
assignments.
Assign Configuration File
Opens the Assign Configuration dialog box
where you can browse and select an existing
ZoomText configuration file to assign to the
selected Load Configuration command.
Note: The Assign Configuration File button is
only enabled when a Load Configuration
command is selected.
Enable Selected Hotkeys
Enables the hotkey for any commands that are
currently selected and disabled in the
ZoomText Command Keys list.
Reset Selected Hotkeys
Resets the hotkey to the factory default for any
commands that are currently selected in the
ZoomText Command Keys list.
52
Setting
Description
Banner Settings
Opens the Layered Keys Banner Settings
dialog, where you can enable and disable the
banner and configure the appearance and
sound cues for the banner.
ZoomText Key
With most commands, ZoomText uses the
Caps Lock key as a "modifier" key. Caps Lock
is pressed in combination with other keys to
activate commands. ZoomText lets you choose
which key to use for this modifier, which is
sometimes referred to as the ZoomText Key.
The keys available to use are:
• Caps Lock (default)
• Scroll Lock
• Insert
Viewing and Managing Command Keys
▪ To search, filter and sort the list of commands
1. Click in the Search box or press the Tab key to move the keyboard
focus to the Search box.
2. Type the command name, keys or status you are looking for and
press the Enter key.
3. Click on the column titles to sort the list as desired.
▪ To enable or disable hotkeys for one or more commands
1. Select the commands you want to enable or disable.
2. Click the Enable Selected Hotkeys button, or the Disable
Selected Hotkeys button.
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 53
▪ To reset hotkeys for one or more commands (to the factory
default assignments)
1. Select the commands that you want to reset.
2. Click the Reset Selected Hotkeys button.
▪ To assign a new key combination to a hotkey
1. Select the command that you want to assign a new or different
hotkey.
2. Select the Assign Hotkey button.
The Assign Key dialog box appears.
3. Select the desired modifier keys and primary key.
If the selected combination of keys is already in use by another
command, a "KEY CONFLICT!" warning will appear with options to
disable the hotkey or save the hotkey and reassign the conflicting
hotkey.
4. Click OK.
▪ To import hotkeys from another configuration file
1. Select the Import Hotkeys button.
The Import Hotkeys dialog box appears and displays a list of
ZoomText hotkey configuration files.
2. Select a configuration file from the displayed list or browse to a
different folder to select the desired configuration file.
3. Click OK.
54
▪ To assign a configuration file to a Load Configuration command
1. Select the desired ZoomText: Load Configuration command.
2. Select the Assign Configuration File button.
The Assign Configuration File dialog box appears. The current
assignment to the Load Configuration command is displayed.
3. Select the Browse and Select a Configuration File button.
The Select Configuration dialog box appears and displays a list of
ZoomText configuration files.
4. Select a configuration file from the displayed list or browse to a
different folder to select the desired configuration file.
5. Click OK.
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 55
Layered Keys Banner
When you enter the Layered Keys Mode, a banner can be displayed to
let you know that the mode is active and which layered mode you are
currently in. You can adjust the appearance of the banner in the Layered
Keys Banner Settings dialog box. You can enable and disable the banner
and select the size, color and location where the banner will appear.
Sound cues are also available to provide audible indication that the
layered key mode is active. You can enable and disable the sound cues
and select the style and volume level for the sound cue.
▪ To open the Layered Keys Banner Settings dialog box
1. On the ZoomText toolbar choose ZoomText > Command Keys.
The ZoomText Command Keys dialog appears.
2. Select the Banner Settings button.
The Layered Keys Banner Settings dialog appears.
3. Adjust the banner settings as desired.
4. Click OK.
The Layered Keys Banner Settings dialog box.
56
Setting
Description
Display the layered keys
banner (when the layered
keys are enabled)
Displays a banner showing the current layered
key mode at the top or bottom of the screen
when the feature key mode is active. The
banner provides visual indication that the
mode is active.
Banner size:
Selects the size of the layered keys banner.
Banner color:
Selects the color of the layered keys banner.
Banner location:
Selects the location of the layered keys banner,
which can be located at the top or bottom edge
of the screen.
Scroll banner text that is
wider than the screen
When the text displayed in the banner is wider
than the screen, the text will scroll side to side
so that the full text can be read.
Play the layered key
sound cues (when the
layered keys are enabled)
Plays a sound cue when the layered key
banner is active. The sound cue provides
audible indication that the mode is active.
Use these sounds:
Selects the style of sound cue that will be
played.
Sound cue volume:
Selects the volume level for the sound cue.
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 57
Resolving Hotkey Conflicts
There may be situations where a ZoomText hotkey uses the same key
combination as a hotkey in another application, creating what is known
as a "hotkey conflict". When this occurs, ZoomText receives and
processes the command and your other application does not. You can
work around or resolve this problem using the following methods:
Method 1: Use the Pass Next Hotkey command
• Prior to pressing the conflicting command that you want your
application to receive and process, execute the Pass Next Hotkey
command using the hotkey or layered keys:
• Hotkey: Ctrl + Alt + Shift + P
• Layered Keys: Caps Lock + Spacebar, U, P
ZoomText will pass the next hotkey through to the active application.
Method 2: Use the ZoomText layered keys instead of the hotkey
ZoomText’s Layered Keys are modal and therefore are free of
conflicts with other applications.
Method 3: Reassign or disable the hotkey in ZoomText
• Follow the instructions provided in The Command Keys Dialog.
58
Touch Screen Support
ZoomText can be used on Windows 10 or later touch screen devices
including tablets, laptops and desktop monitors. This means that you
can operate ZoomText’s complete feature set and your applications
using touch screen gestures; that is, taps and swipes you perform with
one or more fingers. ZoomText will not interfere with gestures targeted
at your applications, but will respond to gestures the same way it
responds to events produced when using the keyboard and mouse. You
can also access ZoomText’s user interface (toolbars, menus and dialogs)
using the same standard gestures that you are used to from other
applications.
To learn how to operate Windows and your applications with touch
screen gestures, see the Windows Help system, or search the Microsoft
Windows website for articles on using touch screen devices and
gestures in Windows.
Note: You must have a Windows device that supports at least five
simultaneous touch points. These devices will display the "Designed for
Windows" logo.
• Using ZoomText on a Touch Screen
• Using the ZoomText Touch Icon
• Accessing ZoomText Features with Touch Gestures
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 59
Using ZoomText on a Touch Screen
There are a few important concepts, behaviors and techniques to keep in
mind when using ZoomText on a touch screen display:
• Many applications provide zooming and panning of the
documents they display. A screen magnifier will add a second
layer of zooming and panning on top of this, which can become
disorienting if both the application and the screen magnifier are
zooming at the same time. To avoid this disorienting experience, it
is recommended that you just use one layer of zooming at a time.
• Using a standalone touch screen device requires the use of an on-
screen keyboard. When using ZoomText with a magnified view
the on-screen keyboard will not be fully visible, so you will have
to pan the magnified view to access all of the keys. This will slow
down your typing speed as well as productivity. Therefore, we
recommend connecting a physical keyboard when you need to
perform large amounts of typing.
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Using the ZoomText Touch Icon
ZoomText provides a special ZoomText Touch Icon that allows you to
instantly access key ZoomText features using touch gestures. These
features include zooming in and out, scrolling the magnified view and
using ZoomText’s AppReader and SpeakIt tools. Here’s how it works...
When enabled on a touch screen device, the ZoomText Touch Icon will
appear on one edge of the screen. This floating icon remains visible even
when you zoom in and out or scroll the magnified view. You can move
the icon to several anchor points along the edges of your screen. This
lets you position the icon where you want it and move it if it is covering
an item you need to see.
Note: Use of the ZoomText Touch Icon and associated gestures requires
a 5-point (or greater) multi-touch display.
The ZoomText Touch Icon has two modes of operation: Windows Touch
Mode and ZoomText Touch Mode.
• Windows Touch Mode passes all touch gestures to Windows and
applications that are open on the screen, just as if ZoomText was
not running on the system. This is the mode you need to be in
when you want to interact with your desktop or applications
using touch gestures, including the ZoomText toolbar. When
Windows Touch Mode is active, the icon appears as a group of
Windows Start Screen tiles with a pointing finger at the bottom.
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 61
• ZoomText Touch Mode passes all touch gestures to ZoomText.
This is the mode you need to be in when you want to access the
ZoomText features that are supported by gestures. When in
ZoomText Touch Mode, the icon appears as a ZoomText logo with
a pointing finger at the bottom. This icon will also pulse to let you
know that ZoomText Touch Mode is active.
Enabling and Operating the ZoomText Touch Icon
In this section you will learn how to enable and operate the ZoomText
Touch Icon.
▪ To enable and disable the Touch Icon
In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > Touch Screen Support
> Enable Touch Icon.
When enabled, the Touch Icon appears on one edge of the screen. When
disabled, the icon is hidden. Note: The Touch Icon is also hidden when
ZoomText is disabled.
▪ To adjust the size of the Touch Icon
In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > Touch Screen Support
> Touch Icon Size {size}.
The Touch Icon resizes according to the selected size.
▪ To select a color scheme for the Touch Icon
In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > Touch Screen Support
> Touch Icon Color {color}.
The Touch Icon changes to the selected color.
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▪ To move the Touch Icon around the screen
Press and hold one finger on the icon and drag it to a desired location
anywhere along the edge of the screen.
When you remove your finger from the icon, the icon will
automatically snap to the nearest anchor point.
▪ To switch between Windows Touch Mode and ZoomText Touch
Mode
Double-tap the Touch Icon with one finger.
When in Windows Touch Mode, the icon appears as a group of
Windows Start Screen tiles. When in ZoomText Touch Mode, the icon
appears as a ZoomText logo.
Tip! You can momentarily switch touch modes by holding one finger on
the touch icon. When you move your finger off of the icon, the
previously active touch mode is automatically restored. This means that
when Windows Touch Mode is active, you can momentarily switch to
ZoomText Touch Mode to pass a gesture to ZoomText, automatically
returning to Windows Touch Mode when you move your finger off of
the icon. Conversely, when in ZoomText Touch Mode, you can
momentarily switch to Windows Touch Mode to pass a gesture to an
application, automatically returning to ZoomText Touch Mode when
you move your finger off of the icon.
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 63
Accessing ZoomText Features with Touch
Gestures
In this section you will learn how to use the ZoomText Touch Icon and
gestures to access and operate key ZoomText features. Remember that
the Touch Icon must be in ZoomText Touch Mode when performing
these gestures.
▪ To display the ZoomText user interface
Double-tap with four fingers.
▪ To adjust the magnification level (zoom in and out)
Double-tap and hold three fingers, then drag up to zoom in and drag
down to zoom out.
▪ To pan the magnified view
Drag three fingers to move around the screen.
▪ To adjust the size and location of a zoom window
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, choose Window > Zoom Windows
Adjust Tool.
The Adjust tool becomes active and sizing handles appear on the zoom
window frame.
2. To resize the window, hold one finger on a sizing handle and drag
it until it’s the size you prefer.
3. To move the window, hold one finger inside the zoom window
and drag it around.
4. To exit the Adjust tool, double-tap with three fingers.
▪ To use View Mode
1. Double-tap with three fingers.
Magnification is temporarily turned off and the view locator appears.
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2. To move the view port, hold one finger inside the view port and
drag it to the desired location.
3. To exit View Mode and be moved to the new viewport location,
double-tap with one finger.
4. To exit View Mode and move to the previous viewport location,
double-tap with three fingers.
▪ To use the SpeakIt Tool
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, choose SpeakIt.
The SpeakIt tool becomes active and sizing handles appear on the zoom
window frame.
2. To speak a single word, tap on the word.
3. To speak a block of words, drag diagonally with one finger to
highlight the words you want to have spoken. When you complete
the drag, all highlighted text will be spoken.
4. To exit the SpeakIt tool, double-tap with three fingers.
▪ To use AppReader
1. Open the document, web page or email that you wish to read.
2. Start AppReader using one of the following two methods:
• To start reading at any word: Double-tap with one finger on
the word where you want to start reading.
• To start reading from the location of the text cursor, double-
tap with two fingers.
AppReader begins reading.
3. To start and stop reading or navigate/read by word, line, sentence
and paragraph, use the AppReader Reading Gestures listed in the
table below.
Chapter 4—The ZoomText User Interface 65
4. To speak a block of words, drag diagonally with one finger to
highlight the words you want to have spoken.
When you complete the drag, all highlighted text will be spoken
5. To exit AppReader, double-tap with three fingers.
When AppReader exits, the cursor is automatically positioned at the
last word that was highlighted in AppReader (if a cursor exists in the
application).
AppReader Reading Gestures
Command
Gesture
Toggle Reading
(Play/Pause)
2-finger single-tap
Read from new location
1-finger single-tap.
Say Next Word
1-finger swipe right
Say Previous Word
1-finger swipe left
Say Current Word
1-finger double-tap
Note: Repeating this gesture on the same word
within two seconds or less will cycle through
the following options: say/spell/military spell.
Resets after a lapse of more than two seconds.
Say Word Below
1-finger swipe down
Say Word Above
1-finger swipe up
Say Next Sentence
2-finger swipe right
Say Previous Sentence
2-finger swipe left
Say Next Paragraph
2-finger swipe down
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Command
Gesture
Say Previous Paragraph
2-finger swipe up
End of Document
4-finger swipe down
Beginning of Document
4-finger swipe up
Chapter 5
Magnifier Features
"Magnifier Features" represent all of the visual enhancements that are
available in ZoomText Magnifier and ZoomText Magnifier/Reader.
These features include selection of the zoom level, zoom window types,
screen enhancements, and navigation options.
• The Magnifier Toolbar Tab
• Zooming In and Out
• Using Zoom to 1x
• Scrolling the Magnified View
• Zoom Windows
• Screen Enhancements
• Navigation Settings
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The Magnifier Toolbar Tab
The Magnifier toolbar tab provides quick-action buttons for enabling
and adjusting all of ZoomText's Magnifier features. Many of these
buttons are split-button controls that allow you to toggle the feature on
and off and open a menu of related settings. The buttons are grouped by
category and have intuitive icons and labels for easy identification.
The Magnifier toolbar tab
• Zoom Level. Sets the magnification level from 1x to 60x.
• Window. Selects the zoom window type for the magnified view.
The types of zoom windows that are available depend on whether
you are running your system with one monitor or multiple
monitors that are set to "Extend these displays".
• Color. Toggles the color enhancements on and off, and displays a
menu of color enhancement settings. Color enhancements improve
screen clarity for easier viewing and reduced eyestrain. You can
choose from a variety of preset color schemes or configure your
own custom color settings.
• Pointer. Toggles the pointer enhancements on and off, and selects
mouse pointer enhancement settings. Pointer enhancements make
it easy to locate and follow the mouse pointer. You can choose
from a variety of preset pointer enhancement schemes or
configure your own custom pointer enhancements.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 69
• Cursor. Toggles the cursor enhancements on and off, and selects
cursor enhancement settings. Cursor enhancements make it easy
to locate and follow the text cursor. You can choose from a variety
of preset cursor enhancement schemes or configure your own
custom cursor enhancements.
• Focus. Toggles the focus enhancements on and off, and selects
focus enhancement settings. Focus enhancements make it easy to
locate and follow the control focus when you tab and arrow key
through menus, dialogs and other application controls. You can
choose from a variety of preset focus enhancement schemes or
configure your own custom focus enhancements.
• Navigation. Displays a menu that opens the Navigation Settings
dialog where you can adjust how ZoomText will scroll the zoom
window to keep moving objects in view, including the mouse
pointer, text cursor, keyboard focus and other objects that appear
and move about the screen.
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Zooming In and Out
ZoomText provides a wide range of zoom levels allowing you to adjust
the magnified view according to your needs. Zoom levels include:
• 1x to 8x in steps of 1
• 10x to 16x in steps of 2
• 20x to 36x in steps of 4
• 42x to 60x in steps of 6
• Fractional powers of 1.2x, 1.4x, 1.6x, 1.8x, 2.5x, 3.5x and 4.5x.
You can zoom in and out at any time using the Zoom In and Zoom Out
hotkeys, Mouse Wheel Zooming, or the Zoom Level spin box on the
Magnifier toolbar tab.
Note: When using multiple monitors with the zoom window type set to
MultiView Local or MultiView Global, each view (on each display) has
its own zoom level. The zoom level commands and controls always
adjust and reflect the zoom level for the active view. You can force the
active and inactive views to zoom in and out together by enabling Keep
views at the same magnification level in the Multiple Monitor Options
dialog box.
▪ To zoom in and out using hotkeys
• Press the Zoom In and Zoom Out hotkeys:
o To Zoom In, press Caps Lock + Up
o To Zoom Out, press Caps Lock + Down
▪ To zoom in and out using mouse wheel zooming
• Hold down Caps Lock + Shift and roll the mouse wheel to zoom
in and out.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 71
▪ To zoom in and out using the Zoom Level spin box
• On the Magnifier toolbar tab, adjust the level in the Zoom Level
spin box by clicking the up and down button or by pressing the
Up and Down keys (when the spin box has focus).
Choosing a Set of Zoom Levels
ZoomText provides three sets of zoom levels for zooming in and out.
You can zoom in and out using All Zoom Levels, Favorite Zoom Levels
Only or Whole Power Levels Only.
• All Zoom Levels uses the complete set of zoom levels for zooming
in and out. This is the default mode.
• Favorite Zoom Levels uses a custom set of user-defined zoom
levels for zooming in and out. You can choose any combination of
zoom levels to define your favorite zoom levels.
• Whole Power Levels excludes all of the fractional powers when
zooming in and out.
▪ To choose a set of zoom levels and customize the Favorite
Zoom Levels
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select the Zoom Windows button,
which appears in the lower-right corner of the Zoom Windows
group.
The Zoom Windows Settings dialog appears.
2. Select the Magnification tab.
3. In the Use these zoom levels combo box, choose the set of zoom
levels that you want to use.
4. If you selected Favorite Zoom Levels Only, go to the Favorite
Zoom Levels list box and check the zoom levels that you want to
use and uncheck the zoom levels you do not want to use.
5. Click OK.
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The Magnification tab
Setting
Description
Zoom Levels
Current Zoom Level
Sets the magnification level. Magnification
levels include: 1x to 8x in steps of 1, 10x to 16x
in steps of 2, 20x to 36x in steps of 4, 42x to 60x
in steps of 6, and fractional powers of 1.2x,
1.4x, 1.6x, 1.8x, 2.5x, 3.5x and 4.5x.
Use these zoom levels
Selects the set of magnification levels that
ZoomText will use for zooming in and out.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 73
Setting
Description
Favorite zoom levels
A list of checkboxes for selecting the favorite
zoom levels. The change these selections you
must choose Favorite Zoom Levels Only in the
Use these zoom levels combo box.
Customizing Mouse Wheel Zooming
Many applications use the mouse wheel to scroll documents and
perform other actions. ZoomText combines modifier keys with the
mouse wheel to avoid interfering with these applications. By default,
ZoomText's Mouse Wheel Zooming uses Caps Lock + Shift for the
modifiers. If necessary you can choose a different combination of
modifiers or disable mouse wheel zooming altogether.
▪ To configure mouse wheel zooming
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select the Zoom Windows button,
which appears in the lower-right corner of the Zoom Windows
group.
The Zoom Windows Settings dialog appears.
2. Select the Magnification tab.
3. Make sure the Enable wheel zooming box is checked
4. Select the modifier key (or keys) that must be pressed in order for
the mouse wheel to be used for zooming.
5. Click OK.
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The Magnification tab
Setting
Description
Mouse Wheel Zooming
Enable wheel zooming
Enables use of the mouse wheel to change the
magnification level.
Modifier Keys
Selects the key combination to be used for
mouse wheel zooming. The selected keys must
be held down while rotating the mouse wheel
in order to change the magnification level.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 75
Using Zoom to 1x
Zoom to 1x feature lets you instantly switch between zoomed and 1x
views, without having to zoom out and zoom back in one zoom level at
a time. When you Zoom to 1x, all of ZoomText's other magnifier and
reader features remain active, so you can still use ZoomText's other
features even while the screen is unmagnified.
▪ To use Zoom to 1x
Do one of the following:
• Press the Zoom to 1x hotkey: Caps Lock + Enter
• On the Magnifier toolbar tab, click the Zoom to 1x button beneath
the Zoom Level spin box, or navigate to the Zoom Level spin box
and press Enter.
With each press of the hotkey toggles between the current zoom level
and 1x.
The Zoom to 1x button
Note: When you Zoom to 1x you can also use the Zoom In
commands and controls to zoom back in.
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Scrolling the Magnified View
ZoomText's magnified views automatically scroll to follow movement of
the mouse, text cursor and application focus. You can also use the Scroll
Commands to scroll in any direction and to any area of the screen. The
smooth scrolling behavior of the Scroll Commands is particularly
helpful when you want to scroll and read at the same time. The Scroll
Commands also allow you to jump instantly to any edge, jump to the
center of the screen, and save and restore a view of any location on the
screen.
▪ To scroll the zoom window
While holding down the Caps Lock + Shift keys:
1. Press the arrow key that corresponds to the desired scroll
direction: Left, Right. Up or Down.
2. To increase the scrolling speed, press the same arrow key. Each
press will increase the speed.
3. To decrease the scrolling speed, press the opposite arrow key.
Each press will decrease the speed until scrolling stops.
4. To scroll in a different direction, press the arrow key that
corresponds to the new direction.
5. To stop scrolling, press Enter or release the Caps Lock + Shift
keys.
▪ To jump to an edge or the center of the screen
While holding down the Caps Lock + Ctrl keys:
• Press the arrow key that corresponds to the desired edge: Left,
Right. Up or Down.
• Press Home to jump to the center of the screen.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 77
▪ To save and restore a specific view of the screen
The current view can be saved and then restored at a later time using
the following hotkeys:
• To save the view, press Caps Lock + Ctrl + Page Down
• To restore the view, press Caps Lock + Ctrl + Page Up
78
Zoom Windows
A zoom window displays a magnified view of the computer screen. You
can think of a zoom window as a magnifying glass held in front of the
screen. A zoom window can only display a portion of the screen at any
one time, but by scrolling the magnified contents, any area of the screen
can be viewed. The magnified view automatically tracks and scrolls to
follow all on-screen activity, including movement of the mouse pointer,
text cursor, and the keyboard focus.
• Running with One or Multiple Monitors
• Selecting a Zoom Window
• Adjusting Zoom Windows
• Tethered View
• Freeze View
• Overview Mode
• Managing Multiple Monitors
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 79
Running with One Monitor or Multiple Monitors
When your system is running with one monitor, or with two monitors
set to "Duplicate these displays", you can set the magnified view to any
of the following zoom window types: Full, Overlay, Lens, Line and four
Docked positions; Top, Bottom, Left and Right.
When your system is running with multiple monitors set to "Extend
these displays", you can set the magnified view to any of the following
zoom window types: Span, Clone, Zoom with 1x, MultiView Local and
MultiView Global.
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Selecting Zoom Windows
You can select a different zoom window at any time while ZoomText is
active. The types of zoom windows that are available depend on
whether your system is configured with one monitor or multiple
monitors that are configured with extended desktops.
Note: This section provides descriptions and instructions for using the
multiple monitor zoom windows types and options. For additional
information on using ZoomText’s multiple monitor support, including
supported hardware, recommended configurations and
troubleshooting, see Managing Multiple Monitors.
▪ To select a zoom window
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select the Window button.
2. Select One Monitor or Multiple Monitors according to your
current monitor configuration.
3. Select the desired zoom window type.
The magnified view on your monitors will change according to the
selected zoom window type.
Tip! You can also cycle through the available zoom window types by
pressing the Zoom Window Type hotkey: Caps Lock + Z
A zoom window type can also be selected in the Zoom Windows dialog,
as follow:
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select Window > Settings.
The Zoom Windows dialog appears with the Window tab displayed.
2. Select the desired zoom window type.
3. Click OK.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 81
The Window tab (when using one monitor)
82
The Window tab (when using multiple monitors)
Setting
Description
Settings for one monitor (or a single active display)
Window type
Selects the zoom window type when using
one monitor or a single display duplicated
across multiple monitors.
Full. Displays a zoom window that occupies
the entire screen.
Overlay. Displays a zoom window that lies on
top of the normal screen and can be sized and
moved to occupy any area.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 83
Setting
Description
Lens. Displays a zoom window that moves
over the normal screen like a magnifying
glass, displaying what is directly beneath it.
The lens automatically follows as you move
the mouse pointer, type text and navigate
through your programs.
Line. Displays a zoom window that moves up
and down the screen like a magnifying ruler,
displaying what is directly beneath it. The line
automatically follows as you move the mouse
pointer, type text and navigate through your
programs.
Docked. Splits the screen in half, displaying a
magnified 'docked' view on one side and a
normal (unmagnified) view on the other. The
magnified view can be docked against any
edge of the screen: top, bottom, left, or right.
For information on adjusting zoom windows,
see Adjusting a Zoom Window.
Set window height to
cursor height
As the text cursor moves through larger or
smaller text, the height of the Line window
increases or decreases, so that only the current
line of text is displayed.
Settings for multiple monitors (with extended displays)
Window type:
Selects the zoom window type when using
multiple monitors that are configured with
extended displays.
Span. Displays a single contiguous magnified
view that spans across all of your monitors.
The magnified view tracks and scrolls to
84
Setting
Description
follow activity across the entire extended
display.
Span view is designed for users that want to use
two monitors to create one larger magnified view.
Clone. Displays the same magnified view on
two or more monitors. The magnified view
tracks and scrolls to follow activity across the
entire extended display. Note: Clone view is
only available when the displays are set to the
same screen resolution and to the same
orientation; Portrait or Landscape.
Clone view is designed for situations where two or
more users need to see the same magnified view on
separate monitors.
Zoom with 1x. Displays a magnified view on
your main display and a non-magnified (1x)
view on your secondary display. Both views
(magnified and 1x) track and scroll to follow
activity across the entire extended display.
Note: When using multiple monitors
configured with extended displays, Windows
designates one of the display devices as the
"main display", which is where the desktop
icons, taskbar with Windows menu, and Task
Switcher appear. You can select which display
is your main display in the Screen Resolution
dialog box, which can be accessed by right-
clicking any empty area of your desktop and
then clicking Screen resolution.
Zoom with 1x view is designed for users that want
to see both a magnified view and a normal (bird’s-
eye) view of their workspace. Zoom with 1x is also
ideal for situations where a low-vision user and
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 85
Setting
Description
normal-sighted user are working together on the
same system. The low-vision user sees the
magnified view while the normal-sighted user sees
the unmagnified view.
MultiView Local. Displays separate
magnified views on each monitor, with each
monitor’s view limited to its own desktop
area. In other words, monitor 1 will only show
desktop 1 and monitor 2 will only show
desktop 2, and so on.
When using MultiView Local:
• Only one magnified view is active and
moving at a time.
• When the mouse pointer or application
focus move from one desktop to another,
the active view automatically switches
monitors to follow along. You can switch
the active view at any time by pressing the
Active View hotkey: Caps Lock + V. When
you hold down the Active View hotkey
the magnified views will lock in place. In
this locked state you can move the mouse
pointer and any objects that you are
dragging with the mouse from the
magnified view on one monitor directly
into the magnified view on another
monitor.
• By default, each view has its own
magnification level, which is adjustable
only when the view is active. The Zoom In
and Zoom Out hotkeys, mouse wheel
zooming and Power controls always
86
Setting
Description
reflect and adjust the magnification level
in the active view. You can force the active
and inactive views to zoom in and out
together by enabling "Keep views at the
same magnification level" in the Multiple
Monitor Options dialog box.
MultiView Local is designed for users that want
separate magnified views of each desktop, with each
view constrained so that it never scrolls outside of
its own desktop.
MultiView Global. Displays separate
magnified views on each monitor, with each
monitor’s view able to scroll and track activity
across all desktop areas. In other words, each
monitor’s magnified view can show its own
desktop as well as the other monitor’s
desktop.
When using MultiView Global:
• Only one magnified view is active and
moving at a time and that active view
scrolls from one desktop to another to
follow the mouse pointer and application
focus. To switch the active view, press the
Active View hotkey: Caps Lock + V. When
you hold down the Active View hotkey
the magnified views will lock in place. In
this locked state you can move the mouse
pointer and any objects that you are
dragging with the mouse from the
magnified view on one monitor directly
into the magnified view on another
monitor.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 87
Setting
Description
• By default, each view has its own
magnification level, which is adjustable
only when the view is active. The Zoom In
and Zoom Out hotkeys, mouse wheel
zooming and Power controls always
reflect and adjust the magnification level
in the active view. You can force the active
and inactive views to zoom in and out
together by enabling "Keep views at the
same magnification level" in the Multiple
Monitor Options dialog box.
MultiView Global is designed for users that want
to view two locations within the same application
window or desktop.
Multiple Monitor
Options
Opens the Multiple Monitor Options dialog
box, where you can select and configure
options for ZoomText’s multiple monitor
views.
Windows Display
Settings
Opens the Windows Control Panel to the
Display Settings, where you can adjust the
configuration of your monitors.
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Adjusting Zoom Windows
ZoomText provides a choice of zoom window types that occupy the full
screen or a portion of the screen. Zoom window types that occupy a
portion of the screen include: Overlay, Lens, Line and Docked. When
using a partial-screen zoom window, you can size and/or move the
zoom window to occupy a different portion or location on the screen.
▪ To size and move a zoom window
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Window or
navigate to Window and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Window menu, choose Zoom Window Adjust Tool.
The Adjust tool becomes active and sizing handles appear on the zoom
window frame.
3. To size the window, drag any handle.
4. To move the window, drag inside the window frame.
5. To scroll the contents of the window, hold down Ctrl, and then
drag inside the window frame.
6. To exit the Adjust tool, right-click or press Esc.
Note: You can also activate the Zoom Windows Adjust Tool by pressing
the Zoom Windows Adjust Tool hotkey: Caps Lock + A
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 89
Tethered View
When using higher zoom levels, there is often an activity that occurs on
the screen that is outside of the magnified viewing area. Using the
Windows Start menu search as an example, while you can see the text
entered in the search box within your magnified view, you cannot see
the results that are visible elsewhere on the screen. To view them, you
must scroll to the results, which can take time and be inconvenient.
This is where Tethered View is helpful. It opens a new window inside
the magnified area and displays the output, results, or selection
alongside the action you are performing. In the Start menu search
example, the first result at the top of the list appears in the Tethered
View window next to the search box. The Tethered View window
follows along and displays other results as you scroll through the list
using the up and down arrows.
Tethered View is available in ZoomText and Fusion. It supports the
following scenarios, but more will be available in future updates:
Windows Start menu search, Excel formula bar, Word Comments pane,
and Links List on a web page (Fusion only). These scenarios are enabled
by default. See Tethered View Scenarios for more information.
Note: Tethered View can be used with the following zoom window
types: Full, Docked, MultiView Local, Clone, Span, and Zoom with 1x.
▪ To enable and disable Tethered View
1. On the ZoomText or Fusion Magnifier toolbar tab, select the
Window button.
2. Choose Tethered View.
3. Choose Enable or Disable.
▪ To change Tethered View settings
1. On the ZoomText or Fusion Magnifier toolbar tab, select the
Window button.
90
2. Choose Tethered View.
3. Choose Settings.
The Zoom Windows Settings dialog box appears with the Tethered tab
displayed.
4. Change the Tethered View settings as desired.
5. Click OK.
The Tethered View tab
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 91
Tethered View Scenarios
Tethered View scenarios are preset actions you can perform with
ZoomText and Fusion. You can enable and disable scenarios using the
Tethered View settings.
Tethered View currently supports the Windows Start menu search,
Excel formula bar, Word Comments pane, and Links List on a web page
(Fusion only). It is enabled by default for these items.
▪ To enable and disable scenarios
1. On the ZoomText or Fusion Magnifier toolbar tab, select the
Window button.
2. Choose Tethered View.
3. Choose Settings.
The Zoom Windows Settings dialog box appears with the Tethered tab
displayed.
4. Select or clear items in the Tethered View Scenarios list.
5. Click OK.
The following are examples showing how to use Tethered View.
Windows Start Menu Search
When you use the search box in the Windows Start menu, you may
notice that you cannot see the top search result in the magnified view.
With Tethered View enabled, the best match appears in a window next
to the search box. You can click the result or scroll through the list using
the up and down arrows to see other items.
The following Tethered View keystrokes are available when using the
Windows Start menu:
• To expand or collapse the Tethered View window, press CAPS
LOCK+T.
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• To view the result at the top of the search list, press CAPS
LOCK+SHIFT+T.
Excel Formula Bar
Tethered View is available when working with formulas in an Excel
worksheet. Excel displays the formula related to a cell in the formula bar
located at the top of the worksheet. This position is far away from the
actual cell. The Tethered View brings the formula to you and displays it
next to the cell that has focus. If you want to switch to the formula field,
you can click it or use the CAPS LOCK+SHIFT+T keystroke.
Other times you may want to read the Excel spreadsheet without the
formula displayed. In this case, you can toggle the Tethered View with
CAPS LOCK+T. In Excel, the Tethered View window is collapsed by
default.
The following Tethered View keystrokes are available when using Excel:
• Expand or collapse Tethered View window: CAPS LOCK+T
• View the Formula bar: CAPS LOCK+SHIFT+T
Microsoft Word Comments
If you distribute a Word document for review, others may add
comments to the document. The Comments pane or list is positioned to
the far right side of the screen. In Tethered View, each comment is
placed next to the text where it is inserted. This eliminates the need to
scroll across the screen, find and read the comment, and then scroll and
return to the text.
The following Tethered View keystrokes are available when using
Word:
• Expand or collapse Tethered View window: CAPS LOCK+T
• View the comment: CAPS LOCK+SHIFT+T
• Return to the text at the insertion point: ESC
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 93
Fusion Links List (Fusion only)
When reading a web page while running Fusion, you can press
INSERT+F7 to display a list of links that are on the page. With Tethered
View, as you scroll through the list, the current link’s URL appears next
to the item in the list. You can click or press ENTER to select the link.
The following Tethered View keystrokes are available when using the
Fusion links list:
• Expand or collapse Tethered View window: CAPS LOCK+T
• View the URL for the link: CAPS LOCK+SHIFT+T
• Open the links list: INSERT+F7
Setting
Description
Tethered View Settings
Enable tethered view
Enables and disables the Tethered View
feature.
Border color
Sets the color for the Tethered View window
border.
Tethered View
Scenarios
Enables and disables actions supported by
Tethered View.
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Freeze View
In a magnified view, it is impossible to see the entire screen at once. As a
result, items of interest, such as the clock and Start menu, cannot be seen
at the same time since they are on opposite sides of the screen. Freeze
View solves this problem by letting you draw a window around an area
of the screen that you want to monitor. When you have completed your
selection, the Freeze View automatically appears on top of the Full zoom
window displaying the selected area. The Full zoom window continues
to operate normally, tracking all on-screen activity and allowing you to
navigate and work in all areas of the screen.
You can create up to four Freeze Views and place them anywhere on
your screen. Multiple views can appear simultaneously. For example,
you can create a view of the ZoomText app icon located in the system
tray and drag it to an area on the screen that is convenient for you to
access. This lets you quickly bring the ZoomText toolbar into view
instead of scrolling with the mouse pointer to the system tray and then
clicking the app icon. Another example is to create a view of the clock,
which is located in the notification area. Again, you can position it on
the screen so that it is always in view. Both views can appear
simultaneously.
▪ To create a Freeze View
1. Do one of the following:
• For one monitor, set the zoom window type to Full.
• For multiple monitors, set the zoom window type to Span,
Clone, Zoom with 1x, or MultiView Global.
2. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Window or
navigate to Window and press the down arrow key.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 95
3. In the Window menu, choose Freeze View > New Freeze View.
The Freeze tool becomes active.
Freeze tool
Note: You can have up to four Freeze Views. If you try to create a
fifth Freeze View, you must first delete an existing Freeze View.
4. Move the mouse pointer until the area you want to freeze is
scrolled into view.
5. Hold down the left button and drag a selection rectangle around
the desired freeze area and release the button.
Freeze Selection tool
When you complete the drag, the Freeze View will appear with sizing
handles on the frame.
Freeze View Adjustment frame
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6. To size the window, drag any handle. To move the window, drag
inside the window frame. To scroll the contents of the window,
hold down CTRL and drag inside the window frame.
7. To exit the Freeze tool, right click or press ESC.
Note: The Freeze View can be resized or moved using the Adjust
tool.
8. To create additional Freeze Views, repeat steps 1-7. You can have a
total of four Freeze Views.
Note: If you try to add a fifth Freeze View, the Freeze View
Settings dialog opens. You must delete at least one Freeze View
from the Views list before adding another.
9. To save Freeze View changes, in the ZoomText menu, choose
Configurations > Save As Default.
▪ To enable and disable the Freeze window
Do one of the following:
• Press the Freeze View On/Off hotkey:
o CAPS LOCK+CTRL+1 for Freeze View 1
o CAPS LOCK+CTRL+2 for Freeze View 2
o CAPS LOCK+CTRL+3 for Freeze View 3
o CAPS LOCK+CTRL+4 for Freeze View 4
• On the Magnifier toolbar tab, choose Window > Freeze View, and
then select a Freeze View to toggle it on or off.
▪ To delete a Freeze View using Hotkeys
1. Press CAPS LOCK+A until the Freeze View you want to delete is
selected.
2. Press DELETE.
The Freeze tool appears.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 97
3. Press ESC.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 to delete other Freeze Views.
▪ To delete a Freeze View using the Freeze View settings
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select the Zoom Window Settings
button, which appears in the lower-right corner of the Zoom
Window group.
The Zoom Window Settings dialog appears.
2. Select the Freeze tab.
3. Choose a Freeze View from the Views list and click the Delete
button.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 to delete other Freeze Views.
▪ To move a Freeze View between multiple monitors
Note: Freeze View windows can only be moved between multiple
monitors when the window zoom type is set to Span.
1. Press CAPS LOCK+A until the Freeze View you want to move is
selected.
The Freeze Selection tool becomes active.
2. Place the Freeze Selection Tool inside the Freeze View and drag it
to the other monitor.
3. To exit the tool, right click or press ESC.
4. To save the Freeze View’s new position, in the ZoomText menu,
choose Configurations > Save As Default.
▪ To customize a Freeze View
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select the Zoom Windows Settings
button, which appears in the lower-right corner of the Zoom
Windows group.
The Zoom Windows Settings dialog appears.
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2. Select the Freeze tab.
3. Choose a Freeze View from the Views list and do any of the
following:
o Assign a name
o Choose a zoom level
o Decide if you want the mouse pointer to appear in front of
or behind the Freeze View. When in front, you can click
and use the items in the Freeze View. When behind, you
can only view what is in the Freeze View.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 to customize other Freeze Views
5. Click OK.
6. To save Freeze View changes, in the ZoomText menu, choose
Configurations > Save As Default.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 99
The Freeze View tab
Setting
Description
Freeze View Settings
Views
Shows a list of all Freeze Views. Select a check
box to enable a Freeze View. Clear a check box
to disable a Freeze View.
Adjust
Resizes and moves the selected Freeze View.
Delete
Deletes the selected Freeze View.
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Setting
Description
New
Activates the Freeze Tool.
Name
Renames the selected Freeze View.
Zoom level
Sets the magnification level for the selected
Freeze View.
Automatic with fixed size: Sets the Freeze
View to use the same magnification level as
ZoomText.
Other magnification levels include: 1x to 8x
in steps of 1, 10x to 16x in steps of 2, 20x to 36x
in steps of 4x, 42x to 60x in steps of 6, and
fractional powers of 1.2x, 1.4x, 1.6x, 1.8x, 2.25x,
2.5x, 2.75x, 3.5x and 4.5x.
Mouse pointer
Sets the mouse pointer to appear in front of or
behind the selected Freeze View. When in
front, you can click and use the items visible in
the Freeze View. When behind, you can only
view what is in the Freeze View.
Toggle hotkey
Displays the hotkey assigned to the selected
Freeze View. To assign a new hotkey, see
ZoomText Command Key dialog.
Freeze View Commands
Command
Hotkeys
Create new Freeze View
CAPS LOCK+N
Adjust Freeze View size
and position
CAPS LOCK+A
Delete Freeze View
CAPS LOCK+A (to select a Freeze View) and
then press DELETE
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Using Overview Mode and the View Locator
Overview mode shows you the area of the screen that is currently being
magnified and allows you to select a new area to zoom in on. When
Overview mode is activated, magnification turns off and the View
Locator appears in the normal screen. By moving the mouse pointer, the
View Locator moves over the unmagnified screen allowing you to select
a new area to zoom in on.
▪ To use Overview Mode
1. Do one of the following:
• On the Magnifier toolbar tab, choose Window > Overview
Mode.
• Press the Overview Mode On/Off hotkey: Caps Lock + O
Magnification is temporarily turned off and the View Locator appears.
2. Move the View Locator to the desired screen location.
3. Click to zoom-in on the new location.
Magnification is restored with the selected screen area displayed.
You can configure the View Locator to appear in a variety of shapes and
colors. The View Locator can also be enabled to appear in unmagnified
portions of the screen when using Overlay or Docked zoom windows.
▪ To configure the View Locator
1. In the Magnifier menu, click the Windows button, and choose
View Locator
The Zoom Window Settings dialog appears with the View Locator tab
displayed.
2. Adjust the locator options as desired.
3. Click OK to enable the changes.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 103
The View Locator tab
Setting
Description
View Locator Settings
View Locator
Selects the type of View Locator that is
displayed: Block, Inverted Block, Frame or
Cross.
Color
Selects the color that the View Locator will
appear in.
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Setting
Description
Transparency
Sets the level of transparency for the View
Locator. The transparency level controls the
amount of the desktop image that is visible
through the View Locator.
Display view locator in
Overlay, Docked and
Zoom with 1x views
Enables the display of the View Locator in the
1x portion of the screen when using the
Overlay, Docked or Zoom with 1x zoom
windows.
Blink view locator
Turns locator blinking on or off.
Blink Rate
Sets the blink rate for the View Locator in
seconds (from 0.5 to 5, in increments of 0.5).
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 105
Managing Multiple Monitors
In the "Zoom Windows" section you learned about the types of zoom
windows that are available and how to select a zoom window.
This section provides information on how to configure ZoomText's
multiple monitor options, how to best configure a system with multiple
monitors to work with ZoomText, and how to troubleshoot problems
related to ZoomText’s multiple monitor support.
ZoomText’s multiple monitor support currently works with two
extended displays. Support for three or more extended displays will be
added in a future release.
Note: For information on setting up your system with multiple display
devices, search the Microsoft website for instructions that pertain to
your version of Microsoft Windows.
• Multiple Monitor Options
• Support Hardware
• Recommended Configurations
• Configuring Displays
• Automatic Adjustments
• ZoomText Feature Behaviors
• Troubleshooting
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Multiple Monitor Options
Multiple Monitor Options provide a variety of settings for customizing
how the zoom windows behave when using multiple monitors. These
behaviors include how the mouse pointer moves between desktops and
monitors, and how magnification and screen enhancements are applied
and adjusted in each monitor’s view.
Note: For descriptions of the zoom window types available in multiple
monitor support, see Selecting Zoom Windows.
▪ To configure the Multiple Monitor Options
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Window or
navigate to Window and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Window menu, choose Settings.
The Zoom Window Settings dialog box appears.
3. Choose the Window tab.
4. Choose Multiple Monitor Options...
The Multiple Monitor Options dialog box appears.
5. Adjust the multiple monitor settings as desired.
6. Click OK.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 107
The Multiple Monitor Options dialog box
Setting
Description
When the pointer crosses between desktops
Keep the pointer from
crossing the border for:
Keeps the mouse pointer from crossing
between desktops until the pointer presses
against the border for the amount of time
selected in the neighboring combo box. Note:
When this option is enabled, you can cross the
pointer immediately by tapping the border
twice (quickly).
Display a border
marker between the
desktops:
Displays a border marker on the border
between desktops according to the style
selected in the neighboring combo box. The
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Setting
Description
border marker helps you to stay oriented in
the extended displays.
Play sound cues when
the pointer touches and
crosses the border
Plays a pair of sound cues to make you aware
of when the mouse pointer has bumped the
border between desktops and crossed over
between desktops.
Use these sound cues:
Selects the sounds that will be played when
the pointer touches and crosses the border
between desktops. There are four sets of
sound cues to choose from.
Sound cue volume:
Sets the volume level for the sound cues.
When using MultiView
Keep views at the same
magnification level
When using the MultiView Local or
MultiView Global zoom windows; this setting
forces the active and inactive views to zoom in
and out together at the same magnification
level across all of the monitors. When
adjusting the magnification level in the active
view, the magnification levels on the other
monitors will also adjust to the same level.
Switch the active view
by pressing:
Displays the assigned hotkey for switching the
active view when using the MultiView Local
or MultiView Global zoom windows.
Other Settings
Show the screen
enhancements on:
Sets the monitors that screen enhancements
will be applied to.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 109
Supported Multiple Monitor Hardware
ZoomText’s multiple monitor support will work with most display
technologies that are designed for the Windows operating system. These
supported technologies include video cards, display monitors and
projectors, and display connections, including VGA, DVI, HDMI and
DisplayPort. In most cases, if your system is already running with
multiple display devices that are set to: "Extend these displays",
ZoomText’s multiple monitor support will also run on that system. If
you encounter a problem with ZoomText’s multiple monitor support,
see "Multiple Monitor Troubleshooting" in this chapter, or contact
Freedom Scientific or your local dealer for assistance.
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Recommended Monitor Configurations
ZoomText’s multiple monitor support will work with most makes and
models of computer monitors and projectors, including a set of monitors
that have different physical sizes and display resolutions. However, the
following recommendations should be observed to achieve the highest
level of display quality, viewing comfort and productivity from your
multiple monitor system.
Monitor sizes, orientation and alignment
For best viewing, we recommend using a matched set of monitors that
are physically oriented and aligned in a perfect side-by-side or stacked
arrangement on your desk. Then, when you have arranged the displays
in the Screen Resolution dialog box in the same orientation as the
monitors on your desk, you will be able to intuitively move the mouse
pointer from one monitor to another, as if it were one seamless screen.
For instructions on arranging displays, see Configuring Displays for
Multiple Monitor Support.
These factors—size, orientation and alignment—are particularly
important when using the Span zoom window, where your screens
display a contiguous magnified view across multiple screens. If the
monitors are mismatched in size, orientation or alignment, the
magnified view displayed in the Span zoom window may be confusing
to look at.
Display resolutions
For the clearest magnified views, we recommend always setting the
screen resolution for each monitor to its native resolution. Running
monitors in non-native resolutions degrades the image quality that
appears in a normal view, which is further degraded when magnified.
Note: This recommendation also applies when only using one monitor.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 111
Configuring Displays for Multiple Monitor
Support
To use ZoomText's multiple monitor support your system must have
multiple monitors connected, enabled, and configured with the
following settings:
• The monitors must be set to "Extend these displays" in the Screen
Resolution dialog box.
• The monitors must be perfectly aligned on one side in the Screen
Resolution dialog box.
• The extended displays should be arranged to closely match the
physical arrangement of the monitors on your desk.
Instructions for making all of these adjustments are provided below.
▪ To set your monitors to "Extend these displays"
You can set your monitors to "Extend these displays" using the
following methods:
Method 1: Use the Display Switch shortcut: Windows + P
• When you press the Windows + P shortcut the Display Switch bar
will appear on your screen. When the Display Switch bar is
visible, press the Windows + P shortcut or the left and right arrow
keys to cycle through the multiple monitor options in the Display
Switch bar. Once you have cycled to the Extend option, press the
Enter key.
Method 2: Select in the Screen Resolution dialog box.
1. Right-click any empty area of your desktop, and then click Screen
resolution.
The Screen Resolution dialog appears.
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2. Click the Multiple displays drop-down list and select Extend these
displays. A dialog may appear asking if you want to keep the
adjusted display settings. Choose Keep Changes.
Note: ZoomText’s multiple monitor support also works when
using a combination of monitor and projector that are set to
"Extend these displays".
▪ To arrange and align your extended displays
Arranging and aligning your extended displays can be performed as
follows:
1. Right-click any empty area of your desktop, and then click Screen
resolution.
The Screen Resolution dialog appears. This dialog displays an
illustrative representation of how your extended displays are currently
arranged and aligned.
2. Using the mouse, drag the displays so that they are arranged to
closely match the physical arrangement of the monitors on your
desk, and then perfectly align the same edges of the monitors
according to the following alignment rules.
• If the displays are positioned side by side, either the top edges
or bottom edges of the displays must be aligned.
• If the displays are positioned in a vertical stack, either the left
edges or right edges of the displays must be aligned.
3. Click the Apply or OK button. A dialog may appear asking if you
want to keep the adjusted display settings. If this dialog appears,
choose Keep Changes.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 113
Automatic Adjustment to Display Changes
ZoomText automatically detects all changes that are made to your
display devices, including the following:
• Adding and removing display devices
• Enabling and disabling display devices
• Changing the screen resolution for display devices
• Changing the relative position and orientation of display devices
• Changing the presentation of the display devices—i.e. Extend
these displays, Duplicate these displays, Show only on {n}
These changes are detected when ZoomText starts up and while
ZoomText is running. When a change is detected, ZoomText
automatically adjusts to the settings you previously used for that
display configuration. If you had not previously used that display
configuration, ZoomText will use default settings. Here are a few
examples of how ZoomText detects and adjusts for display changes:
• When ZoomText detects a switch from one monitor to multiple
monitors with extended displays, ZoomText will automatically
switch to the last window type used for multiple monitors. When
multiple monitors with extended displays are detected for the first
time, ZoomText enables the default zoom window type for
multiple monitors, which is MultiView Local.
• When ZoomText detects a switch from multiple monitors with
extended displays to one monitor, or to multiple monitors set to
"Duplicate these displays", ZoomText will automatically switch to
the last zoom window type used for one monitor. When only one
monitor is detected for the first time, ZoomText enables the
default zoom window type for one monitor, which is Full zoom.
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Feature Behaviors in Multiple Monitors
When using ZoomText’s multiple monitor support the behavior of some
of ZoomText features will work as described below.
Feature
Current Behavior
AppReader
When using the Span, Clone, Zoom with 1x or
MultiView Global zoom windows; the active
magnified view always scrolls to follow
AppReader’s word highlight, regardless of
which desktop the target application is on.
When using the MultiView Local zoom
window, if the target application is on the
inactive view’s desktop, the inactive view
becomes active and scrolls to follow
AppReader’s word highlight.
Reading Zones
When using the Span, Clone, Zoom with 1x or
MultiView Global zoom windows, the active
magnified view scrolls to bring the triggered
reading zone into view, regardless of which
desktop the reading zone is on.
When using the MultiView Local zoom
window, if the triggered reading zone is on
the inactive view’s desktop, the inactive view
becomes active and scrolls to bring the reading
zone into view.
Touch Screen
This feature is currently not supported when
using multiple monitors.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 115
Feature
Current Behavior
ZoomText Camera
This feature is currently not supported when
using multiple monitors.
Support for third-party
USB CCTVs
This feature is currently not supported when
using multiple monitors.
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Troubleshooting Multiple Monitors
This topic provides steps for troubleshooting problems that can occur
when using ZoomText’s multiple monitor support.
Problem: Your system has three or more monitors (configured with
extended displays) and when you attempt to start ZoomText a message
appears saying: "ZoomText multiple monitor support requires that you
have only one extended display enabled. Please disable all but one
extended display, and then try enabling multiple monitors again."
Solution: ZoomText’s multiple monitor support currently works with
two extended displays. Support for three or more extended displays will
be added in a future release.
Problem: When using Span View the left half of the magnified view is
on the right and vice versa.
Solution: The orientation of your extended displays is reversed from the
physical arrangements of your monitors. To resolve this problem,
reverse the arrangement of the displays in the Screen Resolution
settings, which can be accessed by right-clicking any empty area of your
desktop, and then clicking Screen resolution.
Problem: The mouse won’t move between my monitors but wraps
around from the outside edges.
Solution: The orientation of your extended displays is reversed from the
physical arrangements of your monitors. To resolve this problem,
reverse the arrangement of the displays in the Screen Resolution
settings, which can be accessed by right-clicking any empty area of your
desktop, and then clicking Screen resolution.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 117
Problem: ZoomText only magnifies and scrolls across half of the display
area.
Solution: ZoomText's multiple monitor support is enabled and you are
only looking at one of your monitors. The other half of the display area
is displayed on the second monitor.
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Screen Enhancements
Screen enhancements improve the legibility of objects that appear on the
screen. With these settings you can; enhance the screen colors for
improved contrast and clarity; enhance the appearance of the mouse
pointer, text cursor and keyboard input focus so that they're easier to see
and follow.
• Color Enhancements
• Pointer Enhancements
• Cursor Enhancements
• Focus Enhancements
• Using Smart Invert
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 119
Color Enhancements
Color enhancements improve the clarity of text and graphics, providing
easier viewing and reduced eyestrain. The color enhancement options
consist of a variety of filter effects that adjust color, contrast and
brightness. You can choose from preset color schemes or create your
own custom color settings.
Tip: When using the Invert Brightness and Invert Color effects in
Google Chrome, enabling ZoomText's Smart Invert feature will reverse
the invert effect on photos so that they are displayed in their natural
colors. For more information on this feature, see Using Smart Invert.
The color enhancement options are enabled and set using the Color
split-button control located on the Magnifier toolbar tab. The top
portion of this button toggles the color enhancements on and off, while
the bottom portion opens the color menu.
▪ To toggle the color enhancements on and off
Do one of the following:
• On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select the Color button.
• Press the Enhance Colors On/Off hotkey: Caps Lock + C
▪ To choose a preset color scheme
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Color or
navigate to Color and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Color menu, choose Scheme.
3. In the Scheme menu, choose the desired color scheme.
▪ To create a custom color scheme
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Color or
navigate to Color and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Color menu, choose Settings.
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The Screen Enhancements Settings dialog box appears with the Color
tab displayed.
3. Choose Custom...
4. Adjust the custom settings as desired.
5. Click OK.
The Color tab
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 121
Setting
Description
Color Enhancement
Normal
Disables all color enhancements.
Scheme
Activates a preset color scheme (selected in the
neighboring combo box).
Custom
Activates the Custom Settings, allowing you to
create your own custom color scheme.
Customize
Activates and configures the Custom Settings
to match the selected preset color scheme. This
allows you to use a preset scheme as the
starting point for a custom scheme.
Brightness and Contrast Settings
Brightness
Increases or decreases the brightness of the
screen image from 0% to 100%. Normal
brightness is 50%.
Contrast
Increases or decreases the contrast of the
screen image from 0% to 100%. Normal
contrast is 50%.
Restore Normal
Settings
Restores Brightness and Contrast to 50%
(normal).
Effect Settings
Effect
Selects the type of color effect and activates the
associated settings.
None. No filtering is applied.
Invert Brightness. Inverts the brightness of all
screen colors. Light colors become dark and
vice-versa.
Invert Colors. Inverts all screen colors.
122
Setting
Description
Dyed. Transforms all screen colors to a single
hue while preserving their light and dark
values. When the Dye effect is selected, a
Color combo box appears, allowing you to
select the dye color.
Two-Color. Transforms all screen colors to a
two-color spectrum. When the Two-Color
effect is selected, Foreground Color and
Background Color combo boxes appear,
allowing you to define the two-color
spectrum.
Replace Color. Replaces one screen color with
another. When the Replace Color effect is
selected, Replace and With combo boxes
appear, allowing you to choose the color to
replace and replacement color. A bandwidth
slider also appears allowing you to expand the
range of color replace to hues close to the
selected color.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 123
Pointer Enhancements
Pointer enhancements make it easy to locate and follow the mouse
pointer. You can adjust the size and color of the pointer and activate a
locator that emphasizes the pointer's position on the screen. You can
choose from preset pointer schemes or create your own custom pointer
settings.
The pointer enhancement options are enabled and set using the Pointer
split-button control located on the Magnifier toolbar tab. The top
portion of this button toggles the pointer enhancements on and off,
while the bottom portion opens the pointer menu.
▪ To toggle the pointer enhancements on and off
Do one of the following:
• On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select the Pointer button.
• Press the Enhance Pointer On/Off hotkey: Caps Lock + P
▪ To choose a preset pointer scheme
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Pointer or
navigate to Pointer and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Pointer menu, choose Scheme.
3. In the Scheme menu, choose the desired pointer scheme.
▪ To create a custom pointer scheme
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Pointer or
navigate to Pointer and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Pointer menu, choose Settings.
The Screen Enhancements Settings dialog box appears with the
Pointer tab displayed.
3. Choose Custom...
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4. Adjust the custom settings as desired.
5. Click OK.
The Pointer tab
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 125
Setting
Description
Pointer Enhancement
Normal
Disables all pointer enhancements.
Scheme
Enables a preset pointer scheme (selected in the
neighboring combo box).
Custom
Activates the Custom Settings, allowing you to
create your own custom pointer scheme.
Customize
Activates and configures the Custom Settings
to match the selected preset pointer scheme.
This allows you to use a preset scheme as the
starting point for a custom scheme.
Custom Settings
Pointer
Size
Sets the size of the enhanced mouse pointer.
Fifteen incremental sizes are available.
Color
Sets the color for the mouse pointer.
Lock pointer size
As you zoom in or out, the size of the mouse
pointer also changes relative to the zoom level.
By locking the pointer, it maintains a consistent
size regardless of the changing zoom level.
Pointer Locator
Type
Selects the type of pointer locator:
Circle. Displays a circle that is centered over
the pointer's hot spot.
Sonar. Displays animated circles that radiate
inward toward the pointer's hot spot.
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Setting
Description
Full Cross. Displays a set of crosshairs that
extend across the entire zoom window and
intersect the pointer's hot spot.
Crosshairs. Displays a set of crosshairs that are
centered over the pointer's hot spot.
Color
Sets the color for the pointer locator.
Thickness
Sets the thickness of the pointer locator: Thin,
Medium or Thick.
Transparency
Sets the level of transparency for the pointer
locator. The transparency level controls the
amount of the desktop image that is visible
through the pointer locator.
Display the pointer locator
Always
The pointer locator is always displayed.
When pointer is
stationary
The pointer locator is only displayed when the
pointer is stationary (not moving).
When pointer is
moving
The pointer locator is only displayed when the
pointer is moving.
When modifier key
is pressed
The pointer locator is only displayed when the
pointer modifier keys are held down.
Modifier Keys
Selects a key or combination of keys that, when
pressed, will display the pointer locator.
Note: The Display the pointer locator option
must be set to When modifier key is pressed.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 127
Cursor Enhancements
Cursor enhancements make it easy to locate and follow the text cursor.
A choice of high visibility locators marks the cursor’s position without
obscuring the surrounding text. You can choose from preset cursor
schemes or create your own custom cursor settings.
The cursor enhancement options are enabled and set using the Cursor
split-button control located on the Magnifier toolbar tab. The top
portion of this button toggles the cursor enhancements on and off, while
the bottom portion opens the cursor menu.
▪ To toggle the cursor enhancements on and off
Do one of the following:
• On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select the Cursor button.
• Press the Enhance Cursor On/Off hotkey: Caps Lock + R
▪ To choose a preset cursor scheme
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Cursor or
navigate to Cursor and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Cursor menu, choose Scheme.
3. In the Scheme menu, choose the desired cursor scheme.
▪ To create a custom cursor scheme
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Cursor or
navigate to Cursor and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Cursor menu, choose Settings.
The Screen Enhancements Settings dialog box appears with the Cursor
tab displayed.
3. Choose Custom...
4. Adjust the custom settings as desired.
128
5. Click OK.
The Cursor tab
Setting
Description
Cursor Enhancement
Normal
Disables all cursor enhancements.
Scheme
Activates a preset cursor scheme (selected in
the neighboring combo box).
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 129
Setting
Description
Custom
Activates the Custom Settings, allowing you to
create your own custom cursor scheme.
Customize
Activates and configures the Custom Settings
to match the selected preset cursor scheme.
This allows you to use a preset scheme as the
starting point for a custom scheme.
Preview
When you click in the Preview box a text
cursor appears with the selected cursor
enhancement settings.
Custom Settings
Cursor Locator
Type
Selects the type of cursor locator:
Wedge. Displays triangular wedges above and
below the cursor.
Single Wedges. Displays one triangular
wedge above or below the cursor.
Circle. Displays a circle around the cursor.
Frame. Displays a rectangular frame around
the cursor.
Size
Sets the size of the cursor locator: Thin,
Medium or Thick.
Color
Sets the color for the cursor locator.
Transparency
Sets the level of transparency for the cursor
locator. The transparency level controls the
amount of the desktop image that is visible
through the cursor locator.
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Setting
Description
Display the cursor locator
Always
The cursor locator is always displayed.
When cursor is
stationary
The cursor locator is only displayed when the
cursor is stationary (not moving).
When cursor is
moving
The cursor locator is only displayed when the
cursor is moving.
When modifier key
is pressed
The cursor locator is only displayed when the
cursor modifier keys are held down.
Modifier Keys
Selects a key or combination of keys that,
when pressed, will display the cursor locator.
Note: The Display the cursor locator option
must be set to When modifier key is pressed.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 131
Focus Enhancements
Focus enhancements make it easy to locate and follow the control focus
when you tab and arrow key through menus, dialogs, tool bars, and
other application controls. When enabled, a choice of high visibility
locators marks the position of the control with focus without obscuring
any surrounding text. You can choose from preset focus schemes or
configure your own custom focus settings.
The focus enhancement options are enabled and set using the Focus
split-button control located on the Magnifier toolbar tab. The top
portion of this button toggles the focus enhancements on and off, while
the bottom portion opens the focus menu.
▪ To toggle the focus enhancements on and off
Do one of the following:
• On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select the Focus button.
• Press the Enhance Focus On/Off hotkey: Caps Lock + F
▪ To choose a preset focus scheme
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Focus or
navigate to Focus and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Focus menu, choose Scheme.
3. In the Scheme menu, choose the desired focus scheme.
▪ To create a custom focus scheme
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Focus or
navigate to Focus and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Focus menu, choose Settings.
The Screen Enhancements Settings dialog box appears with the Focus
tab displayed.
132
3. Choose Custom...
4. Adjust the custom settings as desired.
5. Click OK.
The Focus tab
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 133
Setting
Description
Focus Enhancement
Normal
Disables all focus enhancements.
Scheme
Activates a preset focus scheme (selected in the
neighboring combo box).
Custom
Activates the Custom Settings, allowing you to
create your own custom focus scheme.
Customize
Activates and configures the Custom Settings
to match the selected preset focus scheme. This
allows you to use a preset scheme as the
starting point for a custom scheme.
Custom Settings
Focus Locator
Type
Selects the type of focus locator:
Block. Displays a block over the control that
has focus.
Underline. Displays a line beneath the control
that has focus.
Frame. Displays a rectangular around the
control that has focus.
Color
Sets the color for the focus locator.
Thickness
Sets the thickness of the focus locator: Thin,
Medium or Thick.
Transparency
Sets the level of transparency for the focus
locator. The transparency level controls the
amount of the desktop image that is visible
through the focus locator.
134
Setting
Description
Note: This setting is not available when the
locator color is set to 'Invert'.
Margin
Increases or decreases the space between the
control with focus and the focus locator.
Display the focus locator
Continuously
The focus locator is always displayed
(when a control has focus).
Briefly
The focus locator is for 1.5 seconds when a
control receives focus.
When modifier key
is pressed
The focus locator is only displayed when the
focus modifier keys are held down.
Modifier Keys
Selects a key or combination of keys that,
when pressed, will display the focus locator.
Note: The Display the focus locator option
must be set to When modifier key is pressed.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 135
Using Smart Invert
The use of filter effects to invert the screen brightness and colors is
popular among low-vision computer users, providing reduced glare,
improved legibility of on-screen text, less eyestrain and increased
comfort. However, these effects also result in photo images that look like
film negatives, which are unappealing and often unusable to look at.
By enabling ZoomText's Smart Invert feature, when using ZoomText's
Invert Brightness and Invert Color effects (in the Color Enhancement
feature), ZoomText will reverse or undo the inverted effect on photos so
that they are displayed in their natural colors.
Note: This feature is available in Google Chrome. To use it, you must
download and install the Smart Invert extension from the Google
Chrome store.
▪ To enable and disable the Smart Invert in the Color menu
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Color or
navigate to Color and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Color menu, choose Use Smart Invert.
▪ To enable and disable the Smart Invert by hotkey
Press the Enhance Smart Invert On/Off hotkey: Caps Lock + I
Note: Smart Invert can only be enabled and disabled when either Invert
Brightness or Invert Colors is enabled.
136
Navigation Settings
Navigation settings control how ZoomText will scroll the zoom window
to keep moving objects in view, including the mouse pointer, text
cursor, keyboard focus and other objects that appear and move about
the screen. With these settings you can: choose the objects and events
ZoomText will track in the zoom window, choose how tracked objects
and events will be positioned in the zoom window, automatically route
the mouse pointer into the magnified view or to the active control, and
constrain the movement of the mouse pointer.
• Tracking
• Alignment
• Mouse
• Panning
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 137
Tracking
As you move the mouse, type text, and navigate menus, dialogs and
other program controls, the zoom window automatically scrolls to keep
the focus in view. This behavior is driven by ZoomText's tracking
options, which allow you to choose the items that you want ZoomText
to track when they become active. You can also limit tracking to a
selected area of the screen.
▪ To adjust the tracking settings
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select the Navigation button.
2. In the Navigation menu, choose Tracking.
The Navigation Settings dialog appears with the Tracking tab
displayed.
3. Adjust the tracking settings as desired.
4. Click OK.
The Tracking tab
138
Setting
Description
Track on these items
Mouse Pointer
Enables tracking of the mouse pointer.
Text Cursor
Enables tracking of the text cursor.
Menus
Enables tracking of menu items when they
receive keyboard focus.
Controls
Enables tracking of controls when the receive
keyboard focus.
Tool Tips
Enables tracking on tool tips when they
appear.
Windows
Enables tracking on windows when they
become active.
Alerts
Enables tracking on alert pop ups when they
appear.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 139
Alignment
Alignment options control how the zoom window scrolls to keep
tracked items in view. There are two general types of alignment; edge
and center. With edge alignment, the zoom window scrolls only as
needed to keep the tracked object in view. With center alignment, the
zoom window scrolls as needed to keep the tracked object in the center
of the zoom window. A third alignment type, "smart alignment", scrolls
a control and the maximum portion of its parent menu or window into
view.
▪ To adjust the alignment settings
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select the Navigation button.
2. In the Navigation menu, choose Alignment.
The Navigation Settings dialog appears with the Alignment tab
displayed.
3. Adjust the alignment settings as desired.
4. Click OK.
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The Alignment tab
Setting
Description
Within edge margins
The zoom window scrolls only as needed to
bring the tracked object within the edge
margins.
Centered within the zoom
window
The zoom window scrolls to keep the tracked
object centered in the magnified view.
Edge Margins
Defines how close to the edge of the zoom
window a tracked object can move before the
window begins to scroll. The edge margin can
be set from 0% to 50%; half the width and
height of the zoom window.
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 141
Setting
Description
Smart alignment with
parent window
The zoom window scrolls to bring the tracked
control or menu item and the maximum
portion of its parent window or menu into
view.
Enable true center
tracking
True center tracking always keeps tracked
objects in the center of the monitor. This
includes moving the edge of the Windows
desktop toward the center of the monitor as
needed. When this happens, the area outside
the desktop appears as a background color.
True center tracking is available when the
window type is set to Full, and your system is
running with one monitor.
Enable true center
tracking at 1x
Enables true center tracking when using 1x
magnification. True center tracking always
keeps tracked objects in the center of the
monitor. True center tracking at 1x is available
when your system is running with one
monitor.
Background color
Choose a background color for true center
tracking.
142
Mouse
The Mouse navigation options, pointer positioning and pointer
constraints, make it easy to explore and move about the screen. With
pointer positioning, the mouse pointer is always brought into view
when you need it. With pointer constraints, you can limit mouse pointer
movement to horizontal or vertical directions, or within the active
window.
▪ To adjust the mouse navigation settings
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select the Navigation button.
2. In the Navigation menu, choose Mouse.
The Navigation Settings dialog appears with the Mouse tab displayed.
3. Click OK.
4. Adjust the mouse navigation settings as desired.
The Mouse tab
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 143
Setting
Description
Route pointer into view
when it is moved
Automatically moves the pointer to the center
of the magnified view, whenever the pointer
moves while located outside the view.
Route pointer over the
active control
Automatically moves the pointer to menu
items and dialog controls when they receive
focus.
Hold Shift key to move
only horizontally or
vertically
While holding down the Shift key, the mouse
pointer moves horizontally or vertically only,
depending on the initial direction of mouse
movement. This constrained movement
provides smoother scrolling through rows and
columns of information.
Hold Ctrl key to stay
within the active window
While holding down the Ctrl key, the mouse
pointer moves horizontally or vertically only,
depending on the initial direction of mouse
movement. This constrained movement
provides smoother scrolling through rows and
columns of information.
144
Panning
Smooth panning provides a more natural panning motion when the
magnified view scrolls to keep the focus in view. As you type text and
navigate menus, dialogs and other program controls the magnified view
smoothly pans across the screen, rather than moving in increments.
▪ To enable and adjust the smooth panning settings
1. On the Magnifier toolbar tab, select the Navigation button.
2. In the Navigation menu, choose Panning.
The Navigation Settings dialog appears with the Panning tab
displayed.
3. Adjust the smooth panning settings as desired.
4. Click OK.
The Panning tab
Chapter 5—Magnifier Features 145
Setting
Description
Enable smooth panning
Enables ZoomText’s smooth panning feature.
Press Caps Lock + S to toggle on and off.
Panning Speed
Controls how fast ZoomText pans from one
location to another.
Sensitivity
The sensitivity defines in which situations
smooth panning applies. If the sensitivity is set
to low, ZoomText will use smooth panning
only for small movements. If the sensitivity is
set to high, wider movements are also
smoothed out.
Hold Shift key for smooth
mouse panning
Enables smooth panning when using the
mouse pointer to navigate the screen.
Use smooth panning in
AppReader
Enables smooth panning between highlighted
words in AppReader.
Chapter 6
Reader Features
"Reader Features" represent the core screen reading and document
reading features in ZoomText Magnifier/Reader. These features include
the ZoomText voice; typing, mouse and program echo; the AppReader
and Reading Zones tools, and the Text Cursor and Say Commands.
Note: The Reader Features are not available in ZoomText Magnifier.
• The Reader Toolbar Tab
• The ZoomText Voice
• Echo Features
• AppReader
• Reading Zones
• Reading with the Text Cursor
• Say Commands
Chapter 6—Reader Features 147
The Reader Toolbar Tab
The Reader toolbar tab provides quick-action buttons for enabling and
adjusting all of ZoomText's Reader features. Many of these buttons are
split-button controls that allow you to toggle the feature on and off and
open a menu of related settings. The buttons are grouped by category
and have intuitive icons and labels for easy identification.
The Reader toolbar tab
Note: The Reader toolbar tab only appears in ZoomText
Magnifier/Reader.
• Voice. Enables and disables speech output for screen reading, and
allows you to open the Voice Settings dialog box where you can
select and customize different voices.
• Rate. Controls how fast ZoomText speaks.
• Keyboard. Toggles the keyboard echo on and off, and selects
keyboard echo settings. Keyboard echo provides immediate
feedback of the keys and words that you type.
• Mouse. Toggles the mouse echo on and off, and selects mouse
echo settings. Mouse echo automatically reads text beneath the
pointer.
• Verbosity. Selects a verbosity level. Verbosity allows you to adjust
the amount of information spoken when a program item receives
focus.
148
• AppReader. Launches AppReader to read text from the last active
application. AppReader provides continuous reading of
documents, web pages and email, within the parent application.
• Zones. Allows you to create, edit and navigate reading zones.
Reading zones let you instantly see and hear selected locations in
an application window.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 149
The ZoomText Voice
ZoomText allows you to select and customize the voice to fit your
personal preference. You can choose a male or female voice, adjust how
fast and loud the voice speaks, and customize the reading style and
audible cues. You can also enable and disable the voice as needed.
• Enabling and Disabling the Voice
• Adjusting the Voice Rate
• Choosing a Voice
• Adding and Removing Voices
• Configuring Text Processing
• Configuring Hints
• Configuring Audio
150
Enabling and Disabling the Voice
You can turn the voice on and off at any time without disabling the
magnification features.
▪ To enable and disable the voice
Do one of the following:
• On the Reader toolbar tab, select Voice > Enable (or Voice
> Disable).
• Press the Voice On/Off hotkey: Caps Lock + Alt + Enter
Note: AppReader will still speak when the voice is disabled.
There may be times when you want to terminate the voice output while
it is occurring. For example, when ZoomText is reading a message box
that you are already familiar with. You can force ZoomText to stop
speaking this text without turning the voice off altogether.
▪ To terminate speech output as it occurs
Press and release the Ctrl key.
The information that is currently being spoken is terminated.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 151
Adjusting the Voice Rate
The Voice Rate allows you to control how fast ZoomText speaks.
▪ To adjust the speech rate
Do one of the following:
• On the Reader toolbar tab, adjust the level in the Rate spin box.
• Press the Voice Faster and Voice Slower hotkeys
o Voice Faster: Caps Lock + Alt + Up
o Voice Slower: Caps Lock + Alt + Down
Note: The voice rate can also be adjusted in the Voice Settings dialog
box. For more information, see Voice Settings.
A separate voice rate is available for AppReader. This setting is located
in the AppReader dialog box (Shared Settings tab). For more
information, see AppReader Shared Settings.
152
Voice Settings
Voice settings let you select and customize the ZoomText voice. You can
select from a variety of male and female voices, and adjust their
speaking rate, pitch and volume.
▪ To adjust the voice settings
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Voice or
navigate to Voice and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Voice menu, choose Settings.
The Voice Settings dialog appears.
3. Choose the Voice tab.
4. Make sure the Enable voice output box is checked.
5. Choose the desired Language, Synthesizer and Voice, and then
adjust the Rate, Pitch and Volume.
6. To preview the synthesizer settings, type some text in the Sample
Text edit box, and then click Speak Sample.
7. Click OK.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 153
The Voice tab
Setting
Description
Enable voice output
Enables or disables speech output for screen
reading.
Language
Displays a list of speech synthesizer languages
that are available on your system.
Synthesizer
Displays a list of speech synthesizers available
on your system.
Note: ZoomText supports SAPI 4 and SAPI 5
based speech synthesizers.
154
Setting
Description
Voice
Displays a list of voices available in the
selected synthesizer.
Add/Remove Voices
Opens the Add/Remove Voices utility. It lets
you sample, install, and remove Vocalizer
Expressive 2 voices.
Voice Settings
Rate
Controls how fast ZoomText speaks.
A separate reading rate is available for
AppReader. * For more information, see
Reading Options.
Pitch
Selects the pitch of the current voice. Pitches
range from 5% to 100%, in steps of 5%.
Volume
Selects the volume of the current voice.
Volumes range from 5% to 100%, in steps of
5%.
Options
Displays optional settings for the selected
speech synthesizer, including the synthesizer's
pronunciation manager. If the speech device is
not pronouncing a word properly, you can
adjust the pronunciation by supplying the
phonetic spelling.
Sample Text
Sample Text / Speak
Sample
Allows you to test particular speech settings.
Text can be typed into the Sample Text box
and spoken by clicking the Speak Sample
button. The current speech settings are used to
speak the sample text, including settings in the
Text Processing and Hints tabs.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 155
* If AppReader is set to use its own voice rate, this rate setting will be
grayed out (disabled) when opening the Voice Settings dialog from the
AppReader's Text View toolbar.
156
Text Processing
Text processing modifies how numbers, punctuations and mixed case
words are spoken, so that they are pronounced in the proper context or
desired format. With these settings you can create a reading style that
clarifies complex words and numbers.
▪ To adjust the text processing settings
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Voice or
navigate to Voice and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Voice menu, choose Settings.
The Voice Settings dialog appears.
3. Choose the Text Processing tab.
4. Adjust the settings as desired.
5. Click OK.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 157
The Text Processing tab
Setting
Description
Text
Speak mixed case as
separate words
Breaks mixed case words into separate words
for more accurate pronunciation by the speech
synthesizer. For example, the word
'ZoomText' is broken apart and spoken as
"Zoom Text".
158
Setting
Description
Filter out repeated
characters
Limits the number of times that repeated
characters are spoken. This is useful when
encountering a string of repeated characters
used in formatting.
Repeat Count
Sets the maximum number of times a repeated
character is spoken. The repeat count range is
from 2 to 10.
Numbers
Speak numbers
according to
synthesizer settings
Numbers are spoken according to the
synthesizer's built-in settings.
Speak numbers using
their full word
representation
Numbers are spoken using their full-word
representation. For example, the number '1995'
is spoken "one thousand nine hundred and
ninety five".
Speak numbers as
single digits
Numbers are spoken as individual digits. For
example, the number '1995' is spoken "one
nine nine five".
Speak numbers as digit
pairs
Numbers are spoken as digit pairs. For
example, the number '1995' is spoken
"nineteen ninety five".
Punctuation
Speak punctuation
according to
synthesizer settings
Punctuation characters are spoken according
to the synthesizer's built in settings.
Speak all punctuation
All punctuation characters are spoken.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 159
Setting
Description
Speak embedded
punctuation only
Only punctuation characters embedded within
words are spoken. For example,
sales@freedomscientific.com is spoken "sales
at Freedom Scientific dot com".
160
Hints
Hints provide audible cues when you encounter capital letters,
hypertext links, or the start or end of a document. Hints can be heard as
a momentary pitch change while the item is read or a verbal
announcement such as "Cap" or "Link" prior to the item being read.
▪ To adjust the hints settings
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Voice or
navigate to Voice and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Voice menu, choose Settings.
The Voice Settings dialog appears.
3. Choose the Hints tab.
4. Adjust the settings as desired.
5. Click OK.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 161
The Hints tab
Setting
Description
Capital Letters
No hints for capitals
No hint is applied when a capital letter is read.
Change pitch when
reading a capital
The synthesizer pitch is changed when a
capital letter is read.
Say "Cap" before
reading a capital
The word "cap" is spoken before a capital
letter is read.
162
Setting
Description
Pitch Change
(Capital Letters)
A percentage change to the voice pitch occurs
when a capital letter is read. Pitch change
ranges from -50% to +50% in steps of 10%.
Hypertext Links
No hints for links
No hint is applied when a hypertext link is
read.
Change pitch when
reading a link
The synthesizer pitch is changed when a
hypertext link is read.
Say "Link" before a link
is read
The word "link" is spoken when a hypertext
link is read.
Pitch Change
(Hypertext Links)
A percentage change to the voice pitch occurs
when a hypertext link is read. Pitch change
ranges from -50% to +50% in steps of 10%.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 163
Audio
To conserve battery life, Bluetooth headphones typically enter Power-
saving mode when no audio is received. As a result, when speech is
detected and the headphones wake up, the first few characters of speech
may be clipped and not heard.
To prevent this from happening, you can enable the Avoid Speech
Cutoff setting. This will keep your headphones awake by constantly
playing silence. You will not hear anything, but your headphones will
remain active, resulting in consistent speech.
Note: Your headphones’ battery may drain faster if you choose to use
this feature.
▪ To enable and disable Audio Speech Cutoff
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Voice or
navigate to Voice and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Voice menu, choose Settings.
The Voice Settings dialog appears.
3. Choose the Audio tab.
4. Select or clear the Enable Avoid Speech Cutoff check box.
5. Click OK.
164
The Audio tab
Chapter 6—Reader Features 165
Echo
Echo settings control how ZoomText speaks as you use type on the
keyboard, use the mouse, and navigate your applications. These settings
allow you to increase or decrease the amount of detail spoken to fit your
personal needs.
• Keyboard Echo
• Mouse Echo
• Program Echo
• Verbosity
166
Keyboard Echo
Keyboard echo allows you to hear the keys and words that you type.
You can choose to have individual keys, words, or both keys and words
spoken. Typed words are spoken upon completion when you type a
space or punctuation character. You can also choose which groups of
printed and non-printed keys are spoken.
▪ To cycle the keyboard echo mode
Do one of the following:
• On the Reader toolbar tab, select the Keyboard button.
• Press the Echo Keyboard Mode hotkey: Caps Lock + Alt + K
▪ To adjust the keyboard echo settings
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Keyboard or
navigate to Keyboard and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Keyboard menu, choose Settings.
The Echo Settings dialog box appears with the Keyboard tab displayed.
3. Adjust the keyboard echo settings as desired.
4. Click OK.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 167
The Keyboard tab
Setting
Description
Keyboard Echo
No Echo
Disables all keyboard echo.
Keys
Activates keyboard echo by keystroke. You
can select which keys are echoed using the
settings under Echo these keys when they are
pressed.
Words
Activates keyboard echo by word. Echoing
occurs only when a completed word appears
on the screen.
Keys and Words
Activates keyboard echo by keystroke and by
word.
168
Setting
Description
Echo these keys when they are pressed
Printable Keys
Echoes all printable characters: letters,
numbers and symbols.
Navigation Keys
Echoes navigation keys: arrows, Home, End,
Page Up and Page Down.
Editing Keys
Echoes text-editing keys: Backspace, Insert,
Delete, Escape and Enter.
Function Keys
Echoes the function keys: F1 through F12.
Modifier Keys
Echoes the modifier keys: Alt, Ctrl, Shift and
the Windows key.
Locking Keys
Echoes the locking keys and their state: Caps
Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock.
Other Keys
Echoes miscellaneous keys: Pause, Print
Screen and the Application Key.
Note: Selections under Echo these keys... are only available when
typing echo is set to Keys or Keys and Words.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 169
Mouse Echo
Mouse echo automatically reads text beneath the pointer. As you move
the pointer across the screen, single words or complete lines of text are
echoed instantly or after hovering briefly.
▪ To cycle the mouse echo mode
Do one of the following:
• On the Reader toolbar tab, select the Mouse button.
• Press the Echo Mouse Mode hotkey: Caps Lock + Alt + M
▪ To adjust the mouse echo settings
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Mouse or
navigate to Mouse and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Mouse menu, choose Settings.
The Echo Settings dialog box appears with the Mouse tab displayed.
3. Adjust the mouse echo settings as desired.
4. Click OK.
170
The Mouse tab
Setting
Description
Mouse Echo
No Echo
Disables all mouse echo.
Instant Echo
Enables instant mouse echo. Words are spoken
immediately when the mouse pointer is
moved over them.
Hover Echo
Enables delayed mouse echo. Words are
spoken after the mouse pointer hovers over
them for the selected hover time.
Hover Time (seconds)
The amount of time in seconds that the mouse
pointer must hover over an object before it is
spoken. This setting applies to Hover Echo
only.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 171
Setting
Description
When the mouse passes over a word
Echo the word only
Only the word beneath the mouse pointer is
echoed.
Echo all words in the
line or object
When the mouse pointer moves into a new
line of text or over a new object, all words in
the line or object are spoken. Objects include:
title bars, menu items, dialog controls, desktop
icons and task bar buttons.
Note: When using mouse echo, holding down the Shift key toggles the
echo mode from Echo the word only to Echo all words in the line or
object (or vice-versa).
172
Program Echo
Program echo determines what items are spoken as you navigate and
use your applications. These items include: window titles, menus,
dialogs, list views, tree views, and text that the cursor moves through.
The amount of detail that is spoken for these items can be adjusted
using the Verbosity Settings.
▪ To adjust the program echo settings
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, select the Echo Settings button, which
appears as a diagonal arrow icon in the lower-right corner of the
Echo group.
The Echo Settings dialog box appears with the Program tab displayed.
2. Adjust the program echo settings as desired.
3. Click OK.
The Program tab
Chapter 6—Reader Features 173
Setting
Description
Echo these items when they become active
Text Cursor
When the text cursor moves, text at the new
cursor location is spoken. The amount of text
that is spoken is in accordance with how far
the cursor has moved; by character, word, line,
sentence or paragraph.
Menus
When you pull down a menu, its title is
spoken followed by each menu item that
becomes highlighted.
Controls
As you navigate through dialog boxes, tree
views and list views, each item is spoken as it
becomes highlighted or selected.
Tool Tips
When a tool tip appears, it is spoken.
Window Titles
When a window becomes active, the contents
of its title bar are spoken.
Alerts
When an alert popup appears, it is spoken.
When the text cursor moves to a new line
Echo the word at the
cursor
When the text cursor moves to a new line, the
word at the new cursor location is spoken.
Echo the entire line
When the text cursor moves to a new line, the
entire line is spoken.
174
Verbosity
Verbosity allows you to adjust the amount of information spoken about
program controls when they become active or highlighted. Program
controls include: application and document windows, menus, dialogs,
buttons, icons, and more.
Three verbosity levels – Low, Medium and High – allow you to quickly
increase or decrease the verbosity. High verbosity provides more
information, while Low verbosity provides less information. Each of
these verbosity levels can be fully customized according to your
personal needs.
▪ To cycle the verbosity level
Do one of the following:
• On the Reader toolbar tab, select the Verbosity button.
• Press the Echo Verbosity Level hotkey: Caps Lock + Alt + B
▪ To adjust the verbosity settings
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Verbosity or
navigate to Verbosity and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Verbosity menu, choose Settings.
The Echo Settings dialog box appears with the Verbosity tab displayed.
3. Adjust the verbosity settings as desired.
4. Click OK.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 175
The Verbosity tab
Setting
Description
Verbosity Level
Low Verbosity
Announces program echo items with
minimum details.
Medium Verbosity
Announces program echo items with
moderate details.
High Verbosity
Announces program echo items with
maximum details.
Verbosity Settings
A list of checkboxes that define the verbosity
levels. The displayed settings reflect the
current verbosity level and automatically
update when a different verbosity level is
selected.
176
Setting
Description
Select All
Checks all items in the Verbosity Settings list
box.
Unselect All
Unchecks all items in the Verbosity Settings
list box.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 177
AppReader
AppReader is a productivity tool that automatically reads documents,
web pages and email while you visually follow along or relax your eyes
and listen. AppReader can automatically read the text from beginning to
end, skim forwards and backwards through the text, or read specific
areas of text that you select by clicking and dragging with the mouse.
Whichever way you read, AppReader makes it easy.
• AppReader Reading Modes
• The Text View Environment
• Starting and Using AppReader
• App View Settings
• Text View Settings
• Shared Settings
178
AppReader Reading Modes
Before you begin using AppReader you should understand the different
reading modes and their availability in different applications.
Understanding these features will help you utilize AppReader in the
most useful and productive way.
AppReader provides three unique reading modes: App View, Text View
and the SpeakIt Tool.
• App View reads right in the source application. Your view of the
application and document is not changed, so entering and exiting
AppReader is seamless and smooth. App View is ideal for users
that want a reading experience that is seamless to the application,
or do not require the text enhancement features provided by Text
View.
• Text View reads in a special environment where text is
reformatted for easier reading. Text is presented in a single line of
text that scrolls horizontally, called Ticker View, or multiple
wrapped lines of text, called Prompter View. In both views you
can select your choice of fonts, high-contrast colors, word
highlighting, and magnification level. Text View is ideal for users
who want to visually read and desire an enhanced visual reading
environment. To learn about the Text View environment, see The
Text View Environment.
• SpeakIt Tool reads selected areas of the screen by clicking and
dragging with the mouse. Any text that is visible on the screen can
be spoken, even if it is outside the active program. SpeakIt tool is
ideal for spot reading random blocks of text with simple mouse
actions.
You can use AppReader in almost any application, however, the reading
modes that are available depend on the level of support that AppReader
has for the application: Full Support or Basic Support.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 179
• Full Support allows you to use all three reading modes: App
View, Text View and the SpeakIt Tool. Full Support is available in
most applications that display long passages of text, as you would
find in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Adobe Reader and
Internet Explorer.
• Basic Support allows you to use the SpeakIt Tool only. If you
attempt to start AppReader in App View or Text View and there is
only Basic Support for the application, AppReader will
automatically start up in the SpeakIt Tool.
AppReader highlighting the spoken word in Microsoft Word.
180
The Text View Environment
AppReader's Text View is a special reading environment where text is
reformatted for easier reading. Text is presented in a single line of text
that scrolls horizontally, called Ticker View, or multiple wrapped lines
of text, called Prompter View. In both views you can select your choice
of fonts, high-contrast colors, word highlighting, and magnification
level.
Text View occupies the entire display with a toolbar at the top of the
screen and the document text below it. The document text is formatted
and displayed according to the current Text View settings.
AppReader Text View in Prompter Mode
Chapter 6—Reader Features 181
AppReader Text View in Ticker Mode
The Text View toolbar provides the essential controls for operating Text
View, and provides access to dialogs for configuring the Text View
display.
The Text View toolbar
• Play/Pause. Starts and stops reading at the highlighted word.
When Play mode is executed, the Pause button appears on the
toolbar.
• Zoom Level. Sets the magnification level used by Text View, from
1x to 36x.
• Rate. Controls how fast ZoomText speaks.
182
• Ticker. Displays a single line of text. When reading, text scrolls
horizontally like a ticker tape.
• Prompter. Displays multiple wrapped lines of text that do not
exceed the width of the Text View screen. When reading, text
scrolls vertically like a teleprompter.
• App View. Switches AppReader from Text View to App View.
• Settings. Opens the AppReader dialog box to change the Text
View settings.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 183
Starting and Using AppReader
There are a variety of ways to launch AppReader into the various
AppReader modes, including menu selections or hotkeys. These
methods are described below, including the unique behaviors of each
mode.
▪ To launch AppReader using the Read from Pointer command
• Position the mouse pointer over the word where you want to start
reading, then press the Read from Pointer command: Caps Lock +
Alt + Left-Click
AppReader launches in the selected mode and begins reading at the
clicked on word. To stop reading, click or press Enter. To start reading,
double-click (on any word) or press Enter. For complete instructions
on reading with AppReader, see "Reading with AppReader" below.
▪ To launch AppReader directly into App View or Text View
• Choose Use App View or Use Text View menu item in the
AppReader button menu, or press one of the following hotkeys:
o Launch App View: Caps Lock + Alt + A
o Launch Text View: Caps Lock + Alt + T
AppReader launches in the selected mode and begins reading from the
current text cursor position. If a text cursor does not exist, AppReader
starts reading at the first visible word that is inside of the magnified
view that is inside of the target window. Otherwise, AppReader starts
reading at the first visible word in the target application. For complete
instructions on reading with AppReader, see "Reading with
AppReader" below.
▪ To launch the SpeakIt Tool
• Choose Use SpeakIt Tool in the AppReader button menu, or
press the Launch SpeakIt Tool hotkey: Caps Lock + Alt + S
The SpeakIt Tool becomes active.
184
▪ To launch AppReader in the selected mode, (the mode selected
in the AppReader menu)
• On the Reader toolbar tab, select the AppReader button, or press
the Launch AppReader hotkey: Caps Lock + Alt + R
AppReader will launch in the selected AppReader mode.
Reading with AppReader
▪ To start and stop automatic reading
Press Enter or double-click on the word where you want to start or
resume reading.
▪ To skim read by word, line, sentence and paragraph
Use the AppReader navigation commands (listed below).
▪ To switch between App View and Text View
Press Tab.
▪ To exit AppReader
Right-click or press Esc.
When AppReader exits, the cursor is automatically positioned at the
last word that was highlighted in AppReader, if a cursor exists in the
application.
AppReader Navigation Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to launch the AppReader.
Command
Hotkeys
Launch AppReader from
Pointer
Caps Lock + Alt + Left-Click
Launch App View
Caps Lock + Alt + A
Launch Text View
Caps Lock + Alt + T
Chapter 6—Reader Features 185
Command
Hotkeys
Launch SpeakIt Tool
Caps Lock + Alt + S
Launch AppReader
(selected mode)
Caps Lock + Alt + R
While the AppReader is active, the following modal keys can be used to
operate the AppReader.
Command
Modal Keys
Next Word
Ctrl + Right
Previous Word
Ctrl + Left
Next Sentence
Right
Previous Sentence
Left
Next Paragraph
Down
Previous Paragraph
Up
Next Page
Page Down
Previous Page
Page Up
Current Word *
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Up
Current Line
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Right
Current Sentence
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Down
Current Paragraph
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Left
First Word On Line
Home
Last Word On Line
End
Beginning of Document
Ctrl + Home
186
Command
Modal Keys
End of Document
Ctrl + End
Next Link
L
Previous Link
Shift + L
Execute Link
Ctrl + Enter
* When using the Current Word command, repeated presses within two
seconds provides the following behavior:
• First press: speaks the word
• Second press: spells the word
• Third press: spells the word phonetically ("Alpha, Bravo, Charlie,
...")
Chapter 6—Reader Features 187
App View Settings
The App View settings allow you to customize the appearance of word
highlighting in AppReader, including the highlight shape, color, and
transparency level.
▪ To adjust the App View settings
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, choose AppReader > App View
Settings.
The AppReader Settings dialog appears with the App View tab
displayed.
2. Adjust the App View settings as desired.
3. Click OK.
188
The App View tab
Setting
Description
Options
Track and highlight
words
Enables tracking and highlighting of words
when AppReader is reading.
Exit App View at end
of document
When enabled, AppReader will automatically
exit after reading to the end of the document.
Note: AppReader will not automatically exit
when manually navigating to the end of a
document.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 189
Setting
Description
Highlight
Shape
Sets the shape used to highlight words: Block,
Underline, Frame, or Wedge.
Color
Sets the highlight color.
Thickness
Sets the thickness of the highlight shape.
Transparency
Sets the transparency of the highlight.
Note: This setting is not available when the
highlight color is set to 'Invert.'.
Highlight Tracking
Sets the tracking type: Edge, Center or Jump
Ahead. With Edge alignment, the zoom
window only scrolls as needed to keep the
highlighted word in view. With Center
alignment, the zoom window scrolls as
needed to keep the highlighted word in the
center of the zoom window. With Jump
Ahead, when the highlighted word exits the
magnified view, the zoom window scrolls to
bring the highlighted word to the upper left
corner.
Preview
Displays sample text with a preview of the
selected highlight settings.
Note: Additional settings for App View are available in the Shared
Options tab.
190
Text View Settings
The Text View settings allow you to customize the appearance of text
and word highlighting in the Text View environment.
▪ To adjust the Text View settings
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, choose AppReader > Text View
Settings.
The AppReader Settings dialog appears with the Text View tab
displayed.
2. Adjust the Text View settings as desired.
3. Click OK.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 191
The Text View tab
Setting
Description
Fonts
Font
Sets the font type that the captured document
will be displayed in, such as Arial, Tahoma, or
Verdana.
Style
Sets the font style that the captured document
will be displayed in, such as Regular, Bold or
Italic.
192
Setting
Description
Document Colors
Text
Selects the text color that the captured
document will be displayed in. The text and
background cannot be set to the same color.
Background
Selects the background color for the Text
View. The text and background cannot be set
to the same color.
Format Marks
Show paragraph marks
Displays paragraph marks where paragraphs
end in the source document.
Underline links
When selected, hypertext links are underlined
in the Prompter and Ticker view.
Highlight
Shape
Selects the shape used for word highlighting:
Block, Underline, Frame, or Wedge.
Color
Sets the color of the word highlight.
Thickness 1, 2
Sets the thickness of the word highlight.
Transparency 2
Sets the transparency of the word highlight.
Highlight Tracking
Sets the tracking type: Edge, Center or Jump
Ahead. With Edge alignment, The Text View
scrolls as needed to keep the highlighted word
in view. With Center alignment, Text View
scrolls as needed to keep the highlighted word
in the center of the zoom window. With Jump
Ahead, when the highlighted word exits the
view, Text View scrolls to bring the
highlighted word to the upper left corner.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 193
Setting
Description
Preview
Displays sample text using the selected font,
color and highlight settings.
1 This setting is not available when highlight shape is set to 'Block'.
2 This setting is not available when highlight shape is set to 'Block' or
highlight color is set to 'Invert'.
Note: Additional settings for Text View are available in the Shared
Options tab.
194
Shared Settings
Shared Settings provide additional settings that are shared by App View
and Text View. You can set a special reading rate for AppReader and
enable special audible cues.
▪ To adjust the Shared Settings
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, choose AppReader > Shared Settings.
The AppReader Settings dialog appears with the Shared Settings tab
displayed.
2. Adjust the shared settings as desired.
3. Click OK.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 195
The Shared Settings tab
Setting
Description
Reading Rate
Use special reading
rate
When selected, AppReader's reading rate is set
independent of the global Rate setting on the
Reader toolbar tab and in the Voice Settings
dialog box.
Rate
Controls the reading rate for AppReader.
Note: This setting is disabled when Use
special reading rate is not enabled.
196
Setting
Description
Cues
Say "Beginning of
document" and "End of
document"
The words "beginning of document" and "end
of document" are spoken when App View and
Text View have navigated to the beginning or
end of a document.
Silent Mode
Run AppReader
without Speech
When selected, App View and Text View
speech is muted. This is also known as
AppReader Silent Mode.
Note: SpeakIt Tool cannot be muted.
Rate
Controls how fast the highlight moves while
reading text in App View and Text View.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 197
Reading Zones
Reading zones let you instantly see and hear selected locations in an
application window. For example; your database application may
display a dozen or more fields of information. In your normal work flow
you may be interested in only a few of these fields. With reading zones,
you can instantly see and/or hear these select fields with the press of a
hotkey.
You can create up to 10 reading zones for each of your applications. As
you open and switch applications, zones defined for the active
application are automatically loaded and ready to use.
• Creating, Editing and Deleting
• Using Reading Zones
• The Reading Zones Toolbar
• Reading Zones Settings
198
Creating, Editing and Deleting Reading Zones
Creating a new reading zone is a straightforward process. For most new
zones, you simply define the zone area, type in a descriptive zone name,
and choose to have the zone displayed, spoken or both. You can always
edit or delete the zone later, so there's no need to worry about mistakes.
▪ To create a new reading zone
1. Open the application in which you want to create a reading zone.
Make sure the desired application tab, view or window is
displayed.
2. Activate the Create Zone Tool by doing one of the following:
• Switch to the ZoomText user interface. On the Reader toolbar
tab, select Zones > New.
• Press the Create Zone hotkey: Caps Lock + Alt + C.
The Create Zone Tool becomes active and all existing zones for the
active application are displayed.
3. Move the mouse pointer to scroll the new zone area into view.
4. Hold down the left button, drag the selection rectangle over the
desired zone area and release the button.
When you complete the drag by releasing the mouse button, the
Reading Zones dialog appears. This dialog allows you to name the
zone and select zone options. For information on the Reading Zones
dialog, see Reading Zones Settings.
5. In the Zone Name box, type a descriptive name for the new zone.
When you navigate to the next dialog control, the new zone name will
appear in the Zones list.
6. Under Zone is relative to, select the zone's relative position within
the application window.
7. Under Zone Actions, select the desired options.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 199
8. To test the new zone, click Trigger.
The Reading Zones dialog is temporarily hidden while the zone is
displayed and/or spoken according to the selected settings.
9. To create additional zones, click New Zone and repeat steps 4
through 9.
10. When you're finished creating and editing zones, click OK.
▪ To edit a reading zone
1. Open the application that contains the reading zone that you want
to edit.
2. Activate the Edit Zones Tool by doing one of the following:
• Switch to the ZoomText user interface. On the Reader toolbar
tab, select Zones > Edit.
• Press the Edit Zones hotkey: Caps Lock + Alt + E.
The Edit Zones Tool becomes active and all existing zones for the
active application are displayed. The Reading Zones toolbar appears
over the active zone.
3. Move the mouse pointer to scroll the desired zone into view, or
click the Next or Previous buttons on the Reading Zones toolbar to
bring the desired zone into view.
Note: The Next and Previous buttons are grayed if only one zone
has been defined.
4. Click inside the zone to activate the sizing handles and toolbar,
then adjust the zone as follows:
• To size the zone, drag any handle.
• To move the zone, drag inside the zone frame.
• To test reading of the zone, click the Play button.
200
5. To move to another zone, press the number of the desired zone, or
click the Next or Previous buttons.
6. To edit another zone, repeat steps 3 and 4.
7. To exit the Edit Zones tool, right-click or press Esc.
▪ To delete a reading zone
1. On the Reader toolbar tab, select Zones > Settings.
The Reading Zones dialog appears.
2. In the Show zones defined for combo box, select the application
that contains the zone you wish to delete.
The Zones list updates to display zones associated with the selected
application.
3. In the Zones list box, select the zone you wish to delete.
4. Click Delete.
The deleted zone is removed from the Zones list.
5. To delete another zone, repeat steps 2 through 4.
6. When you're finished deleting zones, click OK.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 201
Using Reading Zones
Once you've created reading zones for an application, you can use them
any time the application is active. You can trigger a single zone at a time
(via menu or hotkey), or enter a mode that allows you to navigate
through all of the reading zones.
▪ To trigger a specific reading zone
1. Open the application that contains the reading zones you want to
trigger.
2. To trigger the desired zone, do one of the following:
• Switch to the ZoomText user interface. On the Reader toolbar
tab, select Zones > Trigger > {zone number}.
• Press the Trigger Zone hotkey: Caps Lock + Alt + {Zone
number}.
• Press the List Zones hotkey: Caps Lock + Alt + L, then select
the desired zone from the menu.
• Use the Next and Previous Reading Zone hotkeys:
Next Zone: Caps Lock + Alt + N
Previous Zone: Caps Lock + Alt + P
The selected reading zone is displayed and/or spoken according to the
zone settings.
Each applications set of reading zones are numbered 1 through 10.
Reading zone hotkeys correspond to these numbers. For example,
the hotkey for reading zone 1 is Caps Lock + Alt + 1, reading zone
2 is Caps Lock + Alt + 2, and so on.
Note: The hotkey for reading zone 10 is Caps Lock + Alt + 0.
202
▪ To navigate through all reading zones
1. Open the application that contains the reading zones you want to
navigate.
2. To active the Navigate Zones mode, do one of the following:
• On the Reader toolbar tab, select Zones Navigate.
• Press the Navigate Zones hotkey: Caps Lock + Alt + G
Navigate Mode becomes active and the Reading Zones toolbar appears
over the first active zone. The zone name and number are spoken.
3. To start and stop reading of the zone, click the Play/Pause button.
Note: The Play/Pause button is disabled (grayed-out) when
navigating to non-spoken zones.
4. To navigate to another zone, click the Next and Previous buttons.
5. To exit Navigate Mode, right-click or press Esc.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 203
The Reading Zones Toolbar
The Reading Zones toolbar appears over the active reading zone
whenever you access reading zones. The toolbar provides controls for
navigating and reading the defined zones.
Reading Zones toolbar:
Edit and Navigate modes
Reading Zones toolbar:
Trigger mode
Play/Pause/Stop. Starts and stops reading. When Play
mode is executed, the Pause or Stop button appears on the
toolbar, according to the mode that is active. The Pause
button appears in Trigger and Navigate modes where you
can pause and restart reading at the highlighted word. The
Stop button appears in Edit mode where reading always
restarts at the first word in the zone.
Shortcut Key: Enter
Previous. Activates the previous reading zone.
Shortcut Key: Shift + Tab
Note: This button does not appear in 'Trigger' mode.
Next Activates the next reading zone.
Shortcut Key: Tab
Note: This button does not appear in 'Trigger' mode.
Close Exits the Reading Zone mode.
Shortcut Key: Esc
204
Reading Zones Settings
The Reading Zones settings allow you to create, examine and edit
reading zones. When activated, the Reading Zones dialog displays a list
of zones that have been defined in the current application. By selecting a
zone in the Zones list, you can modify its settings, trigger the zone, or
delete the zone. You can also create new zones or navigate through all
zones in the current application.
For complete information on creating, editing, navigating and triggering
zones, see Creating and Editing Reading Zones and Using Reading
Zones.
▪ To adjust the reading zone settings
1. In the Reader toolbar tab, choose Zones > Settings.
The Reading dialog appears with the Zones tab displayed.
2. Adjust the reading zone settings as desired.
3. Click OK.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 205
The Reading Zones dialog box.
Setting
Description
Show zones defined for
Displays a list of applications that are
currently running. Zones associated with the
selected application appear in the Zones list
box.
Zones
Displays a list of zones associated with the
selected application, selected in the Show
zones defined for: list box).
Hotkey
Displays the hotkey for the selected zone.
Edit
Activates the Edit Zone tool. When activated,
the Reading Zones dialog is hidden and zones
206
Setting
Description
associated with the selected application
appear. The Edit Zone tool also appears
allowing you to size and move any of the
zones.
Delete
Deletes the selected zone.
Trigger
Triggers the selected zone. When triggered,
the Reading Zones dialog is hidden and the
selected zone is displayed and spoken
according to its zone settings. Afterward, the
Reading Zone dialog reappears.
New Zone
Activates the New Zone tool. When selected,
the Reading Zones dialog is hidden and zones
associated with the selected application
appear. The New Zone tool also appears
allowing you to create a new zone.
Navigate Zones
Activates the Zone Navigation mode. When
activated, the Reading Zones dialog is hidden
and the selected zone and Navigation toolbar
appear. Using the toolbar controls or keyboard
commands, you can start and stop reading of
the zone, and navigate to the next or previous
zone.
Zone Name
Allows you to type a meaningful name for the
selected zone. Zone names appear in the
Zones list box in the Readings Zones dialog.
They also appear in the Reading Zones menu
(when pressing the Reading Zones List
hotkey: Caps Lock + Alt + L) and when
clicking Zones > Trigger on the Reader toolbar
tab.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 207
Setting
Description
Zone is relative to
top-left, top-right,
bottom-left, bottom-
right, or center
Sets the relative position of the zone within the
application window. This keeps the zone in
the correct location even when the application
window has been resized or moved.
Note: In some cases, when resizing an
application window, controls within the
window may also be resized. When this
occurs, you may need to resize the individual
zones.
Zone Actions
Speak text in zone
When the reading zone is triggered, all text
within the zone is spoken.
Display zone
When the reading zone is triggered, the zone
is scrolled into view and highlighted.
Display and speak
zone
When the reading zone is triggered, the zone
is scrolled into view, highlighted and spoken.
Highlight zone for
Sets the amount of time (in seconds) that the
reading zone is highlighted.
Note: Highlighting only occurs when Scroll to
zone is selected.
Return to previous
location
After the zone is displayed, ZoomText scrolls
back to the location that was in view prior to
triggering the zone.
Dim area outside of
zone
When a reading zone is triggered, the area
outside of the reading zone is dimmed.
208
Reading with the Text Cursor
Text cursor reading commands let you navigate and read while creating and
editing documents, by word, line, sentence or paragraph. When using these
commands, the text cursor moves in accordance with the command. For
example, when pressing the Say Next Sentence command, the cursor moves to
the beginning of the next sentence and the entire sentence is spoken. The
following table lists the text cursor reading commands.
Command
Hotkey
Layered Keys
Say Previous Character
Left
N/A
Say Next Character
Right
N/A
Say Previous Word
Ctrl + Left
N/A
Say Next Word
Ctrl + Right
N/A
Say Previous Line 3
Up
N/A
Say Next Line 3
Down
N/A
Say Previous Sentence
Caps Lock + Alt + Left
N/A
Say Next Sentence
Caps Lock + Alt + Right
N/A
Say Previous Paragraph
Ctrl + Up
N/A
Say Next Paragraph
Ctrl + Down
N/A
Say Current Character 1
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Enter
N/A
Say Current Word 2
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Up
N/A
Say Current Line
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Right
N/A
Say Current Sentence
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Down
N/A
Say Current Paragraph
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Left
N/A
Chapter 6—Reader Features 209
1 Second press of the Say Current Character command speaks the
character phonetically: "Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, ...".
2 Repeated presses of the Say Current Word command provide the
following behavior:
• First press: speaks the word
• Second press: spells the word
• Third press: spells the word phonetically: "Alpha, Bravo, Charlie,
..."
Note: Repeated presses must occur within two seconds.
3 This command reads the current word or entire line according to the
Program Echo setting When the text cursor moves into a new line.
In addition to the Text Reading commands listed above, ZoomText will also
speak when using standard text navigation and editing keys, listed in the
following table.
Keys
Application Action
ZoomText Action
Backspace
Deletes the character to
the left of the cursor.
Speaks the deleted character.
Delete
Deletes the character to
the right of the cursor.
Speaks the new character to the
right of the cursor.
Home
Moves the cursor to the
beginning of the line.
Speaks the first word on the line
(or nothing if the line begins with
a space or tab).
End
Moves the cursor to the
end of the line.
Speaks "End of line."
Page Up
Pages the application
window up.
Speaks the word or line that the
cursor appears on, according to
210
Keys
Application Action
ZoomText Action
the program echo setting When
the text cursor moves to a new
line.
Page Down
Pages the application
window down.
Speaks the word or line that the
cursor appears on, according to
the program echo setting When
the text cursor moves to a new
line.
Ctrl + Home
Moves to beginning of
the document.
Speaks the word or line that the
cursor appears on, according to
the program echo setting When
the text cursor moves to a new
line.
Ctrl + End
Moves to the end of the
document.
Speaks the word or line that the
cursor appears on, according to
the program echo setting When
the text cursor moves to a new
line.
Chapter 6—Reader Features 211
Say Commands
Say Commands announce miscellaneous desktop and application elements on
demand. By default, these commands do not have assigned hotkeys and must
be triggered using layered key commands. However, hotkeys may be
assigned in the Command Keys dialog box.
Command
Hotkey
Layered Keys
Say Current Date
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
D
Say Current Time
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
T
Say Cell Column Title
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
C
Say Cell Comment
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
N
Say Cell Formula
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
O
Say Cell Row Title
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
R
Say Clipboard
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
P
Say Dialog Default
Button
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
B
Say Dialog Group
Name
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
G
Say Dialog Message
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
M
212
Command
Hotkey
Layered Keys
Say Dialog Tab
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
A
Say Focus
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
F
Say Selected Text
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y, S
Say Status Bar
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
U
Say Windows Title
Unassigned
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y,
W
Chapter 7
Tools Features
"Tools Features" represent extra productivity tools that are available on
the "Tools" toolbar tab, including the Finder, Camera, Background
Reader, Recorder, and Voice Assistant.
• The Tools Toolbar Tab
• Finder
• Camera
• Background Reader
• Recorder
• Voice Assistant
Note: The Background Reader and Recorder features are not available
in ZoomText Magnifier.
214
The Tools Toolbar Tab
The Tools toolbar tab provides quick-action buttons for launching
ZoomText's Tools features. Many of these buttons are split-button
controls that allow you to toggle the feature on and off and open a menu
of related settings. The buttons are grouped by category and have
intuitive icons and labels for easy identification.
The Tools toolbar tab.
Note: The Background Reader and Recorder only appear in ZoomText
Magnifier/Reader.
• Finder. Launches the Finder to search, skim, navigate and read
text in documents, web pages and email.
• Camera. Launches the ZoomText Camera feature, when a
supported camera is connected and available to ZoomText.
• Background Reader. Launches the Background Reader with text
captured from the Windows Clipboard.
• Recorder. Launches the ZoomText Recorder with text captured
from the Windows Clipboard.
• Voice Assistant. Launches the ZoomText Voice Assistant so you
can use voice commands to perform ZoomText actions by
speaking into your computer's microphone.
Chapter 7—Tools Features 215
Finder
The Finder allows you to swiftly search, skim, navigate and read
documents, web pages and email. You can search for words or phrases
to find topics of interest. When you have found a topic of interest you
can have Finder start reading from that location. Finder can also find
and execute links and controls allowing you to seamlessly navigate
between pages. All of these actions are performed using the Finder’s
toolbar/dialog and command keys.
Note: The Voice and AppReader features are not available when
running the Finder in ZoomText Magnifier.
Finder provides two modes for searching pages: Page Search and List
Search. These modes and how to switch between them are described in
the sections below.
Note: Finder can be used in a variety of document based applications,
including Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Word and
Microsoft Outlook.
Starting Finder
▪ To start Finder
Do one of the following:
• On the Tools toolbar tab, click the Finder button.
• Press the Launch Finder hotkey: Caps Lock + Ctrl + F
The Finder toolbar/dialog appears.
Page Search
Page Search displays a simple toolbar where you can type a word or
phrase that you want to find, and then use toolbar controls or keyboard
commands to navigate through all of the instances on the page. You can
216
also limit the page search to specific web page elements such as
headings, links or controls.
Finder: Page Search toolbar.
▪ To use Page Search
1. If Finder is currently in List Search mode, click the List button to
switch to Page Search mode.
2. Select the type of Page Items that you want to search. Choose All
Text, recommended for most searches, to search for words or
phrases anywhere on the page, including hidden labels for images
and controls.
3. In the Search box, type a word or phrase that you want to find.
If the word or phrase does not exist in the selected type of page item the
Search box will turn orange and the navigation buttons will be
disabled.
Note: When Page Items is set to All Text, you must type at least
one character in the Search box to initiate a search. When Page
Items is set to any other type, you can navigate through those
items without entering a search word or phrase.
4. Click the Next and Previous buttons to navigate forward and
backward through the matching items.
As you navigate each item is highlighted. When using ZoomText
Magnifier/Reader with Finder speech enabled, the sentence containing
the item is announced.
Chapter 7—Tools Features 217
5. To have Finder execute a link or control in the current item, click
the Execute button.
6. To have Finder start reading at the current item, click the
AppReader button. *
7. To enable and disable Finder speech output, click the Speech
button. *
8. To exit Finder, click the Exit button in the title bar.
* In ZoomText Magnifier, the AppReader and Speech options are not
available so these buttons are disabled (grayed out).
List Search
List Search expands the toolbar into a dialog that displays a list of
headings, links, controls and other common elements that are located in
the page. You can search, filter and sort the list to quickly locate an item
of interest.
Finder: List Search toolbar/dialog
218
▪ To use List Search
1. If Finder is currently in Page Search mode, click the List button to
switch to List Search mode.
2. In the Page Items combo box, select the type of items that you
want to view in the Items found list.
3. To search (or filter) the list, type a word or phrase in the Search
box.
As you type in the Search box the list is automatically filtered to
display only items that contain the search string. The Search box turns
orange when the typed word or phrase does not exist within the list of
items.
4. Select the desired sorting order in the Sort by list box. You can also
sort the list by clicking on the Name and Type headings at the top
of the list.
5. To have Finder start reading from the selected item, click the
AppReader button. *
6. To have Finder execute an item that contains a link or control,
click the Execute button.
7. To have Finder go to the location of the selected item, click the
GoTo button.
8. To exit Finder, click the Exit button in the title bar.
* In ZoomText Magnifier, the AppReader option is not available so this
button is disabled.
▪ Refreshing the list in List Search
Some web pages contain areas of dynamically changing content, such
as the top headlines on news sites or sports scores. When Finder starts
or switches to List Search, it captures the current page content to
populate the list and then ignores subsequent dynamic changes. If
you know that a web page has been dynamically updated and you
want to update the Found items list, click the Refresh List button.
Chapter 7—Tools Features 219
▪ Hiding unnamed images in List Search
Many web pages contain images that are unnamed and ambiguous to
the viewer. To keep these unnamed images from cluttering up the
Found items list, place a checkmark next to Hide unnamed items
check box.
Finder Command Keys
The following hotkey can be used to launch the Finder.
Command
Hotkeys
Launch Finder
Caps Lock + Ctrl + F
The following layered keys can be used to launch the Finder.
Command
Layered Keys
Launch Finder
Caps Lock + Spacebar, F
While the Finder is active, the following modal keys can be used to operate
the Finder.
Command
Keys
Cycle Page Items Type
Up
Ctrl + Up
Cycle Page Items Type
Down
Ctrl + Down
Execute Item
Ctrl + Enter
First Item (in filtered list)
Ctrl + Home
Last Item (in filtered list)
Ctrl + End
Next Control
Ctrl + C
Next Form
Ctrl + F
220
Command
Keys
Next Heading
Ctrl + H
Next Heading Level 1 ... 6
Ctrl + 1 ... 6
Next Image
Ctrl + I
Next Link
Ctrl + L
Next List
Ctrl + S
Next Table
Ctrl + T
Next Item
Enter OR Ctrl + Right
Previous Control
Ctrl + Shift + C
Previous Form
Ctrl + Shift + F
Previous Heading
Ctrl + Shift + H
Previous Heading Level 1
... 6
Ctrl + Shift + 1 ... 6
Previous Image
Ctrl + Shift + I
Previous Link
Ctrl + Shift + L
Previous List
Ctrl + Shift + S
Previous Table
Ctrl + Shift + T
Previous Item
Shift + Enter OR Ctrl + Left
AppReader
Alt + R
Toggle List Search
Alt + L
Exit Finder
Esc
Chapter 7—Tools Features 221
Finder Highlight and Voice Settings
The Finder settings allow you to configure the search highlight and
voice that is used when skimming found items. The highlight makes it
easy to see and follow each found item when using the next and
previous commands. The Finder highlight settings allow you to
customize the appearance of the highlighting including the highlight
shape, color and transparency level. The Finder voice announces each
found item when using the next and previous commands. The Finder
voice settings allow you to enable and disable the announcement of
found items.
▪ To adjust the Finder Highlight settings
1. On the Tools toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Finder or
navigate to Finder and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Finder menu, choose Settings.
The Finder Settings dialog box appears.
3. Choose the Highlight tab.
4. Adjust the highlight settings as desired.
5. Click OK.
222
The Finder Settings Highlight tab.
Setting
Description
Finder Highlight
Shape
Sets the shape used to highlight the current
search word/phrase or web page item: Block,
Underline or Frame.
Color
Sets the highlight color.
Thickness
Sets the thickness of the highlight shape.
Transparency
Sets the transparency of the highlight.
Note: This setting is not available when the
highlight color is set to 'Invert.'
Preview
Displays sample text with a preview of the
selected highlight settings.
Chapter 7—Tools Features 223
▪ To adjust the Finder Voice settings
1. On the Tools toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Finder or
navigate to Finder and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Finder menu, choose Settings.
The Finder Settings dialog box appears.
3. Choose the Voice tab.
4. Adjust the voice settings as desired.
5. Click OK.
The Finder Settings Voice tab.
Setting
Description
Finder Voice
Announce each found
item when using the
Enables and disables announcement of found
items when using any of the Next and
Previous commands.
224
Setting
Description
Next and Previous
commands
Chapter 7—Tools Features 225
ZoomText Camera
The ZoomText Camera feature allows you to use any high-definition
webcam to magnify printed items and other objects right on your
computer screen—including bills, magazines, photographs, medicine
labels, craft items and more. Simple controls allow you to quickly zoom
in and out and choose between full and high contrast colors. You can
also switch between Full and Docked screen views which allow you to
see the camera image and your Windows desktop at the same time. And
by utilizing affordable and readily available HD webcams, the
ZoomText Camera feature offers a portable and affordable compliment
or alternative to conventional CCTVs.
ZoomText Camera: Full view
ZoomText Camera: Docked View
Getting Started With ZoomText Camera
Before you can use the ZoomText Camera feature you must acquire a
suitable camera and camera stand, set up the camera in your work space
and choose your camera in the ZoomText Camera settings.
Acquiring a suitable camera and stand
To use the ZoomText Camera feature, you will need an HD webcam
with autofocus. For best quality, your webcam should deliver 1080p
video resolution with automatic low-light correction. An available USB
2.0 port is also required to connect your webcam.
226
In addition to a camera, you will also need a camera stand that can
securely position the camera over the items you want to view. The stand
should be adjustable and stable.
Setting up your camera in your workspace
To achieve best performance and usability with the ZoomText Camera
feature, use the following guidelines when setting up your camera in
your workspace:
• Position the camera as close as possible to your computer screen.
This will allow you to easily manipulate items under the camera
while viewing the image.
• Make sure there is sufficient lighting around the camera to
minimize shadows in the camera's view.
• Adjust the camera stand so that the camera is about 4 inches from
the target item.
• Selecting a camera (when more than one camera is present).
ZoomText automatically detects all webcams that are attached or built
into your system. If your computer has more than one webcam, you will
need to tell ZoomText which webcam you want it to use. This setting
resides in the Camera settings in ZoomText's Tools dialog box.
▪ To select a camera
1. On the Tools toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Camera or
navigate to Camera and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Camera menu, choose Settings.
The Camera Settings dialog box appears.
3. In the Active Camera list box, choose the camera you want to use.
4. Click OK.
Chapter 7—Tools Features 227
Using ZoomText Camera
Use the following steps to start, configure and use ZoomText Camera.
▪ To start ZoomText Camera
1. Do one of the following:
• On the Tools toolbar tab, click the Camera button.
• Press the Launch Camera hotkey: Caps Lock + Ctrl + C
The camera image appears in the top half of the screen while
ZoomText's magnified view of the desktop remains on the bottom half
of the screen. The ZoomText Camera toolbar appears in the bottom
half.
2. If the Camera toolbar is not in view, press Caps Lock + Ctrl + C to
engage the camera layered key command mode and then press T
to bring the toolbar into view.
The ZoomText Camera toolbar
▪ To rotate the camera image
Place a document under the camera so that it is right-side up from
your perspective. If the document is not oriented right-side up on the
screen, click the Rotate button until the image appears right-side up.
▪ To zoom the image in and out
Click the Zoom + and Zoom - buttons to adjust the magnification to a
comfortable reading size.
228
▪ To adjust the image colors
1. Select the Color button.
The color menu appears.
2. Choose between Normal (full color) and a variety of high-contrast
Two-Color Schemes.
3. To toggle between Normal colors and the selected Two-Color
scheme by pressing Caps Lock + Ctrl + C to engage the camera
layered key command mode and then pressing Alt + Enter to
toggle the color mode.
▪ To adjust the camera clarity (Brightness/Contrast)
1. Select the Clarity button.
The Camera Clarity dialog appears.
2. Place a checkmark next to Enable brightness and contrast
settings.
3. Move the Brightness and Contrast sliders to adjust the clarity.
4. Click the Reset button to return the Brightness and Contrast
settings to the camera's defaults.
5. Click OK.
Tip: Use the Brightness setting to eliminate glare spots that are
appearing in the image.
Chapter 7—Tools Features 229
Note: This button will be disabled (grayed out) if the active camera
does not support adjustments to both brightness and contrast.
▪ To adjust the camera focus
1. Select the Focus button.
The Camera Focus dialog appears.
2. Place a checkmark next to Enable manual camera focus.
3. Move the Focus slider to adjust the image focus.
4. Click OK.
Note: This button will be disabled (grayed out) if the active camera
does not support autofocus.
▪ To move the docked view location
Click the Docked button. Each click cycles through the docked views
in the following (clockwise) order: Docked Top > Docked Right >
Docked Bottom > Docked Left.
▪ To switch between Full and Docked views
Do one of the following:
• To toggle between Full and Docked view, press Caps Lock + Ctrl +
C to engage the camera layered key command mode and then
press Tab to toggle the Docked/Full view.
• From Docked View, on the ZoomText Camera toolbar click the
Full button.
230
Note: By default, when starting or switching ZoomText Camera
into Full view, a dialog will appear to inform you that the
ZoomText Camera toolbar is not available in Full view. The dialog
also displays a list of hotkeys you can use to operate ZoomText
Camera in Full view (or Docked view). Should you become stuck
in Full view, press Esc to exit the ZoomText Camera.
▪ To exit the ZoomText Camera
Do one of the following:
• From Full view, press Esc.
• From Docked view, click the Exit button.
Camera Video and System Performance
On older computers, when using ZoomText Camera you may
experience slow system and camera video performance when the
camera is configured to run at a higher resolution, particularly at camera
resolutions of 1280 and above. To resolve this problem, lower the
camera resolution until your system and camera video performance is at
an acceptable level. The resolution setting for ZoomText Camera is
located in the Camera tab in ZoomText’s Tools dialog box. See
"ZoomText Camera Settings" below.
ZoomText Camera Settings
The ZoomText Camera settings allow you to configure and launch the
ZoomText Camera.
▪ To configure the ZoomText Camera settings
1. On the Tools toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Camera or
navigate to Camera and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Camera menu, choose Settings.
The Camera Settings dialog box appears.
3. Adjust the camera settings as desired.
Chapter 7—Tools Features 231
4. Click OK.
The ZoomText Camera dialog box.
Setting
Description
Camera
Active Camera
Displays the name of the camera currently
being used by ZoomText and allows you to
select a different camera.
Automatically set
camera resolution for
widest view
ZoomText auto-selects a camera resolution
that provides the closest match to the screen
resolution.
232
Setting
Description
Resolution
Displays the current camera resolution and
allows you to select a specific camera
resolution. To use this setting you must
uncheck Automatically set camera resolution
for widest view.
Note: Use of both a high resolution and a high
frame rate may slow down overall system
performance.
Frame Rate
Displays the current camera frame rate and
allows you to select a specific camera frame
rate.
Note: Use of both a high resolution and a high
frame rate may slow down overall system
performance.
Camera View
View Mode
Displays the current camera view and allows
you to select a different view for the ZoomText
Camera.
Image Rotation
Displays the current image rotation of the
camera image and allows you to select a
different image rotation.
Enhancements
Color Scheme
Displays the current color filter setting and
allows you to select a different color filter.
Advanced Settings
Keep toolbar on top of
other windows
When checked, the Camera toolbar stays in
view (on top of other windows) even when it
does not have focus.
Chapter 7—Tools Features 233
Setting
Description
Note: This setting is also available in the
system menu in the Camera title bar
(displayed by clicking the Camera icon in the
title bar of the Camera toolbar).
Display command
instructions when
activating Full view
Enables or disables displaying an alert with
command instructions when switching to Full
view.
Launch Camera
Launches the ZoomText Camera. This button
is grayed out if the ZoomText Camera is
already active.
ZoomText Camera Command Keys
The following hotkey can be used to launch the ZoomText Camera.
Command
Hotkeys
Launch Camera
Caps Lock + Ctrl + C
The following layered keys can be used to launch the ZoomText Camera.
Command
Layered Keys
Launch Camera
Caps Lock + Spacebar, C
While the Camera Toolbar is active, the following modal keys can be used to
adjust the ZoomText Camera settings.
Command
Modal Keys
Show Toolbar
T
Zoom In
Up
Zoom Out
Down
Rotate Image
Left/Right
234
Command
Modal Keys
Docked/Full Toggle
Tab
Docked Position
Caps Lock + Left/Right
Clarity On/Off
Shift + Enter
Clarity Reset
Shift + Backspace
Brightness Increase
Shift + Up
Brightness Decrease
Shift + Down
Contrast Increase
Shift + Left
Contrast Decrease
Shift + Right
Two-Color On/Off
Alt + Enter
Two-Color Scheme
Alt + Left/Right
Focus Automatic/Manual
Ctrl + Enter
Focus In
Ctrl + Up
Focus Out
Ctrl + Down
Exit
X
Chapter 7—Tools Features 235
Background Reader
Background Reader allows you to copy and listen to documents, web
pages, email or any text while you simultaneously perform other tasks.
You simply copy the text you want to listen to into the Windows
clipboard and start Background Reader. While the text is being read
aloud, you are free to type notes, browse the web or do other work on
your computer.
▪ To launch the Background Reader
1. Select the text that you want to listen to and copy it to the
Windows Clipboard.
2. Do one of the following to launch the Background Reader:
• On the Tools toolbar tab, select the Background Reader
button.
• Press the Launch Background Reader hotkey: Caps Lock +
Ctrl + B
The Background Reader toolbar appears and automatically starts
reading the text that you copied into the Windows Clipboard.
The Background Reader toolbar
Note: If the toolbar does not appear when starting Background
Reader the "Start toolbar minimized" option has been selected in
the Background Reader settings. To access and disable this setting,
see Background Reader Settings below.
236
Once you have started Background Reader you can operate it using
the toolbar or the command keys.
▪ To bring the Background Reader toolbar into view
Press the Launch Background Reader hotkey: Caps Lock + Ctrl + B,
then press T.
▪ To operate Background Reader using the toolbar
1. To start and stop reading, click the Play/Pause button.
2. To skim forward and backward, click the Next and Previous
buttons.
3. To restart reading at the beginning, click the Restart button.
4. To read new text that you have placed in the Windows Clipboard,
click the Capture button.
5. To exit Background Reader, click the Close button in the title bar.
▪ To operate Background Reader using command keys
1. If the Background Reader is not active, press the Background
Reader hotkey: Caps Lock + Ctrl + B
2. To start and stop reading, press Enter.
3. To skim forward and backward by next and previous sentence,
press Right or Left.
4. To skim forward and backward by word, press Ctrl + Right or
Ctrl + Left.
5. To restart reading at the beginning, press Shift + Enter.
6. To read new text that you have placed in the Windows Clipboard,
press C.
7. To exit Background Reader, press X.
Chapter 7—Tools Features 237
Background Reader Settings
The Background Reader settings allow you to choose how the toolbar
appears when you start and run Background Reader.
▪ To adjust the Background Reader settings
1. On the Tools toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Background
Reader or navigate to Background Reader and press the down
arrow key.
2. In the Background Reader menu, choose Settings.
The Background Reader Settings dialog box appears.
3. Adjust the Background Reader settings as desired.
4. Click OK.
The Background Reader dialog box.
Setting
Description
Toolbar Options
Keep toolbar on top of
other windows
The Background Reader toolbar will remain
on top of all other application windows even
when ZoomText is not the active application.
Start toolbar
minimized when
launched by hotkey
When Background Reader is started by a
hotkey (Read Clipboard Text or Read Selected
Text), the toolbar starts up minimized to the
Windows taskbar.
238
Background Reader Command Keys
The following hotkey can be used to launch the Background Reader.
Command
Hotkeys
Launch Background
Reader
Caps Lock + Ctrl + B
The following layered keys can be used to launch the Background Reader.
Command
Layered Keys
Launch Background
Reader
Caps Lock + Spacebar, B
While the Background Reader toolbar is active, the following modal keys can
be used to operate the Background Reader.
Command
Modal Keys
Show Toolbar
T
Capture
C
Play / Pause
Enter
Restart (from the
beginning)
Shift + Enter
Next Sentence
Right
Previous Sentence
Left
Next Word
Ctrl + Right
Previous Word
Ctrl + Left
Current Word
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Up
Chapter 7—Tools Features 239
Command
Modal Keys
Current Sentence
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Down
Exit
X
240
ZoomText Recorder
ZoomText Recorder allows you to turn text from documents, web pages,
email or other sources into audio recordings that you can listen to on
your computer or transfer to your mobile device for listening to on the
go. You simply copy the text you want to record and start ZoomText
Recorder. With a few simple steps you give your recording a friendly
name, choose a destination to record to and click the record button. And
each recording is created using your choice of ZoomText voices or any
other voices available on your system. When choosing iTunes or
Windows Media Player as your destination your recordings are
conveniently placed in a "ZoomText Recorder" playlist. And when using
iTunes your recordings can be automatically synced when you plug in
your iPod, iPhone or other iDevice.
▪ To record text from the Windows Clipboard
1. Select the text that you want to listen to and copy it to the
Windows Clipboard.
2. Do one of the following to launch the Background Reader:
• On the Reader toolbar tab, select the Recorder button.
• Press the Launch Recorder hotkey: Caps Lock + Ctrl + D
The Background Reader toolbar appears with the text you copied into
the Windows Clipboard.
Completing the Recording Process
When you start ZoomText Recorder its dialog appears with the captured
text ready to record. All you have to do is choose the desired recording
options and select the Record Text button. A progress indicator appears
during the recording process to let you know that it is working. You can
stay and watch the progress indicator or switch to another application
and make better use of your time. A friendly chime will sound when the
recording process is complete.
Chapter 7—Tools Features 241
Recording times vary depending on the size of the text selection, chosen
synthesizer, destination and speed of the system. However, our general
rule of thumb for recording time is about 5 to 10 seconds per page of
text.
Note: When "Record text to:" is set to iTunes the iTunes application will
open at the end of the recording process.
The ZoomText Recorder dialog box.
242
Setting
Description
Record text to:
Selects the destination for your recording.
Choices are iTunes, Windows Media Player or
to a file. Note: iTunes and Windows Media
Player will not appear in the list if they are not
installed on the system.
Track Name
Allows you to type a meaningful name for
your recording. Each time new text is captured
the track name is automatically set to the first
5 words of the captured text. You can type
over this text. Note: Invalid file naming
characters are replaced with the underscore
character.
Track Type
Selects or displays the type of audio file format
in which the recorded text will be saved.
• If "Record Text To" is set to File, you can
choose WAV or WMA.
• If "Record Text To" is set to iTunes, the
audio file is automatically set to MP3.
• If "Record Text To" is set to Windows
Media Player, the audio file is
automatically set to WMA.
Track Location
Displays the current folder location where the
audio file will be saved and allows you to
enter a new folder location. Note: The control
is disabled (grayed out) when the Track
Location is set to iTunes—because the location
is predefined for iTunes.
Chapter 7—Tools Features 243
Setting
Description
Browse...
Opens a Windows Explorer dialog for
selecting a location to save the audio file. Note:
The button is disabled (grayed out) when the
Track Location is set to iTunes.
Record Text
Initiates the recording process. During the
recording process this button changes to
"Cancel Recording".
Preview and Capture
Listen to Preview /
Cancel Preview
Speaks up to the first 400 words of the
captures text. During the preview this button
changes to "Cancel Preview".
Capture Clipboard
Captures the text currently in the Windows
Clipboard (replacing the previously captured
text).
Show / Hide
Synthesizer Settings
Expands and collapses the section of the
ZoomText Recorder dialog that contains the
synthesizer settings.
Synthesizer Settings
Language
Displays a list of speech synthesizer languages
available on your system.
Synthesizer
Displays a list of available synthesizers on
your system. Note: ZoomText supports SAPI 4
and SAPI 5 based speech synthesizers.
Voice
Displays a list of available voices in the
selected synthesizer.
Rate
Adjusts the voice rate (if supported by the
synthesizer).
244
Setting
Description
Pitch
Adjusts the voice pitch (if supported by the
synthesizer).
Volume
Adjusts the voice volume (if supported by the
synthesizer).
Chapter 7—Tools Features 245
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant provides a way to interact with ZoomText and Fusion in
Windows 10 using speech input. Ask Voice Assistant to help you with
various ZoomText or Fusion features using natural language and
speech. This means that the same action can be performed using similar
phrases instead of a single predefined voice command. For instance, to
increase magnification, you could say "zoom in" or "increase zoom level"
or "increase magnification."
Unlike keyboard shortcuts, which can be hard to remember, natural
voice commands are an easier way to interact with ZoomText and
Fusion. Using voice input to control actions can also benefit users with
any conditions that prevent or limit them from using a keyboard
effectively.
Using Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant accepts voice commands to perform ZoomText and
Fusion functions. To activate the feature and the listening process, you
can use either a wake word, a key combination, or the user interface.
You can speak voice commands using your computer's internal
microphone, an external microphone, or a wired headset's microphone.
Note: Since all voice recognition processing is performed over the
Internet using Microsoft Services in the cloud, there may be a slight
delay depending on your connection.
1. To begin listening for a specific command, do one of the following:
• Press the key combination, CAPS LOCK+ALT+SPACEBAR.
• Speak the wake word which alerts the software to begin
listening for a voice command, similar to using an Alexa or
Google Home device. You can use one of two wake words for
ZoomText and Fusion: "Zoomy" or "Hey Zoomy." Speak the
wake word followed by a specific command, such as,
"Zoomy, speech off" or "Zoomy, zoom in."
246
• Click the microphone button in the upper right corner in the
ZoomText or Fusion toolbar.
Note: The wake word is not available if you are using a Bluetooth
microphone. In this case, you must press CAPS
LOCK+ALT+SPACEBAR before speaking the voice command.
2. When Voice Assistant starts listening for a voice command, a short
audible notification plays, and a visual indicator appears on the
screen.
You can now speak the command. After hearing a voice
command, a different audio and visual indicator plays and
displays until the command is processed.
See Voice Commands below for a list of supported and suggested
voice commands.
3. When complete, the visual indicator disappears, another audio
indicator plays, and the requested action is performed.
If Voice Assistant does not hear anything, it says, "Sorry, I didn’t
hear anything."
If Voice Assistant does not understand or if the voice command is
not supported, it says, "Sorry, I didn’t catch that."
Chapter 7—Tools Features 247
Turning Voice Assistant On and Off
To turn off and disable Voice Assistant, do one of the following:
• Use the voice command, "Voice Assistant off."
• On the Tools toolbar tab, select the Voice Assistant button.
• Click the down arrow on the Voice Assistant button and choose
Settings.
In the Voice Assistant Settings dialog box, clear the "Enable Voice
Assistant" setting.
• In the Startup Wizard, clear "Enable Voice Assistant" in the Voice
Assistant page.
(ZoomText > Preferences > Run Startup Wizard)
Note: When Voice Assistant is off, the microphone button in the upper
right corner in the ZoomText and Fusion toolbar is unavailable.
Turning Off the Wake Word
You can turn off the wake word and use CAPS
LOCK+ALT+SPACEBAR instead to make Voice Assistant begin
listening for a command. You can then speak the command after
pressing the keystroke.
To turn off the wake word, do one of the following:
• Use the voice command, "Wake word off."
• Choose "Do not listen for wake word" in the Voice Assistant
Settings.
248
Note: When the wake word is off, you must always press CAPS
LOCK+ALT+SPACEBAR first to tell Voice Assistant to begin listening
for a command.
Turning Off Voice Assistant Sounds
To turn off the sounds associated with the wake word and command
processing, do the following:
1. On the Tools toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Voice Assistant or
navigate to Voice Assistant and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Voice Assistant menu, choose Settings.
The Voice Assistant Settings dialog box appears.
3. Choose "Enable Voice Assistant sounds" to turn wake word and
command processing sounds on or off.
Selecting a Microphone to Use with Voice Assistant
When your computer has more than one microphone, you can choose
which microphone Voice Assistant uses when listening for commands.
(This is helpful if you are using a headset and you are muted on a
Teams or Zoom call.)
To select a microphone for Voice Assistant, do the following:
1. On the Tools toolbar tab, click the arrow next to Voice Assistant or
navigate to Voice Assistant and press the down arrow key.
2. In the Voice Assistant menu, choose Settings.
The Voice Assistant dialog box appears.
3. Choose a microphone from the Microphone Input Device list.
Voice Assistant Settings
The Voice Assistant settings are enabled and set using the Voice
Assistant split-button located on the Tools toolbar tab. The bottom
portion of the button opens the Voice Assistant settings.
Chapter 7—Tools Features 249
The Voice Assistant Settings
Setting
Description
Enable Voice Assistant
Enables or disables Voice Assistant.
Wake Word
You can choose to speak the single word
"Zoomy" (selected by default) or the
phrase "Hey Zoomy" to activate Voice
Assistant. The phrase Hey Zoomy is
helpful if you are in a noisy
environment, and ZoomText or Fusion
accidentally interprets other sounds as
the wake word Zoomy.
Do not listen for wake
word
Select to have the Voice Assistant no
longer listen for a wake word.
250
Setting
Description
If you choose not to listen for the wake
word, you must always press CAPS
LOCK+ALT+SPACEBAR first before
saying a voice command.
Enable Voice Assistant
sounds
Enables or disables Voice Assistant
messages and audio indicators.
Microphone Input
Device
Displays a list of all available
microphones on your computer (for
example, an internal microphone and a
connected headset) and lets you choose
which microphone Voice Assistant uses
when listening for commands. By
designating a different microphone for
this feature than what is being used for
other applications such as Teams or
Zoom, it allows you to mute those
applications during meetings and still
use the Voice Assistant with ZoomText
or Fusion.
Voice Commands
The following are examples of supported and suggested voice
commands to perform various actions. Practice and try your own
variations of these commands.
Chapter 7—Tools Features 251
To perform this action...
Say this command...
Magnification Commands
To increase
magnification
• Increase magnification
• Increase zoom level
• Zoom in
• Zoom x, where x is a zoom level, for
example, Zoom 5 to zoom to 5X
magnification
• Bigger
To decrease
magnification
• Decrease magnification
• Decrease the zoom level
• Zoom out
• Smaller
To turn magnification
on or off
• Zoom to 1x
• Magnification on
• Magnification off
• 1x mode off
To set magnification to a
specific zoom level
• Set the magnification level to x, where
x is a specific zoom level, for example,
set zoom level to 5
• Zoom 10
• Mag 5
Speech Commands
252
To perform this action...
Say this command...
To turn speech on or off
• Speech on
• Speech off
• Voice on
• Voice off
To change the speech rate
• Change voice rate to x, where x is a
specific rate, for example 140 words
per minute
• Set voice rate to x
• Voice rate x
• Talk faster
• Talk slower
• Increase the voice rate
• Decrease the voice rate
Color Enhancements
To change color
enhancements
• Change color
• Color on
• Color off
Pointer Enhancements
To change the pointer
• Change pointer enhancement
• Pointer on
• Mouse off
• Pointer scheme 2
• Pointer large yellow
Chapter 7—Tools Features 253
To perform this action...
Say this command...
Cursor Enhancements
To change the cursor
• Change cursor enhancement
• Activate cursor enhancement
• Cursor off
• Cursor on
• Cursor scheme 3
• Cursor green circle
Focus Enhancements
To change focus
enhancements
• Change focus enhancement
• Activate focus enhancement
• Focus off
• Focus scheme 4
• Focus yellow block
Keyboard Echo
To change keyboard echo
• Change keyboard echo
• Keyboard off
Mouse Echo
To change mouse echo
• Change mouse echo
• Activate mouse echo
• Mouse echo on
254
To perform this action...
Say this command...
Quick Access Bar
To launch Quick Access Bar
• Quick Access Bar
• Quick Access
• Show shortcut list
• Shortcut list
To switch to ZoomText
Toolbar
• Show user interface
• User interface
• Toolbar
Verbosity
To change the verbosity
level
• Change reader verbosity level
• Set verbosity level to low
• Change the verbosity to the highest
• Verbosity medium
Finder
To launch or close the
Finder
• Open Finder
• Close Finder
Camera
To launch or close the
Camera
• Launch Camera
• Close Camera
Chapter 7—Tools Features 255
To perform this action...
Say this command...
AppReader (app view)/AppReader (text view)
To launch or exit
AppReader
• Launch Reader app view
• Exit Reader app view
• Launch Reader text view
• Exit reader
Background Reader
To launch or exit
Background Reader
• Launch Background Reader
• Exit Background Reader
Recorder
To launch or close the
Recorder
• Start recorder
• Exit recorder
Freeze View
To launch the Freeze tool
• New freeze view
• New freeze window
• Create freeze view
• Create freeze window
256
To perform this action...
Say this command...
To turn Freeze View on or
off
• Freeze view x, where x is 1, 2, 3, or 4
• Freeze window x, where x is 1, 2, 3, or
4
• Freeze view x on, where x is 1, 2, 3, or
4
• Freeze view x off, where x is 1, 2, 3, or
4
• Enable freeze view x, where x is 1, 2,
3, or 4
• Enable freeze windows x, where x is
1, 2, 3, or 4
• Disable freeze view x, where x is 1, 2,
3, or 4
• Disable freeze window x, where x is 1,
2, 3, or 4
Multiple Screens
To move between screens
• Switch screen
• Window next
• Window docked left
• Window span
Chapter 7—Tools Features 257
To perform this action...
Say this command...
Scroll
To move the zoom window
to the left, up, right, down,
center
• Show me the bottom part of the
screen
• Jump to the right
• Jump to the left
• Jump up
• Jump down
• Move to Windows search
• Move to notification area
To move to an item with
focus
• Move to focus
• Find my focus
Message Center
To open Message Center
• Open Message Center
Information
To view Voice Assistant
help or program version
and license information
• Help (opens Voice Assistant help)
• Open Help (opens Voice Assistant
help)
• About dialog
• Open About window
• Open About dialog
258
To perform this action...
Say this command...
Keyboard Help for JAWS Commands - Fusion Only
To turn on or off JAWS
keyboard help when
running Fusion
Note: Keyboard help for
JAWS commands can be
toggled on and off in Fusion
using the Voice Assistant
feature. When keyboard
help is on, you can press a
key combination, and hear
what it does when running
JAWS or Fusion. When
keyboard help is off, the
same key combination will
perform the command.
To turn keyboard help on or
off with Voice Assistant,
say, "Hey Zoomy, toggle
keyboard help" or "Hey
Sharky, toggle keyboard
help." You can also turn on
keyboard help by pressing
INSERT+1, and turn it off
by pressing ESC or
INSERT+1 again.
• Toggle keyboard help
Chapter 8
Configurations
All ZoomText settings can be saved and restored using configuration
files. Configuration files control all ZoomText features; including
magnification level, the zoom window type, screen enhancements,
reading options, application settings and hotkeys. There is no limit on
the number of configuration files that you can save, so feel free to create
and use as many as you like. You can also create application specific
settings that automatically load each time the application becomes
active.
• The Default Configuration
• Saving and Loading Configurations
• Configuration Hotkeys
• Application Settings
260
The Default Configuration
When you start ZoomText, the default configuration file, ZT.ZXC, is
automatically loaded. This file contains the built-in defaults for all
ZoomText settings. You can create your default configuration, which
will load your custom settings whenever ZoomText is run. Don't worry
about losing the built-in settings; the original default file can be easily
restored.
▪ To save a custom default configuration
1. Set all ZoomText features as desired.
2. In the ZoomText menu, choose Configurations > Save As
Default.
A dialog appears prompting you to confirm saving the configuration.
3. Select Yes to overwrite the current default configuration.
▪ To restore the original default configuration file
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Configurations > Restore Factory
Defaults.
A dialog appears prompting you to confirm restoring the
configuration.
2. Select Yes to overwrite the current default configuration.
Chapter 8—Configurations 261
Saving and Loading Configurations
The current ZoomText settings can be saved to a configuration file at
any time. This configuration file can be loaded at a later time and the
saved settings will take effect immediately.
▪ To save settings to a configuration file
1. Set all ZoomText features as desired.
2. In the ZoomText menu, choose Configurations > Save Custom
Configuration.
The Save Configuration dialog box appears displaying the existing
configuration files.
3. Type the name of the new configuration in the File name: box.
4. Click OK.
▪ To load settings from a configuration file
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Open Custom Configuration.
The Open Configuration dialog box appears displaying the existing
configuration files.
2. Highlight the desired configuration file.
3. Click Open.
262
Configurations Hotkeys
You can use hotkeys to load configuration files, without activating the
ZoomText user interface. Before a configuration hotkey can be used, a
configuration file must be assigned to it. The following table lists the default
configuration hotkeys. For information on assigning configurations to
hotkeys, see " To assign a configuration file to a Load Configuration
command" in The Command Keys Dialog.
Setting
Description
Load Configuration File 1
Caps Lock + 1
Load Configuration File 2
Caps Lock + 2
Load Configuration File 3
Caps Lock + 3
Load Configuration File 4
Caps Lock + 4
Load Configuration File 5
Caps Lock + 5
Load Configuration File 6
Caps Lock + 6
Load Configuration File 7
Caps Lock + 7
Load Configuration File 8
Caps Lock + 8
Load Configuration File 9
Caps Lock + 9
Load Configuration File 10
Caps Lock + 0
Chapter 8—Configurations 263
Application Settings
Within each ZoomText configuration, you can define custom settings for
each application that you use. For example, you can have ZoomText
display your web browser at one magnification level and your word
processor at another. Whenever these applications become active their
application settings are automatically restored. Applications for which
settings have not been defined are displayed and spoken according to
the default settings of the configuration file.
▪ To define and save application settings
1. Open the application for which you want to define custom
settings.
2. Use the ZoomText command keys to select the desired ZoomText
settings or switch directly to the ZoomText toolbar to select the
desired settings.
3. Press the Save Application Settings hotkey: Caps Lock + Ctrl + S,
or on the ZoomText toolbar, choose ZoomText > Configurations >
Application Settings > Save Application Settings.
A dialog prompts you to save the application settings.
4. Click Yes to save the settings.
At any time, you can disable or delete application settings. Disabled
application settings remain in your configuration and may be re-enabled
at any time. Deleted application settings are removed from your
configuration.
▪ To disable or delete application settings
1. Press the Manage Application Settings hotkey: Caps Lock + Ctrl +
M, or on the ZoomText toolbar, choose ZoomText
> Configurations > Application Settings > Manage Application
Settings.
The Manage Application Settings dialog appears.
264
2. To disable application settings; in the Use application Settings for
list box, uncheck the desired applications.
The selected application remains in the list, but application settings
are not invoked when using the application.
3. To delete application settings, select the desired application, and
then choose Delete Selected.
The selected application is removed from the list.
4. Click OK.
The Manage Application Settings dialog.
Setting
Description
Use application settings
for:
Displays a list of application settings that have
been saved in the current ZoomText
configuration.
Enable All
Enables all items listed in the Use Application
Settings for list box.
Chapter 8—Configurations 265
Setting
Description
Disable All
Disables all items listed in the Use Application
Settings for list box.
Delete Selected
Deletes the selected items in the Use
Application Settings for list box.
Chapter 9
Preference Settings
Preference settings allow you to control how ZoomText starts and exits,
how ZoomText updates itself, the appearance of the ZoomText user
interface, and the type of smoothing that ZoomText applies in the
magnified view.
• Program Preferences
• User Interface Preferences
• Smoothing Preferences
• Legacy Reading Preferences
• Run ZoomText As
Chapter 9—Preference Settings 267
Program Preferences
Program preferences control how ZoomText starts and exits, and allows
you to enable automatic updating.
▪ To adjust the program preferences
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > Program.
The Preferences dialog appears with the Program tab displayed.
2. Adjust the program preference settings as desired.
3. Select OK.
268
The Program tab.
Setting
Description
Logon Support
Enable ZoomText in
the Windows logon
prompt
Enables the ZoomText Secure Mode utility in
the Windows logon prompt and other
Windows secure mode prompts. ZoomText
Secure Mode provides essential magnification
and screen reading features in the secure
mode prompts.
Startup Settings
Start ZoomText
automatically when
Windows starts
ZoomText will automatically run each time
you start your system.
Start ZoomText with
the toolbar minimized
The ZoomText user interface is minimized
when ZoomText is started.
Display the “Welcome”
window when
ZoomText starts
Each time ZoomText is started the Welcome
window appears along with the ZoomText
toolbar. The Welcome window displays
instructions and hotkeys that are helpful for
new users.
Display a ZoomText
icon on the desktop
Displays the ZoomText desktop icon.
If launched on a
remote server, wait for
a client to connect
When ZoomText (or Fusion) is started on a
remote server, if ZoomText (or Fusion) is not
running on the client machine, it will start up
in dormant mode and wake up when
ZoomText (or Fusion) has been launched on
the client machine.
Chapter 9—Preference Settings 269
Setting
Description
Exit Settings
Save ZoomText
settings automatically
when exiting
All ZoomText settings are saved to the active
configuration when the program exits.
Prompt to confirm
intent to exit ZoomText
You are prompted to confirm your choice to
exit the program.
Unload magnification
process when exiting
ZoomText
Unloads ZoomText's magnification process
when you exit ZoomText. This process will
otherwise continue running to provide faster
restart of ZoomText in the same Windows
session.
Automatic Updating
Check for online
updates each time
ZoomText is launched
Each time you start ZoomText, if an Internet
connection is established, ZoomText will
check online for available program updates. If
updates are available, the Update Wizard will
give you the option to download and install
the updates.
Seamless Updates for
xFont support
(requires admin
privileges)
ZoomText (or Fusion) checks for and
automatically applies updates to the xFont
support if required by OS or third-party app
changes. When disabled, updates to the xFont
support are not installed.
Fusion
When ZoomText
Keyboard is installed,
prompt to select a
product to launch
when pressing
This setting prompts you to open ZoomText or
Fusion when using the F1 key on the
ZoomText keyboard.
Note: The following criteria must be met to
display the prompt.
270
Setting
Description
"Start/Toggle
ZoomText" feature key.
1. Both ZoomText and Fusion are
installed. (If Fusion is not installed,
ZoomText is the default
application.)
2. You are using a ZoomText
keyboard, and the ZoomText
keyboard software is installed and
enabled.
3. You use the F1 function key (also
called the Start/Toggle feature key)
to start either application.
Anonymous Data
Participate in our effort
to improve Freedom
Scientific products by
submitting
Anonymous Usage
Data
Enable or disable submission of anonymous
data to improve the software.
Chapter 9—Preference Settings 271
User Interface Preferences
User interface preferences control how the ZoomText user interface
appears on the Windows desktop.
▪ To adjust the user interface preferences
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > User Interface.
The Preferences dialog appears with the User Interface tab displayed.
2. Adjust the user interface preference settings as desired.
3. Select OK.
272
The User Interface tab.
Setting
Description
Toolbar Settings
Display tooltips for the
ribbon controls
Enables display of informative tooltips when
moving the mouse over the controls on the
ZoomText toolbar.
Keep toolbar on top of
other windows
The ZoomText user interface window will
remain on top of all other windows, even
when ZoomText is not the active application.
Restore toolbar after
using a ZoomText tool
The ZoomText toolbar is always restored
when exiting a ZoomText tool.
Toolbar highlight color
Selects the color that is used to highlight the
controls on the ZoomText toolbar.
Taskbar Settings
Display ZoomText
taskbar button and tray
icon
When ZoomText is running, its taskbar button
and tray icon are both displayed.
Display ZoomText
taskbar button only
When ZoomText is running, only its taskbar
button is displayed.
Display ZoomText tray
icon only
When ZoomText is running, only its system
tray icon is displayed.
User Interface Language
Language
Selects the language that the ZoomText user
interface will appear in.
Note: This option is not available in English
only versions.
Chapter 9—Preference Settings 273
Setting
Description
Other Settings
Enable transition
effects for screen
enhancements
Enables smooth visual shifts when switching
between ZoomText’s screen enhancement
schemes.
274
Smoothing Preferences
Smoothing preferences control how ZoomText smooths and sharpens
text and graphics (including photographs) in the magnified view.
ZoomText provides two types of smoothing, xFont® and Geometric
Smoothing, which can be enabled individually or together.
• xFont applies only to text and displays the highest quality of
magnified text. It is not available in all applications. When xFont is
not available, Geometric Smoothing will smooth the magnified
text (if enabled).
• Geometric Smoothing provides high-quality smoothing both to
graphics and to text where xFont magnification cannot be applied.
Two types of Geometric Smoothing are available: ClearSharp and
Legacy.
o ClearSharp is the newer type of geometric smoothing that
produces enhanced smoothing quality with better system
performance.
o Legacy is the older type of geometric smoothing that remains
available for users that prefer the appearance of legacy
smoothing.
When ZoomText is enabled and magnifying the screen, you can cycle
through the smoothing modes to determine individual or combined
types of smoothing that work best for you.
▪ To cycle the smoothing mode
• Press the Smoothing Mode hotkey: Caps Lock + X
You can view and configure the Smoothing settings in the Preferences
dialog box.
Chapter 9—Preference Settings 275
▪ To adjust the smoothing preferences
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > Smoothing.
The Preferences dialog appears with the Smoothing tab displayed.
2. Adjust the smoothing preference settings as desired.
3. Select OK.
The Smoothing tab.
276
Setting
Description
xFont Options
Enable xFont
Magnification
Enables xFont magnification. xFont displays
the highest quality of magnified text. It is not
available in all applications.
Bold xFont magnified
text
Adds boldness to text magnified by xFont.
Exclude Applications
Displays settings for excluding the use of xFont
in problem applications. See "Excluding xFont
in Problem Applications" below.
Geometric Smoothing
ClearSharp
Enables ClearSharp geometric smoothing.
Legacy
Enables Legacy geometric smoothing.
None
Disables geometric smoothing.
Excluding xFont in Problem Applications
Some applications contain user-interface components that are not
compatible with ZoomText's xFont feature, resulting in missing or
corrupted text. When this occurs, you can exclude the use of xFont
within the problem application by selecting (checking) the application's
name in the Exclude Applications dialog box.
Note: Applications that have known conflicts with xFont have been
excluded in the default ZoomText configuration.
▪ To exclude xFont in selected applications
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > Smoothing
The Preferences dialog appears with the Smoothing tab displayed.
Chapter 9—Preference Settings 277
2. Select Enable xFont Magnification.
3. Choose Exclude Applications...
The Exclude Applications dialog box appears.
4. In the Exclude xFont from list box, check the applications in which
you would like to exclude the use of xFont.
5. Click OK.
6. Restart ZoomText. This step is required to activate the changes
applied in the Exclude Applications dialog box.
The Exclude Applications dialog box
278
Setting
Description
Exclude xFont from:
Displays a list of applications that are currently
running on the system. Checked applications
are excluded from xFont processing.
Chapter 9—Preference Settings 279
Legacy Reading Preferences
Note: Legacy Reading Preferences is a support tool used to troubleshoot
speech issues with legacy applications (legacy apps). You may be asked
by technical support to change these settings.
An enterprise business may be running older or proprietary legacy apps
that do not have support for an accessibility API such as UI automation,
MSAA (Microsoft Active Accessibility), IAccessible2, or DOM
(Document Object Model). This is not a problem for modern apps such
as Chrome, Edge, and Office apps such as Excel and Outlook. If you
have magnification but no speech or tracking when running a legacy
app with the latest ZoomText or Fusion release, you may need to enable
legacy reading for that specific app.
▪ To turn on legacy reading for an application
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > Legacy Reading.
The Preferences dialog appears with the Legacy Reading tab displayed.
2. In the Enable legacy reading for list box, check the applications in
which you would like to use legacy reading.
3. Select OK.
280
The Legacy Reading tab.
Setting
Description
Enable legacy reading
for:
Displays a list of applications that are currently
running on the system. Checked applications
use legacy reading techniques.
Chapter 9—Preference Settings 281
Run ZoomText As
In certain situations, you may want an installation of ZoomText
Magnifier/Reader to startup and run as ZoomText Magnifier. You can
do this in the Run ZoomText As dialog box.
▪ To switch with product type ZoomText runs as
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > Run ZoomText As.
The ZoomText Run As dialog box appears.
2. Select the product type that you want ZoomText to run as.
3. Click Restart ZoomText Now.
ZoomText will exit and restart as the selected product type.
The Run ZoomText As dialog box.
Setting
Description
ZoomText Magnifier
Sets ZoomText to start up as ZoomText
Magnifier.
ZoomText
Magnifier/Reader
Sets ZoomText to start up as ZoomText
Magnifier/Reader.
Restart ZoomText Now
Exits and restarts ZoomText as the selected
product type.
Chapter 10
ZoomText Commands
This section provides a complete listing of ZoomText Command keys,
including hotkeys, layered keys, and modal keys.
• AppReader Commands
• Background Reader Commands
• Camera Commands
• Finder Commands
• Layered Keys Command Mode
• Magnifier Commands
• Program Commands
• Reader Commands
• Reading Zones Commands
• Recorder Commands
• Say Commands
• Scroll Commands
• Support Commands
• Text Cursor Commands
• Window Commands
Chapter 10—ZoomText Commands 283
AppReader Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to launch the AppReader.
Command
Hotkeys
Launch AppReader from
Pointer
Caps Lock + Alt + Left-Click
Launch App View
Caps Lock + Alt + A
Launch Text View
Caps Lock + Alt + T
Launch SpeakIt Tool
Caps Lock + Alt + S
Launch AppReader
(selected mode)
Caps Lock + Alt + R
The following layered keys can be used to launch the AppReader.
Command
Layered Keys
Launch AppReader
Caps Lock + Spacebar, A
While the AppReader is active, the following modal keys can be used to
operate the AppReader.
Command
Modal Keys
Next Word
Ctrl + Right
Previous Word
Ctrl + Left
Next Sentence
Right
Previous Sentence
Left
Next Paragraph
Down
Previous Paragraph
Up
284
Command
Modal Keys
Next Page
Page Down
Previous Page
Page Up
Current Word *
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Up
Current Line
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Right
Current Sentence
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Down
Current Paragraph
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Left
First Word On Line
Home
Last Word On Line
End
Beginning of Document
Ctrl + Home
End of Document
Ctrl + End
Next Link
L
Previous Link
Shift + L
Execute Link
Ctrl + Enter
* When using the Current Word command, repeated presses within two
seconds provides the following behavior:
• First press: speaks the word
• Second press: spells the word
• Third press: spells the word phonetically ("Alpha, Bravo, Charlie,
...")
Chapter 10—ZoomText Commands 285
Background Reader Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to launch the Background Reader.
Command
Hotkeys
Launch Background
Reader
Caps Lock + Ctrl + B
The following layered keys can be used to launch the Background Reader.
Command
Layered Keys
Launch Background
Reader
Caps Lock + Spacebar, B
While the Background Reader toolbar is active, the following modal keys can
be used to operate the Background Reader.
Command
Modal Keys
Show Toolbar
T
Capture
C
Play / Pause
Enter
Restart (from the
beginning)
Shift + Enter
Next Sentence
Right
Previous Sentence
Left
Next Word
Ctrl + Right
Previous Word
Ctrl + Left
Current Word
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Up
286
Command
Modal Keys
Current Sentence
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Down
Exit
X
Chapter 10—ZoomText Commands 287
Camera Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to launch the ZoomText Camera.
Command
Hotkeys
Launch Camera
Caps Lock + Ctrl + C
The following layered keys can be used to launch the ZoomText Camera.
Command
Layered Keys
Launch Camera
Caps Lock + Spacebar, C
While the Camera Toolbar is active, the following modal keys can be used to
adjust the ZoomText Camera settings.
Command
Modal Keys
Show Toolbar
T
Zoom In
Up
Zoom Out
Down
Rotate Image
Left/Right
Docked/Full Toggle
Tab
Docked Position
Caps Lock + Left/Right
Clarity On/Off
Shift + Enter
Clarity Reset
Shift + Backspace
Brightness Increase
Shift + Up
Brightness Decrease
Shift + Down
Contrast Increase
Shift + Left
288
Command
Modal Keys
Contrast Decrease
Shift + Right
Two-Color On/Off
Alt + Enter
Two-Color Scheme
Alt + Left/Right
Focus Automatic/Manual
Ctrl + Enter
Focus In
Ctrl + Up
Focus Out
Ctrl + Down
Exit
X
Chapter 10—ZoomText Commands 289
Finder Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to launch the Finder.
Command
Hotkeys
Launch Finder
Caps Lock + Ctrl + F
The following layered keys can be used to launch the Finder.
Command
Layered Keys
Launch Finder
Caps Lock + Spacebar, F
While the Finder is active, the following modal keys can be used to operate
the Finder.
Command
Keys
Cycle Page Items Type
Up
Ctrl + Up
Cycle Page Items Type
Down
Ctrl + Down
Execute Item
Ctrl + Enter
First Item (in filtered list)
Ctrl + Home
Last Item (in filtered list)
Ctrl + End
Next Control
Ctrl + C
Next Form
Ctrl + F
Next Heading
Ctrl + H
Next Heading Level 1 ... 6
Ctrl + 1 ... 6
Next Image
Ctrl + I
290
Command
Keys
Next Link
Ctrl + L
Next List
Ctrl + S
Next Table
Ctrl + T
Next Item
Enter OR Ctrl + Right
Previous Control
Ctrl + Shift + C
Previous Form
Ctrl + Shift + F
Previous Heading
Ctrl + Shift + H
Previous Heading Level 1
... 6
Ctrl + Shift + 1 ... 6
Previous Image
Ctrl + Shift + I
Previous Link
Ctrl + Shift + L
Previous List
Ctrl + Shift + S
Previous Table
Ctrl + Shift + T
Previous Item
Shift + Enter OR Ctrl + Left
AppReader
Alt + R
Toggle List Search
Alt + L
Exit Finder
Esc
Chapter 10—ZoomText Commands 291
Layered Keys Command Mode
The following hotkeys can be used to launch the layered keys command
mode.
Command
Hotkeys
Command Mode
Selection
Caps Lock + Spacebar
When the command mode is active, the following layered keys can be used to
enter the available command mode groups.
Command
Layered Keys
AppReader Commands
A
Launch Background
Reader
B
Launch Camera
C
Launch Finder
F
Launch Recorder
D
Magnifier Commands
M
Program Commands
P
Reader Commands
R
Say Commands
Y
Scroll Commands
S
Support Commands
U
292
Command
Layered Keys
Window Commands
W
Zones Commands
Z
Chapter 10—ZoomText Commands 293
Magnifier Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to operate the Magnifier Commands.
Command
Hotkeys
Magnifier Commands
Unassigned
Enhance Colors On/Off
Caps Lock + C
Enhance Cursor On/Off
Caps Lock + R
Enhance Focus On/Off
Caps Lock + F
Enhance Pointer On/Off
Caps Lock + P
Enhance Smart Invert
On/Off
Caps Lock + I
Smoothing Mode
Caps Lock + X
Toggle Zoom and 1x
Caps Lock + Enter
xFont Bold On/Off
Caps Lock + B
Zoom In
Caps Lock + Up
Zoom Out
Caps Lock + Down
The following layered keys can be used to operate the Magnifier Commands.
Command
Layered Keys
Magnifier Commands
Caps Lock + Spacebar, M
Enhance Colors On/Off
C
Enhance Cursor On/Off
R
Enhance Focus On/Off
F
294
Command
Layered Keys
Enhance Pointer On/Off
P
Enhance Smart Invert
On/Off
I
Smoothing Mode
X
Toggle Zoom and 1x
Enter
xFont Bold On/Off
B
Zoom In
Up
Zoom Out
Down
Chapter 10—ZoomText Commands 295
Program Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to operate the Program Commands.
Command
Hotkeys
Program Commands
Unassigned
ZoomText On/Off
Caps Lock + Ctrl + Enter
Show User Interface
Caps Lock + Ctrl + U
Load Configuration 1 ...
10
Caps Lock + Ctrl + 1 ... 0
Note: 0 is used to load configuration 10
Manage Application
Settings
Caps Lock + Ctrl + M
Save Application Settings
Caps Lock + Ctrl + S
The following layered keys can be used to operate the Program Commands.
Command
Layered Keys
Program Commands
Caps Lock + Spacebar, P
ZoomText On/Off
Enter
Show User Interface
U
Load Configuration 1 ...
10
1 ... 10
Note: 0 is used to load configuration 10
Manage Application
Settings
M
Save Application Settings
S
296
Reader Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to operate the Reader Commands.
Command
Hotkeys
Reader Commands
Unassigned
Echo Keyboard Mode
Caps Lock + Alt + K
Echo Mouse Mode
Caps Lock + Alt + M
Echo Verbosity Level
Caps Lock + Alt + B
Voice On/Off
Caps Lock + Alt + Enter
Voice Select
Caps Lock + Alt + V
Voice Faster
Caps Lock + Alt + Up
Voice Slower
Caps Lock + Alt + Down
The following layered keys can be used to operate the Reader Commands.
Command
Layered Keys
Reader Commands
Caps Lock + Spacebar, R
Echo Keyboard Mode
K
Echo Mouse Mode
M
Echo Verbosity Level
B
Voice On/Off
Enter
Voice Select
V
Voice Faster
Up
Voice Slower
Down
Chapter 10—ZoomText Commands 297
Reading Zones Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to operate the Magnifier Commands.
Command
Hotkeys
Zones Commands
Caps Lock + Alt + Z
Create Zone
Caps Lock + Alt + C
Edit Zone
Caps Lock + Alt + E
List Zone
Caps Lock + Alt + L
Navigate Zones
Caps Lock + Alt + G
Next Zone
Caps Lock + Alt + N
Previous Zone
Caps Lock + Alt + P
Trigger Zone 1 ... 10
Caps Lock + Alt + 1 ... 0
Note: 0 triggers Zone 10.
The following layered keys can be used to operate the Magnifier Commands.
Command
Layered Keys
Zones Commands
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Z
Create Zone
C
Edit Zone
E
List Zone
L
Navigate Zones
G
Next Zone
N
298
Command
Layered Keys
Previous Zone
P
Trigger Zone 1 ... 10
1 ... 0
Note: 0 triggers Zone 10.
Chapter 10—ZoomText Commands 299
Recorder Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to launch the ZoomText Recorder.
Command
Hotkeys
Launch Recorder
Caps Lock + Ctrl + D
The following layered keys can be used to launch the ZoomText Recorder.
Command
Layered Keys
Launch Recorder
Caps Lock + Spacebar, D
300
Say Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to trigger the Say Commands.
Command
Hotkeys
Say Commands
Unassigned
The following layered keys can be used to trigger the Say Commands.
Command
Layered Keys
Say Commands
Caps Lock + Spacebar, Y
Say Current Date
D
Say Current Time
T
Say Cell Column Title
C
Say Cell Comment
N
Say Cell Formula
O
Say Cell Row Title
R
Say Clipboard
P
Say Dialog Default Button
B
Say Dialog Group Name
G
Say Dialog Message
M
Say Dialog Tab
A
Say Focus
F
Say Selected Text
S
Chapter 10—ZoomText Commands 301
Command
Layered Keys
Say Status Bar
U
Say Window Title
W
302
Scroll Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to operate the Scroll Commands.
Command
Hotkeys
Scroll Commands
Unassigned
Scroll Up
Caps Lock + Shift + Up
Scroll Down
Caps Lock + Shift + Down
Scroll Left
Caps Lock + Shift + Left
Scroll Right
Caps Lock + Shift + Right
Scroll Stop
Caps Lock + Shift + Enter
Jump Up
Caps Lock + Ctrl + Up
Jump Down
Caps Lock + Ctrl + Down
Jump Left
Caps Lock + Ctrl + Left
Jump Right
Caps Lock + Ctrl + Right
Jump Center
Caps Lock + Ctrl + Home
Save View
Caps Lock + Ctrl + Page Up
Restore View
Caps Lock + Ctrl + Page Down
The following layered keys can be used to operate the Scroll Commands.
Command
Layered Keys
Scroll Commands
Caps Lock + Spacebar, S
Scroll Up
Up
Scroll Down
Down
Chapter 10—ZoomText Commands 303
Command
Layered Keys
Scroll Left
Left
Scroll Right
Right
Scroll Stop
Enter
Jump Up
Ctrl + Up
Jump Down
Ctrl + Down
Jump Left
Ctrl + Left
Jump Right
Ctrl + Right
Jump Center
Ctrl + Home
Save View
Ctrl + Page Up
Restore View
Ctrl + Page Down
304
Support Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to operate the Magnifier Commands.
Command
Hotkeys
Support Commands
Unassigned
AHOI On/Off
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + A
AHOI Report
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R
Capture Screen
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + C
Detect Cursor
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + D
Pass Next Hotkey
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + P
Tracking On/Off
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + T
Refresh Screen Model
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + U
ZoomText Information
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + I
The following layered keys can be used to operate the Magnifier Commands.
Command
Layered Keys
Support Commands
Caps Lock + Spacebar, U
AHOI On/Off
A
AHOI Report
R
Capture Screen
C
Detect Cursor
D
Pass Next Hotkey
P
Tracking On/Off
T
Chapter 10—ZoomText Commands 305
Command
Layered Keys
Refresh Screen Model
U
ZoomText Information
I
306
Text Cursor Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to operate the Text Cursor Commands.
Command
Hotkeys
Current Character
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Enter
Current Word
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Up
Current Line
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Right
Current Sentence
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Down
Current Paragraph
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Left
Next Sentence
Caps Lock + Alt + Right
Previous Sentence
Caps Lock + Alt + Left
The following keys are standard Windows keyboard commands for moving
the text cursor through text.
Command
Windows Keys
Next Character
Right
Previous Character
Left
Next Word
Ctrl + Right
Previous Word
Ctrl + Left
Next Line
Up
Previous Line
Down
Next Paragraph
Ctrl + Down
Previous Paragraph
Ctrl + Up
Chapter 10—ZoomText Commands 307
Window Commands
The following hotkeys can be used to operate the Window Commands.
Command
Hotkeys
Window Commands
Unassigned
Zoom Window Type
Caps Lock + Z
Zoom Window Adjust
Tool
Caps Lock + A
Freeze Views 1–4 On/Off
Caps Lock + Ctrl + 1–4
Freeze View New
Caps Lock + N
Route Mouse to View
Unassigned
Route View to Mouse
Unassigned
Switch Active View
Caps Lock + V
Overview Mode On/Off
Caps Lock + O
The following layered keys can be used to operate the Window Commands.
Command
Layered Keys
Window Commands
Caps Lock + Spacebar, W
Zoom Window Type
Z
Zoom Window Adjust
Tool
A
Freeze View 1-4 On/Off
Caps Lock + Spacebar, W, x, where x is 1, 2, 3,
or 4
Freeze View New
N
308
Command
Layered Keys
Route Mouse to View
Down
Route View to Mouse
Up
Switch Active View
V
Overview Mode On/Off
O
Chapter 11
ZoomText Support
ZoomText comes with a variety of built-in and online support tools and
services that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These tools and
services include information gathering utilities, technical and how-to-
articles, and a way to report a problem to the ZoomText product
support team. Some of these tools may also be called on when working a
problem with a ZoomText support representative.
• System Info
• FS Support Tool
• Data Reporting
• Remote Desktop
• Fix-It Commands
• Display Adapter
• Early Adopter Program
• Training Center
• About ZoomText
310
System Information
The System Info dialog displays a collection of information about your
system's hardware, software and configuration that may be useful in
diagnosing a problem.
▪ To view the System Info dialog
In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > System Info.
The ZoomText Support dialog box appears with the System Info tab
displayed.
Chapter 11—ZoomText Support 311
The System Info tab.
312
Data Reporting
Data Reporting lets you send information over the Internet to Freedom
Scientific about any ZoomText or Fusion errors.
Choosing to send any error reports helps Freedom Scientific improve its
products. The information transmitted to Freedom Scientific is limited to
the memory dump file as well as generic information allowing Freedom
Scientific to investigate the source of the issue, such as your product
version number, the date and time the error occurred, number of times
your system has experienced an error, and the error code related to the
problem. The only information related to your specific environment that
is transmitted is your computer's MAC address to find trends on a
particular system. However, there is no way for us to map MAC
addresses to any particular individual, and no personal identification
information is transmitted.
Anonymous Data lets you choose whether or not to send anonymous
user data to Freedom Scientific. This includes items such as performance
and software configuration.
▪ To set up error and data usage reporting, do the following:
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > Advanced > Data
Reporting.
The ZoomText Support dialog box appears with the Data Reporting
tab displayed.
2. Choose how or if you want to send errors reports.
3. Choose if you want to send anonymous data usage.
4. Select OK.
Chapter 11—ZoomText Support 313
The Data Reporting tab
Setting
Description
Error Reporting
Ask me if I want
to send error
reports to
Freedom
The Error Reporting dialog box displays
each time an error is detected. This is the
default setting.
314
Setting
Description
Scientific each
time
Send all error reports
to Freedom Scientific
without asking
Future error reports are automatically
sent to Freedom Scientific without
displaying a dialog box.
Never send error
reports to
Freedom
Scientific
Any future error reports are not sent to
Freedom Scientific and you are not
prompted to send an error report.
Anonymous Data
Participate in our
effort to improve
Freedom
Scientific
products by
submitting
Anonymous
Usage Data
When selected, we collect information
about the use of this product. This
includes data about:
• How you configured the product
• How you use the product
• The performance of the product
We do not collect any personal
identifiable information.
Having this feature on is necessary to
use certain features such as Voice
Assistant. See our Anonymous Data
Collection Policy for more information
about what we collect.
316
FS Support Tool
The FS Support Tool opens a utility which collects information about
your computer and sends a report to our Technical Support and
Software Development teams. Usually, you will only need to run this
when asked to by Technical Support in order to obtain additional
information about your system to help with troubleshooting an issue.
Some information that is collected includes:
• System information such as processor
• RAM, operating system, architecture, and more
• Event logs
• Version of Adobe Reader (if installed)
• Information on installed Microsoft Office applications
• Crash dumps
• Installation logs
• Currently running system processes
• User settings
▪ To create and send a report, do the following:
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > Advanced > Tools.
The ZoomText Support dialog box appears with the Tools tab
displayed.
2. Click FS Support Tool.
3. Follow the prompts and choose Send Report when finished.
Chapter 11—ZoomText Support 317
The Tools tab
318
Remote Desktop
The Remote Desktop tool is used to test and troubleshoot remote access
connection issues.
From the Remote Desktop dialog box, you can:
• See whether or not your Freedom Scientific software is authorized
for remote access.
• Check the status for each supported remote channel (Remote
Desktop, Citrix, or VMWare Horizon).
• Repair any channel that is reported to not be working.
• Test the connection between the client and server/remote
computers.
▪ To verify if you are authorized for remote access, do the
following:
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > Advanced > Tools.
The ZoomText Support dialog box appears with the Tools tab
displayed.
2. Click Remote Desktop.
The Remote Desktop dialog box appears.
3. Near the top of the dialog box the Remote Access Authorization is
shown as Enabled or Disabled.
▪ To verify the status of each supported remote channel, do the
following:
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > Advanced > Tools.
The ZoomText Support dialog box appears with the Tools tab
displayed.
Chapter 11—ZoomText Support 319
2. Click Remote Desktop.
The Remote Desktop dialog box appears.
• If running on a client machine, a list of all supported remote
channels appears.
• If running on a server machine, the remote channel used by
the server appears.
• The list also shows if a channel is working or not working.
3. To test the connection between client and server machines, choose
Test connection.
4. To repair a channel that is not working, choose Repair.
The Remote Desktop dialog box.
320
Fix-It Command
Fix-It commands are used to fix unique performance and behavioral
problems that have been diagnosed by a ZoomText support technician.
The Fix-It command is provided by the support technician and entered
and applied as instructed in the Fix-It dialog.
▪ To use the Fix-It Command dialog
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > Advanced > Tools.
The ZoomText Support Tools dialog box appears with the Tools tab
displayed.
2. In the Fix-It command box, enter the Fix-It command provided by
Technical Support.
3. Click Apply Fix-It Command.
Chapter 11—ZoomText Support 321
The Tools tab.
322
Display Adapter
Note: If you are having video display or system performance issues, you
may be asked by Technical Support to change Display Adapter settings.
ZoomText is often run on computers that contain multiple graphics
cards. Integrated graphics cards, which share system memory with
other components, are fine for running basic applications and browsing
the web. Dedicated graphics cards have their own memory and graphics
processor, which leads to better video performance for more video-
intensive apps.
If you notice a decline in ZoomText or system performance (sluggish
behavior or a blank screen), you may want to set ZoomText to use a
different display adapter (graphics card) in your computer.
▪ To change which display adapter ZoomText uses, do the
following.
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > Advanced > Display
Adapter.
The Display Adapter dialog appears.
Chapter 11—ZoomText Support 323
2. Select one of the following display adapter options:
o Let ZoomText decide. When ZoomText starts, it will detect
and choose the best display adapter to use.
o First available. Select to let Windows choose the display
adapter to use with ZoomText.
o Compatibility mode. Select this option if ZoomText does not
work well with your display adapter.
o Specific adapter. Select this setting to assign ZoomText to
always use a specific display adapter. The available display
adapters appear in the list.
3. Select OK, and then YES to restart ZoomText for the change to
take effect.
324
Early Adopter Program
Note: The Early Adopter Program lets you preview new and updated
product features that are in development. As we gradually introduce
features, you can evaluate them and provide feedback that will help us
make improvements before final release.
Using the Early Adopter Program
▪ To turn on or off Early Adopter Program features
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > Early Adopter Program.
The Early Adopter Program dialog appears and shows the features
available to evaluate. The dialog is empty if no features are currently
available.
2. Select one or more check boxes to activate features. Clear one or
more check boxes to deactivate features.
Note: If you are evaluating changes to an existing product feature,
it will revert to its original operation when you clear the check
box.
3. Click OK and restart the software. Features that were turned on
are available for use.
Submitting feedback
While evaluating a feature, you are encouraged to give feedback about
your experience. Feedback can be given whether the feature is activated
or not.
▪ To give feedback
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > Early Adopter Program.
The Early Adopter Program dialog displays the features available to
evaluate.
Chapter 11—ZoomText Support 325
2. Select the Send Feedback button for the feature you are
evaluating.
The Early Adopter Program Feedback form appears.
3. Complete the Early Adopter Program Feedback form and click
Send Feedback.
An example of the Early Adopter Program dialog.
326
Setting
Description
Features in
Development:
Displays the name and description of features
available to preview. Select the checkbox to
turn on the feature. Clear the check box to turn
off the feature. When you turn off a feature, it
will revert to its earlier functionality.
Send Feedback
Opens a form for you to provide feedback
about a feature.
Disable All
Turns off all features.
Chapter 11—ZoomText Support 327
Training Center
The Training Center provides a wide variety of how-to and technical
articles on ZoomText.
▪ To open the Training Center
• In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > Training Center.
328
About ZoomText
The About ZoomText dialog shows program and license information,
including the product type, version, serial number and user name.
▪ To view the About ZoomText information
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > About.
The About ZoomText dialog appears.
2. When you are done viewing the dialog, click OK.
The About ZoomText dialog box
Chapter 11—ZoomText Support 329
Setting
Description
Product
Displays the type of product: 'Magnifier' or
'Magnifier/Reader'.
Type
Displays the type of installation: 'Product' or
'Trial'.
Version
Displays the ZoomText product version and
build number.
Serial Number
Displays the product serial number.
Note: a serial number is not displayed when
running a trial version of ZoomText.
Name
Displays the name of the registered user.
Company
Displays the company name of the registered
user.
330
Chapter 12
Message Center
Message Center is your hub for timely announcements from Freedom
Scientific to help maximize your experience with ZoomText and Fusion.
The messages cover various topics, including:
• Product specific training tips to explore key features.
• Information about new features and changes in updates.
• Details about upcoming webinars and additional training
opportunities.
• Notifications about new FSCast podcast episodes.
By default, a notification is spoken and displayed when new messages
are available. This is a standard Windows background notification,
similar to those received from other apps such as Outlook.
Note: This feature may not be supported by your user interface
language.
▪ To open Message Center
Do one of the following:
• Choose Message Center from the ZoomText menu or the Fusion
menu. The number of unread messages also appears next to the
Message Center command. For example, Message Center (2)
means you have two unread messages.
• Use Voice Assistant. For example, "Hey Zoomy, open message
center."
• For Fusion, use the layered keystroke, INSERT+SPACEBAR,
followed by SHIFT+M.
Chapter 12—Message Center 331
The Message Center dialog box
▪ To access your messages
• When Message Center opens, you are placed in the list of
messages.
• Pressing ENTER on the currently selected message displays
additional details, such as release notes for an update, step-by-step
instructions for a training tip, or an overview of an FSCast
episode.
• If the message includes links to external content, pressing ENTER
opens the resource in the appropriate app on your computer. For
instance, links to web pages open in your default web browser.
332
Message Center also offers the following options:
• Filter the list by entering a category like "podcast" into the Search
edit box to only show specific messages.
• Use the Settings dialog box to choose whether or not you are
notified when new messages arrive. You can also configure what
types of messages you receive. For example, you may only want to
receive announcements about upcoming training opportunities
and software updates.
• Delete messages you no longer need.
Chapter 13
Scripting
In today's computer-centric world, visually-impaired individuals are
challenged to meet the same performance goals as their normal-sighted
peers. In many situations, especially job related, it can be difficult for
these individuals to meet their goals, even when equipped with
ZoomText.
With ZoomText’s scripting feature you can create and utilize scripts to
customize the behavior of ZoomText and other applications, providing
more informative visual and audible feedback, and automation of tasks.
This is turn allows you to work with improved speed and efficiency.
Here are just a few examples of things you can do with ZoomText
scripting:
• Automatically announce selected fields of information in a
database or spreadsheet.
• Automatically announce new items in your email inbox and
automatically read email when opened.
• Automatically announce application controls and data in more
meaningful way.
• Automatically read new text that arrives in a chat window.
• Automatically announce when a selected field of information
changes, such as the balance in spreadsheet dipping below a
specified value.
Chapter 13—Scripting 335
What are Scripts and Scripting Languages?
What is a script? A script is a text file containing programming
commands that initiate a given ZoomText or application task. Scripts
can consist of a few lines of very simple commands or many lines of
complex programming. ZoomText scripts are written using one of the
industry standard scripting languages, such as VBScript,
Jscript/JavaScript, C# or Perl. No special tools are required to write a
script, in fact, scripts can be written using the Windows Notepad.
However, you must have some knowledge and experience writing
scripts.
What are scripting languages? Scripting languages are programming
languages that control existing applications or their components.
Scripting languages can be created and used without special
programming software or the need for traditional compiling and
building of program code. Thus, they favor rapid development and the
ability to communicate with other programs. There are many different
scripting languages, each of which is generally designed for a specific
type of use.
What scripting languages can be used to write ZoomText scripts? The
standard industry scripting languages that we suggest are: VBScript,
Jscript/JavaScript, C# and Perl.
336
Writing ZoomText Scripts
Although most anyone can learn to write basic ZoomText scripts,
writing true productivity scripts requires an amount of experience and
expertise. Therefore, Freedom Scientific recommends using an
experienced script writer to design, create and test scripts – preferably
one that is understands the challenges faced by visually-impaired
computer users.
An experienced script writer may be available within your company or
organization – start by checking with your department manager or IT
department. You may also find an experienced script writer through
services advertised on the Internet. If you are unable to find a script
writer on your own, Freedom Scientific may be able to assist you in
finding a script writer – contact Freedom Scientific’s product support
department at 727-803-8600 or send email to
support@freedomscientific.com.
Other Sources of ZoomText Scripts
With growing popularity of ZoomText scripting a variety of scripts for
mainstream applications will become available for users to download
and purchase. These scripts will be made available in the ZoomText
Scripting Library on Ai Squared’s website. For more information, go to
www.aisquared.com/scripting.
Chapter 13—Scripting 337
Registering Scripts
In order to use scripts written for ZoomText they must first be registered
using ZoomText's Script Manager. There are two types of ZoomText
scripts that can be registered; script programs and script components.
• A script program is a text file and can be registered by simply
browsing to and selecting its corresponding file. Script program
files are typically written in VBscript (.VBS), Jscript (.JS) or Perl
(.PL) scripting languages.
• A script component is a program file that must first be registered
with Windows and ZoomText. These program files typically have
a .DLL or .WSC files extension.
Important! You must have administrative privileges to register scripts
and make changes in the ZoomText Script Manager. Registering and
modifying scripts can adversely affect the behavior of your system and
should only be performed by a qualified individual or according to their
instructions.
▪ To register a 'script program' with ZoomText (e.g. VBS, JS, PL)
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > Advanced > Scripting >
Script Manager.
The Script Manager dialog appears.
2. In the Script Manager dialog, choose Register a Script...
The Register Script dialog appears.
3. Browse to folder containing the script program you want to
register.
4. Select the script program and click OK.
The Script Manager dialog appears.
5. Click OK.
338
▪ To register a 'script component' with ZoomText (e.g. DLL, WSC)
1. If your script component is already registered with the Windows
operating system, proceed to step 2. Otherwise, register your
script with Windows as follows:
o To register a Windows scripting component (.WSC file):
a) In Windows Explorer, locate the scripting file.
b) Right-click on the file and select Register.
o To register a COM scripting component (.DLL file):
a) Click on the Windows Start button and select Run...
b) Type: COMMAND
c) Click OK.
The command prompt appears.
d) At the command prompt, type: REGSVR32 {path\filename of
script}
e) Press the Enter key.
The script is registered with Windows.
f) Type: EXIT
g) Press the Enter key.
The command prompt window closes.
2. In the Settings menu, choose Scripting Script Manager...
The Script Manager dialog appears.
3. In the Script Manager dialog, choose Register a Script...
The Register Script dialog appears.
Chapter 13—Scripting 339
4. In the Script component program ID field, type the program ID
(aka ProgID) for the script component you want to register.
5. Click OK.
The Register Script dialog box.
Setting
Description
Script file path and name:
Provides a place for you to type the location
and file name of the script program you want
to register. If you are not sure of the program's
location or file name, click Browse.
Browse...
Displays the Select Script File dialog box,
which allows you to navigate files folders and
select existing script files.
340
Setting
Description
Script component
program ID (ProgID):
Provides a place for you to type the program
ID for the script component you want to
register. Program IDs are provided by the
script author.
Script information
Displays information about the specified script
file or script component (if provided within
the script), including the author date, version,
contact information and a description of the
script's purpose.
Show Script Information
When entering a program ID, clicking the
Show Script Information button will display
the script information (if provided within the
script).
Chapter 13—Scripting 341
Managing Scripts
ZoomText’s scripting feature allows you to register and run scripts for
any application. Some users may only require a few scripts for a single
application, while other may need many scripts for many applications.
The ZoomText Script Manager makes the process of registering, viewing
and managing scripts a simple and intuitive task.
Here's what you can do with the ZoomText Script Manager:
• Register new scripts written for ZoomText
• Quickly enable and disable scripts as needed (without having to
unregister them)
• Open and edit scripts. Important: Editing scripts should only be
performed by a qualified script writer.
• View a description of each script, including the scripts purpose
Note: You must have administrative privileges to make changes in the
ZoomText Script Manager. Registering and modifying scripts can
adversely affect the behavior of your system and should only be
performed by a qualified individual or according to their instructions.
▪ To view and manage ZoomText scripts
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > Advanced > Scripting
> Script Manager.
The Script Manager dialog appears.
2. Modify the registered scripts as desired.
3. Click Close.
342
The ZoomText Script Manager dialog box.
Setting
Description
Registered Scripts:
Displays a list of scripts that are currently
registered for use when ZoomText is running.
Scripts that appear in this list may be enabled
and disabled, moved up and down to prioritize
their execution (when triggered by the same
event), or removed altogether by unregistering
the script. To perform these actions, select the
desired script (or scripts) and then choose the
desired script action.
Register a Script...
Opens the Register Script dialog where you can
specify scripts that you want to register for use
with ZoomText. For information on how to
register a script, see Registering Scripts.
Chapter 13—Scripting 343
Setting
Description
Script Information:
Displays information about the highlighted
script (if provided by the script author),
including the author date, version, contact
information and a description of the script's
purpose.
Script Actions
Enable
Enables the highlighted script (or scripts).
When a script is enabled it is executed
whenever ZoomText is running — according to
its designed purpose.
Note: A script can also be enabled or disabled
by clicking its associated check box.
Disable
Disables the highlighted script (or scripts).
When a script is disabled it remains registered
with ZoomText but is not executed.
Note: A script can also be enabled or disabled
by clicking its associated check box.
Edit...
Opens the selected script in the Windows
Notepad where it may be viewed and edited.
Unregister
Removes the selected script so that it is no
longer loaded by ZoomText. When a script is
unregistered it is immediately terminated and
removed from the list of Registered Scripts.
Settings
Displays the Settings Interface for the selected
script.
For more information about creating and registering scripts, see the ZoomText
Scripting Documentation for Script Writers. In the ZoomText menu, choose
Scripting > Documentation.
344
Script Hotkeys
ZoomText scripts can be written so that they execute automatically in
response to specified events or when pressing a hotkey (or hotkeys).
When a script is written for execution by hotkey(s), the hotkey(s) will
appear in ZoomText's Hotkeys dialog box. Like all ZoomText hotkeys,
you can view and modify the script hotkey assignments.
▪ To view the script hotkeys
1. In the ZoomText menu, choose Preferences > Command Keys
The ZoomText Command Keys dialog appears.
2. In the Search box, type: SCRIPTS.
A list of script hotkeys appear in the Hotkeys Command list.
3. To view a script hotkeys assigned key combination, click on the
desired script hotkey.
The hotkey's assigned key combination appears in the Primary Key
and Modifier Keys settings.
4. Adjust the hotkey combination as desired.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each hotkey you wish to view or modify.
6. Click OK.
Chapter 13—Scripting 345
Scripting Documentation for Script Writers
The ZoomText Scripting Documentation for Script Writers provides
instructional information for writing and testing ZoomText scripts.
▪ To view the Documentation for Script Writers
In the ZoomText menu, choose Help > Advanced > Scripting >
Documentation.
Index
about ZoomText, 328
activation
activating ZoomText, 16
dongle authorization, 17
network license, 17
adding more voices, 19
adjusting zoom windows, 88
alignment (navigation), 139
anonymous data usage, 312
application settings
about, 263
managing, 263
saving, 263
AppReader, 177
App View, 178
App View settings, 187
reading modes, 178
Shared Settings, 194
SpeakIt Tool, 178
starting and using, 183
Text View, 178
Text View environment, 180
Text View settings, 190
audio settings, 163
Background Reader, 235
camera, 225
Caps Lock key (using), 25
color enhancements, 119
command keys
about, 45
Index 347
all commands, 282
dialog, 50
essential command keys, 48
hotkeys, 46
layered keys, 46
types of, 46
commands (by group)
AppReader, 283
Background Reader, 285
Finder, 289
Layered Mode, 291
Magnifier, 293
Program, 295
Reader, 296
Reading Zones, 297
Say, 211, 300
Scroll, 302
Support, 304
Text Cursor, 208, 306
Window, 307
ZoomText Camera, 287
ZoomText Recorder, 299
configurations
about, 259
hotkeys, 262
saving and loading, 261
the default configuration, 260
cursor enhancements, 127
data reporting, 312
display adapter, 322
dongle authorization, 17
EAP, 324
Early Adopter Program, 324
echo settings
about, 165
348
Keyboard Echo, 166
Mouse Echo, 169
Program Echo, 172
Verbosity, 174
enabling and disabling ZoomText, 24
error report, 316
excluding xFont from applications, 276
exiting ZoomText, 26
features
Magnifier, 3
Magnifier/Reader, 5
Finder, 215
commands, 219
highlight and voice settings, 221
list search, 217
page search, 215
starting, 215
toolbar, 215, 217
Fix-It command, 320
focus enhancements, 131
Freeze View, 94
FS support tool, 316
Fusion keyboard help, 245
getting help, 27
getting started
new users, 7
help, 27
using help, 27
Hey Zoomy, 245
hints (voice), 160
hotkeys
configuration hotkeys, 262
resolving conflicts, 57
installing ZoomText, 14
JAWS keyboard help, 245
Index 349
keyboard echo, 166
legacy reading preferences, 279
legal
Copyrights, 2
Trademarks, 2
logon prompt, 29
Magnifier features (about), 67
Magnifier toolbar tab, 68
Message Center, 330
mouse (navigation), 142
mouse echo, 169
mouse panning, 144
multiple monitors
about, 105
Automatic Adjustment to Display Changes, 113
Configuring Displays, 111
Feature Behaviors in Multple Monitors, 114
Options, 106
Recommended Monitor Configurations, 110
Supported Multiple Monitor Hardware, 109
Troubleshooting, 116
navigation settings
about, 136
Alignment, 139
Mouse, 142
Panning, 144
Tracking, 137
network license, 17
overview mode, 102
panning (navigation), 144
pointer enhancements, 123
preferences
about, 266
excluding xFont, 276
legacy reading, 279
350
program, 267
Run ZoomText As, 281
smoothing, 274
user interface, 271
program echo, 172
program preferences, 267
Quick Access Bar, 35
Reader features (about), 146
Reader toolbar tab, 147
Reading Zones
about, 197
creating, editing and deleting, 198
settings, 204
toolbar, 203
using, 201
remote desktop, 318
Run ZoomText As, 281
running with one or multiple monitors, 79
running ZoomText, 22
Say commands, 211
screen enhancements
about, 118
Color Enhancements, 119
Cursor Enhancements, 127
Focus Enhancements, 131
Pointer Enhancements, 123
Smart Invert, 135
Screen Shade, 44
scripting
about, 333
documentation, 345
managing scripts, 341
registering scripts, 337
script hotkeys, 344
what are scripts?, 335
Index 351
writing scripts, 336
scrolling the magnified view, 76
secure mode support, 29
sensitivity, 144
setting up ZoomText, 12
adding more voices, 19
Step 1—Install ZoomText, 14
Step 2—Start ZoomText, 15
Step 3—Activate ZoomText, 16
Step 4—Update ZoomText, 18
System Requirements, 13
Uninstalling ZoomText, 21
Using the Startup Wizard, 20
smart invert, 135
smoothing preferences, 274
excluding xFont, 276
SpeakIt Tool, 178
starting ZoomText, 15, 23
starting automatically, 23
support
about ZoomText, 328
data reporting, 312
display adapter, 322
error reporting, 312
Fix-It command, 320
FS support tool, 316
online support, 327
remote desktop, 318
system information, 310
ZoomText support, 309
system information, 310
system requirements, 13
technical support, 27
Technical Support, 315
Tethered View, 89
352
Text Cursor commands, 208
text processing (voices), 156
toolbar
Magnifier tab, 68
minimizing and restoring, 34
operating with the keyboard, 34
Reader tab, 147
Tools tab, 214
tooltips, 27
ZoomText toolbar, 33
toolbar tooltip
enabling and disabling, 28
tools
Background Reader, 235
Finder, 215
support, 315
Technical Support, 315
Voice Assistant, 245
ZoomText Camera, 225
ZoomText Recorder, 240
Tools (support), 315
Tools features (about), 213
Tools toolbar tab, 214
tooltips, 27
touch screen support
about, 58
Accessing ZoomText Features, 63
Using the ZoomText Touch Icon, 60
Using ZoomText On a Touch Screen, 59
tracking (navigation), 137
training center, 327
UAC, 29
uninstalling ZoomText, 21
updating ZoomText, 18
enabling and disabling automatic updating, 18
Index 353
using automatic updating, 18
using manual updating, 18
user guide
ZoomText user guide, 27
user interface, 32
user interface preferences, 271
using the Startup Wizard, 20
verbosity, 174
view locator, 102
voice
adjust the voice rate, 151
enabling and disabling, 150
The ZoomText Voice, 149
Voice Assistant, 245
voice settings, 152
Audio, 163
Hints, 160
Text Processing, 156
Voice, 152
wake word, 245
Welcome to ZoomText, 1
zoom level
Choosing a Set of Zoom Levels, 71
All Zoom Levels, 71
Favorite Zoom Levels, 71
Whole Powers, 71
Customizing Mouse Wheel Zooming, 73
mouse wheel zooming, 70
Using Zoom to 1x, 75
Zooming In and Out, 70
Zoom to 1x, 75
zoom windows
about, 78
adjusting, 88
Freeze View, 94
354
running with one or multiple monitors, 79
scrolling the magnified view, 76
selecting, 80
Tethered View, 89
Using OverView Mode and the View Locator, 102
Using Zoom to 1x, 75
when using multiple monitors, 78, 80
when using one monitor, 78, 80
zooming in and out, 70
ZoomText Camera, 225
acquiring a camera, 225
camera settings dialog, 230
getting started, 225
setting up a camera, 226
using, 227
video and system performance., 230
ZoomText Help, 27
ZoomText Recorder, 240
ZoomText Secure Mode, 29
enabling and disabling, 30
toolbar, 29
ZoomText support, 309
ZoomText toolbar, 33
minimizing and restoring, 34
ZoomText touch icon, 60
ZoomText Voice, 149
Zoomy, 245
Notes
