[gui-talk] Fwd: WE4Java - Java access for Window-Eyes - first steps

[Steve Pattison]

From: Macarty, Jay {PBSG}
To: gw-scripting at gwmicro.com


All,

It isn't much, so far, but it provides proof of concept. WE4Java combines a java jar file and a Jscript Window-Eyes script (plus a COM object to allow the 2 to talk to each other) to provide a Java access Bridge alternative to making Java applications available to Window-Eyes users. 

 

The initial build of the java code tracks focus changes within the java application and fires a COM event back to the Window-Eyes Jscript script. This event contains an object identifying the type of event and having a number of properties about the focused component on the java application GUI. Properties include accessibleName, accessibleDescription, accessibleRoleName, indexWithinParent, accessibleText, and accessibleValue. 

 

Using what is available in the initial framework build, you can launch a java application (e.g. a vendor application which has not been modified at all) and Window-Eyes will read the accessibleName and accessibleRoleName as you tab through the screen. For example, Window-Eyes will say text for a text field, password for a password text field, push button, check box, etc. For java components which are automatically configured to supply text in the accessibleName or accessibleDescription properties, Window-Eyes will read the value of the object on the java screen. For example, I hear "ok push button" or "cancel push button" as I tab through the screens. 

 

Like I said, it isn't much yet and is not near ready for user testing, but it shows that the capability exists to access an off-the-shelf java program using Window-Eyes via the WE4Java jar and the WE4Java script. Also, this solution is, on the java side, 100% java code. There are no dll files to add into the java application libpath. On the java side, installation consists of dropping 3 jar files; WE4Java.jar, GSon.jar, and jaccess.jar; into the lib/ext directory of the JRE used by an application and updating the accessibility.properties file to name WE4Java as the assistiveTechnology. 

 

NOTE: for those of you who are wondering, gSon.jar is an open source Google API for generating and parsing object in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). This is what allows the WE4Java java code to build an object which the Window-Eyes Jscript script can parse and convert into a scripting object. That is how all the properties like accessibleName, accessibleDescription, and so on are made available to the JScript. 

 

More later. Just wanted to let you know the first steps of proving out the concept have been successful thus far.

 

Regards Steve
Email:  srp at internode.on.net
Windows Live Messenger:  internetuser383 at hotmail.com
Skype:  steve1963