[gui-talk] New Features and Bug Fixes in Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1

[Steve Pattison]

Below is the text of the readme file For Window-Eyes 7.5 beta 1. It
lists the new features and bug fixes in this version of Window-Eyes.
-Steve.

Window-Eyes: Performance, Reliability, and Stability
"Unleashing the power of your mind's eye."
(C)1995-2011 GW Micro, Inc. All Rights Reserved
E-Mail: support at gwmicro.com
Phone: 260-489-3671
Released: 2/7/2011

[Please note: The following information can also be found in the
Window-Eyes Help menu, under the Documentation pulldown.]

Welcome to Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1

GW Micro is proud to announce the release of Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1.
This version of Window-Eyes introduces several new features, including
full UIA support, support for Internet Explorer 9 and Windows Live
Mail/Windows Live Messenger 2011, a brand new Remote Assistance feature,
plus a completely re-designed (and much more intuitive) user interface.
In addition to these new features, Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1 also boasts a
significant performance increase in Microsoft Office products, along
with many bug fixes and stability improvements. Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1
is also the first version of Window-Eyes to re-brand the notion of
scripts into a more comfortable and recognizable term: apps. Window-Eyes
Apps embrace a broader sense of usage by including everything from
program enhancements that deal specifically with accessibility issues
to more convenience-oriented apps and everything in between. While the
underlying structure of these Window-Eyes enhancements is the same
industry standard that has been in place since its inception, the
concept of an app is more widely known, and the use of this term will
help eliminate the confusion often associated with the more technical
expression.

Keep reading to learn more about Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1, and what it
can do for you.

Keeping In Touch

Now that you have the power of Window-Eyes at your fingertips, why not
join up with other Window-Eyes users on a GW Micro e-mail list? There
are several to choose from: GW-Info for lively discussions of GW Micro
products and services, GW-News for GW Micro news announcements only,
GW-Scripting for Window-Eyes script developers and users, and many more.
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or manage an existing subscription, visit
http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv. Subscribing is as simple as entering
your email address in the email address edit box, selecting the
Subscribe/Default radio button, selecting the GW-Info email list from
the combo box of available lists, then selecting the Modify button. You
will then receive a confirmation message. Select the link provided in
the confirmation email, and you will become a member of the largest
public network of Window-Eyes users, always eager and willing to answer
any questions you may have. Although we encourage all users to help
each other with questions and problems, you can take comfort in knowing
that the GW-Info list is constantly monitored by GW Micro employees.

You may also contact us directly by using the contact information
listed above. Thank You!

Window-Eyes is developed with you in mind. Please feel free to contact
us regarding any questions, comments, or suggestions that you may have;
we are eager to hear from you. Now read on to learn more about your
latest investment, and thank you for choosing Window-Eyes!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The following documentation consists of important information that you
need to know before using this version of Window-Eyes.

1. You must already have an existing copy of Window-Eyes 7.X (including
7.0, 7.01, 7.02, 7.1, 7.11, or 7.2) installed before installing
Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1.

2. Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1 will not install over a version of Window-Eyes
less than 7.0. If you are running a version of Window-Eyes less than
7.0, you will need to upgrade to Window-Eyes 7.2 by contacting our order
department at 260-489-3671, or orders at gwmicro.com.
   
3. Access to the public Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1 program is limited to
valid, registered copies of Window-Eyes. To check your eligibility for
the public Window-Eyes Beta program, select the Window-Eyes Update
option in the Window-Eyes help menu, or visit http://www.gwmicro.com/upgrade,
enter your 10 character serial number in the edit box provided, and
press enter.
   
4. As of July 13, 2010, Microsoft ended support for all Windows 2000
products. Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1, therefore, will not install under
Windows 2000, and requires at least Windows XP to run.

This readme is divided up into various sections. The start of each
major section will begin with two plus signs and the start of each
minor section will begin with two minus signs. This means that you can
search for ++ to move to the start of a major section, and -- to move
to the start of a minor section. If you are reading the manual on a
Windows PC using Notepad, we recommend maximizing the Notepad window
with ALT-SPACE, then X. It is also a good idea to make sure that "word
wrap" is enabled. This is usually found under the format menu of
Notepad.

++New Features in Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1

-- New User Interface

The most striking difference between this version of Window-Eyes and
all previous versions, is a complete redesign of the Window-Eyes user
interface, also known as the Window-Eyes control panel. In the past,
Window-Eyes settings were controlled by a simplistic system where
individual settings had to be changed one at a time by entering and
exiting various menus. Using a modernized dialog and common layout, the
new Window-Eyes user interface allows you to control all settings in
one window.

The new Window-Eyes dialog consists of two panes: a left hand pane with
a treeview representing the various categorized groups of settings, and
a right hand property page which contains various controls representing
individual options. When you select an item in the treeview, the
property page will update dynamically with the controls relevant to the
selected group. You can press the Tab key to move between controls in
the property pane, as well as to move from the property pane to the
treeview. Pressing F6 will also move focus back and forth between the
tree view and the property pane. The dialog also consists of three menu
items. File (for managing settings), Apps (for managing and accessing
apps), and Help (for accessing documentation and other support services).

Modified settings take effect immediately with the option to save the
settings to disk permanently. Finding and changing settings is made
easy through better organization along with more human readable names,
plus additional features like being able to synchronize the Screen,
Keyboard, and Mouse settings. Standard shortcuts such as Control-O to
open settings, and Control-S to save, provide a level of consistency
familiar among other programs. Much care has been taken to ensure an
environment that is never without speech, including the ability to
revert settings, an auditory prompt before switching synthesizers, and
quick access to the factory default synthesizer. Beginner and Advanced
options continue to exist, allowing more confident users access to all
Window-Eyes settings, and keeping new users from being inundated with
unnecessary options. Regardless of beginner or advanced settings,
context sensitive help can be obtained at any time, on any of the
controls in the Window-Eyes user interface, simply by pressing F1.
Either a balloon tool tip with a brief synopsis of the selected control,
or the Manual (opened to the relevant section), will be presented. In
addition, all editable controls are value sensitive, meaning that if
you try to type a letter into an edit box that only accepts numbers,
Window-Eyes will notify you of the error, ensuring that only correct
data is stored when settings are saved.

In addition to a new layout, almost all Window-Eyes settings now have
their own "scope." Scope refers to the range a setting should have, or,
in other words, whether a setting should apply to a specific program or
globally to all programs. In general, this behavior has existed in
Window-Eyes for some time. Only now is the ability to apply a setting
to all programs as simple as a push of a button. For example, you may
wish to have the announcement of blank lines on for every application.
You need only toggle that setting's scope to Global, and it will
immediately take effect in all programs. Even individual hot keys can
be made to function globally. You no longer need to use external
utilities to convert sets back and forth simply to make a setting work
in all programs.

Set files have also undergone significant change. Instead of using
cryptic file extensions like .000 or .001, set files now use a more
meaningful file extension: .set. In addition, set files are now XML
based, providing an open, standard language for storing Window-Eyes
settings, as well as allowing for future extensibility. Window-Eyes
also provides the ability to convert older set files to the new XML
format using the Update Outdated Settings option in the File menu.
During the conversion process, older set files will be backed up
automatically. The Window-Eyes upgrade will automatically convert old
set files to the newest format. Manually copied set files can be
updated using the Update Outdated Settings in the Window-Eyes File menu.

A complete description of the new user interface can be found in the
new Window-Eyes manual. In an effort to increase readability and
minimize technical babble, the Window-Eyes manual has been drastically
reduced in size while continuing to maintain high quality content. In
addition, the level of documentation relates to the user interface. In
other words, if only the beginner settings are shown in the Window-Eyes
control panel, then only the beginner documentation (relating to those
settings) will be provided. If the advanced settings are shown, then
advanced documentation will be provided. You can access the manual at
any time by opening Window-Eyes with Control-Backslash, pressing Alt-H
for Help, D for Documentation, then M for Manual.

Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1 is also the first version of Window-Eyes to
re-brand the notion of scripts into a more comfortable and recognizable
term: apps. Window-Eyes Apps embrace a broader sense of usage by
including everything from program enhancements that deal specifically
with accessibility issues to more convenience-oriented apps and
everything in between. While the underlying structure of these
Window-Eyes enhancements is the same industry standard that has been in
place since its inception, the concept of an app is more widely known,
and the use of this term will help eliminate the confusion often
associated with the more technical expression.

-- UIA

Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1 now provides full support for UI Automation
(commonly referred to as UIA), a technology developed by Microsoft to
provide assistive technology products with standard means to access and
control parts of a program's user interface. UIA is similar to MSAA,
but contains much richer information. While UIA is a new technology,
applications like Visual Studio 2010 (as well as applications built
with Visual Studio 2010) are already putting it to use.

-- Remote Assistance

Window-Eyes 7.5 will provide remote access support, although it is not
available during the beta cycle.

Asking for Help

When you select Ask for Help from the Remote Assistance Help menu
pulldown, you will be presented with a dialog containing a 12 character,
case-sensitive password. You will need to provide this password to the
person that you will be requesting help from.

Offering Help

When you select Offer Help from the Remote Assistance Help menu
pulldown, you will be presented with a dialog containing an edit box
for your name, and an edit box for a password. The name you enter will
be presented to the person you're providing assistance to when you
attempt to connect to their machine. The password you enter will be the
same case-sensitive password given to you by another Window-Eyes user
requesting assistance.

The Connection

After a password has been generated, and shared, and a successful
connection has been made, the connecting session will expand full
screen, and all key strokes will be sent through the remote assistance
session. You can press Control-Alt-Break at any time to restore the
connection to a standard window (this allows you to get back to your
own system). Control-Alt-Break can be pressed any time the connection
dialog is active to toggle between full screen and standard window.

-- Virtual Braille

In addition to the Virtual RDP and Virtual Citrix speech synthesizers
that have been available for Terminal Services and Citrix, Window-Eyes
7.5 Beta 1 now offers the choice of a Virtual Braille display. When
enabled, Window-Eyes will send data from the remote connection to a
locally connected Braille display, providing complete Braille output.

-- Miscellaneous

* Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1 provides support for the current private
builds of Internet Explorer 9.

* Enhanced support for both Windows Live Mail and Windows Live
Messenger 2011, including an updated Windows Live Mail app which now
ships by default with all Window-Eyes installations.

* We have made significant strides in increasing the speed with which
Window-Eyes navigates all Word documents, and Outlook 2007/Outlook 2010
messages, specifically those with tables and table of contents. 

* All factory set files have been converted to the new XML set file
format. In addition, antiquated set files have been removed, and all
existing set files have updated documentation.

* Context sensitive help (Control-Shift-/) and the key describer
(Insert-1) have both been updated to reflect the new UI changes.

* If the rate was modified during a Read to End (using the U/D keys),
Window-Eyes will now restore the rate settings to what they were before
the Read to End began. 

* Selecting a Braille display that is not physically connected or
connected but not responding, will still allow you to navigate through
Braille options, and interact with the display through scripting (which
you normally wouldn't be able to do without a physical connection).

* A new hot key called "App Status Rotor" (Undefined by default) has
been added to the Miscellaneous hot keys. This hot key will rotor the
app status between Off, On and Manual.

* The Caps Lock key will now, by default, emulate the insert key when
used as a modifier. When pressed and released by itself, it will still
act as a caps lock. This makes the new laptop layout more intuitive,
especially considering keyboards either missing insert keys, or that
have insert keys that are difficult to get to. This option can be
disabled globally using the option under Keyboard -> Special Keys.

++Enhancements Between Window-Eyes 7.5 Beta 1 and Window-Eyes 7.2

-- Email

* Thunderbird 3.1 changed how it indicates links between editing a
message and reviewing a message. As a result, Window-Eyes would get
confused when you focused a link. Now it works as expected.

* In Thunderbird 3.1, Browse Mode would come on when replying to a
message. This has been fixed. 

-- Office

* Navigating through Word documents is now substantially faster,
especially in documents containing table of contents and/or tables.

* We fixed a rare problem where the inbox of Outlook 2010 would not
speak.

* We fixed a problem where if both speech and Braille index and count
verbosity options were enabled, then the index of the tab control in
any Office ribbon for Braille would come out doubled. So instead of
seeing "1 7" you would see "11 77".

* Window-Eyes now correctly reads the treeviews in Microsoft Office
installs. 

* We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes could go catatonic during an
Office install. 

* We fixed a few OSM issues brought out on some specific video cards
when using Microsoft Access and Windows 7. 

* Several of the spin (also known as up/down) controls in Outlook
(encountered when editing or reviewing appointments) weren't reading
correctly or showing up in Braille. This problem has been resolved.

* In the Word Paragraph dialog (Alt, H P G), the line spacing combo box
wasn't reading correctly. This problem has been resolved. 

* In Word 2010, the Styles pane (Control-Alt-Shift-S) would not read as
you arrowed through the styles. This problem has been resolved.

* We fixed a problem where memory usage would continue to grow when
using Word. This would cause instability after working in Word for a
long period of time.

* We fixed a problem where cells in Excel would be accidentally
selected based on their overlapped status.

* Window-Eyes now supports Arabic/Hebrew in Word. 

* We fixed a problem where lines could be clipped or silenced in Word
and Outlook.

-- Braille

* If Auto Route cursor was enabled, and focus was on a control with a
cursor, and a quick message came up, you would not be able to navigate
through the quick message. This has been resolved. 

* If Auto Route cursor was disabled, the cursor would incorrectly move
when navigating with the Braille display.

* In Windows Explorer (under Windows 7 only) Braille would show
question mark characters around dates and times. This problem has been
resolved.

-- Miscellaneous

* We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would crash upon launch after
installing the Terminal Services role under Windows Server 2008 Service
Pack 2.

* Window-Eyes now communicates with tree view controls directly,
meaning their contents should always be 100 percent accurate.

* In Windows 7, under the Wireless Devices feature in the Notification
Area, the check box option to connect automatically wouldn't speak when
it was focused (nor would the connect button). This problem has been
resolved. Due to a Microsoft bug, the check box will always report
checked. They also made the text "Check Box" part of the check box name,
meaning Window-Eyes will speak "check box" twice. 

* We fixed a problem caused by a bug in the latest Flash player that
would cause Internet Explorer to crash. We have reported this issue to
Adobe, and have worked around the problem for now.

* When launching Window-Eyes, you could receive a large number of
script errors. This problem has been resolved.

* We fixed a problem of Window-Eyes not starting automatically even
though the Startup Options were set correctly. 

* We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would get stuck in "downloading
page" mode. 

* We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would lock up when using Braille
and the mouse to review clips.

* If you redraw the screen (using Insert-Backslash), Window-Eyes will
reset the active synthesizer. In the past, redrawing the screen would
only reset the synthesizer speech parameters. Now the synthesizer is
stopped and restarted.

-- Scripting

NOTE: Please refer to the updated scripting manual for detailed
information about all new objects, properties, methods, and enums.

* Added Accessibles.FilterByRoleAndState method.

* Added BrailleTable.Filename

* Added Braille.ShowExtraSpacing (BrailleOptions.ShowExtraSpacing is
now deprecated) 

* Added Braille.SpeechBoxModeCharacteLimit (BrailleControlInformation.SpeechBoxModeCharacterLimit
is now deprecated) 

* Added Braille.SeparatorDotPattern (BrailleControlInformation.SeparatorDotPattern
is now deprecated) 

* Added Braille.LineModeRightIndicatorDotPattern (BrailleControlInformation.LineModeRightIndicatorDotPattern
is now deprecated) 

* Added Braille.LineModeLeftIndicatorDotPattern (BrailleControlInformation.LineModeLeftIndicatorDotPattern
is now deprecated) 

* Added Braille.LineModeIncludeDataIndicators (BrailleControLInformation.LineModeIncludeDataIndicators
is now deprecated) 

* Added Braille.BrailleWindow (BrailleSettings.BrailleWindow is now
deprecated) 

* Added Braille.UseGraphicSeparator

* Added Braille.Tracking property to indicate the cursor the Braille is
following.

* Added Key.Insert

* Added Mouse.OnMoveEx, Mouse.OnButtonUpEx, Mouse.OnButtonDownEx, and
Mouse.OnWheel. 

* Added Speech.CharacterName, Speech.Phonetic, and Speech.Spell methods.

* Added Window.Settings2, Settings2, SetFile.Scope, SetFileScope, and
Hotkey.Scope property to support the new ability to make most set file
settings global or program specific.

* Added Text.PriorCharacterStatic, Text.CharacterStatic, Text.NextCharacterstatic,
Text.PriorWordStatic, Text.WordStatic, Text.NextWordStatic, Text.PriorClipStatic,
Text.ClipStatic, and Text.NextClipStatic.

* Added the UpDownEventInfo object, which provides the position and
delta information of an up/down control.

* Key.RequiredModifiers is now read/write.

* Application.RunInSystemTray is now read/write. 

* Added mbNone to the Mousebutton enum.

* Added MouseWheelDirection enum. 

* Added hkScriptStatusRotor to the HotkeyID enum 

* Added SpecialKeySettings.EnableCapsLockAsInsertKey.

* If an external script didn't register itself, Window-Eyes would crash
on exit. This problem has been resolved.

* Script.CommonFileDialog now runs in it's own thread to avoid
sluggishness and deadlocks when hooking using it along with Keyboard.OnKeyboardUp
or Keyboard.OnKeyboardDown. 

* We now verify parameters passed to methods and events. This means you
will now get an error if you attempt to, say, pass an Object when a
Bool is expected.

* When you stop a script, and the script doesn't respond in a
reasonable amount of time (because it may be stuck in an infinite loop,
for example), Window-Eyes will now kill the process (for external
scripts) or the thread (for internal scripts) to ensure the script
really stops.

* The MenuLevel property is back to working. Note there is no longer an
intermediate setting. So if you read or set and the value is intermediate
then it gets switched to advanced. 

* We fixed a problem where scripts running with errors would be stopped
when the Script Manager dialog was opened or updated.

* We have tweaked the .WEPM file extension in an effort to keep
registry cleaners from thinking that it's clutter. Also, on launch of
Window-Eyes, if there is no "All Users" association for the .WEPM
extension, one will be made for the current user. 

* The Menu.Enabled was not working correctly. Technically, Enabled and
Grayed are two separate properties, but since there's no reason why you
would Gray an option yet leave it Enabled, or why would you disable a
menu item but not gray it, the Grayed and Enabled property are the same
but opposite. In other words, if you set Grayed to True, Enabled is
automatically set to False. Conversely, if you set Enabled to True,
Grayed is automatically set to False. 

* For embedded scripts, Window-Eyes now creates Scripting.Dictionary
and Scripting.FileSystemObject objects (created with CreateObject) in
the Window-Eye's process, meaning the objects will now run much faster.
All other COM objects are created out of process in order to keep their
integrity levels at medium (as they should be).

* When stopping all scripts (either by exiting Window-Eyes, switching
profiles, using the App Status Rotor, or installing a package that
requires all scripts be restarted), Window-Eyes no longer displays any
script error dialogs.. 

* We fixed a problem when setting Window.Rectangle. Child windows would
get moved because incorrect coordinates were being sent internally.

* If no window existed when attempting to get ScreenPoint.Window, an
error would occur. Now, Window-Eyes returns Nothing. 

* We fixed several cases where Window-Eyes would return a NULL string
pointer from methods. With VBScript, there is no way to determine this
scenario, and it could cause issues. Now, in embedded scripts,
Window-Eyes will return an empty string instead of a NULL string. Non
embedded scripts will still receive the NULL string (because they can
handle them). 

* When designing XML dialogs, you can now specify "helptext",
"helpcontext" and "helpfile" for any focusable element (and for whole
groups). All three attributes are described in the General Attributes
section of the Designing Custom User Interfaces section of the
Scripting manual. If you specify the appropriate attributes, then
pressing F1 will activate the specified help section of a specified
help file, or display the help in tooltip text, automatically. Nothing
is required in the script itself.

* Synthesizer.UseSpecifiedSpeechParameters did not work correctly. This
problem has been resolved. In addition, Synthesizer.UseEngineSpecifiedSpeechParameters
has been deprecated as it is no longer needed.

Regards Steve
Email:  srp at internode.on.net
MSN Messenger:  internetuser383 at hotmail.com
Skype:  steve1963
Twitter:  steve9782