ChattyInfty 2007.06.05 　　　　　　　InftyProject 　　　　　　　　Science Accessibility Net --------------------------------------------- The following information appears here: 1. What is ChattyInfty 2. Features 3. System requirements 4. Speech engine 5. Time limit of this beta version 6. How to install 7. How to Use it 8. Examples --------------------------------------------- 1. What is ChattyInfty ChattyInfty is a math-expression editor for visually disabled persons to access, to write or to edit scientific documents. It is developed by incorporating a function of speech output into "InftyEditor" by making use of Microsoft speech API. InftyEditor is a mathematical document editor also developed by our group, "the InftyProject" -- a research project to investigate and to develop new systems to process scientific information by computer. The current main subjects of our research are as follows: - Digitization technology of scientific documents, - User interface for scientific information, - Accessibility of scientific information for visually disabled persons. For instance, we also develop a math OCR system named "InftyReader," which can recognize printed scientific documents including math expressions or other technical notations and to convert them into various accessible formats. Detailed information of the project and our other software can be found on our web site, http://www.inftyproject.org/en/index.html. 2. Features Any math expressions ranging in level from secondary education to higher education or scientific papers can be written or edited by operations only using the keyboard with speech output. Files made by ChattyInfty can be saved in various formats: LaTeX, PDF, HTML and so on (see the remark below). The original file format of ChattyInfty, the iml format, is essentially XML and completely compatible with other Infty software. Visually disabled persons, therefore, can not only access but also edit recognized results by InftyReader with ChattyInfty. Remark: In order to use additional functions concerning output formats, optional settings are required. Detailed information on it can be found on our web site. 3. System requirements The operating system should be either Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 or XP; the older versions are not recommended. In addition, the Internet Explorer 6 (or newer) must be installed. 4. Speech engine Since ChattyInfty uses Microsoft speech API, the version 4 as the speech engine, it must be installed. Although this speech engine corresponds just to a content of document and a symbol list in the context menu, other parts (a pull-down menu, for instance) are not read aloud. A screen reader such as JAWS would be necessary if you needed to access the other part of ChattyInfty by speech output. Remark: If you used ChattyInfty along with JAWS, please see read-me.txt in the folder "For JAWS users." 5. Time limit of this beta version The software ChattyInfty (English Edition) is usable free of charge for 30 days after the installation. For further use, user should buy a license key on the web site of Science Accessibility Net : http://www.sciaccess.net/en/ChattyInfty/index.html 6. How to install In order to install ChattyInfty in your computer, please run an installer in this folder: "ChattyInftyE.msi." Remark: Some computers with Windows 98SE, ME or 2000 require Windows Installer Package to install ChattyInfty. It can be downloaded from: For Windows 98SE and ME: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=CEBBACD8-C094-4255-B702-DE3BB768148F For Windows 2000: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4b6140f9-2d36-4977-8fa1-6f8a0f5dca8f&DisplayLang=en 7. How to use A basic manner to write or edit math expressions in ChattyInfty is as follows: (1) Three kinds of input modes ChattyInfty offers three kinds of input modes: a text input mode, a math-expression input mode and LaTeX-source input mode. The text input mode and the math-expression input mode are switched to each other by pressing control and space keys simultaneously. Switching between the text input modes of ChattyInfty original and LaTeX-source input, or between the math-expression input modes of ChattyInfty original and the LaTeX-source input are performed by pressing control and shift keys simultaneously. (2) Inputting math symbols and formulas Math symbols and formulas are listed in each part of context menu. You can enter them at a location of cursor by choosing them in the entry list. If you press cursor-up (cursor-down( key next to a symbol in the math-expression input mode, the cursor moves to superscript (subscript) position of that symbol. By pressing the enter key, the cursor is back to the original level. Some symbols such as parentheses, plus sign and so on are supposed to be input directly from the keyboard. If the back-slash key on the keyboard is pressed, a entry list of LaTeX command appears. You can enter any symbols at the position of cursor by choosing them. 8. Example Here, we show how to write a math expression: a fraction, x squared over 2 as an example. (1) Choose "frac" in the Formula list of the context menu. The structure of fraction is entered at the cursor position. The cursor is located at the numerator. (2) Enter x and press the cursor-up key. The cursor moves to the superscript position of x. (3) Enter 2 and press the enter key. The cursor comes back to the original level at the numerator. (4) Press the cursor-right key. Then, the cursor moves to the denominator position. (5) Enter 2 and press the cursor-right key. The cursor moves too the position next to the fraction (outside of it). Then the expression is completed.