As explained in the Overview page, the TouchScreen is the most practical way of user interaction using touch. However, this user interaction page is for both a TouchScreen and TouchPad. The main difference is that although the TouchPad is fully usable with swipe gestures, Tap gestures which are designed to speed up interaction, do not work well with a TouchPad (see the 'Tap gestures' section in this page further below).
As explained in the Overview page, when the user starts SpeakOn, it is always in the 'Default input' mode where input from the TouchScreen and TouchPad gestures is submitted to the SpeakOn tasks and controls.
This mode of interaction is described in
Getting started with SpeakOn using the TouchScreen
and
Getting started with SpeakOn using the TouchPad
If the user wishes to enter text using the TouchScreen or TouchPad it is necessary to switch to the 'Alphanumeric input' mode.
In the 'Alphanumeric input' mode, the TouchScreen's and TouchPad's gestures share as much as possible the layout and functionality used in the 'Default mode' mentioned above.
Therefore it is highly recommended that the user learns first how to use the 'Default input' before embarking on learning how to use the 'Alphanumeric input'.
This page describes the TouchScreen and TouchPad On-screen KeyGrid, Key swipe gestures and Action swipe gestures. If required, the differences between 'Default input' and 'Alphanumeric input' are detailed in the reference page linked to at the bottom of this page.
A small 3 by 3 keyboard known as a KeyGrid is always drawn on the screen. Each key is labelled as follows, starting from the top:
Function Up Backspace
Left Select Right
Modifier Down Space
Each key is given a name which relates to its functionality.
The four arrow keys conveniently form the imaginary sides of a square; the 'Up' key, the 'Down' key, the 'Left' key and the 'Right' key. The 'Select' key is in the centre of this imaginary square. The Home, End, Cancel and Escape key actions are performed using gestures - see further below.
The modifiers that can be set are None (No modifier), Shift, Ctrl and Shift + Ctrl.
One of these modifiers is set first using the Modifier key followed by the key itself.
The Function key scrolls through a list of available functions.
The Backspace (9) and Space (3) keys provide similar functionality to their use on a Standard keyboard as well as additional features.
While it is possible to interact with these keys using touch directly, the quickest and most practical way to interact with these keys is using gestures. Therefore only using gestures for interaction is covered in this tutorial.
A swipe gesture comprises swiping the finger in one straight line or more without lifting it until the end of the gesture. The swiping action must be fairly swift.
Each gesture is given a name which relates to its functionality and its touch sequence is enclosed in curly brackets {}.
Swipe gestures are divided into two groups: Key swipe gestures and Action swipe gestures.
Key swipe gestures on the TouchScreen or TouchPad are used to invoke a key on the on-screen KeyGrid.
Action swipe gestures on the TouchScreen or TouchPad provide the functionality of missing keys and are a quick way to perform common operations that can usually be done using a sequence of keys.
Tip - All Key swipe gestures point to the location of the key on the on-screen KeyGrid and follow some of the lines of the upper case letter I.
After a key is invoked it becomes the active key; see the Tap Gesture section further below for active key use.
The specific Key swipe gestures and Action swipe gestures available depend on the mode of operation as explained in the remainder of this tutorial.
It is also detailed in the reference page linked to at the bottom of this page.
This reference page also give useful tips on helping to memorize these gestures based on the shape they trace.
With Tap gesture, the user touches the TouchScreen or TouchPad with a finger and then lifts it without sliding. A Tap gesture anywhere on the TouchScreen or TouchPad invokes the active key. An active key can be removed by sliding the finger and lifting it from the panel outside the on-screen KeyGrid. If there is no active key, the tap is ignored, making the TouchPad or TouchScreen insensitive to touch until a key is invoked.
Only single tap is supported as single tap operation is much faster than double tap.
Note - Tap gestures work well with a TouchScreen. However, your Tap gesture experience with your TouchPad may vary. Depending on your type of TouchPad and sometimes the TouchPad settings of your computer, lighter or harder touch might be required. Also, although SpeakOn is programmed to accept a single tap, your TouchPad might require a double tap to achieve the same. Furthermore, the author found that on his laptop sometimes a single tap is sufficient and sometimes a double tap is required to achieve the same.
Tap interaction with 'Alphanumeric input' is optional and, taking into account the possible difficulties encountered with some TouchPads mentioned above, it is not recommended.
Details of the TouchScreen and TouchPad gestures and their actions are available in the 'Alphanumeric input reference'
TouchScreen and TouchPad interaction - features and use
[ Next - Typing using Key tables with Key entry ]
[ Up - Learning to type with Alphanumeric input using a TouchScreen or TouchPad - Section ]
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