JAWS Scripts For RT Systems RadioEngine
Doug Lee with original work by Joseph Stephen
Last Revised September, 2025
This document describes the JAWS scripts for RT Systems RadioEngine and provides
tips for using this application with JAWS.
This document can be opened from within the application via a double press
of JAWSKey+F1 (or Insert+F1)
when the scripts are running.
These scripts are currently maintained by Doug Lee, after initial publication (2018-2019) by Joseph Stephen (VK7JS),
and with his permission.
Table of Contents
System Requirements For JAWS Users
In addition to any system requirements for the application, the following
apply for JAWS users:
- The computer should be running Windows 10 or later.
Older Windows versions may also work but have not been tested.
- JAWS 2018 or later should be used. The scripts will not work with or install into older JAWS versions.
Script Installation Instructions
To install these scripts on a new system:
- Install JAWS if this has not already been done. This will require
administrative privileges on the computer.
- Run JAWS as the user for whom the scripts are to be installed.
This and the following steps must be performed for each user of the computer
who will be using JAWS with these scripts.
- Download and run, or run directly, the installer for these scripts; and follow the on-screen
directions. Be sure to install the scripts in the currently running
JAWS version if a JAWS version list is presented.
- To verify successful installation, type Insert+Q from
within the application. Part of the JAWS spoken response should be a
revision number. If you do not hear a revision number, the scripts are
not correctly loaded.
In some cases, restarting JAWS may fix this issue.
Script Commands and Features
These scripts provide the following commands and features beyond those provided by JAWS and the application:
- JAWS correctly announces focus after many movement keystrokes, though the application does not appear to
send correct focus change notifications.
- Many fields are better reported by JAWS.
- In some dialogs, the Accent key, `, will toggle focus between the outer area containing Ok,
Cancel, and the tab control, and the actual tab page of controls currently shown.
Examples of dialogs supported include Preferences and Repeater Book Search.
- JAWSKey+Q, along with announcing the active configuration name, will announce the revision number of these scripts.
- Insert+F1, typed twice in quick succession, opens this document in the default browser.
Application Usage Tips
- Alt+F for File.
- Alt+E for Edit.
- Alt+C for Communications.
- Alt+S for Settings.
- Alt+D for DStar.
- Alt+W for Window.
- Alt+H for Help.
To close the Radio Menu Settings page, press Alt and then use Up and
Down arrows and Enter to choose whether to save or discard changes.
In Preferences, use the accent key, `, to switch focus between the outer area and the current page.
This command also works in other dialogs that include a tab control, such as Repeater Book Search.
The outer area contains Ok and Cancel buttons and the tab control, where Left and Right
arrows switch among tabs.
The current page is where the controls for the currently shown tab appear.
During menu navigation, the status bar sometimes provides an extended explanation of the currently focused item.
Use JAWSKey+PgDn, the standard JAWS command for reading the status bar, to read this information
when applicable.
Known Issues
The following issues are known and may be encountered during use of the application with these JAWS scripts.
These issues may be fixed in a future update to the scripts or to the application itself.
Braille support is not well tested and is likely incomplete.
Revision History
This is the revision history of these scripts, most recent revision first:
Revision 41, released September 13, 2025, tested against Engine version 5.00.22
- This is a FlexStable release that may
change over time to accommodate more fixes and features until this notice is removed.
- The official location of these scripts, and the installer name, changed slightly: "radioEngine" is now
just "radioengine" in lower case.
The old website address will still work, for those who save the URL to scripts of interest.
- The minimum required JAWS version is raised from 17.0 to 2018.
- The scripts now try to support V4 along with V5 of RadioEngine.
A re-install, which includes an uninstall of the older
scripts, is required, as is a JAWS restart after this installation.
- The files in this script set no longer include the trailing "_v5" in their names.
- In Preferences, the Accent key, `, may work more often.
It also works in the Repeater Book Search dialog
and in any other dialog that contains this type of tab control.
- JAWSKey+PgDn, the standard JAWS command for reading the status bar, avoids reading
"CAP NUM SCRL." These are visual indicators of the on/off states of the CapsLock,
NumLock, and ScrollLock keys
that change color based on whether they are off or on.
JAWS natively reports the states of these keys when they are pressed.
- Documented how to access menus from the menu bar.
- Documented the use of the status bar for showing
extended help for some menu items.
- The JAWS and invisible cursors may work more as expected.
- Removed some old code for supporting very old JAWS versions.
Various other code modernizations from the last two years are also included.
Revision 20, released June 12, 2022, tested against Engine version 5.00
This is the initial script release by Doug Lee.
Thanks to Chris Smart for initial testing and support for this release.
Note that this Revision History entry originally claimed that the tested version was 4.50; this turned out
to be the RadioEngine DLL version and not the user interface version.
Joseph Stephen's 2018-2019 code is included along with the following additional features:
- A script installer is included.
- There should be less duplicate speech in the main grid during navigation among cells.
- Combo boxes should speak more accurately throughout the application.
This includes no longer speaking long unrelated strings of text as values of empty combo boxes in the main grid.
- Radio buttons in the Preferences > Other tab speak their names.
- In Preferences, the Accent key, `, will toggle focus between the outer area containing Ok,
Cancel, and the tab control, and the actual tab page of controls currently shown.
- JAWSKey+Q, along with announcing the active configuration name, will announce the revision number
of these scripts.
- Insert+F1, typed twice in quick succession, opens this document in the default browser.