JAWS Scripts For Virtual Audio Cable Applications
Doug Lee
Last Revised November, 2022

This document describes the scripts for Virtual Audio Cable applications. These scripts cover the two Audio Repeater applications (KS and MME) and the VAC Control Panel. This document can be opened from within these applications via a double press of JAWSKey+F1 (or Insert+F1).

Table of Contents

• System Requirements For JAWS Users
• Script Installation Instructions
• Script Features In Brief
• Revision History

System Requirements For JAWS Users

There are no known system requirements for these scripts beyond those for these applications themselves. JAWS 14.0 or later is required. These scripts work best with VAC versions 4.60 and later and will not correctly name some fields in older VAC versions.

These scripts were written and/or tested against the following VAC software versions over time. The JAWSKey+Ctrl+V command should announce the current application's version number. (The VAC Control Panel may be an exception.) Versions are shown most recent first.

Script Installation Instructions

To install these scripts on a new system:

1. Load JAWS if this has not already been done. This will require administrative privileges on the computer.
2. 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.
3. 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. Use this revision 35 script set instead for VAC versions older than 4.60.
4. 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.

Script Features In Brief

These scripts offer the following features:

• Field tool tips are popped up and announced as each field takes focus. This effectively makes JAWS announce accurate field descriptions even when it is unable to determine field names correctly. The tool tip for the newly focused field is spoken after the other normal speech for the focus change, and in the JAWS message voice, which by default is a bit lower than the PC cursor voice. This approach works in VAC versions 4.60 and later.
• Some double speech is avoided.
• When focus is lost, such as on the press of a "Start" or "Stop" button in a repeater, the scripts restore focus to the application.
• Typing JAWSKey+Q announces the revision number of these scripts.
• Typing JAWSKey+F1 twice in quick succession from within a Virtual Audio Cable application brings up this document.

Revision History

Here is the revision history of these scripts, most recent revision first:

Revision 66, released November 14, 2022, tested against VAC 4.67

• Verified to work with a few new and renamed fields in the three supported applications.
• Minor code and doc updates.

Revision 54, released July 26, 2020, tested against VAC 4.62 and 4.64

• Field tool tips are popped up and announced as each field takes focus. This effectively makes JAWS announce accurate field descriptions even when it is unable to determine field names correctly.
• The field labeling system from previous scripts, including the vac_labels.ini file and files containing jcpdict, is removed because it becomes inaccurate and ineffective as VAC is updated. The above tool tip announcements serve to address the problems previously addressed by the labeling system, in a way that will stay up to date as VAC changes. Note however that this system will not be helpful in VAC versions prior to 4.60.
• The scripts no longer alter tab order in the various VAC applications:
  • Tab order seems to have improved over recent VAC versions.
  • Field names and organization change occasionally and can cause scripted tab orders to become illogical and/or to omit or misplace new fields.
• The minimum supported JAWS version is changed from the latest JAWS 11.0 release to 14.0.
• Screen readers respond better to activation of Table of Contents links in this document.
• The script code is updated to conform to current coding standards.
• The installer contains version and product information visible from the Details tab in Windows Explorer, to better identify its contents. This update is being applied to all projects. There are also minor improvements in installer/uninstaller message text.
• A "directives" text file is included that provides information on how to install this set of scripts manually. See "Handling Directives Files" in the "Common Script Elements" document for further information.
• The messages for these scripts are now distributed in XML rather than jsm files so that translators can create translations with no need for script source recompilation. See the Script Translation Procedure document for details on how to translate these scripts, including how to update the XML message file.
• Source code to the scripts is no longer included. See my Script Distribution Policy document for details. As one side effect, this will cause installation to run much faster.

Revision 35, released May 23, 2018

This is the first update to these scripts since mid 2014:

• The installer supports JAWS 17, 18, and 2018 and will also check drives D: and E: in addition to C: when seeking JAWS executables while being denied access to the Windows registry. It will also install into multiple JAWS versions at once and can handle installation into non-English JAWS script sets, although the scripts themselves are still in English.
• The installer can be unpacked into source files with 7Zip or a compatible utility. The Zip of the scripts previously distributed is therefore no longer necessary and is removed from this site.
• Fields should be better named in the VAC Control Panel, and the scripts do not attempt to alter the tab order in that application.
• The vac_labels.ini file includes the repeater command-line option names for some of the corresponding repeater fields. These names are currently not used by the scripts but may be instructive to those wishing to write custom repeater launchers and such.
• Braille support may be slightly faster.
• The users guide includes script features and specifics on supported application versions.

Revision 7, released June 16, 2014

This is the first revision, covering field naming, focus loss, tab order, and double speech issues in both variants of autorepeater.