[Trainer-talk] {Disarmed} RE: Trainer-talk] email services for trainin

[Shawn Keen]

When in doubt read the help. Smile. I pulled this from Gmails help system.
Using Gmail with screen readers


Gmail (standard view) Guide


Notes

The standard view of Gmail works best with screen readers and browsers that
support ARIA. 


Background


Standard view of Gmail uses Java script. It has some advanced features such
as chat which uses liveregents. 


Signing in


Once you have a Gmail account, you can follow the following steps to sign-in
to the standard view of Gmail:

1.	Go to https://www.gmail.com
2.	The initial focus is in the Username edit box. Press ENTER to go
into Forms mode, type in your username, and then TAB to the Password edit
box.
3.	Type in your password, and press ENTER. You are taken to your Inbox
in the standard view. Note: If you have "basic Html" set as your default
view, you would need to switch to the "standard view" after logging in.


Page Structure


Almost all the Gmail web pages use the same overall page structure. So
before going on to describe how to read and send messages, this section
describes this overall structure and how to navigate it. Each page in the
standard view contains the following elements or sections — it's only the
main content section which varies from page to page, everything else is
present on every page:

*	Your email address and the email address menu that has Accounts
Settings and Sign out. Next to your email address is an Options menu where
you can access Settings, Help, and Labs.
*	A level 1 heading: either Google Mail logo, or Gmail logo, depending
on which country you live in. Underneath the logo are Mail, Contacts, and
Tasks links.
*	Search controls: followed by an edit box, Search Mail button, Search
the Web button, a Show search options link, and a Create a filter link.
These are described in the Searching section.
*	Navigation section, which is described in the next section. Chat
window: A level 2 heading containing an edit box for searching, adding, or
inviting a buddy, your name, status of your contacts in your buddy list,
names of your contacts, and an options menu. Note that chat window is only
open if Chat is turned on.
*	Name: containing an edit/combo box for searching/adding/inviting
someone for chat. Note that if Chat is turned off, this section has the
user's name and the edit box. However, if chat is turned on, the h2 is
"chat" and the edit box is part of the chat window.
*	Labels: A section containing a list of existing labels. There is a
menu button next to each label that allows you to edit it.
*	Invite a friend: followed by "give Gmail to" edit box, send invite
button, number of invites left, and preview invite link.
*	Main content section. This varies from page to page.
*	A link to Terms and Privacy.


Navigation section


The navigation section contains the following elements:

*	A Compose Mail button.
*	Inbox: for conversations which contain incoming messages.
*	Buzz: for sharing updates with your Gmail contacts and follow items
your friends have share.
*	Starred: for conversations which you've marked as especially
significant.
*	Important: for messages Gmail predicts are important to you.
*	Chats: for chat history.
*	Sent Mail: for conversations which contain messages which you've
sent.
*	Drafts: for conversations which include a message you were writing
and haven't yet sent because you saved the message as a draft, the internet
connection failed, or the computer crashed.
*	All Mail: This contains a list of conversations which include all
the messages which you've received, sent, or archived, and which haven't
been deleted.
*	Spam: For incoming messages which have been judged to be spam by
Gmail or messages that you've marked as spam. After 30 days in this label, a
message is automatically deleted completely.
*	Trash: When you delete a conversation or a message (except from this
label), it's moved here. After 30 days in this label, it's automatically
deleted forever.
*	Labels. A level 2 heading, followed by links for any labels you've
created. 
Some of the label links can have a number in parenthesis after them, the
significance of these numbers is:

*	A number after Inbox indicates the number of conversations
containing unread messages.
*	A number after Drafts indicates the number of conversations in the
Drafts label. All these conversations contain a draft message.
*	A number after Spam indicates the number of conversations containing
unread messages in the Spam label.
*	A number after a label indicates the number of conversations with
that label which contain unread messages.

*	Chats: a level 2 heading followed by an options menu, your name, a
combo box for searching/adding/editing, a menu for setting your status, any
chat invite requests from others, list of contacts and their status. Note
that this window is only shown if chat is turned on.


Page navigation


*	Following Landmarks are provided to make navigation easier


Landmark

Section content


Banner

Google logo


Search

Search controls, create a filter, and compose mail links.


Navigation

compose mail, labels, and chat link.


Complimentary

Chat window, sending invite controls, webclip.


Main

List of conversations and first set of action buttons (archive, delete etc).


Content info

Terms and Privacy, turn off Buzz, and miscellaneous bits and bobs.


Reading messages


This is an outline of how to read the messages in one of the labels:

1.	Open one of the label links. After you first sign in, you're
automatically taken to your Inbox label, so to immediately read the messages
in your Inbox, you can omit this step.
2.	You're taken to a page which contains a list of conversations in
that label, and pages like these will be referred to as Conversation list
pages. The list of conversations is, in fact, formatted as a table, with the
columns giving various details about the conversations. To view a particular
conversation, move to the subject of the conversation and open it by
pressing enter.
3.	You're taken to a page which contains all the messages in the
conversation, and these pages will be referred to as Conversation pages. On
this page you can easily navigate to the messages which you want to read.

The next two main sections describe Conversation list pages and Conversation
pages in detail.


Conversation list page


When you open any of the labels, you're taken to a page containing a list of
the conversations in that label. This section describes the structure and
navigation of a Conversation list page. In fact, as described later in the
guide, when you choose to view the conversations with a particular label, or
search for messages, you're also taken to page containing a list of
conversations, and these pages all have the same structure. A Conversation
list page has a title which describes the list of conversations, for
example, Inbox. Its main content section contains the following elements:

*	A level 2 heading: a name for the list of conversations,
"conversations". The same name is used for all views.
*	A series of action buttons, which are described in the Action
buttons section below.
*	Select options: links for the following are available, all, none,
read, unread, starred, and unstarred.
*	More actions menu: which can be used to star/unstar messages etc. 
*	Refresh button.
*	The range of conversations shown in the table which follows, for
example “1 - 50 of 402”. In addition, when appropriate, there are links to
take you to other ranges of conversations. The links which may be present
are: « Newest, < Newer, and Older >, and Oldest ».
*	A table containing details of the conversations, which is described
in the Conversation table section below.
*	A repeat of the action buttons, the refresh link, and the range of
conversations displayed.


Conversation list page navigation


*	To move to the start of the Conversation table, press CTRL + HOME,
then X, since the checkbox on the first row of the table, is the first
checkbox on the page. Navigating around this table is described in the next
section.


Conversation table


Each row in the table contains the details of a conversation. The table has
six columns, and up to 100 rows. The columns of the table are as follows:

1.	A checkbox, which by default is unchecked. These checkboxes are used
together with the Action buttons as described in the Action buttons section
below.
2.	A blank column.
3.	In most lists of conversations, the third column contains the names
of the senders of the messages in the conversation. If there is more than
one message in the conversation, then the number of messages is given in
parentheses after the names.
4.	A blank column.
5.	The subject of the conversation, which is a link. To open a
conversation, you press enter, and you are then taken to a Conversation
page. If you're viewing the conversations other than those in the Inbox,
then if the conversation is also present in the Inbox, then the subject is
prefixed with the word Inbox.
6.	A list of names of the attached documents in the conversations.
7.	The last column contains either a time if it refers to today, or
else a date. The meaning of the time depends on which label is being viewed.
For example, for the Inbox, the date/time refers to when the latest incoming
message in the conversation was sent. For the Sent Mail label, the date/time
refers to when the latest outgoing message in the conversation was sent. The
conversations in the table are ordered by this date/time.

Conversations which contain unread messages are highlighted to sighted users
by making the background color of the row a different color, and using bold
text. This information is not available to screen reader users, and screen
reader does not announce if a conversation contains unread messages.
However, if needed, you can easily get a list of the conversations
containing unread messages by clicking on the unread link located below the
first conversations heading or by using Gmail's search, which is described
in detail in the Searching section. To get this list:

1.	Move to the search edit box.
2.	Press ENTER to go into Forms mode for JAWs, type is:unread, and then
press ENTER. You're taken to a Conversation list page containing the
conversations which have unread messages.


Conversation page


When you open a subject link in the Conversation table of a Conversation
list page, you're taken to a Conversation page. On this page, you can read
all the messages in the conversation, and both act of the conversation as a
whole, and the individual messages in the conversation.

The title of a Conversation page is the subject of the conversation, and the
main content section contains the following elements:

*	A button back to the Conversation list page, for example « Back to
Inbox.
*	Actions buttons. These are often the same set of Action buttons
which appeared on the Conversation list page. These buttons are used to
apply actions to the whole of the conversation.
*	The number of the conversation in the list of conversations, eg “4
of 314”. In addition there are < Newer, and Older > links, when appropriate,
which take you to the next newer or older conversation in the list
respectively.
*	Two or three buttons which act of the whole conversation. If there
is more than one message in the conversation, then there's either an Expand
all or a Collapse all button, as described in the Messages section below.
There are always Print and New Window buttons, which print the conversation
and open the conversation in a new window respectively.
*	A level 1 heading: the subject of the conversation. This is followed
by an Inbox label if the conversation appears in the Inbox, and any labels.
*	The messages in the conversation, which are described in detail in
the next section.
*	Repeat of the Action buttons, and the number of the conversation in
the list of conversations.
*	People widget table which includes buttons to start a group chat
with the contacts in your conversation, email the group, or schedule a
meeting with the group. Below the buttons are the contacts in the
conversation which you can select to view recent activity with the contact.


Conversation page navigation


*	The subject of the conversation is the first level 1 heading on the
page. Immediately before this heading are the links and Action buttons which
are used for applying actions to the whole conversation.
*	In all the expanded messages, the name of the sender is a level 3
heading, so you can use these headings to browse through the expanded
messages.
*	If you need to read any of the collapsed messages, rather than
expanding them individually, it's often easier to open the Expand all
button, and then use the level 3 headings of the expanded messages to find
the ones you want to read.


Action buttons


The Action buttons which appear both before and after the Conversation table
are used together with the checkboxes in the Conversation. For example, to
delete one or more conversations in the Inbox:

1.	In the Conversation table, check the checkboxes of the conversations
you want to delete.
2.	Move to the 'Delete' button and press it.

The number and the actions of these buttons depend on which list of
conversations is being viewed. The general pattern is:

*	There may be one or more buttons for the most frequently used
actions.

For example, for the Inbox, there are buttons for Archive, Spam, Delete,
Move to, Labels, and More. The More menu allows you to mark messages as read
or unread, star items, mute, and filter messages..


Messages


Messages can be in one of two formats: expanded or collapsed. In the
expanded format, the message text and all relevant information is given,
whereas in the collapsed format only the sender, date, and whether the
message has one or more attachments is given.

When you first move to a Conversation page, the last message and all unread
messages are expanded — the rest are collapsed. Because only expanded
messages have a heading, this makes it easy to find the unread messages in a
conversation.

If one or more of the messages is collapsed, then there's an Expand all
button, which expands all the collapsed messages. If all the messages are
expanded, then there's a Collapse all button, which collapses all but the
last message.


Expanded Message


An expanded message contains the following elements:

*	The name of the sender and the email address of the sender in
parenthesis.
*	"to" followed by the email address/addresses the email was sent to.
*	"Show details" which is keyboard accessible. Clicking enter on the
"show details" icon will expand the following details; from field, to field,
date, subject, list of any mailing lists if the email was sent to any
mailing lists, mailed-by, and signed-by.
*	The date and time when the message was sent. If the email was not
sent the same day then the number of day/days ago the email was sent is also
shown.
*	An attachment graphic, if the message has one or more attachments.
*	A link, Reply.
*	The text of the message.
*	If the message has one or more attachments, then there are links for
viewing and downloading attachments. These are described in the Downloading
attachments section below.
*	There is a repeat of the series of links: Reply, Reply to all,
Forward, etc.


Collapsed message


A collapsed message contains the following elements:

*	The name of the sender which is clickable (but not a level 3
heading). If you press ENTER on the sender's name, the message is expanded.
*	An attachment graphic, if the message has one or more attachments.
*	Starting of the content of the email.
*	The date and time when the message was sent.
*	Note that when there are a large number of collapsed messages, these
are sometimes merged into a single collapsed message.


Downloading attachments


As described above, whether a message has one or more attachments is
indicated by an attachment icon. In an expanded message, the links for
viewing and downloading the attachments appear after the text of the
message.

The following information and links are given for each attachment:

*	Name of the file.
*	Size of the file.
*	For some file types, for example .html and .txt, there's a View
link, which opens a new window, and displays the attachment. For some other
file types, for example .doc and .pdf, there's a View as HTML link, which
opens a new window, converts the file to HTML, and displays the attachment.
For some other file types, for example .mp3 and .zip, there is no such link.
*	Either a Scan and download link, or a Download link, depending on
what browser you're using. If you open this link, then a dialog opens which
gives you the choice of either saving the file or opening it with its
default program.

In addition, if there's more than one attachment, then before the
information about the individual attachments, there is the number of
attachments, followed by either a link to Scan and download all attachments,
or Download all attachments, depending on what browser you're using. If you
open this link, then a dialog opens which allows you to either open or save
a zip file containing all the attachments.

If you're in a message that contains one or more attachments, then a useful
method of moving to the links to view or download the attachments is to use
the links list dialog, to find the next link beginning with Scan or
Download.


Sending messages


There are a number of ways to compose a message. Most of these use the
Compose Mail page, which is described below.

To compose a message using the Compose Mail page:

*	Click the Compose Mail button to go to the Compose Mail page and
write a new message.
*	Replying to a message. Any expanded message on any Conversation page
has a reply link just above the message text and a series of links below the
message text. If you open the reply link, then you're taken to the Compose
Mail page, where the To: and Subject: fields have been filled in for you. In
addition, the message edit box already contains a copy of the message to
which you're replying.
*	Forwarding a message. This is similar to replying to a message, as
described in the previous option. Open the Forward link, and you're taken to
the Compose Mail page, where the Subject: field has already been filled in,
and the message edit box contains a copy of the message, preceded by the
words Forwarded message.


Compose Mail page


The main content section in the compose mail page contains the following
elements:

*	Send, Save now, and Discard buttons.
*	The Compose Form.
*	To and subject edit boxes.
*	"Attach a file" link
*	Message edit box.
*	Send, Save now, and Discard buttons.

So to send a message:

1.	Once you're taken to the Compose Mail page, jump to the To: edit
box. As you start typing the address, suggested email addresses from your
contacts list are read by the screen reader. Once the desired email address
is read, you can press enter and tab to the next field or type the complete
address.
2.	Continue pressing TAB to move between controls, and typing into the
edit boxes. Adding attachments is covered in the next section.
3.	After you've typed your message in the message edit box, simply TAB
to the Send button and press it. Note that the label for the message edit
box is read as "change language".


Adding attachments


To add attachments, you click on the link "attach a file" which is between
the subject: and message edit boxes: You will now see the choose file
window.

If you want to attach only a single file to a message:

1.	Move to the attach a file link and press enter.
2.	An edit box as well as a 'browse' button shows up.
3.	Enter the location of the file in the edit box or click on the
browse button.
4.	A Choose File dialog opens, which has the same format as a standard
Open dialog. Select a file, and press ENTER.
5.	You are returned to the Compose page, with the focus on the subject
edit box.

If you want to attach multiple files to a message:

1.	Press enter on the Attach another file link . Note this text only
shows after you have clicked on the "attach a file" link and added the first
attachment.
2.	A series of edit box, browse buttons, and remove links are present.
3.	Either enter the location of the file or click on the browse button.
4.	Once you have attached all of the files, click on the done button.
5.	Below the subject edit box there are now a series of checkboxes for
the attached files.


Drafts


If you open a conversation in the Drafts label, then what happens depends on
the number of messages in the conversation:

*	If the conversation only contains a single message, which is the
message you were writing, then when you open the conversation you are taken
to the Compose Mail page.
*	If the conversation contains one or more messages, then you're taken
to a Conversation list page. The message you were replying to is expanded,
and has A compose mail form following it, even if it isn't the last message
in the conversation. This is always the first reply section on the page, so
the easiest way of continuing to write the message is to press ctrl+home and
then use the e key till you find the to: edit box.


Searching


Gmail’s powerful search feature helps you find messages quickly.

1.	Move to the Search edit box, which is the first form control on the
page.
2.	Press ENTER to go into Forms mode, type in one or more words, and
press ENTER.
3.	You are taken to a page which contains a list of the conversations
which contain messages which match the search words.

When you perform a search:

*	All the messages in the All Mail label are searched. These are all
the messages you've sent or received, but have not deleted. However, the
Spam and Trash folders aren't searched.
*	The matches are case insensitive
*	The search words are matched against words in the subject, To, and
From fields, and in the message text.

To perform more advanced searches, you can either use search operators in
the text you enter into the search edit box, or you can use a form for
entering various search options. Both of these search methods are described
in the following two sections.


Search operators


By default, words used for searching are matched against the words in all
the fields of the message and in the message text. Search operators allow
you to specify a single field of the message and other attributes of the
message. For example: you can specify whether it's been read, which folder
it's in, etc.

Most of the operators are fairly straightforward, but the use of parentheses
can be more difficult to grasp. The following sections give some simple
examples, then some examples using parentheses, and finally the definitions
of all the search operators.


Simple examples


*	is:unread, matches messages which are unread.
*	from:david, matches messages whose sender includes the name David.
*	from:pluto at disney.com, matches messages from the email address
pluto at disney.com.
*	from:david subject:concert, matches messages whose sender includes
the word david, and whose subject contains the word concert.
*	rock OR concert, matches messages which contain either rock or
concert. Note that OR must be spelled with capitals.
*	"audio books from librivox". Messages containing the exact phrase
"audio books from librivox".


Examples using parentheses


Parentheses are used for grouping words to ensure that your search works
properly. Here are some examples:

*	subject:(rock concert), matches messages in which the subject
contains both rock and concert.
*	subject:"rock concert", matches messages in which the subject
contains the exact phrase "rock concert". 
*	(rock concert) OR bananas, matches messages which either contain the
words rock and concert, or contain the word bananas.
*	from:( (mickey mouse) OR (donald duck) ), matches messages in which
the from: field either contains mickey and mouse, or contains donald and
duck. Both sets of parentheses are necessary.


Definitions of all search operators


Operator

Definition


is:unread, is:read

messages which are unread or read respectively


from:someone

Specifies the sender. “someone" can be either one or more names, or an email
address. Examples: from:susan, from:(mickey mouse), and
from:pluto at disney.com.


to:someone

Specifies the recipient. “someone” can be either one more names, or an email
address.


subject:something

subject includes “something”.


label:something

label is “something”. If the label consists of more than one word, you have
to put hyphens between the words, for example label:donald-duck.


has:attachment

messages with one or more attachments


filename:some filename

messages with the attachment “some filename”, for example,
filename:jokes.txt.


filename:some file type

messages with an attachment of the type “some file type”, for example
filename:pdf. OR matches something or something else. OR must be in capitals


quotes

matches an exact phrase, for example, "paris in the spring"


parentheses

used for grouping words, for example subject:(blues OR jazz).


Hyphen

not. For example, -bananas, messages which don't contain the word bananas.


in:anywhere

messages anywhere in your account, including spam and trash which are
excluded by default.


in:inbox, in:trash, in:spam

messages in inbox, trash, or spam


is:starred

messages which are starred


cc:someone, bcc:someone

Specifies either cc: recipient or bcc: recipient. “someone” can be either
one or more names or an email address.


Search options


To use the search options:

1.	Open the Show search options link, which comes shortly after the
Search edit boxes.
2.	You are taken to a page with the title Search Options. In the main
content section there are a number of form controls for setting various
search options, starting with a From: edit box. After these controls,
there's a Search Mail button. Set some options, and then either press ENTER
if you're in an edit box, or TAB to the Search Mail button, and press it.
3.	You're taken to a page containing a list of the conversations which
contain messages which match your search options. The level 2 heading of the
main content section is "conversations”, where the search options are
expressed in terms of the search operators described in the previous
section. Note that the main content section also includes the form controls
for setting search options — they are before the level 2 heading.


Archiving


In addition to being able to delete conversations or individual messages,
Gmail allows you to archive conversations from your Inbox. If you archive a
conversation, the conversation is removed from your Inbox, but can be found
in your All Mail label, or by searching.


Settings


The settings for Gmail are divided into a number of different categories,
and each category has its own page. This section gives an overview of these
pages, and how to navigate to them. The Labels and Filters pages are
described in detail in the Labels and Filters sections of this guide.

The settings categories are:

*	General
*	Labels
*	Accounts and import
*	Filters
*	Forwarding and POP/IMAP

*	This includes settings which allow you to connect an email client,
such as Outlook Express, to your Gmail account.

*	Chat
*	Web clips
*	Labs
*	Inbox
*	Offline
*	Themes
*	Buzz
*	There may be additional tabs depending on what features are enabled
in labs.Gmail

To move to the Settings:general page, open the Settings link.

All the settings pages have the title Settings. The main content section of
all the settings pages contains the following:

*	A level 2 heading: Settings
*	The categories: used for moving to the various category pages.
*	Various elements which vary from category to category.

So, for example, to move to the Settings:Labels page:

1.	First move to General settings page, as described above.
2.	On this page, move to the level 2 heading Settings.
3.	Read through the categories, until you get to the Labels link, and
open it.


Labels


Gmail enables you to create your own labels, apply one or more labels to
conversations, and use these labels for finding conversations.

The labels which you've created appear in the navigation landmark right
after the search landmark. In addition, in any Conversation table, if a
conversation has one or more labels, then these appear before the subject of
the conversation.


The Settings:Labels page


On the Settings:Label page, you can view, rename, remove, and create labels
(how to go to the various settings pages is described in the Settings
section above).

The main content section of the page contains the following:

*	A level 2 heading: Settings
*	A list of the settings categories; used for moving to the other
category pages.
*	Details about each existing label as follows:

*	The name of the label: This is followed by the number of
conversations having this label.
*	Links, rename and remove.
*	A Create a new label edit box, followed by a Create button.


Create a label


On the Settings:Labels page, to create a new label:

1.	Move to the Create a new label edit box.
2.	Press ENTER to go into Forms mode, type in a name for the label, and
press ENTER. The page refreshes, and the new label appears.


Searching using labels


You can get a list of the conversations with a particular label by using the
label links which are in the second navigation landmark. If you open one of
these links, you are taken to a page containing a list of the conversations
with this label. The title of the page is Label:name. 

You can search using labels by using the search operator label:, as
described in the Search operators section. For example, here's an
alternative method for getting a list of conversations with a particular
label:

1.	Move to the search edit box, which is the first control on the page.
2.	Press ENTER to go into Forms mode, type label:name, where “name” is
a label, and then press ENTER.
3.	You are taken to a page containing a list of the conversations with
this label. The title of the page is Search results for: Label:name.


Filters


In Gmail, you can create your own filters, which help you to organize your
incoming messages. A filter automatically applies one or more actions to
incoming messages which match some criteria.


The Settings:Filters page


On the Settings:Filters page, you can view, edit, delete, and create filters
(how to get to the various settings pages is described in the Settings
section (above).

The main content section of the page contains the following:

*	A level 2 heading: Settings
*	The categories. All categories are links, and are used for moving to
the various other category pages.
*	For each filter which you've created there are:
*	“Matches:” followed by the criteria, which are expressed using the
search operators.
*	“Do this:” followed by one or more actions.
*	edit and delete decorated buttons which are keyboard accessible.
*	A Create a new Filter link.


Creating a filter


Creating a filter involves two stages: specifying the matching criteria, and
then specifying one or more actions that will be taken on the messages which
match the given criteria.

On the Settings:Filters page

1.	Press the Create a new Filter link.
2.	The page is refreshed. The main content section remains unchanged,
but a group of elements for specifying the filter criteria now appear after
the heading level 1, Gmail logo. These elements are:

*	5 edit boxes, and a check box for specifying criteria.
*	Cancel, Test Search, and Next Step buttons. Enter the criteria using
one or more of these controls.

3.	If you want, you can check which existing messages match this
criteria. To do this, press the Test Search button, and the page refreshes.
In the main content section there is now:

*	A level 2 heading: conversations: “criteria” where criteria are your
filter criteria defined using the search operators described in the Search
operators section.
*	A Conversation table containing the conversations which contain
messages which match the criteria.

4.	Once you are happy with the criteria, press the Next Step button.
5.	You're taken to a page where you can specify the action to be taken
on the messages that match your criteria. After the heading level 1, Gmail
logo is:

*	5 checkboxes for selecting actions. After the Apply the label:
checkbox, there's a Choose label combo box, and after the Forward it to:
checkbox, there's an email address edit box.
*	A checkbox for also applying the filter to the existing messages
which match the criteria. The conversations which contain these messages are
shown in the Conversation table which is in the main content section of the
page.
*	Cancel, Back, and Create Filter buttons. Specify one or more actions
using the controls, and press the Create Filter button.

6.	You are returned to the Settings:Filters page, where the new filter
is now listed.


Keyboard shortcuts


Keyboard shortcuts are provided in Gmail for power users. However, they can
be used by screen reader users as well. 


Turning on Keyboard shortcuts


If keyboard shortcuts are not turned on, they will not work.

1.	Sign in to Gmail.
2.	Click on the Options menu, then Mail settings.

*	Settings section has an h2.

3.	In the general tab, which is the tab that is open by default,
navigate to the "keyboard shortcuts option.
4.	Select the "keyboard shortcuts on" radio button and click on "save
changes" button.


Using keyboard shortcuts


Once the keyboard shortcuts are turned on, any of the shortcuts can be used
by following these steps:

1.	Turn off virtual cursor.
2.	Press any of the shortcuts.
3.	Either turn on virtual cursor and navigate normally. Or keep the
virtual cursor off and navigate by tabbing.


Available keyboard shortcuts


Shortcut Key

Definition

Action


c

Compose

Allows you to compose a new message. Shift+c allows you to compose a message
in a new window.


n

Next message

Moves your cursor to the next message. You can hit to expand or collapse a
message. (Only applicable in 'Conversation View.')


p

Previous message

Moves your cursor to the previous message. You can hit to expand or collapse
a message. (Only applicable in 'Conversation View.')


o or Enter

Open

Opens your conversation. Also expands or collapses a message if you are in
'Conversation View.'


u

Return to conversation list

Refreshes your page and returns you to the inbox, or list of conversations.


x

Select conversation

Automatically checks and selects a conversation so that you can archive,
apply a label, or choose an action from the drop-down menu to apply to that
conversation.


!

Report spam

Marks a message as spam and removes it from your conversation list.


r

Reply

Replies to the message sender. Shift+r allows you to reply to a message in a
new window. (Only applicable in 'Conversation View.')


a

Reply all

Replies to all message recipients. Shift+a allows you to reply to all
message recipients in a new window. (Only applicable in 'Conversation
View.')


f

Forward

Forwards a message. Shift+f allows you to forward a message in a new window.
(Only applicable in 'Conversation View.')


#

Delete 

Moves the conversation to Trash.


l

Label

Opens the Labels menu to label a conversation.


.

Show more actions

Displays the 'More Actions' drop-down menu.


?

Show keyboard shortcuts help

Displays the keyboard shortcuts help menu within any page you're on.


/

Search

Puts your cursor in the search box.


k

Move to newer conversation

Opens or moves your cursor to a more recent conversation. You can hit enter
to expand a conversation.


j

Move to older conversation

Opens or moves your cursor to the next oldest conversation. You can hit
enter to expand a conversation.


e

Archive

Archive your conversation from any view.


m

Mute

Archives the conversation, and all future messages skip the Inbox unless
sent or cc'd directly to you.


s

Star a message or conversation

Adds or removes a star to a message or conversation. Stars allow you to give
a message or conversation a special status.


Escape

Escape from input field

Removes the cursor from your current input field.

	

Ctrl+s

Save draft

Saves the current text as a draft when composing a message. Hold the ctrl
key while pressing s and make sure your cursor is in one of the text fields
-- either the composition pane, or any of the To, CC, BCC, or Subject fields
-- when using this shortcut.


v

Move to

Moves the conversation from the inbox to a different label, Spam or Trash.


Shift+i

Mark as read

Marks your message as 'read' and skips to the next message.


Shift+u

Mark as unread

Marks your message as 'unread' so you can go back to it later.


(

Archive and previous

Archives your conversation and moves to the previous one.


)

Archive and next

Archives your conversation and moves to the next one.


z

Undo

Undoes your previous action, if possible (works for actions with an 'undo'
link).


Shift+n

Update current conversation

Updates your current conversation when there are new messages.


q

Move cursor to chat search

Moves your cursor directly to the chat search box.


y

Remove from Current View*

Automatically removes the message or conversation from your current view.

*	From 'Inbox,' 'y' means Archive
*	From 'Starred,' 'y' means Unstar
*	From 'Trash,' 'y' means Move to inbox
*	From any label, 'y' means Remove the label

* 'y' has no effect if you're in 'Spam,' 'Sent,' or 'All Mail.'

Combo-keys


Shortcut Key

Definition

Action


tab then Enter

Send message

After composing your message, use this combination to send it automatically.
(Supported in Internet Explorer and Firefox, on Windows.)


y then o

Archive and next

Archives your conversation and moves to the next one.


g then a

Go to 'All Mail'

Takes you to 'All Mail,' the storage site for all mail you've ever sent or
received (and have not deleted).


g then s

Go to 'Starred'

Takes you to all conversations you have starred.


g then c

Go to 'Contacts'

Takes you to your Contacts list.


g then d

Go to 'Drafts'

Takes you to all drafts you have saved.


g then i

Go to 'Inbox'

Returns you to the inbox.


g then t

Go to 'Sent Mail'

Takes you to all mail you've sent.


* then a

Select all

Selects all mail.


* then n

Select none

Deselects all mail.


* then r

Select read

Selects all mail you've read.


* then u

Select unread

Selects all unread mail.


* then s

Select starred

Selects all starred mail.


* then t

Select unstarred

Selects all unstarred mail.

Within settings


Shortcut Key

Definition

Action


left and right arrow keys

Switching between settings tabs

Navigating between the settings tabs. Note: Forms mode would first need to
be turned on by placing the cursor focus on any of the tabs and then
pressing enter.


Tab

Navigating within labels

Navigating to the specific items in the labels tab.

A complete list of available shortcuts can be found,

*	From Gmail settings:
*	Log-in to Gmail.
*	Click on the "settings" link.
*	Navigate to the Keyboard shortcuts option in the general tab.
*	Click on the "learn more" link located right below the text
"keyboard shortcuts",.
*	In the resulting page, a list of commands and their functions are
provided.

·  From the Gmail help center:

1.	Log-in to Gmail.
2.	click on the "help" link.
3.	In the resulting window, enter "keyboard shortcuts" in the search
edit box and press enter.
4.	One of the search results will be a link to the list of keyboard
shortcuts.


Creating a Gmail account


To sign up for an account, go to http://mail.google.com/mail/signup. You
will be taken to a page with the title Google Accounts. The following
sections describe the various sections of the form.

*	Change language combo box..

*	This will probably be set to English, by which it means US English.

*	First and last names

*	When you get to the First name edit box, press ENTER to go into
forms mode, type in your first name, then TAB to the next control, which is
the Last name edit box. Type in your last name, and then TAB to the next
control.

*	Desired login name

*	Your login name is both the name you use for signing in to your
account, and the part of your email address which appears before the @ sign.
Note that in most countries, your email address will have the form
username at gmail.com, but in Germany it will have the form of
username at googlemail.com. Your login name has to be at least 6 characters
long. Many login names have already been taken by other people, so part of
choosing a login name involves checking the availability of potential names:

1.	Type a name into the Desired Login Name edit box, TAB to the check
availability! button, and press it.
2.	The page refreshes, you are taken out of Forms mode, and the focus
remains on the check availability! button. Read line by line the text that
has now appeared below the button. If the name is available, then it says
“name” is available. You can then continue to choose a password which is
described in the next section.
3.	If the name is unavailable, is says “name” is not available, and
displays radio boxes, with suggested names which are available. If you're
happy with one of these, just press SPACEBAR to set it, and then carry on
reading down to choosing a password, which is described in the next main
step. If you want to try another name, press SHIFT + E to move back to the
edit box, press ENTER to go back into Forms mode, and try again.

*	Choose a password

*	Your password must be at least 8 characters long.

1.	At the Choose a password edit box, press ENTER to go back into Forms
mode, and type in your password.
2.	TAB past the Password strength link to get to the Re-enter password
edit box, and type in your password again.
3.	TAB to the Remember me on this computer checkbox, and set as
desired.
4.	TAB to the Enable Web History checkbox. The following text appears
above the checkbox: “Web History is a feature that will provide you with a
more personalized experience on Google that includes more relevant search
results and recommendations.” Set the checkbox as desired, and then TAB to
the next control.

*	Security question

*	You have to set up a security question and answer which Google will
ask you if you ever forget your password.

1.	When you get to the security question combo box, select one of the
options for the question. Note that the last option which is immediately
after “What was your first teacher's name” is “Write my own question”. When
you select that option, Jaws does not read the option, but an edit box is
created below the combo box for you to type in your question, and the focus
is moved to the edit box. If you want to move back to the combo box, press
SHIFT + TAB.
2.	Once you've selected a question, or written your own, TAB past the
learn more link to the Answer edit box, and type in your answer.
3.	TAB to the next control.

*	Secondary email

*	If you have another email address, Google can use it to contact you
if there are problems with your account. When you get to the Secondary email
edit box, type in an existing email address if you have one, and then TAB
past the learn more link to the next control.

*	Location

*	The Location combo box, contains a large number of possible
locations. It helps to use the first letter of the location to find it more
quickly. Once you've found your location, TAB to the next control.

*	Verification

*	To make sure you're a human being rather than a robot, you will have
to either type in the distorted characters in a picture, or to type in the
numbers which are spoken in an audio recording which also contains a
background of distracting speech. In this recording, a series of single
digit numbers are spoken, a clear voice says “once again”, and then the
series of numbers is repeated. 

1.	When you get to the “type the characters you see or numbers you
hear” edit box, TAB to the “listen and type the numbers you hear” link
graphic, and open it.
2.	You are taken out of Forms mode, and the focus is placed back in the
previous edit box. The audio recording starts. Press ENTER to go into Forms
mode, and then type the numbers that you hear. Because Jaws talks over the
start of the recording as you're moved back to the edit box, and then go
back into Forms mode, you may find it easier to wait till the voice says
once again before typing the numbers in.
3.	If you don't get the hang of it the first time, just TAB to the
“listen and type the numbers you hear” link graphic, open it, and try again.

*	Terms of Service

*	To read the Terms of Service, Press NUMPAD PLUS to come out of forms
mode, and then read a line at a time. You'll first pass over some links and
text to do with the verification, an introduction to the terms of service, a
printable version link which opens in a new window or tab, and then the
terms and conditions in an read-only edit box.
*	Once you've read as much as you want in the edit box, navigate to “I
accept. Create my account button.”

*	Create an account button

*	Assuming you accept the conditions, press the button. The two cases
of the account creation being successful or unsuccessful are described
below.

1.	If the account creation is successful, then you'll be taken to a
page with the title Introduction to Gmail, and with the words Introduction
to Gmail, and Congratulations! near the top of the page. There's also a “I'm
ready - show me my account” link, which can take you to your Inbox. There
may be messages from the Gmail Team welcoming you to Gmail. 
2.	If the account creation is unsuccessful, then you'll be returned to
the same page. Possible problems include:

*	You've left one or more of the required fields blank. After one or
more of the edit boxes, there will be the words “Required field cannot be
left blank”.
*	The entries in the Choose a password and Re-enter password edit
boxes weren't the same. After the Choose a password edit box, there will be
the words “Passwords do not match”.
*	You have entered the wrong characters in the word verification. Note
that after making the corrections, you have to repeat the verification
stage, and re-enter your password twice, before pressing the create an
account button again.

*	Feb 26, 2013
*	 


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--

Shawn Keen

Keen Adaptive Technology, Inc. 

Phone: 817-386-9616

Cell: 682-225-9104

Email: shawn.keen at gmail.com

Call KAT for your ATT needs.

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Trainer-talk [mailto:trainer-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
laotab
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2013 10:01 AM
To: 'List for teachers and trainers of adaptive technology'
Subject: Re: [Trainer-talk] Trainer-talk] email services for trainin

 

in google standard view just hitting the question mark will give a list of
the key commands Bridget AT Training in PA

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Trainer-talk [ <mailto:trainer-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org>
mailto:trainer-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Graham Mehl

Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2013 9:23 AM

To: 'List for teachers and trainers of adaptive technology'

Subject: [Trainer-talk] Trainer-talk] email services for trainin

 

Hi All,

I have seen a number of emails in this thread about how accessible gmail is.

Pardon my ignorance but My question is whether using basic or standard - is
there a way to find out what the commands are?

Is there a list of them somewhere? 

--

Graham

 

-----Original Message-----

 

Gmail is one of the most accessible emails with talking software out
there......all my students and older clients use it, but yes, you have to
learn the commands to operate it well.

 

Denise M Robinson

 

 

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