[BlindMath] New Braille Math Editor in Latest JAWS Update

[gary-melconian]

That's a good sign.  

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindMath <blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Steve Jacobson
via BlindMath
Sent: Monday, May 24, 2021 3:30 PM
To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
<blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Steve Jacobson <steve.jacobson at outlook.com>
Subject: [BlindMath] New Braille Math Editor in Latest JAWS Update

Some of you may have already seen this, but in the JAWS update that came out
a little over a week ago, a braille math editor was added so that Nemeth
Code can be entered on a braille display and have it converted to Word's
equation editor.  Apparently, one could look at equations in Word with JAWS
since January, and my understanding is that this ability works directly with
Word. However, apparently it is dependent upon the version of Word that one
has.  Still, this seems like a positive step for those of us who are Nemeth
Code users.  

It also appears that this editor allows some other conversions to take place
when copying to the clipboard as you will read below.  I don't know how well
all of this works at this point, though.

Here is the information from the "What's New" page for Jaws Version
2021.2105.53 (May 2021):

Braille Math Editor
JAWS and Fusion currently supports reading Math equations on web pages that
are displayed using MathML, or math equations in Microsoft Word documents
inserted using the native Word math format. You can navigate the individual
elements of an equation using the Math Viewer, accessed by pressing ENTER
from a web page or INSERT+SPACEBAR followed by EQUALS from a Word document
when focused on the equation. If JAWS braille translation is set to Unified
English Braille or United States English Grade 1 or Grade 2 output, math
expressions are also shown on a braille display using Nemeth Braille format.

The new Braille Math Editor in JAWS now enables braille users in Windows 10
to input their own equations, and in Office 365, edit existing equations in
Word documents. To open the Math Editor, press the layered command
INSERT+SPACEBAR followed by SHIFT+EQUALS (plus sign). Focus braille display
users can also press DOTS 3-4-6-7 CHORD. Similar to reading math content,
JAWS braille output must be set for one of the English Grade 1 or Grade 2
translation settings in order to launch the editor.

When the Math Editor opens, focus is placed into an edit field where you can
immediately begin typing the equation in Nemeth braille from your braille
display's keyboard. As you type, a preview pane below the edit field
visually displays the equation so a sighted teacher or parent can review it.
Once you are finished inputting the math equation, press ENTER or choose the
Accept button to close the Math Editor. If you are in Word, the equation you
entered is automatically inserted into the document at your current
location. The equation is also copied to the Clipboard so you can paste it
in other applications.

Opening the Math Editor while focused on a math equation in a Word document
displays the existing equation in Nemeth Braille, allowing you to edit or
replace it. After making any changes and pressing ENTER to close the editor,
the current equation in the document is replaced by the new or modified
equation.

Note: After inserting or modifying an equation in Word from the Math Editor,
the blinking cursor (dots 7 and 8) on the braille display always remains at
the beginning of the math content, even as you move by character with the
LEFT and RIGHT ARROW keys. If you need to insert another line of math
content, first press the END key to move to the end of the current math
content and then press ENTER.

While the Math Editor is opened, you have the following additional options:

Press CTRL+N to start a new equation.
Press CTRL+P to preview the current equation in the Math Viewer. When
finished, press ESC to return to the Math Editor.
Press ALT+E to open the edit menu where you can copy your Nemeth Braille to
the Clipboard using a specific format. MathML is the default format when
copying, however, depending on the application where you intend to paste the
equation, you can also choose to copy your Nemeth Braille to LaTeX or
Braille ASCII. After choosing a format to copy to, paste the equation into
the specific application before pressing ENTER or selecting Accept to close
the Math Editor as this always copies as MathML and will erase the current
clipboard contents.
(End of Passage)

I am hoping to play with this tonight to see how it works.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson



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