Dialog Window Text and the JAWS Cursor
Some dialog windows do not interact with JAWS in the expected way. When this happens there is text within the dialog that does not get read. Typically you will hear JAWS read only the buttons on the dialog and if a link exists you will hear that read as well when you arrow through the dialog. But the descriptive text that explains what these controls are for does not get read by JAWS.
When you encounter one of these misbehaving dialogs you may try using a command such as ‘Insert + B’ to have JAWS read the current window. Unfortunately because this dialog is not behaving as a normal window JAWS will start reading the text and controls that are found on the application behind the dialog. Eventually JAWS will read the text within the dialog but by this time things have gotten really confusing and you are likely not going to realize what JAWS is reading to you.
In such cases you can route the JAWS Cursor to the PC Cursor to reveal the text on the misbehaving dialog window.
What are the JAWS Cursor and the PC Cursor? Navigating through Windows with JAWS is accomplished with cursors. These cursors determine the focus of JAWS speech and are often directly linked with Windows cursors.
The PC Cursor is linked to the keyboard functions of Windows and applications. This is the cursor that is used when typing information, moving through options in dialog boxes, and selecting options or icons. As you type information, the PC Cursor follows along with each key you press. If you are making a selection in a menu or dialog box, the PC Cursor highlights the currently selected object. The PC Cursor is activated by default when JAWS starts.
The JAWS Cursor is linked to mouse pointer functions in Windows and other applications. It is used to read information the PC Cursor cannot read, such as toolbar information. The mouse or mouse pointer follows along with the JAWS Cursor when it is moved, and you therefore have access to information in an application window that is beyond the scope of the PC Cursor.
There are other cursors in JAWS such as the Virtual PC Cursor that is used when in an HTML environment. We are not going to talk about those cursors here. But if you want to know more about the available cursors in JAWS and how to use them open the JAWS help and in the search tab search for “about cursors”. This will get you started in learning all you want to know about the available cursors in JAWS.
Wait a minute! What about that misbehaving dialog and using the JAWS Cursor to read its contents? I am glad you asked. This is how it is done:
- With the dialog window displayed route the JAWS Cursor to the PC by pressing Insert + ‘-‘ on the keypad ( CapsLock + ‘[‘ if using a laptop layout). This guarantees that the JAWS Cursor lands on top of your PC Cursor which is inside the dialog window.
- Press the ‘Page Up’ key to set focus to the top of the dialog window.
- Arrow Key down through the dialog to read each line of text and controls
- Activate the PC Cursor again to continue normal operation
To activate the PC cursor (or stop the JAWS Cursor from following the PC Cursor):
- Press Insert + ‘+’ on the keypad (CapsLock + ‘;’ if using a laptop layout)
That’s it! I hope this will help solve any problems you encounter with misbehaving dialog windows that come your way.