Guide to Supernova

Supernova is a networked application which has both screen reading and screen magnification functions.

Supernova Control Panel

The Supernova control panel will open when the program is first opened. To access it again after you have begun using another program, use the key combination Left Ctrl (Ctrl key on left side of keyboard) and Space Bar. The panel has three property sheets: Visual, Speech and Braille. Click on the tab to view the Property Sheet. Options within Supernova can be activated by clicking the icons on the sheets, selecting options from the menus or by using key combinations.

Visual Property sheet

Magnification

Turn the screen magnification facility on and off by either using keys Left Ctrl and Number Pad Enter or clicking the magnification icon. To increase the level of magnification use Left Ctrl and Num Pad + or click the magnification increase icon. To reduce use Left Ctrl and Num Pad – or click the reduce icon. Check the Fractional Magnification box to control magnification by fractions.  

There are 4 standard modes of magnification:

•       full screen
•       window – magnifies a small portion of the screen in a static position
•       lens – magnifies a small section of screen as window but magnified window (lens) moves
•       auto-lens – as lens mode, except magnified window automatically resizes itself to current focus

There are also 4 split screen modes where the display is split into two rectangular areas, one of which is magnified and one of which is not. To select any of these modes, click the appropriate icon on the property sheet.

Colour changer

The colour changer can be used whether the magnifier is switched on or not. Check the box next to Colour Changer to apply the currently selected colour scheme. To see a list of colour schemes click the arrow next to the colour scheme. Select a colour scheme from the list to apply it immediately.

To create your own colour scheme, select Custom Colours and then click Colour Settings to customize your scheme. You can alter brightness, contrast and depth of colour. You can also invert brightness, add tints to the screen and replace specific colours with other colours.

Focus Highlighting

This option enables the cursor, mouse, line or focus to be highlighted. Click on Focus Highlighting to choose which type of foci to highlight. Click the tab to open the property sheet for your chosen focus. Select different shapes, colours and sizes from the options available and check the Highlight box. The current focus will then be highlighted. This option will work whether magnification is switched on or not.

Mouse Pointers

Click on Mouse Pointers to change the size and colour of pointers.

Back To Top

Speech Property sheet

Getting started

Press Left Ctrl and 0 to switch Speech Enable off and on, or check the Speech Enable box to activate.

The volume and speed of speech can be altered by either clicking the corresponding arrows on the property sheet or by using the following key combinations:

To mute speech press Left Ctrl.

Speak Keys

Supernova contains a number of Speak Keys which can be used to read data from the screen at any time. They are normally used to repeat something or obtain more information about the current item, line or object that your focus is on.

Back To Top

Document read

Document read allows you to read a whole document from start to finish at the press of one key. Press Num Pad + to start or stop Document read. The line of text and each word being read will be highlighted on screen.

If the Screen Magnifier is activated, you can select Enhanced Document read. When Document read is activated, the magnified text will be displayed in a scrolling line at the top of the screen. 

Preferences

The speed, volume and verbosity levels can all be set in the Preferences option.

Speech style

This option enables you to alter the punctuation level, text attributes and number announcement for different areas of the screen. For example, in the edit area, you can choose to have blank lines announced.

Character Echo

Character echo controls how much is spoken when you are typing. Select from Characters, Words, Characters and Words or None.

Verbosity Schemes

Select this option to alter the amount of information (verbosity) Supernova uses to describe windows controls and how this information is given.

Voice and Language

Select Voice and Language option to change the voice and/or language you hear. Different voices can be selected for different areas of the screen (such as menu or prompt).

User Defined Voices

This option enables you to edit existing voices and to create your own unique voices. The pitch can be altered and other parameters can be applied.

Back To Top

Help

There is online help for Supernova. To access this select Help from the menu bar.

Context sensitive help is also available when the Supernova Control Panel is open: press F1 to see on-screen information about the selected feature.

Exiting Supernova

To exit Supernova select File and Quit from the menu. Alternatively use key combination Alt and F4 or click the X in the top right hand corner of the Control Panel.

Back To Top