JAVA ACCESSIBILITY
Screen Reader Techniques
Version 0.5
08 October 1997
[Home]
[What is it?] [Overview
of API Features] [API
Reference]
[FAQ] [Tutorial]
[Tools] [Changes]
[JFC Home Page]
Techniques for writing Screen Readers in Java
Screen readers need to be able to determine the complete semantic content
of the user interface. Furthermore, they need to know when any of
that semantic content changes. Finally, the screen readers need to
give the user a clear map to that semantic content, so that screen reader
users can navigate easily through the screen reader to get to what the
users need.
Techniques for retrieving semantic information:
Getting text letter-by-letter,
in sync with the screen coordinates
Getting text word-by-word, in sync
with the screen coordinates
Getting text sentence-by-sentence,
in sync with the screen coordinates
Getting the name of the font of a partcular character
Getting the size of the font of a particular character
Getting the attributes of a partcular character
Getting the letter/word/sentence at a particular point on the screen
Getting the Component at a particular point on the screen
Determining the Role and State of a component
...
Techniques for tracking semantic content changes:
Tracking the insertion point within text, relative to screen coordinates
Tracking new windows as they appear
...
Techniques for navigating the semantic content:
Determining the first item in a Container
Determining the last item in a Container
Determining the next item in a Container
Determining the previous item in a Container
Determining the item to the left of a given item in a Container
Determining the item to the right of a given item in a Container
Determining the item above a given item in a Container
Determining the item below a given item in a Container
Enumerating all of the items in a Container
...
Copyright©
1995-97 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
To submit comments or suggestions about Java
Accessibility, please send mail to access@sun.com.