The Future of the StationPlaylist Scripts for JAWS

During the past four years, I have been very happy to develop and support the JAWS scripts for StationPlaylist Studio. I have been assisted tremendously by Ross and his team at StationPlaylist with adjustments to their program in order that it can be made more accessible, and those accessibility improvements continue into the upcoming release of V5.01. All this has ensured that blind people using JAWS can very easily create and manage playlists, while taking advantage of features as songs are playing. The scripts have in fact almost become their own program as they contain so many features. Very many people are using these scripts on both internet and FM-based stations around the world.

Because as yet there is not an updated tutorial which teaches people how to use the program within the context of JAWS, I am often contacted by radio stations who need help not only with the functionality of the scripts themselves but also in terms of general setup and operation. This assistance I have gladly given, but it does take quite some time to help those people, in some cases several hours.

As more and more people use the scripts, clearly this impacts upon the number of support requests I receive which are all carried out in my own time, which is more limited than it used to be. As a result, from 27 August 2013, I will be levying a charge towards the scripts. This will ensure they are actively developed and supported. For some time, I have asked for donations towards the upkeep of the project, but sadly, very few people donated considering the number of individuals who are using them and need support as a result. I want to see the scripts grow in terms of what they offer while ensuring people get the support they need.

The ownership of the scripts will transfer to our internet radio station, Team-FM, and as such from the launch of the new scripts will be hosted on the Team-FM website. More details about that to follow.

A free set of scripts will be available so you can download them before deciding whether to purchase or not. You can use these, however periodically, you will be given information regarding Team-FM which cannot be silenced with the Control key. Purchasing an authorisation file will remove these announcements and allow you to use them without restriction.

The new scripts, to be launched on 27 August, already contain new features and improvements. For example, the entire Options dialog box is far more accessible, giving clear announcements regarding how you should interact with a specific field. The Set Temporary Cue facility, together with the ability to use the time search capabilities within the Insert Track dialog, are also now very accessible. These will be explained in the accompanying documentation. In addition, pressing Enter within the Insert Tracks dialog will now set focus automatically to the list when a search for tracks has been computed by the software.

If you use the SAM Encoders, there is added functionality. As soon as a connection to the server is made, playback of the highlighted track in Studio begins almost instantly. So as you can see, development is very much ongoing.

As and when StationPlaylist Studio V5.01 is released, the facility to report the remaining time in a playlist is greatly improved and more accurate than it has ever been.

Purchasing An Authorisation File

When you purchase the scripts, you will receive:
The SPL Studio scripts authorisation file and script updates for a period of one year.
Support on difficulties you may be having with the scripts for one year.
Access to our Email list where you can discuss features for script improvements and announcements of script updates.
To repeat, the scripts will be launched on 27 August. When version 5.01 of SPL Studio is released, support will be provided to facilitate enhance access to it very soon after.

The cost for the authorisation file and yearly support and updates is $25 which can be paid via PayPal using the form below if you would like to be one of the first to benefit from the new features on 27 August. Please ensure in the comments accompanying your payment you include your JAWS serial number and the preferred email address where we can correspond with you.

People purchasing licencing and support in subsequent years will receive a substantial discount, but clearly we are some way off that. In addition, anyone who has donated anything towards the project during the past 12 months will receive the amount they have donated as a reduction of the charge for the scripts. So if you donated $5, the cost will be $20. To reiterate however, this is an exceptional circumstance.

In summary, the older scripts are still available until 27 August, whereupon they will be replaced with the newly updated version, by default with periodic announcements given. Don't forget also that StationPlaylist Studio is a very accessible program in its own right, without scripts, and there is nothing to stop you using it without them if you so wish.

Thank you for your understanding and I hope you will continue to enjoy using, and benefiting from, the scripts for StationPlaylist Studio. If you have questions, please send an email message to brian@team-fm.com.