JAWS Scripts for StationPlaylist Studio V5.0

Version 5.0 Build 15

Copyright 2009-2013, Brian Hartgen.

Introduction

Thank you for using the JAWS scripts for StationPlaylist Studio.

StationPlaylist Studio is a simple to use on-air broadcast automation playout software package for the studio and/or DJ. It plays all your media files with manual or intelligent automatic crossfading. It can play jingles, commercials, news and songs. Live streams, live inputs from your soundcard, satellite feeds and so on. It includes an Internet stream encoder, voice track/song ramp overlapping, microphone button with music fade, many automation and Live Assist features such as cart slots for instant jingles, and much more.

Sttation Playlist Studio is an extremely accessible application. Almost all of the functions can be activated using the keyboard. However, as with many applications, it is useful to have keystrokes to read important parts of the screen succinctly or to hear pertinent information automatically. Particularly in a broadcasting situation where gaining an awareness of what is happening quickly is imperative, these powerful scripts provide productivity enhancements so you can concentrate more on what is happening in your programme rather than using the JAWS screen review mode to locate the information you need.

This document is designed to run in your web browser of choice which is useful so you can refer to it while keeping StationPlaylist Studio open at the same time.

The StationPlaylist Studio scripts contain:

• Direct interaction with StationPlaylist Studio. Rather than gathering information from the screen by using the JAWS Cursor or similar methods, where possible data is retrieved direct from the application. This is ideal if you do not have the window maximised or if other applications are open as you will gain accurate reporting of events;
• A function to set focus to StationPlaylist Studio when located within any other application;
• Logical keystrokes for accessing all special functions. When appropriate, keystrokes are used with which you should already be familiar, such as JAWS Key+T to read the title;
• Intelligent handling of time segments, reporting on-screen data in minutes/seconds format;
• The ability to hear relevant track information without having to enter its properties, such as the artist/title name, length and full path. This information can also be placed in the JAWS Virtual Viewer;
• Keystrokes to read important information quickly, such as remaining time of main players, voice track player and cart player;
• The ability to notify you when an introduction is about to end. You can enter your preferred number of seconds for the warning;
• A countdown timer shown on a Braille display when introductions are being played;
• Notification of the ending of a music track. You can enter your preferred number of seconds for the warning which is given even if focus is not within the StationPlaylist Studio application;
• Sounds or alternative speech messages to indicate important events;
• A timer which counts down on the Braille display the end of a track;
• Messages or sounds to indicate the microphone status;
• A special “search facility” to find a song in a Playlist;
• Notification of when jingle carts have stopped playing;
• Keystrokes available from within any application so as to control various aspects of StationPlaylist Studio;
• A keystroke to report the amount of time for the track to play which can be used from within any application;
• The ability to hear the status of Check Boxes before track information;
• Notification of track categories such as whether the focused item is a track or spot;
• Flexibility to move through columns in the Playlist and then to move down a particular column to hear only the data within it;
• Configurable special options using either keystrokes or through the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box. Help text to describe each function in the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box is provided;
• A count-up timer which is visible on the Braille display for notifying a broadcaster of the current time in minutes and seconds;
• A bookmarking facility so you can mark a spot in a Playlist and return to it quickly;
• The ability to enable and disable Metadata streaming and to verify the status;
• A facility which enables a broadcaster to make notes quickly and to be able to refer to them during the program, sometimes used for identifying song requests and dedications;
• Lists providing the JAWS and application keystrokes;
• The ability to hear the local time or temperature from any city in the world;
• Concise messages using the correct contextual voice relative to the information being requested;
• Special support for the Track Tool;
• Braille support;
• An easy method of installation with no special setup requirements;
• Support for multiple versions of JAWS, not just the latest.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the configuration of all options is kept simple.

Please note that where we refer to "The JAWS Key", typically using the Desktop layout this is the Insert key and with the laptop layout it is the Caps Lock key.

Feature suggestions for script improvements are very welcome and should be sent by Email to: jaws@hartgen.org

This documentation does not teach you how to use StationPlaylist. The documentation accompanying StationPlaylist Studio is excellent and a mailing list is available, (details of which are given at the end of this User Guide), through which people are willing to answer questions. This User Guide describes the special JAWS functions which have been created as part of the scripts.

Technical Support

Should you require Technical Support or guidance in the use of these scripts, this can be obtained by sending an e-mail message to jaws@hartgen.org or by completing the form on the Technical Support page.

Installation

The JAWS scripts for the application have been tested with StationPlaylist Studio version 5.0 only in conjunction with JAWS version 11.0 through to 14.0. Later versions of JAWS are likely to function more optimally.

You can download the installation program for the StationPlaylist Studio scripts (and obtain the latest information development of them) from this website

Quick Install

For a quick and easy installation, please follow these steps:

1. Launch the executable file entitled SPLScripts.exe you have downloaded from the Internet.
2. Press Enter repeatedly to move through the screens. You will be requested to select the version of JAWS in which the scripts should be installed into. Arrow down to select the required JAWS version and press Enter to accept.
3. After a pause of a few seconds, the "Finish" screen will be brought into view. Press Enter to activate the "Finish" Button.

Please note that, unlike previous versions of the scripts, it is no longer necessary for the installer to make modifications to the JAWS default files, nor is this required to be done manually. However, the final stage in the process is to launch StationPlaylist Studio for the necessary keystrokes to be written to the default files. Please go ahead and do this now. The keystrokes will quickly be written in the background and will take less than a second to achieve.

This User Guide (and the keystroke summary) can be found under the "Programs" group off the "Start Menu", under "StationPlaylist Scripts". It is also available by pressing Insert+F1 from within StationPlaylist Studio.

Getting Help

There are a number of ways to obtain immediate help.

• Hotkey Help, Insert+H. This brings into view a list of special JAWS keystrokes which can be used within StationPlaylist Studio, displayed within your default web browser in HTML format. This means you can have the keystroke summary open at the same time as StationPlaylist Studio.
• Read the User Guide, Insert+F1. This brings into view this User Guide displayed within your default web browser in HTML format. This means you can have the User Guide open at the same time as StationPlaylist Studio.
• Window Keys Help, Insert+W. This is a Virtual Viewer-based screen containing a list of keystrokes which are part of the application and as such were implemented by the developing company. The most commonly used keystrokes are listed first.
• Adjust JAWS Options, JAWS Key+V. When within the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box for controlling special functions, from the list of selectable choices press Tab to reach a help window displayed alongside each option. The text in this window describes how you can use the selected function, the options available and the default setting.

A Note About Braille

All messages which are spoken by JAWS and which are described below are automatically output to a Braille display if you have one. Where "Flash Messages" have been used, the prefix denoting the type of message has been disabled so as to conserve space on the display.

Additional Braille-related special functions are described later in this document.

Sounds to Indicate Events

Many people prefer sounds to be played as a substitute for hearing speech prompts. There are a number of key areas within the scripts for StationPlaylist Studio where sounds can be set to convey important information.

To enable the playing of sounds:

1. Press JAWS Key+V to bring into view the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box.
2. Press Down Arrow until you reach the option entitled “Sounds”.
3. If JAWS says sounds are disabled, press the Space Bar to enable this option.
4. Press Enter to save the settings.

The Role of the StationPlaylist Key

In order to avoid keyboard conflicts with other applications, we have adopted a layered key approach with the StationPlaylist scripts to support many of the functions. The concept is that you press a key on the keyboard, release it, then press another key to execute the function.

The key we have chosen for this purpose is the Grave Accent key. On a standard desktop computer keyboard, this is situated to the immediate left of figure 1 on the numbers row.

For example, to hear the number of listeners who are hearing your internet stream, press the StationPlaylist (Grave Accent) key, release it, then press the letter L. Following the pressing of the StationPlaylist key, if sounds are enabled you will hear a “beep” sound to indicate the key has been pressed. If sounds are disabled, the word “Studio” is spoken instead.

Playlist Viewer

The Playlist Viewer is the hub of the StationPlaylist Studio application into which you insert your music tracks, Spot Groups, Voice Tracks and more. This is typically achieved using the "Insert" Dialog (Control+I), or by pasting from Windows Explorer. When the item is copied with Control+C from Windows Explorer, focus upon StationPlaylist Studio's Playlist Viewer and press ALT+P.

The following is a brief description of all the options available in the Playlist Viewer window supporting tracks and Playlists.

Extended Screen-Reading Mode

Ordinarily, when tracks are displayed, pressing Up and Down Arrow keys will cause JAWS to read the text on screen, usually the file name. JAWS will in addition announce if the item is Checked or Unchecked. Press the Space Bar to change the status.

However, it is often important to hear additional information relating to the track, and so a function has been provided entitled Extended Screen-Reading mode. This mode can be activated by:

• Pressing StationPlaylist Key then E, which toggles the function from being enabled to disabled and vice-versa, or
• From the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box, activated with the JAWS Key+V.

Changing the status of the mode is permanent and will remain in place even if the computer is re-started until it is changed again.

When Extended Scrreen-reading Mode is enabled, pressing Up and Down Arrow keys will cause the following information to be announced including column headers:

• Artist name;
• Title;
• Time duration;
• Whether the introduction of the track has been marked and, if so, its length. Please refer to the later section of this User Guide concerning marking track introductions;
• The category;
• The path of the file, I.E. the directory where the file is located;
• The Checked or Unchecked status.

The same information is output if the Say Line command is used, (JAWS Key+Up Arrow).

It is suggested that you use this mode only if you really need to as it is quite verbose. It is used primarily for confirmation purposes.

Hearing Column Titles

Ordinarily, as you move through the items in the Playlist Viewer, JAWS will speak details of the focused item automatically. JAWS will speak information relating to the six columns on the screen together with whether the item is checked or unchecked. The six columns are:

1. Artist name;
2. Title;
3. Time duration;
4. Whether the introduction of the track has been marked and, if so, its length. Please refer to the later section of this User Guide concerning marking track introductions;
5. The category;
6. The path of the file, I.E. the directory where the file is located.

If you wish to hear the details of just one column, press Control+Insert+1 through to Control+Insert+6. JAWS will report the column header and then the details, such as "Artist, The Beatles". Press any one of the six keys twice quickly to send the information about the column to the Virtual Viewer for closer inspection, such as to check the spelling of an artist name or song title.

As you move through the Playlist Viewer and become more comfortable with it, you may care to reduce the amount of information spoken or which is output to a Braille display. For example, you may not wish to hear the song duration or the full file path of the item. You can reduce the number of columns JAWS tells you about, change the order of them, and independently control the Braille and speech output. You may care to have less information on your Braille display than that which is spoken. That is possible.

Even if you customise the columns, this will not affect your ability to take advantage of "Enhanced Arrow Key Mode" (see below), or being able to press Control+Insert+1 through to Control+Insert+6 to hear individual column information. Those functions are still available.

To customise the reading of the columns, please follow these steps:

1. Press StationPlaylist Key then Control+C. The "Customise List View" Dialog Box is brought into view.
2. You are focused within the "Speech" Property Sheet. The first List View control displays all the six columns in the Playlist Viewer. Press Down Arrow until the desired column you do not wish to hear is spoken. As you move through the list, observe that JAWS will announce whether the column will be spoken or not. For example, by default JAWS will say "Title Speak Column".
3. When you have reached the column you wish to filter, (such as "File Name", press Tab repeatedly until JAWS says "Toggle Speech Button".
4. Press the Space Bar on the Button. JAWS will say the column name followed by "Do Not Speak", such as "File Name Do Not Speak".
5. Continue to work through the list until the columns have been customised to your liking. You can at any time press Shift+Tab to move back to the list of columns, then press Up and Down Arrow to hear the results. Now as you move through the list, JAWS will report whether or not the focused column will speak
6. When you are happy with the arrangement you have made, press Tab repeatedly to reach the "OK" Button and press the Space Bar to activate it. The settings are now saved

As you were customising the List View of columns, you may have noticed some things we have not covered so far.

• There are two Buttons labelled "Move Up" and "Move Down". These allow you to change the order of the columns spoken. For example, if you wish the track title to be spoken first, then the artist name, press Down Arrow to reach the "Title" option, then press Tab until the "Move Up" Button is located. Press Space Bar to activate the Button, then examine once again your list of columns. You will see that the titles are displayed first.
• The "Braille" Property Sheet can be activated by pressing Control+Tab. When this is done, exactly the same Dialog Box layout is revealed, except that this time, all items relate to how JAWS reports the columns on a Braille display. Go ahead and repeat the above steps, eliminating columns, (or changing their order), as appropriate. You will notice that this time, the Button to disable the column from being sent to the Braille display is labelled "Toggle Braille" and, when you examine the list of columns, JAWS will say "Do Not Braille" on any item which is not sent to the Braille display.
• In either the "Speech" or "Braille" Property Sheet, the "Delete Customisations" Button will allow you to remove previously defined column arrangements to allow you once again to hear (or read) all the columns in the Playlist Viewer. Having pressed the Space Bar to activate the Button, a Dialog Box will appear, asking if you are sure you want to delete the customisations. Press the Space Bar on the "Yes" Button.

All the above functionality relating to customising the columns is available in the "Track Tool". Please refer to a later section of this User Guide relating to the marking of introductions which will give some more information concerning the use of the "Track Tool".

Hearing the Status of Check Boxes First

When JAWS recites information relating to each item in a Playlist, the status of the Check Box pertaining to it is announced last. If you are in a hurry and wish to find something quickly, this can slow you down. An option is available to announce the status of the Check Box first before any other information. This function operates whether Extended Screen-Reading mode is enabled or disabled.

This mode can be activated by:

• Pressing StationPlaylist Key then X which toggles the function from being enabled to disabled and vice-versa, or
• From the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box, activated with the JAWS Key+V.

Changing the status of the mode is permanent and will remain in place even if the computer is re-started until it is changed again.

Hearing the Status of Categories

As you move through a Playlist, it could be important to hear whether an item is a Track or Spot. JAWS can be set to advise you of this.

Please note that this function only is useful if you have manually inserted items into a Playlist. It will not operate if StationPlaylist Creator has created a Playlist for you.

This mode can be activated by:

• Pressing StationPlaylist Key then Y which toggles the function from being enabled to disabled and vice-versa, or
• From the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box, activated with the JAWS Key+V.

Changing the status of the mode is permanent and will remain in place even if the computer is re-started until it is changed again.

Hearing Top and Bottom of List Notifications

As you move through a Playlist, it could be helpful to hear when you have reached the top or the bottom of the list. By default, JAWS is set to play a sound (if sounds are enabled), or speak a message, when you have reached the top or the bottom of the list.

This mode can be activated or deactivated from the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box, activated with the JAWS Key+V.

Changing the status of the mode is permanent and will remain in place even if the computer is re-started until it is changed again.

Enhanced Arrow Keys

As you look at a Playlist displayed in StationPlaylist Studio, as described previously visually it is divided into six columns:

1. Artist.
2. Title.
3. Duration.
4. Intro.
5. Category.
6. File Name.

If you have a lengthy Playlist, it may be helpful just to hear the information contained within one column, such as track titles only. To accomplish this, you should enable Enhanced Arrow Keys.

Enhanced Arrow Keys can be activated by:

• Pressing StationPlaylist Key together with the Control Key, which toggles the function from being enabled to disabled and vice-versa, or
• From the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box, activated with the JAWS Key+V.

Changing the status of the mode is permanent and will remain in place even if the computer is re-started until it is changed again.

Note that enabling and disabling the Enhanced Arrow Keys has been placed on a keystroke which can easily be pressed with the left hand as it is possible you will want to change the status of this function quickly.

When Enhanced Arrow Keys are enabled, the four Arrow Keys, together with the Home, End, Control+Home and Control+End keys have the following effect:

• Right Arrow moves forward through columns. The column header is spoken first, then the cell data, to give you some orientation.
• Left Arrow moves back through columns. The column header is spoken first, then the cell data, to give you some orientation.
• Up and Down Arrow keys will move through the items in the Playlist, however only the selected column will be announced.
• Home will move to the leftmost column in the table and the cell data will be announced. Typically, this is the name of the artist if it exists. While using Enhanced Arrow Keys, if you wish to use the Home key to set focus in the list to the playing track, press Home twice quickly. When this mode is disabled, pressing the Home key once will always set focus to the playing track.
• End will move to the rightmost column in the table and the cell data will be announced.
• Control+Home will set focus to the top of the Playlist and the desired column will be announced.
• Control+End will set focus to the bottom of the Playlist and the desired column will be announced.

To hear all the titles in a Playlist only as you press Up or Down Arrow keys:

1. Press Control together with the stationPlaylist Key and JAWS will announce that the Enhanced Arrow Keys are enabled.
2. When focused within a Playlist, press Right Arrow until JAWS announces that the title field is active.
3. Press Down Arrow repeatedly to hear all the titles in the Playlist.

If there is no data in a column, such as "Intro", JAWS will say "blank".

Reading Keys

The following keys can be used to obtain information quickly. Please note that, when JAWS is speaking information relating to timed events, (such as the elapsed time of the playing track), JAWS converts the information to a format which is easier to understand rather than relying upon a literal interpretation of the screen data. For example, if 3 seconds have elapsed, JAWS will say "3 seconds", and if 1 minute and 34 seconds had elapsed, JAWS will say "1 minute 34 seconds".

• To hear the elapsed time of the playing track press ALT+Shift+T.
• To hear the remaining time of the playing track press ALT+Control+T or Control+Windows+Dash.
• To hear the time for which the currently selected track is scheduled to be broadcast press StationPlaylist Key then S, very useful when StationPlaylist Studio is in "Automation Mode".
• To hear the number of tracks in the Playlist press StationPlaylist Key then P. This keystroke in addition causes JAWS to announce the currently focused position relative to the total, such as "2 of 40".
• To hear the name of the currently playing track press JAWS Key+T. If no track is playing, this keystroke causes the title of the next upcoming track to be spoken. Note that StationPlaylist Studio uses three internal players. The first two players play tracks alternately, the third is for the Voice Tracks if you have any. JAWS will speak the number of the player which is currently being used.
• To hear the name of the upcoming track press StationPlaylist Key then N.
• To hear the total number of minutes and seconds for which music tracks fill the hour press StationPlaylist Key then T.
• To hear the number of minutes remaining in the current hour press StationPlaylist Key then H.
• To hear the remaining number of minutes in the Playlist press StationPlaylist Key then R. Please note that following this information, JAWS will output the word "plus", followed by a second value in minutes and seconds. This indicates whether the Playlist runs over the scheduled hour and by how much.
• To read the current temperature (assuming this option is configured within StationPlaylist Studio) press Control+Windows+5.
• To hear whether Automation Mode is enabled or disabled press Control+Windows+6.
• To hear the microphone status press Control+Windows+7.
• To hear the line-in status press Control+Windows+8.
• To hear the Record to File status press Control+Windows+9.
• To hear the Cart Edit status press Control+Windows+0.
• To read listener statistics from any application press StationPlaylist Key then L.
• To read the Status Line containing important information press JAWS Key+Page Down.
• To output the "popup information" relative to a track in the JAWS Virtual Viewer press the StationPlaylist Key then V. The "popup information" displays information on the screen when the mouse is moved over a track icon in a Playlist. Note that the information which is output is controlled from within StationPlaylist's "Options/Track Info and Logging" Dialog Box.
• To hear the remaining time of the playing Voice Track press Control+Windows+1.
• From within any application, to hear the remaining time of the playing cart press Control+Shift+1.

Reading the Time

When pressing the JAWS Key+F12, (the command within JAWS associated with speaking the time), JAWS will announce the time including the number of seconds, such as “4:53:28”. Pressing the keystroke twice quickly, if you have a Braille display, will cause the display to refresh each second to show the new time including the updated second count.

If you press the Windows Key+F12, this will cause the time to be spoken by JAWS as each second passes. Press any key within StationPlaylist Studio to stop it.

Jingle Cart Machines

StationPlaylist Studio provides you with 48 (96 in Studio Pro) jingle cart machines with shortcut keys. These are:

• F1 through to F12;
• 1 through to equals sign;
• Shift+F1 through to Shift+F12;
• shift+1 through to shift+equals sign;
• Control+F1 through to Control+F12;
• Control+1 through to Control+equals sign;
• ALT+F1 through to ALT+F12;
• Alt+1 through to ALT+equals sign.

You can hear the remaining time of the cart at any time by pressing Control+Windows+1.

Ordinarily, pressing any one of these keys will cause the appropriate cart to play the item associated with it.

As you can imagine, it could sometimes be difficult to remember which cart contains which jingle, music bed or insert. The scripts therefore provide you with Cart Learn mode.

Cart Learn Mode is activated or deactivated by:

• Pressing the StationPlaylist Key then C. This is a toggle action which enables or disables the mode. However the setting is not retained if JAWS is re-started;
• Adjusting the option from the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box, activated with JAWS Key+V.

When Cart Learn Mode is enabled, pressing any one of the cart activation keys once will instantly cause JAWS to announce the name of the file associated with it and the jingle will not be played. Pressing the key twice quickly will cause the item to be played.

This is ideal for ensuring that you are about to broadcast the correct jingle or insert!

Before Cart Learn mode can be used however, you need to “teach” JAWS which file is associated with each keystroke. For new carts you assign, this is not a problem since JAWS will automatically detect this as and when you create it. However, for carts which already exist, there is a little work to do which can be achieved in any of the following two ways.

You can either:

1. Press Control+T to ensure that Cart Edit mode is enabled. JAWS will confirm this.
2. Press a keystroke associated with one of the carts. You will enter its properties.
3. Tab repeatedly until you reach the Edit Field containing the name of the cart.
4. Press Tab to move away from this field, preferably until you reach the “OK” or “OK and Finish” Buttons and press the Space Bar. The training process for this cart is complete.

Alternatively, if you already know the names and keystrokes associated with your carts, you can manually put these in place. You need to locate the “StationPlaylist.ini” file which can be found in the “Settings” folder of the version of JAWS you are using. You should go to the Start Menu, All Programs, JAWS X (where "X" represents the JAWS version number you are using), Explore JAWS, Explore My Settings.

In this folder, you will see the “StationPlaylist.ini” file. Open up this file in an application such as Microsoft Windows Notepad.

In the file, you will find a section entitled “Carts”. You should adopt the following syntax to indicate the cart keystroke and name:

Keystroke equals CartName

Such as

F1=Request

Then, save the file by pressing Control+S and exit the application by pressing ALT+F4.

Jump to Cart

When JAWS has been trained as to the location of each cart, you can bring all the carts into a vertical list. This is very useful so that you do not have to remember the keystroke associated with each cart!

Press the StationPlaylist Key then J. A Dialog Box will appear containing a list of assigned carts. Press Down Arrow (or more probably use first letter navigation) in order to set focus to the name of the cart you wish to play. Next, press Enter to play the cart.

Announcement of When a Cart Has Completed Playback

JAWS can be set to advise you when a jingle cart has completed playing.

The Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box contains an item entitled "JAWS will announce when a cart stops playing". If enabled by pressing the Space Bar, when a cart has ceased to play JAWS will announce the words "cart stopped". If sounds are enabled, a “chime” sound will be heard.

Finding a Track in a Playlist

You are likely to come across situations where you want to find if you have a music track, spot group or other item included within a Playlist. For example, you may have a music track further down the Playlist to the item you are currently playing and wish to move it up the list.

You can use the Find facility in order to do this. Press the StationPlaylist key then F (or the StationPlaylist Key then Control+F to search back from the current location). A Dialog Box will appear asking you for the text you wish to search for. It is suggested that a track title or artist name should be typed and then the Enter key should be pressed to carry out the search.

If the item is found, focus will be set to it. If it is not located, JAWS will advise you of this.

An example of how you may use this feature would be as follows:

1. Press the StationPlaylist key then F.
2. Type the title of a song you know to be further down the Playlist into the Edit Field.
3. Press Enter.
4. The track is located. Press Control+X to cut it to the Windows clipboard.
5. Press the Home key to move focus to the track which is currently playing.
6. Press Down Arrow to highlight the next track in the Playlist.
7. Press Control+V to paste the track into the Playlist. This will ensure that the item is next to be played.

In addition, pressing the StationPlaylist Key then F3 will find the next occurrence of the item previously searched for. So if you searched for the Beatles, and the first item located was not correct, press the StationPlaylist Key then F3 to find the next occurrence. Press the StationPlaylist Key then Shift+F3 to "find again" in the reverse direction.

Setting Focus to StationPlaylist Studio

It is possible to set focus to StationPlaylist Studio from within any other application. This is very useful if you wish to read Email or interact with a program other than StationPlaylist and then quickly return to it.

In order to set focus to StationPlaylist Studio, press Control+Windows+4.

Introduction Monitoring

Using the StationPlaylist Track Tool, it is possible to insert a mark in the properties of each of your music tracks in order that you are aware when the introduction is complete and when vocals are to begin. The StationPlaylist studio scripts take full advantage of this feature, and allow you to monitor for introductions and give you advanced warning of when the vocals are about to begin. As a user of the scripts, you can configure how much of a warning you will receive by specifying a value of between 1 and 9 seconds prior to the vocals commencing. For anyone who has a Braille display, the scripts include a separate and independent mechanism for providing tactile feedback of the progress of the introduction.

Marking the Introduction Ending Point

It is necessary to use the StationPlaylist Track Tool to mark the end of the introduction as follows:

1. Ensure that a music track within the Playlist Viewer is selected.
2. Press Control+K to activate the Track Tool.
3. When the Track Tool is loaded, press Insert+H to remind yourself of the keystrokes you can use within it. Press Escape to exit the Virtual Viewer and return to the Track Tool.
4. Press the letter P to begin playing the file.
5. At the same time as the vocals begin, press the letter I. The audio will fade out.
6. Press Control+I to test the introduction. If marked successfully, the vocals should commence at exactly the same time as you press this keystroke.
7. Press ALT+F4 to close the window and return to the StationPlaylist Studio primary window.

Please note that scripts are included for the Track Tool. These provide useful keyboard shortcuts for notifying you if a track introduction has already been stored, together with the ability to sort tracks in various ways.

Monitoring for Introductions

Before you monitor for the end of an introduction to a song, you need to instruct JAWS how many seconds between 1 and 9 you would like to hear the warning.

Press StationPlaylist Key then O and, when prompted, into the resulting Edit Field type a value between 1 and 9 to represent the number of seconds for the warning. Press Enter and a confirmation message willl be spoken to confirm the number of seconds. You can activate the monitoring of introductions through the JAWS scripts, by:

• Pressing StationPlaylist Key then M. This is a toggle action and enables or disables the function permanently until it is changed, or
• Changing the option in the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box, JAWS Key+V.

When enabled, and when the warning level is reached which you have set, JAWS will advise you of this by saying the word "complete". If sounds are enabled, a “beep” sound will be heard.

Viewing Introductions with Braille

Another mode exists for your Braille display to monitor when introductions are being played.

You can enable or disable this mode by:

• Pressing StationPlaylist Key then B. This is a toggle action and enables or disables the function permanently until it is changed, or
• Changing the option in the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box, JAWS Key+V.

When this mode is enabled, JAWS constantly is monitoring for introductions. When an introduction is being played, its countdown time is being shown on the display. This gives you an excellent way of knowing for how much longer you need to speak.

Monitoring for Track Endings

Just imagine a situation where you have started the playing of a track, and then you need to examine your Email, Twitter or other applications so as to interact with your listeners. You need to be aware of when the track is about to end! This is the purpose of monitoring for track endings.

Before you monitor for the end of a track, you need to instruct JAWS how many seconds before the end of the song is reached you would like to hear the warning.

Press StationPlaylist Key then U and, when prompted, into the resulting Edit Field type a value to represent the number of seconds for the warning. Press Enter and a confirmation message willl be spoken to confirm the number of seconds. Values can be entered between 1 and 59.

You can activate the monitoring of introductions through the JAWS scripts, by:

• Pressing StationPlaylist Key then G. This is a toggle action and enables or disables the function permanently until it is changed, or
• Changing the option in the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box, JAWS Key+V.

When enabled, and when the warning level is reached which you have set, JAWS will advise you of this by saying the words "Approaching end of song", even if you are not focused within the StationPlaylist Studio application. If sounds are enabled, a “beep” sound will be heard. If through the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box you have enabled the option for a countdown timer to be shown on the Braille display when the track is about to end, this will be shown. This can also be enabled or disabled by pressing the StationPlaylist Key then A.

If you are focused within an application other than StationPlaylist Studio, and you wish to be reminded of how much time the track has to play, press Control+Windows+Dash.

Playlist Bookmarks

You can set a bookmark to mark a position within a Playlist and return to it later. This is very helpful if you are moving tracks around within a Playlist, or alternatively if you are listening to (or working on) a Playlist and you wish to return to a position within it the following day, since your bookmark is retained across computing sessions. So if you restart your computer, you can still locate your bookmark.

To mark a position within a Playlist, use the Arrow keys to move to the point in the Playlist you wish to mark and press the StationPlaylist Key then Control+K. To relocate the position press the StationPlaylist key then Control+Shift+K.

Microphone Status

Using the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box, you can enable the playing of sounds (or speaking of messages) when the microphone is enabled or disabled. In addition, a "microphone alarm sound" (or spoken message) can be set to warn you if the microphone has been left active following a number of seconds you specify.

The option is entitled "JAWS will announce when the microphone status changes". If enabled, and the letter M key is pressed to toggle the condition of the microphone, when active an ascending series of tones is played and when off a descending series of tones can be heard. Messages are spoken if sounds are disabled.

By default, a "microphone warning” will not be given if the microphone is continuously left active. However, if you wish to set a value, press the StationPlaylist Key then the letter K. You will be asked to enter the number of seconds warning you would like before the alarm sounds. For example, a 3 minute period would be 180 seconds. Type in 180 and press Enter. This value is permanently set until you change it.

Request Notifications

If you are working on producing a busy show and getting a large number of requests for songs, unless you write them down you may forget which person has requested a particular track.

Request notifications is a feature which will assist. You could also use it to attach notes to a piece of music which you could in turn convey to your listeners. If you move tracks around in a Playlist, the request notifications will go with the songs.

Request Notifications can be activated or deactivated by:

• Pressing the StationPlaylist Key then Control+Shift+R;
• Adjusting the option from the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box, activated with JAWS Key+V.

There are three settings for this feature:

• “Hear request announcements, disabled”. This is self-explanatory.
• “Hear request announcements, notifications only”. Whenever you focus upon an item to which a request (or note) is attached, either the word “request” will be spoken or a sound will play if the sounds scheme is enabled. Sounds can be enabled and disabled through the Adjust JAWS Options dialog box. If you are using a Braille display, the word “request” is output to it.
• “Hear request announcements, spoken automatically”. Whenever you focus upon an item to which a request (or note) is attached, the details of the request are spoken automatically . If the sounds scheme is enabled, a sound will play in addition to the details being spoken. If you have a Braille display, the word “request” will be output to the display followed by the note.

To use this feature:

1. Focus upon an item (such as a music track) you would like to attach a request to.
2. Press the StationPlaylist key then Control+R.
3. A Dialog Box appears asking for the details of the request. Type the details and press Enter.
4. JAWS will confirm the details have been saved.

When focused upon an item which has a request note attached to it, assuming you have been advised of this, either:

• Press the StationPlaylist key then ALT+R to hear the details,
• Press the StationPlaylist key then Control+V to output the details to the JAWS Virtual Viewer so you can read the note line by line, or
• Press the StationPlaylist key then Control+D to delete the request. JAWS will confirm the item has been deleted.

To delete all requests press the StationPlaylist key then Control+A. A dialog box will appear asking you to confirm that you wish to delete the requests. Select “Yes” to do so.

Streaming Metadata

Up to 4 stream servers may be updated with the track title information (metadata) so internet radio listeners can see what is playing on their media player. In addition, when using a stream encoder DSP attached to Studio, this is the most simple way to send metadata.  The metadata is included within the stream itself and sent along with the audio.

The JAWS scripts provide a number of convenient features to manage the four stream servers and the output to DSP encoder.

Automatic Announcement if Metadata Streaming is Enabled

The Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box contains a function entitled "Provide Warning of Metadata Streaming when Studio is Launched". If enabled, and when StationPlaylist Studio is launched, a message will be spoken to warn you that metadata streaming is enabled. It can (if necessary) be disabled from the "Options" Dialog Box of StationPlaylist Studio, or conveniently by using one of the keystrokes described below.

Disabling Stream Metadata Automatically

Within the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box, you will find an option entitled "Turn Off Metadata Streaming Upon Exit". When enabled, and when you exit StationPlaylist Studio by pressing the keystroke ALT+Control+X, metadata streaming will automatically be disabled.

Enabling and Disabling Metadata Streaming Manually

Keystrokes have been provided to activate, deactivate and to verify the status of metadata streaming for each of the four stream servers and the output to DSP encoder.

Pressing ALT+Windows Key+1 through to 4 will cause a Dialog Box to appear, asking if you would like to enable metadata streaming for server 1 through to 4. Pressing ALT+Windows Key+0 will cause a similar Dialog Box to appear relating to the DSP Encoder output. The Dialog Box contains Buttons labelled "Yes" and "No". Activating the "Yes" Button will enable metadata streaming and selecting "No" will disable it. Press shortcut keys "Y" or "N". Alternatively, press Tab to reach the appropriate Button and press the Space Bar to activate it.

To verify the status of metadata streaming for each of the four servers press Windows Key+1 through to 4. To verify the status of output to DSP Encoder press Windows Key+0. A confirmation message will be spoken as to whether the streaming is enabled or disabled.

Scanning Your Music Library

JAWS can now be set to give you notification regarding the progress of scanning your music library within StationPlaylist Studio. This can be very helpful if you have a large library which could take some time to scan.

There are three options regarding scanning which are controlled through the Adjust JAWS Options Dialog Box, activated with JAWS Key+V.

1. Report progress of library scan, disabled. This is self-explanatory.
2. Report progress of library scan, ending notification. JAWS will only announce when the scanning has concluded.
3. Report progress of library scan, periodic notification. Throughout the scanning process, every ten seconds a message will be spoken or a sound is played.

To begin a scan of your library:

• Press Control+I to bring into view the "Insert Track" Dialog Box.
• Press Control+Shift+R to begin the scanning process.
• Optionally press Escape to dismiss the "Insert Track" Dialog Box. Irrespective of the computing application which has focus, you can still hear notification from JAWS regarding the library scan. You can if you wish press the StationPlaylist Key then ALT+T from within any application in order to hear the number of tracks scanned.

Global Keystrokes

You can now operate specific functions of StationPlaylist Studio no matter the application you are in. This is helpful if you are reading e-mail for example, and you need to quickly interact with Studio. Alternatively, you can complete a Skype call and instantly start the playback of the next track without having to focus upon Studio first.

Press the StationPlaylist Key then:

• To play the next track press ALT+1.
• To stop the track with a fade press ALT+2.
• To instantly stop the track press ALT+3.
• To skip to the next track and fade press ALT+4.
• To start the next track without a fade press ALT+5.
• To pause the audio playback press ALT+6.
• To restart the audio playback after pausing press ALT+7.
• To activate the microphone with the song fading press ALT+8.
• To deactivate the microphone press ALT+9.
• To activate the microphone without the song fading press ALT+0.

Obtaining the Local Time and Temperature

It is possible to obtain the local time and temperature of any city in the world.

To obtain the temperature press the StationPlaylist Key then figure 5.

If an Edit Field is brought into view, type a city anywhere in the world, and press Enter.
If the previous temperature is spoken, press the keystroke twice quickly to obtain the Edit Field.
While within the Edit Field, type full-stop (or period), then press Enter, to obtain a list of previously stored cities.
When focused within the list of cities, to delete a city press Delete.
While within the Edit Field, type the word Settings, then press Enter to be guided through settings relating to obtaining temperatures.

To obtain the time press the StationPlaylist Key then 3.
If an Edit Field is brought into view, type a city anywhere in the world, and press Enter.
If the local time is spoken for a city, press the keystroke twice quickly to obtain the local date, or three times for the Edit Field.
While within the Edit Field, type full-stop (or period), then press Enter, to obtain a list of previously stored cities.
When focused within the list of cities, to delete a city press Delete.

Miscellaneous Items

The scripts provide a few other miscellaneous items:

When focused within Options, Folder Locations, JAWS provides substitute prompts for many of the labels in this form to ensure they can be easily understood from a non-visual standpoint. Press Tab repeatedly to move through this form.

When audio playback keys are pressed, such as Enter to play a track, U to pause it, S to stop and fade, T for instant stop and E to stop a cart playing, if typing echo is enabled the key labels are not spoken as this can be distracting.

Pressing the JAWS Key+Q will output the scripts version and build number.

Keystroke Summary

The following paragraphs give a summary of all the keystrokes found in the scripts.

To set focus to Studio from within any application press Control+Windows+4.

Information Keys

• To hear the elapsed time of the playing track press alt+shift+t.
• To hear the time for which the currently focused track is scheduled press StationPlaylist Key, s.
• To hear the time including seconds press insert+f12.
  Press this key twice quickly to start the Braille count timer including seconds.
• To stop the braille count timer press StationPlaylist Key, f12.
• To hear the total time for which selected tracks will play press StationPlaylist Key, control+t.
• To hear the current temperature press control+windows+5.
• To hear the number of tracks in the Playlist press StationPlaylist Key, i.
  This keystroke also reports your position within the Playlist relative to the total.
• To output the content of the entire playlist to the Virtual Viewer press StationPlaylist Key, Control+P
• To hear the name of the currently playing track press JAWSKey+T.
  If no track is playing you will hear the details of the next track scheduled to play.
  JAWS will announce player 1 or 2 for the main players, 3 for Voice Track.
• To hear the next track to be played press StationPlaylist Key, n.
• To hear the remaining time of the playing Voice Track press Control+Windows+1.
• To hear the length of the tracks in the hour press StationPlaylist Key, t.
• To hear the number of minutes remaining in the current hour press StationPlaylist Key, h.
• To hear the number of minutes remaining for the current Playlist press StationPlaylist Key, r.
• To hear whether automation is enabled or disabled press control+windows+6.
• To hear whether the microphone is enabled or disabled press control+windows+7.
• To hear whether line-in is enabled or disabled press control+windows+8.
• To hear whether Record to File is enabled or disabled press control+windows+9.
• To hear the song pitch status press ALT+Windows+6.
• To hear whether the Playlist has been modified since it was previously saved press ALT+Windows+7.
• To hear the playing status press ALT+Windows+8.
• To read the Status Line containing important information press JAWSKey+PageDown.

Metadata Streaming

• To enable or disable output to the DSP Encoder press ALT+Windows+0.
• To check the status of output to the DSP encoder press windows+0.
• To enable or disable data streaming for HTTP Request 1 through to 4 press ALT+Windows+1 through to ALT+Windows+4.
• To check the status of data streaming for HTTP Request 1 through to 4 press windows+1 through to windows+4.

Introduction Monitoring

• To set a preference for when JAWS should give a warning before the vocals begin press StationPlaylist Key, o.
• To start and stop monitoring for the end of an introduction press StationPlaylist Key, m.
  This mode is permanent.
• To cause JAWS to always monitor for introductions so as to display the countdown time on the Braille display press StationPlaylist Key, b.

End Track Monitoring

• To set a preference for when JAWS should give a warning before the ending of a track press StationPlaylist Key, u.
• To start and stop monitoring for the end of a track press StationPlaylist Key, g.
  This mode is permanent.
• To toggle the countdown timer on the Braille display for track endings press StationPlaylist Key, a.

Jingle Cart Machines

• To activate and deactivate Cart Learn Mode press StationPlaylist Key, c.
  This mode is permanent.
  When this mode is enabled, pressing any one of the cart machine function keys once causes title to be identified if found, twice plays the cart.
  When not enabled, pressing the keys once activates the carts.
• To jump to a specific cart press StationPlaylist Key, j.
• to hear whether Cart Edit is enabled or disabled press StationPlaylist Key, 0.
• To enable or disable the announcement of whether a Cart is playing, choose the appropriate option from the Adjust JAWS Options dialog box, JAWSKey+V.
• From within any application, to hear the remaining time of the playing cart press Control+Shift+1.

Request Notifications

• To enable request notifications press StationPlaylist Key, control+shift+r.
  There are three options from which to choose.
  1. Off.
  2. On, whereupon a sound will play or the word "request" will be spoken.
  3. Automatic speaking, the text relating to the request will be spoken automatically. If the sounds scheme is enabled, the sound will play as well.
• To store a request press StationPlaylist Key, control+r.
• To hear request details spoken press StationPlaylist Key, alt+r.
• To place the contents of a request within the JAWS Virtual Viewer press StationPlaylist Key, control+v.
• To delete a request press StationPlaylist Key, control+d.
• To delete all requests press StationPlaylist Key, control+A.

Global Keystrokes

Press the StationPlaylist Key then:

• To play the next track press ALT+1.
• To stop the track with a fade press ALT+2.
• To instantly stop the track press ALT+3.
• To skip to the next track and fade press ALT+4.
• To start the next track without a fade press ALT+5.
• To pause the audio playback press ALT+6.
• To restart the audio playback after pausing press ALT+7.
• To activate the microphone with the song fading press ALT+8.
• To deactivate the microphone press ALT+9.
• To activate the microphone without the song fading press ALT+0.

In addition:

• To hear the remaining time of the playing cart press Control+Shift+1.
• To hear the listener count press StationPlaylist Key, L.
• To hear the progress of the scanned library press StationPlaylist Key, ALT+T.
• To hear how much time of the playing track remains press Control+Windows+Dash.

Obtaining the temperature from any city in the world

• To obtain the temperature press control+windows+2.
  If an Edit Field is brought into view, type a city anywhere in the world, and press Enter.
  If the previous temperature is spoken, press the keystroke twice quickly to obtain the Edit Field.
• While within the Edit Field, type full-stop (or period), then press Enter, to obtain a list of previously stored cities.
• When focused within the list of cities, to delete a city press delete.
• While within the Edit Field, type the word Settings, then press Enter to be guided through settings relating to obtaining temperatures.

Obtaining a local time from any city in the world

• To obtain the time press control+windows+3.
  If an Edit Field is brought into view, type a city anywhere in the world, and press Enter.
  If the local time is spoken for a city, press the keystroke twice quickly to obtain the local date, or three times for the Edit Field.
• While within the Edit Field, type full-stop (or period), then press Enter, to obtain a list of previously stored cities.
• When focused within the list of cities, to delete a city press delete.

Additional Functions

• To activate the OK Button in a Dialog Box press ALT+O.
• To preview a track from the list of Search Results press ALT+V.
• To search for a track in the playlist press StationPlaylist Key, f.
• To search backward for a track in the playlist press StationPlaylist Key, Control+F.
• To search again for a track in the playlist press StationPlaylist Key, F3.
• To search backward again for a track in the playlist press StationPlaylist Key, Shift+F3.
• To set a bookmark press StationPlaylist Key, control+k.
  This is permanently stored until it is overwritten.
• To locate a bookmark press StationPlaylist Key, Control+Shift+K.
• To activate and deactivate Extended screen-reading mode press StationPlaylist Key, e.
  This mode is permanent.
• To activate and deactivate Enhanced Arrow Key mode press Control+StationPlaylist Key.
  This mode is permanent.
• To activate and deactivate whether Check Boxes are spoken first press StationPlaylist Key, x.
  This mode is permanent.
• To activate and deactivate whether category names are spoken press StationPlaylist Key, Y.
• To To hear any one of the six columns in the Playlist Viewer press Control+Insert+1 through to Control+Insert+6. Press twice quickly to output to the JAWS Virtual Viewer.
• To customise the columns spoken or sent to Braill press StationPlaylist Key, Control+C.
• To get a list of options for configuration within the application press JAWSKey+V.
• To read a list of keystrokes native to the Studio application press JAWSKey+W.
• To get Hotkey Help for StationPlaylist Studio or its Track Tool press Insert+h.
• To read the User Guide press Insert+F1.

Closing Comments

I hope you enjoy using the StationPlaylist Studio scripts. If you have any questions or comments, please Email them to: jaws@hartgen.org

The official website for StationPlaylist can be found here

The support Email list for StationPlaylist can be
subscribed to by sending a message to: stationPlaylist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Acknowledgements

Sincere thanks go to a number of people who have helped during the creation of some concepts of the scripts.

Thanks go to Shaun Randall for additional essential code.

Thanks must go to Jeff Bishop, Jonathan Mosen and others too numerous to mention who have made important suggestions for the ongoing development of these scripts.

A final credit must go to the StationPlaylist company who implemented functions at our suggestion to assist screen-reader users. Without their help and support, the scripts would not be as feature-rich as they are.