ComLink

User Manual

for Integrators & Facilitators

Version 1.2

Peter Head, P2 Technological Resources

Doeko Hekstra, Handicom

Software from the

EU-funded Comspec TIDE Project

Contents

1.  Introduction 1

1.1 Editors 1

1.2 User roles 1

2.  Layout Editor — Facilitator Level 2

2.1 Starting ComLink 2

2.2 Design of selection set 3

2.3 Changing a display item 3

2.4 Saving an application 4

2.5 Running an application 4

2.6 Editor area 4

3.  Layout Editor — Integrator Level 6

3.1 Editor area 6

3.2 Actions 7

3.3 Selection and activation 7

3.4 Redesigning a selection set 8

3.5 Connections 8

3.6 Editing commands 9

3.7 Importing and exporting a layout 10

4.  Vocabulary Editor — Facilitator Level 11

4.1 Vocabulary items 11

4.2 Auto fill for representations 12

4.3 Changing names 12

4.4 Editing representations 13

5.  Vocabulary Editor — Integrator Level 14

5.1 Adding a representation definition 14

5.2 Editing a representation definition 15

5.3 Importing and exporting a vocabulary 15

6.  Configuration Editor 17

6.1 Component properties 17

6.2 Making changes 18

7.  Toolbar Editor 19

8.  Using ComLink 20

8.1 Recycling good design 20

8.2 Adapting for the end-user 20

8.3 Shared development and support 20

8.4 Platform 20

8.5 Website 20

8.6 Contacts 20

9.  Example applications 21

D1 Big Cat 21

D2 Messenger 22

D3 Multilingual Messenger 22

D4 Multipurpose Messenger 23

D5 Clockwise Numbers 24

D6 Speaking Clock 24

D7 Typing Together 25

D8 React to me 25

Appendix – textaction commands 26

ComLink User Manual / 25

1. Introduction

ComLink is an open modular system for building Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) software for communication, environmental control, education, employment, and leisure. The current version was produced by the Comspec Project funded by the European Union. Two earlier research phases, and an extensive user evaluation of the first prototype, were funded by Nordic institutions.

ComLink applications can be run in either of these environments:

·  Runtime environment for end-users and technically-inexperienced helpers. The editors are not available, so changes to the application can only be made using the toolbar.

·  Editing environment for technically-experienced helpers and developers, who are confident Windows users. The editors, as well as the toolbar, are available for changing the application.

This manual is for users of the Editing Environment.

1.1 Editors

The ComLink system consists of four editors:

·  Configuration editor for selecting and linking the components used in an application.

·  Layout editor for designing selection sets and screen layout, as seen by the end-user.

·  Vocabulary editor for designing the language resources used by an application. Each vocabulary item can have different representations as text, graphic, sound, etc.

·  Toolbar editor for designing the toolbar with simple controls to make changes to, for example, scan speed or volume.

1.2 User roles

The amount of technical detail displayed by ComLink varies according to the user of the system. We distinguish four types of user role:

·  End-users won’t need to know any technical details in their ComLink application.

·  Facilitators (e.g. helper, teacher, therapist, experienced end-user) will typically make small changes, using a toolbar, a dialogue box with simple controls for changing particular aspects of the application such as scan speed, volume, and so on. The toolbar is created by the application designer. Experienced facilitators can use the Editors to make changes.

·  Integrators (e.g. technically-confident therapist or teacher or experienced facilitator, probably based at an assessment centre) will make more radical changes, and may even create new applications.

·  Component developers (Java programmers, probably working in Rehabilitation Technology companies) will create new ComLink components, which could be made generally available to integrators either commercially or as freeware.

The Editing Environment starts by default with the Layout Editor in facilitator mode, hiding the more complex aspects of ComLink applications. The more technically advanced aspects are only accessible if you set the user level to integrator.

This manual describes each editor in turn, firstly at the default facilitator level, and then at integrator level (where the more technically advanced features are available).

2. Layout Editor — Facilitator Level

This editor is for designing selection sets and the general layout of the screen, as seen by the end-user. Questions to be answered when using it include: what is in the selection set? what will the screen look like to the end-user?

2.1 Starting ComLink

Ø  Run the ComLink Editing Environment.

When it starts, three windows are opened:

·  On top is the control window with the menu bar, button bar, and component palette. Note, however, that you cannot add components to the layout at facilitator level.

·  Below, on the left, is a property sheet. It’s title bar shows the name of the currently selected component (in this case, the whole layout page). The property sheet allows the user to adjust the properties of the components in an application.

·  The window at bottom right is the editor window — initially showing a blank layout. This window shows the various parts of the application, viewed according to the current editor. Click on a tab at the top of this window to change to another editor.

Ø Open application Test:

  1. Select ‘Open application’ on the File menu (or click on ):
  2. Select test.App in the apps folder.
  3. The editor window will now show the layout for this application:

The coloured object at the top is a Card Stack. This stack has two cards, but only one card is visible at a time. Card 1 is green, card 2 (seen here) is blue. To see the other card, click on the corner tool at the bottom right of the card. The solid arrow head shows whether you can turn to the previous or next card. (Alternatively, right-click on the card and use the popup menu to change card.)

The first card in the stack has a green background. This card, like the second, contains two ‘rows’ of items which the user can scan and select. Each row is in fact a Card Stack, but with only one card in each stack (the corner tool at the bottom right of each card has no arrowhead, so there are no other cards in these stacks).

The first card contains four Display Items, the Blissymbols for: hello, goodbye, thanks, sorry. When a symbol is selected, the text is displayed in the Editor Area at the bottom of the screen. The first item in the second row is a ‘navigation’ item: when selected, it causes the other card to be displayed. The second card also contains a navigation item, but the other items are blank, since no word or symbol has yet been set for them.

2.2 Design of selection set

Card stacks are containers — Display Items can be positioned inside them. A typical selection set is constructed from one or more Card Stack rows, each with one or more Display Items.

Display Items can only contain words or symbols in the Vocabulary data stored with the application. This may seem restrictive, but it gives the Vocabulary editor a powerful centralising role in maintaining the end-user’s vocabulary. Each vocabulary item can have different representations as text, graphic, sound, and so on. For example, in this application, the vocabulary item ‘hello’ has the following representations:

·  Standard Text: ‘hello’

·  Blissymbol: file hello.gif in Blissymbol folder

·  speech: file hello.wav in English speech folder

·  Portuguese speech: file hello.wav in Portuguese speech folder

When an integrator designs a selection set with the Layout Editor, they can specify which representation is displayed. They can also set which representations are output when an item is scanned or selected.

2.3 Changing a display item

Because we are using the program as a facilitator, we cannot make any changes to the structure of this selection set. But we can change the words or symbols displayed in it.

Ø  Change ‘hello’ to ‘want’:

  1. Click on the hello item at the start of the first row.
  2. Click on the ‘Vocab’ tab on the property sheet at the left.
  3. Click on ‘Select vocabulary item’.
  4. Click on want in the vocabulary list of all items
  5. Click OK.
  6. The Blissymbol for want should now be displayed in the selection set.

2.4 Saving an application

At this stage, it would be a good idea to save a copy of the Test application, using a different name, so that the original is left intact.

Ø  Save the application with another name:

  1. Select ‘Save application as’ on the File menu.
  2. Type in the new name (your first name, for example).
  3. Click OK to save the application with the new name.

The, after any future changes, you can save your application (with the same name) using the Save command (or click on ).

2.5 Running an application

Ø  Now run the application, to see what happens when you scan and select items:

  1. Select ‘Try it!!’ on the File menu (or click on ).
  2. The screen will go blank and then, after a pause, the application will be loaded into ComLink’s runtime environment (the ‘Runner’).
  3. Run the application using key ‘1’ on the keyboard to simulate a switch — you will be using the autoscan 1-switch method. Press ‘1’ to select a row or an item.
  4. Explore what happens when you select items, both those with a Blissymbol and those that are blank. Don’t forget to select the items which are coloured squares.

Note that the if you let the scan continue for three ‘rounds’, it will automatically exit and move up one level in the selection set hierarchy.

Ø  Use the Toolbar to change the scan time:

  1. Select ‘Toolbar’ on the Toolbar menu, to make the toolbar appear:
  2. Change the scan time using the control provided.
  3. Test out the new value. Note that the new setting applies as soon as you change it, but the toolbar remains visible. You can move the toolbar, if required, by dragging on its title bar.
  4. To accept the new value, click Accept. To revert to the previous value, click Revert. The toolbar disappears after you click either of these buttons.

2.6 Editor area

Initially, each output item appears on a new line in the Editor Area.

We will see later how, as an integrator , we can make the text continuous, with just a Space after each output.

Ø  Return to the Editing environment:

  1. Select ‘Exit’ on the File menu, or click on the Close Window icon.
  2. Wait while the Editing environment is restored.

Ø  Change the Editor Area font:

  1. Click on the Editor Area.
  2. Click the Font tab on its property sheet.
  3. Change some of the settings shown here — you will need to resize this window to see all the available controls — then try out your new design by selecting ‘Try it!!’ on the File menu (or clicking on ).

Revision

Now is the time to revise all the new skills you have learned.

You could, for example, set Blissymbols for the Display Items which are currently blank.

And, of course, do experiment with the menu commands and other options we have not described here.

3. Layout Editor — Integrator Level

By changing to integrator level, you’ll be able to make any design changes you wish to the Layout (and to other parts of the application).

Ø  Change user level to integrator :

  1. Select ‘User level’ on the Edit menu.
  2. Select ‘Integrator’ when the dialogue box appears, then click OK.

New menus appear in the menu bar at integrator level, and some of the previous menus have additional options. The menu changes are:

·  File menu now has: New layout, Import layout, Export layout.

·  Page menu is similar to previous Layout menu, but with extra options: New page, Delete page, Use as start page.

·  Arrange and Connect menus have been added.

3.1 Editor area

We promised above to see how, as an integrator, we can make the text in the Editor Area continuous, with just a Space after each output.

Ø  Change the display of text in the Editor Area:

  1. Click on the Editor Area.
  2. Click the Output tab on its property sheet (this tab is only shown at integrator level).
  3. Select one of the Text accumulation options:

·  Single item (only the latest text output is displayed)

·  Continuous text (new output is appended to the existing text)

·  Space between each item (new output is appended, after a Space, to the existing text)

·  Break for each item (new output is appended, on a new line, to the existing text)

  1. Try out the options in turn.

3.2 Actions

You can now see how selecting the coloured squares changed which Card Stack was displayed in the selection set.

Ø  Check action on select:

  1. Click on the coloured square item at the start of row 2 in the selection set.
  2. Click the Action tab in its property sheet.
  3. Note that the action to be taken, when the item is selected, is a Jump to a Card Stack.
  4. Make a note of the Card Stack named in Action link.
  5. Click on the corner tool of the large card stack, the background to the rows.
  6. Click on the first row and confirm it is the Card Stack specified for the above Jump — see the Card Stack’s name in the title bar of the property sheet.
  7. Click on any Display Item with a Blissymbol and note that the Select action is Default. This means that the word or other output will typically be sent to the Editor Area (but this behaviour can be modified using the Configuration editor).

3.3 Selection and activation

Ø  Select an item:

  1. Click on any Display Item in the selection set, for example ‘hello’:
  1. Note that the item’s frame now has handles (for resizing it) — it is selected. A selected object can be resized, moved, or deleted.
  2. Note also that the parent Card Stack now has a thick border — it has been automatically activated. An activated object defines the context for subsequent editing. For example, if a Card Stack is activated then the ‘Select All’ command on the Edit menu only selects the child items of that stack (‘the items in that row’). If no stack is activated, then all objects on the page are selected. Display Items and Card Stacks can only be edited when their parent stack (if they have one) is activated. But as you have seen, this activation happens automatically when you click on the child object.

Ø  Activate a stack: