RE: Advanced Excel Tutorial with JAWS
- From: "Wade Hemmelrick" <cybershark35@xxxxxxx>
- To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 10:09:09 -0600
I do have the keystrokes and hints from JAWS 7 posted below. However, most
of these commands should work pretty well with earlier JAWS versions. Also,
you will find specific keystrokes and hints by opening your JAWS 5.1 Help
system. Furthermore, you might also find some relevant JAWS TSN's for Excel
by visiting the JAWS Headquarters link within
FreedomScientific.com.--HTH--WH
Microsoft Excel
Virtual Viewer Demos
With JAWSKey+F1 activated, the following sample blank workbook information
is displayed in the Virtual Viewer:
This is the spreadsheet area.
The worksheet name is Sheet1 and its number is 1.
The region spans a 1 through a 1
visible range is A1 through K31
0 of the 341 visible cells contain data.
There are 3 worksheets in the Book1 workbook.
To move to a particular worksheet use CTRL+SHIFT+S.
Gridlines are on
Surrounding Border of active cell:
Thin
Grid Line
The current settings file name is C:\Documents and Settings\Wade
Hemmelrick\Application Data\Freedom
Scientific\JAWS\7.0\Settings\enu\PersonalizedSettings\excel_Book1.JSI.
Say a list of some common Excel shortcuts JAWSKey+W
Say the coordinates of the current cell JAWSKey+C
Say a cell's formula CTRL+F2
Present the cell's formula in a message box CTRL+F2 twice quickly
Review selected cells JAWSKey+SHIFT+DOWN ARROW
Set or clear title, total or monitor cell definitions use the Verbosity
Dialog JAWSKey+V
Say the row title ALT+SHIFT+R
Say the column title ALT+SHIFT+C
Say the row total JAWSKey+DELETE
Say the column total JAWSKey+ENTER
Set up to 10 monitor cells for the current worksheet JAWSKey+SHIFT+1
through 0 on the number row
Say any of the ten monitor cells for this sheet ALT+SHIFT+1 through 0 on
the number row
Move to a monitor cell CTRL+SHIFT+M
Return to the last cell which had focus before moving to a monitor Cell
CTRL+SHIFT+`
Say the contents of the first 4 cells in the column ALT Key with 1 through
4 on the number row,
Say the contents of the first 4 cells in the row ALT+CTRL Key with 1
through 4 on the number row
Move to the prior or next worksheet CTRL+PAGE UP or CTRL+PAGE DOWN
Move to a particular worksheet CTRL+SHIFT+S
List cells with comments visible in the active window CTRL+SHIFT+'
Say a cell's comment if visible ALT+SHIFT+'
List cells with data visible in the active window CTRL+SHIFT+D
List cells with data in the current row CTRL+SHIFT+R
List cells with data in the current column CTRL+SHIFT+C
List cells at horizontal and vertical PageBreaks CTRL+SHIFT+B
Select an object on the worksheet CTRL+SHIFT+O
Select a hyperlink on the worksheet JAWSKey+F7
Say the hyperlink address for a cell containing a hyperlink ALT+SHIFT+H
Describe the border of the active cell ALT+SHIFT+B
Focus on the AutoFilter Menu CTRL+SHIFT+A
Announce the coordinates of the range of cells visible in the active window
ALT+SHIFT+V
Say the status of gridlines in the active window ALT+SHIFT+G
Say a list of some common JAWS keystrokes for Excel JAWSKey+H
Here are some Excel Keyboard shortcuts
Auto sum, use ALT+EQUALS
Go to cell, use F5
to start a formula, use equals
Select the entire column, use CTRL+SPACEBAR
Select the entire row, use SHIFT+SPACEBAR
use standard window selecting keystrokes to select specific cells
move to edge of data regions, use CTRL+ARROW Keys
Switch sheets, use CTRL+PAGE UP or CTRL+PAGE DOWN
Move left or right one screen, use ALT+PAGE UP or ALT+PAGE DOWN
to move to the end of any row or column
Use the END Key, then the ARROW Key in the desired direction
Selecting text, use combinations of CTRL and SHIFT with ARROWS, HOME, and
END
Insert the date, use control plus semicolon
Insert the time, use CTRL+SHIFT+SEMICOLON
Microsoft Excel for Windows is a powerful spreadsheet application. You can
use spreadsheets to collect and analyze information, including records,
lesson plans, notes, activity budgets, professional organization
information, and other data. You may want to use Excel for compiling
scientific data, weather journals, financial reports, nutritional diaries,
and legislative voting records. Please visit http://www.microsoft.com for
more information on Excel.
Note: The information in this section has been verified for Excel 2000
through 2003. The level of support JAWS provides for other versions of this
product may vary.
JAWS Commands for Excel
Informational Keystrokes for Columns
Informational Keystrokes for Rows
Miscellaneous Informational Keystrokes
Navigation Keystrokes
Selection Keystrokes
Configuration Keystrokes
Note: Many Excel features are also available in the Adjust JAWS Verbosity
dialog box. To access these verbosity options, press INSERT+V while you are
in Excel. Use the arrow keys to select an option, and then press the
SPACEBAR to cycle through the available settings.
Summary: JAWS Excel Commands
Description Command
Informational Keystrokes for Columns
List cells in current column CTRL+SHIFT+C
Read column total INSERT+NUM PAD ENTER
Say column title ALT+SHIFT+C
Set column titles to row ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+C
Set current column to the column containing row totals CTRL+INSERT+ENTER
Informational Keystrokes for Rows
List cells in current row CTRL+SHIFT+R
Read row total INSERT+DELETE
Say row title ALT+SHIFT+R
Set row titles to column ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+R
Set current row to the row containing column totals CTRL+INSERT+DELETE
Miscellaneous Informational Keystrokes
Describe cell border ALT+SHIFT+B
Lists cells at page break CTRL+SHIFT+B
List cells with comments CTRL+SHIFT+APOSTROPHE
Read cell comment ALT+SHIFT+APOSTROPHE
List Visible cells with data CTRL+SHIFT+D
List defined monitor cells CTRL+SHIFT+M
List worksheets CTRL+SHIFT+S
Say range of cells visible in active window ALT+SHIFT+V
Read hyperlink ALT+SHIFT+H
Report gridline status ALT+SHIFT+G
Say active cell coordinates INSERT+C
Say last cell navigated to when creating a formula CTRL+NUM PAD 5
Say Excel version CTRL+INSERT+V
Say contents of focus rectangle INSERT+N
Say cell font and attributes INSERT+F
Say formula CTRL+F2
Read spelling error and suggestion INSERT+F7
Display detailed cell appearance information INSERT+TAB twice quickly
Navigation Keystrokes
Move to prior screen in spreadsheet ALT+PAGE UP
Move to next screen in spreadsheet ALT+PAGE DOWN
Next Sheet CTRL+PAGE DOWN
Prior Sheet CTRL+PAGE UP
Move down to the edge of current data region CTRL+DOWN ARROW
Move up to the edge of current data region CTRL+UP ARROW
Move left to the edge of current data region CTRL+LEFT ARROW
Move right to the edge of current data region CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
Selection Keystrokes
Select column CTRL+SPACEBAR
Select hyperlink INSERT+F7
Select region CTRL+SHIFT+8
Select row SHIFT+SPACEBAR
Select worksheet objects CTRL+SHIFT+O
Collapse selection to current cell SHIFT+BACKSPACE
Configuration Keystrokes
Set monitor cell INSERT+SHIFT+1 through 0
Read monitor cell ALT+SHIFT+1 through 0
Formula input mode = (EQUALS)
AutoFilter CTRL+SHIFT+A
AutoSum ALT+EQUALS
Date stamp CTRL+; (SEMICOLON)
Time stamp CTRL+SHIFT+; (SEMICOLON)
Close Office Assistant CTRL+INSERT+F4
Command Descriptions for Excel
Auto Filter Use CTRL+SHIFT+A. Activates the auto filter for selected cells.
The cursor is placed in a list box from which All, Top 10, or Custom options
can be selected.
Auto Sum Use ALT+EQUALS. Automatically adds a group of user-defined cells.
It puts you in an edit mode in a particular cell where you can define the
cells to be summed.
Close Office Assistant Use CTRL+INSERT+F4. Closes the Office Assistant.
Collapse Selection to Active Cell Use SHIFT+BACKSPACE. Minimizes the
highlighted area of the current selection down to the active cell.
Column First Cell From Top Use ALT+1. Reads the first cell in the current
column.
Note: In Excel 95 this command and the next three listed here seems to
occasionally count the column header as a cell, so it is always one cell
off. This does not occur in Excel 97 or later.
Column Second Cell From Top Use ALT+2. Reads the second cell in the current
column.
Column Third Cell From Top Use ALT+3. Reads the third cell in the current
column.
Column Fourth Cell From Top Use ALT+4. Reads the fourth cell in the current
column.
Data Region Down Use CTRL+DOWN ARROW. Moves down to the edge of the current
data region. This keystroke moves the cursor to the last cell in the current
data region. If you are already on the last cell, it moves the cursor to the
first cell of the next data region. Blocks of empty cells can define a data
region.
Data Region Left Use CTRL+LEFT ARROW. Moves left to the edge of the current
data region. This keystroke moves the cursor to the first cell in the
current data region. If you are already on the first cell, it moves the
cursor to the last cell of the previous data region. Blocks of empty cells
can define a data region.
Data Region Right Use CTRL+RIGHT ARROW. Move right to the edge of the
current data region. This keystroke moves the cursor to the last cell in the
current data region. If you are already on the last cell, it moves the
cursor to the first cell of the next data region. Blocks of empty cells can
define a data region.
Data Region Up Use CTRL+UP ARROW. Moves up to the edge of the current data
region. This keystroke moves the cursor to the first cell in the current
data region. If you are already on the first cell, it moves the cursor to
the last cell of the previous data region. Blocks of empty cells can define
a data region.
Date Stamp Use CTRL+SEMICOLON. Puts the date in the current cell.
Describe Cell Border Use ALT+SHIFT+B. Reads and describes the border around
the active cell. The description includes the line style and weight of the
top, right, bottom and left borders. If all borders are the same, JAWS
announces "surrounding border" rather than the individual border names.
Display Detailed Cell Appearance Information Use INSERT+TAB twice quickly.
Displays detailed information regarding the visual appearance of the current
cell in the Virtual Viewer.
Formula Mode Use EQUALS. Activates the formula input mode. You can use this
keystroke to type a formula in the current cell location.
List Cells At Page Break Use CTRL+SHIFT+B. Locates cells that mark vertical
or horizontal page break boundaries.
List Cells With Comments Use CTRL+SHIFT+APOSTROPHE. Lists all of the cells
in the visible window that have an attached comment. This allows you to
quickly locate any visible cells that may provide important information
about the spreadsheet.
List Column Use CTRL+SHIFT+C. Lists the cells in the current column that
contain data. This allows you to set focus on the selected cell.
List Row Use CTRL+SHIFT+R. Lists the cells in the current row that contain
data. This allows you to set focus on the selected cell.
List Visible Cells With Data Use CTRL+SHIFT+D. Lists only the cells with
data, which are visible on the screen. This enables you to quickly access
relevant cells that are visible on the current screen, skipping blank cells.
Move To Monitor Cell Use CTRL+SHIFT+M. Lists the defined monitor cells for
the current sheet and moves directly to the selected cell.
Move To Worksheet Use CTRL+SHIFT+S. Lists the worksheets in the current
workbook and allows you to quickly set focus on the first cell in the
selected worksheet.
Next Sheet Use CTRL+PAGE DOWN. Moves the focus to the next spreadsheet.
Prior Sheet Use CTRL+PAGE UP. Moves the focus to the prior spreadsheet.
Read Cell Comment Use ALT+SHIFT+APOSTROPHE. Reads a cell comment if there
is one.
Read Cell Hyperlink Use ALT+SHIFT+H. Reads a hyperlink associated with the
selected cell.
Read Column Total Use INSERT+NUM PAD ENTER. To define the column containing
totals, press CTRL+INSERT+NUM PAD ENTER.
Read Row Total Use INSERT+DELETE. Automatically reads the current row
total. To define the row containing totals, press CTRL+INSERT+NUM PAD
DELETE.
Read Monitor Cell Use ALT+SHIFT+1 through 0. Reads the monitor cell. Use
ALT+SHIFT+1 to read the first monitor cell.
Report Gridline Status Use ALT+SHIFT+G. Announces whether or not gridlines
are enabled on the active spreadsheet.
Row First Cell From Left Use ALT+CTRL+1. Reads the first cell in the
current row.
Row Second Cell From Left Use ALT+CTRL+2. Reads the second cell in the
current row.
Row Third Cell From Left Use ALT+CTRL+3. Reads the third cell in the
current row.
Row Fourth Cell From Left Use ALT+CTRL+4. Reads the fourth cell in the
current row.
Say Active Cell Coordinates Use INSERT+C. Announces the coordinates of the
active cell. Press INSERT+C twice quickly to spell out the coordinates.
Press INSERT+C three times quickly to hear the coordinates of the active
cell announced phonetically.
Say last cell navigated to when creating a formula Use CTRL+NUM PAD 5.
Announces the coordinates of the last cell you navigated to when you are
creating a formula.
Say Column Title Use ALT+SHIFT+C. Announces the column title of the active
column.
Say Excel Version Use CTRL+INSERT+V. Announces the Excel version.
Say Focus Rectangle Use INSERT+N. Announces the contents of the focus
rectangle.
Say Font Use INSERT+F. Announces cell's font among other attributes,
including horizontal and vertical alignment, as well as its width and
height.
Say Formula Use CTRL+F2. Reads the formula that is in the current cell. If
the keystroke is pressed twice quickly, the formula is displayed in a
message box so that you can easily review it with the JAWS cursor.
Say Row Title Use ALT+SHIFT+R. Announces the title of the row.
Say Visible Range Coordinates Use ALT+SHIFT+V. Announces the range of cells
visible in the active window. For example, A1 to J17, and so on.
Screen Left Use ALT+PAGE UP. Moves focus to the prior screen in this
spreadsheet.
Screen Right Use ALT+PAGE DOWN. Moves focus to the next screen in this
spreadsheet.
Select Column Use CTRL+SPACEBAR. Selects the entire column of an active
cell.
Select Hyperlink Use INSERT+F7. Assembles hyperlinks on an active
spreadsheet into a list. This allows you to select the desired link to a
target document.
Select Region Use CTRL+SHIFT+8. Selects the current region.
Select Row Use SHIFT+SPACEBAR. Selects the entire row of the active cell.
Select Worksheet Objects Use CTRL+SHIFT+O. Selects and activates objects in
the drawing layer of the spreadsheet. These objects can be auto shapes, form
controls, OLE objects, and so on. This keystroke displays a list of the
shapes on the active worksheet and allows a shape to be selected (given
focus and activated). Currently only shapes whose OnAction property contains
the name of a valid macro can be activated.
Set Column Titles To Row Use ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+C. Defines the current row as
the row containing column titles.
Set Row Titles To Column Use ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+R. Defines the current column
as the column containing row titles.
Set Total Column To Current Use CTRL+INSERT+ENTER. Sets the current column
as the column containing row totals.
Set Total Row To Current Use CTRL+INSERT+DELETE. Sets the current row as
the row containing column totals.
Set Monitor Cell Use INSERT+SHIFT+1 through 0. Sets the monitoring on
different cells. Use INSERT+SHIFT+1 for the first cell that you are
monitoring.
Spell Check Use INSERT+F7. Reads the spelling error and suggested
replacement word using Spell Checker.
Time Stamp Use CTRL+SHIFT+SEMICOLON. Announces the time and inserts it into
the active current field.
Excel Getting Started
There are no special installation or setup requirements to run this product
with JAWS. Simply start the program using normal procedures. Refer to the
product's online help system as required, using ALT+H to select the
software's built in help topics. If you need assistance with JAWS commands
or want to know what new features have been added that JAWS supports, use
INSERT+F1+F1.
Excel Helpful Hints
Excel Row and Column Title Reading
Monitor Cells in Excel
Region Specific Excel Settings
Creating a Custom Summary in Excel
Saving JAWS Excel Settings
Excel Braille Modes
Reading Excel Charts
Miscellaneous Excel Hints
Excel Row and Column Title Reading
Defining Row and Column Titles
Before JAWS can read the titles of cells within a spreadsheet, you must
specify which columns and/or rows contain those titles. To define row
titles, move to the column containing the row titles and press
ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+R. To define column titles, move to the row containing the
column titles and press ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+C.
Tip: You can also press INSERT+V to use the Adjust JAWS Verbosity dialog box
to define row and column titles.
Alternatively, you can use Excel's naming function to specify which rows and
columns contain cell titles. Using names instead of JAWS commands makes the
spreadsheet accessible to any user of JAWS 6.10 or later. There is no need
to provide other users with the spreadsheet's .jsi file because the row and
column title information is saved in the worksheet. This feature allows any
spreadsheet author to define row and column titles without installing or
using JAWS.
To use names to define row and column titles, do the following:
1. Move to the first cell in the column or row containing the titles. If the
spreadsheet contains both row and column titles, move to the cell where
these two intersect.
2. From the Insert menu, select Name and press RIGHT ARROW.
3. Select Define and press ENTER.
4. If the column contains row titles, type "RowTitle" and press ENTER. If
the row contains column titles, type "ColumnTitle" and press ENTER. If the
cell is the intersection of both row and column titles, type "Title" and
press ENTER.
If you are defining column/row titles for any worksheet other than worksheet
1, you must add the number of the worksheet after "RowTitle," "ColumnTitle,"
or "Title." For example, if you are defining a row containing column titles
in worksheet 4, you would type "ColumnTitle4." To hear which worksheet you
are in, press INSERT+F1.
Tip: You can define more than one row or column as a title range. For
example, if you want to define rows 1 and 2 as column titles, select both
rows and then assign the name "ColumnTitle" to them.
JAWS can now recognize the cell as the beginning of a range of row and/or
column titles. If a particular worksheet within a workbook has title rows
and/or columns defined using this feature, you cannot use the standard JAWS
method for defining title rows and/or columns. However, if another worksheet
in the same workbook does not have row and column titles defined using the
Excel naming function, you can use the standard JAWS method. In addition,
you cannot use this feature if the spreadsheet contains multiple regions.
Overriding Named Titles
Any JAWS user can override row and column title information provided by the
spreadsheet author. To do this, press INSERT+V while you are in Excel to
open the Adjust JAWS Verbosity dialog box. Select "Override Named Titles"
and use the SPACEBAR to cycle through the available options. Choose "On for
the current file" to override named titles only in the currently open
spreadsheet. Choose "On for all files" to override named titles in all
spreadsheets that you open in Excel. If you want to use the row and column
title information provided by the author again, choose "Off."
Defining Row and Column Titles for Worksheets with Multiple Regions
You can define individual row and/or column titles for different regions in
the same workbook. To define a row and/or column title for region, you use
the same procedure described in Defining Row and Column Titles to assign a
specifc name to a cell in the heading row and/or column. However, you must
use the following procedure when defining names for row and column titles
that are specific to one region:
1. Type "TitleRegion," "RowTitleRegion," or "ColumnTitleRegion" depending on
whether this cell is in the heading row, heading column, or both.
2. Type the region number. For example, you would type a "1" if the cells
were in the first region. There should be no space between the previous text
and this number.
3. Type a period followed by the coordinates of the top, left cell in the
region (for example, "A1").
4. Type a period followed by the coordinates of the bottom, right cell in
the region (for example, "N9").
5. Type a period followed by the worksheet number. For example, you would
type a "1" if the cell was in worksheet 1.
For example, assume you have a spreadsheet with a region whose boundaries
are row 1 at column A and row 9 at column N. It also has a second region
with boundaries of row 10 at column C and row 14 at column D. Both regions
are on worksheet 1. To define row 1 as the row containing column headers for
the cells in the first region, you would assign the following name to cell
A1: ColumnTitleRegion1.A1.N9.1. To define row 9 as the row containing column
headers for the cells in the second region, you would assign the following
name to cell C10: ColumnTitleRegion2.C10.D14.1.
Changing Title Reading Options
You can change how JAWS reads row and column titles you have defined in the
Excel verbosity options. Press INSERT+V, select "Title Reading," and press
the SPACEBAR to choose one of the following:
Off JAWS does not announce row or column titles.
Read Row Titles When you move to a different row, JAWS reads the row
title. JAWS does not announce column titles.
Read Column Titles When you move to a different column, JAWS reads the
column title. JAWS does not announce row titles.
Read Both Titles When you move to a different column, JAWS reads the
column title. When you move to a different row, JAWS reads the row title.
Reading Columns and Rows Containing Totals
You can indicate which columns and/or rows contain the total of values in
other cells. If the spreadsheet calculates column totals, move to the row
containing these totals and press CTRL+INSERT+DELETE. If the spreadsheet
calculates row totals, move to the column containing these totals and press
CTRL+INSERT+ENTER.
Tip: You can also press INSERT+V to use the Adjust JAWS Verbosity dialog box
to specify which row and column contains totals.
After you have defined the row that contains column totals, you can press
INSERT+DELETE to hear the total for the current column. Similarly, after you
have defined the column that contains row totals, you can press INSERT+ENTER
to hear the total for the current row.
JAWS only reads the value displayed in the totals row/column and does not
automatically perform the necessary calculations. You must use Excel to
insert a formula that will calculate the total of a given range of cells.
For more information on using formulas, refer to Miscellaneous Excel Hints.
Reading Visible Rows and Columns of a Spreadsheet
JAWS provides keystrokes to read only the portion of the spreadsheet that is
visible on the screen. If Title reading is enabled, pressing these
keystrokes reads the appropriate title cells followed by the visible cells'
contents.
Description Keystroke
Read visible row INSERT+UP ARROW
Read visible row to current cell INSERT+HOME
Read visible row from current cell INSERT+PAGE UP
Read visible column INSERT+CTRL+UP ARROW
Read visible column to current cell INSERT+CTRL+HOME
Read visible column from current cell INSERT+CTRL+PAGE UP
Using One Settings File for Similar Spreadsheets with Different File Names
When you define settings like row and column titles and totals, you may want
these settings to be available for other versions of the spreadsheet that
have different names. For example, suppose that you define row and column
totals for a spreadsheet named Sales1.xls. This spreadsheet is updated each
month, and the name is changed accordingly. Therefore, next month's
spreadsheet will be named Sales2.xls and so on. However, by default, JAWS
only loads settings (.jsi) files for spreadsheets with the same file name.
JAWS will not use settings you defined for Sales1.xls for Sales2.xls.
However, JAWS provides a feature that allows you to apply an existing
settings file to a spreadsheet with a different name that is similar in
design. To use this feature, open the spreadsheet in Excel, press INSERT+V,
select the option "Workbook Settings," and press the SPACEBAR to choose
"Best Match." JAWS searches for the closest matching settings file available
and applies it to the current workbook. In the previous example, the
spreadsheet Sales2.xls would use the settings file you created for
Sales1.xls (excel_Sales1.xls.jsi). This feature makes it easy to apply your
verbosity settings to subsequent versions of a spreadsheet without creating
new a file each time the name changes.
Monitor Cells in Excel
Ten monitor cells can be set per worksheet. These monitor cells are
remembered as you move in and out of the worksheet. You can actually monitor
a range of cells as well. Select the range of cells before assigning the
monitor keystroke, and then when the monitor keystroke for that cell is
pressed, JAWS reads the range of cells.
Use INSERT+SHIFT+1 through 0 to set the monitor cells. You can also use the
Adjust JAWS Verbosity dialog to set the next available monitor cell to the
current cell. To read the monitor cells use ALT+SHIFT+1 through 0. When
reading monitor cells, JAWS also reads the cell's coordinates. In addition,
JAWS announces the title of the cell if you have selected the corresponding
Title Reading option in the Excel verbosity options.
Tip: If you do not want JAWS to announce the titles of monitor cells, press
INSERT+V, select "Announce Monitor Cell Titles," and press the SPACEBAR to
choose "Off."
List the monitored cells by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+M. The coordinates and
contents of each defined monitor cell are listed in the dialog. If the
monitor cell is a range, then the coordinates of the range are displayed.
You can choose to move to the monitor cell from this dialog.
Another Verbosity item is now available to delete all monitor cells for the
current worksheet. When you select this option using the arrow keys, JAWS
announces the number of monitor cells currently assigned to the active
worksheet.
Return to Previous Cell from Monitor Cell
After you use CTRL+SHIFT+M to move to a monitor cell, you can now easily
move back to your position immediately before you moved to the monitor cell
with CTRL+SHIFT+GRAVE.
Region Specific Excel Settings
Title and total reading can be set on a region-by-region basis, and JAWS
automatically uses the settings as you move into the relevant region. JAWS
also tells you when you move into a new region. Now you can have adjacent
tables on the same worksheet.
By default, single region support is enabled. To enable multiple region
support, press INSERT+V to open the Adjust JAWS Verbosity dialog, move to
Region, and press SPACEBAR to toggle the setting.
Note: When using single region support, the entire worksheet is treated as
one region for title and total reading.
There are two ways to define a region:
Define a range of cells as a region
Use Excel's default definition of a region
Defining a Region
To define a region within Excel:
1. Select the entire scope of the cells you want included in the region.
2. Select Insert, Name, Define.
3. Type in a name for the region and press ENTER.
The advantage to naming your own region is to include blank rows and
columns. JAWS stores the region names in a *.jsi file.
Excel's Default Definition of a Region
By default, Excel defines a region as a group of contiguous cells containing
data. The edges of the region are determined by a surrounding row and column
of empty cells. This means a default Excel region cannot contain a row or
column of blank cells.
JAWS looks only in the current region to calculate row or column totals. If
you request a row or column total and there is an adjacent table, JAWS finds
the accurate total.
Limitations of Multiple Region Support
Multiple region support is designed to enhance the functionality of row and
column title reading as well as row and column total reading. It is not
designed to support all JAWS Excel commands. Many JAWS Excel commands do not
recognize multiple regions. Some of these commands are:
List Cells in Current Column (CTRL+SHIFT+C)
List Cells in Current Row (CTRL+SHIFT+R)
Lists cells at page break (CTRL+SHIFT+B)
List cells with comments (CTRL+SHIFT+APOSTROPHE)
List Visible cells with data (CTRL+SHIFT+D)
There are also a few other commands that do not apply to multiple region
support as they do not list information from spreadsheet cells, such as the
List Worksheets command (CTRL+SHIFT+S).
Creating a Custom Summary in Excel
The Custom Summary feature allows you to create a snapshot of important data
from a worksheet, such as monthly totals, grand totals, and so on. You
define which cells appear in the custom summary by assigning labels to them.
The summary then displays the contents of all the specified cells. The
summary contains links, allowing you to move quickly to any of the cells. If
the worksheet's data changes after the custom summary is created, the same
summary can be used to obtain the new information.
Tip: When the focus moves to a worksheet with a custom summary, JAWS
indicates that a summary is available.
To create a custom summary, you must assign custom summary labels to each
cell or range of cells that you want to include. Do the following to assign
labels to cells in the current worksheet:
1. Select the cell or range of cells that you want to include in the
summary.
2. Press INSERT+F2, select "Custom Summary Labels," and press ENTER.
Alternatively, you can press CTRL+INSERT+TAB. The dialog box that appears
allows you to add, change, delete, and reorder custom summary labels.
3. Choose the Add button.
4. Type the text you want to use for the label and press ENTER.
5. If you want to change or delete any label you have created, select it in
the list and choose either the Change or Remove button. If you want to
delete all the labels you have created, choose the Remove All button. When
you are satisfied with the name and position of the label, choose the OK
button.
Tip: The order of the labels in the list determines the order in which they
appear when you view the custom summary. To change the position of a label,
select it from the list and then use the Move Up and Move Down buttons.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 until you have labeled all cells that you want
to include in the summary.
When you are finished assigning labels, you can view your custom summary.
Changing or Deleting a Custom Summary Label
To change or delete a custom summary label, select the cell or range of
cells the label is assigned to and press CTRL+INSERT+TAB. To change the name
of the label, choose the Change button. Then, type some new text for the
custom label and press ENTER. To delete the label, choose the Remove button.
To remove all custom summary labels in the current worksheet, press
INSERT+F2 while in any cell that does not have a custom summary label. Then,
select "Custom Summary Labels" and choose Remove All.
Viewing the Custom Summary
Once you have assigned labels to all the cells you want to include in the
summary, you are ready to view the custom summary. Press INSERT+F2, select
"View Custom Summary," and press ENTER. The name of each cell that you
labeled appears, along with its contents. Alternatively, you can press
CTRL+INSERT+SHIFT+TAB to view the summary at any time. JAWS displays summary
information for all worksheets that have custom summary labels assigned.
Each item in the summary has a link that you can activate by pressing ENTER.
Activating the link moves you to the location of that cell in the worksheet.
If the label is assigned to a range of cells, JAWS moves you to the first
cell in the range.
Tip: You can press INSERT+F7 while the custom summary is displayed to view a
list of all links in the summary.
Saving JAWS Excel Settings
JAWS remembers your Verbosity settings for all Microsoft Excel specific
Verbosity settings across sessions. Excel specific verbosity settings
include: cell reading, selection reading, detect cell number format change,
and detect cell border change.
Workbook Settings
Workbook Settings in the Adjust JAWS Verbosity dialog contains three
settings: Exact Match, Best Match, and New JSI File. Workbook Settings
determine what settings to use to read a particular workbook. If you often
receive workbooks that contain similar setups, for instance, if you receive
a workbook every month for which you can use the same title, total, and
monitor settings, you would not want to have to set these features for every
new workbook. Now with JAWS Workbook Settings, if you choose Best Match,
JAWS determines which of your settings files best matches the current
workbook, and automatically loads these settings.
Note: If you change Verbosity settings while Best Match is selected, the
changes are saved to the JSI file specified under Workbook Settings, Best
Match.
If you only want settings to load if they are designed for a particular
workbook, choose Exact Match.
If you need to modify Verbosity settings for a workbook that uses Best Match
settings, but need to keep the specified JSI file unchanged for use with
other files, select New JSI File, press ENTER to exit the Verbosity dialog,
and then reopen the Verbosity dialog and make your changes. Workbook
Settings will be set to Exact Match, with a JSI file specified for the
current workbook.
Excel Braille Modes
Use the Braille Mode Verbosity option when you use Structured Mode for your
Braille display. With the Braille Mode Verbosity option, you may choose
between three different Structured Modes while navigating an Excel
spreadsheet.
Cell View is the classical view, which shows the active cells' coordinates,
column and row titles where appropriate, cell content, cell formula, cell
comment, cell hyperlink address, row total, monitor cells, etc.
Row Mode shows up to 9 cells surrounding the active cell in the current row.
Blank cells are shown with a minus (dots 3-6). The active cell is always the
middle piece of data unless you are at the beginning or end of the row,
where it is then the first or last piece of data shown. The coordinates of
the active cell are always shown immediately before the active cell contents
so it is easy to locate the focus on the display.
Column View shows up to 9 cells surrounding the active cell in the current
column. The active cell is the middle piece of data, unless you are at the
beginning or end of a column, and then the active cell is the first or last
piece of data shown. Blank cells are indicated with a minus sign (dots 3-6).
The coordinates of the active cell always precede the active cell so it is
easy to locate the focus on the display.
Note: When you press F2 to edit a cell's contents, Line Mode is activated,
so the caret is tracked while you edit.
Reading Excel Charts
Once a chart in Excel gains focus, JAWS reads it using the Virtual Cursor.
You may navigate the same as you would on a web page in Internet Explorer.
Once you finish using the Virtual Cursor, press ESC to return to the
worksheet.
If you try to use the Select Worksheet Objects function when a chart is
already active, a bug in Excel prevents another object from being selected.
You must first press ESC to deactivate the chart before trying to select
another chart.
JAWS now recognizes and speaks the types and titles of all 14 chart types
and 73 subtypes, though detailed descriptions are only available for line,
bar, column, cylinder, pyramid, cone, pie, doughnut and xy-scatter charts
and for their subtypes.
Note: Trend lines are not yet described.
Chart descriptions are spoken when a chart has focus and you press
INSERT+F1.
An Example Of a Chart Description:
Chart type.
Chart title.
Axes titles.
Number of series.
Each series is described, beginning with its legend, followed by the number
of points in the series.
The point number, data label (if it has one), category name, and value
describe each point.
When charts are described for which percentage contributions are not spoken,
and if there are several contiguous categories with the same value, rather
than announcing each identical point or bar, JAWS collects the items and
speaks the range.
Miscellaneous Excel Hints
The JAWS keystroke INSERT+F identifies four kinds of underline styles
instead of just stating if underlining is on or off.
INSERT+5 and INSERT+F (when the color has been changed from the default)
correctly identify the cell's text color.
JAWS automatically selects a file listed in the Open or Save As list views
when JAWS is set at Beginner Verbosity.
Screen Sensitive Help in the worksheet states the number of worksheets in
the current workbook. CTRL+PAGE UP or CTRL+PAGE DOWN and CTRL+SHIFT+S can be
used to move between other sheets.
Cell Appearance Information
You can now press INSERT+TAB twice while in a cell to display detailed
information regarding the visual appearance of that cell in the virtual
viewer. JAWS displays the width of the column, whether the text is entirely
visible, the height of the cell if greater than one line, whether the text
has been shrunk or rotated, the cell's vertical and horizontal alignment,
font information, the presence of any inverted negative numbers and their
color, the indentation level, and the number format.
Creating Formulas
When you create a formula in Excel, you can navigate to and select a cell or
range of cells in another workbook or worksheet in order to use that data as
part of the formula. When you create a formula this way, JAWS makes it
easier to navigate to the cells containing the data you want to include by
announcing the name of the active worksheet/workbook.
To begin creating a formula, type an equal sign (=) in a cell. Then, switch
to the worksheet/workbook containing the data you want to use in your
formula. Select the cell or range of cells you want to reference and press
ENTER. If necessary, you can press CTRL+NUM PAD 5 to hear the coordinates of
the last cell you navigated to. Excel creates the formula and the focus
returns to the cell (and workbook/worksheet) containing the new formula.
At any time, you can press INSERT+TAB or INSERT+C to hear the name and
worksheet of the cell where the formula is being created. Similarly, you can
use the Say Line command (INSERT+UP ARROW) at any time to read the formula.
If you want to cancel the formula and return to that cell in the
workbook/worksheet, press ESC.
Beginner Verbosity
When you navigate a spreadsheet at the Beginner verbosity level, JAWS
announces "has comment" if a cell has an attached comment, "has formula" if
a cell contains a formula, and "has hyperlink" if the cell has an associated
hyperlink.
Maximum Number of Rows
The maximum number of rows in a column is 65536, but JAWS only looks at the
first 256 when listing cells with data in the current column (CTRL+SHIFT+C)
If you would like JAWS to search more rows for data, change the maximum
allowable rows to search by reassigning the constant called MaxRowsToSearch
in the excel.jsh file. Please note that this constant cannot be more than
the maximum allowable integer value permitted by JAWS script language.
Position Information
Position Information is a Verbosity Option set in the JAWS Configuration
Manager. At the Advanced level it is typically turned off. For Excel this
setting is turned on. Position Information is useful when working in tables.
When your cursor moves to a new row or column you are informed. To turn this
feature off, activate the JAWS Configuration Manager while working in Excel.
Select Verbosity Options from the Set Options menu. Press the TAB key to
move to the Advanced Preferences button. Press ENTER on that button, and you
can check or uncheck any of these checkboxes, including the one for Position
Information.
Merged Cells
In Excel, you can merge two or more cells into a single cell. When you
select a merged cell, JAWS announces the range of the cells included in the
merger. For example, if you merge cells A1, B1, and C1, JAWS says, "A1
through C1" when you select the cell.
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