Re: Auditory interface ideas, what would help?

  But if the user is only interested in searching files he/she is working on or 
responsible for, from a much larger project, this would be impractical.
  But sometimes a global browse is what you want. Perhaps the user could 
specify global or local search...
  --le


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Andreas Stefik 
  To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Friday, August 28, 2009 9:55 PM
  Subject: Re: Auditory interface ideas, what would help?


  Interesting idea Alex. Maybe the system could automatically sort all files in 
the development project, regardless of their hierarchy, then you can scroll or 
search with just a few keypresses?

  Might not be that tough to work up a protype and run a pilot for that one. 
Hmmm ...

  Stefik


  On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 5:30 PM, Alex Hall <mehgcap@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

    Multiple files... What about having a dialog that lets you add a bunch of 
files, and once they open, you can scan down through them like they were all in 
one file? Modifying text anywhere is immediate, but saving will update each 
file with any text added, even though the user felt like they were navigating 
one file. I hope this makes sense. Hotkeys for going up and down files, and a 
hotkey to invoke a list of all files and jump to the start of any one of them, 
would be needed, which brings us to hotkeys for code navigation. You said that 
part of the problem is switching focus to another window in which to type, but 
if you just popped up an edit box with an okay button, then returned focus to 
the code when the button was pressed or the dialog was closed, that may be 
easier; at least then there is no hotkey to get back to the code and no tabbing 
all over the place. Also, what about some hotkeys involving P for previous and 
N for next? Press one, and then select from a list of options (function, loop, 
condition, try, whatever). Each option could have a hotkey, so ctrl-p, f moves 
to the previous function. Far from ideal, but it is all I can think of.


    Have a great day,
    Alex
    New email address: mehgcap@xxxxxxxxx
      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Andreas Stefik 
      To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
      Sent: Friday, August 28, 2009 5:34 PM
      Subject: Re: Auditory interface ideas, what would help?


      When a sighted individual navigates code, the most often navigate it by 
scrolling, often very quickly, up and down the source looking for something 
they are interested in.

      Right now, we're working to build some tools that we will hope will make 
it easier to scan the code looking for items of interest only using audio. 
While failure is always an option, I'm really hoping we can make scanning just 
as fast for the blind. The most obvious example I can think of is a "navigator 
window" that jumps to the beginning of a method. This solution, while fine for 
the sighted, requires one to change focus to a new window, finding what you 
want by browsing (not searching), then typing a key to jump focus back and find 
what you want.

      Here's a couple possible ideas. None of them are perfect, just 
brainstorms:

      1. Press a key combination to jump to the "next point of interest." This 
might be the end of the current scope, the beginning of the next one, or 
whatever. A cue would indicate where you jumped.

      2. Have a series of hotkeys that jumps you to various places, like the 
"next" or "previous" method, the end or beginning of a loop, if, or other 
construct. Requiring someone to remember lots of hotkeys seems like a bad idea 
to me, but it's just a thought ...

      So yaa, that's two ideas. I know Sina has told me in the past that 
navigation amongst various files can be excruciating. Ideas related to that 
would be good as well. Search can obviously help, but we want an improved 
"browsing" experience as well.

      Hope that helps give you an idea of what I mean. Really, we're open to 
pretty much any wacky idea people can come up with, that folks think might help 
everyone program more effectively. 

      -- 
      Andreas Stefik, Ph.D.
      Department of Computer Science
      Southern Illinois University Edwardsville




  -- 
  Andreas Stefik, Ph.D.
  Department of Computer Science
  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

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