Please forgive the cross-posting, this involves JAWS scripting as well
as PHP and JavaScript programming.
In case anyone is interested in the product, or the methods to achieve
it, I've created a fully accessible web chat implementation, which can
be downloaded and tested from
http://gutterstar.net/dynamic_live_chat.php
My goal was to determine if JAWS scripts could be adapted to fully
support a specific web application, and to be able to maintain that
support across any domain throughout the web. Happily, they do, and it
works.
For the JAWS scripting comunity, the JAWS scripts work on a timer, which
monitors incoming messages as they arrive.
This would work much better though, if JAWS had a built in event such as
DOMElementChangedEvent()
Which could be used to return the lowest level DOM element object
whenever a change is detected in the live DOM. This would be incredibly
helpful when developing script packages for totally web based
applications. The ID attribute could then be checked within the event,
and compared to the desired result, much in the same manner as the
NewTextEvent returns the handle of the window where the new text is
written. The difference being, that all of the attributes would be
accessible from the returned element object.
If we make enough noise about such an addition to new releases of JAWS,
perhaps such an event could be added, thus increasing our scope for
scripting solutions that would encorporate an otherwise untapped market.
For the PHP and JavaScript programmers, here is the excerpts from the
FAQ and msgConfig files, that detail exactly what the live chat
application is capable of.
*** Excerpt from the FAQ
What are the scripts for?
These JAWS scripts are designed to make the Dynamic Live Chat Plugin
accessible for JAWS users. Further details regarding the Dynamic Live
Chat Plugin can be found at
http://gutterstar.net/dynamic_live_chat.php
How do the scripts work?
The Dynamic Live Chat Scripts integrate directly with the default JAWS
Internet Explorer scripts, causing the scripts to initiate automatically
during navigation.
These scripts are not domain specific, but rather, are automatically
aware of the Dynamic Live Chat Plugin embedded within the page. As a
result, these scripts will work with any implementation of the Dynamic
Live Chat Plugin, on any page, anywhere around the world.
So what exactly do the scripts do?
When a JAWS user navigates within the Dynamic Live Chat section, the
scripts start monitoring the latest incoming messages.
Whenever a new message appears, JAWS will automatically announce the new
message text. In this manner, the Dynamic Live Chat Plugin will operate
in similar fashion to any instant messenger... The main differences
being: The Dynamic Live Chat Plugin is accessible to anyone viewing the
page at any time, no additional software is required for use, and
usability is completely automatic whenever the Dynamic Live Chat Plugin
is encountered on the web.
Moreover, the scripts are designed to handle embedded frames (by
default, up to four levels deep), which will allow the scripts to
recognize the Dynamic Live Chat Plugin within embedded frames, and
operate correctly.
Usage Notes
Simply navigate within the Dynamic Live Chat section using the arrow
keys, tab, or header navigation commands. This will automatically cause
new messages to be announced as they arrive.
Known Bugs
In some cases, using the Form Field navigation commands, such as F and
Shift+F, will not be sufficient to initiate the scripts. To correct
this, simply press the up or down arrow key to invoke the scripts.
*** Copied from the msgConfig file
<?
/* To install the GutterStar.net Live Chat Plugin, simply confirm all of
the desired settings below, then complete the installation by following
the steps at the end of this file.
Server Requirements: PHP4, and a JavaScript enabled browser.
*/
/* Choose whether you want the chat message section to be displayed
above the input form in chronological order, or beneath the form in
reverse order. */
$chat_section_above_form = true;
/* Choose the maximum number of messages to display at one time. All
remaining messages will not be saved at runtime. */
$maxMsgs = 10;
/* Confirm your message table format options. Though the table tag
attributes can be freely changed, the table tag itself is necessary, as
are the TR and TD tags to indicate row and cell divisions. */
$table_head = '<table style="color: #191970; font-size: 1em;">';
$table_row_start = '<tr style="margin: 2px 10px 3px 10px;"><td>';
$table_row_end = '</td></tr>';
/* Confirm your shared message file name. This must have a php
extension.
If you wish to include subject-oriented chat rooms on each page instead,
all of which are only specific to that particular page, then leave the
$file variable blank. */
$file = '';
/* Do you want the main chat section to open automatically when the page
loads? true or false */
$startChatAuto = true;
/*
Now, to complete the installation, follow these steps.
1. Insert the following line of code within the PHP page where you want
to display the chat script.
<? include("msgChatInsert.php"); ?>
2. Upload all of the chat script files, including the PHP page where the
Main Chat Section will be displayed, to the same folder on your server.
3. Now, change the file permissions for all of the following files to
755 to allow execution.
msg.date.format.js
msgChat.js
msgGet.js.php
msgSub.js.php
(Don't forget to include the file that will be displaying the chat
script. This too should have a permission of 755.)
Remember: All file names are case sensitive.
That's it! You're all set! The message file will automatically be
created when the first message is submitted.
*/
?>
Enjoy,
Bryan Garaventa
__________
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