The Braille engine for BrailleBlaster is liblouisutdml. It is written in C and has extensive Java bindings. You could use it directly to produce files for embossing. By design it does not include any embosser drivers. However, most embossers will produce good braille if you simply send them a text file with the proper number of chatacters per line, lines per page, and forms feeds. Specific drivers are needed only for special features. BrailleBlaster will have these drivers. The user will go through a simple setup procedure for a particular embosser. Your question raises another. BrailleBlaster is a desktop application written in Java. Is there a way to connect it to other Java applications so that the latter can make use of its features. In this case the user interface would not be displayed, but the other application could make use of its capabilities. BrailleBlaster does have subcommands like those in Subversion and mercurial, so that it can be called to do tasks like translating and embossing from the command line. Since it is in Java, maybe there is a way to callit directly from within the JRE without having to use something like ProcessBuilder. John On Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 09:04:18AM -0500, Andreas Stefik wrote: > Hey John, > > This might be a stupid question, but our team has been looking into a > way to add Braille printing into Sodbeans, as the teachers we are > working with have requested it. Is something like braille blaster one > technique for how we would do that? And how hard is it to add such > functionality into an application, do you think? Do you need to do > some kind of network scanning to find appropriate printers, or how > does that work? > > I don't know much about this area. No pressure, but if you have any > advice, it would be welcome, > > Stefik > > On Thu, Jun 9, 2011 at 3:54 PM, John J. Boyer > <john.boyer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > Rick, > > > > BrailleBlaster will work with as many embossers as we can get drivers > > for. Of course, most embossers will produce plain, properly formated > > braille if just sent text with the proper number of cells per line, > > lines per page, and forms-feeds. So the generic embosser driver willo be > > the first to be implemented. BrailleBlaster will also produce files for > > reading on Braille displays. I think interfaces are mostly an OS matter. > > If we have to do anything, we'll take care of it when we reach that > > stage of development. > > > > John > > > > On Thu, Jun 09, 2011 at 01:04:20PM -0700, Rick Watson wrote: > >> Hi John, > >> what kinds of embossers will brailleblaster work with. > >> also what kinds of interfaces. I am looking for something which will work > >> on a mac and use a network print server. > >> > >> thanks > >> rick > >> > >> software developer > >> Paul Ecke Ranch > >> mailto:rwatson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > >> www.Ecke.com > >> Tel. (760)944-4007 > >> (760) 753-1134 Ext 4007 > >> > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > >> [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John J. Boyer > >> Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2011 4:01 PM > >> To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > >> Subject: Re: JFace > >> > >> Jim, > >> > >> For BrailleBlaster I use FormLayout. It's quite intuitive, once you get > >> used to it. > >> > >> John > >> > >> On Thu, Jun 09, 2011 at 03:29:35PM -0400, James Homme wrote: > >> > Hi John, > >> > I was hoping they had layout managers or something that would make > >> > laying out GUI's easier. > >> > > >> > Jim > >> > > >> > -----Original Message----- > >> > From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > >> > [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John J. Boyer > >> > Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2011 3:28 PM > >> > To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > >> > Subject: Re: JFace > >> > > >> > Jim, > >> > > >> > Now I recognize it. I looked into it, but it seems to deal mostly with > >> > tables and graphics. We might use it somewhere down the road. > >> > > >> > John > >> > > >> > On Thu, Jun 09, 2011 at 02:12:47PM -0400, James Homme wrote: > >> > > Hi, > >> > > I may have made a mistake when I was talking about JFX. See this page. > >> > > http://wiki.eclipse.org/index.php/JFace > >> > > > >> > > Jim > >> > > > >> > > Jim Homme, > >> > > Usability Services, > >> > > Phone: 412-544-1810. > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > ________________________________ > >> > > This e-mail and any attachments to it are confidential and are > >> > > intended solely for use of the individual or entity to whom they are > >> > > addressed. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify > >> > > the sender immediately and then delete it. If you are not the intended > >> > > recipient, you must not keep, use, disclose, copy or distribute this > >> > > e-mail without the author's prior permission. The views expressed in > >> > > this e-mail message do not necessarily represent the views of Highmark > >> > > Inc., its subsidiaries, or affiliates. > >> > > >> > -- > >> > John J. 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If you are not the intended recipient, you should delete this > >> communication, including any attachments without reading or saving them in > >> any manner, and you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, or > >> distribution of this communication, or the taking of any action based on > >> it, is strictly prohibited. > >> > >> Proporcionando integridad, innovaci?n, y soluciones para cultivadores por > >> tres generaciones! > >> > >> Esta comunicaci?n (incluidos los anexos) puede contener informaci?n > >> privilegiada o confidencial de Paul Ecke Ranch y est? dirigida a un > >> individuo espec?fico. Si usted no es el destinatario, debe eliminar esta > >> comunicaci?n, incluidos los archivos adjuntos sin leerlos o guardarlos de > >> ninguna manera, y se le notifica por este medio que cualquier divulgaci?n, > >> copia o distribuci?n de esta comunicaci?n, o la toma de cualquier acci?n > >> basada en ella, est? estrictamente prohibido. > >> __________ > >> View the list's information and change your settings at > >> //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind > > > > -- > > John J. Boyer; President, Chief Software Developer > > Abilitiessoft, Inc. > > http://www.abilitiessoft.com > > Madison, Wisconsin USA > > Developing software for people with disabilities > > > > __________ > > View the list's information and change your settings at > > //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind > > > > > __________ > View the list's information and change your settings at > //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind -- John J. Boyer; President, Chief Software Developer Abilitiessoft, Inc. http://www.abilitiessoft.com Madison, Wisconsin USA Developing software for people with disabilities __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind