[vip_students] Tutorial:Working With GMail Via The Web!
- From: "\(NCBI\) Paul Traynor" <paul.traynor@xxxxxxx>
- To: <vip_students@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:02:35 +0100
When Microsoft released Windows 7 they left out an email client. An email
client is what we need whenever we want to send emails to one another. For
example "Outlook Express" was an email client and many people are familiar
with this. Basically nowadays it is up to the user themselves to choose
which email program they want or if they prefer then they can go on-line and
use a web based system such as Gmail. Below I have drawn up some
instructions for working with Gmail. You could use this system in different
places, perhaps you are in someone else's house on holidays and want to
check your emails, on holidays abroad or just generally use this means of
working with emails.
[Getting Started]
First Things To Remember
The Site needs to be in Basic HTML in order for screen reader commands to
work, to do this:
1. Select "Basic HTML" link. This can be done easily by opening the
links list dialogue Insert+F7 Then Find "basic HTML," either using arrow
keys or first letter navigation "b.", if you are not a jaws user or in any
case for that matter the basic HTML link is near the top of the page and
will have a label reminding screen reader users that choosing to use basic
HTML will help their navigation of the general site.
2. Press Enter key or if using jaws then Tab to the "Activate Link"
button then press Enter
Within the "Links List" Dialogue Box if using the "Insert + F7" method.
People who don't use jaws and who may not have the above technique
available to them can simply arrow down through the available links till you
come to the link that says "Basic HTML" then press the enter key, it's not
hard to find as its very near the top of the logged in page.
Note: The site and service look significantly different in basic html
format, some of the features in standard format are not available, and some
things are available by different means.
Important: A person should get familiar with the website by navigating
entire page with arrow keys. A user should have an idea of what sort of
links are available and become oriented with Gmail's naming of particular
links.
Logging In and Getting Started
1. Open Internet Explorer either by locating it on your desktop and
pressing enter key or by going into the Start Menu then programs and
locating it here.
2. When Internet Explorer opens up, press keys, "Control + letter O for
Open and then type in the following address: www.gmail.com
Tip: Another way to open up a web page is to use the keys, Alt+d which also
goes to the address bar, current address is read and highlighted. Type in
desired url: www.gmail.com, press enter to complete and the Gmail page
should open up soon afterwards.
3. The Page loads and says "Username: Edit"
4. If you are using jaws then Turn forms mode on if it doesn't
automatically turn itself on for you by pressing the enter key when you are
hovering over the log-in user name edit box. You will know if it turns
itself on as it will give an audible "Plink" sound If it doesn't
automatically turn itself on then press enter.
5. Type in your Username, usually your new Gmail email address.
6. Press the Tab key to move onto the "Password Edit box"
7. Type in your Password
8. Press the Tab key to move to "Login" Button, press space bar
Notes: You are now logged into your account [Don't forget to sign-out when
you are all done. If you are a jaws user you can bring up the Links list
Insert + F7 then "s" for sign-out and enter.
This way your account is closed when you leave the computer.] To locate the
"Sign Out" link in the normal way, go to the top of the Gmail page and press
letter "H" to jump onto "Account settings". Here just tab down a couple of
times and you'll be on the Sign Out link, press enter to complete the
process.
[Send an E-mail]
1. Find "Compose Mail" link. To do this open links list dialogue
Insert+F7 if you are using jaws. Using this jaws built in feature of
gathering the links into a simple list will help you move quicker to your
desired link.
2. Within the "Links List" Dialogue Box, Find "compose mail," using
first letter navigation "c".
3. Press Enter, or Tab to the "Activate Link" button then press Enter For
people who may not use jaws or just want an alternative way to move quickly
to the compose link do the following; A. Go to the top of your Gmail page
using keys, "Control + Home".
B. Use keys, "Left Alt + C" which will now drop you onto the "Compose Link"
and press the enter key.
Notes: A person should get familiar with this page by navigating entire page
with arrow keys, that is without using the special jaws feature of pulling
into a links list the available options as Google Authors of the Gmail page
have implemented keyboard quick keys which can move you onto certain links
for ease of navigation around the screen.
5. You are ready to compose an e-mail, Find "To:" edit field using the
letter "E" to quickly jump you into the "Too Field Edit box".
6. Depending on the version of jaws, you may have to manually Turn
forms mode on, to do this, press Enter. If your version of jaws is version
"jaws11 or jaws12" then it will automatically activate forms mode once it
moves into such an edit field.
Notes: Screen readers such as NVDA and others will attempt to naturally
place text into any edit boxes they jump focus into using the tab key on
your PC or laptop.
7. Type in desired e-mail account to whomever it is you wish to send
Email to..
8. Tab into the subject line, the screen reader will read as "Subject:
edit." Type in a suitable subject
9. Tab into the edit area or body of the email where you begin writing
up your new email message. The screen reader will read as "Edit."
10. Type in your new message into the edit field [body of e-mail].
11. When you have finished typing your e-mail, tab to the "Send button"
and press spacebar or enter.
Note: users should use space bar to activate buttons unless they are
confident of the default button and then may use enter.
Finally at this point Your message has been sent, Gmail returns to the inbox
Note: Depending on the settings of your screen reader, the page may begin
reading from top to bottom whenever the page is refreshed. In this case
pressing control to pause the screen reader prior to navigating the page
with command keys will help. If the user has let the screen reader go
through most of the page prior to pressing control they may want to go to
the top of the page control + home prior to navigating the page.
[Reading E-mail]
Gmail's pre-set inbox has four columns" with each conversation thread
appearing in each row. If the conversation thread is expanded than
individual e-mails represent each row. The columns are: From, Subject,
Attachment, and Date.
1. A Student can find messages using the down-arrow key, to find the
individual e-mails.
A Student will learn to recognize preceding links that are always on screen
prior to the messages they want to read.
2. Using the following keys the user can jump through links to locate
quickly such elements as;
Press letter "B" to jump onto available buttons.
Press letter "X" to jump onto checkboxes.
Note: A "checkbox" precedes each new message you receive so it can be a
really quick way to move onto each one of your new emails.
Each time you press letter "X" you should hear something like the following;
"checkbox not checked". At this point the user can use the down arrow key to
find the e-mail subject line which will refresh the screen with the desired
e-mail.
Tip: At this point it is desirable to navigate inbox with arrow keys so that
a user especially a new screen reader user will acknowledge attachments
which may be attached to his or her emails.
3. To open an e-mail press enter or space bar on the subject line link
of desired e-mail.
Tip: If a student knows the name of the e-mail they are searching for they
could access it through the links list dialogue Insert + F7 for jaws users
then arrow down the list till they come to whichever email they are looking
for and press enter key.
4. The new e-mail opens in a refreshed screen, student can use page
navigating functions to get to the content of the e-mail.
Tip:Insert + enter can be used to find blocks of text. This can be the
quickest way to get to the beginning of the text in the e-mail field.
5. Returning to inbox, A User can go to the links list dialogue Insert
+ F7 and find "inbox," or they can tab past the e-mail message to the
+ "Back
to inbox," link.
[Quick Reply & "More Reply Options"]
If you would like to reply to an e-mail after reading it then you can enter
the quick reply edit box and continue the conversation. If you would like to
reply to the e-mail in a standard format where you have the ability to
change the subject, add other recipients, attachments, etc. then click the
"more reply options," button.
Quick Reply
1. After reading message tab or down arrow to the "edit" box, this
should be after hearing "more reply options button"
2. Within edit box turn on forms mode by pressing the "enter key" if it
doesn't come on automatically itself. If using the free screen reader called
NVDA you will hear a pretty definite clicking sound, with jaws it can be
like a pop sound.
3. Type in your message
4. . Tab once to "send" button, press enter or space bar and your message
will be sent to the person you are replying too.
Working With Attachments
1. After typing recipients into the "to" field, and the title into the
"subject" field, user will hear "file upload edit" with the next press of
the tab key after "subject."
2. . The next tab will put the cursor on the "Browse" button.
Notes: Jaws does not read this button, however if it is passed to the
"Attach more files" button and then a shift + tab is used to go back, the
"Browse" button will read "file upload edit" by the screen reader. This can
be confusing. User will know they are on the button and not the edit field
once they press space bar to activate.
3. Pressing space bar in the edit bar will simply say "space," if
pressed correctly on the "Browse" button a "choose file" dialogue box will
pop-up.
4. Choose file dialogue box
Notes: This dialogue looks similar to the "Open" dialogue box found in
Microsoft and other applications, the cursor begins in "File Name: edit"
field.
5. Tab to "Look in:," screen reader will read as "Look in: combo box."
Notes: Find desired location from tree view, use your arrow keys to locate
for example the folder that contain the file you wish to attach or it may be
that by default you are already inside the correct folder and wish to just
arrow up or down to the file to be attached to the email.
6. When you have found the desired file, press "enter key on it to
attach it and you'll be return to message screen.
Notes: If you inserted the wrong file, find it in the message screen and
uncheck the box alongside it before you send your e-mail using the spacebar.
7. If all is ok, just tab to the "Send Now" button and press the spacebar to
send off your email complete with attachment.
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