----- Original Message -----
From: "Bruce Toews" <water_drinker@xxxxxxxx>
To: <winamp4theblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2005 8:42 AM
Subject: Re: Invisible Winamp
> Now's as good a time as any to learn. Empower yourself. Your screen reader
> gives you excellent access to the sys tray.
>
> Bruce
>
> --
> Bruce Toews
> E-mail and MSN/Windows Messenger: water_drinker@xxxxxxxx
> Web Site (including info on my weekly commentaries): http://www.ogts.net
> Info on the Best TV Show of All Time: http://www.cornergas.com
>
> On Mon, 20 Jun 2005, George and Pamela Dominguez wrote:
>
> > This sounds great, but I don't know how to use the systray. Pam.
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "arlene" <nedster66@xxxxxxxxx>
> > To: <winamp4theblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2005 10:09 PM
> > Subject: Re: Invisible Winamp
> >
> >
> >> wow thats some task. I'll have to try it.
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "Gene" <guystevens@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >> To: <winamp4theblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >> Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2005 10:28 AM
> >> Subject: Invisible Winamp
> >>
> >>
> >>> I got this on another list I belong to and thought it would be of
> > interest
> >>> to some here.
> >>>
> >>> Greetings All.
> >>>
> >>> I was rather bored this morning, so I did this write-up on how to
blind
> >>> customize Winamp. I hope someone can make use of it... I have my
Winamp
> >>> program set up just this way and let me tell you: It is awesome! Gone
> >>> are the days of screaming at landing in Winamp's window by accident,
> >>> typing something and having it end up screwing with the playing of
media
> >>> files. Enjoy!
> >>>
> >>> The Invisible Winamp!
> >>>
> >>> For those of us who can't stand the chore of alt-tabbing from
> >>> window to window to find our media player just to make a quick
> >>> adjustment or to advance the playlist, or for those of us who hate
> >>> having more windows open on the taskbar than necessary, or even for
> >>> those of us who just want quick and easy access to our media without
the
> >>> hassle of negotiating multiple windows and remembering multiple
formless
> >>> commands (I subscribe to all three schools, go me!): The following
> >>> write-up should help alleviate these inconveniences.
> >>> Winamp is designed to be a very modular application. You can
> >>> introduce your own skins (interface customizations), window tweaks,
and
> >>> even change the command input structure. We can take advantage of this
> >>> modular construction and:
> >>> * Completely eliminate the presence of the Winamp window,
> >>> * In doing so, we remove the hassle of interacting with the Winamp
> >>> window,
> >>> * We can still control various functions that we don't always access
via
> >>> the system tray,
> >>> * We can freely open or close the Winamp application without it ever
> >>> getting in the way,
> >>> * All the controls to the media player are at our fingertips,
> >>> * We can change what media we're listening to, alter the play volume,
> >>> navigate through the currently playing media, or even access Winamp's
> >>> library at our whim to access online material,
> >>> * A slew of many other Winamp commands are now just a keystroke away.
> >>>
> >>> We can achieve this level of instantaneous control with Global
> >>> Hotkeys, a feature included in Winamp which few people have come to
> >>> truly appreciate. Global Hotkeys give us access to many of Winamp's
> >>> commands. There are admittedly a few gaps, but perhaps these will be
> >>> fixed in future versions.
> >>>
> >>> Switch to the Winamp window (hopefully for the last few times!).
> >>> Once you're in the Winamp main window (or any other Winamp window such
> >>> as the playlist editor), access the preferences dialog with a CTRL-P.
If
> >>> upon entering the preferences dialog you did not land on the tree view
> >>> of various categorical options, TAB or SHIFT-TAB accordingly until you
> >>> have done so. Once here, move to the top of the list, which should be
> >>> "Winamp Pro".
> >>> You will notice that I will be skipping over a lot of fields
and/or
> >>> options. This is because I'm only covering the fields which apply to
our
> >>> goal: chucking Winamp's window and gaining us nearly full keyboard
> >>> control from anywhere.
> >>>
> >>> Move down to the "General Preferences" branch of the tree. TAB
> >>> twice and make sure that your desired language is selected (for most
of
> >>> us, that will be "English (US)"). If your desired language is not
listed
> >>> here, you may TAB to the "Find more languages" button and hit enter
here
> >>> to try and track down yours. This step goes beyond the scope of this
> >>> write-up, and therefore will not be discussed here.
> >>> TAB repeatedly until your focus lands on the "Show splash screen"
> >>> checkbox. Since we're getting rid of Winamp's window anyway, lets make
> >>> sure this is unchecked (it'll just be delaying us).
> >>> TAB about four times from this point and your focus should land on
> >>> "Taskbar", which is an option in the "Show Winamp in:" group of
options.
> >>> We will definitely want to uncheck this, since this is the focal point
> >>> of our goal (it's the option which will tell Winamp to behave and hide
> >>> itself).
> >>> TAB once passed the "Taskbar" checkbox, and you should land on the
> >>> "System tray " field, which is still in the same
> >>> group of options. This is actually a personal preference option. Once
> >>> you've got all your hotkeys defined and working in good order, you may
> >>> elect to uncheck this option to remove still more clutter from your
> >>> system as Winamp serves up your media. For now though, lets leave it
> >>> unchecked so that, in the event that you need to leave the preferences
> >>> dialog before your hotkeys are all set (or heaven forbid, Winamp or
> >>> windows crashes somehow), you'll still have a means of interacting
with
> >>> the Winamp application (via the system tray).
> >>> TAB thrice till you land on the "Scroll title in the Windows
> >>> taskbar" field. We're banishing Winamp to the world of the unseen, so
> >>> lets uncheck this field. Although it probably won't have any effect
> >>> whilst Winamp is happily hiding in the system tray, it's better to be
> >>> consistent.
> >>> We're done here, so lets tab a few times back to the tree view.
Our
> >>> next stop is further down in the "Titles" branch of the tree view, so
> >>> lets navigate down there.
> >>>
> >>> TAB twice and you will land in a group of three radio buttons
which
> >>> pertain to the "Metadata Reading" options group. Since we're not going
> >>> to actually view the file names as they're playing anyhow, lets change
> >>> the option to read as "Read metadata only when file(s) are played". Do
> >>> so by the normal means of selecting different radio buttons.
> >>> We're actually done with this branch of the tree view (that was
the
> >>> only thing we needed to either change or make sure of). Lets SHIFT-TAB
> >>> twice back into our tree view.
> >>>
> >>> Now comes the big and, yes, rather long section of this write-up.
> >>> We're going to actually start defining the hotkeys that we'll be using
> >>> to control Winamp, now that we've kicked it into the corner to hide
> >>> under the bed. Grab a cup of coffee, tea, water, or whatever it is
that
> >>> suits your fancy, because we'll be here for quite a bit.
> >>> Whilst in the tree view, navigate down to the "Global Hotkeys"
> >>> branch. I hope you've got a good supply of coffee or whatever it is
> >>> you're sipping, because here we go.
> >>>
> >>> TAB twice and make sure that the "Enabled" checkbox is checked
> >>> (otherwise none of your hotkeys will work, you won't be able to change
> >>> anything pertaining to hotkeys, and... this write-up will be
completely
> >>> worthless).
> >>> TAB again, and now you should have landed in a list view which
> >>> contains some pre-made global hotkeys. My advice is to remove them all
> >>> and start anew. It's a longer process, but a much cleaner one. You'll
> >>> know exactly what you're adding, and therefore won't be making any
> >>> duplicates (which Winamp will yell at you about).
> >>> Begin by making sure you're on the first item in the list view.
> >>> Move your mouse cursor (JAWS cursor if you're using JFW) to your focus
> >>> (PC cursor in JFW). If this first item isn't already selected, click
on
> >>> it with the appropriate command from your screen reader or by manually
> >>> clicking with the mouse (just make sure the pointer doesn't move in
the
> >>> process). Once the item is highlighted, hit ALT+R. That item is now
> >>> deleted.
> >>> Click the mouse again, and again the first item in the list will
be
> >>> selected. Continue to repeat the deletion process till all the entries
> >>> in the list view are removed.
> >>>
> >>> Now a small blurb about how Winamp handles its hotkey labeling.
> >>> Before you attempt to make a new entry, you must make sure that there
> >>> are no selected items in the list view of defined hotkeys. If there
are
> >>> no items there to start with, this is easy (there's nothing to be
> >>> selected). If there are items, you must make sure that nothing's
> >>> selected before you add new hotkeys. You can do this by navigating to
> >>> the list view, then hitting either HOME or END to change the
highlight.
> >>> Now that you're sure the item under the focus is selected, hit
> >>> CTRL-SPACE to unselect it.
> >>> Failing to follow this step will cause Winamp to think you're
> >>> trying to change the command associated with that entry. You might
spend
> >>> several minutes blithely creating new hotkeys, when in fact all you've
> >>> been doing is modifying the same highlighted entry with new commands
or
> >>> new hotkeys.
> >>>
> >>> Lets create our first item. TAB to the combo box that houses all
> >>> the possible commands that can be triggered via a hotkey. We'll go in
> >>> presented order, so lets choose the first item. Press home, you should
> >>> be on "General: Copy file path". TAB over to the "Hotkey" edit field.
> >>> Press the desired key combination which you'd like to be associated
with
> >>> this item (for example, WINDOWS KEY+CTRL+C). Once you're satisfied
with
> >>> the key combination you've chosen, TAB once to the "Add" button, and
hit
> >>> SPACE.
> >>> Now that you've created your first item, you must make sure that,
> >>> as stated earlier, no items are selected in the list view containing
> >>> currently defined hotkeys. If you haven't moved your mouse since
> >>> clearing the list of pre-defined hotkeys, it's in the perfect
position.
> >>> Just click your mouse, hit CTRL-SPACE, then you're ready once more to
> >>> create a new hotkey.
> >>> Lets TAB back into that combo box and create a new entry for the
> >>> next command, "General: Copy title". Navigate to it in the combo box
> >>> (it's the second entry), then TAB once to the "Hotkey" edit field.
Press
> >>> the desired key combination for this command (WINDOWS KEY+SHIFT+C in
my
> >>> case). TAB once when you're satisfied with the new key combination and
> >>> hit SPACE on the "Add" button.
> >>> Repeat this process for each of the commands in the combo for
which
> >>> you'd like a hotkey for.
> >>> If you need to change the hotkey for an existing entry: Navigate
to
> >>> and highlight the entry in question in the list view of defined
hotkeys.
> >>> TAB twice to the "Hotkey" edit field, then press the new key
combination
> >>> you wish to have associated with this entry. Once satisfied with the
new
> >>> key combination, TAB twice to the "Set" button and hit SPACE to change
> >>> the entries hotkey definition.
> >>> Remember, always make sure that no entries are selected in the
list
> >>> view of currently defined hotkeys if you wish to create a new one. If
> >>> you're changing an existing entry, never activate the "Add" button,
> >>> otherwise you will create a duplicate entry with the new hotkey. You
may
> >>> find this useful if you'd like having multiple ways of accessing the
> >>> same command, but that'll just clutter up your hotkey list and also
make
> >>> things less conformed (and therefore slightly harder to remember in
the
> >>> end).
> >>>
> >>> Below is a list of the contents of the combo box of available
> >>> commands accompanied by a small explanation as to what it does. If
I've
> >>> defined a hotkey for a command in the list, it will be placed after
the
> >>> description of the command inside braces ({}). Any footnotes are in
> >>> brackets ([]).
> >>>
> >>> * General: Copy file path -- Copies the file path of the currently
> >>> playing or highlighted file to the clipboard. {WINDOWS KEY + CTRL + C}
> >>> * General: Copy title -- Copies the title (as displayed by Winamp)
of
> >>> the currently playing or highlighted file to the clipboard. {WINDOWS
KEY
> >>> + SHIFT + C}
> >>> * General: Quit -- Exits Winamp. {WINDOWS KEY + F4}
> >>>
> >>> * ML: Show/Hide Media Library -- Toggles the "Media Library" window
> >>> between being shown (focused) and hidden. This way, you can keep
Winamp
> >>> hidden, but still access the media library to play an internet radio
> >>> station, for example. {WINDOWS KEY + CTRL + M}
> >>>
> >>> * Playback: End of list -- Moves to and plays the last file in your
> >>> playlist (inactive if your playlist has only one item). {WINDOWS KEY +
> >>> NUM 3}
> >>> * Playback: Forward -- Fast forward through a media file. {WINDOWS
KEY
> >>> + NUM 9}
> >>> * Playback: Jump to box -- Brings up the "Jump to" dialog box, which
> >>> allows one to move quickly to a file in a playlist. {WINDOWS KEY +
CTRL
> >>> + J}
> >>> * Playback: Next in play list -- Moves to and plays the next file in
> >>> the playlist (if any) [1]. {WINDOWS KEY + NUM 6}
> >>> * Playback: Open file dialog -- Brings up the "Open file" dialog
which
> >>> allows one to open and play a single file. {WINDOWS KEY + NUM PLUS}
> >>> * Playback: Open folder dialog -- Brings up the "Open folder" dialog
> >>> which allows one to play entire folders and subfolders. {WINDOWS KEY +
> >>> SHIFT + NUM PLUS}
> >>> * Playback: Open location dialog -- Brings up the "Open location"
> >>> dialog, which allows one to play a media stream or file with an
> >>> associated URL. {WINDOWS KEY + CTRL + NUM PLUS}
> >>> * Playback: Pause -- Pauses the currently playing media file.
> >>> * Playback: Play -- Plays or restarts the playing of a media file.
> >>> {WINDOWS KEY + CTRL + NUM 5}
> >>> * Playback: Play/pause -- Pauses or plays the currently
> >>> playing/highlighted media file [1]. {WINDOWS KEY + NUM 5}
> >>> * Playback: Previous in play list -- Moves to and plays the previous
> >>> media file in the playlist (if any) [1]. {WINDOWS KEY + NUM 4}
> >>> * Playback: Repeat off -- Unconditionally turns repeat mode off
> >>> (whether it was on or off to begin with).
> >>> * Playback: Repeat on -- Unconditionally turns repeat mode on
(whether
> >>> it was on or off to begin with).
> >>> * Playback: Rewind -- Moves backwards through a currently playing or
> >>> highlighted media file. {WINDOWS KEY + NUM 7}
> >>> * Playback: Start of list -- Moves to and plays the first file in
the
> >>> playlist (assuming there are more than one file). {WINDOWS KEY + NUM
1}
> >>> * Playback: Stop -- Stops the currently playing media file. {WINDOWS
> >>> KEY + NUM MINUS}
> >>> * Playback: Stop after current -- Stops playback once the currently
> >>> playing file has finished. {WINDOWS KEY + CTRL + NUM MINUS}
> >>> * Playback: Stop w/fade -- Stops the current file while fading it
out,
> >>> instead of an instant stop. {WINDOWS KEY + SHIFT + NUM MINUS}
> >>> * Playback: Toggle repeat -- Toggles the playing of files within the
> >>> currently loaded playlist repeatedly (on/off). {WINDOWS KEY + CTRL +
NUM
> >>> ASTERISK}
> >>> * Playback: Toggle shuffle -- Toggles the shuffling of files within
> >>> the currently loaded playlist (on/off). {WINDOWS KEY + CTRL + NUM
SLASH}
> >>> * Playback: Volume down -- Decreases the playing volume of Winamp
[1].
> >>> {WINDOWS KEY + NUM 2}
> >>> * Playback: Volume up -- Increases the playing volume of Winamp [1].
> >>> {WINDOWS KEY + NUM 8}
> >>>
> >>> * Playlist: Remove duplicate entries -- Remove duplicate entries
from
> >>> the currently loaded playlist.
> >>>
> >>> * Rate Current Item: * -- Rates the current file [2]. {WINKEY + CTRL
+
> >>> 1} [4]
> >>> * Rate Current Item: ** -- Rates the current file [2]. {WINKEY +
CTRL
> >>> + 2} [4]
> >>> * Rate Current Item: *** -- Rates the current file [2]. {WINKEY +
CTRL
> >>> + 3} [4]
> >>> * Rate Current Item: **** -- Rates the current file [2]. {WINKEY +
> >>> CTRL + 4} [4]
> >>> * Rate Current Item: ***** -- Rates the current file [2]. {WINKEY +
> >>> CTRL + 5} [4]
> >>> * Rate Current Item: No Rating -- Rates the current file [2].
{WINKEY
> >>> + CTRL + 0} [4]
> >>>
> >>> * UI: About -- Brings up the "About" dialog, which gives information
> >>> about the current version of Winamp, etc. {WINDOWS KEY + CTRL { B}
> >>> * UI: Bring to front/hide Winamp -- Hides or shows the Winamp
> >>> application. {WINDOWS KEY + CTRL + W}
> >>> * UI: Preferences -- Brings up the "Preferences" dialog. {WINDOWS
KEY
> >>> + CTRL + P}
> >>> * UI: Select skin -- Brings up the "Select skin" dialog, which
allows
> >>> the user to change the look of Winamp (not recommended for screen
reader
> >>> users).
> >>> * UI: Toggle always on top -- Toggles Winamp between "Always stay on
> >>> top" and normal mode. Note: "Always on top" is not screen reader
> >>> friendly!
> >>> * UI: Toggle doublesize -- Toggle Winamp between "doublesize" and
> >>> normal mode (changes size of application window).
> >>> * UI: Toggle EQ -- Toggles the hide/show status of the Winamp
graphics
> >>> equalizer.
> >>> * UI: Toggle main window -- Toggles the hide/show status of the
Winamp
> >>> main window.
> >>> * UI: Toggle minibrowser -- Toggles the hide/show status of the
Winamp
> >>> minibrowser.
> >>> * UI: Toggle play list -- Toggles the hide/show status of the Winamp
> >>> playlist editor.
> >>> * UI: Toggle play list windowshade -- [3]
> >>> * UI: Toggle windowshade -- [3]
> >>>
> >>> * Visualization: Preferences -- [3]
> >>> * Visualization: Toggle -- [3]
> >>>
> >>> Footnotes:
> >>> [1]: In some instances, this key arrangement is not necessarily
the
> >>> best. For example, if one is using JFW inside Internet Explorer, the
key
> >>> combination is intercepted by the screen reader. For example, if one
> >>> tries to turn the volume down with {WINDOWS KEY + NUM 2}, JFW will
> >>> intercept the keystroke and attempt to perform its own attached script
> >>> or command. The easiest way around this, of course, is to not use the
> >>> offending key combination. Change the {WINDOWS KEY + NUM 2} to
something
> >>> like {WINDOWS KEY + SHIFT + NUM 2}, and things should work just fine.
> >>> [2]: The ratings commands allow one to "rate" the currently
playing
> >>> or highlighted media file according to how much they liked it, etc.
The
> >>> number of asterisks next to each entry signifies your rating: one
> >>> asterisk is worse, five asterisks is best. The "No rating" option is
> >>> presumably a "I abstain" choice.
> >>> [3]: I haven't yet used this feature enough to give a fair
> >>> definition or explanation of it. Therefore, rather than giving
> >>> misleading information, I leave it up to others to interpret those
> >>> entries.
> >>> [4]: These hotkeys refer to the keys on the numeric row above the
> >>> home row, and not those of the number pad.
> >>>
> >>> Once you've got all your global hotkeys set up, close the
> >>> preferences dialog. Close Winamp, then reload it. (The best way to
make
> >>> it even more invisible is to attach a hotkey to the Winamp shortcut,
> >>> that way you don't even have to find the shortcut to open the
program.)
> >>> If all went well, you should now have a completely invisible, fully
> >>> functional media player that's totally keyboard driven. You've saved
> >>> space on your taskbar, time switching between application windows, and
> >>> gained a great deal of control over the application... all at your
> >>> fingertips. No more juggling windows: Now you can work on that
> >>> two-thousand page essay the Professor needs by tonight (Hopefully
you're
> >>> at least on page two already) and still enjoy your though-provoking
> >>> music.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Thanks; Gene
> >>>
> >>> On MSN and Yahoo - guystevens@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> To post a message to the list, send it to
winamp4theblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >>>
> >>> To unsubscribe from this mailing list, please send a message to:
> >>> winamp4theblind-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the
> >>> subject line.
> >>> Archives located at:
> >>> //www.freelists.org/archives/winamp4theblind>
> >>> If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list,
or
> >>> the way the list is being run, do not post them to the list directly.
> >>> Instead, please contact
> >>> the list owners at winamp4theblind-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> No virus found in this incoming message.
> >>> Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
> >>> Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.7.8/22 - Release Date:
6/17/2005
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> No virus found in this outgoing message.
> >> Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
> >> Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.7.8/22 - Release Date: 6/17/2005
> >>
> >> To post a message to the list, send it to
winamp4theblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >>
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> > subject line.
> >> Archives located at:
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> > Instead, please contact
> >> the list owners at winamp4theblind-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >>
> >
> >
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> >
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Instead, please contact
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> >
> >
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