This section discusses using Speakup, including configuring your speech parameters, using the Speakup screen reading keys, and changing your keyboard's layout.
As of Speakup v1.00, all of the Speakup configuration options (called parameters) are located in the /proc/speakup subtree.
To find the list of available parameters, type ls /proc/speakup at the command prompt. These parameters control options like rate, volume, and pitch.
Each parameter has a value. You can change the value of a parameter by typing echo value >/proc/speakup/parameter. Replace "value" with the new value of the parameter, and "parameter" with the name of the parameter you want to change.
When you selected the "speakup" or "speakup-lt" keyboard option during installation, the numeric keypad on your keyboard became the Speakup navigation and screen reading controls.
This section explains the keys, key combinations, and what each does.
1, 2, and 3 - Used to read characters. 1 reads the previous character, 2 reads the current character, and 3 reads the next character. If you are at the first character on a page and try to read the previous character, or if you are on the last character on a page and try to read the next character, Speakup will respond by saying "top" or "bottom," respectively.
4, 5, and 6 - Reads the previous, current, and next word, respectively. If the previous or next word is on another line, Speakup will indicate this by beeping. If you press 4 while on the first word of a page, or press 6 while on the last word of a page, Speakup will respond by saying "top" or "bottom," respectively.
7, 8, and 9 - Reads the previous, current, or next line, respectively. If you try to read the previous line while on the first line, or if you try to read the next line while on the last line, Speakup will respond by saying "top" or "bottom," respectively.
Enter key (on the numeric keypad) - Mutes speech until another key is pressed.
+ key - Reads the entire screen.
- key - Toggles between having the reading cursor parked or unparked. When the reading cursor is unparked, whenever the application moves the cursor to a different position, the reading cursor also moves. If the reading cursor is parked, it stays in its current position unless moved. This feature is useful if you just want to monitor a particular part of the screen.
/ (divide by key) - Marks and cuts the current screen region.
* (multiply or asterisk key) - Toggles cursor tracking. Cursor tracking is currently in the experimental stages.
. (decimal or period key) - Says the current position (line, column, and virtual console).
Additional Speakup reading functions can be accessed by holding down the Insert key (Ins) on the numeric keypad and simultaneously pressing another keypad key. These additional functions are described below.
Ins & 1 - Moves the reading cursor to the end of the current line.
Ins & 2 - Says the current character phonetically, using the military alphabet.
Ins & 3 - Moves the reading cursor to the bottom of the screen.
Ins & 4 - Reads from the beginning of the line to the reading cursor.
Ins & 5 - Spells the current word.
Ins & 6 - Reads from the reading cursor to the end of the line.
Ins & 7 - Moves the reading cursor to the beginning of the current line.
Ins & 8 - Reads from the top of the screen to the reading cursor.
Ins & 9 - Moves the reading cursor to the top of the screen.
Ins & Enter (Enter on keypad) - Mute speech until this same keystroke is pressed again.
Ins & + (plus key) - Reads everything from the reading cursor to the bottom of the screen.
Ins & - (minus key) - Reads the decimal and hexadecimal value of the current character.
Ins & / (divide by key) - Pastes the copied screen region into any console.
Ins & * (multiply or asterisk key) - Goes to a specific line or column. After this keystroke, you must type "nx" to move to column x, or "ny" to move to line y. For example, "5y" would move to the fifth line.
Ins & . (decimal or period key) - Says the color attribute of the current character.
To turn Speakup off completely, press and hold the numeric keypad Insert, then press the numeric keypad Enter. Press the same sequence to turn Speakup on again.
You can disable Speakup in a specific virtual console by pressing the Print Screen key.
By default the Speakup keymap is configured to work with the US keymap. If you wish to use an alternative language map (for example, UK) then you will need to add the Speakup keymap to your chosen language's keymap as follows:
Download the generic Speakup key map from http://www.linux-speakup.org/ftp/generic-speakup.map.
Copy the file generic-speakup.map into the directory where your standard keymaps live (this will vary depending on your system).
Change directories to the directory that contains your standard keymaps, then decompress your chosen keymap using the command gunzip mapname.map.gz, replacing mapname.map.gz with the appropriate keymap filename (for example, uk.map.gz).
Add the Speakup key mappings to your chosen keymap using the command cat generic-speakup.map >>mapname.map.
Recompress the keymap using the command gzip mapname.map.
Finally, load the new keymap using the command loadkeys mapname.map.