Getting Started Guide

JAWS ships with the ability for you to customize scripts out of the box. You do not need a special build of the product but you must have administrative rights on your installed version and be using an Administrator user account in order to take advantage of this powerful tool.

Writing Script Files with Script Manager or a Text Editor

Editing

Create or edit JAWS Script Source (.jss) files from within any text editor. If you are new to scripting, you may find it easiest to use the JAWS Script Manager to create and edit script files because the Script Manager provides many helpful tools for navigating through a script file. Starting with JAWS 2020¹, the Script Manager provides an even more robust set of tools for creating your own script sets.

Tools include:

• SHIFT + F1 - Using a keystroke at the cursor where a function is located to have that function's details shown to you in a popup window you can review and dismiss with ESCAPE.

• Inserting built-in functions.

• Formatting scripts.

• Providing script language help.

• Writing and synchronizing the script documentation.

Formatting the script file for UTF-8 encoding.

You may learn about scripting by choosing the JAWS "Help Topics" item from the "Help" menu. Activate the Script Manager from within any application by one of the following methods:

• Press JAWSKEY + 0.

• Press JAWSKEY + F2 for the JAWS "Run Managers" dialog. Navigate through the list until Script Manager is selected, and then press ENTER. As mentioned above, starting with JAWS 2020, if you want to see the details for a function within a script, you can press SHIFT + F1 while your cursor is on the name of the function. For example, bring up the Notepad.jss file. It already has functions within it. Move to any function call within a script or function and place your cursor at the function call name. Pressing SHIFT + F1 shows you that function's details. Dismiss the function's details with ESCAPE. You are back in the .jss source file.

Naming

Script files follow the same naming and location conventions as most JAWS Settings files. Storing script files in the JAWS\Settings(Language) folder ensures that all necessary include files are present at compile time. By default, the JAWS Script Manager creates files with the same root name as the active application executable, and places them into the JAWS\Settings(Language) folder.

Compiling Script Files

The JAWS Script Manager compiles an active script file whenever the "Save" option is selected from the "File" menu. The compiler gives the resulting binary file the same root name as the script source file, and places it in the same folder. JAWS will load the new binary file the next time the application with the same root name gains focus by moving into the Windows foreground.

If you choose to edit script source files with a text editor instead of the Script Manager, you will need to call the application "SCompile.exe", located in the JAWS program folder to compile them from the command line. Call "SCompile", passing in script source file names. The compiler accepts wild cards, so many source files may be compiled with one command².

Formatting for UTF-8 Encoding

UTF-8 is an acronym for UCS Transformation Format 8-bit multibyte character encoding for Unicode. ANSI is an acronym for American National Standards Institute. For more technical information about the meanings of these terms, and how to format script files for UTF-8, see Formatting Script Files for UTF-8.

IME Support

JAWS can make Input Method Editors (IME) accessible. These special types of editors allow you to input from the keyboard into documents containing characters belonging to languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. In order for JAWS to support IME, you must install a text service compatible with Microsoft Text Services Framework (TSF). The installer is called FSTxtSvc.msi, and it installs the Freedom Scientific Text Service (FSTxtSvc). Note that this text service is not installed by default for languages other than Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

Saving a UTF-8 Formatted Script File

When you open a script file using Script Manager, JAWS assumes that the file is formatted as an ANSI file. When you save the file, it is saved as an ANSI file. Unless you explicitly enable UTF-8 formatting for the current file, it is not saved as a UTF-8 file. Unless you direct it to be saved elsewhere, it will be saved in your User\Settings\(Language) folder.

If UTF-8 symbols are needed to appear on a Braille display, one or more .jbt files may need to be formatted as UTF-8 files.

The following example illustrates how to reformat your .jbt file for UTF-8:

• The .jbt file must temporarily replace the file whose name is identical in the Program Files folder for the current version of JAWS. Navigate to that folder. It's path will be something like, C:\Program Files\Freedom Scientific\JAWS\xx.0

• Change the name of the file called "US_Unicode.jbt" to something like "#US_Unicode.jbt".

• Copy the file with the same name as the original file whose name you just changed into the current folder. You should now have a file called "US_Unicode.jbt" file in the current folder as well as the renamed one that originally is part of the current JAWS build.

• From within Script Manager with the .jbt file open, find the option in the Files menu called "UTF-8 Format". The option is unchecked by default.

• Press ENTER on the option to enable UTF-8 formatting for the current file.

• Change or add whatever UTF-8 symbol is desired in the file, following its exact correct syntax.

• Save the file.

• Unload and reload JAWS without rebooting.

• From now on, the UTF-8 symbol coded into the .jbt file should be recognized by JAWS and displayed in Braille properly because the .jbt file has been saved with UTF-8 formatting enabled.