Navigating This Curriculum - mdBook Guide

This curriculum is published as a web book using mdBook. This page explains how to find what you need, navigate between chapters, and use the book with a screen reader.

What Is mdBook?

mdBook is a tool that turns a collection of Markdown files into a navigable web book - similar to an online textbook. Each lesson or document is its own page (chapter), and they are organized into sections visible in the sidebar table of contents.

You can access the book from any web browser on any device.

Basic Navigation

Sidebar Table of Contents

The left side of the page contains a table of contents showing all chapters organized by unit and lesson. You can click or tap any chapter title to jump directly to it.

On a small screen (phone or tablet), the sidebar may be hidden. Look for a hamburger menu icon (three horizontal lines) to show it.

Arrow Navigation

At the bottom of every page there are Previous and Next links that take you through the chapters in order. You can also use keyboard arrow keys:

• Left Arrow - go to the previous chapter
• Right Arrow - go to the next chapter

Search

The mdBook search feature indexes all content across all chapters.

• Click the search icon (magnifying glass) in the top bar, or press S
• Type your search term
• Results appear as a dropdown list with the chapter name and a snippet of context
• Click any result to jump to that chapter; the matching term will be highlighted
• Press Escape to close the search panel

Other Keyboard Shortcuts

Screen Reader Navigation

With NVDA (Chrome, Firefox, or Edge recommended)

Reading the page:

• Use Up / Down Arrow to read line by line
• Use H to jump between headings - this is the fastest way to skim a long lesson
• Use Ctrl + F (browser Find) or S (mdBook search) to find specific content

Table of contents:

• The sidebar is a navigation landmark. Press D to move between landmark regions, or use NVDA + F7 to open the Elements List and select “Landmarks” to navigate to the sidebar directly.
• Within the sidebar, arrow through the list of links and press Enter to follow one.

Code blocks:

• Code examples are marked up as <code> elements. NVDA will read them inline.
• Punctuation level should be set to Most or All to hear semicolons, brackets, and other syntax characters in code examples.
• To copy a code block: navigate to the code, press Ctrl + A to select all, or use the copy button if present.

Tips:

• NVDA + P to cycle punctuation level - do this before reading code blocks
• NVDA + F7 -> Links list - useful for navigating between major sections quickly
• H key (headings navigation) is your best friend on lesson pages with many sections

With JAWS (Chrome or Edge recommended)

Reading the page:

• Use Up / Down Arrow in virtual cursor mode to read line by line
• Press H to jump between headings
• Press JAWS Key + F6 to get a list of all headings on the page

Table of contents:

• Press R to move between landmark regions to reach the sidebar
• Within the sidebar, Tab through the links or use Up / Down Arrow

Code blocks:

• Set punctuation to All before reading code: JAWS Key + Shift + 2
• JAWS reads code blocks as regular text - navigate through them line by line

Tips:

• JAWS Key + F5 - links list
• JAWS Key + F6 - headings list
• Ctrl + F - browser find, works alongside mdBook search

With VoiceOver (Mac / iOS)

Mac:

• VO + U to open the rotor - select Headings to navigate by heading
• VO + Command + F to search the page
• H (with Quick Nav on) to move between headings

iOS:

• Swipe left/right to navigate elements
• Use the rotor (two-finger rotate) to set navigation mode to Headings
• Double-tap to activate links

Finding What You Need

If you know which unit or project you need

Open the table of contents and look for the unit or project name. The structure follows this pattern:

• Unit 0 - Foundation lessons (safety, how printing works, calipers, OpenSCAD basics, slicing)
• Unit 1 - Guided projects (Project 0 and Project 1)
• Unit 2 - Intermediate skills (parametric design, tolerances, advanced slicing, materials)
• Unit 3 - Open-ended projects (Project 2, 3, and 4)
• Reference Materials - Quick-reference sheets you can keep open while working
• PowerShell Foundation - Command-line navigation guide

If you are looking for a specific term or command

Use the Search function (S). Search for:

• An OpenSCAD command (e.g., difference, translate, module)
• A vocabulary word (e.g., infill, tolerance, stakeholder)
• A project name (e.g., floor marker, jewelry, assistive technology)

If you are looking for reference material while working

Keep a second browser tab open to the Reference Materials section. Useful pages to bookmark:

• OpenSCAD Cheat Sheet
• Slicing Settings Quick Reference
• Filament Comparison Table
• Screen Reader Coding Tips (NVDA/JAWS)

Printing or Saving Pages

To save or print any page for offline use:

• Ctrl + P opens the print dialog in any browser
• Use “Save as PDF” to save a local copy
• For the whole book: if your instructor has provided a PDF version, use that - it contains all chapters in one file

Reporting a Problem

If a page is missing content, has a broken link, or is difficult to navigate with your screen reader, let your instructor know:

• Which page (chapter title)
• What you were trying to do
• What happened instead

This helps improve the curriculum for future students.