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Key Echo Preferences

Enable key echo

Orca's key echo setting controls what happens each time you press a key. To enable key echo, check the "Enable key echo" checkbox. Doing so causes additional checkboxes to become available through which you can choose exactly which keys should and should not be echoed to best suit your needs.

Default value: checked

Enable alphabetic keys

This option controls whether or not keys like a, b, and c should be spoken when pressed.

Default value: checked

Enable numeric keys

This option controls whether or not keys like 1, 2, and 3 should be spoken when pressed.

Default value: checked

Enable punctuation keys

This option controls whether or not keys like %, ;, and ? should be spoken when pressed.

Default value: checked

Enable space

This option controls whether or not Space should be spoken when pressed.

Default value: checked

Enable modifier keys

This option controls whether or not Shift, Ctrl, Alt and Meta should be spoken when pressed.

Default value: checked

Enable function keys

This option controls whether or not F1 through F12 should be spoken when pressed.

Default value: checked

Enable action keys

This option controls whether or not BackSpace, Delete , Return, Esc, Tab, Page Up, Page Down, Home, and End should be spoken when pressed.

Default value: checked

Enable navigation keys

This option controls whether or not Left, Right, Up, and Down should be spoken when pressed. This option also applies to any key combination in which Orca Modifier is being held down, for instance when flat review is being used.

Default value: not checked

Enable non-spacing diacritical keys

This option controls whether or not "dead keys" used to generate accented letters should be spoken when pressed.

Default value: not checked

Enable echo by character

Enabling this option causes Orca to echo the character you just typed.

While echo by character seems quite similar to the key echo of alphabetic, numeric, and punctuation keys, there are important differences, especially with respect to accented letters and other symbols for which there is no dedicated key:

  • Key echo causes Orca to announce what you just pressed.

  • Character echo causes Orca to announce what was just inserted.

Thus to have accented characters spoken as you type them, you should enable character echo.

Default value: not checked

Enabling both key echo and character echo

If you like key echo and you frequently type accented characters, consider enabling both. Orca's character echo logic attempts to filter out characters which were spoken as a result of key echo, thus minimizing the likelihood of "double speaking" as you type.

Enable echo by word and Enable echo by sentence

Checking the Enable echo by word checkbox causes Orca to echo the word you just typed. Similarly, checking the Enable echo by sentence checkbox causes Orca to echo the sentence you just typed.

Default value: not checked

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