ECTkeyboard - Settings and additional parameters

ECTkeyboard Settings Guide

Attention! After performing any changes to the settings of the program, the user has to click the Settings - Set Current items of the main menu. In order to provide a more convenient experience, the ECTkeyboard settings window contains its own Action menu, which has the same items as the Settings menu (see fig. 27).

Action menu of the settings window (Fig. 27. Action menu of the settings window)

In order to make the setting process more convenient and easy, all the settings of the program are divided into several categories, which have different colors:

Let's look at each group of parameters closer.

General settings of ECTkeyboard (1-38)

Program settings window, parameters 1-38 (Fig. 28. Program settings window, parameters 1-40) Files with texts typed in ECTkeyboard (Fig. 29. Files with texts typed in ECTkeyboard)
Program windows with and without frames Program windows with and without frames
(Fig. 30. Program windows with and without frames)

Virtual keyboard window settings (41-85)

Program settings window, parameters 41-85 (Fig. 31. Program settings window, parameters 41-85) Appearance of the virtual keyboard when automatic scaling is disabled (Fig. 32. Appearance of the virtual keyboard when automatic scaling is disabled) The virtual keyboard with 7 rows and 12 columns (Fig. 33. The virtual keyboard with 7 rows and 12 columns) The virtual keyboard with 16 rows and 5 columns (Fig. 34. The virtual keyboard with 16 rows and 5 columns) The simplified mode of the virtual keyboard with a contrast color scheme (Fig. 35. The simplified mode of the virtual keyboard with a contrast color scheme) The horizontal and vertical distances are set to 1 pixel (Fig. 36. The horizontal and vertical distances are set to 1 pixel) The horizontal and vertical distances are set to 5 pixels (Fig. 37. The horizontal and vertical distances are set to 5 pixels) The horizontal distance is set to 2 pixels, while the vertical is equal to 7 (Fig. 38. The horizontal distance is set to 2 pixels, while the vertical is equal to 7) The horizontal distance is set to 7 pixels, while the vertical is equal to 2 (Fig. 39. The horizontal distance is set to 7 pixels, while the vertical is equal to 2) Different button borders. From left to right: the border thickness – 1 pixel, 5 pixels, 10 pixels (Fig. 40. Different button borders.
From left to right: the border thickness – 1 pixel, 5 pixels, 10 pixels)
The horizontal filling mode (Fig. 41. The horizontal filling mode) The vertical filling mode (Fig. 42. The vertical filling mode)

The default value of this parameter is – 5 (text is located in the center of a cell).

The following scheme can be used to remember all the possible variants (see fig. 43).

Different variants of button text alignment (Fig. 43. Different variants of button text alignment)

In order to provide a more convenient working atmosphere and reduce fatigue, ECTkeyboard allows the user to change almost all elements of the interface. Furthermore, the font size and color schemes can be selected independently for each button state.

There are 4 such states in the program:

These states are usually clearly distinguishable during the program operation (see fig. 44).

Various button states in ECTkeyboard: 1 – State 0 – inactive button; 2 – State 1 – active button; 3 – State 2 – selected button (Fig. 44. Various button states in ECTkeyboard:
1 – State 0 – inactive button; 2 – State 1 – active button; 3 – State 2 – selected button)

The user can change the following parameters for each of the states:

Various fonts of ECTkeyboard: From left to right: Arial, Arial Black, Times New Roman (Fig. 45. Various fonts of ECTkeyboard:
From left to right: Arial, Arial Black, Times New Roman)

It's not necessary to enter the font name in order to select it. The user can double-click on the parameter value field to open a standard dialog window of the operating system and select any font from the list of available fonts of the system (see fig. 46).

Font selection dialog window (Fig. 46. Font selection dialog window) Various font sizes of ECTkeyboard: From left to right: 20 pt, 25 pt, 30 pt (Fig. 47. Various font sizes of ECTkeyboard:
From left to right: 20 pt, 25 pt, 30 pt)
The color selection dialog window (Fig. 48. The color selection dialog window)

In order to provide easy color selection, the settings window of the program supports previewing the selected color scheme. The user can find a small field of the selected color next to the parameter values (see fig. 49).

Color scheme preview in the settings window of the program (Fig. 49. Color scheme preview in the settings window of the program) Different color schemes for the selected button (Fig. 50. Different color schemes for the selected button) Different button border colors (Fig. 51. Different button border colors) Various keyboard background colors (Fig. 52. Various keyboard background colors)

Such possibility to change colors of all interface elements and their fonts gives the user great flexibility and makes it possible to set the program in accordance with the specific needs and physical condition of each single patient. An example of the main program window of ECTkeyboard is shown in fig. 53

Example of the main window of the program (Fig. 53. Example of the main window of the program)

The following parameters from 82 to 84 are necessary only in situations where the program is used in conjunction with an eye-tracking device and the 4th working mode is selected (gaze control of the cursor buttons).

Text output window settings (101-109)

The settings window of the program, parameters 101-109 (Fig. 54. The settings window of the program, parameters 101-109)

The text output window is a simplified text editor, which can be used to type various texts in the symbol by symbol mode. When the user terminates ECTkeyboard, the text is automatically saved and will be available during the next working session. The appearance of the text output window is shown in figure 55

Appearance of the text output window (Fig. 55. Appearance of the text output window)

The header of the text output window contains five variables: X, Y, L, C and P. X is the current horizontal position of the cursor. For example, if the patient types 15 symbols in a new row, the value of X will be 15. Y is the current vertical position of the cursor; in other words a number of a row. L is the total length of the row at the current cursor position. C is the total number of symbols in the text output window. P is the current position of the cursor relatively to the whole text.

As with all other windows of the program, the text output window is totally customizable, i.e. by changing various program parameters, the user can change the font type and size, resize and relocate the window on the desktop, or choose colors for symbols or the background.

Various fonts in the text output window of ECTkeyboard (Fig. 56. Various fonts in the text output window of ECTkeyboard) Various font sizes in the text output window (Fig. 57. Various font sizes in the text output window) Various color schemes of the text output form (Fig. 58. Various color schemes of the text output form)

Progress bar settings (131-149)

The progress bar is an important element of ECTkeyboard that helps the user to make the selection of any desired button, or cancel such a selection when it's required. The progress bar is a stripe with a countdown. It is located under the virtual keyboard area by default (see fig. 59).

Appearance of the progress bar with default settings of the program (Fig. 59. Appearance of the progress bar with default settings of the program)

During the selection of a required element of the virtual keyboard, or in the case of cancellation of the selection, the progress bar is filled with color. The user can also control the remaining time for the selection in milliseconds or the filling percentage.

The progress bar is totally customizable: the user can change the filling direction and choose the color of the stripe, the font color, and size. The size of the progress bar can also be changed.

The settings window of the program, parameters 131-149 (Fig. 60. The settings window of the program, parameters 131-149) The progress bar is shown in a separate customizable window (Fig. 61. The progress bar is shown in a separate customizable window) The progress bar in the current button selection window (Fig. 62. The progress bar in the current button selection window)

The default value of this parameter is 1 (the progress bar is shown in the virtual keyboard window).

Parameters 132-135 can be used to change dimensions and position of the progress bar when it's shown in a separate window.

Various progress bar heights: left – 20 pixels, right – 70 pixels (Fig. 63. Various progress bar heights: left – 20 pixels, right – 70 pixels) Text information of the progress bar (Fig. 64. Text information of the progress bar)

The progress bar works during the selection of a virtual keyboard element, as well as during the cancellation of such a selection. Different appearances of the progress bar for each mode makes it more convenient in operation. The user may select various color schemes for each mode (e.g. use more pastel colors for selection and more contrast for the cancellation). The user may also set different filling directions.

Parameters 138-143 define the appearance of the progress bar during the selection, while parameters 144-149 define appearances during the cancellation of the selection.

Different progress bar filling modes are shown in fig. 65.

Progress bar filling modes (Fig. 65. Progress bar filling modes) Various fonts of the progress bar. From the top to the bottom: Arial, Courier, Georgia (Fig. 66. Various fonts of the progress bar.
From the top to the bottom: Arial, Courier, Georgia)
Bigger font of the progress bar located in the current button selection window (Fig. 67. Bigger font of the progress bar located in the current button selection window)

Current button selection window settings (161-173)

The settings window of the program, parameters 161-173 (Fig. 68. The settings window of the program, parameters 161-173)

The current button selection window is used to show a big thumbnail of a currently selected virtual keyboard button symbol. It provides additional comfort for visually impaired users and reduces the overall stress level during continuous operation of ECTkeyboard. Recommended working modes for the current button selection window are 2 (Scanning List Horizontal) and 2B (Scanning List Vertical). Both working modes do not involve row and column scrolling. Thus, the user will always see a thumbnail of a symbol in the separate window and will be able to select it.

The user can select any background color for the current button window (Fig. 69. The user can select any background color for the current button window)

The default value of this parameter is 2.

Different icon positions in the current button window (Fig. 70. Different icon positions in the current button window) Different fonts in the current button window. From left to right: Arial, Bookman Old Style, Comic Sans MS (Fig. 71. Different fonts in the current button window.
From left to right: Arial, Bookman Old Style, Comic Sans MS)
Different font sizes for the current button window: 56, 80, 100 (Fig. 72. Different font sizes for the current button window: 56, 80, 100) Color schemes for the current symbol window (Fig. 73. Color schemes for the current symbol window)

Quick entry window settings (201-217)

The settings window of the program, parameters 201-217 (Fig. 74. The settings window of the program, parameters 201-217)

The quick entry window is created to find words in the automatic mode, using just several letters entered by the user from the virtual keyboard (see fig. 75).

The program interface with the quick entry window (vocabulary) (Fig. 75. The program interface with the quick entry window (vocabulary))

During the program operation, the header of the quick entry window contains the first letters of the word entered by the user. All the words in the quick entry window are marked with numbers and letters (see fig. 76). In order to use the vocabulary, the user has to press the "Quick" button of the virtual keyboard and select the number or the letter of the corresponding word.

Using numbers for the fast word selection from the vocabulary (Fig. 76. Using numbers for the fast word selection from the vocabulary) Various fonts in the quick selection window. From left to right: Arial, Century, Times New Roman (Fig. 77. Various fonts in the quick selection window
From left to right: Arial, Century, Times New Roman)
The quick entry window interface with different font sizes (Fig. 78. The quick entry window interface with different font sizes) Various color schemes for the quick entry window. Colors for numbers and letters that are used to select words are set separately (Fig. 79. Various color schemes for the quick entry window.
Colors for numbers and letters that are used to select words are set separately)