ECTkeyboard - General settings of the matrix (1-9)
Character Matrix Settings
1. The number of buttons horizontally (all modes). The number of keys in the matrix depends on the number of different characters and commands to be used. For example, the Russian alphabet consists of 33 letters; with the addition of the basic commands for working with text (moving a symbol on the right or the left, beginning and ending a line , moving to the previous and the next line, a line break , removing a character , and so on ), the matrix will consist of approximately 43-50 buttons . If in addition we add uppercase, lowercase and latin letters, it will further increase the number of buttons by 26-33. The number of buttons on a vertical is only limited by the usability for the paralyzed person and the resolution of the monitor.
2. The number of buttons vertically (all modes). It is worth to observe a simple rule - the more symbols there are in the table, the greater must be the number of characters horizontally and vertically. When an approximate equality of rows and columns is achieved working with the program in the coordinate mode is the most rapid (1 and 1B). The final form of the table is only determined by the convenience of working with it and can be quite different for different users (see Figure 12-13).
The proportions of the buttons are conserved when the window of the text matrix is resized, so it is not recommended to have a too large number of columns; in the same time a port of command names or long sentences will simply not fit in the space allotted to them on the buttons (see Figure 14). Automatic scaling can be disabled by changing the value of the parameter 66 in the settings panel from 1 to 0.
3. Width of buttons (all modes). This parameter sets the horizontal size of the text matrix buttons in pixels. The size of the buttons should be increased only if their number in a matrix is low ( see Fig. 5) or if the paralyzed is short-sighted or has other visual impairments. A large size of buttons in conjunction with a properly selected color gamut allows the patient to make fewer mistakes and get less tired when entering text. It should be noted that the number of displayed buttons is limited by the screen resolution and the size of the window. If we make the size of the buttons large, and open the program in a small window or on the screen with a low resolution, scaling will be performed in automatic mode (see Fig. 9). Automatic scaling can be disabled by changing the value of the parameter 66 (SetButtonSize) from 1 to 0.
4. Height of buttons (all modes). This parameter specifies the vertical size of the buttons in pixels. Since when using commands or words in the table, the size of the buttons vertically is usually smaller than horizontally, it usually does not make sense for the ease of reading and searching the desired character to significantly increase the row height. The width of the buttons vertically and horizontally is usually chosen by experience after a few sessions with the program.
5. Space between rows (all modes). This option allows setting some distance between the buttons and allows more clearly distinguishing them from each other and delineating the text matrix, making thus the work with the program more comfortable. The horizontal spacing between the buttons separates the columns of the matrix.
6. Space between columns (all modes). This option allows setting some distance in pixels between the rows. A separate change in the distances between the buttons vertically and horizontally allows customizing the appearance of the matrix in accordance with the preferences of the user ( see Fig. 10-11).
7. Size of button borders in pixels (all modes). Framing buttons frames with fully customizable display and color scheme makes it possible to easily select a character in the table, reduces fatigue and improves performance. Picking out a button through a large frame or a contrasting color makes using the program easy for people with impaired vision (see Fig. 12).
8. Text font name (all modes). Please use standard OS fonts (Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Impact)
9. Keyboard button label file (all modes). ECTkeyboard can use different sets of buttons - for example, in different languages, to include lowercase / uppercase characters, to use commands or switch to a simplified input mode. In this case, each created set of buttons should be saved in a separate file located in the same directory as the program file launcher. This item of the settings panel allows quickly switching between different sets - simply type in the name of the file.
10. Field delimiter. The field delimiters are used to separate different groups of commands in the settings panel and make navigation much easier.