VoiceAssist for Windows - Main Menu
VoiceAssist for Windows

Though PC Users have been talking to their computers for years, their words have long been ignored.  Computer interfaces have been limited to clicking keys and pointing devices which are clicked and dragged across the screen.  Creative Technology's VoiceAssist for Windows is now changing all of that... computers are emerging from their deaf  world to give PC users a new voice in human-computer communication.

VoiceAssist's robust speech recognition engine, VproCommand, was developed by Voice Processing Corporation in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Quick Start: Running VoiceAssist the First Time

Before You Begin

An Overview of VoiceAssist

Using VoiceAssist

Training VoiceAssist

Working with User and Application Files

Setting Up Custom Applications


Quick Start: Running VoiceAssist the First Time

IMPORTANT: The following is a quick-start guide for those who want to get up-and-going right away.  For a more in-depth discussion, please refer to Training VoiceAssist and Using VoiceAssist in the User's manual or online help.

When running VoiceAssist for the first time, a dialog box will appear which says, "Please create your own User File and train the system with your voice...".  Following are the instructions:

To create a User File, copy either the generic male (GENMALE) or female (GENFMALE) file shipped with VoiceAssist into your User File:

1.	Click the menu button in VoiceAssist's main window.

2.	Select the "User" menu option.

3.	Depending on whether you are a male or female user, select the GENMALE or GENFMALE file.

4.	Click the "Copy" button.

5.	Type your name in the "as" edit control to copy the generic commands into your User File and click OK.

6.	Your name should appear highlighted in the listbox.  Click the OK button to confirm your selection.

Next, the generic set should be trained.  Please do not assume that you will get acceptable voice recognition for all words using only the generic voice training.

1.	Click the menu button in VoiceAssist's Main Window.

2.	Select the "Training" menu option.

3.	In the Training Dialog click "All" to train the 32 words in the generic set .  The Voice Training Dialog will appear.  To start the voice training, click the OK button and say each word clearly.

4.	When you've finished, the Voice Training Dialog will close automatically.  Click the "Save" button at the bottom of the Training Dialog to save your training session.

The final eight commands in the generic set consist of frequently-used applications which can be run directly.  Train each of the applications that you plan to use using the three simple steps below:

1.	Double-click the application that you wish to train.  VoiceAssist will automatically run the application, load the application's commands, and position the listbox cursor above the application's first command.  If VoiceAssist is unable to run the application, a message box will appear which says, "Cannot Run Application".  In this case, click the "Action" button, specify the full path to the application in the command line and click OK.

2.	Click the "All" button to train all of the application's commands.  The Voice Training Dialog will appear. To start, click the OK button and say each word clearly.

3.	When you've finished, the Voice Dialog will close automatically.  Click the "Save" button to save your training session for each application.

VoiceAssist is now ready for use... enjoy!


Before You Begin

Installation

System Requirements

Make Backups

Note to Developers


An Overview of VoiceAssist

VoiceAssist is a speech recognition program which empowers users to navigate the Windows environment and run Windows applications using voice commands.  By simply running VoiceAssist in the background, users can use voice commands to control virtually any Windows application.  VoiceAssist's context-sensitivity keeps the current application's commands in memory at all times.  Each application can now have up to 992 custom, user-defined commands.  VoiceAssist supports multiple users, each having their own command sets.  Special care has been taken to make the training process quick and effective.  Whenever possible, the actions for the commands have been 'automatically trained' so the user merely has to say the command to train the system.

Command Sets

Anatomy of a Command

Automatic Training


Using VoiceAssist

Important:  VoiceAssist is a user-dependent speech recognition system which achieves near-perfect accuracy when the voice is properly trained using a good microphone.  Two generic User Files for male and female voices, GENMALE and GENFMALE, are shipped with VoiceAssist which train the generic set and the eight applications found in the generic set.  When using the system for the first time the user should copy one of the generic files into his or her User File before using the system.  See  Training VoiceAssist  ,  Creating a User File or QuickStart: Running VoiceAssist the First Time for more instructions.

VoiceAssist is extremely easy to use.  Once trained,  VoiceAssist serves as an  alternative input device for controlling and running any Windows application.  To run VoiceAssist double-click its icon - just as with any other Windows application.  Turn on recognition by clicking the Recognition Button on VoiceAssist's Main Window.  The red "X" which covers the ear will be removed to show that recognition is enabled.

Whenever recognition is enabled, VoiceAssist  will be monitoring the microphone for commands.  To issue a command, simply speak the command into the microphone.  If VoiceAssist recognizes the command, the recognized word will be displayed and it's associated action will be carried out.

To turn VoiceAssist off by voice, say "Go To Sleep".  In it's sleeping state, VoiceAssist will continue to listen to the voice but will not carry out any action or display matched words until a "Wake Up" command is issued.  To resume full recognition, simply say "Wake Up".


Training VoiceAssist

The Main Window

Creating a User File

Considerations for Training the Voice

Training the Generic Set

The Training Dialog Box

The Voice Training Dialog Box

Testing the Generic Set

Training or Retraining the Voice

Training Actions

Creating Application Files

Retraining the Voice for Several Commands

The Run Command Dialog Box

The Recording Options Dialog Box

Editing Commands


Retraining the Voice for Several Commands

Situations may occur when the user may wish to retrain the voice for several commands or an entire application file.  Rather than train all commands or selecting each command individually,  the user can do the following:

1.	Be sure that "Train from Selected File" is turned on in the Training Dialog's system menu.

2.	Select the first command to train.

3.	Click 'All' to begin training.


Creating Application Files

Application files hold all of the application-specific commands for a single application.  Application files are particularly useful in two situations:

1.  A user might want to give an application file to a colleague so the colleague can merge it directly  into his/her User File.  This way, the colleague merely has to retrain the voice before use.

2.  A developer who uses VoiceAssist's API to integrate special voice commands into his application will need to create an application file to hold the custom voice commands for his application.  He will ship the application file along with his application so the User can merge it into his/her User File.

To create an application file, the user should train each command in the normal fashion, using the Training Dialog.  However, before exiting the Training Dialog, the user can create an application file by selecting "Save As Application File" from the Training Dialog's system menu.


Working with User Files
Working with User and Application Files

User and Application Files are managed using the User and Application Files dialog box.  To get to the User and Applications Files dialog from the VoiceAssist's Main Window:

1.	Click the Menu Button

2.	Select the "User" option from the main window to display the The User & Applications Files Dialog Box.

User files hold all commands for a specific user including the generic set and all applications which the user has trained.  Whenever a new user file is created, all commands in the generic set are automatically copied into the user file and saved with an .SRT extension.

Managing User Files

Managing Applications in User Files


Setting Up Custom Applications

As explained in the section ,"Training the Generic Set" in the Chapter "Training VoiceAssist", VoiceAssist reserves room for eight applications in the generic set.  The user can directly run any of these applications whenever VoiceAssist is running by simply saying the name of the application.  This saves the user the added steps of accessing the Program Manager, finding the appropriate group file and selecting the application to be run.  But what if the user wants to run additional applications?  How should those applications be accessed?

These additional applications should be run from the Program Manager using the Program Manager's Run command.  The user should set up custom macros which VoiceAssist will store in the Program Manager's command set.  Consequently, whenever a user wishes to run an application not found in the generic set, the user will first say "Program Manager" to load the Program Manager's command set, then say name of the program which he or she wishes to run.  Following are the steps for setting up these custom applications:

1.	In VoiceAssist, click the Menu Button and select the Training option to open the Training dialog box.

2.	Click on Program Manager to make VoiceAssist load its command set.

3.	Click the "Add" Edit Button and type the name of the application to be added.

4.	Train the voice by clicking the "Single" Voice Training Button.  Say the application's name.

5.	 Click "Action" to train the macro.  Select the Keyboard macro option with Fast Playback.

6.	Click the Start Button.  As recording begins VoiceAssist will be minimized and the Program Manager will become the current application.

7.	Press "Alt-F" to access the file menu then press "R" to access the Program Manager's Run command.

8.	 Type the full command of the application which you wish to run.

9.	 Press the < Break > key when finished.

10.	 If confirmation has been requested within VoiceAssist confirm the macro and press the OK button.


Other Program Options

Setting the "Always on Top" Option

The About Box

Accessing On-Line Help


Installation;
Installation

If  VoiceAssist has been included as part of your Sound Blaster package, it will be automatically be installed on your system.  If you obtained VoiceAssist separately, refer to the "Installation Note" that came with your package for installation instructions.


System Requirements

Following are the minimum system requirements needed to run VoiceAssist:

*	A Sound Blaster 16 audio card

*	386SX-25 MHz with 4 megabytes of RAM

*	VoiceAssist requires approximately 800K of hard disk storage plus approximately 200K for each User File.  User Files may grow substantially larger if many complex macros are used.

*	A mid to high-end unidirectional microphone

*	A running copy of Windows 3.1 on a hard drive

Though acceptable response times will be found using the 386SX-25 mHz PC's, quicker response times will be apparent on faster systems.  Additionally, headset microphones specifically designed for Speech Recognition are currently available which can further enhance recognition accuracy.


Making Backups

If you have not made backup copies of the diskette(s) that came with your package, you should do so before installing the software onto your system.  Store the original diskette(s) in a safe place.


Note to Developers

VoiceAssist also includes a Windows API for third-party developers who wish to incorporate custom speech recognition capabilities directly into their programs.  Developers registered with Creative Labs or Creative Technologies are eligible to obtain a license to use VoiceAssist's API in their applications.

For more information about becoming a registered developer and obtaining a license for VoiceAssist in the U. S. call: (800) 998-5227


Command Sets

Though a maximum of 1024 commands are available in memory at a single time, VoiceAssist can support up to 29,792 commands for a single user.  (In actual practice, the number of commands per application will rarely exceed two or three hundred commands) This is achieved by VoiceAssist's context-sensitivity which constantly tracks the current application.  As the user changes applications, the system automatically unloads the previous application's command set and loads the new.    (Using similar context-sensitive techniques developers can support even larger vocabularies.)  Following is a brief description of the two types of command sets which VoiceAssist supports:

*	The Generic Command Set

*	The Application-Specific Command Set

The generic set consists of the 32 most-frequently used Windows commands.  It is present at all times and can be used in any Windows application.  Generic commands include common commands such as  "open", "close", "enter", "left",  "right", "up" and "down".  The final eight commands in the generic set (25-32) are reserved for application names which can be run from any point in Windows.  By simply saying "Mixer", Creative's mixer program can be run.  Though these applications have been predefined, the user is free to change any of these applications to suit his or her own needs.

The application-specific command set is comprised of commands for a specific application.  VoiceAssist frequently checks the current application to ensure that the proper application-specific command set is loaded into memory.  This set is much larger than the generic set and can hold up to 992 commands.   As the user moves from application to application the current application's command set is quickly swapped into memory.  Application-specific command sets are usually comprised of  menu items and menu popups as well as additional commands which the user creates.

VoiceAssist supports multiple users.  When the program is first run, each user must create a user file which will hold all of the command sets trained during the training sessions.  When VoiceAssist  is run at a later time, the user needs only to enter his or her name as the current user to load the correct user-file.

VoiceAssist supports a maximum of 30 application-specific command sets for each user.


Anatomy of a Command

In order to train VoiceAssist correctly, the user should be familiar with the three parts which make up each command:

*	The Command Name

*	The Voice Pattern

*	The Action

As its name implies, the command name is the name of the command.  The command name is 'what is spoken' when the user issues commands and trains the system.

The voice pattern  is the data which is gathered by the recognition engine when the user trains or issues a voice command.  During training, as the user says the command name, the voice pattern is formed and saved for comparison during the recognition process.  During recognition, a voice pattern is also formed as the user speaks.  This pattern is compared with other previously-stored patterns by the recognition engine to find a match.

The action is what VoiceAssist should do when a match is found.  In order to train an action (also referred to as a macro),  the user simply has to show VoiceAssist the action using the keyboard or mouse.  The action can later be played-back in either real-time (at the actual speed which it was trained ) or at full speed.


Automatic Training

To make training quick and simple,  VoiceAssist automatically defines command names and actions whenever possible.  For example, when training the generic command set, the user need only train the voice pattern since the command name and action have already been trained.  When training a new application, VoiceAssist automatically extracts all menu popups and menu items directly from the application and automatically 'trains' the actions required to access the menu.  To access these menu commands, the user need only voice-train the command. This results in a dramatic time savings during the training process.

To further aid in training, user files can be copied, renamed and deleted.  Also, entire application-specific command sets can easily be merged into user files.  Using this technique, users need only to train the voice.


The Main Window

Below is VoiceAssist's Main Window.  Though it can be minimized, the Main Window is generally present when VoiceAssist is being 'run'. It consists of four parts: the Recognition Button, the Menu Button, the Recognition Window and the Minimize Button.

VoiceAssist's Main Window

The Recognition Button is used to enable and disable VoiceAssist's recognition state.  When recognition is disabled a red cross appears over the ear and VoiceAssist is 'turned off''.  To enable recognition, the button can be pressed and the cross will disappear.  If a command is spoken into the microphone when recognition is active, the Voice Meter inside of the Recognition Button will reflect the level of the voice.

The Menu Button always holds the name of the current application.  When pressed, a menu will pop down and display the various menu options.

When recognition is disabled, the Creative logo is displayed in the Recognition Window.  When recognition is enabled the Recognition Window will display the name of the command which VoiceAssist last 'understood'.  If a command is not recognized, the recognition will display the message "Not Recognized".

The Minimize Button minimizes VoiceAssist's main window.


Creating a User File

Before using VoiceAssist, each user must first train the commands which will be used.  All commands for each user are stored in a User File.   If using the system for the first time, the user must first create his or her own user-file before training the system.  For step-by-step instructions see Quick Start: Running VoiceAssist the First Time.

To create a new user file, click the Menu Button in the Main Window and select User from the top of the menu option list.  The  User and Application Files Dialog Box will be displayed.

Click 'New' and enter a user name in the dialog box.  After entering the name, click OK to accept the name and OK to exit the User File dialog to return to the Main Window.


Considerations for Training the Voice

Following are some tips for training the voice.  Later, when using recognition mode, these same guidelines should be followed:

*	Avoid training in a noisy environment.

*	Speak in a natural, conversational, relaxed tone.

*	Avoid prolonged pauses between the words of a multi-word command.

*	Try to speak with the same tone and speed during training and recognition.

*	If using a hand-held microphone, position the microphone about 5-11 inches away from your mouth.

*	Use a unidirectional or high-quality hands-free headset microphone for optimum recognition results.


Training the Generic Set

After creating a user file, the generic set can be trained.  The generic set consists of 32 common commands which are used for all applications.  The first 24 commands found in the generic set are unique in that the action  cannot be changed.  The final eight commands are actually applications which the user can run directly:

*	Calculator

*	Calendar

* 	Clock

*	File Manager

*	Media Player

*	Mixer

*	Program Manager

*	WIn Write

To train the generic set do the following:

1.	From the Main menu, click the Menu Button and select "Training".  The Training Dialog Box will appear.  Click the underlined text to view the Training Dialog Box.

2.	Click the "All" Voice Training Button.  The Voice Training Dialog Box appears.

3.	 Click 'OK' and say each Command name that appears in the Command Name box.  Be sure that there is not a red 'X' over the ear in the Recognition Indicator when you begin to speak... VoiceAssist is not listening during these times.  Try to speak naturally and clearly, maintaining an even volume (See Considerations for Training the Voice).


The Training Dialog Box


The Voice Training Dialog Box


Testing the Generic Set

After training, the generic set can be tested by clicking on the "Test" button in the upper right corner of the Training Dialog Box.  When speaking, be sure that the ear is not crossed-out.  To test a word, simply say the word.  The recognized word will be printed in the text box at the top left corner of the dialog box.  When finished testing, click the "Disable" button.


Training or Retraining the Voice

Commands Whose Sound is Too Similar

Commands Which Exceed the Maximum Length

Adding Multiple Voice Trainings to a Command

Retraining Isolated Commands

Changing the Microphone Gain Settings


Commands Whose Sound is too Similar

If the sound of two commands are so similar that VoiceAssist cannot distinguish between the two, the following message box will be displayed: "This command may be confused with the command _____."  If this message box is encountered, the user should either retrain the current command, retrain the other command, or modify the name of one of the commands.


Command Which Exceed the Maximum Length
Commands Which Exceed the Maximum Length

Commands which exceed a length of two seconds are not accepted by VoiceAssist.  If the command is too long, a message box, "Bad Recording, Please Try Again", will be displayed.


Adding Multiple Voice Trainings to a Command

From time to time a user might wish to train VoiceAssist to respond to a variety of voice states.  For instance in a voice-controlled game, an excited "UP!" might be spoken in the heat of the action.  To train the voice for a variety of voice states, the user should click the "Add" button in the Voice Training dialog box.  This will make VoiceAssist  'average-in' the current voice with the previous voice trainings


Retraining Isolated Commands

If a few commands are repeatedly misrecognized during testing, the word should be retrained as follows:

1.	Use the mouse or keyboard to highlight the word in the Command List.

2.	Click on the "Single" Voice Training Button.

3.	In the Voice Training Dialog, click "New" to completely retrain the word.  (All previous trainings will be deleted.)

4.	To begin training click the "OK" button and say the word.

5.	 If poor recognition persists, be sure that the guidelines described in the section, "Considerations for Training the Voice" are being followed.  Also, the number of voice trainings can be assigned to a higher number in the Voice Training dialog to get an average of all the trainings.

NOTE: The Voice Training dialog box closes automatically when training has been completed.  If the dialog box is exited manually by pressing the "Cancel" button or by selecting "Close" from the system menu, the voice training for the last word will be ignored.  To be sure that all training is processed by the system, do not close the Voice Training dialog box manually.


Changing the Microphone Gain Settings

If poor recognition is present for many or all commands, be sure that the guidelines described in the section, "Considerations for Training the Voice" are being followed.  Also, the gain settings for the microphone in the Mixer may not be set properly.  Since various microphones possess a wide range of sensitivity a higher or lower gain setting may yield better results.  To change the gain settings for the microphone do the following:

1.	 Open VoiceAssist's Training Dialog box by clicking the Menu Button in the Main Window and select "Training" from the Menu.

2.	 Run the Mixer

3.	 In the Mixer, choose the "Settings" menu popup and the "Recording..." menu item.

4.	 Try a higher or lower Gain settings to change the sensitivity of the Microphone.  With the SB16 both the 4x and 8x gain settings should be tried.

5.	Check the AGC (automatic gain control) in the mixer to be sure that it is turned on.  The default is for this to be turned on.

6.	Return to VoiceAssist and retrain a few words.

7.	 Test the words to see if better recognition is achieved.  If better recognition is achieved, the other words in the command set may require retraining.  If poor recognition persists, try one of the following:

*	A different gain setting

*	A high number of Trainings in the Voice Training dialog box

*	A different microphone

NOTE: VoiceAssist resets and saves the current settings microphone recordings settings each time the program is run.  Once properly set, the user should not have to readjust again unless another microphone is used.


Training Actions

As described in the section "Anatomy of a Command", VoiceAssist executes a mouse or keyboard macro when a match is found. Simply put, the action is 'what happens' when a match is found.  With the exception of the first 24 commands found in the generic set which cannot be retrained, the user is free to retrain any other action.  This includes the final eight commands in the generic set as well as any command in any application-specific command set.  Following are two examples.  The first describes the procedure for retraining an application in the generic set.  The second describes how to create a mouse or keyboard macro for an application-specific command.

Retraining an Application in the Generic Set

Training Mouse and Keyboard Macros


Retraining an Application in the Generic Set

Any of the eight applications found in the generic set (commands 25-32) can be retrained.  These applications have yellow circles as their training status indicators. The actions for these applications are not defined as macros but rather by their application name and command path.

1.	 From the Training dialog, select the application from the generic set which is to be retrained.  (The pre-defined applications in the generic set are:  Calculator, Calendar, Clock, File Manager, Media Player, Mixer,  Program Manager and WinWrite.)

2.	 Click the Action button to reveal the following Run Command Dialog Box:

3.	Enter a new Application Name and Command Line for the application and press OK.

4.	 As with all commands, the Voice will need to be trained.  To do so, click the "Single" Voice Training Button and train the voice.  (Refer to "Training or Retraining the Voice" above for more information.)

Note: If an application does not run properly, be sure to check the Command Line to be sure that it is correct.


Training Mouse and Keyboard Macros
Training Mouse and Keyboard Macros:

With the exception of the applications found in the generic set (described above), VoiceAssist uses keyboard and/or mouse macros to execute all actions.  These include virtually all actions defined in application-specific command sets (see the section "Command Sets" listed above). Generally, it is recommended that the user use keyboard macros to train the system since they consume less storage space and are generally more reliable.  However, if a mouse macro is desired it is strongly recommended that the mouse macro be recorded using Window Coordinates.  Using Screen Coordinates can lead to undesirable results since applications rarely retain their exact screen coordinates.

To create a macro which uses the keyboard or mouse do the following:

1.	 Run VoiceAssist and open the Training Dialog.

2.	 Run or click an application other than VoiceAssist to load it's application-specific command set into memory.

3.	 Scroll down past the generic command list in the Command list box and select a command to retrain.

4.	 Click the Action button to train (or retrain) retrain the command.  The Recording Options Dialog Box will appear.

5.	 Click on desired options for the macro.

6.	 Click the "Start" button to start recording.  VoiceAssist will iconize and flash while macro-recording is under way.  Perform the proper keyboard entry and/or mouse actions for the selected command.  When finished, press the <Pause> key (or Ctrl-Numlock key on an 84-key keyboard) to terminate the macro recording. At the next prompt click OK to save the recording or Cancel to abort the macro.

7.	 If "Confirmation Needed" was selected, a prompt will be seen asking whether to keep the macro. Select the appropriate action and click "OK".


The Run Command Dialog Box


The Recording Options Dialog Box


Editing Commands

Commands can easily be added, deleted and renamed from the Training Dialog Box.

Adding a New Command

Deleting an Existing Command

Renaming a Command


Adding a New Command;
Adding a New Command

1.	Open the Training Dialog Box by clicking the Menu Button on VoiceAssist's main window and selecting the "Training" option.

2.	Be sure that the current application is the one which you want to hold the new command.  If necessary, change to the desired application by clicking it with the mouse.  This will load its command set into memory.

3.	Press the "Add" Edit Button and type a name for the command.  Select "OK".  A new command will be added to the end of the application-specific command set.

4.	The voice will need to be trained.  Click the "Single" Voice Training Button to open the Voice Training Dialog.  After saying the command the dialog box will close automatically.

5.	Click the Action Button to train the action. (Refer to "Training Mouse and Keyboard Macros" for more information.)


Deleting an Existing Command

To delete a command, select the command from the Command list box and press the "Delete" Edit Button. The command will be removed from the list of commands. Generic set commands will never be completely deleted.  If a generic command is deleted the voice recording will be deleted but the Command Name and Action will remain unaffected.


Renaming a Command

1.	Select the command-to-be-renamed from the Command list box

2.	Press the "Rename" Edit Button and a dialog box will appear.

3.	Delete the previous command and type a new name.

4.	Click the OK button to accept the change.

5.	The Voice and Action will probably need to be retrained.  Be sure that the renamed command is highlighted in the Command list box.

6.	Click the "Single" Voice Training Button to open the Voice Training Dialog.  After saying the command the dialog box will close automatically.

7.	Click the Action Button to train the action.  (Refer to "Training Mouse and Keyboard Macros" for more information.)


The User & Application Files Dialog Box;
The User & Application Files Dialog Box


Managing User Files

User Files are managed using the User File Buttons along the left side of the dialog box.  Following are instructions for creating, copying, renaming and deleting user files:

To Create a New User File

To Copy a User File

To Rename a User File

To Delete a User File


To Create a New User File

1.	Click "New" from the User & File Application Dialog Box.

2.	Type a new user file name.  The name must be eight characters or less.

3.	Click the OK button to confirm.

Users can 'inherit' all applications from another user copying their User Files.  This can dramatically reduce the training time if the original user file has trained all actions.  In this case, the new user need only retrain the voice commands.


To Copy a User File

1.	Select the User File-to-copy from the User File list.

2.	Click the "Copy"  from the User & File Application Dialog Box.

3.	Type a new user file name in the "as" box (8 character max.).

4.	Click the OK button to confirm.


To Rename a User File

1.	Select the User File-to-rename from the User File list.

2.	Click "Rename" from the User & File Application Dialog Box.

3.	Delete the old user name and type a new user name (8 character max)

4.	Click the OK button to confirm.


To Delete a User File
To Delete a User File:

1.	Select the User File to delete from the User File list.

2.	Click "Delete"

3.	Click OK to confirm the deletion


Managing Applications in User Files

Application Files are special files which hold commands for specific applications.  Though these files are not used directly by VoiceAssist, they can be merged into the User Files which VoiceAssist uses.   For example, suppose a children's 3D maze game has been developed by a third party developer.  In order to take advantage of VoiceAssist's voice capabilities the developer will train all voice commands which his game uses and include these commands in an Application File which he or she ships with the game. After installing the game, the user will merge the Application File into his or her User File.

All available Applications Files are listed in the Available apps. list box found in the User & Application Files dialog box.

To Merge an Application file into a User File

To Remove an Application from  User File

To Delete an Application File


To Merge an Application File into a User File

1.	 Select the User File which is to receive the Application File.

2.	 Select the Application File to be merged.

3.	Click the "Add" button directly under the "Included Apps" list box to merge the Application File.

4.	The "Included Apps." list box lists all applications which the User has previously trained.


To Remove an Application from a User File

1.	Select the application to be removed from the "Included Apps" list box.

2.	Click the "Remove" button.


To Delete an Application File

1.	 Select the Application File-to-be-deleted from the "Available Apps" list box.

2.	Press the delete button.


Setting the "Always on Top" Option

VoiceAssist's Main Window can behave in two ways: As a normal Windows application, or as a window which always stays on top of other Windows applications.  The advantage of keeping VoiceAssist as an 'Always on Top' window is that the user can easily tell whether VoiceAssist's recognition is turned on or off.  Additionally, the user can view the Recognition Window to tell what words VoiceAssist has recognized.  The 'Always on Top' setting is specified in 'Option's' dialog box:

1.	Click the Menu Button from VoiceAssist's main window.

2.	Choose the Options menu option

3.	Click the desired "Always on Top" setting

4.	Click the OK button to confirm.


The About Box

Displays copyright information and credits for the program.


Accessing On-Line Help

Most of this manual has been included in VoiceAssist's on-line help which can be accessed as follows:

1.	Click the Menu Button from VoiceAssist's main window.

2.	Choose Help from the menu