WillowTALK Overview
WillowTALK™ Overview

WillowTALK lets your computer read text from documents created by popular Windows applications, in a variety of computer voices.

With WillowTALK you can, for example:

•	Have your PC read documents, even including Internet web pages, without looking at your computer screen

•	Proof-read a column of numbers you’ve typed into a spreadsheet against your hard copy version

•	Continue to use an application full-screen while your PC reads the application Help file to you

•	Have your PC announce the time and date and play audio alarms at times you set

•	Create audio scripts or “plays” in which multiple characters speak their lines in different voices

•	Hear how a speech you are reading will sound, and have WillowTALK time how long it will take to give


What is Computer Speech?

Computer speech software lets computers convert document text into sound that resembles human speech.  The “text to speech” software:

1.	Lets you select the document and the text to be read.

2.	Uses sophisticated mathematical equations to convert the text into a series of numbers representing human speech.  The equations reflect the language, voice style, and other factors.

3.	Sends the series of numbers to your PC audio hardware, which converts it into voltage sent to loudspeakers to produce the speech.


Installing WillowTALK


System Requirements

WillowTALK works on PCs running Windows 95 and equipped with a standard sound card.

For best performance, use a PC with a Pentium processor, 16MB of RAM, and 10MB of free disk space.


Before Installing the Software

Before you install WillowTALK, you must make sure that your sound card has already been properly installed and is working.  Refer to the documentation that came with your hardware for instructions on how to do this.  If your sound card came pre-installed in your PC, you are probably all set up.


Sound Card Test

To make sure your sound card is working, use a program such as Windows’ own Media Player accessory to play a wave file.  If this doesn’t seem to work at first, make sure your speakers are connected properly and plugged in, and make sure your audio volume levels are not too low.  You can access your PC’s volume controls by clicking on the Volume button on the front of WillowTALK.


The WillowTALK Installation Procedure

1.	Insert the WillowTALK CD or diskette into your PC and run its SETUP.EXE program.

2.	Enter your name and other standard installation program information when asked.

3.	Setup will let you specify the destination directory for the program files.  You can just click Next.

4.	Setup will let you specify the program folder in which to install the software.  You can just click Next.

5.	Setup will then copy the WillowTALK files, make entries in your Windows registry, and create a program folder to hold the program.


WillowTALK Controls

In the WillowTALK Help file, click on the picture below for information about each of WillowTALK’s controls.


Windows System Menu
System Menu

Clicking on this shows the familiar Windows system menu, with items such as Minimize, Close, Always On Top, etc., as well as additional WillowTALK configuration options.


Properties

Displays a tabbed configuration screen where you can specify configuration preferences that control how WillowTALK works.


Volume (Mixer) Controls

Launches a volume control program, letting you adjust how loudly WillowTALK speaks.


Help

Displays this WillowTALK User Guide as a Help file.


Shrink Vertically

Reduces the amount of space WillowTALK takes on your screen by hiding some of the controls.  Along with its Shrink Horizontally counterpart (at WillowTALK’s top right corner), it lets WillowTALK take up as little screen space as possible.


Audio Indicator

Shows when WillowTALK is speaking or another program is producing digital audio (wave) output.


Rewind Button

Rewinds to the beginning of the current sentence and resumes speaking from there.  This lets you listen again to a word or phrase you may have missed without having to manually select it.


Play Button

Starts reading your selected document in the current computer voice.


Stop Button

Stops the computer speech.


Pause Button

Temporarily pauses the computer speech, until you press Pause or Play again.


Voice Selection List

Lets you select the computer voice to use to read your documents.


Talking Clock

When WillowTALK is reading text, it displays the time elapsed since you pressed Play. When WillowTALK is not reading text, the clock shows the current time.


Selected Document

Clicking here lets you choose among the documents open on your desktop the one WillowTALK will read when you press the Play button.


ScriptTalker Display

Clicking here toggles the ScriptTalker view display on or off.


ScriptTalker View

WillowTALK lets you create multi-character “scripts” or “plays”, which are performed when you click on the Play button.  This is shown or hidden when you click on the ScriptTalker Display button .


More Info

Pops up updated information on Willow Pond and its other software products, including an Internet hyperlink that takes you directly to Willow Pond’s home page.


Shrink Horizontally

Reduces the amount of space WillowTALK takes on your screen by hiding some of the controls.  Along with its Shrink Vertically counterpart (at WillowTALK’s bottom left corner), it lets WillowTALK take up as little screen space as possible.


Reading a Document

To have WillowTALK read all or part of a document:

1.	Launch WillowTALK.  If you would like WillowTALK to float on top of the document you wish to read, select on Always On Top from the System Menu available by clicking on its Button.

Selecting the Document to Read

2.	WillowTALK can only read documents that are open.  So, to read a Microsoft Word document, for example, run Microsoft Word and use it to open the document.

If you have more than one document open, there are two ways to select the one for WillowTALK to read:

•	The normal way is using the Selected Document control.  The document you select there will be the one that WillowTALK reads when you click on the Play button. If an open document does not show up in the Selected Document list, then it is not a document type that WillowTALK can read.

•	If you prefer, you can change WillowTALK to always read the "active" document (that is, the one you last used, or the last one you clicked on), so you don't have to manually select the document with the Selected Document control.  To make this change:

a)	Click on the Preferences button, and then on the General tab on the Preferences screen

b)	Click on the button labeled "Read Active Document".  Then click on OK.

After You've Selected the Document to Read

3.	To read an entire document, click on the WillowTALK Play button.

4.	To instead read only part of a document, use your mouse to select the portion of the document you would like to read before clicking on the Play button.

5.	To stop reading, click on the Pause or Stop button.  If you have clicked on Pause to suspend reading, you can resume reading from the current position by clicking on Pause or Play again.

Tip:	While WillowTALK is reading, you can quickly rewind to the beginning of the current sentence and resume speaking from there by clicking on the Rewind button. This is useful to replay some text you just missed.

You can change the characteristics of the computer voice, as described in the Selecting an Existing Computer Voice and Creating a New Computer Voice sections.


Supported Document Types

WillowTALK reads text from a wide range of document types, including Microsoft Word, Excel, Help, Notepad, and many others.  Please refer to the Willow Pond web site at http://www.willowpond.com for a compete list.


Special Considerations in Reading Documents

Not all applications make it easy for WillowTALK to access their text so it can be read.  Some special cases include:

•	Some applications have several ways of displaying information.  For example, a document may display some text in bitmaps rather than as normal text.  WillowTALK can not read bitmaps to extract the text, so words embedded in a bitmap can not be read.

•	Some applications, including Microsoft Internet Explorer, pass to WillowTALK text captions for bitmaps.  So WillowTALK can in those cases read the bitmap caption text even though it can’t say anything about the bitmap itself.

•	When using a browser to display a web page which uses frames, select the frame you want to read before clicking Play, to be sure you hear the content you expect.

•	Some applications, such as the Microsoft Encarta encyclopedia, appear and behave quite differently than most Windows programs.  As a result WillowTALK can capture the text from some types of their user interface screens but not others.  Fortunately WillowTALK can read the main articles in Encarta and only less important text is impossible to read.

•	Applications that have fields in which you can enter text (for example a form in a web page or a custom dialog in a database application) can fool WillowTALK.  If the program cursor is in the document’s text entry field, WillowTALK may try to read that field only rather than the entire page.  By moving the cursor out of the text entry field before pressing Play you can often get the desired result.

•	WillowTALK can not always automatically capture the text from some applications.  In some cases, you have to manually select the text you want read before you press the Play button.

If WillowTALK can not find any text to read when you click on the Play button , it will display a text message saying that.  You can sometimes reposition the cursor and try again.

Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document on the Willow Pond web site at http://ww.willowpond.com for updated information.


Adding Support for New Document Types

Willow Pond may periodically post software on its web site at http://ww.willowpond.com for users to download to add support for additional Windows applications.


Selecting an Existing Computer Voice

WillowTALK lets you choose computer speech characteristics that match the text you are reading.  For example, you might choose computer voices with different gender, speed, or pitch.

To select an existing computer voice, choose among those available in the Voice Selection List.

If you select a new voice while WillowTALK is reading, the new voice will take effect when WillowTALK reaches the beginning of the next sentence (or immediately after you click on the Rewind button ).

You can edit or create voices as described in the Creating a New Computer Voice section.


Creating a New Computer Voice

To create a new computer voice:

1.	Click on the Properties button and select the Custom Voices tab to use the voice editing screen (note: the exact appearance of this screen may vary).

2.	In the Model drop list, select the existing voice closest to that you want to create.   You can hear that model by clicking on the Test button (if you have some Test Text entered).

3.	Modify the characteristics of that voice using the options provided.

4.	Enter some text in the Test Text field, and click on the Test button to hear the new voice.  Modify the voice further as desired.

5.	When you are satisfied with your new voice, type a name for it in the Custom Voice field and click on the Save button.  Then click on the Close button to finish.

When you use WillowTALK in the future, your new voice will appear in the Voice Selection list on the WillowTALK screen.


The Talking Clock

The Talking Clock announces the time and date in a computer voice, and can play a computer speech or digital audio (wave) alarm at a time you set.

Talking Clock Configuration Preferences

To display the Talking Clock Preferences screen, click on the Properties button and then select the Clock tab.

The Clock Preferences screen offers several choices:

Clock Voice:  The voice in which you want Talking Clock to speak.

Clock Options:  The Clock Options portion of the Preferences screen lets you select how Talking Clock tells you the time. Options include:

•	Hour Format:  In 12 hour format, Talking Clock will say, e.g.:  "The time is six-twenty-one-PM".  In 24-hour format, you will hear "The time is eighteen-twenty-one".

•	Say Date:  If you enable this, Talking Clock will follow the time by announcing, e.g., "Today is Thursday, May 1, 1997".

•	Say Greeting:  Causes Talking Clock to precede the time and date with a greeting such as "Good Morning".

•	Only When Asked:  If selected, Talking Clock will only say the time when you double-click on it.

•	On the Hour:  Makes Talking Clock speak at the start of the hour.

•	On the Half Hour:  Causes Talking Clock to speak at the start of every hour as well as thirty minutes past the hour.

•	On the Quarter Hour:  Causes Talking Clock to speak at the start of every hour as well as every fifteen minutes after that.

Color:  Lets you select the color in which Talking Clock displays the time.

Alarm: Lets you set an audible reminder, using a computer speech message or .WAV file, as follows:

1. 	Click on the On button in Alarm field of the Preferences box.

2. 	Select whether you want to play a wave file or have the computer speak your alarm message, by selecting either the File or Text button.

2.	If using a wave file, type in or Browse to the wave file you want played.

If using a computer speech message, type in the text to be read.

3.	Click on the Test button to hear your alarm, to make sure that it meets your needs.

4.	Specify the time you want the file played, by highlighting and typing into the Time fields.

5.	Click on the OK button to accept the settings.

Testing Talking Clock

You can double-click on the clock face on the main WillowTALK user interface at any to make Talking Clock announce the time.

Note:	While WillowTALK is reading a document, the Talking Clock switches from showing the current time to showing the amount of time that it has been reading the document.


Writing "Plays" with the ScriptTalker Feature


Opening the ScriptTalker Window

With WillowTALK you can create “plays” or “scripts”, where multiple characters speak their lines in different voices.

To start using the ScriptTalker feature, click on the ScriptTalker button to display the ScriptTalker window.

It is in this window that you create, edit, play, and save your ScriptTalker files.


Creating Your ScriptTalker Script Document
Creating Your ScriptTalker Script

Each line of your script consists of the voice to be used and the words to be read by that voice.

1.	Place the cursor in a cell on the right side of the ScriptTalker view and type in text to be read by a voice.

2.	In the cell to the left of the text you just entered, select a computer voice from the list of available voices.

3.	Repeat the above steps, entering text and selecting voices, until you have the multi-character script you want.

Details on editing techniques can be found in the ScriptTalker Editing Techniques section.


ScriptTalker Editing Techniques

Entering and editing text in the right-hand ScriptTalker text fields is similar to those operations in other Windows applications.  Some special considerations include:

•	You can change the size of the ScriptTalker display window by dragging its bottom right corner to make it larger or smaller.

•	As you create a long script, you may want to display it in compact form to take up less screen space.  To have ScriptTalker show only the first line of each speaking part, select Show First Lines from the ScriptTalker View menu.  To instead have it display all of the text for each part, select Show All Lines from the View menu.

•	You can also drag down or up the horizontal lines separating each speaking part in the ScriptTalker window, to show more or less of each speaking part.

•	To add another line in the ScriptTalker display view, for another speaking part, you can just click in the text entry field of the bottom line in the script.  Alternately, you can select Add Field from the Edit menu.

•	To insert a speaking part inside an existing script, place the text cursor in the line below where you want the new speaking part to appear and select Insert Field from the Edit menu.  A new line will be inserted just above your cursor.

•	To delete a speaking part, place the text cursor in the line's text field and select Delete Field from the Edit menu.

•	When editing the text inside the text field of a speaking part, you can right-click on the field to bring up a menu of common editing commands.

•	The Undo menu item under the Edit menu will reverse the effect of the last text edit.


Playing Your Script
Playing Your ScriptTalker Script

To play a ScriptTalker script:

1.	Click in the left-most column of the ScriptTalker view adjacent to the line of your script to be read first.  When you do so, a red arrow will appear to indicate where WillowTALK should start reading when you click on the Play button.

2.	Click on Play to make WillowTALK start reading your script from the location you selected.


Saving and Loading Scripts
Saving and Loading ScriptTalker Scripts

1.	To save a script to a file so you can load it later to play or edit it, select Save As from the File menu in the ScriptTalker view windows.

2.	To load a script, select Open from the ScriptTalker File menu.

Note:	Use the Open menu item only to open ScriptTalker files you have previously saved.  Do not open other document types.  To read other document types, refer to the section Reading a Document.


Using Keyboard Hotkeys

You can use keyboard hotkeys instead of mouse clicks to operate most of WillowTALK’s functions.  This is especially useful for notebook computer users and for people with limited eyesight.

1. 	Click on the Properties button to bring up the Properties screen.  Then click on the Hotkeys tab.

2. 	To enable keyboard hotkeys, clear the Disable Hotkeys check box.

3. 	For each hotkey that you want to use, click to enable it with a check in its check box.

4. 	Then, for each hotkey you want to use, position the cursor in its data field and press the keyboard combination you want to use to trigger that hotkey action.  For example, if you press the [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[P] keys, WillowTALK will display “Ctrl + Alt + P”.

5. 	When finished enabling and configuring the hotkeys you want to use, click on the OK button.


WillowTALK Volume Control

WillowTALK does not have its own volume control.  However, if you click on the Volume button, WillowTALK will launch a separate volume control program where you can adjust your PC’s various volume levels.


Changing How WillowTALK Pronounces Words and Symbols

WillowTALK comes with a separate program, the User Dictionary Editor, which lets you change how WillowTALK pronounces selected words and symbols. With this you can configure WillowTALK to pronounce unusual names properly, to expand abbreviations and acronyms, and even skip some symbols altogether, for example. Details about this program can be found in its own Help file.

You can turn on or off whether WillowTALK uses your custom pronunciation information as follows:

1.	Click on the Properties button on the main WillowTALK screen.

2.	Click on the General tab of the Preferences screen, to show the following screen:

3.	To enable use of your pronunciation information, make sure the Enable User Dictionary box is checked.  To disable it, click on the box until that item is not checked.  Then click on OK.

Note:	After using the User Dictionary Editor to change how WillowTALK pronounces words or symbols, you have to tell WillowTALK to reload its dictionary so your changes take effect.  To do this, select the Reload Dictionary menu item under the WillowTALK System Menu.


Troubleshooting WillowTALK

•	I do not hear any audio when I try to read a document.

•	I have difficulty understanding the computer speech.

•	A document I want to read does not show up in the WillowTALK Document Selection list, so I can not read it.

•	Sometimes WillowTALK's colors get changed.  What causes this?

•	I have trouble using the WillowTALK hotkeys. What should I try?


I do not hear any audio when I try to read a document.

This could be any of several things:

•	Check that your speaker is properly connected to your sound card, and if it is a powered speaker, is switched on.

•	Make sure your PC’s output volume is not muted and is not set at a very low volume level.  You can see your volume controls by clicking on WillowTALK’s Volume button . While each sound card has different volume controls, relevant volume controls are often labeled Master, Volume, or Wave.

•	Verify that, when you click on WillowTALK’s Play button , the Audio Indicator is moving.  This shows that WillowTALK is actually sending output to your sound card.

•	Close any other audio applications you have open, and try again.  It is possible that some other program is using the sound card audio driver, preventing WillowTALK from using it.


I have difficulty understanding the computer speech.

Computer speech does not sound quite like human speech, and takes some getting used to.  There are a few things that might help:

•	Try a computer voice that speaks slower.  After you are more experienced with computer speech, you can speed up the speech for greater efficiency.  You can use the Voice Creation tool to create a voice that speaks slowly.

•	Try a different voice.  Each computer voice “model” has different characteristics, and some people find some voices easier to understand than others.

•	Remember that you can use the Rewind button to have WillowTALK start reading again from the beginning of the current sentence, if you miss a word.


A document I want to read does not show up in the WillowTALK Document Selection list, so I can not read it.

This means that WillowTALK is not able to read documents of that type (that is, documents created by the application that created the document).  There are two things you can try:

•	You can check the Willow Pond web site to see if we have posted any updates that incorporate support for that application.

•	You can try to copy the text you want to read and paste it into a document of an application that works with WillowTALK (Windows’ own WordPad, for example).


Sometimes WillowTALK's colors get changed.  What causes this?

When WillowTALK reads text from documents, it often switches the foreground focus between itself and the application whose document it is reading.  If the application uses an unusual color palette (most often the case with web pages or paint programs with extensive graphics), the palettes can be different enough that there are problems when redrawing the user interface.

If this happens, just select Redraw from the WillowTALK system menu (at the top left corner of the WillowTALK interface).


I have trouble using the WillowTALK hotkeys. What should I try?

There are several things to keep in mind about hotkeys:

1.	You decide which keyboard combinations to use for each function, and can choose to disable some or all of the hotkeys at any time.  To change or disable hotkeys, click on the WillowTALK Properties button and then select the Hotkeys tab.

2.	Note that your PC or other applications may also use hotkeys, and these can conflict with your WillowTALK hotkeys.  For example, some PCs use Ctrl-Alt-P to enter a power saving or power down state.  If a WillowTALK hotkey has an unexpected effect such as this, try changing the WillowTALK hotkey definition to use a different set of keys, until you find one that is not already in use by your PC.


Acknowledgements

WillowTALK, ScriptTalker, DocTalker, NoteTalker, WillowMEDIA, Media Rack, Wave Shaper, Presto Arranger, Personal Effects, and Karaoke Arranger are trademarks of Willow Pond Corporation.

All other  trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.

WillowTALK software and documentation are Copyright © 1994-1998 Willow Pond Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Information in this manual is subject to change without notice.