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TURBO BRAILLE
Version 3
Another Sound Alternative
from
KANSYS, Inc.
1016 Ohio St.
Lawrence, KS 66044
Telephone 913-843-0351
or 800-279-4880
Copyright (c) 1989 - 1992
All rights reserved.
Table Of Contents
I. Introduction ......................1
II. Getting Started ..................2
III. Examples ........................3
IV. Using Help Screens ...............6
V. What You May Enter ................6
1. Types Of Input Files .........7
2. Files Not Processed ..........7
VI. Types Of Outputs .................7
VII. Modes Of Operation ..............8
VIII. Saving Program Setups ..........9
IX. Commands And Switches ............9
1. Formatting Commands ..........14
2. Dot Commands .................16
3. Imbedded Commands ............29
X. Why WordStar? .....................31
Appendices
A: Turbo Braille Translation
Rules ...........................33
B: History Of KanSys, Inc. ...........37
Introduction
Turbo Braille is an MS-DOS program
that translates source documents into
standard English braille. It is fast,
accurate, inexpensive, and easy to use. It
accepts WordPerfect and WordStar source
documents directly, as well as printer-
ready ASCII text files. It produces output
in Grade I, Grade II, or Grade III braille.
It can also format text without translating
it, a mode which we call "Grade 0" braille.
Turbo Braille does many things right
the first time, without user assistance.
There is also a powerful formatting
language to let you fine-tune the finished
product to your most exacting requirements.
This manual describes how to use the Turbo
Braille program and its formatting
language. Most of the information in this
manual is also available on-line in the
Turbo Braille interactive mode.
Getting Started
Turbo Braille consists of two essential
files and one optional file, all of which
must be placed together in the same
directory for proper operation of the
program. The file names and their contents
are as follows:
(1) TBRL.EXE -- The Turbo Braille
executable program;
(2) TBRL.XLT -- The translation rules
used by the program;
(3) TBRL.HLP -- The on-line Help File
(optional).
If the directory containing these
three files is on the DOS path, you can
move at any time to another directory where
you keep your documents and do all your
brailling work from there. You may use a
Turbo Braille command to create another
file for storing various program settings,
so that you do not have to enter them each
time you need them.
(4) TBRL.CFG -- Setup or Configuration
file (optional).
This fourth file can be created in the
directory where the other three files are
located (a global setup), in the directory
where your documents are located (a local
setup), or in both if you wish. Since you
can have several directories containing
documents, you can have a local Setup file
associated with each, perhaps containing
settings designed for only certain
documents.
Examples
(1). To create a braille document
called "DOCUMENT.BRL" from a WordPerfect
document called "DOCUMENT.WP" do the
following:
(a) Log onto the directory containing
the file to be translated, and at the DOS
prompt, type:
TBRL DOCUMENT.WP
(b) The directory now contains the
file "DOCUMENT.BRL" in addition to the
original WordPerfect file. This file may be
printed using the DOS "PRINT DOCUMENT.BRL"
command or the DOS "COPY DOCUMENT.BRL PRN"
command.
(2). To create a "braille intermediate
file" called "DOCUMENT.BIF" from a
WordPerfect file called "DOCUMENT.WP" do
the following:
(a) Log onto the directory containing
the file to be translated, and at the DOS
prompt, type:
TBRL /M1 DOCUMENT.WP
(b) The directory now contains the
file "DOCUMENT.BIF" in addition to the
original WordPerfect file. This file may be
edited with an ASCII editor to improve the
formatting of the document.
(3). To create a braille document
called "DOCUMENT.BRL" from a "braille
intermediate file" called "DOCUMENT.BIF" do
the following:
(a) Log onto the directory containing
the file to be translated, and at the DOS
prompt, type:
TBRL DOCUMENT.BIF
(b) The directory now contains the
file "DOCUMENT.BRL" in addition to the
original BIF file. This file may be printed
using the DOS "PRINT DOCUMENT.BRL" command
or the DOS "COPY DOCUMENT.BRL PRN" command.
(4). To create a global setup
containing a default right margin of 30
cells and a default page length of 25
lines, at any DOS prompt enter the
following:
TBRL .RM30 .PL25 /SG
(5) To translate a file into braille,
sending the output directly to the braille
embosser, do the following:
(a) Log onto the directory containing
the file to be translated, and at the DOS
prompt, type:
TBRL /W1 DOCUMENT.WP
(b) The directory containing the file
"DOCUMENT.WP" is not modified.
(6) To translate a file into braille,
sending six copies of the output directly
to the braille embosser, do the following:
(a) Log onto the directory containing
the file to be translated, and at the DOS
prompt, type:
TBRL /C6 /W1 DOCUMENT.WP
(b) The directory containing the file
"DOCUMENT.WP" is not modified.
(7). To translate the file
"DOCUMENT.WP" into Grade 3 braille, sending
the output directly to the braille
embosser, do the following:
(a) Log onto the directory containing
the file to be translated, and at the DOS
prompt, type:
TBRL /W1 .GR3 DOCUMENT.WP
(b) The directory containing the file
"DOCUMENT.WP" is not modified.
(8). To define a new printer to be
called "Printer #3" do the following:
(a) At any DOS prompt, enter
interactive mode by typing:
TBRL
(b). Select Printer #3 by typing:
/P3
(c) When prompted to select C Change,
D Drop, or K Keep, choose C Change.
(d) Answer the prompts for maximum
lines per page, maximum cells per line, and
method of finishing short pages (add blank
lines or use formfeeds).
(e). Now back at the earlier pprompt,
choose K Keep.
(f). To save this definition in a
local or global setup, type /SL or /SG at
the Turbo Braille interactive prompt
TBRL3>.
(g). To exit the interactive mode,
press Enter at the TBRL3> prompt, and
answer Y Yes to the Exit confirmation
question.
(9). To translate a file formatted for
Printer #3, using a "no fill" and a "lower
case" format, do the following:
(a) Log onto the directory containing
the file to be translated, and at the DOS
prompt, type:
TBRL /F3 .NF .LC DOCUMENT.WP
(b) The directory now contains the
file "DOCUMENT.BRL" which can be printed
with a DOS command.
Using Help Screens
You may move around and explore the
help screens by typing N for the Next
screen, by typing P for the previous
screen, by typing Q for Quit, or by typing
J and a number to jump to a specific
screen. Both upper and lower case letters
are recognized. Enter your selection and
press the return key. You will return to
the Turbo Braille pprompt "TBRL3>" when you
are finished. To exit from Turbo Braille,
at the TBRL3> prompt, press return and
follow directions.
What You May Enter
At the TBRL3-> prompt you may enter:
(1) an input file name, possibly an
ambiguous one with the DOS wild card
characters "*" or "?"; (2) a Turbo Braille
command, beginning with a slash or a dash
to distinguish it from a dot command or a
file name, followed by a letter and a
number; (3) a Turbo Braille "dot command,"
beginning with a period to distinguish it
from a file name and other Turbo Braille
commands, followed by two characters and
possibly other optional information.
If you enter the name of a file, Turbo
Braille will examine it and figure out what
kind of file it is from the contents of the
file.
Types Of Input Files
You may enter the name of a WordStar
document file, a WordPerfect document file,
an ASCII file formatted for printing, or a
"Braille Intermediate File" created
automatically by Turbo Braille, or directly
with the help of an ASCII editor. A "BIF
file" contains the text of the original
document in ASCII format together with
formatting commands intended for Turbo
Braille. You may edit these formatting
commands for precise control over the
resulting braille document.
Files Not Processed
When using wild card characters, it is
easy to specify more files than you intend.
Therefore files with certain file name
extensions will not be processed by Turbo
Braille. These are the DOS file
extensions .COM, .EXE, .LIB, .OBJ,
and .SYS; the backup file extensions .BAK
and .BK!; the data compression file
extensions .ARC, .LZH, .ZIP, and .ZOO; and
the KANSYS Inc. file extensions .BRL, .CFG,
and .PVX. Files with these extensions are
unlikely to contain text and must be
renamed if they are to be processed.
Types Of Outputs
You may want to create a BIF file
automatically from WordStar documents,
WordPerfect documents, or ASCII printer
files; or you may want to produce a
finished braille document from BIF files,
or directly from WordStar files,
WordPerfect files, or ASCII printer files.
You may want to send the resulting braille
translation directly to an embosser
attached to your computer, or write it to a
disk file for later printing or further
processing.
Modes Of Operation
The program operates in a batch mode
and in an interactive mode. In the batch
mode the file names and commands (or
"switches") follow the program name on the
command line and are processed strictly
from left to right. Switches and dot
commands affecting a given file must appear
before the name of the file, to its left on
the command line. In the interactive mode
they are given one at a time at the prompt
as needed. The batch mode switches and
interactive mode commands are identical
with three exceptions: there is a "/D"
command but no "/D" switch, there is a "/P"
command but no "/P" switch, and there is a
"/X" command but no "/X" switch. There is
a total of only a dozen commands and nine
switches.
To operate Turbo Braille in the batch
mode, enter any desired switches, dot
commands, and file names on the command
line, but do not use the /H switch. If
other commands and file names are included
as well as the /H switch, Turbo Braille
first completes all requested batch mode
processing and then enters interactive
mode. To operate Turbo Braille in the
interactive mode, enter the program name
with no switches or file names on the
command line, or include only the /H switch
on the command line.
Saving Program Setups
The program setup may be saved in your
current directory (a local setup) or in the
directory where the program files are
stored (a global setup). A saved setup is
recalled automatically when Turbo Braille
starts execution. A local setup is used if
present; otherwise a global setup is used.
The /SL command saves a local setup, while
the /SG command saves a global one. The
batch mode switches /SL and /SG are also
available.
Commands And Switches
The following commands and switches
are available in batch mode and in
interactive mode. The leading slash shown
with each switch or command may be replaced
by a leading dash.
/C -- Produce multiple copies of a
braille document. The requested number of
copies may all be sent to the printer or
they may all be written to a file. The
default value is one; one copy is produced.
Usage:
/C###
where "###" is the number of copies
desired.
/D -- Shell to DOS. Turbo Braille
lets you "shell to DOS" in order to execute
a single DOS command without leaving Turbo
Braille. To perform several DOS commands,
use this switch to execute the DOS command
called "COMMAND." In that case you must
type "EXIT" to return to TurboBraille.
Usage:
/D
/D:command
where "command" is the DOS command to
execute. If you do not follow the "/D"
with a colon and a command, Turbo Braille
prompts for the DOS command to execute.
/F -- Format output for a specific
printer. Printer #0 is the default
printer. Other printers may be defined
with the /P command and selected for
formatting by the /F switch or command.
You may not select a printer with /F that
has not been defined with the /P command.
Usage:
/F#
where "#" is a digit indicating the desired
printer, or may be "?" (interactive mode
only) to show the current setting. See
also the "/P" command.
/H -- Help file (this file) display.
Using the /H switch in the batch mode
automatically changes the batch run into an
interactive run. Usage:
/H
where there are no arguments.
/J -- Jump over pages at start of
braille document before producing output.
The default value is 0; no pages are jumped
over. Usage:
/J###
where "###" is the number of pages to jump
over. See also the "/Q" command.
/M -- Make .BIF files, .BRL files, or
both files, from the original input
documents. The default value "2" creates a
braille document only, with the extension
".BRL", and sends it to the printer or to a
file as directed by the /W switch or
command. Usage:
/M#
where "#" is in the range 0 through 3, or
may be "?" (interactive mode only) to show
the current setting. "0" makes no output;
"1" makes a .BIF file; "2" makes a .BRL
file; and "3" makes both. See also the
"/W" command.
/P -- Printer definition for up to ten
printers. These definitions may differ in
maximum page lenngths, maximum line widths,
and page break method. This is an
interactive mode command only; not
available as a switch. Printer #0 is
defined as a maximum of 27 lines by 40
cells with a form feed following each page,
and may not be user modified. Printers #1
through #9 must be user defined. Usage:
/P#
where "#" is in the range 0 through 9, or
may be "?" to show the currently defined
printers. See also the "/F" command.
/Q -- Quit producing braille output
after processing a specified number of
pages. The default value is 0; the
document is processed all the way to the
end. Usage:
/Q###
where "###" is the number of pages to quit
after. See also the "/J" command. The two
commands /J10 /Q12 would produce two pages
of output, not twelve.
/S -- Show or save the current setup.
The three variations /S?, /SL, and /SG are
available to show the data in the current
setup, to save it locally in the current
directory, or to save it globally in the
directory where Turbo Braille is stored.
If the current directory is the one where
Turbo Braille is stored, then /SL and /SG
are identical. Usage:
/Sx
where "x" may be "?" (interactive mode
only) to show the contents of the setup,
"L" for local save, or "G" for global save.
/V -- Set the verbosity level of the
program. The default value "0" produces
very few messages during program execution.
Larger values produce more messages.
Usage:
/V#
where "#" is a digit in the range 0 through
9, or may be "?" (interactive mode only) to
show the current setting.
/W -- Write braille document to the
printer (the DOS PRN device), to a disk
file, or to both. The default value "2"
writes to a disk file for later printing or
further processing. Usage:
/W#
where "#" is a digit in the range 0 through
3, or may be "?" (interactive mode only) to
show the current setting. "0" discards
braille output, even if requested by /M2 or
/M3; "1" writes directly to the attached
printer; "2" writes to a file using
the .BRL extension; "3" writes both to the
printer and to a file. See also the "/M"
command.
/X -- String definition for up to ten
escape sequences. These escape sequences
may select the printer paper length, set
top of form, switch between text and
graphics mode, set six or eight dot braille
cells, or other hardware specific features.
This is an interactive mode command only;
not available as a switch. All escape
sequences, #0 through #9, must be user
defined.
Once an escape sequence has been
defined, it may be invoked by placing the
corresponding dot command on the command
line. That is, dot command .X0 invokes the
string defined by /X0, .X1 invokes the /X1
string, etc. Strings may be up to 80
characters in length. Control characters
are entered as two characters, a caret (^)
followed by the desired control character.
Thus ^C is CTRL-C, ^J is linefeed, ^M is
carraige return, ^X is CTRL-X, and ^[ is
the ASCII escape character. Letters
following the caret may be either upper or
lower case. Characters not following a
caret are processed without modification,
just as they were entered. Please consult
your embosser manual to learn which escape
sequences to use for which printer
features. Usage:
/X#
where "#" is a digit in the range 0 through
9, or may be "?" to show the currently
defined sequences. See also the ".X#" dot
command.
Formatting Commands
Formatting is controlled by dot
commands and imbedded commands. Turbo
Braille automatically inserts some commands
of each type when creating a BIF file or a
finished braille document directly from a
source document; none are inserted when
translating a BIF file into braille. You
may manually add other dot commands and
imbedded commands to those automatically
inserted in a BIF file for more precise
control of the finished product.
Each dot command in a BIF file is
complete on one line; it does not share a
line with the text of the document. Dot
commands are identified by a leading dot or
period, which must appear in position one
of the line. Lines starting with two dots
or periods are treated as comments, and are
ignored by Turbo Braille. The dot commands
automatically inserted by Turbo Braille
are: ".CE" center the next line; ".SP"
insert a blank line; ".BR" start a new
line; ".PP" start a new paragraph; ".PN"
new page number detected in the source
document; ".IT" italicize the text on the
next line.
Some dot commands (e.g., .GR, .PL,
and .RM) affect the global format of the
entire document, and others
(e.g., .CE, .PP, and .SP) affect the
immediate local format. Those that affect
global format may appear on the command
line or at the TBRL3> prompt, as well as
within a BIF file. Those that affect
immediate local format may appear only
within a BIF file. The dot commands
affecting the global format of a document
are:
(1) .bl (Bottom Line of odd pages,
even pages, or every page)
(2) .bp (Begin new page and change
Braille Page Number)
(3) .dv (Divider Lines for folding
paper)
(4) .fi (Fill Lines)
(5) .gr (Grade of Braille Translation)
(6) .in (Indentation)
(7) .lc (Lower Case)
(8) .mc (Mixed Case)
(9) .nf (No Fill)
(10) .pl (Page Length in lines)
(11) .po (Page Offset)
(12) .rh (Running Head)
(13) .rm (Right Margin)
(14) .tl (Top Line of odd pages, even
pages, or every page)
Imbedded commands may appear in a BIF
file on the same line as the text of your
document. They may occur between words, or
even within a word. Imbedded commands are
identified by a leading backslash character
"\" followed by a single character to
specify a particular command. Two
successive backslash characters in a BIF
file are treated as an ordinary backslash
within the document. The imbedded commands
automatically inserted into a BIF file by
Turbo Braille are: "\\" place a single
backslash character into the text; "\_"
begin or end underlining text; "\!" begin
or end boldface text; and the three "spring
characters" which expand when translated to
push surrounding text toward the margins.
These are "\:" to spread spaces, "\." to
spread the standard braille guide dot, and
"\-" to spread a solid line, such as that
used for the print page separator. Turbo
Braille uses italics for both underlining
and boldface as well as true italics in the
source document.
Dot Commands
Below is an alphabetic list of valid
dot commands with a brief discussion of
each one. Each dot command occupies a
complete line of the BIF file, and consists
of a dot or period in position one, two
letters in positions two and three
specifying the command, and in many cases
one or more optional arguments providing
additional information.
(1) .BL
Bottom Line: The bottom line of each
braille page may be used for text or may
contain a running title. It may also
contain no page number, a roman or arabic
braille page number, or a print page number
at the right margin. Identical running
titles and page numbers may be placed on
every page, or they may be separately
specified for odd numbered pages and even
numbered pages. Usage:
.BL x,y
.BL x,y,1
.BL x,y,2
where "x" is 0, 1, 2, or 3, for text on the
bottom line, blank space on the bottom
line, a left adjusted running title, or a
centered running title; and where "y" is 0,
1, 2, or 3 for no page number, roman
braille page number, arabic braille page
number, or print page number. The optional
1 or 2 in the third position applies the
specification to odd numbered pages (1) or
to even numbered pages (2). The default
value is ".BL 0,0" to use the bottom line
for text only, with no page numbers, on all
pages. See also ".PN", ".TL", and ".RH".
(2) .BP
Begin Page: This command starts a new
braille page. It works only when not
already at the top of a page. You may also
change the page number of the page to be
started by including the desired page
number with the command. The page number
may be relative to the present braille page
or an arbitrary new page number. If no new
page number is requested, the present page
number plus one is used. If already
positioned at the top of a page or at the
start of the file, this command affects
page numbering, but will not skip a page,
which would leave a blank page in the
document. Usage:
.BP
.BP n
.BP +n
.BP -n
where "n" is the number of the new braille
page, and "+n" or "-n" are relative to the
present page number. See also ".PN".
(3) .BR
Break: Normally, Turbo Braille
ignores line breaks in the BIF file and
produces filled lines of text in the
braille output. This command lets you
arbitrarily start a new braille line, even
if more text would fit on the current line.
It is the Turbo Braille equivalent of the
"hard carriage return" used in word
processors. Usage:
.BR
where there are no arguments. See also
".FI" and ".NF".
(4) .CE
Center: The next line or lines of
text in the BIF file are centered in the
braille output. A line too long for the
width of the braille page is divided into
two or three partsat convenient places, and
each part is independently centered.
Usage:
.CE
.CE n
where "n" specifies how many lines that
follow should be centered. If no argument
is used, the value "1" is assumed.
(5) .DV
Divider: This command places a line
of braille dots two and five across the
braille page at specified line locations so
that the page may later be folded. You may
specify one or two lines to fold the page
in halves or in thirds. Usage:
.DV
.DV n
.DV n,n
where "n" is the number of the line
or lines to fill with braille dots two and
five. If no arguments are used, any
previous request is canceled.
(6) .FI
Fill: Normally, Turbo Braille ignores
line breaks in the BIF file and produces
filled lines of text in the braille output.
This command restores that condition
(called "filling") after it has been
suspended with the .NF command. Usage:
.FI
where there are no arguments. See also
".BR" and ".NF".
(7) .GR
Grade: The grade of braille
translation is selected with this command.
Grade 2 is the standard used for braille
publications. Grade 1 uses the same
composition rules as Grade 2, but is not
contracted. Grade 0 uses the same filling
of lines and formation of pages as grades 1
and 2, but passes all text directly to the
output. Grade 3 is a highly compressed and
contracted form of braille, used by many
persons in preparing and maintaining
personal documents. Usage:
.GR n
where "n" is 0, 1, 2, or 3, for the grade
of braille translation desired. The
default is grade 2. See also the imbedded
commands "\0", "\1", "\2", and "\3".
(8) .HL
Horizontal Line: This command is used
to insert twelve cells of dots two and five
in the center of a braille line. It
produces the standard "termination line"
used to separate successive articles, as in
braille magazine format. Usage:
.HL
where there are no arguments.
(9) .IN
Indent: This command indents all
lines of text that follow, until another
indentation level is specified. A value
must be specified, which may be given
relative to the current indentation or as
the number of positions to indent beyond
any page offset. Usage:
.IN #
.IN +#
.IN -#
where "#" is the number of positions to
indent, and "+#" or "-#" are relative to
the current indentation. See also ".PO",
".PP", ".RM", and ".TI".
(10) .IT
Italics: The line or lines of text
that follow in the BIF file are italicized
in the braille output. The italicized text
is not prevented from being filled with
earlier or later text. Lines of text may
be both italicized and centered. This
command may immediately precede or follow
the command for centering. A centered line
that is only partially italicized may not
use this command; the imbedded commands for
underscore and boldface are used instead.
Usage:
.IT
.IT #
where "#" specifies how many lines that
follow should be italicized. The default
value is one. See also the imbedded
commands "\_" and "\!".
(11) .LC
Lower Case: Normally, Turbo Braille
uses standard composition signs to indicate
capitalization. This command suspends the
use of those signs and treats all text as
lower case. Usage:
.LC
where there are no arguments. See also
".MC".
(12) .MC
Mixed Case: Normally, Turbo Braille
uses standard composition signs to indicate
capitalization. This command restores the
use of those signs and performs normal
capitalization, after it has been suspended
with a .LC command. Usage:
.MC
where there are no arguments. See also
".LC".
(13) .NE
Need: There are times when braille
should not appear on a page with too few
remaining unused lines. This command
specifies a "need" to have a minimum number
of unused lines remaining on the current
page before proceeding with the output. If
fewer than the specified number of lines
remain, a new page is started. This is the
Turbo Braille equivalent of the
"conditional page break" used in some word
processors. Usage:
.NE #
where "#" is the minimum number of lines
that must remain to permit output of the
text that follows.
(14) .NF
No Fill: Normally, Turbo Braille
ignores line breaks in the BIF file and
produces filled lines of text in the
braille output. This command suspends the
filling process so that every new line in
the BIF file starts a new line of braille.
Usage:
.NF
where there are no arguments. See also
".BR" and ".FI".
(15) .PL
Page Length: This command specifies
the number of lines per braille page. It
may not exceed the maximum number of lines
specified for the particular printer
definition being used. Usage:
.PL #
.PL +#
.PL -#
where "#" is the number of lines to use per
braille page, and "+#" or "-#" are relative
to the current page length. The value of
"#" may not exceed the maximum number of
lines per page specified for the selected
printer definition.
(16) .PN
Page Number: This command lets you
keep track in the braille document of print
page numbers in the original material. It
has no effect unless print page number
display has been selected with either the
".TL" or the ".BL" command. If the current
position is neither the top line nor the
bottom line of the current braille page, a
solid horizontal line is inserted across
the braille page, followed by the new print
page number. If print page numbers advance
normally, no argument need be given with
this command. You may specify a new print
page number if desired. The page number
may be relative to the present print page
or an arbitrary page number. Usage:
.PN
.PN #
.PN +#
.PN -#
where "#" is the number of the new print
page, and "+#" or "-#" are relative to the
present page number. See also ".BL",
".BP", and ".TL".
(17) .PO
Page Offset: This command specifies
the number of leading spaces to add to each
line of braille before printing it or
writing it to a file. Page offset affects
both left and right margins equally, and
comprises an area "to the left of position
one" which is not available for processing.
The argument may specify a change from the
current setting, or may specify an
arbitrary number of leading spaces. The
default is no offset. The page offset plus
the right margin may not exceed the maximum
number of cells per line specified for the
selected printer definition. Usage:
.PO #
.PO +#
.PO -#
where "#" is the number of positions to
offset the page, and "+#" or "-#" are
relative to the current page offset. See
also ".IN", ".PP", ".RM", and ".TI".
(18) .PP
Paragraph: This command causes a
break in the text filling process, and
indents the next line two positions beyond
the current indentation. Usage:
.PP
where there are no arguments. See also
".IN", ".PO", ".RM", and ".TI".
(19) .RF
Read File: This command inserts the
contents of one file into another during
braille translation. The inserted file is
assumed to be another BIF file, and may
contain text, dot commands, and imbedded
commands. It may not contain another ".RF"
command. Any number of ".RF" commands may
appear in the file, permitting large
documents to be created from several
smaller files, or the automatic inclusion
of standard "boiler plate" passages.
Usage:
.RF filename
where "filename" may specify a file in the
current directory, or may specify another
device or directory as well as a file. The
DOS wild card characters are not supported.
See also ".SB".
(20) .RH
Running Header: This command allows a
running title to be used in the braille
document. Only one title may be in effect
at a time. The title may appear at the top
of each page, at the bottom of each page,
or both, on odd pages only, on even pages
only, or on every page, as desired. The
first and third arguments of the ".TL" or
the ".BL" commands determine the appearance
and location of the running title as a
header or footer, respectively. Usage:
.RH text of title
where "text of title" may be any
ordinary English text phrase. Spring
characters and print enhancements may not
be used. Capitalization and punctuation
are recognized, and imbedded grade change
commands are supported. If no argument is
used, any previous title is canceled. See
also ".BL" and ".TL".
(21) .RM
Right Margin: This command specifies
the last cell position on a braille line.
The argument may give a change from the
current setting, or may be an arbitrary
cell position. The right margin plus the
page offset may not exceed the maximum
width of the line the printer can print.
The number of cells actually embossed on a
line is the right margin less the
indentation. Usage:
.RM #
.RM +#
.RM -#
where "#" is the rightmost cell position to
be embossed on a line, and "+#" or "-#" are
relative to the current right margin. See
also ".IN", ".PP", ".PO", and ".TI".
(22) .SB
Substitute: A string of text may be
substituted for one of the letters of the
alphabet, which may then be used as an
imbedded command. The .SB command defines
the substitution so that later references
to the letter in an imbedded command will
retrieve and insert the string at the point
of reference. Substitutions may be defined
in one file and invoked in another with the
aid of the ".RF" command. Usage:
.SB x string of text
where "x" is any letter and "string of
text" is any desired information. Upper
and lower case letters are not
distinguished for "x", but case is
respected in the string of text. A space
must separate the command name from the
letter and the letter from the string. No
special punctuation marks the start or end
of the string. Substitutions may not be
nested. See also ".RF" and the section on
imbedded commands.
(23) .SK
Skip: This command inserts one or
more blank lines into the braille document.
It works even if at top of page, where
".SP" has no effect. With no argument, one
blank line is inserted. Usage:
.SK
.SK #
where "#" is the number of blank lines to
insert. See also ".SP".
(24) .SP
Space: This command inserts one or
more blank lines into the braille document.
It has no effect if at top of page. With
no argument, one blank line is inserted.
Usage:
.SP
.SP #
where "#" is the number of blank lines to
insert. See also ".SK".
(25) .TI
Temporary Indent: The next line is
indented to the position, or by the number
of positions, given in the argument. No
lasting effect on indentation occurs. This
command permits "hanging indents" or
"undents" to be made, by first establishing
a permanent indentation of several
positions, and then temporarily indenting
the next line fewer positions. Usage:
.TI #
.TI +#
.TI -#
where "#" is the number of positions to
indent the next line only, and "+#" or "-#"
are relative to the current indentation and
are used to indent the next line only. See
also ".IN", ".PO", and ".PP".
(26) .TL
Top Line: The top line of each
braille page may be used for text or may
contain a running title. It may also
contain no page number, a roman or arabic
braille page number, or a print page number
at the right margin. Identical running
titles and page numbers may be placed on
every page, or they may be separately
specified for odd numbered pages and even
numbered pages. Usage:
.TL x,y
.TL x,y,1
.TL x,y,2
where "x" is 0, 1, 2, or 3, for text on the
top line, blank space on the top line, a
left adjusted running title, or a centered
running title; and where "y" is 0, 1, 2, or
3 for no page number, roman braille page
number, arabic braille page number, or
print page number. The optional 1 or 2 in
the third position applies the
specification to odd numbered pages (1) or
to even numbered pages (2). The default
value is ".TL 0,2" to use the top line for
text only, with arabic braille page
numbers, on all pages. See also ".PN",
".BL", and ".RH".
(27) .X#
Escape Sequence: The .X#
dot commands (.X0, .X1, ... .X9) are
different from other dot commands. They
may not appear within a BIF file; they may
only appear on the Turbo Braille command
line or at the TBRL3> prompt. If the
corresponding escape sequence exists, and
if the printer has been selected, the
sequence is sent to the printer. The "/X"
interactive command must be used to define
the escape sequence, and the "/W" command
must be used to select the printer. Usage:
.X#
where "#" is a digit in the range from 0 to
9. See also the "/X" Turbo Braille
command.
Imbedded Commands
Imbedded commands may occur on the
same line as text in the BIF file,
sandwiched between words, or even imbedded
within a single word to achieve some
immediate effect. Each imbedded command
begins with the backslash character "\" and
includes exactly one additional character:
either a letter, a digit, or a punctuation
mark. If the additional character is also
a backslash character, then an ordinary
backslash is recognized.
"\x", where "x" is a letter: This
command inserts a string of text which must
previously have been defined in a ".SB" dot
command. The resulting string may contain
still other imbedded commands, but may not
contain other substitutions.
"\0", "\1", "\2", "\3", the grade
change commands: These commands change the
grade of braille in the middle of
translation. If you know that Turbo
Braille incorrectly translates something,
you can fix it temporarily with these grade
change commands. To prevent "name" from
appearing in "ornament" you may use one of
several methods. One is to surround the
"n" or the "a" of "name" with "\1" and "\2"
to change to grade 1 uncontracted braille
just for that letter. Another method is to
insert "\2" between "n" and "a", or between
"a" and "m". This is a request to change
from grade 2 to grade 2, which at first
glance does not make sense. It does
however break up the word "name" quite
safely, so that Turbo Braille cannot find
it in its table of contractions.
"\:", "\.", "\-", the spring
characters: These expand when processed,
inserting as many spaces, guide dots, or
solid lines as are required to fill a line.
Guide dots use dot #5; solid lines use dots
#3 and #6. Springs may be repeated in a
line as often as needed and in any order,
to achieve special formatting effects. Do
not use them in lines being centered, since
centering uses a separate and incompatible
mechanism.
"\@", "\#", "\%", page number
characters: These commands let you refer
to the current braille page in roman
numerals (\@), to the current braille page
in arabic numerals (\#), or to the current
print page in standard textbook page number
format (\%). Page numbers are placed on
the top line or the bottom line with the
dot commands ".TL" and ".BL", and not with
these imbedded commands. If you need to
refer to the current braille or print page
anywhere else in a document, you may use
these commands. They may also be used in
the strings of text of the ".SB" command,
so that when the letter substitution is
made, the correct current page number in
the desired format is used.
"\!", "\_", print enhancement
characters: These commands are toggles and
each must be used twice, once to turn its
action on, and once again to turn it off.
The "\!" controls boldface, and the "\_"
controls underscore. Both boldface and
underscore are converted to italics in
braille. These commands act independently
from one another, and independently from
the dot command ".IT". You may not, for
example, start italics with one command and
expect to terminate it with another. The
variety of methods for italicizing reflects
the fact that there are more methods for
enhancing printed text than there are for
enhancing braille text.
Why WordStar
Students of computing should learn to
use WordPerfect because of its power and
its popularity, and WordStar because of its
power and its historical importance.
WordStar also has several advantages for
Turbo Braille users.
Like Turbo Braille, WordStar uses a
mixture of "dot commands" and "imbedded
commands" to achieve format control. While
the Turbo Braille dot commands are not the
same as those of WordStar, both sets have
the same heritage: a mainframe text
formatter from Bell Laboratories called
"ROFF."
Turbo Braille dot commands may be
entered directly into WordStar documents
by using two initial periods, e.g. "..HL",
"..BR", "..DV 13", etc. This is possible
because WordStar treats lines starting with
two periods as comments, and ignores them.
Thus a print-perfect file can be made
nearly braille-perfect without additional
editing.
When Turbo Braille converts WordStar
documents to BIF files for fine-tuning,
WordStar dot commands are copied into the
BIF file with two initial periods. Turbo
Braille treats lines in a BIF file that
start with two initial periods as comments,
and ignores them.
While WordPerfect provides a simple
method of creating documents from ASCII or
DOS TEXT files, and saving documents as
ASCII or DOS TEXT files, it does not
provide a true ASCII editing capability.
The WordStar Non-Document mode, on the
other hand, is a true ASCII editor. Our
experience indicates that editing BIF files
with WordPerfect is a risky business for
typical users. WordStar Non-Document
editing is much safer and more reliable.
Accidentally reformatting a BIF file while
it is temporarily a WordPerfect document
may "fill lines" by appending dot commands
to the ends of text lines, a disaster from
which it is difficult to recover.
For these reasons, Turbo Braille and
WordStar are a more sympatico working team
than are Turbo Braille and WordPerfect. The
classic commands of WordStar have been
widely adopted by other software designers:
the Microsoft DOS 5.0 EDIT program, the
Borland Turbo language editors, and the
popular shareware editor QEDIT, to name
just a few. If you have not made a word
processor choice, you should take another
look at WordStar.
The Turbo Braille Translation Rules
The TurboBraille file TBRL.XLT
contains the rules by which the program
translates text into Grade I, Grade II, and
Grade III braille. The file is an ASCII
file and may be edited to add, delete, or
modify a rule. While such editing is
possible, it is difficult and risky, and
should not be undertaken lightly. The file
format and the structure of translation
rules is explained below.
(1). Each translation rule is complete
on a single line of the file.
(2). A translation rule begins with a
left brace ({) in the first position of the
line, and ends with a right brace (}) in
the last position.
(3) Lines not starting and ending with
braces are not translation rules, and are
ignored by TurboBraille.
(4). Each translation rule consists of
five components, with a comma and one or
more blank spaces separating each of the
five components from the next.
(5). Three of the five components of a
translation rule are quoted strings,
strings of characters that begin and end
with a double quote (").
(6). If a quoted string must contain a
double quote within it, the double quote
must be preceded by the backslash, as in
the string "\"".
(7). If a quoted string is to contain
the backslash character, the backslash must
appear twice in succession, as in the
string "\\".
(8). Letters in quoted strings must be
in lower case.
(9). The first component of a
translation rule is a quoted string called
the search string. It is the string
TurboBraille searches for, or tries to
match, in the text.
(10). The second component of a
translation rule is a quoted string called
the substitution string. The substitution
string will be used in place of some or all
of the search string, if and only if the
substitution is permitted.
(11). The third component of a
translation rule is an integer called the
class variable. The class variable
represents the condition or set of
conditions that must be true if the
substitution is permitted.
(12). The fourth component of a
translation rule is a quoted string called
the action string. The action string is a
set of characters describing what action to
perform on a set of internal state
variables. A hyphen (-) means do not change
the corresponding state variable; the
letter "r" means "reset" the corresponding
state variable, or turn it off; the letter
"s" means "set" the corresponding state
variable, or turn it on; the letter "t"
means toggle the state variable, or turn it
off if it is on, and on if it is off.
(13). The fifth component of a
translation rule is an integer called the
length variable. The length variable tells
how many of the characters of the search
string are to be replaced by the
substitution string. This value is usually
the same as the length of the target
string, but is often smaller.
(14). There may be more than one
translation rule with the same search
string, since there is often more than one
way to translate a given piece of text.
(15). Translation rules are considered
starting with the longest search strings,
and proceeding to successively shorter
ones. All translation rules with the same
length search strings are considered in
alphabetical order. All translation rules
with the same search string are considered
in the order in which they occur in the
file.
(16). The order in which translation
rules appear in the file is not important,
except for rules with the same first
component, the search string. Such rules
are considered one after another in the
order in which they occur in the file.
Otherwise it is not important whether short
or long items come first, or whether
alphabetical order is observed.
TurboBraille orders the rules first by
length of search string and then
alphabetically.
History Of KANSYS, Inc.
Located in Lawrence, Kansas, and
founded in 1976, KANSYS, Inc. develops
computer products and provides computer-
based services of value to the blind. Its
principal products are PROVOX, a screen
access program for desktop PC systems; and
TurboBraille, an easy-to-use and powerful
program to translate source documents into
standard literary English braille. Services
offered by KANSYS, Inc. include the
production of braille menus, newsletters,
conference agendas, telemarketing prospect
lists, and similar materials.
Dr. Charles Hallenbeck, president and
founder of KANSYS, Inc. has received formal
training both in rehabilitation and in
computer science. With many years of
personal experience in the alternative
techniques of blindness, Dr. Hallenbeck has
worked actively in the joint areas of
rehabilitation and computing since the
1960's. The company was established as a
Kansas corporation to facilitate sharing
with others the solutions to blindness
which have been devised or refined
throughout his varied professional career.
University based grants for research on
computer tactography and synthesized-
message/synthesized-speech information
access techniques for the blind formed the
scientific background for products of
KANSYS, Inc.
Following a year of advanced training
at Carnegie-Mellon University in 1976-1977,
Dr. Hallenbeck developed one of the first
talking terminal devices based on the 1977
Digital Group "hobby computer," an early
innovative design which did not survive the
early competition. That project culminated
in speech access to the CP/M operating
environment in the early 1980's, and to MS-
DOS thereafter. The KANSYS, Inc. solution
to computer access by speech is known as
PROVOX, and is used effectively by several
hundred blind individuals at home, in
schools, and on the job, throughout this
country and in several foreign countries.
TurboBraille has been available from
KANSYS, Inc. only since 1989, but has
extensive roots in earlier work by Dr.
Hallenbeck and others. Writing software to
produce computer braille was the focus of
Dr. Hallenbeck's Special Post-Doctoral
Fellowship at the Washington University
Department of Applied Mathematics and
Computer Science from 1967 to 1969, and has
continued to receive his attention since
that time. The first braille embosser for
personal computers was introduced in 1983,
and within a few weeks, KANSYS, Inc. had
produced a CP/M program in the "C" language
to translate documents into the required
codes to operate the device. The increased
power and standardization of the IBM PC
became available soon after, and the newly
developed software made the transition and
supported the production efforts mentioned
earlier. Finally, a commercial version was
offered under the name TurboBraille
beginning in 1989, and that product
currently enjoys considerable success and
popularity.
