Easy Access is a set of keyboard utilities that assist people who would otherwise have difficulties using the keyboard or the mouse. It contains two features, Sticky Keys and Mouse Keys. These features assist people who have difficulty typing with both hands on the keyboard, or manipulating the mouse. And they're useful to anyone who wants to be able to use the keyboard one-handed, or make very fine movements of the pointer with better control.
Easy Access installs itself at boot time and is transparent to application programs and the rest of the Apple IIGS system.
Requirements
Easy Access requires no special version of system software. However, we recommend using version 5.0.2 or greater. The program is roughly 3K in size so there should not be any problems having it fit onto a startup disk or in system memory (RAM). Easy Access is designed to work with all versions of the IIGS hardware (ROM 01 and ROM 03). Although the new one-megabyte Apple IIGS (ROM 03) has built-in Sticky Keys and Mouse Keys features, Easy Access is still useful for these machines since it provides visual feedback (that is, menu bar icons) for Sticky Keys.
Mouse Keys requires use of the Event Manager tool set and it assumes a desktop environment. However, Sticky Keys makes no such assumptions; it works from any application (P8 or GS/OS).
Installation
To install Easy Access into your system, simply copy the file named EasyAccess.Init into the System.Setup folder in the System folder of your startup disk and reboot your system.
Using Sticky Keys
The Sticky Keys feature lets you type combination keystrokes such as Command-Control-Escape, without having to hold down more than one key at a time.
Activating Sticky Keys
To turn on the sticky keys feature, press the shift key five times--without moving the mouse. If the mouse is moved during the shift-key sequence, you'll have to start over. Mouse movement is checked to prevent the accidental activation of sticky keys during shift-click-drag operations.
Once enabled, Sticky Keys allows you to make the non-locking modifier keys (that is, Command, Option, Shift, and Control) stick, that is they appear to remain down until a nonmodifier key is pressed. After the nonmodifier key is pressed, the stuck modifier is released. To lock down a modifier key so that it can be applied to a series of keys, simply press the same modifier twice. It remains locked until you press it again or until Sticky Keys is deactivated.
If you are currently in a "desktop" application you will see the Sticky Keys status icon at the right end of the menu bar. As you press modifier keys the icon changes to reflect the new status of the modifier keys. There are three different states to this icon; the meanings are as follows:
An icon that looks like an empty pan means Sticky Keys is ON.
An icon with an arrow pointing downward into the empty pan means the modifier key just pressed is stuck down, or SET. The next key you press will be part of a combination keystroke. For example, press the Command key once and you'll see the SET icon. Then type D (a nonmodifier) to complete the Command-D command. The icon will change back to the ON icon. When you enter a three-key command (such as Command-Shift-3), the Command key stays SET when you press Shift (a modifier) but is released when you type 3 (a nonmodifier).
An icon with an arrow pointing downward into a full pan means the modifier key just pressed is LOCKED down, useful when you want to use the same modifier to enter several different commands. For example, you might want to do a lot of copying and pasting.
Deactivating Sticky Keys
To turn off the sticky keys feature, press the shift key five times again. You can also turn off Sticky Keys by pressing two keys (a modifier key plus a nonmodifier key) at the same time. (The Option-Command combination is handy because the keys are close together.)
If you are currently in a "desktop" application, notice that the sticky key status icon disappears when Sticky Keys is deactivated.
Using Mouse Keys
The Mouse Keys feature lets you manipulate the cursor using the numeric keypad on the keyboard instead of using the regular mouse. You can click, drag, and perform all the usual mouse activities. Mouse Keys also makes it easier to make fine adjustments of the cursor, a feat that is often difficult using a mouse. This Easy Access implementation of Mouse Keys limits its use to applications that use the Event Manager tool set. Since any desktop program must use this tool set, Mouse Keys should work for all desktop programs.
Activating Mouse Keys
To turn on the Mouse Keys feature, press Command-Shift-Clear (hold down the Command and Shift keys and then press the Clear key). Note that you can use Sticky Keys to type this sequence.
Using the Numeric Keypad to Move the Cursor, Drag, and So On
The number keys surrounding the 5 key on the numeric keypad let you move the cursor in the corresponding direction. For example, pressing the 8 key moves the cursor up, and 2 down; 4 moves the cursor left, and 6 right. The corner keys--1, 3, 7, and 9--move the cursor diagonally.
When you hold down a number key, the movement of the cursor begins slowly and then accelerates until it reaches its maximum speed.
Normally, the cursor moves by just one pixel each time you press and release a number key. You can increase this increment to up to 10 pixels per press. To change the pixel increment press the asterisk (*) key on the numeric keypad followed by the press of a number key (0 through 9). Note that the 0 key represents an increment of 10 pixels.
To return to a pixel increment of one, press the asterisk key twice, or press the asterisk key followed by the number 1 key. Changing the value of the pixel increment does not affect the acceleration or maximum speed of the cursor (that is, when a number key is held down).
Using Mouse Keys to Click the Mouse Button
The 5 key itself operates as the mouse button--press it once to click the mouse, press it twice to double-click the mouse. Press the 0 key on the keypad to lock down the mouse button (for dragging, etc), and the decimal-point key ('.' on English keyboards, ',' on others) to unlock the mouse button.
Tips for Using Mouse Keys
For very find pointer movements (one pixel at a time), press and release the number key for the direction you want to go. (In effect, you "tap" the key.) You'll probably find that what works best is a mix of holding down a key to move the pointer longer distances and tapping a key for fine adjustments.
It may take some time to become skilled at using these new features, but with practice you'll find them helpful.
Deactivating Mouse Keys
To turn off the Mouse Keys feature, simply press the Clear key.
