Pontes Logo Description: The green letters in the word PONTES are displayed on a black background; the letter O is represented by an eye, while the letter E consists of a Braille six-dot-cell and five yellow dashes which connect the dots.

Pontes Braille Typewriter 1.1 Help File


Contents


Introduction, About Pontes Braille Typewriter

Note: To report errors or suggestions, visit the topic about Pontes Braille Typewriter on Audio Games Forum, which can be accessed by clicking on the link below.
Pontes Braille Typewriter on AudioGames.net

Pontes Braille Typewriter is a tool which allows you to type text like in braille. It consists of two parts: the braille typewriter simulator and a section to write simple text like in braille.

If a screen reader is running, the messages will be spoken through it, else the messages will be spoken through default SApi 5 voice.
The screen readers supported are: JAWS for Windows, Window-Eyes, System Access and NVDA.

The present version is 1.1, completed on March 03, 2013.
The version 1.0 was finished on February 9, 2013.
Last update since version 1.1: 8th of July 2015.

Click the link below to read the log file:
What's New?

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Keys Reference

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Instructions

If you choose to use the simulator, you must insert a new paper in the typewriter, use Control + N for this action.
You can use the keys F, D, S, J, K and L to make one or more dots of the six-dots-cells.
To go on a new line, press Enter first, after press Home key to go to the start of the line.
If you read the text using the read cursor, the braille cursor will remain on the cell after the last character written. You can press R to route the braille cursor to the read cursor.
Press R to route the read cursor to the braille cursor.
In settings you can set the braille cursor to follow the read cursor or the read cursor to follow the braille cursor automatically. By default, the read cursor follows the braille cursor. It means that if you use the arrow to read the text, when you will type a new letter, the read cursor will be moved on the same cell with the braille cursor.
When you hear the bell, it means you can write only 5 more characters until the end of the current line.
>The number of lines and the number of rows can be set in Settings. By default, there are 38 cells on 28 rows.

In settings you can also choose the braille table. By default, in this version, there are braille tables for Braille ASCII, English Grade1, English Grade 2, French, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovak and Turkish.
It is possible to create other braille tables. Go in the group Pontes Braille Typewriter found in the Start Menu, Pontes Games, you can find there a shortcut which opens the Braille Tables Folder to see the format of the tables.
Each character in a braille table is defined on a line like in the example below:
1=#a
12=#b
1345=#n
Use between dots-code and the letter represented the equal and the hash sign (Shift + 3 on an American layout of the keyboard).

Pontes Braille Typewriter can be translated in other languages. In the group Pontes Braille Typewriter there is a shortcut for the languages folder. Each language has a file with .LNG extension.
If you want to translate this tool in another language, just make a new file with the new language name, and translate the text after the equal sign on each line.
If the help file is translated, pressing F1 it will be opened if the name of the file is "Help Language.html".
If you translate this tool, please send the .lng file and the help file to emanuelboboiu [at] gmail [dot] com.

There are sounds of each event like: carriage return, new line, bell etc. If you try this tool you will find how realistic these sounds are.
In the Main Menu there is a Learn Typewriter Sounds section.

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Mods or Sound Themes

It is possible to change the mod from the Main Menu.
In version 1.1 there are two sound themes included: Classic Typewriter and Perkins Brailler.
Each mod has its own folder in the sounds folder.
If a new folder is created in sounds folder, in the Choose Sound Theme option its name will be available as a new theme.
A mod folder must contain sounds files in OGG format, having similar names like in the default mod folder (Classic Typewriter).
If one sound file is not found in a new mod folder, it will be loaded from the default folder (Classic Typewriter).
For instance, if the folder "Electric Typewriter" is created in the sounds folder, a new sound theme with "Electric Typewriter" name will be available in the Choose Sound Theme option.
For instance, if in the folder "Electric Typewriter" there are only two sounds "press.ogg" and "release.ogg", it means this mod / theme will be very similar with the Classic Typewriter, but the sounds for pressing or releasing keys will be different.
If someone creates a new mod for Pontes Braille Typewriter, it can be included in the installer.
Send the sounds to emanuelboboiu [at] gmail [dot] com or post it on AudioGames.net forum in the corresponding topic. The link for the topic about this program can be found in this manual, check the Introduction section.

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Repairing the Typewriter

Sometimes it is possible the typewriter to be broken. This is after a long time of use, or if you pull and push the carriage using Home and End keys without typing anything.
You must to repair the typewriter.
Press Control + R to start the repairing process.
Press Control + Right Arrow to spin the will which push the carriage.
You must press another Control + Right after the sound of will spinning is finished. You have only a half of a second to press Control + Right again after the previous sound of the spinning will is finished.
When you hear a short beep, you must press the Enter key to finish the repairing process.
If you succeed, you can use again the typewriter, otherwise you must try again to repair it.

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Make a Donation

If you enjoy this simulator and other games I have programmed, you can donate.
Any amount is appreciated, even one euro can contribute to my inspiration.
Thanks in advance.

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Credits

Pontes Braille Typewriter was programmed in BGT by Emanuel Boboiu.
CAE Jones wrote the functions to translate the braille code into English Braille Grade 2.
Jaybird created the Braille ASCII table.
Turkish Translation: Enes Deniz, Turkish help file: Burak Yüksek.
Spanish translation: Andrés Felipe Pulgarín.
Hungarian translation and Braille Table for Hungarian language: Tanko Csaba.
French Braille Table created by Valeriu Oancea.
Slovak braille table and slovak language was created by Marco Oros.

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Pontes Site - www.pontes.ro