Quick Start for Leopard and Voiceover revision 002
You will find a good deal of information in this guide, please read it carefully before trying to use this program.
For version 1.2.1B
These instructions may vary slightly with other versions of MacSword.
You can download MacSword from: www.MacSword.com or, a DMG containing most of the usable translations, commentaries and other helpful modules from,
http://www.biblesfortheblind.org/brfdownloads.php. Look for the MacSword link. The contents of this DMG have been chosen to optimize the use of MacSword for Voiceover users.
Getting Started with MacSword and Voiceover Basics
This guide will cover:
Installing and uninstalling MacSword ,Using the Bible, Strong’s Concordance Numbers, Commentaries and the Search or Find System, as well as a few other hints to get you started.
Our thanks to Cheryl Homiak for the sections on installing and uninstalling MacSword.
Section 1, Installing MacSword
1. For now, instead of using the latest version of MacSword, download one that is optimized for use with voiceover. This also means that you should refuse any dialogs offering to update MacSword until you are sure the update will be compatible with voiceover.
Download the zip file from:
http://brffiles,biblesfortheblind.org/MacSword.zip
2. Close your browser (safari by default) and go to the loacation where your downloaded MacSword is located. By default this would be the Downloads folder in your home directory. In this case you would go to Finder, do command-shift-h for your home directory, interact with the scroll area and either type d-o-w quickly or use vokeys and arrows to reach Downloads. Open the Downloads folder with vokeys-space. (Remember: vokeys = control-option.)
3. Note that while the downloads window in safari will show a zip file, your Downloads folder may show a zip file named MacSword or may show only a macsword folder. If a zip file is present, open the zip file with vokeys-space. If a MacSword folder is present, DO NOT OPEN THE FOLDER but go on to the next step.
4. Interact with the scroll area and select the MacSword folder.
5. Do command-c to copy the folder.
6. Go to Applications using command-shift-a and paste the folder using
command-v.
7. Open the Macsord folder with command-option-space and then select
the MacSword application and open it with command-option-space.
8. If you get an error about the modules not being found, press
command-comma to go into MacSword preferences.
9. Check the modules path in MacSword Preferences that tells where the
modules are supposed to be located. It should say ./Modules (note the
period at the beginning and the capital M on Modules. If it doesn’t have
this for a path, write this in the field for the path.
10. Quit MacSword and restart and all should be well.
11. If the path is correct but the modules aren’t found, you may have installed the wrong version or may have installed incorrectly. Follow the instructions in the “Uninstalling MacSword” section and then return to this section and reinstall.
For more instruction on using MacSword, read the entire Macsord quick Start
guide included in this document.
Installing MacSword
You might want to uninstall MacSword if you discover you haven’t
installed the version which is optimized for Voiceover and/or if you are
getting an error when you open the macsword application telling you that
no modules are found.
It’s actually probably possible to simply re-install MacSword without
uninstalling first. However, because there can be confusion as to what was
wrong with the first installation, and because it may be difficult for a new user to sort things out if somehow two items named MacSword end up on the computer, it may be easier in the long run to simply uninstall and reinstall unless the user is able to troubleshoot the problem without uninstalling.
Section 2 Uninstalling MacSword
1. If you are getting the error that no modules are found, before going
to the more drastic step of uninstalling and re-installing MacSword,
work through steps 7-11 in the section: Installing macsword. If you still
appear to have no modules, follow the directions for uninstalling below and
then follow the installation instructions again.
2. To begin uninstalling, In Finder, go to Applications using command-shift-a.
3. Interact with the icon scroll area and find macsword. You may be
able to do this by typing Macs rather quickly. Otherwise browse with
ctrl-option-rightarrow till you find it. If you’ve installed it correctly
it’s a folder; otherwise it may just be an application but since we are
uninstalling it this doesn’t really matter much.
4. When MacSword is selected, press command-option-backspace to send it
to trash and then you can press command-option-shift-backspace and empty
trash.
5. Use command-w to close your applications window. To avoid confusion,
you also should trash any installation files for MacSword you have in Downloads or on your Desktop or anywhere on your computer.
Section 3 Setting up and using MacSword
Text can be made bigger for low vision users. The function to do this is under options in menus.
This is a great Bible study program, however there are some things that a Voiceover user needs to do to make the program usable with the Mac. Here is how I do it and it works for me.
First of all, lets talk about some Voiceover terms.
1. When you hear “VO keys” this means that you will be using the control and option keys with another key in order to cause something to happen in Voiceover.
2. When you here the term “interact” that means that you will need to use the VO keys-shift-down arrow keys to interact with the text or screen.
3. Stop interacting with VO keys-shift-up arrow keys.
MacSword is on my Dock, so I go to the Dock with VO keys-d and right arrow until I hear MacSword and press enter to open the program.
If you do not have MacSword on your Dock, do the following:
From the finder press command-shift-a which will take you in to the applications menu and start typing MacSword and you should hear MacSword spoken. At this point, press command-o to open the MacSword folder.
When you open this folder, you will want to find a good way to get around in this folder. I use list view. For list view, press, command-2. Now everything in this folder is in a list and numbered. You will need to find MacSword.app. When you have found it, press command-o to open it.
Now that you have the MacSword application open you can put it on your Dock so that you will not need to go through all of that again.
Do the following.
With the MacSword application open, press, VO keys-d to go to the Dock. Now right arrow, or left arrow without the VO keys until you hear, MacSword running. Now, down arrow until you hear, keep in Dock and press enter. Now MacSword will be in the Dock the next time you want to use it.
Now, a little set up is necessary.
Next use control-option-m, or control-f2 to go into the menus.
Then, arrow to the right until you come to MacSword. Then with the down arrow key, move to, preferences, ellipses, and press enter.
With control-option-down arrow, move down to, Interface tab number 2 and select that tab with the space bar.
Next, tab to: “Use tool tips for references” and uncheck the box with the space bar. If you do not do this, Voiceover will say “MacSword busy” most of the time you are using the program. Be sure to close preferences with, command-w.
Using MacSword
The first thing you should hear in the MacSword program is: “MacSword modules”. You may need to interact with this list. Use VO keys-down arrow, or, VO keys-up arrow depending on where you are in the menu. However, you may not need to interact. If this is true, you may use the up and down arrow keys without the VO keys. To select the Bible translation, or commentary you wish to use. You will need to interact with the name of the translation, or, commentary you have chosen, this will bring focus to your selection. You will need to click on your selection name twice quickly with VO keys-shift-space bar.
***Tip about opening items in MacSword: you must make sure your mouse is lined up with an item before opening it. This is done by doing vokeys-f5 to find out where your mouse is, doing command-vokeys-f5 to move the mouse to the location of the voiceover cursor if it is not already there, and doing vokeys-f5 again to make sure the mouse has actually been moved.
Note, in some versions of MacSword, you may hear Voiceover say, “Outline”. If this happens, just interact with the screen.
Once you have done this it will give the name of the translation for instance: “KJV” or the name of the commentary.
Tab to about navigation combo box. Now type in the book name, for instance John.
Now tab once more to where you will hear a number and the words, navigation combo box.
Now type in the chapter number and if you want a specific verse, add a period and the verse number, lets say, 3.16 and press enter.
Now tab, or, back tab to HTML content and interact and you should find your selection.
If you would like to use the same method to open a commentary, or, another translation in another window, so that you can move between the windows, [we will talk about moving between windows later in this guide] you may use the window chooser, VO keys-f2 twice arrow down to modules and press enter. Then use the method above to make your new choice. Your choice a commentary, or, translation will open in the same place in the Bible as your last selection.
The Mac almost always gives you more than one way to do things and here is another way to do the same thing.
To open a commentary, or, another translation to the same point in the Bible as your last selection, do the following.
First of all stop interacting with your last selection, if you are still in the HTML window.
Open a new window with command-n and tab to module pop up button. You will hear the current selection spoken. Pressing down arrow will open a drop down menu.
Continue to arrow down until you hear your new selection spoken Then press the spacebar to choose your new selection a commentary, or translation.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, you will get to the same place.
Now you have 3 windows open, the modules window, your first selection window and your second selection window.
You can choose to look at any one of the windows by using the window chooser, VO keys-f2 twice and arrowing down through the windows and pressing enter on the one you want, or, you may move between the 3 open windows with command accent; the key just below the escape key.
If you would like to change the chapter and verse information in one of your windows, tab to the relative navigation combo boxes, type in your new references and press enter.
This comes in really handy when you are in Church, or, in Sunday school, you can stay in the same window and just change the Bible reference to keep up with the Bible text that is being taught.
Just another word or two about windows. How many windows can you have open at one time? I don’t know. I have used 9 open windows with no trouble and I am sure I could have opened more.
If you want to keep all of your windows open when you shut down MacSword, just press command-q to close the program without closing any of your windows. The next time you open MacSword, all should be as you left it.
Menus and Strong’s Concordance Numbers
Remember this program also has a menu system, which you can access with VO keys-dash-m, or control-F2. Take a few minutes to explore the menu system, using just your left and right or up and down arrow keys. This will be a great help to you in learning to use the MacSword Bible study program. Strong’s numbers for instance can be accessed from menus under options. Cursor down to Strong’s numbers and check the check box with the space bar. Now when you go back to your text, you will find the Strong’s numbers imbedded in the text. If you find a word, name or phrase that you would like to know more about, just press enter on the number you wish to use and arrow around in the new window with the arrow keys. You may need to use Voiceover Keys and the arrow keys in the new window.
When you have finished with Strong’s numbers, remember to go back and uncheck the box.
A Few Commands
Next chapter, command-right arrow
Previous chapter, command left arrow
Next book or entry, command-down arrow
Previous book or entry, command-up arrow.
Word or Phrase Search
to do a word or phrase search do the following:
Command-f is the find command.
The first thing you will hear is, “Find window”. The Find window will come up with the Voiceover cursor on the words “Edit text containing” unless you have already done a search. If so, the Voiceover cursor will land on the table of the last search and you will need to tab once or twice to get to the field that says, “edit text containing”. Delete this text with the space bar and type in your word, phrase, or search string.
Next tab through the choices of how you want the search to be done. You will find a number of buttons which all seem to speak and a box or two which you can check or uncheck. Then when you have set up your search, tab or back tab depending on where in the window you are to “find” and press enter. The search takes just a few seconds, unless you are searching for the first time, in that event it may take several minutes to index. Voiceover may not tell you when the search is done,
Next tab over to where you hear, “table”. You may then move through the table with just the arrow keys. However, if the arrow keys do not respond, try Interacting with the list, or, using VO keys-up and down arrow keys.
If you would like to see one of the verses in your search in context, that is to say see the chapter in the Bible where the verse is located, while you are on the row or verse, press VO keys-shift-space bar twice quickly and you will be taken to that chapter.
Hopefully, this will get you started in MacSword. I have many things to learn about this program and many more things to learn about God’s Word. Let’s learn together.
In Christ service
for God’s glory,
Keith Reedy, Director
BIBLES FOR THE BLIND AND
VISUALLY HANDICAPPED INTERNATIONAL