Ots DJ Scripts for JAWS For Windows
Version 6.53

This page describes scripts for each of the supported Ots DJ applications. To choose between the various applications, navigate level one headings in this document.

Installation

To install these scripts, extract the files in the zip archive to the settings\enu folder for the version of jaws you are running. This will install the scripts for all supported applications.

To allow the Time Remaining feature to work, which lets you determine how much time remains in a deck that is playing, you must register a DLL file, which is provided in this archive. The DLL file is called DazUtil.dll, at it will also be placed in your settings\enu folder, but you can move it to any folder you like. Moving it is not a bad idea, since it will then remain even if you change versions of jaws and delete the old jaws folder. But, you should not move it after you have registered it, since the act of registering it tells windows where it is located.

To register this dll, you must run a program called RegSvr32.exe, providing it with the full path to the DazUtil.dll file. Depending on your operating system, the RegSvr32.exe program is located in your Windows\System, or Windows\System32 folder. You can use the Run command from the start menu. click the browse button, and navigate to RegSvr32.exe program and click the Open button. This will place focus back in the Run command dialog, with the path of regsvr32.exe in the edit combo. You need to position the cursor at the end of that file name, type a space, then add the full path to where you placed the DazUtil.dll file. So, Your run command might look like this:


c:\windows\system32\regsvr32.exe c:\MyFolder\DazUtil.dll

After you click the OK button, if you have typed the command correctly, Windows will register the DLL.

In addition, you must have a copy of an authorization file, snow_otsjuke.jsb in your settings\enu folder. If you are running the scripts as a demo, you need to download the temporary authorization file appropriate for your version of JAWS. If you purchase these scripts, you will be sent a permanent authorization to replace this temporary file.

If you have a demo copy of these scripts, you can obtain an authorization file for twenty five dollars US by sending an e-mail, specifying your jaws serial number, to the SnowMan Snowman@SnowManRadio.com.

The Scripts should function in demo mode for about a week, giving you plenty of time to get acquainted. After a week, they will become unusable. At that time, delete all otsjdj files from your settings\enu folder to avoid annoying error messages. This would be any file that starts with otsDJ, otsjplay, or otsmp3.

To learn about the scripts, check the hot key help by using insert+h. Then, use your up and down arrow keys to explore the list of hot keys.

Note: there are different installation files for jaws 4.x and jaws 5.x. This applies to the authorization file, as well as the zip files containing the scripts.

Because graphics recognition has become such a problem in JAWS these days, there are some steps you need to perform to teach the scripts to recognize the graphical controls on your system. This must be done in Ots DJ, and a separate procedure is outlined for the Ots Player. These are discussed in the next section on TroubleShooting.

General Trouble Shooting Tips

Due to recent handling of graphics and frames in JAWS, we have had a lot of trouble keeping up with the many different combinations of screen reader and Operating system versions, each of which works differently. These scripts were developed using 800 by 600 screen resolution, and 16-bit color depth. You will have best results if you can use these same settings.

Once you have unzipped the files in to your jaws settings\enu folder, start Ots DJ. Press insert+q, and confirm that JAWS says Ots DJ scripts version 6.5 settings. This confirms that you have properly installed the files, and are running the latest version of the scripts.

Before doing anything else, it is best to label the graphics for your particular system. This is discussed in more detail below as a remedy. but, we are now recommending that you always do this when installing the scripts. You should only need to do this once. But, it takes several minutes, and you should not type any keys while the automatic labeling is in progress.

The jaws / Ots DJ combination still has occasional weirdnesses which are very infrequent, but which are annoying when they do happen, and are proving very difficult to track down and correct. If you lose the ability to control Ots DJ, press and release the control key. If the keys still do not control Ots DJ, tap the control and alt keys each a couple of times, followed by the escape key. This usually clears up a jaws keyboard handling problem which causes the alt or control keys to stick.

If this does not work. press control+l to focus on the playlist. Next, try insert+escape to refresh the off screen model. And as a last resort, alt tab away from Ots DJ and release the keys. When focus moves to another aplication, alt+tab back to Ots DJ. If you still have problems, if even the last resort did not work, close and restart jaws.One of these usually is enough to get things started again. We eagerly hope that FreedomScientific will address the keyboard handling problems in their next release.

Occasionally, jaws can not find a graphic. We have no idea why this annoying behavior persists, and don't know if it is the fault of Ots DJ, or of Jaws itself. The scripts contain logic to refresh the off-screen model when this happens. And, if this logic is able to correct the situation, your only clue would be that the command seem to take longer than you would expect. However, if it fails to clear up on it's own, the scripts will complain. In general, refreshing the screen with Insert+escape is the best possible solution. Restarting Jaws may also be required.

Labeling Graphics in OtsDJ

If your problems in locating graphics are not occasional, but are total and complete, you may need to relabel the graphics on your system. This is because, due to some internal problems with Jaws, graphics labeled on one system do not always translate correctly to another system.

First, to make sure all the graphics are available, import music into your media library. Then use the edit menu to generate a play list. In the generate Playlist dialog, uncheck the item that causes Ots DJ to start playing automatically when the playlist generation is complete. This will allow JAWS to label the graphics while Ots DJ is not playing any tracks.

Once a Playlist has been generated, , start the auto graphics labeler with control+insert+g. You will hear a strange, wheedally wheeddally type audio sounder as Jaws moves to, and tests each graphic. There is quite a number of graphics, so this will take a couple of minutes. Please chil out, and do not touch the keyboard while the labeling proceeds. When it does complete, it is generally a good idea to restart jaws to make sure the graphics take affect.

Labeling Graphics In The Ots Player

The ots Player is a very strangely behaving program. For reasons that are not yet apparent, the autoGraphics labeling techniques we use in every other program that needs it, will not work in the Ots Player. It is, unfortunately, necessary for you to label these manually. A hot key has been provided to make it easier. But, here is what you need to do.

Start the Ots Player. Make sure JAWS is set up to speak all graphics, not just labeled graphics. Do this with insert+v, then g. Press space bar until JAWS says, all.

Go to the Options menu and choose the Window mode submenu. This is normally set to compact. But, you should select Normal, and press enter. This will get returned to the compact setting when you restart jaws, or alt tab back into the Ots Player.

Use the JAWS cursor to explore the group of graphics immediately below the menu bar. You will hear jaws speak the tool tips, which identify the meaning of each graphic, as well as a graphic number. You can use insert+left and right arrows to move from one graphic to the next.

When on each of the graphics, press shift+insert+g. Please note that this is a different hot key than the one used to do autoGraphics labeling. This wil cause jaws to grab the tooltip, and create a label for this graphic. Repeat this until all graphics with tooltips have been labeled. When this process is completed, you should hear tooltip names instead of graphic numbers as you arrow around with the jaws cursor, and the script controls should now work as expected. In fact, you'll probably hear the tooltips spoken twice now.

There are a couple of unexpected things here. The Pause graphic, actually becomes an "Unpause" graphic when you click it while a track is playing. So, you'll need to start a track playing, and use the jaws cursor to find the Unpause graphic, and label it separately. Also, on some systems, jaws speaks the name of the find button when the tool tip for the Stop controls appears. Just go ahead and label this as normal. The Stop label appears to get applied to the proper graphic.

Deck Positioning

The frames used in the Ots DJ scripts are designed assuming that the deck status areas are located in the top position, above the play list. When Ots DJ is started, the scripts attempt to verify this setting. But, menu activation problems sometimes prohibit this. If you get a message that the menus failed to activate, and that deck positioning could not be verified, you are encouraged to go to the options menu and assure that deck positioning is set to "top". If you know they are set to "top". you can ignore this message. But, if the f11 f12 or the control+shift+A or B keys do not speak correctly, you should check on deck positioning.

To make sure your decks are properly positioned, choose Deck Positioning in the options menu, and choose top.

Constant Chatter

When Ots DJ is not playing, start times in the playlist are constantly being updated. The scripts normally suppress speaking of these time values. However, if the frame which provides this muting is not properly adjusted, jaws will sometimes repeatedly speak numbers when focused in Ots DJ. When playback is stopped, the start time fields are continuously incrementing, because the start time of every selection in the playlist is slipping into the future. The scripts prevent jaws from continuously reading these start times. This is done with a frame called TimesColumn. We have seen some systems where the time continues to chatter. The solution is to edit file OtsDJ.jff with notePad, locate the TimesColumn frame, and increase the value for the Width parameter. Try a value of 80 or 90.

Ots DJ

General Description

This is the application that lets you play music, in a specified order, making your computer sound just like a radio station. There are two decks, much like a pair of turn tables or tape machines, which are fed by a single playlist. When a deck finishes playing a track, that track is ejected, and usually placed in a history file, and a new track is loaded from the top of the play list. You can have both decks loaded, and even playing, at the same time if you want. But, the typical pattern is to let the AutoDJ function in Ots DJ, load the decks, one at a time, as needed. When AutoDJ is enabled, about five seconds before the track now playing in DeckA finishes, DeckB is loaded with the next track. At a point controlled by cross fading software, Deck B is started, DekcA is faded out, and the completed track is moved to the history list, leaving DeckA empty until about five seconds before the track now playing in DeckB finishes. At this point, Ots DJ loads the next track into the empty deck, and jaws speaks the name of the track being loaded. This alternating pattern continues until you stop Ots DJ, or turn the AutoDJ function off.

To tell Ots DJ what music to play, you must import folders of OTS files into your Media Library. This becomes a list of songs you can choose from. You can then let Ots DJ randomly select songs to build a play list, or you can search for tracks yourself. Typical use involves randomly generating a playlist first, then deleting unwanted tracks and manually searching for tracks to add to the list.You can modify the list in real time as Ots DJ is playing music.

Recent versions of Ots DJ include a live input which allows you to connect a microphone for use with Ots DJ. You can talk over the music, or talk when both decks are stopped, and your voice is fed through that same great compression software that gives Ots DJ that cool professional, punchy sound.

Detailed Discussion Of Hot Keys

Focus on a particular list

There are four main lists of songs in Ots DJ.

You can browse these lists with up and down arrow keys, and can cut and paste to move songs between the various lists. Hot keys are provided to place focus on each of these lists. When dialogs are closed, or when Ots DJ gains focus, the scripts will attempt to place focus back in the list which most recently had focus. Insert+tab should tell you which list has focus at the moment, but you can always just press the appropriate hot key to focus on the one you want.

Play List

the Playlist is the list from which the AutoDJ function selects songs to be placed in the two decks for playing on the air. Or, you can cause each deck to be loaded manually from this same list. The list is generated initially by the Generate Playlist command in the edit menu. You can also activate the search dialog to search the media library for tracks to add at any selected position in the playlist. You can use cut and paste commands to rearrange songs in the Playlist.

Each entry in this list consists of four fields, start time, title, artist, and length. The scripts are intelligent enough to skip the start time field when you are arrowing up and down. This allows you to hear song title first, rather than having to listen through the start time before getting to the title.

Hot keys are also provided to repeat the entire entry including start time, or to just repeat the title, artist and length. Press control+l to focus here.

History List

History List - this is where songs go when they have finished playing, or if you eject a track from a deck manually. You can copy tracks from the history list to place them back in the playlist if you like. Press control_h to focus here.

Work Area

This is a general purpose list, used for constructing playlists while you work. You can copy tracks to this list to be saved as a playlist for a future program, or make any other constructive use you can think of. Press control+w to focus here.

Media Library

this is a list of all tracks presently imported, including those which did not make the current play list. If you press the tab key, while focused in the media library, focus moves to a combo box which allows you to select the kinds of entries that show up in your medial library listing. This can include all items, only OTS Albums, only MP3 files, only unavailable albums, or several other selections. This is useful if you are changing attributes such as rating or category, and want to decide if the setting will, for example, apply only to a particular song, or to all tracks in an ots album. It is also useful for finding items in your library which have been deleted from your hard drive, and are thus no longer available.

Hot keys are provided to allow you to set rating or category information, or to automatically add the selected track to the playlist. Before you do that, you should switch to the Playlist, and select the track before which the new track should be added. Then, switch to the media library, locate the desired track, and press the hot key. The track will be added, and focus will return to the media library.

Another way to add tracks to the playlist is to press control+o to open the search dialog. This is discussed in more detail elsewhere, but allows you to type in artist or title information, and then browse a list of entries that matched your criteria. Then, hot keys are provided to allow you to copy the track to deck A, deck b, playlist as next, or the clipboard.

Press shift+control+l to focus in the media library.

Auto DJ

AutoDJ is controlled by a set of 3 hot keys.
Disable AutoDJ with the control+d command, jaws will anounce to confirm the function is disabled.
Check on the status of AutoDJ with Control+shift+d. Jaws will speak the current status of the function, enabled, or disabled.
Toggle AutoDJ with control+A. Jaws will speak the new status as a result of this key stroke. Jaws will warn you if you enable auto DJ and both decks are loaded. This is not a problem. I just found myself forgetting to flush the deck and load the next item. So, it just alerts you to make sure the decks are loaded like you want them. This is especially handy if you operate Ots DJ with autoDJ turned off. Many people feel that they can generally do a better job segueying the music manually. When operating in this manner, it is typical practice to load the next track in to an idle deck well in advance of the current song being completed. If you then decide to enable AutoDJ, Ots DJ will play the track loaded into that idle deck as the next selection rather than loading another track from the playlist. Usually, this is exactly what you want. However, if AutoDJ is disabled when a track ends, the deck will not be cleared, and the previous track will remain in that deck. This will lead to a track being played a second time if you then enable AutoDJ. So, this message is just to alert you to the fact that you have enabled AutoDJ with a loaded deck, prompting you to make sure it is the track you want played next.

Ejecting Tracks

You can eject tracks from either deck, control+e ejects the left deck, control+i ejects the right deck. The track is placed in the history list, and the deck is empty. Jaws announces that the deck was ejected. This is handy if you are running manually, and want to eject a track that has finished playing so the start times in the playlist will be up to date.The most recent version of Ots DJ also allows control+shift+f1 to eject deck A, and control+shift+f5 to eject deck B. But, jaws will not announce that it has been ejected. The f11 and f12 keys can be used to confirm the operation.

You can now pop a track out of either deck, into the clipboard. This is handy when you change your mind at the last minute, after the deck has already been loaded.You can then paste the track wherever you want it.Control+Shift+w pops the left deck, and control+shift+u pops the right deck.

Controlling Tempo

The standard Ots DJ keys for raising and lowering tempo are alt+f3 and alt+f4 for deck A. However, this conflicts with what people normally use as the command to close the application. So, the scripts have redefined the tempo keys to control+shift+f3 and control+shift+f4. Likewise for DeckB just for consistency.Alt+f4 will actually close Ots DJ.

Cue Channel

You can set up the output configuration to define a sound output to be used as the cue output. This is a special output which you can use to audition a track ahead of time without it being heard over the air. Hot keys are provided to switche each of the decks between Air and Cue outputs. Jaws provides spoken confirmation that the switch has occurred. Ots DJ version, 1.00.150, also added menu items for this function.
Switch Deck A to cue with alt+control+f1.
Switch Deck A to Air with alt+control+f2.
Switch Deck B to cue with alt+control+f5.
Switch Deck B to Air with alt+control+f6.

Because the buttons used to perform this operation are totally invisible to JAWS, the scripts can not determine if the buttons are actually in the correct positions. So, certain assumptions have to be made about their states. For each deck, there are two toggle buttons, one for choosing whether the deck is placed on the air or not, and the other for choosing whether the deck is routed to the queue channel. All four combinations are actually possible. So, if the scripts get out of sync with Ots DJ, it is possible to have a deck routed to both queue and air channels, or routed nowhere at all. These two states are less likely to be useful, and are not intended. But, if it ever happens to you, you need to toggle one of the two buttons in order to return to a valid state. So, two emergency hot keys are provided to help correct this situation. Alt+control+minus on the numbers row toggles the air button for deck A, while alt+control+equal sign toggles the air button for deck b. This allows you to get back to valid states. This problem is very rare, but, at least, a work around is now provided.

Auditioning Tracks

You can audition any track in the playlist without disturbing the playlist. First, use the hot key provided to switch an idle deck to the Cue output. Then, arrow down any of the lists to a track you want to hear. Then, press the hot key which will copy the selected track to the desired deck and start playback.Two hot keys are provided for this purpose
Copy to deck A with alt+A.
Copy to Deck b with Alt+b.
The track remains in the list, but will turn up in the history when it is cleared from the audition deck. There are occasional times when, due to weaknesses in Jaws keyboard handling logic, when the alt key gets stuck, and the function keys do not perform their expected functions. When that happens, the deck will fail to start when you use these commands. usually, tapping the alt key once will clear this up.

These keys for auditioning tracks are different from the PlayThis track hot key, alt+n. The alt+n places a selected track on the air immediately. To use this key, cursor down the playlist to find a track you want to play right now. Press alt+n, and the presently playing track will be faded out and ejected from it's deck, and the selected track will start playing in the idle deck. In contrast, the audition keys do not cause ejection from the other deck, but allow it to continue playing on the air while you audition the selected track. Also, the audition keys do not remove the selected track from the playlist.

Searching For A Track

Press control+o to open the search dialog, Focus is placed in an edit box where you can type in the title or artist you are looking for. Press tab twice to focus on a list of items from the media library which match what you have typed in. Press down arrow to review the proposed list item by item. When you find the one you want, there are several options. The scripts provide hot keys for each option.
Copy to Deck A, press alt+A.
Copy to Deck B, press alt+b.
Copy To Playlist as Next, press alt+p.
Copy to Clipboard, press alt+c.
A Typical use of this would be to find the track, copy it to the clipboard. This closes the search dialog and places you back in the list you had open prior to doing the search. Usually, this is the playlist. So, arrow up and down to find the track you want the song you just found to preceed. Then, press control+v to paste the track into the playlist.

Planning stops

To make Ots DJ stop after a certain track in the playlist,you can insert a Stop And ReCue directive after a track in the play list. With focus on the playlist, arrow to the track before which you want to stop. Press control+q. The scripts will insert the directive. When Ots DJ gets to that point, it will load the next song into the presently idle deck, but it will stop before actually playing it. You might make some announcement, then want to continue with the program. When you want to continue playing, press control+Space. Jaws won't say anything, but the next track will start playing. If you also want the microphone to be closed as the playback begins, press shift+control+space.

Controlling the Microphone

There are two hot keys for controlling the microphone input. In unassisted Ots DJ, control+m toggles the microphone on and off. The scripts add the control+shift+m hot key which definitely turns the microphone off.
Also, control+shift+space turns the microphone off and starts the music after a stop and recue directive.

Cutting And Pasting

When focused in the playlist, work area, or history, the following keys now do the cut and paste operation:
control+x = cut this track to the clipboard, removing it from the list.
Control+v = paste the clipboard prior to the current position.
To copy the track to the clipboard use the standard methods using the edit menu or context menu.

key control+c copies the song your cursor is focused on, into the work area. You can do this from the play list or from the history list. The song will remain in it's initial location, and also will be placed at the end of the work area.

Controlling The Decks

Ots DJ already provides hot keys for loading, starting, pausing and stopping the dekcs. F1 through f4 are dedicated to Deck A, while f5 through f8 are dedicated to Deck b. In some cases, the scripts intercept these keys to facilitate the action.

The following keys apply to Deck A. These can be extended to keys f5-f9 when discussing Deck B.

For Deck A:
Load a track into Deck A, press control+shift+f2.
Start Deck A playing, press f2.
Start Deck A playing, and enable autoDJ, press shift+f2.
Pause Deck A, press f1 while deck A is playing.
Stop Deck A, and return to start, press f1 twice.
loop on a small region, or slide these regions left and right with control+shift+f3 and control+shift+f4.Resume normal playback with f2.

Hot keys are provided to speak the title of the track playing in each Deck, f11 and f12 perform this function for Decks A and B respectively.Additional Deck status is acquired using control+shift+A or control+shift+b.

Time Remaining in a track

Ots DJ displays the time remaining in the presently playing track in a graphical manner that can not be read by jaws. Therefore, the scripts attempt to calculate the amount of time remaining. Two hot keys are set up for doing this.
To speak time remaining in Deck A, press Alt+control+f11.
To speak time remaining in Deck B, press Alt+control+f12.

There are two methods for doing this calculation. If the other deck is empty, then the next track will be the top item in the playlist. The scripts subtract the present time of day from the start time of the top item, and report the difference in minutes and seconds. This method is fairly accurate. If it does not work on your system, one possibility is that the utility DLL, called DazUtil.dll is not registered in your system. Consult the installation instructions on how to get that DLL registered.

However, if the other deck is also loaded, then the next item to play will be the track in the other deck, not the top item in the playlist. We no longer know the start time for the second deck, and thus have very little to go on.Therefore, the scripts attempt to capture the length of a track when it is loaded into a Deck. This includes when a track is moved into a deck from the playlist, but also includes copying a track from the search dialog. If the track length is not known, the scripts will open the search dialog, and attempt to find the next track in the media library in order to learn the track length. There are, unfortunately, still cases where this process becomes confused due to the pseudo random order in which jaws sometimes processes events. So, it is possible that a deck can be associated with the incorrect start time. However, as we shall see shortly, the consequences are very minor.

If this second method of calculating time remaining is necessary, the scripts scan a progress bar which is created for each Deck by Ots DJ, calculate the percentage of completion from this bar, and apply that percentage to the track length associated with this deck. As an example, a trakc which is 4 minutes and 40 seconds long, and which is 98 percent complete, will have 5.6 seconds remaining. The scripts would report 5 seconds remaining.
However a track that was only 3 minutes and 30 seconds in length, but which was 98 percent complete, would have 4.2 seconds remaining. Jaws would say 4 seconds remaining. So, while we had the wrong start time, the time remaining reported was off by only one second when it came down to those last remaining seconds. Every effort has been extended to assure that the correct start times are loaded, but there are so many variables to this problem that absolute accuracy can not be guaranteed.

If, for some reason, jaws fails to detect a track being loaded, and, therefore, does not know the length of the track in minutes and seconds, the scripts will revert to speaking the percentage complete. A four minute track has ten seconds remaining when it is about 96 percent complete. So, you can still get a pretty good qualitative feel for when the track is going to end.

Universal Time

The scripts can tell you the time in universal time. Press Control+shift+g, ro GMT time.

also, you can adjust to any other time zone you wish. To do this, you must set an offset which represents the number of hours between local time on your computer, and the time zone you want. Once yu set this up, if you are running jfw 3.7 or later, the offset will be saved in a otsjdj.ini file in your settings\enu folder. This will be reloaded each time you switch focus to Ots DJ. However, if you are running an earlier version, you must set this up each time you start jaws.You must also change this setting manually to account for daylight savings time.

To set the offset, press shift+alt+t. This is a list of offsets which you can choose with your arrow keys, or by just typing the letter that corresponds to your offset.

Let's assume we wanted to set up the offset between local time and universal time. To figure out the offset, a value of 0 means you live in England or somewhere that is actually the same as universal time. In creasing offsets mean you are moving west from England. When we are on standard time, the East coast of the United states, would use a value of 5, which is an offset letter of f. the west coast would use a value of 8, for a letter of i. This wrapps around such that users in Germany, which is one hour east of GMT would use an offset value of 23. This equates to an offset letter of y. So rather than cursoring down through the list looking for 23, our German friends would simply type the letter y, then press enter to make the selection.

To hear the adjusted time spoken, press control+shift+t.

Virtual Cart Machines

This feature allows you to assign wav or mp3 files to each of the numeric keys on the numbers row. Hot keys are provided to allow you to determine the path of the folder where audio files are loaded, to assign a file to a particular key, or to check on the name of the file assigned to a key, just in case you forget. This allows you to press the number key to make the file play. This function is useful for queuing special sound effects or other drop ins as a part of your program, which can be triggered manually.

Only certain sound setups will be able to use this feature. You need to have multiple sound cards, such that Ots DJ uses one of the cards, and winamp uses another card. This is because, the special sounds triggered by the hot keys are played through a copy of winamp. If you are ShoutCasting, you will need to have a separate copy of Winamp as your transmitter, and will need a mixer to combine the Ots DJ and Winamp outputs in analog before sending the combined pair to the transmitter sound card.

Automatic Playlist Generation

This feature tells the scripts to watch for the end of the current playlist, and to generate a new playlist when the current playlist is finished. This is done using the currently loaded template. It's a great way to keep the music fresh on an automated station.

to use this, go to the edit menu, generate playlist dialog, and load your favorite template. You can then generate a playlist, or simply cancel out of the dialog. Either way, the selected template will stay loaded. The AutoGenerate feature will use that same template when it generates your next playlist, as long as Ots DJ is still running.

The scripts key on the appearance of the track titled becoming the current item. To use this feature you must go to the options menu, the Playlist mode submenu, and press enter on the item that says, Do Not Transfer History To Playlist. Otherwise, your playlist will never actually be empty, and no new list will be generated.

Toggle this feature on or off with the control+shift+p hotkey.

Summary of Functions

Here is a brief summary of functions supported by hot keys:
Stop
play, automatically enables auto DJ
Previous Track
NextTrack
Insert stop And ReQueue directive before focused item
Enable or Disable Auto DJ
check AutoDJ Status
Start Either deck and enable auto dj.
Force live input off
Start the music and kill the mike.
Search for a track in the database.
Audition a track in either deck.
play a selected track right now.
Eject Eitehr Deck.
Pop the track in either deck back to the clipboard.
Find out when the next station ID will play
Speak the status of either deck, including which song is playing in that deck
Determine the time remaining for either deck
Focus on main Play list
focus on history
focus on Work Area
Focus on Medial Library
Speak Universal or adjusted Time
Assign a rating to a selected track.
Assign the selected item to a category.
Add the current item in the library to the playlist.
toggle the automatic playlist generation feature on or off

Ots MP3 Converter

The Ots DJ program can play MP3 files directly. But, it is handier in many cases to use the OTS proprietary format. Sound files must be converted from MP3, into the OTS format. This is done using the Ots MP3 converter application.

The Ots DJ MP3 converter has no menus. The controls are accessed by pressing tab and shift tab keys to move among the various controls. In addition, the scripts provide hot keys to immediately focus on controls of frequent interest. The insert+h help dialog lists all hot keys. Use your arrow keys to explore this list. In many cases, you can just press enter on the item you desire and it will be performed. You will save time, however, by learning the hot keys and pressing them directly. In some cases, where the item is more informational than an actual function, pressing enter will cause no action. You can always press escape to exit the insert+h dialog without performing any action.

In general, press space bar on a check box to toggle it's state, or on an action button to activate it.

There are three main panes to this application.

1. The MP3 files pane, where your MP3 files are listed.
2. The OTS files pane, where your OTS files are placed.
3. the options pane, consisting of a series of radio buttons, or checkboxes which you can set up to control the way the converter behaves. In addition, there are several action buttons wich cause various things to happen.

Both of the files panes consist of a button to select which disk drive to use, a button to go up one level in the folder structure, an edit box where the path of the present folder is displayed and can be edited, and a list of files in the present folder.

When pressed using the space bar, the select drive button will bring up a list of disk drives. Select one with the arrow keys, and press enter. The current path will be spoken, and you will be focused in the corresponding files list.

Likewise, if you edit the path name and press enter, the files list will be updated to the new folder, and you will be focused in the corresponding files list.

The button to go up one level is not strictly necessary since you can do this by pressing backspace in the files list. Doing so will cause the new path to be spoken, and focus to return to the files list.

When focused in one of the files lists, you can use the arrow keys to highlight files in the usual way, Shift+downArrow selects the current and next files etc. Insert+shift+DownArrow lists all selected files. This list appears to behave exactly like explorer, even allowing multiple non-contiguous selections by holding down the control key.

this list can contain both files and folder names. Normally, you can infer whether an item is an mp3 file or a folder simply by its name. But, if you have doubt, press the SayLine key insert+upArrow, and jaws should say either file, or folder, before speaking the name. This is done by recognizing the graphics that appear to the left of the name. These graphics were labeled at 256 colors and 800 by 600 resolution. If these are not recognized on your system, and you want this feature to work, you may need to relabel them yourself. If you need to do this, switch to all graphics verbosity, place the jaws cursor on the graphic, and press insert+g. Then type the word you want spoken, any name is valid, and then press enter. don't use the tab key to find the OK button in the graphics labeler. The scripts can not presently determine that the graphics labeler is active, and the tab key has been redefined to work with this truly weird application.

The options pane consists of two or three groups of radio buttons, and some check boxes. The tab key will move you from one group of radio buttons to the next, as well as to each of the checkboxes, then on to a set of action buttons. When in a group of radio buttons, the up and down arrow keys cycle you through the radio buttons in the present group.

Once you press the space bar on one of the action buttons to start a conversion, the converter will behave differently depending on what options you have chosen. In some cases, it will prompt for further information. You can use the tab key to move through the various fields requested in the standard manner.

After closing the OTS MP3 Converter, I always have to minimize all apps with insert+f6 before I can alt+tab to other applications. This is not a function of the scripts. But Perhaps, future versions of the scripts can remedy this situation.

Ots Player

The Ots Player is similar to winamp, in that it allows you to listen to selected OTS audio files. It is the program that runs if you press enter on an OTS file when in explorer. An OTS file can contain one or more audio tracks. You can play any of the tracks listed in an OTS file by arrowint to the selection you want and pressing enter.The nice thing about the OTS player is that it is extremely quick, very responsive.

If your ots player script controls do not function as expected, see the section on Labeling Graphics In The Ots Player in the trouble shooting section above

Use the file menu to open an ots file, or press enter on an ots file in explorer to activate this program and begin playing the first track in an OTS file.

When the program opens, focus is placed in the list of tracks. Use up and down arrow to browse the list of tracks. Press enter on a track to start playing it. Incidentally, this is the normal enter, not the numPad enter.

Press insert+pageDown to hear the status line, the name of the currently playing track, and the time. The time, at the right end of the status line is composed of two fields which are of the form : aa:bb/cc:ddwhere aa:bb is the time elapsed in the track, and cc:dd is the total length.

The scripts organize the controls in the OTS Player to look very much like the winamp hot keys.

To stop play back, press the v key.
z = previous track
b = next track
c = pause.
Start playback from the start of this track, press x or enter.
Use the NumPad arrow keys to skip backward or forward in the currently playing track.

Also, you can start continuously skimming backward or forward through the file by pressing insert+NumPad Left Arrow, or insert+NumPad right arrow respectively. Again, play must already be in progress for this to work. To stop the skimming operation, press 5 on the NumPad.

Use insert+h to explore a list of hot keys using your arrow keys. Then, press escape to return to the main program.

Purchase of these scripts entitles you to scripts for all three of the applications described here. Click on the link below to contact the SnowMan to purchase a permanent authorization file. Please include your Name and jaws serial number so your authorization file can be constructed. If you want to pay by credit card, do not include your credit card numbers. The SnowMan will send you an invoice via the ProPay system. You will receive a link to a secure web site where you can enter your credit card information. They will send us a notification when your transaction is complete, and you will receive your permanent authorization file via e-mail attachment.

Naturally, we would love to hear from you. Send e-mail to:Snowman@SnowManRadio.com.

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