Well I have had some success using SpeakPad and copying it over but it just isn't the same as working with a decent word processor, especially when I want to work within a template so that the output is all standardised.

Because of the pressure of time I have bitten the bullet and put Word 2000 back on the system. Hopefully once this project is under control then I can happily send it back to silicon heaven

I'm just about to start working within Word so perhaps I might be doing well with it or going back to the SpeakPad / OOo Writer option.

Cheers, Ian

Peter,

I read your note on Open Office Writer on the speechempoweredcomputing URL. I would only add the following.

First, the fact that a text editor doesn't completely support Select-and-Say does not mean that you cannot use some of the functions available via Select-and-Say. However, the reason that you lose the capability when moving to other parts of the document, and it is not restricted to mouse clicks, is because Select-and-Correct and Select-and-Say limited capabilities are available in many word processors that are not Select-and-Say enabled but only with the last utterance. You lose this capability for any previous dictated text that is not included in the last utterance you issued during your dictation. This is simply because in a nonstandard window, there are no supported edit controls that would allow DNS to identified locations of words, sentences, or paragraphs anywhere else in the document other than the last utterance. DNS contract the last utterance in most text edit Windows because it knows where the words are. Nevertheless, nonstandard Windows don't provide any means for DNS or any other SR program to locate other words, sentences, phrases, etc. in the document. Standard edit controls provide this for speech recognition applications.

Second, the Natural Language Commands that are available for specific applications are only applicable to those applications. For example, the Natural Language Commands that are very useful in Microsoft Word are not available in any other word processor or text editing software. They are unique to Microsoft Word. The same applies to any of the Natural Language Commands for other applications that are directly supported by DNS (i.e., Command Browser). What is generally available in any text editor window are the global Natural Language Commands, as well is any custom commands. Therefore, any application that supports MSAA (Microsoft Active Accessibility) will have his enabled access to menus and any toolbar options that are hotkeyed. In addition, as long as any of these applications use the standard font controls (i.e., bold, italics, underline, etc.) these will also work in virtually any text editor window.

Lastly, Microsoft changed the rules of the game with regard to "nonstandard" Windows. Previous to DNS 9/9.1/9.5, Microsoft enabled standard Windows to support the various richtext edit controls. With the advance of Microsoft Office 2007 and changes that have been made to the basic text edit controls, the current editing format supported by Microsoft is called "Text Framework Format or TFT. Moving to this format will allow application developers greater ease in creating text editors and word processors that are supported by SAPI. Currently DNS supports this format for Select-and-Say purposes. Unfortunately, Open Office Writer developers don't see either the point where the need to support these standard window formats. This is unfortunate because if more developers were to adopt the standards, speech recognition wouldn't work in more applications, particularly Select-and-Say. Note that Vista SR has similar problems in working with Open Office.

Chuck Runquist
Former Dragon NaturallySpeaking SDK & Senior Technical Solutions PM for DNS

If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into a committee - that will do them in. - Bradley's Bromide