Personalized Web Page Settings

You can configure many JAWS settings for specific Web sites. Personalized settings apply to all pages of a given domain, such as CNN dot com or Freedom Scientific dot com. Some examples where using personalized settings could be useful might include:

• Turn off heading announcement on Web sites that use headings to format information rather than structure it.
• Turn off inline frames on sites that use them for advertising.
• Turn off announcement of image map links on sites that do not provide alternate text for them, but do provide text links as well.
• And more...

Make the various JAWS settings work for you to enhance your experiences on the Internet.

JAWS includes many configurable settings to access information on Web pages as efficiently as possible, and JAWS uses default settings that provide the most information on the majority of Web sites. However, there are many Web sites that are not designed with accessibility in mind or do not use HTML correctly. When using JAWS default settings, some of these Web pages may not provide enough information, while others may provide too much.

What Settings can be Personalized?

You can personalize many types of Web settings. For example:

• Prevent Web sites from automatically refreshing, so the information does not reload and cause JAWS to read from the top of the page all over again.
• Turn off graphic links on sites where alternate text is not provided or where the graphic links do not provide useful information.
• Turn off heading announcement when headings are not used to structure information on a page.
• Turn off navigation quick keys on pages that use certain types of access keys so the keys do not conflict.
• Personalize Web settings for forms, frames, lists, and long quotations.

Personalizing Web Settings

Before personalizing your Web settings for a specific Web site, you must identify what settings are most effective on that site.

1. Read through pages on the site and note what reads well, what does not read well, and what reads too much.
2. Use the JAWS Quick Settings dialog box (INSERT+V) to temporarily adjust settings to determine if the changes make the page easier to use. Test this on several pages on the site. If you are adjusting settings so JAWS speaks less information, make sure that the information is not essential on other pages of the site.
3. Press INSERT+SHIFT+V to open the Personalized Settings dialog box, adjust the settings you want to use for the entire Web site, and press ENTER.

NOTE: When you change Personalized Web Settings, you are changing them for the entire Web site, not just for the page you are currently visiting. For example, if you are visiting http://www.FreedomScientific.com/news.asp and set graphics in HTML to none, JAWS does not announce graphics on that page, and does not announce graphics on http://www.FreedomScientific.com/product-portal.asp or http://www.FreedomScientific.com/training.asp either.

Create Personalized Settings for a Web Domain

The Freedom Scientific Web domain has a similar look and feel throughout. For example, there is a search edit box at the top of each page. Normally when you press TAB or use the ARROW Keys to move through the site, forms mode comes on when you reach the search edit box. Let's use JAWS Personalized Settings to stop forms mode from coming on automatically for all the pages of the Freedom Scientific Web domain.

EXERCISE: Follow along with the instructor to create personalized settings for the entire Freedom Scientific Web domain.

1. First, switch to the Freedom Scientific Web site, http://www.FreedomScientific.com
2. Press CTRL+HOME to move to the top of the page.
3. Press TAB several times until you find the search edit box. Notice that forms mode comes on when focus moves into the search edit box. This is what we will prevent from happening when this exercise is completed.
4. Press INSERT+V to open the JAWS Quick Settings dialog box. Focus is in the search edit box.
5. Type in "auto forms" without the quotes. JAWS filters out all results that do not match the search in the tree view below.
6. Press DOWN ARROW to move to the item in the tree view "Auto Forms Mode - checked" in the Personalized Web Settings Options. It should be checked by default.
7. Press SPACEBAR to uncheck the check box.
8. Press TAB to move to the OK button, and then activate it with the SPACEBAR. Quick Settings closes and the changes are saved.
9. Now, press NUM PAD PLUS to make sure you are not in forms mode.
10. Press CTRL+HOME to move to the top of the page.
11. Press TAB until focus moves to the search edit box again. Forms mode does not come on this time.
12. Press TAB to move to the Training link on the page, and then activate it by pressing ENTER. The Training Headquarters page opens.
13. Press CTRL+HOME to move to the top of the page.
14. Press TAB several times until focus moves to the search edit box on this page. Again, forms mode does not come on. You have successfully applied personalized settings to the entire domain for Freedom Scientific dot com.

NOTE: From now on when you first go to the Freedom Scientific Web site during a browser session JAWS announces the site has personalized settings.

Sharing Personalized Settings

JAWS stores personalized settings information in JSI files. You can use the JAWS Settings Packager to create and share personalized settings with others. JAWS versions 5.10 and later have this feature which allows you to easily share files of these types with other JAWS users. For information on this program, see the module later in Surf's Up on using Settings Packager.

To manually share your personalized settings with other JAWS users

1. First, open the Start Menu, and choose All Programs.
2. Navigate to the JAWS program group, and open the JAWS program submenu.
3. Choose Explore JAWS, Explore My Settings. A folder opens that contains all of the files you have had JAWS modify or create for you.
4. Select the folder PersonalizedSettings and press ENTER to open it.
5. Locate the JSI file with the domain name of the page that uses the personalized settings you want to share. For example: "Google.com.jsi."
6. Copy this file and distribute it to others. Those you share your JSI file with need to copy the JSI file into their user folder on their computer following the steps above. They can now use that HTML page with your personalized settings.