This page describes the procedures for starting TRIANGLE with various combinations of assistive devices such as screen readers, Braille displays, digitizing tablets, etc.
Sample batch files that allow a user to load in parameters for several devices and start TRIANGLE with a single command are also listed on this page. It is not necessary to use these batch files, they simply serve as a guide indicating what drivers and parameters allow the assistive devices to properly work with TRIANGLE.
All batch file samples will assume that TRIANGLE and other software (such as speech screen readers) are located on the computer's C drive (for example c:\triangle) which is the main hard drive for most computers. If you have your files in directories other than the ones used in the batch files, please change the batch files to reflect your system.
If you just want to run TRIANGLE without using any assistive devices,
simply go to the TRIANGLE directory and run ta.exe. You can do
this by entering the following commands at the DOS prompt:
cd c:\triangle
ta
Alternatively if you are using Windows, you can double-click on the ta.exe icon in the triangle folder.
TRIANGLE will print to a Braille embosser that is connected to a parallel
(lpt) port. It is important to load the GS character file into the printer
before starting TRIANGLE. The following batch file will load the
gs.txt file into a VersaPoint printer and then start TRIANGLE:
@Echo off cd c:\triangle loadcode -e ta
For more information, please see the Instructions for setting-up TRIANGLE with Braille printers.
When starting TRIANGLE when using a speech screen reader and voice synthesizer, it is important to provide the screen reader with enough space to store TRIANGLE's character dictionary.
The following sample batch file (in this case for the DECtalk synthesizer
and JAWS for DOS screen reader) loads the synthesizer's driver, starts the
screen reader, then starts TRIANGLE:
@Echo off REM Batch file for running JAWS version 2.31 REM for the DECtalk PC Synthesizer REM The following SET command assures the compatibility REM with Word Perfect 5.1 release March 9, 1992 or later SET wp= %wp% /nd cd\dtexp call dtexp CD \JAWS J_DECPC %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9 /B8 /d8 /E /ni cd \triangle ta
There are many combinations of possible screen readers and voice synthesizers. Several situations, along with batch files, are described on the Setting-up TRIANGLE for use with speech screen readers and voice synthesizers page. Please refer to your particular voice synthesizer and screen reader combination on that page.
To properly use a Braille display with TRIANGLE, it is necessary to start a Braille screen reader and to load in the GS character set before running TRIANGLE. We have included the TSI screen reader "Gateway" in the TRIANGLE package. A sample batch file to start Gateway, load in the GS font, and to start TRIANGLE is:
@Echo off cd c:\triangle gateway loadcode -g ta
For more information about using Braille displays with TRIANGLE, please see the Instructions for setting-up TRIANGLE with Braille displays page.
A touch, or digitizing tablet, allows TRIANGLE to respond to pictures when they are touched. These tablets have drivers written by the Science Access Project that must be loaded before TRIANGLE is run. This sample batch file is for the TouchWindow tablet connected to com (serial) port 1:
@Echo off cd c:\triangle\tablet twin_drv 1 cd c:\triangle ta
The MagicTouch and NOMAD tablets would have similar batch files but with mt_drv or nom_drv instead of twin_drv. For more information about digitizing tablets, please see the Instructions for Setting-up TRIANGLE with Digitizing Tablets page.
In general, the voice synthesizer and the touch tablet will be connected to two different serial ports. The drivers for the synthesizer and the tablet must both be loaded before running TRIANGLE. The following batch file is an example with the Vocal-Eyes screen reader, the Type 'n Speak synthesizer connected to com 1, and the MagicTouch connected to com 2:
@echo off rem the following line loads the Vocal-Eyes synthesizer driver cd \VOCAL BNSPEAK /!c1 rem the following line loads Vocal-Eyes ve /!c9 ve /kt ve /cta ve /f0 ta.set cd \triangle\tablet mt_drv 2 cd \triangle ta
You will need two serial ports in order to use the Braille display and a
touch tablet. The GATEWAY screen reading
program, the GS character set, and the tablet driver will all need to be
loaded before running TRIANGLE. The following batch file is for the
Braille display connected to com 1 and the MagicTouch tablet connected to
com 2:
@Echo off rem load the Braille screen reader and load the GS table cd c:\triangle gateway loadcode -g rem load the tablet driver cd c:\triangle\tablet mt_drv 2 rem start triangle cd c:\triangle ta
Yes! You can have it all! Assuming that you have enough serial ports that is. In this case you would need to have three serial ports and a parallel port. In order to get this you would need to have installed an extra serial I/O card into your computer (and you would possibly need to change some BIOS settings). This configuration is not for the novice user. But suppose there is someone who wants/needs this configuration.
Suppose there is a DECtalk with JAWS on com 1, a PowerBraille 40 on com 2,
a NOMAD on com 3, and a printer on lpt 1. The DECtalk needs to load a
driver in a directory called dtexp, the printer and the Braille displays
need to load in the GS code, and the tablet needs to load its driver
all before starting TRIANGLE. Thus, the batch file would look
something like:
@Echo off REM Batch file for running JAWS version 2.31 REM for the DECtalk PC Synthesizer REM The following SET command assures the compatibility REM with Word Perfect 5.1 release March 9, 1992 or later SET wp= %wp% /nd cd c:\dtexp call dtexp CD c:\JAWS J_DECPC %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9 /B8 /d8 /E /ni rem load the Braille screen reader cd c:\triangle gateway 2 rem load the GS code into the Braille display loadcode -g rem load the GS code into the VersaPoint printer loadcode -e rem load the NOMAD tablet driver cd c:\triangle\tablet nom_drv 3 rem start triangle cd c:\triangle ta
Note: the NOMAD tablet driver and the NOMAD speech driver interfere with each other so only one can be used at a time. Thus, you can not save on a serial port by using the NOMAD.
Still have questions about TRIANGLE? Send e-mail to: triangle@dots.physics.orst.edu