Talking Web Pages Help


You can create a talking web page with Reader. It will work best if run
off-line, but it can be used to speak text files on the Internet.

Here are the basic steps:

1. Make Reader a helper application for Netscape or IExplorer in the 
   Options section

NETSCAPE:
    Select Options, then General Preferences, then Helpers. Click on Create
    new type. At the input fields enter Mime type: application, Mime sub-type:
    reader (this isn't a valid type but it doesn't matter for local reading)
    Extensions: rdr (or whatever file extensions you want to use)
    Select Launch Application, then use the browse button to find Reader's
    executable file: reader.exe. Save. That should do it.

Microsoft Internet Explorer:
    Select View, Options, File types, then Add a new helper. At the input
    fields type Description: Talking Files, Mime Type: application/reader.
    Suffixes: .rdr ( or whatever file extensions you want to use)
    (use the dot in the extension in IExplorer but not Netscape)
    For the helper application select the browse button and locate reader's
    executable file. Save.

2. Create some talking files. Use the same file extension that you indentified
   in Netscape or IExplorer.  The file can be composed of various sentences,
   and can be as large as 64,000 bytes, and that is a lot of talking.

3. Create a web page.  I can't go into great detail here, but I will create
   one for you at a reasonable cost. If you have some HTML knowledge it is
   easy:
   a. Create a normal page using html.
   b. For any link or graphic link you can simply use: <a href="talking filename">--</a>
   c. Make sure the html file and the talking files are in the same directory.

4. Launch Reader using the Run command in Program Manager, clicking on Reader's
   icon, or double clicking reader.exe in File Manager.

5  Launch Netscape or IExplorer by double clicking on the html file from File
   Manager (assumes you have the browser associated with this type of file).
   If you then click on a link, Reader should read the talking file associated
   with that link. 

6. Problems will occur if Netscape or Reader can't find a file, so follow
   the above procedure to ensure this won't happen. If you are familiar with
   Netscape or IExplorer, you can experiment with file locations.

7. Reader will operate in the background for this type of file reading, so
   you can continue exploring the web page or others, while the file is read.

8. Pressing the Pause key will abort the reading. Pressing Pause a second
   time before reading another file, will activate Reader's main window.

ON-LINE TALKING FILES

If you want to use Reader to read text files on-line, you will have to amend
the mime type 'text' subtype 'plain'. Change it from 'view in browser' to
Launch an application and put in reader as the applicaton. Identify some
file extensions that you want to use.  The problem is, there isn't a mime
type specifically for talking files, so all text files will be sent to
Reader. For some of you that may be OK since you don't download a lot of
plain text files anyway. (*.htm or *.html files should download OK if the
mime type 'text' sub-type 'html' is still shown in the helper apps. with
view in browser or save to file as the option.

If you can come up with a mime type that will work and be supported by most
servers, let me know please.  My knowledge of this subject is limited.

I used to be a Realtor, and I could have used this to display listings.
You could set up a series of photos of a listing, with a talking file
explaining each photo. A picture of a living room could have a talking file
associated with it that says something like:

  ' This photo shows the living room.  It is 21 feet by 16 feet.  You will
notice the large window, the view is terrific from this window, but you
can't see that in the photograph.
 The photo also doesn't show the beautiful cove ceiling in this room.'

The clients could click on the photo, and hear the information while looking
at the picture, instead of looking back and forth between some text and the
picture.

Something similar could probably be used for presentations. The sky's the
limit!

Have fun.








      
