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Learning your Braille display buttons

We recommend you review the display's manual to learn what the primary functions are for the buttons on your display. You should be able to download the latest edition of the manual from the manufacturer's website.

You can also discover what the buttons do on your display with the use of Key Describe Mode. Key Describe Mode is a special SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader mode that locks your keyboard and Braille display so that the keys and buttons you press are announced and not acted upon.

Often Key Describe Mode is used to learn the layout of a keyboard, for example, the layout of a new laptop keyboard, but it will also report what the buttons do on your display.

Learning how to navigate content from a display as well as simulating common Windows commands can help you work more efficiently as it stops you having to move your hands away from your display to the keyboard to perform popular tasks.

To use Key Describe Mode:

1. Press CAPS LOCK + FORWARD SLASH or, if you are using the Laptop Universal Hotkey Set, press CAPS LOCK + 1.
2. Press the buttons and button combinations on your display to discover what they do.
3. When done, press the Key Describe Mode hotkey again to exit Key Describe Mode.

Note that Key Describe Mode will not lock out all the keys on your display. For example, the Power button will remain active.

Assigning keyboard commands to Braille button combinations

To add more Windows keyboard commands to Braille button combinations, do the following:

1. Open the SuperNova or Dolphin ScreenReader Control Panel.
2. From the "General" menu, open the "Keyboard settings" submenu and select "Hotkeys" (ALT + G, K, H).
3. Select the "Simulate Key Press" command set.
4. From the "Command" list, select a key combination. Options include single keypresses plus combinations like ALT + F4, CONTROL + C, CONTROL + X, CONTROL + V, and Windows commands like WINDOWS KEY + D, WINDOWS KEY + E, and WINDOWS KEY + R.
5. Select the "Add Braille Key" button and go through the process of selecting a Braille button combination to simulate the keypress.

If you are using HumanWare Brailliant or Focus Braille display with input keys, you can also simulate keyboard commands directly from your Braille display. This requires "Braille keys" to be enabled in the SuperNova or Dolphin ScreenReader Control Panel (ALT + B, I).

With Braille keys enabled, to simulate keypresses:

1. Press one of the following:
   • SPACE + DOT 8 + DOT 1 to input the Function key modifier.
   • SPACE + DOT 8 + DOT 3 to input the CONTROL key modifier.
   • SPACE + DOT 8 + DOT 4 to input the WINDOWS key modifier.
   • SPACE + DOT 8 + DOT 5 to input the Dolphin Key modifier.
   • SPACE + DOT 8 + DOT 6 to input the ALT key modifier.
   • SPACE + DOT 8 + DOT 7 to input the SHIFT key modifier.
2. Input the letter or number

For example:

• To simulate pressing F1, you press SPACE + DOT 8 + DOT 1 to enter the Function key modifier state, then press the input keys for "a" (DOT 1).
• To simulate pressing CONTROL + N, you press SPACE + DOT 8 + DOT 3 to enter the Control modifier state, then press the input keys for "n" (DOT 1 + DOT 3 + DOT 4 + DOT 5).
• To simulate pressing CONTROL + SHIFT + N, you press SPACE + DOT 8 + DOT 3 to enter the Control modifier state, then press SPACE + DOT 8 + DOT 7 to add the SHIFT modifier state to the sequence, and then press the input keys for "n" (DOT 1 + DOT 3 + DOT 4 + DOT 5).

You will be learning more about Braille input in a later section.