Introduction

Below you will learn how to quickly navigate to elements within a document using various keyboard commands.

Reading time: 10 minutes approx.

Video

Jumping to elements using Quick Navigation Keys

You can jump to specific elements in a document using SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader Quick Navigation Keys.

Press one of the hotkeys listed below to move you to the next item in the document. Add SHIFT to the hotkey combination to go to the previous item.

Note: SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader also include Quick Navigation Keys for Word form elements. These are CAPS LOCK + B for button, CAPS LOCK + E for edit box, and CAPS LOCK + X for check box. However, Word forms have significant accessibility barriers, and it is recommended alternative form types are used. You can learn more by visiting Accessible Digital Documents (external link).

Jumping to items with Item Finder

You can use the SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader Item Finder to move to elements in a document.

To open the Item Finder: Press CAPS LOCK + TAB.

Alternatively, select "Item Finder" from the "General" menu of the SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader Control Panel.

Tip: The focus must be in the document window to successfully open the Item Finder. If the focus is elsewhere, then the Item Finder will not open and the menu item will appear disabled.

The Item Finder dialog box contains multiple tabs. You begin in the Summary tab, which lists the number of links, headings, objects, tables, comments, spelling errors, and grammar errors in the document.

You can use the Arrow Keys to review the items in the Summary list. Pressing ENTER on an item, moves you to the associated list. Pressing ENTER on an item in a specific list will take you to its location in the document.

Moving to elements using Word's inbuilt function

You can move to elements in a document using Word’s own inbuilt function. You can perform this task using Word’s "Find and Replace" dialog box.

To do this:

1. Press CONTROL + G (or F5) to open the "Find and Replace" dialog box.
2. SHIFT + TAB to the "Go to what" list.
3. DOWN ARROW to select an option. Options include Page, Section, Line, Bookmark, Comment, Footnote, Endnote, Object, Table, Heading, etc.
4. TAB to the "Enter number" field and, if you wish to enter a specific criterion, enter your criteria as required. Once done, press ENTER. Word searches for your element and moves focus to this location in your document.
5. Press ESCAPE. The dialog box closes and focus returns to the document with the first MATCHING search result selected.
6. Use the Word Browse Previous and Browse Next commands to continue your search. The hotkeys are CONTROL + PAGE UP AND control + PAGE DOWN Respectively.

Finding text in a document

You can find text in a document by using the Word "Find" option. This can make looking for specific words or phrases in a document easier. When you look for text, the search will start at the current cursor position and go through your selection or document until the end.

To perform a basic search for text:

1. Press CONTROL + F. The "Find" Pane opens with the focus in the search box.
2. Enter your search term. As you type your term, Word automatically populates the results.
3. DOWN ARROW to review the results and press ENTER to select an item.
4. Press SHIFT + F6 to move focus back to the document window.
5. Use the Word Browse Previous and Browse Next commands to continue your search. The hotkeys are CONTROL + PAGE UP AND control + PAGE DOWN Respectively.

To perform a more advanced find:

1. Open the "Find and Replace" dialog box CONTROL + G or F5).
2. Open the "Find" tab (ALT + D).
3. Type the word or phrase you want to find in the document.
4. Select the "More" button and set your criteria, for example, "Match case", "Match whole word only", etc.
5. Select the "Find next" button.
6. Press ESCAPE. The dialog box closes and focus returns to the document with the first MATCHING search result selected.
7. Use the Word Browse Previous and Browse Next commands to continue your search. The hotkeys are CONTROL + PAGE UP AND control + PAGE DOWN Respectively.

About the Word Browse command

For users of a screen reader, the use of the Word Browse commands offers a more productive way to continue your search because it enables you to easily review your position in the document.

However, it is important to note that the Word Browse commands are restricted to your last action. For example, if you are using the Browse commands to continue your search for text and then use the "Go To" dialog box to go to a page, then the Browse commands switch from searching for text to navigating by page.

Summary

In this section you learnt about the ways you can navigate through a document. You learnt about SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader Quick Navigation Keys, and Word’s inbuilt Go to function. You also learnt about the ways you can search for text and continue your search within a document using Word Browse commands.

Quiz

1. You can move focus to the next heading in your document by pressing CAPS LOCK + H. Is this statement true?
2. Word includes search options that enable you to move to the next heading in a document. Is this statement true?
3. Word’s browse previous and next commands are limited to the last operation you performed. Is this statement true?

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But before you move on, here are the answers to the quiz questions:

1. True.
2. True.
3. True.