MacSpeech Knowledge Base

Does Dictate support Java applications such as Open Office?

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Mac OS X allows applications written with a wide array of tools to run effectively and efficiently. This means that applications can be created without using what would be considered "native" application development tools. As a result, text fields and their contents may be unknown and inaccessible to MacSpeech Dictate.

Applications that have included full support for Apple's Accessibility API should provide a remedy for the situation. Additionally, any developer who has created a rich enough AppleScript implementation may have provided a possible solution that MacSpeech Dictate can utilize.

MacSpeech encourages any developer, regardless of their preferred development environment, to contact us for more information on how to best interact with MacSpeech Dictate.

Is there a list of Commands I can use?

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0500

MacSpeech Dictate Commands v1.2.1

Here is a list of common dictation commands and a description of their basic functions.

For additional lists and descriptions of commands, please check the User Manual, Quickstart Guide and Commands lists available for download through the MacSpeech Dictate Support Center.

DICTATION COMMANDS	FUNCTION

Capitalize the Word[s] �text� [through/to �text�]	Capitalizes the instance of the word or phrase spoken that is closest to the insertion point.
Delete the Word[s] �text� [through/to �text�]	Deletes the instance of the word or phrase spoken that is closest to the insertion point.
Go to Beginning	Goes to the Beginning of the current document.
Go to End	Goes to the end of the current dictation session.
Insert After the Word[s] �text� [through/to �text�]	Moves the insertion point to just after the word or phrase you said.
Insert Before the Word[s] �text� [through/to �text�]	Moves the insertion point to just before the word or phrase you said.
Lowercase the Word[s] �text� [through/to �text�]	Makes all characters lowercase in the instance of the word or phrase spoken that is closest to the insertion point.
Move Backward [1-99] Words	Moves cursor back 1 to 99 words (Punctuation marks count as words)
Move Forward [1-99] Words	Moves cursor forward 1 to 99 words. (Punctuation marks count as words)
Move to Beginning of Document	Moves cursor to the beginning of the current document.
Move to End of Document	Moves cursor to the End of the current dictation session.
New Line	Presses the Return key once.
New Paragraph	Presses the Return key twice.
No Space	Types next word without a space before it.
Select the Word[s] �text� [through/to �text�]	Selects the instance of the word or phrase spoken that is closest to the insertion point.
Scratch That / Forget That	Deletes the last phrase you said, or to the left of where you insert the cursor.
Scratch Word / Forget Word	Deletes the last word you said, or to the left of where you insert the cursor.
Select All	Selects all text.
Train the Word[s] �text� [through/to �text�]	Selects, corrects the specified words in text, and trains them into profile as specified words are re-dictated.
Uppercase the Word[s] �text� [through/to �text�]	Makes all characters uppercase in the instance of the word or phrase spoken that is closest to the insertion point.

PHRASE TRAINING COMMANDS	FUNCTION

Choose �1� (or �2�, etc.)	Chooses the specified item # in the Recognition window as the spoken and recognized phrase.
Pick �1� (or �2�, etc.)	Corrects the selected text with the word or phrase that is item 1 (or 2, etc.) in the Recognition window.
Edit �1� (or �2�, etc.)	Allows you to edit item 1 (or 2, etc.) in the Recognition Window.
Cancel Edit	Cancels all edits and restores all items in the Recognition window.
Press Play	Plays audio of most recent word or phrase dictated.
Hide Recognition Window	Closes the Recognition window.
Show Recognition Window	Opens the Recognition window.

CAPITALIZATION COMMANDS	FUNCTION

Caps On	Turns on capitalizing the first letter of every word.
Caps Off	Turns off capitalizing the first letter of every word.
Cap	Capitalizes the next word spoken.
All Caps	Types the next word spoken in CAPS.
All Caps On	Makes every word CAPS.
All Caps Off	Returns capitalization to normal.
No Caps	Makes the next word spoken lower case.
No Caps On	Makes the following text lowercase until turned off.
No Caps Off	Returns capitalization to normal.
Capitalize the Word[s] �text� [through/to �text�]	Capitalizes the identified word or phrase spoken that is closest to the insertion point.

NO SPACE COMMANDS	FUNCTION

No Space On	Turns the No Space mode on, so there is no space between words.
No Space Off	Turns the No Space mode off
No Space	Types the next word

PUNCTUATION COMMANDS	FUNCTION

Ampersand	&
Apostrophe	�
Apostrophe ess	�s
Asterisk	*
At Sign	@
Back Slash	\
Back Quote / Backtick	�
Caret	^
Cents Sign	�
Close Angle Bracket	>
Close Brace	}
Close Bracket (US Only)	]
Close Square Bracket (All Dialects)
Close Euro Quote	�
Close Parenthesis (All Dialects) Close Bracket (Non-US Dialects)	)
Close Quote	� (close curly quote)
Close Single Quote	�
Colon	:
Comma	,
Copyright Sign	�
Dash	--
Degree Sign	�
Dollar Sign	$
Dot	.
Ellipsis	�
Em Dash	---
En Dash	--
Equals Sign	=
Euro Sign	�
Exclamation Mark (All Dialects) Exclamation Point (US Only)	!
Forward Slash	/
Full Stop (all dialects)	.
Greater Than Sign	>
Hash Sign (Non-US dialects)	#
Hyphen	-
Left Angle Bracket	<
Less Than Sign	<
Minus Sign	-
New Line	(one carriage return)
New Paragraph	(two carriage returns)
Number Sign (US Only)	#
Open Angle Bracket	<
Open Brace	{
Open Bracket (US Only) Open Square Bracket (All Dialects)	[
Open Euro Quote	�
Open Parenthesis (All Dialects) Open Bracket (Non-US Dialects)	(
Open Quote	� (open curly quote)
Open Single Quote	� (open single quote)
Percent Sign	%
Period (US only)	.
Plus Sign	+
Point	.
Pound Sign (US Only)	#
Pound Sign (non-US Dialects) Pound Sterling Sign (US Only)	�
Question Mark	?
Registered Sign	�
Right Angle Bracket	>
Section Sign	�
Semi Colon	;
Sharp Sign (Non-US Dialects)	#
Slash	/
Space Bar	(the space character)
Tab Key	(the tab character)
Tilde	~
Trademark Sign	�
Underscore	_
Vertical Bar	\|

CHAT COMMANDS	FUNCTION

Send Message	Sends the current message.
Smiley Face	:-)
Frowny Face	:-(
Winky Face	;-)


SPELLING MODE - EXAMPLES	FUNCTION

a b c	abc
1 2 3 EXCLAMATION POINT	123!
a SPACEBAR b SPACEBAR c	a b c
a b CAP c	abC
a b c SCRATCH THAT	ab
a b c MOVE BACKWARD 1 CHARACTER d	abdc

TEXT EDITING COMMANDS	FUNCTION

Cache Document	Prepares pasted text from other applications for editing by dictation in Note Pad.
Copy Selection	Copies the selected text.
Cut Selection	Cuts the selected text.
Next Field	Performs the Purge Cache command, then tabs to next field in current application.
Paste From Clipboard	Pastes text from clipboard.
Previous Field	Performs the Purge Cache command, then tabs to previous field in current application.
Purge Cache	Commits dictated text to an existing document.
Redo Last Action	Tells active application to perform most recent action again.
Undo Last Action	Tells active application to undo most recent action. Equal to Cmd-Z keyboard shortcut in many applications.
Select All	Selects all text.

Commands appears as Recognized Text, but nothing happens.

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Description:

When MacSpeech Dictate recognizes spoken words as the name of a command, it will execute that command. If "Show Recognized Text Feedback" is selected in the General Preferences, then the command name should appear in the Recognized Text feedback field. This field is the area right below the Status window.

However, in certain cases, a command name will appear in the Recognized Text feedback field...but MacSpeech Dictate will not execute the command. For example, you say "Scratch That", and the words "Scratch That" appear in the Recognized Text feedback field, but the Scratch That command doesn't execute. (This command should delete the last word or phrase dictated).

Solution:

Step #1

Confirm the command is available. First, make sure "Show Recognized Text Feedback" is selected in General Preferences. Then, switch to Command Mode, and test one of the commands listed in the Available Commands window by saying its name. If the command name appears in the Recognized Text feedback field, but doesn't execute, then go to Step #2.

Note: If the command is not an available command, then it is likely that the command name is being interpreted as normal dictated words. Switch to Dictation Mode, open a new Dictate Note Pad document, and speak the command name to test this.

Step #2

Create a new Profile. See Chapter 3 ("Getting Started") of the MacSpeech Dictate v1.2 User Manual for instructions.

Under Mac OS X 10.4.11, which keyboard layouts are compatible with MacSpeech Dictate?

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Under Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger), some keyboard layouts are incompatible with MacSpeech Dictate. (See list below).

These incompatible keyboard layouts contain data in an older standard format, which is insufficient to allow MacSpeech Dictate to type keystrokes. Most OS X v10.4.x (Tiger) keyboard layouts have been updated to a current standard format that Dictate supports. However, several widely-used keyboard layouts are still in the previous, incompatible format.

Please note that all keyboard layouts for Mac OS X 10.5.x (Leopard) support the current standard format, and are compatible with MacSpeech Dictate.

Below are lists of incompatible and compatible layouts. If this is an issue using MacSpeech Dictate with Mac OS X 10.4.x, you will need to switch to a compatible keyboard layout (U.S. is suggested), or upgrade to Mac OS X 10.5.x (Leopard).

Incompatible:

Australian
Austrian
Belgian
Brazilian
British
Byelorussian
Canadian French - CSA
DVORAK - QWERTY CMD
Danish
Dutch
Dvorak
Finnish
French
French - numerical
German
Irish
Italian
Italian - Pro
Kana
Latvian
Lithuanian
Norwegian
Portuguese
Romaji
Serbian
Spanish
Spanish - ISO
Swedish
Swedish - Pro
Swiss French
Swiss German

Compatible:

2SetHangul
390Hangul
3SetHangul
Afghan Dari
Afghan Pashto
Afghan Uzbek
Arabic
Arabic - QWERTY
Armenian-HM - QWERTY
Armenian-Western - QWERTY
Azeri
Bopomofo - Keyboard
Bulgarian
Bulgarian - Phonetic
Canadian
Cangjie - Keyboard
Cherokee - Nation
Cherokee - QWERTY
Chinese, Simplified
Chinese, Traditional
Croatian
Czech
Czech - QWERTY
Dayi - Keyboard
Devanagari
Devanagari - QWERTY
Estonian
Faroese
Finnish Extended
GJCRomaja
Greek
Greek Polytonic
Gujarati
Gujarati - QWERTY
Gurmukhi
Gurmukhi - QWERTY
HNCRomaja
HaninIBM - Keyboard
HaninRomanBopomofo - Keyboard
HaninRomanRoman - Keyboard
HaninShenTong - Keyboard
HaninStandard - Keyboard
HaninYiTian - Keyboard
HaninZhuYinErShiBopomofo - Keyboard
HaninZhuYinErShiRoman - Keyboard
Hawaiian
Hebrew
Hebrew - QWERTY
Hungarian
Icelandic
Inuktitut-Nunavut
Inuktitut-Nutaaq
Inuktitut - QWERTY
Inuttitut Nunavik
Irish Extended
Korean
Macedonian
Maori
Nepali
Northern Sami
Norwegian Extended
Persian
Persian - ISIRI 2901
Polish
Polish Pro
Romanian
Russianv Russian - Phonetic
SCIM - Keyboard
Serbian-Latin
Slovak
Slovenian
TCIM - Keyboard
Thai
Thai-PattaChote
Turkish
Turkish - QWERTY
Turkish - QWERTY-PC
U.S.
U.S. - Extended
Ukrainian
Unicode Hex Input
Vietnamese
Welsh
Wubixing - Keyboard

Crashing when dictating into other applications under Mac OS X 10.5.x (Leopard).

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

If you are using Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger), please see KB Article 285: "Crashing when dictating into other applications under Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger)".

If you are experiencing crashing during the use of MacSpeech Dictate in applications AND you are using Mac OS X 10.5.x, try turning off automatic generation of email commands:

Open MacSpeech Dictate
Go to the Dictate menu
Choose Preferences menu item
Go to the Command tab
Uncheck the option for "Generate Email Commands at Startup"
Close Preferences window
Quit MacSpeech Dictate
Relaunch MacSpeech Dictate

Crashing when dictating into other applications under Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger)

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

If you are using Mac OS X 10.5.x (Leopard), please see KB Article 286: "Crashing when dictating into other applications under Mac OS X 10.5.x (Leopard).".

If you are experiencing random crashes during the use of MacSpeech Dictate in applications AND you are using OS 10.4.11, try the following:

Open System Preferences
Open the International preferences
Choose the Input Menu tab
There is a section called "Input source options"
Change the radio button to "Use one input source in all documents"
Make sure that the box is checked for "U.S." as a Keyboard / Input type

More Information:

KB Article 287: "Under Mac OS X 10.4.11, which keyboard layouts are compatible with MacSpeech Dictate?".

MacSpeech Dictate v1.2 is crashing when I launch the application.

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

There are a couple of common causes for this crashing, including:

A problem with the Preferences.
Damaged or incomplete data files.

One of the following steps should solve the issue. Please try them one at a time.
If Step #1 does not solve the problem, then try Step #2.

STEP #1

Delete the MacSpeech Dictate preferences file.

Quit MacSpeech Dictate
Open the boot harddrive ("Macintosh HD" - or whatever you've named it)
Open the current user's "Home" folder (shown as a house icon)
Open Library folder
Open Application Support folder
Open MacSpeech folder
Open Dictate folder
Drag the file "xxx.dictatelicense" to the desktop (where "xxx" will be something like your name)
Go back to the Library folder
Open Preferences folder
Find and delete the file "com.macspeech.dictate.plist"
Launch MacSpeech Dictate.
If MacSpeech Dictate is still crashing when launched, please try Step #2 below.

STEP #2

Repair damaged data files.

Quit MacSpeech Dictate
Download and run the Dictate Data First Aid utility as shown in this article.
If that does not solve the issue, please contact MacSpeech Technical Support.

Duplicate commands are appearing in the Available Commands Window.

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

This may be caused by either a problem with a Commands data file, or the contents of entries in a user's Mac OS X Address Book...

Try these steps:

STEP #1

Quit MacSpeech Dictate
Open Finder
Go to User's Home Folder/Library/Application Support/MacSpeech/Commands
Delete the file [username].commandsdata
Close Finder window
Relaunch MacSpeech Dictate
Check to see if Commands are still duplicated in the Available Commands Window. If so, try Step #2 below.

STEP #2

Open MacSpeech Dictate
Go to the Dictate menu
Choose Preferences menu item
Go to the Command tab
Uncheck the option for "Generate Email Commands at Startup"
Close Preferences window
Quit MacSpeech Dictate
Relaunch MacSpeech Dictate

I received a blank Applications CD in my order. What do I do now?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Contact support at sales@macspeech.com and request a download of the applications CD.

If you did not buy Dictate directly from MacSpeech, please include some kind of proof of ownership in your email. If you have not already done so, please create an account for yourself at www.macspeech.com as we use this account to order and deliver your download.

How do I make sure I have the latest version of Dictate?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

To ensure you have the latest version of Dictate, you can check manually from within the Dictate application. An Internet connection is required for updating.

Go to the Dictate menu, then choose Check for Updates. The application will check for any updates and prompt you to install any available updates.

Or you can use the "Check for Updates" function on the splash screen if you have that set to display when you launch the application.

You can set the application to automatically check for updates each time it is launched, by enabling the �Check for Updates� setting:

Go to the Dictate menu, and choose Preferences.
On the General section, under Startup Actions, check the box for "Check for Updates". The program will then automatically check for any available updates each time it is launched, as long as you have an active Internet connection.

Can I use a Bluetooth microphone with Dictate?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Although none are currently supported, Bluetooth microphones which input through a USB attachment (dongle) are being tested for certification to be used with MacSpeech Dictate. We have not had success with microphones which connect directly via the Mac�s built-in Bluetooth receiver.

Please check our microphones web page for more information about our recommendations for input devices. This web page includes a list of MacSpeech-certified microphones, and criteria for selecting a device from this list or considerations for microphones not yet listed.

Is there a Windows version of Dictate?

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

No, there is not a Windows version of Dictate. MacSpeech is focused on development for Mac OS X, and supporting Mac users. We like to think we�re pretty good at this because we�re able to focus our efforts on this platform.

Will Dictate work with the iSight or built-in microphone?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Apple's iSight and built-in microphones are not recommended for maximum accuracy with MacSpeech Dictate. These microphones are do not have the noise-canceling properties that are needed for the best accuracy.

What microphones/headsets are certified for use with Dictate?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

A list of MacSpeech certified microphones can be found at: http://www.macspeech.co.uk/buy_mics

Many people ask us what is the best microphone to use with Dictate. Like anything else, the answer depends a lot on your needs. If you are not happy with the accuracy you are achieving with a microphone that has not been certified by MacSpeech, our first advice would be to purchase a MacSpeech-certified microphone.

To work properly Dictate requires a microphone that produces the right kind of audio signal. We currently test all microphones we sell for use with Mac OS X. MacSpeech does not certify certain microphones from some well-known manufacturers because they do not provide enough signal strength for speech recognition on Mac OS X.

Some of the microphones that work well for applications like VoIP and Internet Chat will not work well with speech recognition because they do not provide enough signal strength (also called "gain").

Note: Neither Apple�s iSight camera microphones nor the Mac�s built-in mike is supported since they do not have the noise-canceling properties that are crucial to a successful experience with speech recognition.

What are the system requirements for Dictate?

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

MacSpeech Dictate v1.2 requires the following:

- Intel-based Macintosh
- 1 GB of RAM
- Macintosh OS X 10.4.11 or OS 10.5.2 or later
- MacSpeech-certified USB Headset (included)

How do I import my iListen command sets into Dictate?

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

To import iListen scripts into Dictate, make sure you are using iListen version 1.7 or higher. Note that commands that are parameterized will not function.

First, export the command sets from iListen. Save them on your desktop.
Shut down iListen.
Launch Dictate. From the File menu, choose Import.
Navigate to the script files you saved on the desktop.
Select the scripts you wish to import, then click "Select ScriptPaks".
Click OK.

Where can I get assistance with writing Applescript to extend the capabilities of Dictate?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

We recommend checking the AppleScript discussion forums on Apple�s website, (http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa), or other resources available on the web or in print to learn how to use and write Applescript.

How do I backup my profile in MacSpeech Dictate?

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

In order to Back up your profile please follow the steps below.

For Macintosh OS 10.4.11:

Open MacintoshHD
Open Users
Open the folder with your username
Open Documents
Click once on the "MacSpeech Profiles" folder
Go to "File" in the menu bar
From here you can either create a new burn folder to be burned to disk or you can Choose Archive.

For Macintosh OS 10.5:

Open MacintoshHD
Open Users
Open the folder with your username
Open Documents
Click once on the "MacSpeech Profiles" folder
Go to "File" in the menu bar
From here you can either create a new burn folder to be burned to disk or you and Choose Compress.

Can I order Dictate without a microphone/headset?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Yes. Please go to http://www.macspeech.co.uk/dictate_product and choose the option for �No Microphone� from the list of available microphone options. Please note that if you purchase without a microphone, you need to make sure you have a MacSpeech-certified microphone to work with Dictate.

Should I upgrade from iListen to Dictate?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

At this time, the following features are not supported in Dictate:

You need languages other than English (German, Spanish, Italian)
You need verbal mouse control
You need transcription capability
You are using a non-intel Macintosh

If these features are not something you need right now we recommend you consider Macspeech Dictate which is based on the best of breed dictation technology from Nuance.