Speech Help
Name:Speech
Version:2.0
Last update:2019-02-18 17:51:21



This package provides the ability to speak text using the Mac OS X speech facilities.

Basic Usage

This package creates an Edit ↣ Speech submenu, which allows you to speak the current selected text, type in your own text to speak, or adjust settings. While text is being spoken to you by your OS, a special speech console can be displayed as a floating menu allowing you to pause, resume, or stop the speech.
The Edit ↣ Speech ↣ Start Speaking command will begin speaking the current selected text in the active window. If there is no selection, you will be prompted to enter some text, as if you had selected the command Edit ↣ Speech ↣ Speak Text.
The Pause command will suspend speaking, and then the Resume command will be available. The Edit ↣ Speech ↣ Stop Speaking command will clear the speaking queue.

Speech Settings

You can adjust how the text is spoken to you by the OS. This package also creates a contextual menu module to speak the selected region surrounding the current 'click' position. See the Contextual Menu Preferences panel to enable this contextual module.

Speech Console

While text is being spoken a Speech Console utility window can appear allowing you to pause, resume, or stop the speaking. Select the command Edit ↣ Speech ↣ Speech Console to display it or click here.
Speech Console
In the Speech Options dialog you can turn on the preference named Auto Open Speech Console if you want this console available whenever speech is spoken, and turn on Auto Close Speech Console if you want to remove the console when speaking is done.
Speech Options

Developers Note

The proc [speak::speakText] can be called even if this package has not been formally activated. It will return '1' if speaking has started, and '0' if the speech feature was not available -- there is no need to perform any package checks before calling this proc.
The advantage of calling [speak::speakText] over [speech start] is that our AlphaTcl interface procedures will respect the user's settings for voice/pitch/rate and create the handy floating speech console (without which it is not possible for the user to turn off or pause the current speaking operation!)

Known problems

Please report any problem or bug you encounter to Alpha's Bug Tracker.

License and Disclaimer

Copyright (c) 2004-2019, Craig Barton Upright and contributors.
Contributors: Bernard Desgraupes.
All rights reserved.
The Speech package is free software and distributed under the terms of the new BSD license:
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met: THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL CRAIG BARTON UPRIGHT OR THE CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.