If you are new to the world of Windows or the Internet, the concept of filling out forms online can sound like a daunting task. With Jaws for Windows and Microsoft Internet Explorer, submitting a form is simple, quick, and most importantly secure. Filling out a form is essentially what you are doing when purchasing a game. In this brief guide, we will discuss how to use Forms Mode, how to move to various form elements on a web site, how to enter text into an edit field, and how to select items in combo boxes and check boxes. Note: This guide is not meant to substitute the Jaws for Windows documentation. If something has been omitted here, please consult your Jaws for Windows online help system.
To understand Forms Mode, it is crucial that you first learn how Jaws interacts with Internet Explorer. When you open a web site from within Explorer, Jaws actually takes the information supplied by Internet Explorer and places it into a virtual buffer. This buffer does not actually appear on the screen, but it allows you to use your standard reading and selection keys to navigate the web page in the same manor you might explore a document in Microsoft Word. Because a form requires you to interact directly with a web page, there must be a way for you to get past the virtual buffer, at least temporarily with Jaws. Sound confusing? It really isn't, once you get the hang of it. When you find your virtual cursor placed over a form element such as an edit field, combo box, check box, or button, you can press the Enter key on the numeric keypad to activate Forms Mode. When it is active, Forms Mode suspends the virtual buffer and allows you to work directly with the form element. To return to the virtual buffer, just press the plus key on the numpad, which is the vertical rectangular key above the enter key. This key returns control of the active Jaws cursor to the PC cursor.
As with any Windows application, there are numerous ways to navigate forms in Internet Explorer. You can, of course, use the down arrow to read through the entire page, interacting with form controls as explained in this document. This is the recommended approach if you are unfamiliar with the contents of the page, but other methods exist as well. Starting with JFW 4.5, you can use F and Shift+F to move forward and backward between form elements on a web page. Note that you must be in the virtual buffer to use this method of navigation. Another way to move between form elements both in Forms Mode and in older versions of Jaws is to simply press the Tab key. Unlike F and Shift+F, the Tab key will not skip over links in the web page. Thus, this second means of navigating is not as convenient as the first, but is there if you must use it.
Below is a list of the controls you will find in our ordering system and on most web pages. This list is not all inclusive, so consult your Jaws online help for more information.
When you come across a line that jaws speaks as "edit" in a form, enter forms mode by pressing the Enter key. You can now type text into this field. Enter your name, address, or whatever you are being asked for into this field and press the PC cursor command (the plus key on the number pad) to return to the virtual cursor.
Combo boxes in a form are nearly identical to those in other Windows applications. A combo box contains a group of items from which you can only select one as your response. When you land on a combo box, entering Forms Mode will allow you to select the option you wish with your arrow keys. The up and down arrows will move your cursor up and down the available options respectively. Note: When choosing which currency you would like to use, hit Alt+Down to choose your currency and hit Alt+Up to close the combo box and refresh the web page once you have chosen your currency. This kind of combo box must be navigated in this manor because using your arrow keys will refresh the page each time you press them. When you have chosen the option you would like to use, return to the virtual cursor.
In versions of Jaws greater than 4.51, you can check or uncheck a checkbox with the spacebar without leaving Forms Mode. Otherwise, hitting Enter on a checkbox will toggle its state as well as place you into Forms Mode. Similarly, the spacebar or Enter key can activate buttons on a web site. In most cases, you can also hit the Enter key from within any form element, such as an edit field, to activate the Submit button on most forms.
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