I'm just wondering what most people prefer: docked to top/bottom, floating, tray icon, etc.

I'm still learning, but trying to decide whether I like floating or docked to top best.

I don't like that docked to top pushes my screen down, but the floating bar is thicker and covers more vertical space than I would like.  I'd love to have a thin floating bar that docks to the top if that's possible.



-------------------------
 
Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
My blog: http://powerwheelchairusers.wordpress.com
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

Bill

My preference is cling mode as I always have a visual indication of what window is active. No doubt others have their preferences and I to would be interested in their reasoning.

Steve

 

Hi Bill

Interesting question and I often wonder why people need to use the Dragon bar at all, other than maybe showing you the odd useful message or the microphone level jumping up and down.  To that end I have always used tray icon only and anytime I need to access the menus you can simply say "Dragon Menu" (not a lot of people know that) at any time and it'll open up the menu via the system tray icon (as long as you are displaying the system tray icon permanently, e.g. with Windows 7 click on system tray upward pointing expansion arrow, customise and then show icon and notifications).

I guess I just prefer less clutter on the display.

Lindsay

Edit: well having asked the question, Steve has just given one good reason for using DragonBar in terms of indicating the current active window

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www.pcbyvoice.com
www.pcbyvoice.co.uk

Interesting question and I often wonder why people need to use the Dragon bar at all, other than maybe showing you the odd useful message or the microphone level jumping up and down.

Personally, I like being able to see the Full Text Control indicator. Is there another way to see that other than on the DragonBar? I use the DragonBar in Docked to Bottom mode. That way I get all of the information it can provide me, and it doesn't push my screen down. 

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Eric Wright At work: DNS 12 Pro. At home: DNS 11.5 Pro,  KnowBrainer 2011, and Utter Command by RedStart Systems; Dragon Dictate 3 for Mac

 

Appetite for Dictation - My Blog

G.J.,

I think that Lindsay is referring to what you can say if you're using DNS 10.1. In DNS 11-11.5 when you're in tray icon only mode, you have to say "open Dragon menu". Simply saying "Dragon menu" doesn't work in DNS 11-11.5.

However, I agree with Eric. I used to use tray icon only mode exclusively until DNS 11-11.5 when putting the DragonBar in docked to bottom mode became a little bit more practical because I move the green flame (results box) to the middle of the DragonBar and see everything all at once. I don't lose any screen real estate by using this mode because I'm using three monitors and my primary monitor, which is where I want the DragonBar to display, is a 28 in. LED monitor. So, I don't have a real estate issue and docked to bottom doesn't interfere with anything.

Chuck Runquist
Technical Project Manager
VoiceTeach LLC
Home of VoicePower®: We don't make Dragon NaturallySpeaking, We make it better!

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." - Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

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Bill,

I still use the Dragon docked to the top.  The reason for that is because of the angle I am looking at the screen from within my bed.  I am nearly always looking up rather than down.  I have the results box nestling in between the Dragon bar and the address bar and to the left.  Then I have the WSR speech meter in the middle at the top although I sometimes hide the WSR speech meter to the taskbar.  I can then see everything from my viewpoint that I need to.

I also prefer it at the top for shutting down purposes.  I normally switch from Dragon to Windows Speech Recognition where I can still use the command "Switch to Dragonbar" then closing from the profile menu.  This then still leaves WSR active to shut down the computer.  I know you can shut down the computer using Dragon by voice but I prefer doing it this way because it still leaves WSR open should I need to do some housecleaning first within the computer before shutting down permanently. 

Chuck, are you sure on this?

When putting my microphone as a tray icon, I tried both the commands "Dragon Menu" and "Open Dragon Menu."  

All that happened here was it brought up DragonPad in both instances or sometimes it would bring up Dragon's auto formatting options.  At first, I thought it may be a KnowBrainer command so to double-check, I closed KnowBrainer and tried again.  Still the same results; it was still bringing up a combination of either DragonPad or the auto formatting options.

With Microsoft Word open, when I called the commands then, they were just dictated as text into Word.

Is it just me or does it work for anybody else?

It didn't really matter because I could access the Dragon menu from the taskbar using ShowNumbers Plus.  All I had to say was "Tray" (and whatever number coincided with the Dragon microphone icon).

It just goes to show the variety individuals use regarding the Dragon bar/tray icon.

Interesting subject.

Cheers

-------------------------

Tiger Feet

| DNS 12 Professional | KnowBrainer 2012 | Windows 7 Professional /64 Bit | Intel Core i7 Quad Core 3840QM (2.80GHz) 8MB | 16GB RAM. | 240GB Intel 520 Series SSD Boot Drive | 750GB 7200 rpm Secondary Drive  | Plantronics Wireless Handsfree Microphone CS60-USB. |

Regards the voice command "Dragon Menu" in tray icon mode, my apologies because yet again I have a custom command that I added many years ago which I had forgotten all about.. So the command I have is called "Dragon Menu", it is a global command and the script is simply:

Sub Main
SendSystemKeys"{NumKey*}"
End Sub

The actual key sent is simply mapped to the Dragon menu hotkey in the hotkey options.  Chuck I expect you have the same issue with "Open Dragon Menu" in that you have added this command at some point in the past.

Lindsay

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www.pcbyvoice.com
www.pcbyvoice.co.uk

Tiger Feet,

open dragon menu and dragon menu are not Ver. 11 commands so if you attempt to launch these commands in a Full Text Control application, such as Microsoft Word, the words will appear in your document. If you attempt to execute these commands from your desktop or non-Select-&-Say environment, NaturallySpeaking will interpret your speech as a command but since neither command exists, DNS will make an educated guess which will typically result in opening DragonPad. To see the exact misinterpretation, say What Did I Say if you're using KnowBrainer or view recognition history if not. Note that KnowBrainer 2012 will additionally highlight the dictated command or phrase and close the View Recognition History box 3 seconds later.

Different strokes for different folks… We prefer to view the DragonBar in Floating mode at the bottom of our #2 Monitor because we do 95% of our dictation on monitors # 2 and # 3 but the reason why we do this is because we have 4 30 inch monitors positioned on the same level in the shape of the letter C which means that we can only peripherally view the 1st and 4th monitors. If we were using 1 or 2 monitors, we would also go with Tray Icon Only.

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Click KB 2012 REV D to Download a 30 Day Evaluation of KnowBrainer 2012 

 

 

 

Yes thanks Lunis,

I realise this now and it was confirmed by Lindsay who realised he had actually made a custom command for 'dragon menu' a while go.  Thanks for the additional info too. 

Quote:

Note that KnowBrainer 2012 will additionally highlight the dictated command or phrase and close the View Recognition History box 3 seconds later.

That sounds cool Lunis.  When is 2012 being released?  

Cheers

-------------------------

Tiger Feet

| DNS 12 Professional | KnowBrainer 2012 | Windows 7 Professional /64 Bit | Intel Core i7 Quad Core 3840QM (2.80GHz) 8MB | 16GB RAM. | 240GB Intel 520 Series SSD Boot Drive | 750GB 7200 rpm Secondary Drive  | Plantronics Wireless Handsfree Microphone CS60-USB. |

I've always used it tray icon.

I didn't know that saying"Dragon menu" should bring up the menu. It does not have that effect when I say it in Windows 7-64, even though the. icon is permanently displayed in the task bar, and view recognition history says that indeed "Dragon menu" was recognized.

Thank you all for the thoughtful feedback.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is Windows Speech Recognition and how helpful is ShowNumbers Plus?

At the risk of hijacking my own thread, I've never heard of either.



-------------------------
 
Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
My blog: http://powerwheelchairusers.wordpress.com
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

Bill,

Window Speech Recognition (WSR) is Microsoft's speech recognition application that comes free with most versions of Windows Vista, Windows 7 and will do with Windows 8.  It's a fair first attempt although not in the same league as DNS in terms of things like accuracy (imho).  However it comes with some good command and control and a feature called ShowNumbers which is a great utility for hands-free users.  Basically it numbers all the clickable components on a user interface allowing you to click, right click, double-click etc on any item.

ShowNumbersPlus is a third-party application developed by Max Roth which basically allows much of the ShowNumbers functionality with DNS.  You can find details here:

http://www.ergoarchitect.com/ShowNumbersPlus.html

it is available on trial for something like 15 days free of charge.

You may also find the following application very useful as a hands-free user, it basically allows you to switch on the microphone from the off state by voice (red microphone icon) and it also allows you to restart Dragon by voice when it occasionally locks up (as it inevitably does).

http://www.pcbyvoice.com/shop/pcbyvoice-speechstart/

Again it is available only 15 day trial basis, like you I am a hands-free user and I think you will find it very useful as you hopefully will also with ShowNumbersPlus.

Lindsay

Our host Lunis at KnowBrainer also makes their third-party voice command utility available to the disabled free of charge.  Knowbrainer basically contains hundreds if not thousands of voice automation commands to allow you to navigate your way around Windows and its applications.

-------------------------

www.pcbyvoice.com
www.pcbyvoice.co.uk

Bill,

Lindsay has already explained what Windows Speech Recognition, ShowNumbers Plus and SpeechStart are.

Looking at your member profile, you already have Windows 7, in which case, you will already have Windows Speech Recognition (WSR) within that operating system.  It will be in your control panel.

Start Menu | Control Panel | Speech Recognition |

There you will have a series of options on how to get started using Windows Speech Recognition (WSR).  You can use it alongside Dragon NaturallySpeaking (as I do) and they will not conflict with each other and coexist on the desktop together as long as you do not have them both active at the same time.  So have one or the other in use at any given time

You can also get to it in your computer from the 'Ease of Access Center' that you will also find in the control panel.  Once you have clicked on the ' Ease of Access Center' icon, you then just select 'use the computer without a mouse or keyboard.'

As Lindsay says, it is not as accurate on the dictation side as DNS but it does have its uses and its free anyway in the operating system.  If and when you get it set up, say, "Show Numbers" when you are on a website for example.

The reason I use it is because it was the first speech recognition application that I used.  I played with it for about two years from Vista to Windows 7 and it gave me the basics on how to use speech recognition.  It was like my apprenticeship for speech recognition if you like and at the time I could not afford Dragon NaturallySpeaking.  As time progressed, I managed to fund raise for a microphone and Dragon Pro (I, as you, am a quadriplegic) and the rest is history.  So I was brought up with WSR if you like and although Dragon is in a different league, I find it useful to use both apps as both have their uses and I think they complement each other.

If you started with Dragon NaturallySpeaking from the very beginning, then you will probably not find it useful because it is not as accurate as DNS on the dictation side.  Having said that, if you have Windows 7, it's free anyway in there so it wouldn't hurt to dabble with it a little bit if you wanted to.

Regarding ShowNumbers Plus and SpeechStart for Dragon, I consider these must have applications for Dragon NaturallySpeaking, especially for hands-free uses.  They are very inexpensive and once you have them Bill, you will see what I mean by 'must have.'

Cheers

-------------------------

Tiger Feet

| DNS 12 Professional | KnowBrainer 2012 | Windows 7 Professional /64 Bit | Intel Core i7 Quad Core 3840QM (2.80GHz) 8MB | 16GB RAM. | 240GB Intel 520 Series SSD Boot Drive | 750GB 7200 rpm Secondary Drive  | Plantronics Wireless Handsfree Microphone CS60-USB. |

I just have mine at the top of the screen. It never really got in the way there, so I never saw a need to move it.

 I rarely maximize a screen I am working on, so I don't have DNS pushing a Window down when it is started.

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 .

 .

 .

 .

Help! I can't see vowels!! (and sometimes "y")

Thank you all for the excellent info.

Lindsay, I'm aware of KnowBrainer and that Lunis graciously provides it at no charge for people with disabilities.

I never heard of SpeechStart, but that's definitely something I will purchase.

I need to investigate ShowNumbers Plus more, but it sounds potentially helpful.

Tiger feet,

How similar is Windows Ver. of ShowNumbers compared to the version for Natspeak?  

Also, can you give me some examples of what you use WSR for instead of DNS?

In case anyone is wondering...

I'm a graduate student (thus my delayed reply, sorry) and I have used the OLD OLD OLD DragonDictate Classic with fondness for years (I'm dictating this with it now, on a Windows XP machine) and the primary reason I've kept it so long is because I've written literally thousands of macros to make it user friendly & functional on XP (I have over two thousand in Firefox alone).  I've started (slowly) learning what I need/want to transfer over and have been adding them to KnowBrainer and "private" commands like sign-in info I will write in NaturallySpeaking.  That way I will be able to share my KnowBrainer additions with others, while keeping my sign-in commands private to NaturallySpeaking.  That was Lunis' idea.


-------------------------
 
Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
My blog: http://powerwheelchairusers.wordpress.com
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

Bill,

They effectively both perform the same function.  That is, as Lindsay describes in his post above. 

The difference is, WSR's ShowNumbers is actually built into the interface of the Vista and Windows 7 speech recognition program.  In turn, the WSR speech recognition program is actually part of the operating system of those two Windows versions and will be part of Windows 8 when it comes out.

ShowNumbers is active within WSR all the time.  Even when you choose a word or phrase of which there are multiple instances of, it gives you numbered choices so you can choose the multiple word or phrase you want to act upon.  Because ShowNumbers in WSR is part of the actual interface, it is a little smoother with clearer squares and numbering.

ShowNumbersPlus is an add-on and third-party application that runs alongside DNS as opposed to being built into DNS.  It does have a couple of nice touches that ShowNumbers for WSR does not have in terms of numbering the taskbar items with small circles so you can switch to any of the open applications from there.  It's a very handy piece of software for hands-free use but I'm sure the able-bodied people in here will also tell you it is very handy (excuse the pun).

It's on a free trial so you lose nothing by trying it out to see its use.  I think you will be impressed Bill.

Quote:

Also, can you give me some examples of what you use WSR for instead of DNS?

DNS is (especially the professional versions) the complete package and an extremely powerful tool, much more watertight and robust than WSR.  Most people with DNS wouldn't give WSR a second look because WSR is a relatively new application within Windows compared to the stand-alone DNS program.  WSR is a long, long way behind DNS in regard to development, accuracy with dictation and the functions it has. 

Then, when you add third-party applications to DNS such as KnowBrainer, VoicePower, ShowNumbersPlus and SpeechStart, this makes it even more powerful.  So in terms of giving you some examples of what I would use WSR for instead of DNS, there isn't many because DNS has it all.

Having said all that and although WSR is not everybody's cup of tea, as I explained before, I basically learned how to use speech recognition in the first place because of WSR and it being free within the operating system at the time.  So I owe it a little bit of gratitude simply for that fact alone and that I could not afford Dragon at the time.  I suppose the biggest example of what I would use in WSR is its ShowNumbers feature because of its crispness. 

Another big and important example is of what happened to me a little while ago.  As you have probably heard, Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a resource hog, especially on my poor little 4 GB computer.  On one occasion I had a disastrous crash and I could not get Dragon back working again for a couple of days.  It's on this occasion that I thank heaven that I had WSR as a backup.  For a hands-free user, it was a lifesaver and I managed to dictate the problems I had using WSR and eventually got the answer I needed to restore DNS back to normal again.  And because WSR is part of the operating system and therefore not a resource hog, it is virtually indestructible.  So if you are totally hands-free, it is a great backup speech application should you ever need it and DNS packs up for any reason.

Another reason I use it is because there is another little third-party application called 'Voice Finger' that only works with WSR.  With this little application, it allows you to click anywhere on the screen with just one click and totally avoids the MouseGrid.  This also comes in very handy for me and I wish someone could (if possible) construct something like this for DNS as I believe there is still a niche for this type of application to work in conjunction with DNS too.  Here are some details on it below:

http://hand2mouth.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/voice-finger-improve-windows-speech-recognition-grid-and-key-commands/

You can also get free Microsoft applications to make command and text macros for WSR. 

If you are interested, I would just practice with WSR to get to know how it works first.  There are certain commands that differ in name to that of the DNS commands and it can get confusing at times remembering the differences.  Having said that, what's the rush?

Have you tried playing about with it yet in Windows 7?  There are a few guides below that help you get started.  Once you are using it, you can say the command, "What can I say," and a help topics window will come up showing how you can use it and what you can do and say.  You need to train it much the same way as you do in Dragon.

Finally, you may not be interested in it at all once you start dabbling with it but if it does take your fancy, I use a double macro that is great for hands-free users. 

Basically, with both speech apps on the screen at the same time, I can say "Enable Windows Speech."  This will then turn on the WSR speech meter so you can start using WSR and at the same time turn off the Dragon microphone to an off state (red microphone).  Then if I want to revert back to using Dragon, I just say "Enable Dragon."  This will then turn on the Dragon microphone (green microphone) and at the same time turn the WSR speech meter completely off.  This then avoids any conflict between the two applications and you can choose whatever application you want to use in the blink of an eye.  I can let you have this double macro if and when you want it.  You will need to download all the free macros programs for WSR if you do want it but I would just practice with WSR on its own first so that you get used to it.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Tell-me-what-you-want-A-beginners-guide-to-Windows-Speech-Recognition

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/What-can-I-do-with-Speech-Recognition   

Cheers

-------------------------

Tiger Feet

| DNS 12 Professional | KnowBrainer 2012 | Windows 7 Professional /64 Bit | Intel Core i7 Quad Core 3840QM (2.80GHz) 8MB | 16GB RAM. | 240GB Intel 520 Series SSD Boot Drive | 750GB 7200 rpm Secondary Drive  | Plantronics Wireless Handsfree Microphone CS60-USB. |

Tiger feet,

Thank you for taking the time to share all that.  I haven't had the opportunity to play with WSR or even NaturallySpeaking lately, but I know I need to when I have time.

And apparently I need to checkout "VoicePower" also as that's a tool I don't think anyone mentioned previously.  No worries.

Thank you.

-------------------------
 
Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
My blog: http://powerwheelchairusers.wordpress.com
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net