Using the ToolBox
Video (Click play button to start.)
The Essence Tutorial contains more than 20 lessons. Working in the ToolBox will assist you in learning to use the toolbox to find and use tools for a variety of additional settings within Essence.
This is a picture of the Device ToolBox. To access the ToolBox select the Tools key on the top frame. You will see an outline of a hammer and screwdriver.
The ToolBox helps you customize your user area. Many of the ToolBox functions can be found in the Getting Started pages in Essence. When you need other functions, you can find them here.
The yellow keys are for menus where you can select settings. To exit a menu and save your new settings, select OK at the bottom right. To exit without saving changes, select the Cancel key. Here is a brief description of the menus:
1. Auditory Prompts – Settings for the cues you hear when you are doing auditory scanning or auditory fishing. When Auditory Prompts is set to “ON”, your device requires two hits for each key – one to hear the prompt or cue, and one to activate the key if you heard the cue you wanted.
2. User Area Menu – If you select Switch User area in this menu, you can see the titles of all six user areas. In Essence there are only three user areas that have programs. You can also set the spelling keyboard, and the keyboard you use when doing your own programming.
3. Clock Menu – Use this menu to set the device clock.
4. Dictionary Menu – This menu controls the special pronunciations of words. It is a separate dictionary from the Word Prediction Dictionary.
5. Feedback Menu – In this menu you can choose what feedback you get from the device. If you want labels on the bottom of the keys, not the top, change it in this menu. If you want to hear beeps when you’ve pressed a key, change the activation beeps. The Skins Options in the Feedback Menu will give your device different graphic appearances. The PRC Modern Skin does not work well with eyegaze.
6. IR SetUp Menu – Manage your infrared-controlled device remote signals with this menu.
7. Maint Menu – The Maintenance Menu contains many important tools.
a. Reset to factory defaults returns everything to the way it came from the factory.
b. System lock
c. Hardware diagnostics – Go here to recalibrate your touch screen.
d. Manage symbol sets
e. Tools for managing the Windows component of Essence|PRO (these do not appear in Essence|VT or Essence|VG).
8. MP3 Player Menu – tools for playing music files
9. Notebook menu – tools for working in notebooks
10. Output Menu – Turn computer access on and off, and set the type of access.
11. Review Vocab Menu – Use this menu to see a record of everything stored in your program.
12. Access Method Menu – Change the type of access – touch, switch scanning, headpointing, eyegaze, and more. Change the settings for speed, scan direction, number of switches, and more.
13. Settings Menu – In this menu you can save your custom settings. All the menus that have blue titles have settings that can be saved by using the Settings Menu.
14. Speech Menu – Choose the voice, change the pitch and speed. Listen to the voice, and then select OK to set this voice as your custom voice.
15. Transfer Memory Menu – Backup your custom user area after you make your changes. You can save just one area, or the contents of the whole device. You need a USB drive to save to.
16. Word Prediction Menu – Add words to or delete words from the Word Prediction Dictionary. This menu also contains the Abbreviation Expansion Menu. You can type in an abbreviation, and then type the text you want the abbreviation to speak.