About Launcher6:

Launcher6 is a simple interface for launching programs, a simple electronic speech aid, or a multimedia game spinner! And, best of all, it's freeware. Launcher6 covers the screen providing users with a restricted environment, allowing choices, but reducing the probability that the user will access the usual, and perhaps troublesome, Windows interface. It supports access using single switch, two switch, Intellikeys, touch screen and mouse methods. Facilitators can configure the six cells on the launcher6 screen using the built-in editor. Launcher6 continually saves this 'setup' as changes occur in a text file that ends with a '.ls6' extention. Each cell within a setup can be assigned the following:

1. A graphic element of types: '.bmp', '.jpg', '.gif' (animation is ok), or '.png'.

2. A cue either as a sound file or as text to be spoken via a clipboard text to speech utility.

3. A message in the same way as the cue.

4. A registered filetype or a program to open.

5. A link to another launcher6 setup.

6. An action: hide me, show all, quit, or none.

When launcher6 starts it always loads the settings saved in the file "main.ls6". From the "main" setup you can link to other setups. The "main.ls6" setup must be in the same directory as the "launcher6.exe" program file.

Launcher6 has support for the following access methods:

Mouse or touchscreen

Don Johsnton (or equivalent) switch interface

keyboard devices (like Intellikeys)

Launcher6 responds to the following keys:

@ = Disable/Enable the following keyboard commands, enabled by default.

0 = Start/Stop autoscan

1 = Highlight the next cell for 2 switch scan

2 = Select highlighted item for 2 switch scan

3 = Spin selects a random cell

q = quit launcher6

e = edit

z = resize screen smaller

f = resize screen to full screen dimensions

t,y,u,i,o,p = direct access to cells 1,2,3,4,5,6 respectively in left to right, top to bottom order.

h = help

m = Go to the "main.ls6" setup

If Use Mouse Scan is set to true in the editor Launcher6 will use left mouse click to start and stop scanning.

The following settings at the bottom of the Editor (type e from the lauuncher6 screen.)

Scan Rate:

Set the scan rate in seconds for single switch scanners.

Get/Name Setup:

You can either save the current setup under a new name, or load a previously saved setup. For convenience, keep all the setup files (*.ls6 files) in the same folder as launcher6.exe. Unfortunately, if you move launcher6 to another computer, the links to various resources are not likely to work, and you may need to rebuild your setups. It is a good idea to save a blank, or partially completed common setup that you can use as a template for new named setups to reduce work.

How to build a new setup and set links to it:

1. Open the editor (type 'e' while in the launcher6 screen) and use the Get/Name Setup button to name a new setup.

2. Edit the cells on the newly named setup.

3. Open other setup(s) and edit cell links to the newly named setup as desired.

Use Mouse Scan:

If set to true, the left mouse click will initiate an auto (single switch scan) scan in the launcher screen.

Speech Output:

Choose either Use Sound Files or Use Clipboard Text to Speech.

If you choose sound files, then the definitions for Cues and Messages should be paths to sound files.

If you choose text-to-speech, then the cues and messages are defined as simple text. Text-to- speech is provided by an external program that converts text sent to the 'clipboard' to speech sounds. The programs "SayzMe" or "DeskBot" are good choices. Both programs are easily obtained on the Internet, and both require the Microsoft Agent to be installed. As a convenience, specify a cell on the main setup, or some other setup that launches your preferred clipboard text-to-speech utility. Or, launch your text-to-speech utility at startup. Make sure you turn off unnecessary sounds or character animations that may detract from a clear auditory scan. Refer to the settings of those programs for selecting voices.

Type e from launcher6 to open editor.

Editing Cell:

This box indicates which of the six launcher6 cells setup details are shown. Use the up and dn buttons to change which cell is referenced.

Set Pic:

This button asks you to locate a picture file for the cell indicated in the "Editing Cell" box above. Avoid using pictures that have large invisible areas that may make it difficult for mouse or touscreen users to select.

Set Cue:

This button asks you to either locate a sound file for an auditory scanning cue, or to enter some text if Use Clipboard Speech has been selected (See General Settings).

Set Message:

This button asks you to either locate a sound file for a message when the cell is selected, or to enter some text if Use Clipboard Speech (See General Settings).

Find a File to Open:

This button asks you to find a program to launch, or registered file to open. Most executable program files will launch without problems. However, with registered filetypes Launcher6 edits the filepath to make it compatible with DOS. This means file and folder names will be truncated to adhere to the DOS 8.3 format. Filenames longer than 8 letters will be reduced to 6 letters followed by '~1'. Spaces in names are not allowed. This option doesn't always work. If after attempting to open your choice with the Test It button (which always gives you a little lecture) it doesn't open, move your target file to another location, or rename it, and try again.

You can identify either a file to open, or identify another launcher6 setup to load as described next, but not both.

Set Link to Another Launcher Page:

This button asks you to identify another launcher6 setup file (somefile.ls6) to load.

You can identify either a file to open as described above, or another launcher6 setup, but not both.

Define Action:

This button asks you to select from the following actions:

Hide me --- hides the target button when selected

Show all --- Show all hidden buttons

End Session --- Closes launcher6

None ---- Does nothing, and is the default action

The 'hide me' action can be used to allow a target cell to be used only once per session.