Voice command keyboard macros?

able_onar · 08-04-06, 11:08 PM

Anyone know of a PPC utility that will listen for user-defined voice commands and issue the equivalent of a keyboard key-press (or series of them) or a stylus-click as a result?
This would be used, for example, to save on writing repetitive text strings.

e.g. say "Signature" and a text-string is inserted in the document you are writing that contains a pre-defined multi-line signature, including address, phone-number, e-mail etc...

Some applications use keyboard shortcuts to launch program features, others use keyboard macros to launch a series of multiple events. These could be voice activated.

A good desktop analog of what I am looking for is " VR Commander".
This is not a voice-to-text application (a la Dragon-Naturally-Speaking or ViaVoice), nor is is an application launcher (like many of the PPC voice-dialler type apps). It can launch scripts and applications like an application launcher, but it's real strength lies in the macro-launching capabillity (as described above).

Any ideas anyone?

tigerbrain · 08-07-06, 09:10 PM

Hi,

I had this same question running in my head a few months back and then it struck me. If Microsoft voice command has the capability to launch any program with the "Open" instruction. All I really need is a batch scripting program that I can launch directly from the start menu and then utilize MS voice command's power to call the batch program which will perform the macros and simulated stylus taps.

The good news is I found the program and it is free. It is called Mortscript 3.1.

http://www.pocketpcfreewares.com/en/index.php?soft=1448

The small catch is you have to learn to write a little bit of mortscript code, which is similar to writing DOS batch scripting programs. It is not difficult, in fact, below is a sample code that simulates a stylus tap. And this is all you need to write in a piece of text file that has to have an extension of ".mscr". You place that file anywhere under the directories or subidirectories of the start menu and name it any way you want. The name that you give the file is how you are going to open it when you launch MS voice command. So if you name the file "tap me.mscr", you can open it by saying "Open tap me"!

Enjoy this powerful piece of freeware!

Bryan

PS As promised here is a sample code:

*****
Sample Syntax: MouseClick [x position]. [y position]

Sample Code: MouseClick 620, 20

able_onar · 08-07-06, 10:47 PM

Bryan

Cool! Thanks for the info.
So do you use the MSVC-Mortscript combination to do bunch of different things with your PPC?
How zippy (or not) does it run - i.e. what kind of time lag between issuing a voice command and getting the desired result?

Alex.

tigerbrain · 08-08-06, 01:31 AM

I don't use it a lot. But it does work wonders. As for the time lag. It is a bit noticeable but not too bad (around 3 seconds maybe with about 300 mortscripts placed in the start menu). I actually used it for navigating from one powerpoint slide to another. I have a slide of songs and their respective song numbers hyperlinked in a page. I use the Mortscript to automate a tap onto the page with hyperlinks and navigate to the proper song to display based on the song number.

As you can see, I use my Axim to project song lyrics on the screen whenever I am leading worship services. The voice command option is seldomly used, I just built it as a proof of concept, and as I await for the possibility of a bluetooth headset which could activate the voice command software. If that ever happens, this combination is going to be the bomb!

able_onar · 08-08-06, 03:44 AM

Bryan,

Originally Posted by tigerbrain

... I await for the possibility of a bluetooth headset which could activate the voice command software...

whats the issue w/BT headsets? I have been under the assumption that that part of the technology was "up and running"....
Without that, then I'll be waiting alongside you.

Alex.

tigerbrain · 08-08-06, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by able_onar

Bryan,

whats the issue w/BT headsets? I have been under the assumption that that part of the technology was "up and running"....
Without that, then I'll be waiting alongside you.

Alex.

I am not sure what the real issue is because I don't own a bluetooth headset and am not able to try it out myself. The only thing I know for now is that you would need the Widcomm drivers to be installed in order for the headset to work. I actually tried installing the driver and it is easy as 123 but had to switch back to the old MS Bluetooth stack just because it works better on my bluetooth keyboard.

I think one of the main things about the bluetooth headset is the question is if can activate voice command by pressing a button from the headset. It appears that it can't. Let me know if this is not true and if you see any other postings that proved this otherwise as that will really get me up and running in purchasing for a BT headset.

Thanks!

Bryan

able_onar · 08-08-06, 03:25 PM

Bryan, (hey let me know if I'm bugging you with too many Q's)

re:

Originally Posted by tigerbrain

... but had to switch back to the old MS Bluetooth stack just because it works better on my bluetooth keyboard...

what was the issue there? The reason I ask is that I want to add a BT headset to my current setup with incudes a BT RS-232 (serial io) transmitter. This latter being more important to me than the headset. I wouldn't want to jeapordize the serial communications if the widcomm drivers are not compatible...

re:

Originally Posted by tigerbrain

... the question is if can activate voice command by pressing a button from the headset...

I'll look into this one (I need the same functionality) and let you know. I believe it is now possible.

Alex

tigerbrain · 08-08-06, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by able_onar

Bryan, (hey let me know if I'm bugging you with too many Q's)

re:
what was the issue there? The reason I ask is that I want to add a BT headset to my current setup with incudes a BT RS-232 (serial io) transmitter. This latter being more important to me than the headset. I wouldn't want to jeapordize the serial communications if the widcomm drivers are not compatible...

re:
I'll look into this one (I need the same functionality) and let you know. I believe it is now possible.

Alex

Thanks I'll wait for your findings with regards to the BT headset activating voice command.

As for my BT keyboard problem. It wasn't anything major, it was just annoying to use the Widcomm drivers. See Thinkoutside had their own stowaway keyboard driver which allows their bluetooth keyboard to execute special commands that the generic Widcomm driver cannot understand. Well if I opt to use the Thinkoutside driver in conjunction with the Widcomm driver, I would have to setup my bluetooth keyboard to talk with the Thinkoutside driver each and everytime I plan to use it. But with the MS Bluetooth stack, I only need to set it up once and everytime I activate the bluetooth on my pocket pc, it will automatically be able to communicate with my keyboard. I just thought that if I had to do the setup time and time again, it was just too annoying, which would be fine if there was a reason for me to keep the Widcomm driver like a working BT Headset that can activate voice command for example :) But for now, there was no reason for me to do that, so I opted to revert back. But hey, maybe you can prove me wrong and then I would be glad to reinstall the Widcomm drivers. :approve: