e-Tip #76 - April 2008 - Text-Only Version

<> Keith Vincent - Auto-Brief from Typed Text:  A Macro Command for Total Eclipse 4.2

Auto-Brief has quickly become one of the most popular features added to Total Eclipse in recent years.  It's an option in the "Realtime" section of User Settings.  When it's on, Eclipse watches what you're writing during realtime translation.  The second time you write a not overly common word or phrase that takes at least 3 steno strokes, a steno shortcut is automatically prepared for you.  As soon as the shortcuts are suggested in the upper-left corner of the translating window, they're ready to use.  If you use a shortcut, it's automatically added to your job dictionary so that you can use it again in the future.

Auto-Brief does involve some guesswork.  However, in e-Tip #67 (July, 2007), I offered several macros that make it possible to force Eclipse to create an Auto-Brief for the last 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 words.  There's also a macro to reject the most recent auto-brief suggestion.

There's more. During realtime translation, you can mark a word or a phrase and then press Ctrl D, as if you were going to add a dictionary entry, then press Escape. This will tell Eclipse to create an Auto-Brief suggestion for the text you have marked. If you have someone editing alongside you during realtime translation, the scopist could mark text and press Ctrl D, then Escape, and that would give you an Auto-Brief for a challenging word or phrase.

Here's another macro to help you take advantage of Auto-Brief.  Let's say you're using realtime translation and your computer keyboard is close at hand.  You hear a word or phrase that you know is not in your dictionary.  If you can type faster than you can finger-spell with the steno keyboard, then use my "Auto-Brief from Type Text - RT" macro.  A small dialogue will ask you to type the text that that will be given to the "force translation" feature.    The text will also be offered to Auto-Brief.  So the text will be inserted as the next thing in the realtime translation, it will also be fed out to realtime client screens, and an Auto-Brief suggestion will be created for you.

If you'd like to use this macro, you can download it from the e-Tips page of my website, www.KVincent.com.  Look for Tip #76. You should see a line that says this:  "To download macro, right-click here and 'Save Target' as a file on your Windows Desktop."  If you're using Firefox, the "Save Target" might be called "Save Link."  Different wording for the same function.

Save the macro on your Windows desktop so that it will be easy to find.  Then go to the "Edit" section of Total Eclipse user settings and use the "Macros" button.  When the list of macros opens, use the "Import" button.  Click on the drop-down arrow next to "Look in."  Select "Desktop" as where you want to look for "Auto-Brief from Typed Text."  When you then use the "Open" button on the dialogue, that will bring the macro into the user settings that you currently have loaded.

Of course, you'll need to assign a speedkey to the macro so that you'll have a way to tell Eclipse when you want to run it. Thus, after you've imported the macro, find it on your list of macros and use the "Edit" button of the "Macros" dialogue.  Then use the "Speed keys" button and assign a standard keyboard command or a Hyperkeys command that's easy to remember.

Enjoy!

Great improvements are in the works for Auto-Brief. Development is currently in progress for Total Eclipse 4.3. You'll have more control over the display.  You'll also be able to tell Eclipse what steno or voisteno you like to use or, in the alternative, what keys you do not want Auto-Brief to try.  Version 4.3 will be released after the NCRA summer convention.


<> Wil Wilcox - Quoted Testimony with Total Eclipse 4.2

As a deposition reporter, I occasionally had to deal with quoted testimony. In court, it's not unusual for deposition testimony to be read aloud when a witness will not be appearing in person.  

If you have special steno or voisteno that you use for a Quoted Question paragraph or a Quoted Answer paragraph, you can define them as follows:
	For Quoted Question:  {"Q}
	For Quoted Answer:  {"A}

These dictionary entries tell Eclipse to use the Quoted Question or Quoted Answer paragraphs instead of a normal Question or Answer, and you can control how that will be formatted.  Just go to the Paragraphs section of User Settings, select "Question (quoted)" and use the "Advanced" button at the bottom of the screen.  Then adjust the "Default label," if necessary.  Perhaps you like your quoted question paragraph to begin with "Q.  Perhaps you want it to begin with QUESTION: Have it your way.

The problem with quoted testimony is that attorneys can talk really fast when they're just reading, without having to think.  If you don't have time to ask for quoted Q&A paragraphs as you're writing, there are quick fixes that you can use later.
	Shift Alt Q (as in "Quoted") will turn a regular Question or regular Answer into a quoted one.
	Shift Alt N (as in "Normal") will turn quoted Q&A into normal Q&A.

When you use these commands, Eclipse changes the paragraph where your cursor is positioned, then it moves the cursor to the next paragraph.  That makes it easy to change paragraph after paragraph.

Note:  This is shown in the Visualizer Topics (Section 5:  T - "Quoted Testimony").

Version 4.2 of Total Eclipse, has made it even easier to turn testimony into quoted testimony.  Here's how.

Mark the paragraphs that need to be changed.  You can do this much faster than you may think.  For example, your cursor might be on page 10, line 1, when you press F7 (or Hyperkey m) to start marking text.  You could then press Alt G (or Hyperkey G) to "Go to" page 28, line 15.  All those pages would be instantly marked and ready for the next step.

Next step:  Use Document Utility.  It's a new item in the "Format" menu.  Pick "Quote" if you want all these paragraphs to change to their quoted counterparts.  Pick "Unquote" if want all these paragraphs to change to their unquoted counterparts.

Very important note.  In order for this procedure to work as I've just described it, you need a few lines in the "Programming" section of User Settings. There you'll find a new item called "Quoted text paragraph map."  Here are the lines that are needed:
Answer=Answer (quoted)
Question=Question (quoted)
Speaker=Speaker (quoted)
Symbol="
answer Paragraph=answer Pgh (quoted)
question Paragraph=question Pgh (quoted)
speaker Paragraph=speaker Pgh (quoted) 

For each of these paragraphs, this information tells Eclipse what the quoted/unquoted counterpart should be. Finally, it also makes it easy to change the indentation for these paragraphs, without even breaking a sweat.    


<> Keith Vincent - A Comparison:  3 Realtime Transcription Viewers

On Friday, March 7th, the National Network Reporting Company (NNRC), invited representatives of Advantage Software, ProCAT, and Stenograph to speak about their programs for realtime clients.  On behalf of Advantage Software, I spoke about Bridge 2.0.  Bob Bakva spoke on behalf of ProCAT; Judy Wolf on behalf of Stenograph.  It's not all that often that a group gets to compare software so directly, and so I hope you won't mind if I try to summarize what was said.  I'll do my best to be accurate here, and I welcome any questions about points that might call for clarification or precision.

Let me begin by saying that I was impressed by my colleagues' presentations and by what their programs have to offer.  Compared to just a few years ago, our realtime clients have more choices and, I think, better choices.  That's progress.

Program Names
Bridge by Advantage Software
CaseViewNet by Stenograph
Denoto by ProCAT

Supports standard CaseView protocol
Bridge:  Yes
CaseViewNet:  No
Denoto:  Yes

Method for Refreshing Client Screens to reflect Edits
Bridge (serial or ethernet): Auto-Refresh
CaseViewNet (ethernet only):  Auto-Refresh
Denoto (ethernet only):  Refresh command

Proprietary Standard or Open Standard
Bridge:  Open standard.  Interface info free, on website.  Currently implemented in Bridge and Teleview (ASI), as well as  DepoSmart (Clarity Legal Software.) Coming soon in Transcript Manager Pro (1360 Studios).
CaseViewNet: Proprietary. Requires current version of CaseCATalyst.
Denoto:  Proprietary.  Requires ProCAT Winner.

Requires tokens?  
No.  (Only LiveNote uses realtime tokens.)

Cost
Bridge:  Free.
CaseViewNet: Reporter pays $595 for 1st year, $495 each year after.  Attorney software is free.
Denoto:  $295 per copy.

These are impressive programs, and I hope they lead to the implementation of Auto-Refresh technology throughout our industry.