e-Tip #92 - October 2009 - Text-Only Version <> Keith Vincent: Bridge Refresh Commands Not long ago my sister and I reported two weeks of arbitrations. Most of the time she was at the steno machine while I was scoping, with several clients connected to us via StenoCast and Bridge. She’s a faster writer than I am and her steno is usually pristine, but the fact that Eclipse was sending refresh commands to Bridge was enormously helpful because a ton of unusual names came up. As one client put it, “We’re not just getting a draft, we’re getting realtime corrections, too.” At the start, Laurie said she had never gotten Bridge’s auto-refresh to work for her. I found out why. If you put a check in the box next to “Wait for cursor” (in the “Realtime” section of Eclipse user settings), then you will NOT be able to send refresh commands to Bridge from the last paragraph of your document. You will, however, be able to refresh every other spot in the document. “Wait for cursor” and “Edit word buffer” are meant to help the CaseView protocol. They hold back text to be corrected BEFORE it is sent to LiveNote, Summation, etc. Bridge refresh commands intend to correct text AFTER it has been received. If you’re only outputting to Bridge, set “Edit word buffer” at zero and do NOT check the box next to “Wait for cursor.” Do this before you start realtime translation. If using both CaseView and Bridge protocols, paragraph often and refresh from other than the last paragraph. Bridge can understand refresh commands from any CAT program that has implemented the Bridge protocol. When does Eclipse send refresh commands? First, “Apply edits” needs to be checked when you select Bridge output. Second, if you make changes outside the last paragraph and then move to an adjacent one, Eclipse saves the text and automatically sends Bridge a refresh command. Third, the Eclipse user can press Shift Alt R at any time to “Retransmit text,” which just means “refresh.” In truth, Shift Alt R (Retransmit text) is all too close to Shift Alt T (Stop translation). NOT something you want to do by accident. So I went into the “Edit” section of user settings to change the keyboard. I set Shift Alt T (as well as Hyperkey Shift+K) to be additional ways to “retransmit text.” From then on, I found Hyperkey Shift+K was the easiest way to send a refresh command. In past articles about Bridge, I’ve often referred to the fact that Eclipse automatically sends refresh commands to Bridge when you make editing changes in anything other than the last paragraph of your realtime document. It’s also true that if you’re editing from the steno keyboard, using tricks from the Eclipse Realtime Editing Kit, a refresh command is a part of each macro. In other words, these macros refresh the Bridge screen even if you’re editing in the very last paragraph of your realtime document. You may wonder why the very last paragraph of the realtime document does not automatically refresh. Here’s why. Bridge is meant to support refresh commands even if you’re using old serial cables. It’s not something that only works via a network connection or via StenoCast wireless equipment. In fact, one of the reasons why the StenoCast RED transmitter came out this year was to embrace a higher speed that would make this wireless equipment truly a Refresh-Enabled Device. Even with the faster wireless equipment, a lot of refresh commands could slow things down if you’re using a serial connection. For that very reason Eclipse does not automatically send a refresh command to Bridge each and every time the scopist makes a change in the very last paragraph. Instead, you should just send a refresh command at appropriate points. Here are some examples: The scopist should NOT send a separate refresh command for each extra word that is typed in the last paragraph. If a five-word correction is typed into the very last paragraph, wait until all five words are done before sending one refresh command. A few lines down, you might type more words in the last paragraph. Add all the words and then send one command to “Retransmit text.” If you’re joining one paragraph to another, there’s no need to give a refresh command unless you’re joining the last paragraph to the one that preceded it. (However, if the “Join” command is given from the steno keyboard via a macro in the Realtime Editing Kit, the refresh command is already included, even if you’re in the last paragraph.) If the last paragraph is long, the scopist might use the “New paragraph” command. No need to retransmit the first paragraph that was shortened, but a refresh command from the very last paragraph is helpful. If you type in or remove words in the last paragraph, a refresh command is a good idea to tidy up the line breaks. If the scopist changes a paragraph to Q or A or Colloquy and makes no other text changes there, a refresh command is helpful. However, if the type of paragraph is changed and words or punctuation are also added or deleted, the refresh command is automatic, unless you’re in the very last paragraph. Last paragraph? Don’t forget to refresh. With Eclipse, a scopist can edit up to the very last word that the reporter has written. Often my sister would write a new name and I’d instantly create a global replacement for that steno. Then I’d send a refresh command so the global replacement would work for Bridge without delay. Eclipse globals can affect the whole Bridge document. However, Bridge text does not know what the original steno was. It’s using search and replace, but not for strings of less than five characters. (You would not want to global “op” to “ap” and inadvertently affect “crop.”) Also, an Eclipse global replacement that’s more than ten characters longer than the original may not apply everywhere, to avoid causing lines to go off the right side of the Bridge window. These are just two safeguards that are designed to ensure that an Eclipse global does not cause a text replacement problem on the Bridge side. Generally, when you press Shift Alt R, Eclipse retransmits just the paragraph where your cursor is placed. However, you can mark many paragraphs and then refresh. At a break, you could even mark the entire document and then refresh. This would ensure that even very long globals have all applied properly. It would also ensure that the whole document has been received by a late-comer when you’re connected via serial cables or StenoCast wireless equipment. In general, it’s only the very last Eclipse paragraph that tends to need refresh commands. Other paragraphs refresh automatically when you make editing changes and then move out of them. These “refresh” tips apply specifically to Eclipse users. I understand that the folks at StenoCAT and Stenovations have been implementing support for the Bridge protocol and thus these programs will be also be able to send refresh commands to Bridge. Depending on which program you’re using, the refresh commands may be sent more or less automatically. I just know that watching the client’s screen for a while can really help you appreciate when it makes sense to send a refresh command. Knowing that will help you offer your clients not just rough draft, but realtime corrections. <> Wil Wilcox: Windows 7 Microsoft plans to release Windows 7 on October the 22nd. It’s a faster and much better operating system than Windows Vista. There will be many new computers released with Windows 7 in the days and weeks that follow. Stores will be selling Windows 7 updates primarily for Vista owners who wish to upgrade. Eclipse works at least as well with Windows 7 as it does with Vista. One of the changes in Eclipse you'll notice if you've been using XP is that the magnify/transparent/anchor icons up on the title bar of a transcript window are no longer there. To access these functions, it's necessary to use the system menu icon that appears in the upper-left corner of each dialogue. Click on that icon or press the keyboard shortcut Alt-Spacebar. The system menu will appear. Then select "Customize" and you’ll find the magnify/transparent/anchor functions. Audio recording is certainly important to court reporters, and this is an area that was changed in Windows 7 and Vista. To adjust audio levels, use the Windows controls rather than the “Levels” buttons in Eclipse. The Windows audio controls panel has changed from XP days, but the functions you need are still there. Windows 7 comes in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Many new computers will come with the 64-bit version, which is fine. However, if you plan to use the 64-bit version, you should check the manufacturer's website for your printer, scanner, etc. to see if there are Windows 7 drivers available. Also, if you use a USB-to-serial converter for realtime, make sure it is compatible with Windows 7. Upgrading to Windows 7 from XP requires that you back everything up, erase the hard drive, and install it from scratch. I really would advise you to think twice before going through all of that. Upgrading from Vista is much easier. One of the best ways to upgrade to a new version of Windows is simply to stick with what you’ve got until you can get a new computer. It's been 8 years since windows XP came out in 2001. It’s really showing its age. Even though many of us have become so comfortable with XP, it's really time to move on. Windows 7 has better security and quite a few new worthwhile user interface enhancements. These include a much more versatile and powerful taskbar, many new Windows keyboard shortcuts, lots of new wallpaper, etc. Windows Explorer has been improved, so navigating through folders and shortcuts is quicker. The big question is will Windows 7 help you to be more productive, and most experts are saying that the answer to that question is yes. The last version of Windows, Vista, is generally considered by many to be a dud of an operating system. People were so disappointed at first that the battle was already lost and it was too late to change hearts and minds. I pretty much skipped Vista. I preferred to stick with XP for my court reporting computer and used Vista on a secondary computer only. Could Windows 7 be another Vista? You may want to give Windows 7 some time for any issues that show up to be ironed out before getting it yourself. There are quite a few different versions of the Windows 7 software, which can be confusing. Windows 7 Home Premium is a fine choice. Windows 7 Professional is the equivalent of XP Professional, which is designed for business. I suspect that most court reporters will end up going with either of those versions. Anything else such as Ultimate really is overkill. Bottom line: Windows 7 is a very good operating system. It may take you a while to get used to all of the changes, especially from XP. However, it’s stable, smooth and very polished, just how we like things to be.