Now that NVDA 2020.3 has been out for a while and well received, we are working towards the next release on NVDA. In fact, work on that started well before NVDA 2020.3 was even released. We are not quite up to a beta version yet this week. So, it’s an excellent opportunity for another longer walkthrough we don’t always have room for. This time, some tips on using object navigation to get the most info in Windows 10s settings. First though, NVDACon:
NVDACon 2020
We are now a fortnight away from NVDACon 2020! Robert and the team have a heap of great things lined up for us. First, an exciting announcement! The Keynote speech will once again be translated into Spanish. There are also new presentation formats and talks. Importantly, there are lots of opportunities to meet and chat with fellow NVDA users.
In In-Process recently, I have been sharing memories from NVDA’s past. So, for my NVDACon memory this week, I thought I’d go right back to the early days of NVDACon. NVDACon 2014 was the first NVDACon, held on 1st March 2014. Initially conceived as a biennial event, there were two NVDACons held in 2014 and again in 2015. The recordings are available on: https://www.nvdacon.org/past-conferences
For a bit of a trip down memory lane then, here is the NVDACon Keynote from six years ago.
Using object navigation in Windows settings
Windows 10s settings have a lot more options than many people realise. Not all these options are easy to navigate. While you can use tab and the arrow keys to get around settings, this can skip some information which can be important.
There are several ways to open Windows settings. You can open settings with WINDOWS+i. The focus stars in an edit box where you can search for a setting, or you can tab through the major categories. Alternatively, press the WINDOWS key and type the name of the desired setting. For instance, “Make everything bigger” or “wifi settings”.
Let’s have a look at Wi-Fi settings now:
- Press WINDOWS+i to open settings. The focus starts in a “Find a setting” search edit
- Press TAB to move to the list of settings
- Press the RIGHT ARROW to move to “Network and Internet”
- Press ENTER to load the Network and Internet settings
- Press TAB to move to the search edit, “List, Status 1 of 8”. This is a list of sections in the network and internet settings, with Status being the first section
- Press TAB again to move to the “Properties” button
- Next, press TAB to move to the “Data usage” button
- Press ENTER to load the data usage by app for the current network
- Press TAB to move through the options. The focus moves past “network”, “enter limit button”, “Reset usage statistics button”, and “Get help”, to “Give feedback”
- Finally, press ALT+F4 to close settings
NVDA reads the name of the network. There was other information above this button on the screen which wasn’t read. Press NVDA’s “Move to previous object” command to move back through the items. This command is NVDA+numpad 4 if using NVDA in desktop layout. The keystroke is NVDA+shift+left arrow if using NVDA in laptop keyboard layout. NVDA reads the total amount of traffic over this network in the last 30 days. That is, how much data your PC has downloaded or uploaded over this Wi-Fi network in the last month.
The network is a list of available networks, with the current network selected. Under this drop-down is text explaining that a data limit can be set. This is useful if you have a limited data plan for your Wi-Fi. Note that the limit set here only applies to data used by THIS PC. Data used by other devices on this Wi-Fi network is not counted here. From the “enter limit” button, use the “Move to previous object” command to read the explanatory text.
From the enter limit button, use the “Move to next object” command to move through a list of apps. Each app is followed by the amount of data used by each in the past month. The highest usage is at the top.
That’s all for this week. Until next time, stay safe and well, and Let Us Know on Twitter what new Windows settings you explore!