The Periodic Table.
By Nathan Tech
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Contents:
1. What is the Periodic Table and more to the point, what is this program?
2. Full Keystroke list.
3. What are the settings?
4. What is the dot and cross diagram utility?
5. Contact.
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1. What is the Periodic Table and more to the point, what is this program?
The Periodic Table, long name The Periodic table of chemical elements, is a way of visually grouping elements into a table and grouping them by certain characteristics.
This program attempts to take that table view and present it in a way that is accessible for Visually Impaired Screen Reader users.
Usually, the periodic table could be printed out and then given to a blind person in a raised form, however in order to present all of the data the print out would be quite large and not portable at all!
Another method of examining the periodic table is by putting it in a list or "key" format. This usually would number several pages and does not carry with it any methods of quick searching to pull up data, something that can be particularly bothersome for blind students who just want to fit in.
Enter The Periodic Table, by Nathan Tech.
In this program we take the best of both worlds, giving users the choice of either browsing the table itself, or browsing it in a key format.
The program also allows users to:
•Find element by name or part of their name.
•Find element by number.
•Navigate the full periodic table without having to cut off information due to space.
•Hear important information about groups, periods and categories with just a keystroke.
•Access information about the element with an easy key click.
Note: The Periodic Table by Nathan Tech is designed to be used with speech. When used without a screen reader, it will automatically use the system voice to speak the information. It does show that same information on screen, but if you are sighted you may want to plug in headphones, or mute the speakers.
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2. Full Keystroke list.
Within lists, such as the main menu, key view, information view and the periodic table you can navigate using the up, down, left and right arrows.
When in the table, you can navigate through cell information by holding the Alt key and then pressing up and down arrow.
By default when you enter a cell, only the element name is read. Using Alt up and Alt down then allows you to navigate through atomic number, symbol and atomic mass.
While in the table you also have the following keystrokes available:
Alt C: Announces the group and period you are in.
Alt G: Announces the group name.
Alt S: Spells out the name of the focused element.
Control S: Spells out the symbol of the currently focused element.
Control E: Return to the main menu.
While in either table or key view the following keystrokes are available:
Control f: Search for an element by name or part of the name.
Control g: Find an element by atomic number.
Enter: When pressed while focusing an element, brings up a list of interesting information including, but not limited to:
•Appearance.
•Atomic Mass.
•boiling and Melting points.
•Category.
•Discovered by and named by.
•Period and group.
•Uses.
•Radioactivity.
•Any isotopes.
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3. What are the settings?
The settings screen allows you to change how certain functions of the program work:
1. Group names: this allows you to choose between several styles of group names. The Periodic Table has different group names in certain regions and we've hopefully included enough to cover you in this list.
2. Lock off element information: This, if checked, is similar to an exam mode and will lock off the ability to press enter on elements to gain more information.
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4. What is the dot and cross diagram utility?
A dot and cross diagram is a diagram used to show how electrons from the outer shells of atoms are shared or transferred in a chemical bond. They are split into two sections, a left and a right where the sections represent atoms and their shells.
This utility attempts to model that in a way that is both visually correct, but also completely accessible to screen reader users. It also has a fundamental requirement that it be quick, with the idea that the diagram could be drawn in a few seconds if necessary.
When you first open the utility you are presented with an empty diagram. On screen a rectangle is shown with a line dividing it down the middle labeled as left and right side. The keyboard focus is on that center line.
To add shells, press A.
To add shells to the left, press left arrow until the screen reader says "left side" then press A. Similarly, to add a shell to the right, press right arrow until the screen reader says "right side" then press A.
Removal of a shell is exactly the same, but instead of A for add, you press R for remove.
To change the label of the left side, press 1.
To change the label of the right side, press 2.
To add a dot, focus the shell you want with the left and right arrow keys, then press your full stop, or period key.
to add a cross, do the same but instead press C.
To remove a dot, do the same as adding, but hold shift and press full stop or period.
To remove a cross, do the same but hold shift and press C.
To save your drawn diagram to an image ready for printing, press Control S.
To exit back to the main menu, press escape.
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5. Contact.
If you have questions or would like to provide feedback, please do reach out!
Website: https://nathantech.net/contact.php
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Nathan Tech
It's Not Disability.
It's Ability!
Last updated: December 20th, 2021.