Using Save & Open Dialog Boxes with JAWS

Assistive Technology Team, August 2012

This guide has been written using Windows 7 and Microsoft Word 2010. To be able to effectively use the Save & Open dialog boxes is a fundamental skill for using Word and many other programs.

Basic Keystrokes To check the title of the dialog box: Insert + T Move back or Move forward: ALT+LEFT ARROW, ALT+RIGHT ARROW To go to the address bar showing the current folder: ALT+D Go to the Search box: CTRL+E Go to the File name edit box: ALT+N Go to files of type combo box: ALT+T In the Open dialog - Press the Open button: ALT+O In the Save dialog - Press the Save button: ALT+S To dismiss the dialog box without opening or saving a document: ESCAPE

Using the Open Dialog 1. Open the Open dialog by pressing CTRL+O 2. Check the current location by pressing ALT+D 3. If you want to open documents from another location, navigate to the new location (see Navigation to a Location section of this document for instructions) 4. Go to the file name edit box by pressing ALT+N and type the name of the file you want to open. You can type the first few letters of a filename and then use the up/down arrows to choose the file you want.

Using the Save Dialog 1. Open the Save As dialog by pressing F12 2. The focus is on the file name edit box, so either leave the default file name, or type the name you want the file to have. 3. Press ALT+D to go to the address bar to check the location of where the file will be save. a. If you are happy with the location, press ALT+S to save the file b. If you are not happy with the current location, change the location (see Navigation to a Location section of this document for instructions), then press ALT+S to save the file.

Navigating to a location

To quickly get to the My Documents folder: 1. Press ALT+D to get to the address bar 2. Type Documents and press ENTER

To get to a USB memory stick or external disk if you know the drive letter: 1. Press ALT+D to get to the address bar 2. Type in the drive letter followed by a colon, then press ENTER

To open any location: 1. Press ALT+D to go to the address bar, then press TAB three times to arrive at Tree View which displays all drives and folders on your computer. 2. You can use the arrows to move up and down the list, and the right arrow to expand a folder to see all the folders inside it. You can use the left arrow to collapse a folder so you have a shorter list to navigate. 3. When you have found the folder you want, you can choose an item within that folder by pressing TAB, then use the arrow keys to move up and down through the files in that folder.

In either the second or third stage, you can jump more quickly to a folder or file by pressing it’s initial letter.

Further Information For further help and advice, please contact the Assistive Technology Team by email at [email protected] or by phone on 01224 273336.