Provided by: fenrir_2025.0.2.26-1_all 
Fenrir User Manual
Fenrir is a modern command line screen reader written in Python3.
It has a modular structure, a flexible based driver model, is highly configurable and easy to customize
and extend (see Developer Manual (fenrir_development_manual)).
Please see the following pages for the current (fenrir_current_version) and Git (fenrir_git_version) ver‐
sion of Fenrir.
Support and Requirements
Fenrir requires several drivers to interact with the operating system.
Speech Drivers
A speech driver is for communication with the text to speech system like Speech-Dispatcher (#SpeechDis‐
patcher) or Espeak (http://espeak.sourceforge.net). \ See section Speech (#Speech) in ''settings.conf''
for more information.
SpeechDispatcher
This driver is used by default. It uses Speech-dispatcher as its backend.
Dependencies:
• Speech-dispatcher (installed and configured, Documentation (https///devel.freebsoft.org/speechd#sec2))
• Python-speechd
Espeak
Uses Espeak via Python bindings.
Dependencies:
• Espeak or Espeak-ng
• python-espeak (https///launchpad.net/python-espeak)
Generic
This invokes speech via a sub-process. This is almost the same as using the commandline. The perfor‐
mance depends on the overhead of the speech synthesis application but it is really flexible.
Dependencies:
• Espeak or Espeak-ng
The Requirements are flexible, they depend on the configuration in settings.conf.
Dummy
this is just for debugging, logs are output to the screen and logged as well.
Sound Drivers
To play sound icons and similar.\ See section Sound (#Sound) in ''settings.conf'' for more information.
Generic
This driver is used by default.
Dependencies:
• Sox (http://sox.sourceforge.net/) with opus support The Requirements are flexible, they depend on the
configuration in settings.conf.
Gstreamer
if you prefer to use Gstreamer for sound output.
Dependencies:
• Gstreamer >= 1.x
• Glibc
Dummy
this is just for debugging, logs are output to the screen and logged as well.
Input Drivers
Input drivers are to capture keyboard shortcuts issued to the screen reader
See section Keyboard (#Keyboard) in ''settings.conf'' for more information.
Evdev
This driver is used by default.
Evdev is the low level input device framework for Linux.
Dependencies:
• python-evdev >=0.6.3
• pyudev
• loaded uinput kernel module
• exclusive access to the input devices Read permission to the following files and services:
• /dev/input
• /dev/uinput
Screen Drivers
The job of a screen driver is to get the information of current screen content.\ See section Screen
(#Screen) in ''settings.conf'' for more information.
VCSA
This driver is used by default. For Linux VCSA devices. These exist on any current standard installa‐
tion of Linux.
Dependencie s:
• python-dbus Read permission to the following files and services (or run as root):
• /sys/devices/virtual/tty/tty0/active
• /dev/tty[1 - 64]
• /dev/vcsa[1 - 64] (VCSA manpage (https///linux.die.net/man/4/vcsa))
• read Logind DBUS
Braille Drivers
This is for Braille support. Braille is currently a work in progress and is planned for the Fenrir 2.0
release.\ See section Braille (#Braille) in ''settings.conf'' for more information.
BRLTTY
This driver is used by default. It uses BrlTTY (brltty) to communicate with with a Braille device.
Dependencies:
• BrlTTY (configured and running, Documentation (http://mielke.cc/brltty/doc/Manual-BRLTTY/English/BRLT‐
TY.html))
• python-brlapi (configured, Documentation (http://mielke.cc/brltty/doc/Manual-BrlAPI/English/Br‐
lAPI.html)) ## Currently supported platforms
Currently Fenrir completely supports the following Platforms:
• Linux TTY Support for further Systems are planned.
Installation
Fenrir can run without installation. It just requires the dependencies are installed first.
We recommend to try it out before installation to be sure everything works and prevent yourself from ex‐
periencing a non-talking environment.
Try Out
Fenrir does not require installation. You can try it and make sure everything works before you decide to
install. In this way you can be sure that your system doesnt break or stop talking. for that you can
just grab the code and run as root ''src/fenrir/fenrir'' (in foreground) or ''src/fenrir/fenrir-daemon''
(in background, used by systemd for autostart)
Install it
Documented operating systems
Arch Linux
For Arch there are PKGBUILDs in the AUR:
• fenrir (https///aur.archlinux.org/packages/fenrir/)
• fenrir-git (https///aur.archlinux.org/packages/fenrir-git/)
Manual
1. Download the latest stable version from the Fenrir-Project (https///linux-a11y.org/index.php?page=fen‐
rir-screenreader) site.
2. Unpack the archive
3. Check the needed Dependencys by running check-dependencys.py (https///github.com/chrys87/fen‐
rir/blob/master/check-dependencies.py) script
4. install the missing dependencies an standard installation requires the following:
• python3 >= 3.3 (and all the following is needed for python3 )
• python3-speechd (screen)
• python3-dbus (screen)
• python3-evdev >= 0.6.4(input)
• python3-daemonize (background service)
• python3-brlapi (braille)
• python3-pyenchant (spellchecker)
• your language for aspell (aspell-<lang>) (spellchecker)
• sox (sound)
• For an individual installation see Support and Requirements (#Support and Requirements) or consult
the Readme (https///github.com/chrys87/fenrir/blob/master/README.md))
5. run "install.sh" as root
this installs Fenrir as the following
* Application:''/opt/fenrir''
* Settings:''/etc/fenrir''
* Sound Icons:''/usr/share/fenrirscreenreader/''
to remove Fenrir just run uninstall.sh as root
Git
if you want to get the latest code you can use git to get a development snapshot:
git clone https://github.com/chrys87/fenrir.git
Auto Start
To start Fenrir once: systemctl start fenrir
To enable auto start on system boot: systemctl enable fenrir
First Steps
If you are using Fenrir for the first time you may want to take a look at these resources:
• Keybindings (#Keybindings)
• Tutorial Mode (#Tutorial Mode)
Features
Commands
Keybindings
Normal commands can be invoked in two ways: 1. Using a Metakey (FenrirKey (#Fenrir Key)) 2. Shortcuts
with a single key
See section Keyboard (#Keyboard) in ''settings.conf'' for more information. #### Fenrir Key
The Fenrir Key is for invoking screen reader commands. Fenrir can utilize more than one FenrirKey at the
same time. By default the following keys are used: 1. Insert 2. KeyPad Insert 3. Meta (Super, Win‐
dows)
Script Key
To invoke "Scripts" the Script Key is mandatory. The shortcut is encoded in the filename of the script.
See Scripting (#Scripting) #### Desktop Layout
Shortcut Command
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
FenrirKey + H toggle tutorial mode (#Tutorial Mode)
CTRL shut up (interrupts speech) (#shut
up)
FenrirKey + KeyPad 9 reviews bottom (#review bottom)
FenrirKey + KeyPad 7 reviews top (#review top)
KeyPad 8 reviews current line (#review current
line)
KeyPad 7 reviews previous line (#review previ‐
ous line)
KeyPad 9 reviews next line (#review next line)
FenrirKey + KeyPad 4 reviews line beginning (#review line
beginning)
FenrirKey + KeyPad 6 reviews line ending (#review line
ending)
FenrirKey + KeyPad 1 reviews line first character (#review
line first character)
FenrirKey + KeyPad 3 reviews line last character (#review
line last character)
FenrirKey + Alt + 1 presents first line (#present first
line)
FenrirKey + Alt + 2 presents last line (#present last
line)
KeyPad 5 reviews current word (#review current
word)
KeyPad 4 reviews previous word (#review previ‐
ous word)
KeyPad 6 reviews next word (#review next word)
FenrirKey + Shift + KeyPad 5 reviews current word phonetic (#re‐
view current word phonetic)
FenrirKey + Shift + KeyPad 4 reviews previous word phonetic (#re‐
view previous word phonetic)
FenrirKey + Shift + KeyPad 6 reviews next word phonetic (#review
next word phonetic)
KeyPad 2 reviews current char (#review current
character)
KeyPad 1 reviews previous char (#review previ‐
ous character)
KeyPad 3 reviews next char (#review next char‐
acter)
FenrirKey + Shift + KeyPad 2 reviews current character phonetic
(#review current character phonetic)
FenrirKey + Shift + KeyPad 1 reviews previous character phonetic
(#review previous character phonetic)
FenrirKey + Shift + KeyPad 3 reviews next character phonetic (#re‐
view next character phonetic)
FenrirKey + CTRL + KeyPad 8 reviews up (#review up)
FenrirKey + CTRL + KeyPad 2 reviews down (#review down)
FenrirKey + KeyPad dot exit review (#exit review)
KeyPad dot cursor position (#cursor position)
FenrirKey + I indent curr line (#indent current
line)
FenrirKey + KeyPad 5 current screen (#current screen)
FenrirKey + KeyPad 8 current screen before cursor (#cur‐
rent screen before cursor)
FenrirKey + KeyPad 2 current screen after cursor (#current
screen after cursor)
<Unbound> cursor read to end of line (#cursor
read to end of line)
<Unbound> cursor column (#cursor column)
<Unbound> cursor line number (#cursor line num‐
ber)
<Unbound> Braille flush (#braille flush)
<Unbound> Braille pan left (#braille pan left)
<Unbound> Braille pan right (#braille pan
right)
<Unbound> Braille return to cursor (#braille
return to cursor)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 1 clear bookmark 1 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 1 set bookmark 1 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 1 bookmark 1 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 2 clear bookmark 2 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 2 set bookmark 2 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 2 bookmark 2 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 3 clear bookmark 3 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 3 set bookmark 3 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 3 bookmark 3 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 4 clear bookmark 4 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 4 set bookmark 4 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 4 bookmark 4 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 5 clear bookmark 5 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 5 set bookmark 5 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 5 bookmark 5 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 6 clear bookmark 6 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 6 set bookmark 6 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 6 bookmark 6 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 7 clear bookmark 7 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 7 set bookmark 7 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 7 bookmark 7 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 8 clear bookmark 8 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 8 set bookmark 8 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 8 bookmark 8 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 9 clear bookmark 9 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 9 set bookmark 9 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 9 bookmark 9 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 0 clear bookmark 10 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 0 set bookmark 10 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 0 bookmark 10 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + KeyPad Slash set window application (#Create Win‐
dow)
2 * FenrirKey + KeyPad Slash clear window application (#Remove
Window)
KeyPad Plus read last incoming (#last incoming)
FenrirKey + F2 toggles braille (#toggle braille)
FenrirKey + F3 toggles sound (#toggle sound)
FenrirKey + F4 toggles speech (#toggle speech)
KeyPad Enter temporarily disables speech (#disable
speech temporarily)
FenrirKey + CTRL + P toggles punctuation level (#toggle
punctuation level)
FenrirKey + RightBrace toggle auto spell check (#toggle auto
spell check)
FenrirKey + Backslash toggles output (#toggle output)
FenrirKey + CTRL + E toggles emoticons (#toggle emoticons)
FenrirKey + KeyPad Enter toggles auto read (#toggle auto read)
FenrirKey + CTRL + T toggles auto time (#toggle auto time)
FenrirKey + KeyPad ASTERISK toggles highlight tracking (#toggle
highlight tracking)
FenrirKey + Q quits fenrir (#quit Fenrir)
FenrirKey + T Announce time (#Time)
2 * FenrirKey + T Announce date (#Date)
FenrirKey + S spell check (#spell check)
2 * FenrirKey + S add word to spell check (#add word to
spell check)
FenrirKey + Shift + S removes word from spell check (#re‐
moves word from spell check)
FenrirKey + Backspace forward keypress (#forward keypress)
FenrirKey + Up increase speech volume (#increase
speech volume)
FenrirKey + Down decrease speech volume (#decrease
speech volume)
FenrirKey + Right increase speech rate (#increase
speech rate)
FenrirKey + Left decrease speech rate (#decrease
speech rate)
FenrirKey + Alt + Right increase speech pitch (#increase
speech pitch)
FenrirKey + Alt + Left decrease speech pitch (#decrease
speech pitch)
FenrirKey + Alt + Up increase sound volume (#increase
sound volume)
FenrirKey + Alt + Down decrease sound volume (#decrease
sound volume)
FenrirKey + CTRL + Shift + C clears clipboard (#clear clipboard)
FenrirKey + Home first clipboard (#first clipboard)
FenrirKey + End last clipboard (#last clipboard)
FenrirKey + PageUp previous clipboard (#previous clip‐
board)
FenrirKey + PageDown next clipboard (#next clipboard)
FenrirKey + Shift + C current clipboard (#read current
clipboard)
FenrirKey + C copy marked text to clipboard (#copy
marked to clipboard)
FenrirKey + V paste clipboard contents (#paste
clipboard)
FenrirKey + P import clipboard from file (#import
clipboard from file)
FenrirKey + Alt + Shift +C export clipboard to file (#export
clipboard to file)
FenrirKey + CTRL + Shift + X remove marks (#Remove Marks)
FenrirKey + X set mark (#Set mark)
FenrirKey + Shift + X announce marked text (#Get text be‐
tween marks)
Linux specific
<Unbound> export clipboard to X
FenrirKey + CTRL + Up include Alsa volume
FenrirKey + CTRL + Down decrease Alsa volume
Laptop Layout
Shortcut Command
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
FenrirKey + H toggle tutorial mode (#Tutorial Mode)
CTRL shut up (interrupts speech) (#shut
up)
FenrirKey + Shift + O reviews bottom (#review bottom)
FenrirKey + Shift + U reviews top (#review top)
FenrirKey + I reviews current line (#review current
line)
FenrirKey + U reviews previous line (#review previ‐
ous line)
FenrirKey + O reviews next line (#review next line)
FenrirKey + Shift + J reviews line beginning (#review line
beginning)
FenrirKey + Shift + L reviews line ending (#review line
ending)
FenrirKey + CTRL + J reviews line first character (#review
line first character)
FenrirKey + CTRL + L reviews line last character (#review
line last character)
FenrirKey + Alt + 1 presents first line (#present first
line)
FenrirKey + Alt + 2 presents last line (#present last
line)
FenrirKey + K reviews current word (#review current
word)
FenrirKey + J reviews previous word (#review previ‐
ous word)
FenrirKey + L reviews next word (#review next word)
FenrirKey + CTRL + ALT + K reviews current word phonetic (#re‐
view current word phonetic)
FenrirKey + CTRL + ALT + J reviews previous word phonetic (#re‐
view previous word phonetic)
FenrirKey + CTRL + ALT + L reviews next word phonetic (#review
next word phonetic)
FenrirKey + comma reviews current character (#review
current character)
FenrirKey + M reviews previous character (#review
previous character)
FenrirKey + dot reviews next character (#review next
character)
FenrirKey + CTRL + ALT + comma reviews current character phonetic
(#review current character phonetic)
FenrirKey + CTRL + ALT + M reviews previous character phonetic
(#review previous character phonetic)
FenrirKey + CTRL + ALT + dot reviews next character phonetic (#re‐
view next character phonetic)
FenrirKey + CTRL + I reviews up (#review up)
FenrirKey + CTRL + comma reviews down (#review down)
FenrirKey + Slash exit review (#exit review)
FenrirKey + Shift + dot cursor position (#cursor position)
2 * FenrirKey + I indent curr line (#indent current
line)
FenrirKey + Shift + K current screen (#current screen)
FenrirKey + Shift + I current screen before cursor (#cur‐
rent screen before cursor)
FenrirKey + Shift + comma current screen after cursor (#current
screen after cursor)
<Unbound> cursor read to end of line (#cursor
read to end of line)
<Unbound> cursor column (#cursor column)
<Unbound> cursor line number (#cursor line num‐
ber)
<Unbound> Braille flush (#braille flush)
<Unbound> Braille pan left (#braille pan left)
<Unbound> Braille pan right (#braille pan
right)
<Unbound> Braille return to cursor (#braille
return to cursor)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 1 clear bookmark 1 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 1 set bookmark 1 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 1 bookmark 1 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 2 clear bookmark 2 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 2 set bookmark 2 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 2 bookmark 2 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 3 clear bookmark 3 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 3 set bookmark 3 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 3 bookmark 3 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 4 clear bookmark 4 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 4 set bookmark 4 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 4 bookmark 4 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 5 clear bookmark 5 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 5 set bookmark 5 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 5 bookmark 5 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 6 clear bookmark 6 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 6 set bookmark 6 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 6 bookmark 6 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 7 clear bookmark 7 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 7 set bookmark 7 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 7 bookmark 7 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 8 clear bookmark 8 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 8 set bookmark 8 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 8 bookmark 8 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 9 clear bookmark 9 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 9 set bookmark 9 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 9 bookmark 9 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 0 clear bookmark 10 (#clear Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + Shift + 0 set bookmark 10 (#set Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + 0 bookmark 10 (#read Bookmark X)
FenrirKey + CTRL + 8 set window application (#Create Win‐
dow)
2 * FenrirKey + CTRL + 8 clear window application (#Remove
Window)
FenrirKey + Semicolon read last incoming (#last incoming)
FenrirKey + F2 toggles braille (#toggle braille)
FenrirKey + F3 toggles sound (#toggle sound)
FenrirKey + F4 toggles speech (#toggle speech)
FenrirKey + Enter temporarily disables speech (#disable
speech temporarily)
FenrirKey + Shift + CTRL + P toggles punctuation level (#toggle
punctuation level)
FenrirKey + RightBrace toggle auto spell check (#toggle auto
spell check)
FenrirKey + Shift + Enter toggles output (#toggle output)
FenrirKey + Shift + E toggles emoticons (#toggle emoticons)
FenrirKey + Enter toggles auto read (#toggle auto read)
FenrirKey + CTRL + T toggles auto time (#toggle auto time)
FenrirKey + Y toggles highlight tracking (#toggle
highlight tracking)
FenrirKey + Q quits fenrir (#quit Fenrir)
FenrirKey + T Announce time (#Time)
2 * FenrirKey + T Announce date (#Date)
FenrirKey + S spell check (#spell check)
2 * FenrirKey + S add word to spell check (#add word to
spell check)
FenrirKey + Shift + S removes word from spell check (#re‐
moves word from spell check)
FenrirKey + Backspace forward keypress (#forward keypress)
FenrirKey + Up increase speech volume (#increase
speech volume)
FenrirKey + Down decrease speech volume (#decrease
speech volume)
FenrirKey + Right increase speech rate (#increase
speech rate)
FenrirKey + Left decrease speech rate (#decrease
speech rate)
FenrirKey + Alt + Right increase speech pitch (#increase
speech pitch)
FenrirKey + Alt + Left decrease speech pitch (#decrease
speech pitch)
FenrirKey + Alt + Up increase sound volume (#increase
sound volume)
FenrirKey + Alt + Down decrease sound volume (#decrease
sound volume)
FenrirKey + CTRL + Shift + C clears clipboard (#clear clipboard)
FenrirKey + Home first clipboard (#first clipboard)
FenrirKey + End last clipboard (#last clipboard)
FenrirKey + PageUp previous clipboard (#previous clip‐
board)
FenrirKey + PageDown next clipboard (#next clipboard)
FenrirKey + Shift + C current clipboard (#read current
clipboard)
FenrirKey + C copy marked text to clipboard (#copy
marked to clipboard)
FenrirKey + V paste clipboard contents (#paste
clipboard)
FenrirKey + F5 import clipboard from file (#import
clipboard from file)
FenrirKey + Alt + Shift +C export clipboard to file (#export
clipboard to file)
FenrirKey + CTRL + Shift + X remove marks (#Remove Marks)
FenrirKey + X set mark (#Set mark)
FenrirKey + Shift + X announce marked text (#Get text be‐
tween marks)
Linux specific
<Unbound> export clipboard to X
FenrirKey + CTRL + Up increases Alsa volume
FenrirKey + CTRL + Down decreases Alsa volume
General
quit Fenrir
Just stops fenrir. #### shut up
Interrupt the current spoken. ### Review Modes
Fenrir provides a virtual cursor, with it you can navigate all over the screen without changing the text
cursor.
Using the review feature will open the review mode automatically.
The review cursor always starts from the text cursor. Attention: after using the review mode, the review
cursor will stay open until you use the ''exit review'' shortcut.
Think when using clipboard operations and similar. The review cursor is always prefered over the text
cursor.
Fenrir sounds a bell sound if the used review command jumps to another line or end of screen. #### exit
review
You can leave the review mode by pressing the ''exit review'' shortcut. #### review bottom
Set the review cursor to first column in the last line. #### review top
Set the review cursor to the first column in the first line #### review current line
Set the review cursor to the beginn of the the current line and review it. #### review previous line
Set the review cursor to the previous line and review it. #### review next line
Set the review cursor to the next line and review it. #### review line beginning
Set the review cursor to the begin of the current line #### review line ending
Set the review cursor to the end of the current line #### review line first character
Set the review cursor the first char (that is not space) in the current line and review it. #### review
line last character
Set the review cursor the last char (that is not space) in the current line and review it. #### review
current word
Sets the review cursor to the beginning of the current word and review it. #### review previous word
Sets the review cursor to the beginning of the previous word and review it. #### review next word
Sets the review cursor to the beginning of the next word and review it. #### review current word phonet‐
ic
Sets the review cursor to the beginning of the current word and spell it phonetic. #### review previous
word phonetic
Sets the review cursor to the beginning of the previous word and spell it phonetic. #### review next
word phonetic
Sets the review cursor to the beginning of the next word and spell it phonetic. #### review current
character
Does not change the review cursor. Just announce the current char. #### review previous character
Sets review cursor to the previous column and review it #### review next character
Sets review cursor to the next column and review it #### review current character phonetic
Does not change the review cursor. Just announce the current char phonetic. #### review previous char‐
acter phonetic
Sets review cursor to the previous column and announce the char phonetic. #### review next character
phonetic
Sets review cursor to the next column and announce the char phonetic. #### review up
Set the review cursor in the same column one line above the current one and review it. #### review down
Set the review cursor in the same column one line below the current one and review it. ### Handling
marking
A mark defines a point of origin or end to prepare to copy or paste a block of text. \ Examples where
you need marks are:
• copy to clipboard
• set window application
• set bookmark 1 - X #### Set mark
How to set a mark: 1. navigate with review or textcursor to the position you want to set the mark. At‐
tention: if a review cursor is set, that is the prefered. If you want to use text cursor, be sure that
you are not in review mode. 2. press shortcut for ''set mark'' you can set two marks (begin and end).
Some commands allow some simpler usecases just using the whole line if only one mark is set. you may
want to try this out. #### Get text between marks
To get the text that is currently between your marks press shortcut for ''marked text''.\ #### Remove
Marks
You can remove all current marks by pressing the shortcut for ''remove marks''. Changing the screen also
removes the marks. ### Screen Interaction
Fenrir provides several methods to interact with the current screen. #### forward keypress
This just forwards the next shortcut to the screen Fenrir shortcut or not. This is useful if the cur‐
rently pressed shortcut is also in use by Fenrir. #### Clipboard
Fenrir provides a clipboard with multible items represented by a list. You navigate throught the list
and paste the selected clipboard. ##### copy marked to clipboard
To copy something to the clipboard you need to set one or two marks. if you set one mark, the text be‐
tween the mark and your current cursor is copied to clipboard. Setting two marks just copies the text
between the marks into the clipboard. If you copy something it is always placed as the first item on
your clipboard. ##### clear clipboard
You can remove all items from the current clipboard by ''clear clipboard'' functionality. ##### first
clipboard
This moves quick to the first item of the clipboard. ##### last clipboard
This moves quick to the last item of the clipboard. ##### previous clipboard
Go to previous item in the clipboard. ##### next clipboard
Go to next item on the clipboard. ##### read current clipboard
Read the content of the current item of the clipboard. ##### paste clipboard
Pass whatever item is currently selected by first, last, prev or next clipboard commands. if no special
clipboard is selected the (last copied) is used. ##### export clipboard to file
This allows you to export the current clipboard to a configurable filepath. This is useful to share the
clipboard with a graphical desktop. ##### import clipboard from file
Import a clipboard from a configurable file. This is useful to share the clipboard with a graphical
desktop. ### Quick Settings
Fenrir provides shortcuts to change settings temporarily and on the fly without the need to permanently
change the ''settings.conf'' file. #### toggle braille
Enables and disables Braille. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf'' but during run
time. #### toggle sound
Enables and disables sound. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf'' but during run time.
#### toggle speech
Enables and disables speech. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf'' but during run
time. #### disable speech temporarily
Disables the speech until next key press. it might be useful if you want to listen to music or similar.
As soon as a key is pressed it is going to be enabled again. #### toggle punctuation level
Cycle between all available punctuation levels. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf''
but during run time. #### toggle auto spell check
Enables and disables automatic spellchecker (when typing). This is not persistent stored in your ''set‐
tings.conf'' but during run time. #### toggle emoticons
Enables and disables emoticons. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf'' but during run‐
time. #### toggle output
Enables and disables all output at once (sound, Braille, speech). This is not persistent stored in your
''settings.conf'' but during run time. #### toggle auto read
Enables and disables what is automatically spoken. This is not persistent stored in your ''set‐
tings.conf'' but during run time. #### toggle auto time
Enables and disables auto time functionality. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf''
but during run time. #### toggle highlight tracking
Enables and disables highlight tracking. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf'' but
during run time. #### increase speech volume
Increase the volume of the speech. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf'' but during
runtime. #### decrease speech volume
Decrease the volume of the speech. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf'' but during
runtime. #### increase speech rate
Increase the rate of the speech. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf'' but during run‐
time. #### decrease speech rate
Decrease the rate of the speech. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf'' but during run‐
time. #### increase speech pitch
Increase the pitch of the speech. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf'' but during
runtime. #### decrease speech pitch
Decrease the pitch of the speech. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf'' but during
runtime. #### increase sound volume
Increase the volume of the sound. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf'' but during
runtime. #### decrease sound volume
Decrease the volume of the sound. This is not persistent stored in your ''settings.conf'' but during
runtime. ### Window Mode
Fenrir supports window mode, a window is a partial area of the screen. #### Create Window
To create a window you need to do the following: 1. set a beginning mark (as the start of the window) 2.
set an end mark (where the window should end) 3. press ''set window application'' shortcut. Now Fenrir
ignores anything outside of the window.\ #### Remove Window
You can remove the window by pressing ''the clear window application'' shortcut. Now Fenrir will read
everything on the screen again. ### Tracking Modes
Different types of tracking are currently supported See section Focus (#Focus) in ''settings.conf'' for
more information. #### Cursor Tracking
This follows the text cursor. This is the typical way an application works. This is used by:
• almost any shell such as (Bash, Zsh, sh)
• vim
• nano
• emacs
• mutt
• tintin++ #### Highlight Tracking
In some applications there are no text cursors. In those applications cursor changes are represented by
different colors or attributes (underlined or bold). This mode tracks and announces these changes for
you. This is used by:
* wifi-menu
* dialog
* alpine
Tutorial Mode
Fenrir provides a Tutorial mode. When you enter tutorial mode, screen reader commands are intercepted
and explained instead of executing them. ''Arrow up'' and ''Arrow Down'' let you navigate through a list
of all available commands with shortcuts and description. Pressing escape leaves the tutorial mode.
Information
Time
Announces the current Time. #### Date
Announces the current Date. #### Bookmarks
Bookmarks provide quick access to part of the screen without the need to navigate to the area. By de‐
fault Fenrir provides 10 bookmarks. Those can be set and accessed via shortcut. This is useful for sta‐
tus lines or other information where the position does not change. ##### set Bookmark X
You need to set the bookmark first. For that you have to set one or two lines for use. 1. Set marks
(one or two) 2. press shortcut for ''set bookmark X''. X represents the number 1 - 10. ##### read
Bookmark X
If a bookmark is set you can access the area just by pressing the ''bookmark X'' shortcut. X represents
the number 1 - 10. Bookmarks are dynamic. That means the content changes with the screen. ##### clear
Bookmark X
to remove a bookmark just press the ''clear bookmark X'' shortcut. X represents the number 1 - 10. Af‐
terward the bookmark is no longer available. #### cursor position
You can get information about the current cursor and its position by using the "cursor position" func‐
tionality. #### indent current line
Announce the current indent level of the current line. It represents the number of trailing spaces of
the line. #### current screen
Reads all the current screen from the beginning to the end. #### current screen before cursor
Reads current screen from the beginning of the screen to the current cursor position. #### current
screen after cursor
Read anything after current cursor position to the end. #### cursor read to end of line
Read from the current cursor position to the end of the current line. #### cursor column
Read the current X position of a cursor (column of the current line). #### cursor line number
Read the current Y position of a cursor (line number). #### present first line
Reads just the first line. this is maybe useful for status information. #### present last line
Presets the last line. This is maybe useful for status information. #### last incoming
Repeat the last automatically incoming text. ## Input
Echo
Fenrir provides different methods of echoing content:
• Word: Will speak each word after you push space
• Character: speak any letter you type on the screen
• Delete Character: speaks the character prior to the cursor when you push backspace ### Silence on Key
press
Spellchecker
Fenrir has a built-in spellchecker, it can invoke automatically while typing or be called by a shortcut.
Commands to add or remove the current word to the dictionary are included. As using the spellchecker is
enhanced usage. You will need dictionary aspell-<language>. See section General (#General) in ''set‐
tings.conf'' for more information. #### spell check
Invokes the spellcheck on the word that contains the Review or text cursor. #### add word to spell check
Adds the word under the Review or Text cursor to the dictionary. #### removes word from spell check
Removes the word under the Review or Text cursor from the dictionary. ## Announcements
Emoticons
If you want to replace ":)" emoticons with "smile" in speech you can use this feature. It can be toggled
on or off. You can define emoticons in a dictionary, please see Emoticon Dictionary. See section Gener‐
al (#General) in ''settings.conf'' to see how to enable or disable this feature.
Time
Announce the time at periodical increments, To track the time easily. You can define 2 different ways of
time announcements. 1. periodic 2. on fix minutes
Example periodic, every 20 minutes "delaySec=20":
[time]
enabled=True
presentTime=True
presentDate=True
delaySec=20
onMinutes=
announce=True
interrupt=False
Example on fix minutes in an hour. example every quarter "delaySec=0" and "onMinutes=00,15,30,45":
[time]
enabled=True
presentTime=True
presentDate=True
#delaySec is repected bevore onMinutes so it need to be set to 0
delaySec=0
onMinutes=00,15,30,45
announce=True
interrupt=False
Promoted List
Promoted Lists are a nice feature if you are away from your computer or performing more longer tasks.
you can define a list of words which you want to hear a sound icon for after a period of inactivity. Ex‐
ample if the word "Chrys" appears after 120 Seconds of inactivity: [promote] enabled=True
inactiveTimeoutSec=120 list=Chrys See section Promote (#Promote) in ''settings.conf'' for more informa‐
tion. ### Punctuation
Fenrir handles punctuation levels and names for you with several provided dictionaries.
See levelDict See punctuationDict ## Braille
Fenrir provides Braille support in Version >= 2.0. See section Braille (#Braille) in ''settings.conf''
for more information. ### braille flush
If a message appears on the Braille device you can flush it to get back to the review- or system cursor
### Braille pan left
If a line is longer than your Braille devices you can move the view (called panning) to the left. So you
can read stuff without the need to move the review- or system cursor. ### Braille pan right
If a line is longer than your Braille devices you can move the view (called panning) to the right. So
you can read stuff without the need to move the review- or system cursor. ### braille return to cursor
When you have finished reading the line on the Braille device using panning, the focus can be returned to
the current used cursor by using "return to cursor" command. ## Dictionary
You can make use of different kinds of built-in dictionary's. A dictionary has a name and list of keys
and values separated by :===: Example: [customDict] Chrys:===:Chrys is cool lollipop:===:lolli that means
that every instance "chrys" is displayed, speech will say Chrys is cool. "lollipop" is spoken as "lol‐
li". Before making changes to a dictionary we recommend making a backup of your current dictionary in
case future updates overwrite your local changes. ### Punctuation
Level
The punctuation level dict contains lists with "what punctuation is spoken in what level". the default
one looks like this: [levelDict] none:===: some:===:.-$~+*-/\@ most:===:.,:-$~+*-/@!#%^&()[]}{<>;
all:===:!"#$%& '()+,-./:;<=>?@[\]^_`{|}~ the level "none" has no values. so it should not speak any
punctuation (sadly this is not respected by every TTS system) if "some" is the current level the follow‐
ing are spoken: dot dash dollar tilde plus star slash backslash at. same for most and all, you can add
new levels. if you cycle punctuation levels they are recognized. the default punctuation level is set
in settings.conf. The default is "some". #### Punctuation
The punctuation dictionary "[punctDict]" contains how the punctuation is spoken. Example: [punctDict]
:===:line
speaks an as "line".
[punctDict] :===:underscore speaks an as underscore. for question mark an ? is appended to the word
that the TTS system can announce the question correctly.
### Custom
The dict "[customDict]" is just for your own use, it just replace the key with the value without any spe‐
cial functionality. This might be used to fix incorrectly spoken words, make words more common, shorter
or just for fun. :) ### Emoticons
The Emoticons dictionary "[emoticonDict]" by default contains some emoticons. it can replace ":)" with
"smile" or "XD" with "loool" Making chat more colorful. A nice feature with this dictionary is that you
can toggle the substitution on or off during run time or in settings.conf. This is useful because while
doing programming or other serious work you want to hear colons and perryns not smiles. # Configuration
You can configure Fenrir in the following places (ordered by priority): 1. Commandline Parameters ''-o''
see Set settings coption (#Set settings coption) 2. /etc/fenrir/settings/settings.conf see Settigns
(#Settings) 3. <sourceTree>/config/settings/settings.conf see Settigns (#Settings) 4. hard coded de‐
faults ## Commandline Arguments
Set settings option
You can specify options that overwrite the setting.conf. This is done with ''-o <list of options> para‐
meter. The list of options have the following syntax fenrir -o "section#setting=value;section#set‐
ting=value"
For example changing the sound driver to gstreamer and disabling Braille
fenrir -o "sound#driver=gstreamerDriver;braille#enabled=False=False" or change the debug level to verbose
fenrir -o "general#debugLevel=3" You can find the available sections and variables here <#Settings> See
Syntax #settings.conf syntax (#settings.conf syntax) ### settings.conf syntax
the syntax of the settings.conf (#Settings) is quite simple and similar to a "*.ini" file, there are 4
different elements. 1. Sections 2. Settings 3. Values 4. Comments
A comment starts with a # and is ignored by Fenrir. # this is a comment To group settings we have sec‐
tions. A section can look like this: [Section] A setting looks like this: settingName=Value
Example: sound (#sound) # Turn sound on or off: enabled=True # Select the driver used to play sounds,
choices are genericDriver and gstreamerDriver. # Sox is default. driver=genericDriver
Settings
Sound
The sound is configured in section ''sound (#sound)''.
Turn sound on or off: enabled=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Select the driver used to play sounds. The genericDriver using Sox is the default.
driver=genericDriver
Available Drivers:
• ''genericDriver'' using the generic driver, for Fenrir <1.5 just use ''generic''
• ''gstreamerDriver'' using the gstreamer, for Fenrir <1.5 just use ''gstreamer''
These are the pack of sounds used for sound icons. theme=default By default we ship two sound packs. 1.
''default'' opus encoded, for newer Sox versions 2. ''default-wav'' wav encoded, just for compatibility
Sound packs are located at /usr/share/sounds/fenrirscreenreader/
Sound volume controls how loud the sounds for your selected sound pack are. volume=1.0 Values: ''0.0''
is quietest, ''1.0'' is loudest.
Generic Driver
The generic sound driver uses shell commands for play sound and frequencies.
''genericPlayFileCommand'' defines the command that is used to play a sound file. genericPlayFileCom‐
mand=<your command for playing a file> ''genericFrequencyCommand'' defines the command that is used play‐
ing frequencies. genericFrequencyCommand=<your command for playing a frequence>
The following variables are substituted in ''genericPlayFileCommand'' and ''genericFrequencyCommand'':
• ''fenrirVolume'' = the current volume setting
• ''fenrirSoundFile'' = the sound file for an sound icon
• ''fenrirFrequence'' = the frequency to play
• ''fenrirDuration'' = the duration of the frequency
Example genericPlayFileCommand (default) genericPlayFileCommand=play -q -v fenrirVolume fenrirSoundFile
Example genericFrequencyCommand (default) genericFrequencyCommand=play -q -v fenrirVolume -n -c1 synth
fenrirDuration sine fenrirFrequence ### Speech
Speech is configured in section ''[speech]''. Turn speech on or off: enabled=True Values: on=''True'',
off=''False''
Select speech driver, options are speechdDriver (default),
genericDriver or espeakDriver:
driver=speechdDriver #driver=espeakDriver
driver=genericDriver
Select the driver used to generate speech output.
driver=speechdDriver
Available Drivers:
• ''genericDriver'' using the generic driver, for Fenrir <1.5 this is not available
• ''speechdDriver'' using speech-dispatcher, for Fenrir <1.5 just use ''speechd''
• ''espeakDriver'' using the espeak directly, for Fenrir <1.5 just use ''espeak''
The rate selects how fast Fenrir will speak. rate=0.65 Values: Range Minimum:''0.0'' is slowest, Maxi‐
mum:''1.0'' is fastest.
Pitch controls the pitch of the voice. pitch=0.5 Values: Range Minimum:''0.0'' is lowest, Maxi‐
mum:''1.0'' is highest.
A Pitch for capital letters can be set. capitalPitch=0.9 Values: Range Minimum:''0.0'' is lowest, Maxi‐
mum:''1.0'' is highest.
The Volume controls the loudness of the voice. volume=1.0 Values: Range Minimum:''0.0'' is quietest,
Maximum:''1.0'' is loudest.
Some speech drivers like speechdDriver can support various modules. these can be set here. module=es‐
peak Values: Text, Consult speech-dispatcher's configuration to see what modules are available.
Voice selects the varient you want to use, for example, f5 will use the female voice #5 in Espeak, or if
using the Espeak module in Speech-dispatcher. To find out which voices are available, consult the docu‐
mentation provided with your selected synthesizer. voice= Values: Text, see your TTS synths documenta‐
tion what is available.
Select the language you want Fenrir to use. language=english-us Values: Text, see your TTS synths docu‐
mentation what is available.
Read new text as it occurs autoReadIncoming=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Generic Driver
The generic speech driver uses shell commands for speech synthisus.
''genericSpeechCommand'' defines the command that is executed for creating speech The following variables
are substituted in ''genericSpeechCommand'':
• ''FenrirText'' = is the text that should be spoken
• ''fenrirModule'' = may be the speech module like used in speech-dispatcher, not every TTY needs this
• ''fenrirLanguage'' = the language to speak in
• ''fenrirVoice'' = is the current voice that should be used
• ''fenrirVolume'' = is replaced with the current volume
• ''fenrirPitch'' = is replaced with the current pitch
• ''fenrirRate'' = is replaced with the current speed (speech rate)
Example genericSpeechCommand (default): genericSpeechCommand=espeak -a fenrirVolume -s fenrirRate -p fen‐
rirPitch -v fenrirVoice "fenrirText"
These are the minimum and maximum values of the TTS system used in genericSpeechCommand. They are needed
to calculate the abstract range in volume, rate and pitch 0.0 - 1.0.
FenrirMinVolume=0
fenrirMaxVolume=200
fenrirMinPitch=0
fenrirMaxPitch=99
fenrirMinRate=80
fenrirMaxRate=450
The current volume, pitch and rate is calculated like this value = min + [volume,pitch,rate] * (min - max
) ### Braille
Braille is a WIP and not ready yet. Braille support can be configured in section ''[braille]''.
Turn braille on or off: enabled=False Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Select the driver used for communication with a braille device. driver=brlapiDriver Values: Text, avail‐
able Driver Available Drivers:
• ''brlttyDriver'' using brltty for braille communication, for Fenrir <1.5 just use ''brltty''
The Braille layout can be configured here layout=en Values: Text, see braille driver for layouts.
What should the flush timeout relate to flushMode=word Values: Text, an flushMode Existing flushModes:
• ''word'' = flush after (number of words to display) * seconds
• ''char'' = flush after (number of chars to display) * seconds
• ''fix'' = flush after X seconds
• ''none'' = no automatic flush (manual via shortcut)
Seconds to flush (see flushMode) flushTimeout=3 Values: Integer, in Seconds or ''-1'' = no automatic
flush (manual via shortcut) The total flush time calculates in relation to flushMode.
How should the Braille cursor focus be tracked? cursorFocusMode=page Values: Text, an existing cursor
focus mode Available cursor focus modes:
• ''page'' = if the cursor crosses the border move to next page and start at begin
• ''fixCell'' = ajust the cursor on a special cell where it is always placed. the display scroll here
more smooth.
Define the cell on the Braille device where Fenrir should scroll and keep the cursor fixCursorOnCell=-1
Values: Integer
• ''0'' = first cell on device,
• ''-1'' = last cell on device
• ''>0'' = fix cell number
What cursor should Fenrir show on the Braille device cursorFollowMode=review Values: Text, an exsiting
cursor following mode. Existing cursor following mode:
• ''none'' = no automatic toggle command used
• ''review'' = priority to review
• ''last'' = follow last used cursor
number of cells in panning (horizontal). How many cell should be panned on press the routing key? pan‐
SizeHorizontal=0 Values: Integer,
• ''0'' = display size
• ''>0'' number of cells ### Screen
The settings for screens, (TTY, PTY) are configured in the ''[screen]'' section.
The driver to get the information from the screen: driver=vcsaDriver Available Drivers:
• ''vcsaDriver'' using the VCSA driver (for TTYs), for Fenrir <1.5 just use ''vcsa'' The encoding of the
screen encoding=cp850 Values:''cp850'' is used for Western languages like USA or Europe.
The driver updates Fenrir with changes on the screen. screenUpdateDelay=0.05 Values: in Seconds
If you want Fenrir to not be active on any screen for various reasons. Maybe an X server or Wayland is
running on that screen. You can make Fenrir ignore it or multiple screens seperated by '','' with: sus‐
pendingScreen= Values: Depends on driver:
• VCSA: the number of the TTY. TTY6 is ''6''. Example ignore TTY1 and TTY2: suspendingScreen=1,2
There is also the ability to let Fenrir auto detect screens that are running an X server. So Screens
running an GUI can be ignored. autodetectSuspendingScreen=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Keyboard
The settings for keyboard and input related configuration is located in the section ''keyboard (#key‐
board)'' of the ''settings.conf'' file.
Select the driver used for grabbing keybord input and for recieving shortcuts. driver=evdevDriver Val‐
ues: Text, available Driver Available Drivers:
• ''evdevDriver'' uses the evdev input system of linux, for Fenrir <1.5 just use ''evdev''
You can let Fenrir know about what input devices are to be used. device=ALL Values:
• ''ALL'' use all devices with key capabilities.
• ''NOMICE'' Exclude mices from handling.
• <Device Name> just use the device with the given name.
Gives Fenrir exclusive access to the keyboard and lets it control keystrokes. This is needed to inter‐
cept Fenrir related shortcuts. grabDevices=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
The following makes sense if you are using a second screenreader and want to have some hooked events.
Fenrir ignores all shortcuts then. ignoreShortcuts=False Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
The current keyboard layout used for shortcuts. keyboardLayout=desktop Values: An absolute Path to a
Keyboard definition file or a Filename without extension located in ''/etc/fenrir/keyboard''
Announce characters while typing. charEcho=False Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Announce deleted characters charDeleteEcho=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Announce word after pressing space wordEcho=False Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Interrupt speech on any keypress interruptOnKeyPress=False Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
You can filter the keys that speech should interrupt interruptOnKeyPressFilter= Values: (List) empty =
all keys, otherwise interrupt with specified keys
The timeout that is used for double tap shortcuts doubleTapTimeout=0.2 Values: Seconds ### General
Overall settings can be configured from the section ''general (#general)''.
Set the current debug level: debugLevel=1 Values: off=0, error=1, warning=2, info=3
the current punctuation and dict file in use: punctuationProfile=default Values: Text, see available pro‐
files in ''/etc/fenrir/punctuation'' or in ''sourceTree/config/punctuation''
The current punctuation level in use: punctuationLevel=some Values: Text, See available levels in the
used punctuation file.
Respect pause for punctuations: respectPunctuationPause=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Add a pause on Line break: newLinePause=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Specify the path where the clipboard should be exported to. See export clipboard to file (#export clip‐
board to file). The variable ''$user'' is replaced by the current logged username. clipboardExport‐
Path=/tmp/fenrirClipboard Values: Text, Systemfilepath
The number of available clipboards: numberOfClipboards=10 Values: Integer, 1 - 999
Replace emoticons like :) or ;) with text insertions: emoticons=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Define the current Fenrir keys: fenrirKeys=KEY_KP0,KEY_META,KEY_INSERT Values, Text list, separated by
comma.
Define the current script keys: scriptKey=KEY_COMPOSE Values, Text list, separated by comma.
The time format to be used for (time command) output: timeFormat=%H:%M:%P Values: see python specifica‐
tion for datetime.strftime (https///docs.python.org/3/library/datetime.html#strftime-and-strptime-behav‐
ior)
The date format to be used for (date command) output: dateFormat=%A, %B %d, %Y Values: see python speci‐
fication for datetime.strftime (https///docs.python.org/3/library/datetime.html#strftime-and-strptime-be‐
havior)
Enable or Disable spellcheck whilst typing: autoSpellCheck=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
The use of the dictionary with spellcheck: spellCheckLanguage=en_US Values: Text, see aspell dictio‐
nary's.
Folder Path for your scripts "scriptKey" functionality: scriptPath=/usr/share/fenrirscreenreader/scripts
Values: Text, Existing path on file system.
Override commands or create new ones without changing the Fenrir defaults: commandPath=/usr/share/fen‐
rirscreenreader/commands Values: Text, Existing path on file system. Subfolders in commandPath are:
• ''commands'' = to create shortcut commands
• ''onInput'' = executed while typing
• ''onScreenChange'' = executed on change the screen (change from TTY4 to TTY6)
• ''onScreenUpdate'' = executed when the screen is captured
Focus
The configuration for basic focus is in the section ''focus (#focus)''. Follow the text cursor: cur‐
sor=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Follow highlighted text changes (Highlight Tracking): highlight=False Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
### Review
Configurations for the review mode are in the section ''[review]''.
If "next word/ char" or "prev word/char" create a linebreak, announce it: lineBreak=True Values:
on=''True'', off=''False''
If "next word/ char" or "prev word/char" cannot be performed because you reached the end of the screen,
announce it: endOfScreen=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Leave the review mode when pressing a key: leaveReviewOnKeypress=False Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Leave the review mode when changing the screen (From TTY3 to TTY4): leaveReviewOnScreenChange=True Val‐
ues: on=''True'', off=''False'' ### Promote
"Promoted Lists" are configured in the section ''[promote]''. Turn Promoted Lists" on or off: en‐
abled=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
The minimum time interval of inactivity to activate promoting. By default it promotes after 120 Seconds
inactivity: inactiveTimeoutSec=120 Values: in Seconds
Define a list of promoted words comma seperated: list= Values: text (comma seperated) Example to promote
the word "nickname" or a bash prompt: list=nickname,$:,#:
Time
The automated time announcement is configured in the section ''time (#time-2)''. Time announcement is
disabled by default. Turn time announcement on or off: enabled=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Should the time be announced: presentTime=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Should the date be announced (just on date change): presentDate=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Announce after a given period of seconds: delaySec=0 Value: in Seconds, 0 = Deactivated
Announce after fixed minutes in an hour. if delaySec is >0 onMinutes is ignored: onMinutes=00,30 Example
every 15 minutes: onMinutes=00,15,30,45
Just play a soundicon, (not interrupting): announce=True Values: on=''True'', off=''False''
Interrupt current speech for time announcement: interrupt=False Values: on=''True'', off=''False'' # Cus‐
tomization
Scripting
Scripts can be in any language, bash, python, sh or others. Place your scripts in the directory
/usr/share/fenrirscreenreader/scripts/ (the path is configurable in settings.conf). The script key is
the applications key. Usually this key can be found on the keyboard located just left of the right most
control key. When you name a script, the key name appears in the script seperated by the sequence -.
So, for example, if you have a python weather script you want assigned to the script key plus the letter
w you would name the script /usr/share/fenrirscreenreader/scripts/weather__-__key_w.py Then, to access
the script, simply press the script key and the letter w. Scripts must be executable. So, make sure to
chmod 755 your script when you place it in the scripts directory. The script gets some parameters from
fenrir when it is executed. So that information is available in your script then.
Parameterlist
Parameter Content
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
$1 Username of the current logged in
user
Examples
Script that just speaks the current username when pressing ScriptKey + H.\ File: ''/usr/share/fen‐
rirscreenreader/scripts/helloWorld__-__key_h.sh'': #!/bin/bash echo $1
Commands
You can place your own commands in "/usr/share/fenrirscreenreader/commands" (path is configurable in set‐
tings.conf). Commands are python files with a special scheme. You can assign them to a shortcut using
the filename without an extension or place them in a hook trigger like OnInput or OnScreenChange. For
further information see developer guide. Good Examples: "date.py" (https///github.com/chrys87/fen‐
rir/blob/master/src/fenrir/commands/commands/date.py) (announce the Date), "shut_up.py"
(https///github.com/chrys87/fenrir/blob/master/src/fenrir/commands/commands/shut_up.py) (interrupt out‐
put) the basic scheme for a command is as follows:
from core import debug
class command():
def __init__(self):
pass
def initialize(self, environment):
self.env = environment
def shutdown(self):
pass
def getDescription(self):
return _('No description found')
def run(self):
pass
def setCallback(self, callback):
pass
• Template lives here (https///github.com/chrys87/fenrir/blob/master/src/fenrir/commands/command_tem‐
plate.py)
• The class needs to have the name "command".
• "initialize" is running once whilst loading the command.
• "shutdown" is running on unload like the command (quit fenrir)
• "getDescriptsion" just returns an string. That String is used in Tutorial Mode.
• "run" is executed when the command is invoked. (shortcut is pressed, or trigger isn't running)
• setCAllback is currently not used. and has no functionality yet.
Troubleshooting
Fenrir does not start
1. Have you installed all the dependencies Support and Requirements (#Support and Requirements)
2. Try using master, a lot of changes take place there to make Fenrir compatible with more systems ##
Fenrir does not utilize the shortcuts
3. Make sure you have python3-evdev installed
4. Use the latest Fenrir version
5. Make sure that Fenrir has permission to /dev/input/* and /dev/uinput (or run it as root) ## No sound
at all
6. Run the script to configure Pulseaudio once as root and once as your user. This will setup Pulseau‐
dio but require a restart of Pulseaudio. The script is located in ''tools/configure_pulse.sh''
7. Use ALSA
8. Configure Pulse system wide (https///www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/Documenta‐
tion/User/SystemWide/) (Not recommended)
9. Use gstreamerDriver: change ''settings.conf'' in the section ''sound'' the line ''driver=genericDriv‐
er'' to ''driver=gstreamerDriver''
10. Use wave sound-icons: change ''settings.conf'' in the section ''sound'' the line ''theme=default'' to
''theme=default-wav''
11. Use most current version of sox (http://sox.sourceforge.net/) with opus support
12. Try apulse (https///github.com/i-rinat/apulse) (not tested by myself but might work). Please give me
feedback if you try it out. ## You get sound-icons but no speech
13. If you are using speech-dispatcher run "spd-conf" once as user and as root.
14. You can test if speech-dispatcher works by invoking it as root\ ''sudo spd-say "hello world"'' ## Bu‐
greports and feature requests
Please report Bugs and feature requests to: https://github.com/chrys87/fenrir/issues
(https///github.com/chrys87/fenrir/issues)
for bugs please provide a debug (#Howto create a debug file) file that shows the issue. ### How-to cre‐
ate a debug file
1. Delete old debug stuff\ ''sudo rm /var/log/fenrir.log''
2. Start fenrir in debug mode\ ''sudo fenrir -d''
3. Do your stuff to reproduce the problem
4. Stop fenrir (''fenrirKey + q'') the debug file is located in ''/var/log/fenrir.log''
Please be as precise as possible to make it easy to solve the problem.
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