Microsoft Visual J++/Visual InterDev Accessibility

Visual J++ and Visual InterDev share a common development environment that provides many accessible features. In addition to the features listed below, this development environment provides support for Microsoft Active Accessibility in the Command Bars, Text Editor, Source Tab of the HTML editor, Toolbox, and Task List, aiding client utilities in obtaining information about the user interface.

Enlarging the Development Environment Font

To enlarge text for dialogs and tool windows in the development environment

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.

  2. Click the Environment International Settings node.

  3. Select the font and size you prefer. The changes will not take effect until you restart the development environment.

Enlarging Toolbar Buttons

To enlarge toolbar buttons

  1. On the View menu, click Toolbars.

  2. Click Customize, and then select the Large Icons check box on the Options tab.

Enlarging Text in the Code Window

To enlarge text in the Code window

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.

  2. Click the Text Editor/Fonts and Colors node.

  3. Select the Text entry in the Display Items list box, and then set the font and size you prefer.

Customizing the Keyboard

Visual J++ and Visual InterDev support Dvorak keyboard layouts, which make the most frequently typed characters more accessible. Also, you can create your own keyboard "schemes," with your own custom accelerators, or pick a scheme that matches a development environment you are already familiar with, such as Visual Basic or Developer Studio.

To access keyboard customization

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.

  2. Click the Environment/Keyboard node.

Rearranging Windows

Windows can be rearranged to best suit the way you work. You can select the windows you want docked by choosing the window you want from the View menu, and then choosing the Docking command from the Window menu. When a window is not docked, it becomes an MDI child window, letting you access one window at a time. If you are blind, you may find this setting preferable.

Customizing the Toolbox

You can customize the Toolbox by adding tabs or by adding controls to an existing tab or a custom tab, using the Customize Toolbox command on the Tools menu. Also, the Toolbox can store "code snippets" that can later be inserted into the Code window, which saves you typing. Simply select text in the editor and drag it to the Toolbox. When you want to reuse the text, select the code snippet and press Enter or drag it to the text editor.

Providing Visual Cues while Editing Code

Margin Indicators in the Code window enable you to provide visual cues to certain actions while editing your code. The Indicators appear on the left margin of the Code window. You can click to select or clear the Margin Indicator Bar in the Editor Format tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu).

If you use a screen reader, the text editor and Source Tab of the HTML editor report via Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) what icons are displayed in the Margin Indicator Bar for a given line. The text editor can tell a screen reader if the line contains a breakpoint, a shortcut, a bookmark, or is the current line of execution in the debugger.

Adding Prompts for Methods and Parameters

You can also choose to display pop-up windows in the Code window. The pop-up windows can prompt you with available members on the current object and the parameters to complete a function or statement. These pop-up windows can be helpful if you have difficulty typing. However, they do interfere with focus in the code editor, which can be problematic for some users. You can turn off these pop-up windows by clearing Auto List Members and Auto Quick Info in the Editor tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu).