Macsword Quick Start with Voiceover Volume 001. Using the Bible, Strong's numbers, commentaries and the search or find system. You can download Macsword from: www.macsword.com Text can be made bigger for low vision users. The function to do this is under options in menus. Mike Smith was correct; this is a great Bible study program, however there are some things that a Voiceover user needs to do to make the program useable with the Mac. Here is how I do it and it works for me. I will not be walking you through downloading and installing Macsword; I will only be dealing with set up and some operating instructions. Macsword is on my dock, so I go to the dock and enter the program. Next use control-option-m, or control-f2 to go into the menus. Then, arrow to the right until you come to Macsword. Then with the down arrow key, move to, preferences, ellipses, and press enter. With control-option-down arrow, move down to, Interface tab number 2 and select that tab with the space bar. Next, tap to: "Use tool tips for references" and uncheck the box with the space bar. If you do not do this, Voiceover will say "Macsword busy" most of the time you are using the program. Using Macsword The first thing you should hear in the Macsowrd program is: "Macsword modules". Use control-option-down arrow. To select the Bible translation you will need to click on this Bible translation name twice quickly with the number five key on the number pad, which is the mouse pad. In order for this to work you will have to have mouse keys enabled and mouse cursor moves to voiceover cursor check box checked. I have found no other way to make this work. Once you have done this it will give the name of the translation for instance: "KJV window seven items." With Control-option-down arrow cursor down to where it says: "Edit text containing about." Press the space bar which will delete this text. Then type in the Bible reference you want to read for instance John 3 for John chapter three and then press enter. Cursor down with control-option-down arrow until you hear: "HTML content" Then interact with the HTML content with control-option-shift-down arrow. Then you can read your selection with control-option-down arrow. Continue cursoring down until your selection is heard. Remember this program also has a menu system, which you can access with control-dash-m, or control-F2. Take a few minutes to explore the menu system, using just your left and right or up and down arrow keys. This will be a great help to you in learning to use the Macsword Bible study program. Strong's numbers for instance can be accessed from menus under options. Cursor down to Strong's numbers and check the check box with the space bar. Now when you go back to your text, you will find the Strong's numbers imbedded in the text. If you find a word, name or phrase that you would like to know more about, just press enter on the number you wish to use and arrow around in the new window with the arrow keys. You may need to use control-option and the arrow keys in the new window. When you have finished with Strong's numbers, remember to go back and uncheck the box. Commentaries You can use commentaries while you have a verse or chapter selected and the commentary will open to the verse or chapter of the Bible where you are studying, depending on the nature of the commentary. While you have the Bible open, open a new window with, Command-n. Once the new window is opened, use the window chooser menu by pressing command-f2 twice quickly to choose the new window. Next, with control-option-down arrow curser down to modules and press enter. Now with control-option-down arrow select the commentary that you wish to open and press 5 on the number pad twice quickly as you did in opening a Bible translation. The commentary should open in the same text where your Bible is open. Next, cursor down with, control-option-down arrow until you hear: "html content". Now interact with the text with control-option-shift-down arrow. You should be in the text of the commentary that you have chosen and you may now read the text with control-option-down arrow. Want to do a word or phrase search? Ok, do the following. Command-f is the find command. The first thing you will hear is, "Find window 11 items". The Find window will come up with the Voiceover cursor on the words "Edit text containing" unless you have already done a search. If so, the Voiceover cursor will land on the table of the last search and you will need to tab once or twice to get to the field that says, "edit text containing". Delete this text with the space bar and type in your word, phrase, or search string. Next tab through the choices of how you want the search to be done. You will find a number of buttons which all seem to speak and a box or two which you can check or uncheck. Then when you have set up your search, tab or back tab depending on where in the window you are to "find" and press enter. The search takes just a few seconds and does not speak when it is done. Next tab over to where you hear, "table. You may then move through the table with just the arrow keys. However, if the arrow keys do not respond, try control-option and the arrow keys. If you would like to see one of the verses in your search in context, that is to say see the chapter of the Bible where the verse is located, while you are on the row or verse, press the 5 Key on the number pad twice quickly and you will be taken to that chapter. Hopefully, this will get you started in Macsword. I have many things to learn about this program and many more things to learn about God's Word. Let's learn together. In Christ service For God's glory, Keith Reedy, Director BIBLES FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY HANDICAPPED INTERNATIONAL www.biblesfortheblind.org