Problem
A JAWS customer wishes to have row or column titles read back as they navigate with arrow keys in an Excel worksheet.
Resolution
JAWS can be made to speak row and column titles in Excel documents when navigating from cell to cell. This can be useful when navigating large Excel sheets where you may be many rows or columns deep (away from any row/column titles). JAWS has two mechanisms for column/row title reading:
- Automatic title reading using named ranges
- Using manual column/row definitions
Explanation of these and in what situation they are useful are provided in the sections for each method below.
Method 1 - Automatic reading using named ranges
- Use this method if you are the worksheet author or have the ability to modify the worksheet. The column and title definitions will live with the worksheet itself.
- In this method you must diable manual title definitions so that the named ranges will control JAWS title reading behavoiur. When setting the named ranges choose either step 2a, 2b or 2c depending on the requirements of your worksheet for title reading.
Step 1 - Disabe manual column/row defitions
- Open Excel with the worksheet in view you have defined your named regions with.
- Press JAWSKey+V for Quick Settings.
- Then at the edit prompt type the word Use.
- Then press DOWN ARROW to locate the option Use Manual Title definitions, the press SPACEBAR repeatedly until you toggle the option to off.
Step 2a - Set rangfe for column titles
Column tiles normally appear on a row in a worksheet, when navigating LEFT/RIGHT ARROW between columns you may wish the title of each column be read.
- With Excel and the document open navigate to the row of column titles and place cell pointer on the left most cell of the column titles.
- Press CONTROL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW to highlight all the column titles in the sheet.
- Press CONTROL+F3 to open the name range dialogue.
- Press ALT+N to create a new named range.
- At the name prompt enter the text: ColumnTitle
- Press TAB to reach OK button and press SPACEBAR.
- Then press TAB to reach Close button and press ENTER to complete the definition.
Step 2b - Set range for tow titles
Row titles normally appear in a column to the left of any data in the worksheet. The row titles may speak as you use UP/DOWN arrow to move through the rows in a worksheet.
- In the open Excel document navigate to the column where the row titles are located and place the cell pointer at the top of the column of row titles.
- Press CONTROL+SHIFT+DOWN ARROW to highlight all the row titles.
- Press CONTROL+F3 to open the name range dialogue.
- Then press ALT+N to create a new named range.
- At the prompt enter the text: RowTitle
- Then press TAB to reach the OK button and press SPACEBAR.
- Then TAB to Close button and press ENTER to complete the name range definition.
Step 2c - Set range for both column/row titles
If the column and row titles intersect on the worksheet use these steps:
- Locate the cell where the column and row titles intersect (usually on the left).
- Then press CONTROL+F3 to open the Name Manager window.
- The press SPACEBAR on the New button.
- Then enter the word Title, then press ENTER.
- Then press ENTER again to dismiss the Name Manager window. Now JAWS will then treat that row as being column titles and that coliumn as being row titles.
Method 2 - Using manual column/row definitions
Use this method if you are not the worksheet owner or cannot modify the sheet. JAWS will insteaed creeate title definition files within the JAWS user settings folder.
Enable manual title definition
- Open Excel with the worksheet in view you have defined your named regions with.
- Press JAWSKey+V for Quick Settings.
- Then at the edit prompt type the word Use.
- Then press DOWN ARROW to locate the option Use Manual Title definitions, the press SPACEBAR repeatedly until you toggle to the desired title reading optoin that is not the off setting so the manual definitions override anything in the worksheet if set.
Manually define column titles
- With an Excel document open navigate to the row to where column titles are and press SHIFT+SPACE to highlight the row of column titles to be spoken by JAWS.
- Then press ALT+CONTROL+INSERT+C to define the row for column titles. This will allow column titles to be read as you navigate across the worksheet data.
Manually define row titles
- With the Excel document open position the cell pointer at the column to spoken as row titles and press CONTROL+SPACE to highlight the column
- Now press ALT+CONTROL+JAWSKEY+R to define the row titles column. This will allow JAWS to speak the row when navigating up/down the worksheet data.