Despite its feature-rich capabilities as a screen reader, Jieshuo previously lacked efficient basic editing functions, particularly those related to acting on selected text, such as clearing or cutting it. However, a recent significant update to Jieshuo has revamped the text selection process in edit boxes, integrating it with Android’s selection system. This enhancement now enables users to perform tasks on selected text. Let’s explore how to leverage this new text selection feature while editing text with Jieshuo.
Table of Contents
Selecting Text:
To select text in edit boxes, you have to utilize the selection mode within the
Character by Character Browsing mode also referred to as the “editing mode” when activated through the default gesture of swiping left and then down.
The “Selection mode” can be accessed by swiping up and then to the right after enabling the “character by character browsing mode.” Alternatively, you can open it directly from the main menu or assign a gesture to it.
Acting on the Selected Text:
Upon initiating the selection, a toolbar containing several Android text-related options should appear above the edit box. These options include “Paste,” which replaces the selected text with the last copied text from the clipboard, “Copy” to copy the selected text, and “Cut” to cut the selection.
Furthermore, you can employ the “edit current text function” within Jieshuo to execute the cut action. To utilize this function, focus on the edit field, activate “edit current text” from the main menu or through a gesture, and then select the text using the selection mode. Subsequently, either close the selection mode or return to focus browsing. Near the top of the screen, locate the available options: cut, copy, paste, and select all. Take care not to touch the text, as this action could modify the selection. When you’re finished editing, tap “ok.”
To delete the selected text, press the delete key on the keyboard. Alternatively, if you type a letter instead of pressing the delete key, the entered text will replace the selected text.
In certain applications, you can extend the functionality of the selected text through the use of “actions.” Once you’ve chosen the specific portion of text you wish to interact with, you can simply close the selection mode or return to focus browsing mode and access the “actions” feature.
In Telegram, for example, you can let the selected text appear as the name of a link in a message instead of the actual link path that, when clicked, opens the webpage. To use this feature, select the text, activate the “create link” option from “actions,” input or paste the URL, and tap “ok.”. It is worth mentioning that create link option is found also among other options when tapping “more options” at the top of the screen near the right edge.
Notes:
1. In previous Jieshuo versions, closing the selection mode would result in deselecting what was selected. The only way to retain the selection was to use the swiping left then down gesture to return to focus mode directly after making a selection. However, this is no longer the case. I noticed that with the Aug 25, 2023 beta version, closing the selection mode does not impact the selection state. I cannot confirm exactly when this change was introduced.
2. Opening the selection mode from character by character browsing mode remains more reliable, as there are instances where Jieshuo fails to select text when selection mode is opened directly. However, closing the mode and then reopening it should usually solve the issue.
3. When you start the selection, you may hear “copy and paste toolbar,” which indicates that the Android options I discussed earlier have appeared. This announcement interrupts Jieshuo from announcing the selected text, but please note that the text is still selected. You can always touch the screen to hear the currently selected text.
4. It’s important to familiarize yourself with how the new selection mode works. This will enable you to efficiently edit text and ensure that you do not unintentionally remove parts of the text that you want to keep.
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