2015 VOX - Pittman Stenography

Eclipse VOX
WINTER RETREAT 2015
TORI PITTMAN, BA, FAPR, RDR, CRI, CVR-CM-M, RCP
Who am I, why am I here… who
are you, and why are YOU here?

My background (1986 BA from UNC-CH; 1998 AA from Lenoir
Community College)

Tendinitis and Cross-training

Reporting AND Scoping

Who are you? Have you ever taken a training in Eclipse? How long
have you used the software? What are your goals for this seminar?
RULES OF THE ROAD, AS IT WERE

I’ve got a lot to cover, so I’d like to have section question sessions;
write down your questions, if you can.

DON’T DO ANYTHING TO YOUR CURRENT USER WHILE HERE (UNLESS
YOU’VE BACKED UP SIX WAYS TO SUNDAY!).

Remember that F1 will get you context-sensitive help from wherever
you are in the program.

REMEMBER, too, that I’m a user like you – I don’t know everything,
and I’m willing to learn just like you are! I know what I do and what
works for me, but what I love most about reporting is that it’s a TEAM
SPORT and we can learn from each other!
What I’ll Cover

Tool Bar, Working from Right to Left

User settings

Dictionary syntax

Working with Block Files

Creating Autoincludes

Using Autoreplacements

Efficient Editing

A Quick Practicum, Soup to Nuts, for doing a “job”

Sneak Peak at Development version including… wait for it…
Development version best feature:

Multiple lines of audio recording.

Yes, just like you could run multiple channels in analog, you can now
not only sync your voice recording, but your room recording.
I know you’re going to play with
this, so….

Alt-U

Save Settings

Call it “User Group” or something

Save Settings again

Load settings – pick that one

*we will come back to this later*
Tool Bar, Right to Left

Help

Window

Tools

Format

Block

Edit

Move

Production

Recent

File
Help

Self-Explanatory; right?

Did you know that you had the manual on your computer?

Did you know that you had the visualizers?

Here is where you go to find out what version you’re on (if Support or
anyone asks)

Here is where you find out the notes about the new version changes
Window

Self-Explanatory as well, two key options here (IMHO)

View Toggles

Customize Toolbars
View Toggles

Of interest here:

Toolbars with checkmarks

Automagic

Seating Chart (if you want to use it)
Customize Toolbars

Again, self-explanatory

Add and delete, size and title

MAKE SURE YOUR VOX TOOLBAR IS CHECKED!!!

Or drag your preferred Vox icons to a toolbar you’re already using
Tools

(I feel like a broken record)

Of importance are:

Realtime (do you need to retransmit?)

Connection magic (sharing a document with scopist? Lawyer?
Judge?)

Multimedia (ever have trouble with playback?)

Convert (to another file type?)

Analyze documents (um… yeah)
Format

Look at all the fun things that are here – these are FABULOUS
hyperkey commands to help in editing and production

If you print your finals from Eclipse instead of outputting to ASCII and
running through another system, you may wish to take advantage
of the text attributes like underscore, bold, and Italics.

The single and double space toggles are helpful in building your
block files.
Block, Edit, Move, Production,
Recent, File

Ways to manipulate your text – notice the shortcut keys here

Production has a cool feature in it

Recent

File
Vox toolbars
USER SETTINGS

The Brains of the Software – know them, and you can find anything

User

Input, Realtime, Translate

Paragraphs, Document

Edit

Display

Numbers

Programming ** (not for the faint of heart!)
BUTTONS TO IGNORE (they’re steno)

Key/Correction/Spell/Stitch Modes

Translate tab with “untrans” because Vox doesn’t GET untranslates

Integral Prefix/Suffix

Translation Magic/Fix Misstrokes

Phonetics Table

Prefix/Suffix Definitions

Slop Strokes

Scan to Untranslate
Buttons Specific to Vox (there are
MANY more)

Follow behind recognition

Allow deletion and rewriting

Flush automatically on pause

Defer all corrections (why?)

Train new words automatically

Speech auto-play

Plus all kinds of commands (basically, Eclipse is NOT more geared to
steno; it’s geared to TRANSCRIPT PRODUCTION AND REALTIME!)
Let me reiterate that for you…
 ECLIPSE
IS NOT MORE GEARED TO STENO
 IT’S
GEARED TO TRANSCRIPT
PRODUCTION AND REALTIME

*it’s just that steno happened first and the features that are there were added
at the request of users; we have the same ability to request add-ons*
USER

Import and Export Settings – Why? How?

Save and Load Settings – Why? How?

Create New User – Why?

Dictionaries

Advanced
Input, Realtime, Translate

THE MAIN THINGS TO KNOW FOR INPUT: Writer = Speech; Realtime
from COM Port (yes, USB is a COM port for this) Keyboard layout =
Speech. Everything else on this page is part of the “ignore” stuff

FOR REALTIME: Flush delay at 2000 ms. Everything else is personal
choice. Here is where you set up your realtime output (when you’re
ready!) This is also where you set up your audio.

FOR TRANSLATE: only some of these are important to us, but they
can be powerful (Convert answer, insert missing by lines, 1st conflict
by choice [hello, testing!]
Input

Setup

Follow behind

Allow deletion and rewriting

Flush automatically on pause

Defer corrections **

Train new words automatically
If you Defer Corrections

To apply your corrections, you’ll do this:

Shift-Control-V

This gives you control
Paragraphs and Document

This is where you set how your pages will look. Margins, indents,
page box, time coding, etc

This is where you can insert a stock footer if you’re printing from
Eclipse

You can change your fonts here (be careful! Remember that your
state may still have rules on the books for what font and pitch you
must produce your transcripts in)

You can create your own special paragraph type if you want to!
Edit

What keyboard do you use (please say Hyperkeys)

Do you use macros? Do you know where they live??

What’s a by line?

What about Spell Options?

And look at all of those checkboxes!

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE YOUR LIFE SO MUCH EASIER!

BUT WAIT… THERE’S MORE!
DISPLAY

Make your eyes happy

Assist when making a quick run-through for a rough draft

DID I MENTION COLORS??
NUMBERS

Oh, look we can tweak it even more

Special formatting (height? Patent numbers?)

HAVE A PARTY HERE! So much fun – it is totally individual
PROGRAMMING…
… Here there be dragons

When we first started working with Eclipse, Jeremy used to say,
“Don’t go here unless someone from Support tells you to.” He’s
lightened up a little bit.

Remember, some of these were in our “not applicable list”

Autoreplacements… many of us are used to these from the old days
of Word and Word Perfect. Basically keyboard macros to either
make up for “t-e-h” or so we don’t have to type
“supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and can instead type “scfg” or
some such combo…

Proceed with caution and use your F1 key to assist
How about a quick break? A few
questions?
WORKING WITH DICTIONARIES
Dictionary Syntax

Steno = voice steno, what DRAGON gave Eclipse

Text = what you want Eclipse to give the realtime/transcript output

Created = self-explanatory

Modified = self-explanatory

Used = self-explanatory

# = number of times used in translation

AI = if it’s used with Artificial Intelligence, # of contexts

Strokes

Words
Steno = VOX Steno

Only words

Dragon “wrong words” will come out here (alright, for example)

Your special vocabulary that you added (keek, kak, etc)

NO FORMATTING HERE!!
Text = What You Want Translated

Correct words (alright = all right)

Your special words (keek = {Q})

FORMATTING FOR ECLIPSE *****

CONFLICTS

AUTOINCLUDES
Eclipse Dictionary and Conflicts

So why, exactly, do I even NEED to make conflicts?

Sound-alike words that Dragon consistently misses
(\were\we’re\where)

Words that Dragon has singularly (blackmail = \black
male\blackmail)

Words with capitalization (\street\Street)

Words with punctuation (\yes\{,}yes\yes{,})

Words with triggers (\chapter\Chapter{#G})
How do I make a conflict?

Syntax is important

Remember the backslash goes before every choice

If it contains punctuation, remember to use the braces {}

Consider that the first entry should be what Dragon gave you (use
this as your standard procedure)

Learn how to use the Special Characters and Triggers! (like the cap
next, cap previous, number trigger)
On the Fly

You need to determine what you’re going to say for the “on-the-fly”
dictionary triggers.

Then you need to create the words in Dragon (I say “mish-one” etc)

You are unlimited in how many entries you want to have (I currently
have 20)

Make sure you have your OTF dictionary set up in your … USER
SETTINGS… REMEMBER HOW DO TO THAT????

In a realtime file, I always have my realtime screen open and my
OTF dictionary so I can see the entries AND so I can make them,
well, er, on the fly.
Tori’s tip on On the Fly

Don’t do it the way I did it… it’s all wonky.

Start with the number first.

Eclipse sorts alpha-numeric

So I should consider retraining it to be: 1mish, 2mish, 3mish, 4mish,
etc. We know I have time for that…
Time for Questions about Dictionary
Blanks, Blocks, and Autoincludes

What does that mean?

Blanks are fields that you can fill in with variable information

Blocks are the forms that you use with every job (title page,
certificate page, for example)

Autoincludes are files that you can bring in with a voice macro or a
keystroke macro
Blanks

Quick tutorial
****REMEMBER THAT I ONLY TEACH USING HYPERKEYS****
Control and A will bring up a screen that says, conveniently, “Add
blank”
Look at the choices! Lots of ways to customize EVERY SINGLE BLANK
YOU MAKE!
“Use List”?

What list?

Think of things like: days of the week, months of the year, counties
that you have cases venued in, judges’ names, cities you report in.

I’m only covering the basics here, but what if you didn’t have to
type in an attorney’s name and firm name and email address ever
again?

Well… you can program lists to do just that. Advanced formatting
using the + and @ and things like that. Check documentation!
Other Boxes Here

Label – this is what shows up to prompt you what to type in

Field Size/Adjustable

Variable and Prompt for Contents (“wit name” for example)

Delete line, last field, capitalize content, right flush – LAST FIELD IS
IMPORTANT… if you use the quick keys to fill in the blanks, if you
don’t have “last field” checked on your actual last field (usually a by
line before testimony) Eclipse will go through the whole document
looking for another blank and take you to the end!!!
Working with Lists

When you’re using the Add Blank feature, remember that the file
you use as the list has to be EXACTLY the same name, capitalization
and spacing, etc, as the file you want to retrieve from.

RIGHT? Makes sense. Eclipse is going to look for the literal thing you
told it to look for.

When building your lists (I know you’re already doing it) make sure
you keep a list handy of exactly what you called them… is it
“month” or “months” or “Month” or “Months” – get it? Be very
meticulous.
Mathematical

This is a tidbit that Jeremy added a few iterations back. Someone,
somewhere wanted to include their bill at the back of their
transcript. He developed this to help them do that

Don’t ask me, because I don’t know (I use Quicken) but you can
either (1) watch a visualizer or (2) click the F1 button for contextsensitive help or (3) call support and ask them about how it works.
Autoincludes

So now that you’ve got these cool files with blanks in them…

How do you get them in your transcript automatically?!

You make an autoinclude… in your DICTIONARY! (aren’t you glad
we covered that first?)

You can also add some to your translation setup
Defining an Autoinclude

If it’s a file you want to bring in using a voice MACRO, figure out
what you want to dictate to bring it in

Train that voice code

Create the dictionary entry

Open Dictionary

Control D

Type in Voice code and enter

THEN… fun Eclipse dictionary work…
Adding the Autoinclude

You’ve used Control D to make the voice code and hit enter

Dictionary dialog comes up

SPECIAL ENTRIES or CONTROL E

Scroll to Autoinclude (or tap the “A” key until you get there)

YOUR BLOCK FILES FOLDER HAS COME UP!

Pick the block file you want to bring in using this voice code

Ta-da!
Let’s Talk about those a bit…
How about another quick break?
Autoreplacements

What are they?

Why would you use them?

Where do they live?!
Programming Tab (dragons)

Try it

Yep, you have to physically acknowledge you want to modify
something there. He wasn’t kidding

What would you use this for?
Efficient Editing
Efficient Editing… from a scopist’s
perspective

My background is FIRST as a scopist

Eclipse is NOT Word or WordPerfect (word processor) but an EDITOR.

No reason to only move one letter at a time

Use HYPERKEYS!

Make job dictionaries (apply them from multiple days)

Reporter-specific INI files (or agency-specific)
Hyperkey Definitions

Where do they live?

Yay – Edit tab, Keyboard

YOU CAN PRINT THE LIST OUT!

Some are Windows related (Ctrol X, C, V, for example)

Some are Intuitive, some are less so

Some are downright annoying (multiscan)
Job Dictionaries

I make job dictionaries for cases.

As soon as I know there’s a second day of a case, I look at my first
day’s dictionary and create a job dictionary (kind of like on the fly,
but “more”)

You can apply a previous day’s job dictionary to any file you’re
editing in

You can ADD a job dictionary to a file you’re translating WHILE
you’re translating
Reporter- or Agency-Specific INI

If you work for different agencies with different preferences, get their
document settings

Makes for easier “by” line if nothing else

Your page layout and lines per page will reflect what they want (I
have an agency that only has 22 lines per page – in DC)
Let’s Have Another Gab Fest

What’s on your mind?

We’ll do a quick “practicum” next and then the good stuff in the
new version

(FYI, JEREMY IS TEACHING DEVELOPMENT VERSION STUFF TODAY AND
TOMORROW, SO I’M ONLY HITTING A COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS)
LET’S TAKE 10 MINUTES HERE
A Quick Practicum, Soup to Nuts

DON’T LEAVE YOUR EQUIPMENT IN THE CAR OVERNIGHT – why
subject computer equipment to fluctuating temperatures?!

Always keep your equipment in the same place so you don’t leave
the house without it (or better, put it by the front door the night
before!)

HAVE A RHYTHM for setup and breakdown (becomes routine so you
know it’s where it’s supposed to be)

Set up everything before you turn ANYTHING on.
This is where we play….

I have a file to dictate

We’ll set up the recordings and a Connection Magic session (not
Bridge Mobile, though)

Then let’s play with the file.
New Version Highlights

Setting up the audio recording

Let’s try it out
And that’s a wrap…

Let’s have a gabfest

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SITTING THROUGH THIS! SEE YOU IN
VEGAS?
I am happy to chat…

You can find me on Facebook (I’m there A LOT)

Or you can email me at: ToriRDR@gmail.com

Or Tori@tori-pittman.com

THANK YOU.