How to Work with Speech > Speech in Controls > Speech in the Combo Box Control

Control Purpose

This control is used to allow the operator to define data by selecting it from a fixed list.

Depending on what your MCL-Designer V4 subscription includes, this control can have another feature - speech.

This means that the operator can use the keyboard, the touchscreen (if available) or say the intended value. It also enables the use of output information (instructions to be heard by the operator) and the use of spoken words to establish data input order, meaning, using a specific word (= focus word) to set the focus on a specific control within a screen.

This topic only describes the speech related options included in a Combo Box control. For more information on this control, see Adding a Combo Box Control to a Screen.

Step-by-step

1. Add the Combo Box control to the screen by dragging it from the top section of the "Control" tab OR the Style Preview section onto the screen.

2. In the control's properties window, fill in the "General", "Query" and "Layout" tabs as required. See Adding a Combo Box Control to a Screen.

Remember that all speech input data (stored in a variable that is defined in the "General" tab) must be managed with the use of processes in the "Actions" tab.

3. Open the "Speech" tab. By default, all the tab's options are inactive.

This tab is used to activate the control's speech attribute and to define its use (control focus through speech, prompts, accepted word sequence, etc.).

4. Check the "Speech Input" box to enable the control's speech feature.

5. Fill in the available options:

Focus Word

Enter a focus word OR click to select a variable with the intended value. See Variable Usage.

The focus word is used by the operator to set the focus on the current control before input. Ex: The operator uses the focus word to turn the corresponding control into the active element (ready to receive input) in the screen without having to touch the control or use the direction keys of a keyboard.

Focus Prompt

If required, enter the focus prompt OR click to access the Speech Prompt Builder assistant to create it. See The Speech Prompt Builder. The focus prompt's purpose is to provide information or instructions to the operator so that he can use speech input. The focus prompt can be a word, a sound, etc.

Word List

Select an App Word List from the drop-down OR click and select it from the "Word List" table.

This implies the previous creation of an App Word List with the spoken words that represent the items/values contained in Combo Box control.

See Adding an App Word List.

6. Continue to the "Actions" tab and add the necessary processes to handle the speech input received via the current Combo Box control. See Adding a Combo Box Control to a Screen - Actions tab (step 15).

Any future editing in the "Speech" tab, requires clicking in the properties window to apply the changes.

Remember that the variable that receives the speech input is defined in the control's "General" tab.