All, Just an update on the status of WE4Java. The next release should be coming out soon (within a week or so). This version will introduce a new helper dialog, the Navigation Screen. Press F8 to pop up the Navigation Screen at any time. This screen has 3 main panes; a navigation tree, an information pane, and a status pane. The navigation tree allows you to scroll through the accessible hierarchy for the current window. What this means is that you can now read all those pesky items you couldn't access before like grayed out items and places your tab wouldn't take you like scroll bars, fillers, and separators. It also means you can read message dialogs that weren't being properly recognized before by arrowing down through the tree to read the message label and the buttons.
The information pane shows you basic info about each object as you arrow through the tree. The Accessible Name, description, role name, etc. Also, if the currently selected item on the tree is a text or label, the info pane shows the content of the text area or label. The status pane shows details about the object selected on the tree such as its size, where it is located both within its immediate container and on the screen overall. If an Accessible action is available for the object, this is also displayed in the status pane. You can jump among the 3 panes with shortcut keys; alt+t for the navigation tree, alt+I for the information pane, and alt+s for the status pane. What I am working on now is the ability to be able to trigger actions from the navigation screen. For example, you should be able to move focus to an item you find in the tree or move your mouse to the selected object. You should also be able to perform simple actions, such as toggling the state of a check box or radio button, by simply arrowing down to it in the tree and pressing space without having to get out of the navigation screen. I think the Navigation Screen will address many of the outstanding issues people have with getting around in an application and knowing what exactly is being displayed. More soon.
