Java

JavaTM Accessibility Utilities

AccessibilityMonitor Example
Java Accessibility Utilities


Starting AccessibilityMonitor

If you have completed the actions listed in Before Using the Examples, AccessibilityMonitor starts automatically any time you start a Java application.

Screen shot of AccessibilityMonitor

Using AccessibilityMonitor

AccessibilityMonitor contains at the top a check box, which, when checked, causes AccessibilityMonitor to monitor all PropertyChange events on all of the non-transient Accessible user interface objects in the Java Virtual Machine. Transient user interface objects are those which are only created in response to a query of their parent (or a more distant ancestor), but which don't otherwise have a life of their own in the Java Virtual Machine (for example cells of a table or list, which aren't actual AWT components except for the brief moment in time during which they are drawn to the screen). Transient objects contain the AccessibleState.TRANSIENT state in their AccessibleStateSet.  AccessibilityMonitor registers an interest in the events by using calls to the AccessibilityEventMonitor class from the Java Accessibility Utilities package whenever you click on the "Accessibility PropertyChange Events" checkbox.

The bulk of the window contains a table listing the PropertyChange events that is updated periodically as the events occur. The first column of the table contains the Accessible Name of the object which generated the event (these will often be blank as many objects [generally container objects] don't have Accessible names). The second column contains the name of the property which changed (generating the event). The third and fourth columns contain string representations of the old and new values (respectively) of that property.

Picture of the panel that allows you to manipulate the object's AccessibleActionsPicture of the panel that allows you to manipulate the object's AccessibleSelectionPicture of the panel that allows you to manipulate the object's AccessibleHypertext

Holding down the right-most mouse button on an event in either the first or second row of the table will display a popup menu that provides options for you to get additional accessible information from the object.  The first option will provide you with information similar to that provided by the Ferret example.  The second option allows you to manipulate the AccessibleActions of the object, the third option allows you to manipulate the AccessibleSelections of the object, and the fourth option allows you to manipulate the AccessibleHypertext links of the object.   If you hold down the right-most mouse button on either the third or fourth column, the same menu will appear if and only if either the value (old or new) represents an Accessible object itself (e.g. if the AccessibleChild property is the type of event, then the event represents either the birth or death of an AccessibleChild of the object which generated the event), and the panels which come up are for that old or new Accessible object. You can bring up an AccessibilityPanel without using the mouse by first selecting the table cell you are interested in, and then choosing the AccessibilityPanel from the Panels menu.
 


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