Add "Only in edit controls" mode for typing echo

[cary-rowen]

Link to issue number:

Fixes #16848, related #10331, #3027

Summary of the issue:

Currently NVDA can only toggle typing echo (characters and words) on or off globally. Users want more granular control to only have typing feedback in edit controls, while keeping it off in other contexts like listss or non-edit areas.

Description of user facing changes

• Added a new option "Only in edit controls" for both "Speak typed characters" and "Speak typed words" settings in Keyboard Settings
• Instead of checkboxes, these are now combo boxes with three options:
  • Off: No typing echo
  • On: Echo all typed text
  • Only in edit controls: Only echo text typed in edit fields
• Updated relevant documentation in the user guide

Description of development approach

The implementation:

1. Added a TypingEcho enum in configFlags.py with values:
   • OFF (0)
   • ON (1)
   • EDIT_CONTROLS (2)
2. Changed keyboard typing echo configuration from boolean to integer values
3. Updated speech.py, behaviors.py and inputComposition.py to use the new enum
4. Modified settings dialog to use combo box instead of checkbox
5. Updated documentation

Testing strategy:

Tested the following scenarios:

1. Basic functionality:

• Open Notepad (edit control)
  • Set to "Only in edit controls"
  • Type text - should be announced
  • Verify both character and word echo settings
• Explorer file lists(non-edit control)
  • Type text - should not be announced
• Test all three modes (Off, On, Only in edit controls)

2. Different contexts:

• Web browser input fields
• Rich text editors
• Read-only text areas
• Terminal windows

Known issues with pull request:

None identified.

Code Review Checklist:

• Documentation:
  • Change log entry
  • User Documentation
  • Developer / Technical Documentation
  • Context sensitive help for GUI changes
• Testing:
  • Unit tests
  • System (end to end) tests
  • Manual testing
• UX of all users considered:
  • Speech
  • Braille
  • Low Vision
  • Different web browsers
  • Localization in other languages / culture than English
• API is compatible with existing add-ons.
• Security precautions taken.

@coderabbitai summary

[Adriani90]

Great work on this, thank you.

[Adriani90]

I think this needs a changelog entry as well.

[AppVeyorBot]

• PASS: Translation comments check.
• PASS: License check.
• PASS: Unit tests.
• FAIL: Lint check. See test results and lint artifacts for more information.
• PASS: System tests (tags: installer NVDA).
• Build (for testing PR): https://ci.appveyor.com/api/buildjobs/2b1503020gqhri7g/artifacts/output/l10nUtil.exe nvda_snapshot_pr17505-34744,8a5bed98.exe
• CI timing (mins):
  INIT 0.0,
  INSTALL_START 1.2,
  INSTALL_END 0.9,
  BUILD_START 0.0,
  BUILD_END 25.6,
  TESTSETUP_START 0.0,
  TESTSETUP_END 0.3,
  TEST_START 0.0,
  TEST_END 18.7,
  FINISH_END 0.1

See test results for failed build of commit 8a5bed9868

[AppVeyorBot]

• PASS: Translation comments check.
• PASS: License check.
• PASS: Unit tests.
• FAIL: Lint check. See test results and lint artifacts for more information.
• PASS: System tests (tags: installer NVDA).
• Build (for testing PR): https://ci.appveyor.com/api/buildjobs/8dcauldlcfjvaodn/artifacts/output/l10nUtil.exe nvda_snapshot_pr17505-34752,259e6d54.exe
• CI timing (mins):
  INIT 0.0,
  INSTALL_START 1.2,
  INSTALL_END 0.9,
  BUILD_START 0.0,
  BUILD_END 24.6,
  TESTSETUP_START 0.0,
  TESTSETUP_END 0.3,
  TEST_START 0.0,
  TEST_END 18.6,
  FINISH_END 0.2

See test results for failed build of commit 259e6d5452

[CyrilleB79]

Very nice addition @cary-rowen! Thanks.

I have some questions:

1. Shouldn't there be a config upgrade? I.e. a value in the old config should remain in the new one.
2. I think that "Only in edit controls" should become the default behaviour; I guess that most people would be happy and moreover, it's a security fix as described in NVDA reading out words it shouldn't if 'speak typed words' is on #10331.
3. If NV Access reviewers (@SaschaCowley or @seanbudd) do not accept the new behaviour to be the default for now, should we use a feature flag to be able to change the default in the future?
4. With the new option, can typing be heard when typing in an edit field but when text is not actually written, e.g.:
   • In cmd, when initiating an ssh connection, typing the password outputs no visible character
   • In a read-only edit field, e.g. the synth field of NVDA speech settings panel.

[nvdaes]

@cary-rowen , thanks for this.
I think that you may add a helper function in globalCommands, similar to the toggleBooleanValue function, for config flags, and use it for toggling typed characters and words.
For reference, see toggleBooleanValue in globalCommands.py, introduced in PR #16994

[cary-rowen]

Hi @CyrilleB79
Thank you for your review! I'd like to clarify your last point about special input scenarios. Are you asking whether the new "Only in edit controls" option works as expected in these cases:

1. When typing passwords in cmd during SSH connection:

• Should typed characters be announced in this case?

2. In read-only edit fields (like the synthesizer field in NVDA speech settings):

• Though it looks like an edit field, it's read-only
• I've tested that typed characters are not announced here with the new option, as no text can be entered
• Is this the expected behavior?

Could you please confirm if these behaviors are what you're asking about, and what the expected behavior should be in these cases?

Many thanks

[cary-rowen]

Regarding default settings, I'd also love to hear suggestions from NV Access, I'd personally like to see new options provided as defaults for the same reasons as @CyrilleB79.

@nvdaes
Thanks for your suggestion, I will implement a helper method to simplify the code.

[CyrilleB79]

@cary-rowen IMO, the expected behaviour with the new option in ssh password case and in read-only edit fields such as synthesizer is that NVDA should not speak anything since nothing is actually visible on the screen.

[amirmahdifard]

thaaaaanks! should I really beleave that from now on we can get rid of the t. This pc 10 of 18, or space. playback stopped, and space. Playback resumed, with out needing to install the best ever addon made by @cary-rowen that addon was the best, because I alwayes liked and needed to keep typed characters and words, but I hated how they are announced everywhere, I was thinking, how stupid, the option it self is called speeck ('"typed"') characters and words, but why whe were hearing it everywhere? whe are not typing anything! whe are using our keyboard to use and explor our computer! but from now on, at least we don't have to use an addon to solv this really annoying this. And, really thank you @cary-rowen for resolving such problem for us until now. befor your addon releace on the stor, I was using an old and less buggy vertion of an unknown addon called typing settings to solv this for my self. greate feature!

[Adriani90]

@cary-rowen speaking typed characters outside of edit fields does not make sense anyway, because they are not typed, but only pressed. For that we have the input help feature already if people need to learn the keyboard layout outside of edit fields.
So unless there is a valid use case for having characters being spoken outside of edit fields,
Why don't you just change the current setting when enabled to be valid only for edit fields?
In this case we could let it be a checkbox and don't need three options.

[amirmahdifard]

@Adriani90 hi. No, I also don't agree for removal of that in my opinion because, input help is a thing, but this is stil needed for some people where they need to press some keys and need to be announced for them what they've preased and what came up, or what happened as a result, while some newbie people need to turn on input help, press a fue keys that they need, and turn of input help, and make sure they've pressed or pressing the correct key. Also, for a groupe of users with old habit, better to not remove it but rename it instead for example, from on, to everywhere. so the options are as folows. off, in edit boxes only, everywhare.

[cary-rowen]

@CyrilleB79
wrote:

the expected behaviour with the new option in ssh password case and in read-only edit fields such as synthesizer is that NVDA should not speak anything since nothing is actually visible on the screen.

I agree that there shouldn't be any feedback in the read-only edit box after enabling the new options introduced by this PR. This is currently as expected.
However, I would like to have feedback when typing the password in ssh, unlike other password fields, in the normal password field NVDA will report 'star' when typing the password.
In the SSH password field, the characters are actually entered, they are just not displayed, unlike read-only fields (which do not produce any input)

cc @seanbudd

[cary-rowen]

I agree with @amirmahdifard I am totally not in favor of removing the original mode.

[CyrilleB79]

I agree that there shouldn't be any feedback in the read-only edit box after enabling the new options introduced by this PR. This is currently as expected. However, I would like to have feedback when typing the password in ssh, unlike other password fields, in the normal password field NVDA will report 'star' when typing the password. In the SSH password field, the characters are actually entered, they are just not displayed, unlike read-only fields (which do not produce any input)

It's worth noting that visually, nothing appears on the screen. It's quite a bad design IMO, because users cannot know if and how many characters they enter (or delete) when pressing a key. Though, sighted people and blind ones are equally impacted in this case. IMO, this issue should not be a reason to hold off this PR.

[amirmahdifard]

@cary-rowen but, if you haven't allready, please rename the "on" to everywhere" because on does not have any meaning anymore in this cace, because both ways are on, but we are only indicating where to announce the characters and words. In edit boxes only, everywhere, or off "do not announce anywhere at all". Thanks. Once that's done, this pr is completely done and ok like the addons which were tryed to impliment this feature. this is ready to go and i'm gonna excitedly wait for the next releace which I can uninstall addon and have this feature natively with in nvda it self.

[XLTechie]

Not very important, but Rather than "Everywhere", I would probably call it "Always" to contrast with the "Only" of "Only in edit controls". I personally agree with the suggestion to make "only" the new default, or upgraded version of the current "enabled" state. By far, I think this is what users would have wanted "enabled" to mean all along, and it doesn't seem to be a very harmful change even if someone dislikes it.

[XLTechie]

However, I would like to have feedback when typing the password in ssh

Doesn't the "Speak passwords in all enhanced terminals" setting in Advanced, already cover this situation?