Using NVDA Configuration Profile

You might skip one powerful feature of NVDA, that is the configuration profile.

Configuration profile lets users create different settings to be used in different situations. For instance, you want NVDA to read faster with different voice and no punctuations when browsing the web with Firefox. While, for other applications, it just uses the normal settings.

NVDA has two activation modes, manual and auto activation. For manual mode, users need to activate it manually as needed. While, profile is automatically activated in the auto mode whenever its associated triggers are in place. For example, configuration profile A will be automatically activated if the Firefox (as the trigger) has focus. And then, if focus is changed to other application, the normal or its associated configuration profile will be activated.

This article will show you how to create one auto-activated configuration profile for Firefox with following settings:

• Using Minh Du voice from Sao Mai voice SAPI-5 compliant TTS. Note, this is the Vietnamese engine developed by Sao Mai Center for the Blind.
• Speech rate at 90.
• Reading with no punctuations.

Steps to do:

1. Open Firefox and press "NVDA+control+p" to open configuration profile dialogue.
2. Use "tab" to find and activate the New button and type the name "Minh Du" for it.
3. Press "tab" to the Use this profile for radio group and down arrow to choose "Firefox". Press Enter to create and then Escape to close the configuration profile dialogue.
4. Press "NVDA+n" to open the NVDA menu, choose Preferences and Synthesizers. Or, press "NVDA+control+s".
5. Use arrow keys to choose SAPI-5 and Enter to save and close the dialogue.
6. Press "NVDA+control+left/right arrow" (laptop: "NVDA+control+shift+left/right arrow") to choose the voice option.
7. Press "NVDA+control+up/down arrow" (Laptop: "NVDA+control+shift+up/down arrow") to choose Minh Du voice.
8. Repeat step 6 and 7 to set the speech rate option to 90%.
9. Press "NVDA+control+v" to open Voice dialogue and "tab" to Punctuation/symbol level option.
10. Use arrow keys to choose None and press enter to save and close the dialogue.

Now, every time Firefox gets focus, Minh Du configuration profile will be automatically activated. If you want to change settings for this profile later, just move focus to Firefox window and make the changes. Note, you can make most of NVDA settings except the ones in the General dialogue.

In the NVDA Basics training module, it has a chapter which introduces in details for features of the configuration profile. The book can be purchased on NV Access website. For Vietnamese translation copy, please fill the form to request it for free here.