Using the JAWS Find Command

You can use the JAWS Find command to find specific words or phrases on a Web page. This works on long Web pages even if that information is not currently in view on the screen. The Find command searches from the location of the cursor to the bottom of the document by default, so it is best to start at the top of the page by pressing CTRL+HOME.

1. Open the sample page Jim's Cafe at Innisport and press CTRL+HOME to go to the top of the page.
2. Press CTRL+F to open the JAWS Find dialog box. Focus is in an edit box where you can type a search keyword or phrase. You can press the TAB key to move from one control to another within the dialog box. The different controls include:
• Find what edit box. Press the DOWN or UP arrow keys to move to previously searched for items. You can also open a list of the items in the combo box by pressing ALT+DOWN ARROW and then use first letter navigation to move to an item more quickly. It contains a history of the last 20 entries searched for.
• Context Specific History check box. This check box controls whether or not the Find history is context specific for the current site. The check box is selected by default.
• Maintain history of recent finds. This check box controls whether or not the Find What combo box maintains a history of items searched for. The default is checked.
• Direction radio buttons, the default is to search forward
• Ignore case checkbox, the default is checked, and
• Find, Delete, Clear Find History, and Cancel buttons. The default is the Find button.

NOTE: The JAWS find is the default find in Internet browsers where the virtual cursor is supported. If you want to use the application's native find dialog box, first press INSERT+3 on the numbers row (JAWS pass through keystroke), followed by the keystroke CTRL+F.

3. Let's say you heard that Jim's Cafe offers a really great club sandwich. Do the following to search to see if that is listed on this page. Type the words "club sandwich" and press ENTER. If you started at the top of the page, the words "club sandwich" are not visible on the screen. They are further down on the page. JAWS moves to the phrase and reads the line where the search phrase is found.
4. Use the JAWS Say Word command (INSERT+NUMPAD 5). You should hear the word "club" spoken.
5. Use the JAWS Next Word command (INSERT+RIGHT ARROW). You should hear JAWS say, "sandwich." JAWS moved you to the phrase right at the beginning of the word "club."
6. Press CTRL+HOME to move back to the top of the page.
7. Open the JAWS Find dialog box again by pressing CTRL+F and search for the word "town." You hear that the words around the word you searched for are "sleepy town of Innisport."
8. Press the keystroke to repeat the Find command (F3). You hear that the words around your search word now are "in downtown Innisport." Notice that your search word is actually part of a larger word in this instance.
9. Press F3 again and listen to the text you find.
10. Continue pressing F3 until you get a message that says, "wrapping to top," which indicates JAWS reached the last instance of the word "town" on this particular Web page and continued the search back at the top of the page again. JAWS also wraps when searching backward from the top of the page using SHIFT+F3.

When searching for words or phrases with JAWS, the important keystrokes to remember are:

• CTRL+F to open the JAWS Find dialog box.
• F3 to repeat the search in the forward direction.
• SHIFT+F3 to repeat the search in the backward direction.

NOTE: The JAWS find dialog box is different from the regular find dialog box in other programs. When you are in programs that have their own find dialog box you can still choose the JAWS find command as an alternative if you wish to. In those instances, use the JAWS keystroke INSERT+CTRL+F.

Continue to experiment with this handy feature of JAWS. You will find this a very useful way of searching Web pages for specific information.