Configuring Ink Preferences

Culled from the now defunct Newton PDA, Inkwell is Mac OS X’s stylus-based input technology. Inkwell facilitates the input of digital ink (drawings, signatures, and so on), the conversion of handwriting into text, and the execution of commands via the stylus. The latter differentiates itself from the use of the stylus as a mouse, by permitting the operator to input Command-key shortcuts without the use of the keyboard.

To utilize Inkwell, you need to use a third-party graphics tablet because Apple does not manufacture one of its own. Wacom Technology (www.wacom.com) provides the most popular options. After you acquire a tablet, make sure to download and install the latest drivers from the manufacturer’s Web site.

Ink preferences pane

To configuration of Inkwell is done for the Ink preferences pane located in the Hardware section of the System Preferences application as shown in Figure 13-1. The Ink Preference pane is divided up into three panels Settings, Gestures, and Word List as shown in Figure 13-19.

Figure 13-19: Before Inkwell can be used, click the On button to the right of Handwriting recognition is, at the top of the Ink preferences pane.

Note

The Ink preferences pane will present itself in the System Preferences application only if a graphics tablet is attached to the Macintosh being administered.

Settings

The principal functions of the Settings panel depicted in Figure 13-19, are to configure Inkwell to accommodate a users writing style and to increase reliability for handwriting to text conversion. The panel contains adjustments for spacing of characters and words, the selection of language (English, French, German), and the selection of the font to be used to display recognized text in the Ink pad. Apple recommends using the Apple Casual font and to emulate its style for handwriting input to increase reliability of character recognition.

In addition to the previously mentioned selections, other options are Allow me to write anywhere, recognize Western European characters, Show Ink window, and Show Ink in menu bar.

• Allow me to write anywhere specifies whether your writing is to be used solely with the Ink Pad, or in any application that supports handwriting input. The Inkpad is contained in the Ink window, a floating toolbar/palette that is available in any application and is the principal interface for handwriting input.

• Recognize Western European characters specifies whether to recognize language-specific marks incorporated into various western European languages.

• Show Ink window specifies whether the Ink widow should be present while using Mac OS X.

• Show Ink in menu bar specifies whether the Finder’s menu bar should contain an Ink menu, as shown in Figure 13-20.

  
  Figure 13-20: The Ink menu provides the ability to enable or disable Write Anywhere, Show or Hide Ink Window, and open the Ink preferences pane.

Using the Restore Defaults button reverts any changes made in the Settings panel back to factory defaults, while the Options button opens an additional sheet for greater granular control of handwriting recognition as shown in Figure 13-21. These settings include speed controls for delay of handwriting recognition, distance of movement required for input, and delay before the stylus can be used as a mouse. The other selections available in this sheet include Recognize my handwriting when pen moves away from tablet, Hide pointer while writing, and Play sound while writing.

Figure 13-21: Consider the Restore Defaults button as your insurance policy against wreaking havoc in the Settings panel Options sheet.

Gestures

The Gestures panel, shown in Figure 13-22, contains a predefined list of characters that can be enabled or disabled on an item-by-item basis that is used in lieu of entering nonprintable characters such as spaces and tabs and performing actions such as undo, copy, and paste.

Figure 13-22: Though not as complex as using Palm’s Graffiti method of data input, one must avail themselves of gestures in order to properly use Inkwell’s handwriting recognition.

Tip

Take a screen shot of the Gestures preference pane and print it out.

Word List

The Word List panel allows for the input of words that Inkwell has difficulty recognizing. This list is typically used for the input of names of people and places, foreign words incorporated into the specified language in the setting panel, and out-of-the ordinary lexicon.

Ink window

As stated previously, the Ink window is a floating toolbar/palette that is available in any application and is the principal interface for handwriting input. The toolbar, aptly titled Ink, contains a series of icons that run horizontally across it. These clickable icons facilitate the switching between using the stylus for handwriting recognition or as a mouse, the selection of modifier keys such as z, Shift, Option, and Control, and the opening and closing of the Ink pad. It also contains a pop-up menu that opens the Ink contents within Mac OS X’s help system or the Ink preference pane.

The Ink pad as depicted in Figure 13-23, is a predefined scratchpad where you can write text, enter gestures, and draw simple pictures. There are two buttons at the bottom-left side of the Ink pad to change between writing and drawing input. There are also two buttons on the right side titled Clear and Send. The Clear button clears out any contents entered in the Ink pad, and the Send button enters the contents of the Ink pad in the document you are working on. Finally, if a word is not recognized properly, hold the Control key and click on the word intended for correction. A pop-up list of words will appear that contain of Inkwell’s handwriting recognition dictionary and words that were entered in the Word List panel.

Figure 13-23: Given enough time, Mac OS X’s Ink pad will have you gesturing at the computer.