ClickScan

ClickScan, a Windows computer utility,  is an easy way to make some applications and web pages more accessible for single switch, and other users.

(Updated 11/5/2024 with the new Drag Mode and Alternate Triggers)

ClickScan + an adapted mouse = Easy single switch scanning

Some programs and many web browsers offer a simple means for navigating click-able items using keystrokes to move a highlight (or focus) from one click-able item to the next. A different keystroke can be then be used to select the desired click-able item - just like clicking on it with a regular mouse. If your user can use 2 switches and has a typical "switch interface"  then they can just plug 2 switches into the appropriate switch interface inputs to produce the desired scan. Most switch interfaces, however, can't help the single switch user accomplish the same thing. ClickScan was designed to provide a sequence of keystrokes to facilitate an "autoscan."

Many web browsers, for example, allow you to move the focus from one click-able item to the next using the Tab key. An item that has the focus can be "clicked" using the Space bar or Enter key. ClickScan provides this sequence. With the setup example shown below, when you click on the big red button ClickScan starts sending Tab keys at a rate of one Tab every 6 seconds to the most recently active program. A second click on the big red button causes ClickScan to send the Space key for making a selection. Of course, ClickScan can be configured to send other keystrokes, and provide other scan rates than the previous, default example. 

When ClickScan is scanning its background color changes to green to let you know that it is sending the highlight key sequence. If nothing seems to be happening, take this to mean that ClickScan is sending its highlight sequence to an different program than you are expecting. Just click into the program window where you want scanning to occur and re-hover the cursor over the ClickScan button.

"Target Mode" allows you to provide a timed cause/effect experience. You simply identify 2 clickable targets like the "Play" and "Pause" buttons in a media player and when your user activates their switch the media will play and then pause after a defined interval. 

The new "Drag Mode" makes it easier for some users to perform drag and drop operations using a mouse or on touch screens. Once Drag Mode is activated the user selects a starting point followed by selecting an ending point. Then, ClickScan takes care of the drag operation. Note: this method most likely will not  work using touch input in common, popular web browsers  (Do to the lack in AutoHotkey for directly responding to Pointer Down events ). However, Drag Mode does work in some WebKit based browsers for Windows including Midori and Pale Moon.

Also new, you can now use any switch interface to as an "Alternate Trigger"  to click the big red ClickScan button. Just choose a preferred trigger - including joystick buttons - from the ClickScan settings. Choose the "none" option to disable 

To use ClickScan:

1. Open ClickScan and if required, adjust its settings for the intended target application as described below.

2. Open the desired application, or web page. Identify click targets as needed.

3. Plug your user's switch into an adapted mouse, or switch interface set to send left mouse click.

4. Hover the mouse cursor over the big red button in ClickScan and you are ready to go.

How to modify ClickScan's settings

ClickScan's settings revealed

To reveal all of ClickScan's controls press the ` key (found in the upper left of your keyboard below the Esc key.) ClickScan will move to the middle of the screen and show its controls. Note that when the controls are visible ClickSan is Off. The controls allw you to adjust:

Scan Highlight:     Use this menu to select the keystroke needed to move the focus (or highlight) to the next click-able item.

Scan Select:         Use this menu to select the keystroke needed to select the highlighted item.

Scan Rate:            Use this menu to select the rate at which the Scan Highlight is sent in seconds. The Scan Rate also defines an interval between clicks in Target Mode.

Mask Time:           Use this menu to select an interval in seconds during which additional switch hits are ignored.

Target Mode:        Check this for providing a timed cause/effect experience. This mode will click 2 targets in a timed sequence defined by the Scan Rate setting.

Drag Mode:         Check this for easy drag and drop. When you do the Grey ClickScan background indicates Drag Mode is selected but is not active. Click the big red ClickScan button to activate Drag Mode at which point the background turns Yellow. Click the starting point - the background turns Pink. Click the ending point - ClickScan performs the drag operation and the background turns Yellow again. Click the big red ClickScan button to deactivate Drag Mode. Drag Mode will work on touch screens in the Windows desktop and in many Windows applications, but not in most common web browsers. However, Drag Mode does work in some WebKit based browsers for Windows including Midori and Pale Moon.

Alternate Triggers: Use any USB switch interface like Hitch, Atech, Swifty or Bluetooth  interface like the Pretorian  iSwitch or Applicator to activate ClickScan. This way you don't have to worry about the mouse cursor on an adapted mouse drifting away from the big red ClickScan button. /alternate Triggers are not saved/recalled between ClickScan sessions.

You can hide the controls by either pressing the ` key again, or by clicking one of the 4 location buttons. ClickScan will remember your settings saving them in a file called cs.ini that must reside in the same folder as the ClickScan program (ClickScan.exe.)

If you want to position ClickScan somewhere other than one of the corners, you can drag it to another location, but when you reopen ClickScan it will appear in the corner where it was positioned last by one of the 4 location buttons.

If you set the Scan Rate to 0 (zero,) then Click Scan will just send the Scan Highlight key to the most recent active application instead of starting a scan sequence. This can be useful for programs that have built-in scan support. It allows you to set the scan activation trigger to some keystroke rather than defining left-click as the scan trigger. This way you still use the mouse normally and the switch user will have switch scan access.

If you check the "Target Mode" box you can provide your user with a timed cause/effect experience that works well with media players. You can define targets like the "Play" and "Pause" buttons in the media player that will be activated as a sequence when you user activates the ClickScan button. The interval between the Play activation and the Pause activation is defined by picking a value from the Scan Rate menu. You identify the position of the first target (the Play button) by hovering the mouse cursor over it and using the Alt-1 key combo to record its position (Hold the Alt key, press the 1 key.) The second target position (the Pause button) is recorded using the Alt-2 key combo. If the Scan Rate is set to 0 (zero) then only the first target is clicked. ClickScan takes care of moving mouse cursor and clicking the targets you recorded. It will wait for your user to release their switch before initiating the sequence. The Mask Time works in Target Mode too.

ClickScan is a simplified version of the more full featured  SwitchWedge or ButtonBar utilities.

You can download ClickScan Here.