No-nonsenseTTS (Text to Speech)

[R.L.]

Using this little 3rd party freeware commandline test to speech tool called TimeTeller (only 11kb, freeware, freely distributable for non commercial purpose):

http://www.kokpeter.dds.nl/Download/index.htm#TimeTeller

(you need to have vb and MS TTS engine to run it, XP has both by default but not 9x)

I made a script to quickly read the text you highligted. With this script, you PC will speak whatever you highlighted immediately with a keypress to the <PrintScreen> button (it will also send the text to the clipboard). And if you want it to stop reading, just press the <Printscreen> button again. To quit the script, just press <f2>.

To run the script, put TimeTeller as TT.exe in the same directory as your script; or you can download the whole thing here and upzip it

NonosenseTTS.zip(107kb)

expandcollapse popup

$G_SZVERSION = "ClipSpeak"

If WinExists($G_SZVERSION) Then 
   Exit
EndIf
AutoItWinSetTitle($G_SZVERSION)

Global $TOREAD 

Global $COMMAND = "TT.exe now"
ToolTip("Press <Printscreen> to toggle start and stop speaking, <f2> to quit.", 10, 0)
Sleep(2000)
ClipPut("Please highlight some text and press the prinnd  screen button.")
Call("speakclip")

HotKeySet("{printscreen}", "toggle")
HotKeySet("{f2}", "quit")


While 1
   sleep (500)
Wend

Func toggle()
   
   $PROCESS = ProcessExists("tt.exe")
   Select
      Case $PROCESS Not = 0
         Call("stopspeak")  
      Case $PROCESS = 0 
         Call("clipplace")
   EndSelect
EndFunc  ;==>toggle


Func clipplace()
   BlockInput(1)
   Send("{CTRLDOWN}{c}{CTRLup}")
   BlockInput(0)
   $LENGTH = ClipGet()
   If StringLen($LENGTH) > 1 Then Call("speakclip")
EndFunc  ;==>clipplace

Func speakclip()
   ToolTip("Press <Printscreen> to toggle start and stop speaking, <f2> to quit.", 10, 0)
   $TOREAD = ClipGet()
   $TOREA0 = StringReplace($TOREAD, "<", "", 0, 1)
   $TOREAD0 = StringReplace($TOREA0, ">", "", 0, 1)
   $TOREAD1 = StringReplace($TOREAD0, '"', "", 0, 1)
   $TOREAD2 = ' " ' & $TOREAD1 & ' " '
   Run($COMMAND & $TOREAD2)
   Sleep(4000)
   ToolTip("", 0, 0)
   
   
EndFunc  ;==>speakclip

Func stopspeak()
   ToolTip("Not speaking", 10, 0)
   ProcessClose("tt.exe")
   $STATUS = "notset"
   Sleep(4000)
   ToolTip("Press <Printscreen> to toggle start and stop speaking, <f2> to quit.", 10, 0)
   Sleep(2000)
   ToolTip("", 0, 0)
EndFunc  ;==>stopspeak

Func quit()
   ProcessClose("tt.exe")
   Exit
EndFunc  ;==>quit

I use it to speak my text when my eyes are tired

Edited July 6, 2004 by R.L.

[emmanuel]

ok, that was fun. have it read this:

<>

for some reason, it reads the date and time when it gets to "<>" then continues on. oh well, why would i really want to playback code with this thing anyways? nifty toy.

[pekster]

Just one small note in your code. For your infinate while loop, you should put a small pause in there so that you don't end up using all avaiable CPU cycles doing nothing.

[emmanuel]

you mean, like how it's using 98% of my CPU right now... vs another script with just a sleep 250 in it that's not burning any cpu? ouch.

[R.L.]

Just one small note in your code.  For your infinate while loop, you should put a small pause in there so that you don't end up using all avaiable CPU cycles doing nothing.

Do you mean using the "sleep" function like this?

While 1
  sleep (100)
Wend

Or it should be done differently?

[R.L.]

ok, that was fun.  have it read this:  for some reason, it reads the date and time when it gets to "<>"

oh yes , the third party tt.exe was designed to read time (I included the TTreadme, in the package). So, when it sees strange thing, it will just read the time.

[emmanuel]

Do you mean using the "sleep" function like this?

While 1
  sleep (100)
Wend

Or it should be done differently?

that's exactly it, though on mine I made it 500, since it's just there to hold the app open, it doesn't need to be as fast as every 100...

[R.L.]

Thanks for the tips, bug fixed (next time certainly remember to switch on the task manager to test my script )

[emmanuel]

yeah, I didn't actually notice that it was sucking 95-98% cpu till pekster posted about it... guess it was early enough I wasn't using my computer much

[pekster]

that's exactly it, though on mine I made it 500, since it's just there to hold the app open, it doesn't need to be as fast as every 100...

Even a 10 milisecond sleep will save the CPU from a good part of it's load. If you know you don't need to detect anything more than half a second, set it at 500 or higher as required. But some amount in there will prevent it from stealing all the time when the token comes around.

[R.L.]

ok, that was fun.  have it read this:  for some reason, it reads the date and time when it gets to "<>" then continues on. 

hmm...this one fixed now,too ...wonder what other characters would be in the group...

from this

$TOREAD = ClipGet()
  $TOREAD1 = StringReplace($TOREAD, '"', "", 0, 1)
  $TOREAD2 = ' " ' & $TOREAD1 & ' " '

'

to this

$TOREAD = ClipGet()
   $TOREA0 = StringReplace($TOREAD, "<", "", 0, 1)
   $TOREAD0 = StringReplace($TOREA0, ">", "", 0, 1)
   $TOREAD1 = StringReplace($TOREAD0, '"', "", 0, 1)
   $TOREAD2 = ' " ' & $TOREAD1 & ' " '

I didn't actually notice that it was sucking 95-98% cpu till pekster posted about it... guess it was early enough I wasn't using my computer much

I remember my TclockEX (displays date in sysclock) used to also show CPU usage in my 98, but no more after upgraded to XP. It was handy.