This application contains three methods for obtaining help at any time.
Context Sensitive Help is available for each control within the application. When focused upon a control, press Insert+F1 (or Caps Lock+F1) if using the JAWS laptop layout. An Edit Field is available containing the help information. It will briefly describe the purpose of the focused control together with keystrokes you can use.
Press the Arrow keys to read the help and press Escape to cancel. This will return you back to the control which previously had focus.
Press Control+Shift+C or Insert+H to open Leasey Command Centre.
The dialog contains:
Press the Tab key to move through the controls.
Focus starts in the Command Edit Field. Type part of a command name, shortcut, or related word to filter the list.
If the Command Edit Field is empty, pressing Tab moves to the Matching commands list and shows all available commands. If you have typed text into the Edit Field, the list shows only commands matching the search term.
Use Up and Down Arrow to move through the list. You will hear the command name, followed by the corresponding shortcut key. The list therefore serves two purposes. You can press Enter on a command to carry it out, and you can learn the shortcut key for quicker access next time you need to use it.
Press Control+Shift+I for Where Am I. You will receive a succinct summary of where you are located within the focused application.
Leasey Notes is a simple notes manager designed for keyboard use and for clear speech with JAWS. Very careful thought has gone into both the design of the application and particularly confirmation messages given by JAWS. Unlike similar notetaking applications, there should be no room for doubt as to what has happened when a command is actioned.
Leasey Notes is for information you want to keep, find again and use later.
A note might be very small, such as a phone number, parcel tracking code, appointment detail or web address. It might also be more substantial, such as meeting notes, instructions, a recipe, a lecture summary, a support call record or notes for a project.
The value of Leasey Notes is that notes do not have to remain as isolated pieces of text. They can be organised into categories, linked to other notes, connected to web pages, supported by attachments, protected by automatic backups, and enhanced with fields.
Leasey Notes is started by pressing the Leasey Key then Alt+Windows+N.
Leasey Notes has two modes.
Advanced Notes is the full notes manager. It includes categories, attachments, web links, related notes, advanced fields, export, context menus, undo history, and the other power-user features described below.
Simple Notes is a plain notes interface. It contains only:
Simple Notes shows only top-level notes. Notes inside categories do not appear in Simple Notes mode, and categories, links, attachments, related notes, and advanced fields are not shown there. Changing mode does not delete notes or convert the notes database.
You configure whether you would like Simple or Advanced mode through the Options dialog.
Step 1. Open the Options dialog by pressing Control+Comma.
Step 2. The first control is "Choose How Leasey Notes Should Open". There are two Radio Buttons: the first is "Advanced Notes. Categories, attachments, web links, related notes, fields, export, and power-user features". The second is "Simple Notes. A plain top-level notes list and note text only".
Step 3. Press the Down Arrow key to select the item you want and press Enter.
Simple Notes mode is for people who only want to create and edit plain notes. It removes the advanced areas from the window and presents a very small interface.
The Simple Notes window contains:
Press Tab to move between the Notes list and the Note text Edit Field.
To create a simple note:
Step 1. Press Control+N.
Step 2. Type the note title and press Enter.
Step 3. Focus moves to the Note text Edit Field so you can begin writing.
JAWS should announce:
Note added: followed by the note title.
To edit a simple note:
Step 1. Move to the note in the Notes list.
Step 2. Press Tab to move to the Note text Edit Field.
Step 3. Type or edit the note.
When a note is selected, the note name is placed in the Leasey Notes window title. This means that Insert+T in JAWS should report the current note name.
Notes are saved automatically when you move to another note, press Escape from the Note text Edit Field, or close Leasey Notes. You can also press Control+S.
JAWS should announce:
Notes saved
Step 4. Press Escape from the Note text Edit Field to save and return focus to the Notes list.
To rename a simple note:
Step 1. Move to the note in the Notes list.
Step 2. Press function key F2.
Step 3. Type the new name and press Enter.
JAWS should announce the old and new names.
To delete a simple note:
Step 1. Move to the note in the Notes list.
Step 2. Press the Delete key.
Step 3. You will be asked to confirm the deletion. Press letter Y for Yes or N for No. You can also press Enter since Yes is the focused control.
To delete several Simple Notes, select them in the Notes list, for example by holding Shift and pressing Down Arrow. Then press Delete.
When several notes are deleted, JAWS should announce:
Deleted followed by the number of selected notes.
To move to the list of recently opened simple notes:
Step 1. Press Control+Shift+Y to open Recent Notes. This shows the last five top-level notes whose text you edited in Simple Notes mode.
Step 2. Choose a note with the Up and Down Arrow keys and press Enter to open it.
JAWS should announce:
Opened recent note followed by the note title.
To sort simple notes alphabetically:
Press Control+Shift+S.
The top-level notes shown in Simple Notes mode are sorted alphabetically. Notes inside categories are not affected because they are not shown in Simple Notes mode.
JAWS should announce:
Sorted notes alphabetically
To use Find in a simple note:
Step 1. Move to the simple note you want to search.
Step 2. Press Control+F.
Step 3. Type the text to find and press Enter.
Control+F searches only the current note. It does not search note titles or other notes.
If the text is found, focus moves to the Note text Edit Field and the matching text is selected. JAWS should announce the line containing the found text.
Press F3 to find the next occurrence. Press Shift+F3 to find the previous occurrence.
If nothing is found, JAWS should announce:
Text not found
To search across simple notes:
Step 1. Press Control+Shift+F.
Step 2. Type the text to search for and press Enter.
Step 3. Simple Notes shows a basic Search All Notes dialog. There are no check boxes in Simple Notes mode. It searches only top-level note titles and note text.
If matching notes are found, a Search Results list is displayed. Move through the list with Up and Down Arrow. Press Enter on a result to open that note.
If the match is in the note text, focus moves to the Note text Edit Field and the matching text is selected. JAWS should announce the line containing the found text.
If the match is in the note title, focus remains on the Notes list.
JAWS should announce:
Found followed by the note title.
If no notes match, JAWS should announce:
No matching notes
The main window contains five main areas, followed by field copy Buttons when the selected note has advanced fields. Press the Tab key to move through the controls.
The Notes tree view is first. This contains categories and notes. Categories can contain notes, and they can also contain other categories. Leasey Notes remembers whether each category was opened or closed, so the tree view should return to the same opened or closed state the next time the application starts. Leasey Notes also remembers the last note or category you used. When the application starts, focus returns to that item in the Notes tree view. If that item is inside a closed category, Leasey Notes opens the necessary parent category so the item can receive focus. If the item has been deleted, Leasey Notes falls back to the first visible item in the tree. Because it is a standard tree view control, JAWS announces whether a category is opened or closed. If JAWS says "Closed", press the Right Arrow key to expand a category. Press the Left Arrow key to close. You may need to press Left Arrow twice depending upon where you are located in the tree view.
Next is the Note text Edit Field, where you type or read the text of the selected note. When a note is selected, the note name is placed in the Leasey Notes window title. This means that JAWS Key+T in JAWS should report the current note name, such as "Hospital Notes.
The Attachments list shows files attached to the selected note if there are any. The Links list shows web pages attached to the selected note if there are any. The Related notes list shows other notes linked to the selected note. If the selected note has advanced fields, Copy Buttons for those fields appear in the Tab order after the Related notes list.
Moving Around Leasey Notes.
Press Tab to move through the main areas in this order:
Press Escape from the Note text Edit Field to save the current note text and return to the Notes tree view. Press Escape from the Attachments list, Links list, Related notes list, or a field copy Button to return to the Notes tree view. This is useful because most note management commands begin from the tree view. No extra JAWS confirmation is spoken when Escape is pressed, because moving focus back to the tree already gives enough context.
In the Notes tree view, type the first few letters of a visible note or category to move directly to it. For example, if there are several items beginning with R, typing R then E quickly can move to Reaper Notes. If the typed letters do not match an item, Leasey Notes falls back to the most recent letter, so repeated presses of the same letter can still cycle through matching items.
When focus is in the Notes tree view, press the Applications key or Shift+F10 to open a context menu for the selected item. This menu contains commands which apply to the current note or category, and it includes the shortcut keys where available.
For example, when focus is on a note, the context menu includes:
When focus is on a category, the context menu includes category commands such as:
This is useful if a shortcut is difficult to remember or if another program intercepts a keystroke.
You can read notes without fear of corrupting them.
Step 1. Move to a note in the Notes tree view.
Step 2. Press Enter.
Step 3. A read only note view opens. This is useful when you want to review a note without accidentally editing it.
The read only view contains:
If the note has advanced fields, those fields are shown in the read only note text after the main note text. If the note has attachments, move to the Attachments list and press Enter to open one. If the note has web links, move to the Links list and press Enter to open one. If the note has related notes, move to the Related notes list and press Enter to open one. When a related note is opened from read only view, it opens in read only view as well.
Press Escape to leave the read only view.
In order to create a note:
Step 1. Press Control+N.
Step 2. Type the note title and press Enter.
Step 3. If focus is on an expanded category, the new note is created inside that category.
JAWS should announce:
Adding note to category followed by the category name. Unlike similar notetaking applications, Leasey Notes will not add a note to the end of a category or the tree view itself. It respects the focused position. For example, if you have 20 notes in a category, and you wish to add the note to position 7, place focus on note 6. The new note is added immediately below the sixth note. If you do want to add a note to the end of the category, be sure the focus is on the final item. This saves a great deal of time in terms of sorting notes after they are created.
If focus is on a closed category, the new note is created immediately after that category at the same level. If focus is on an empty category, the new note is created inside that category even if it is closed. If focus is on a note inside a category, the new note is created immediately after the focused note in the same category. If focus is on a top-level note or category, the new note is created immediately after the focused item at the top level.
After the note is created, the new note remains selected in the Notes tree view and focus moves to the Note text Edit Field so you can begin writing.
JAWS should announce:
Note added: followed by the note title.
To create a category:
Step 1. Press Control+Shift+N.
Step 2. Type the category name and press Enter.
Step 3. If focus is on an expanded category, the new category is created there. If focus is on a closed category, the new category is created immediately after that category at the same level. If focus is on an empty category, the new category is created inside that category even if it is closed. If focus is on an item inside an existing category, the new category is created immediately after the focused item in that same category. If focus is on a top-level item, the new category is created immediately after the focused item at the top level.
After the category is created, focus remains in the Notes tree view on the new category.
JAWS should announce:
Category added: followed by the category name.
Compose a note in this way:
Step 1. Move to a note in the Notes tree view.
Step 2. Press Tab to move to the Note text Edit Field.
Step 3. Type or edit the note.
Notes are saved automatically when you move to another note, press Escape from the Note text Edit Field, or close Leasey Notes. You can also press Control+S to save manually.
In theory, there is no Leasey Notes character limit for the main note text. It uses a standard Windows edit control, so the practical limit is set by Windows and available memory rather than by Leasey Notes. We suggest however that you do not paste a whole book into a note! The equivalent of a few pages of text ought to be a sensible guideline.
When saved manually, JAWS should announce:
Notes saved
Suppose you want to keep a record of what you eat each day and later export it for a dietician.
Step 1. Create a category called Food Logs.
Step 2. Move to Food Logs and press Right Arrow if it is closed.
Step 3. Press Control+N.
Step 4. Type today's date, such as May 1, and press Enter.
Step 5. Type what you eat throughout the day in the Note text Edit Field.
Step 6. Press Escape when you want to return to the Notes tree view.
Step 7. Tomorrow, create another note in Food Logs, such as May 2.
After a week, move to the Food Logs category and press Control+E to export that category. This gives you one file containing all the daily notes in that category. Exporting notes will be fully described later, but this illustrates the purpose of using a category.
To rename a note or category:
Step 1. Move to the note or category in the Notes tree view.
Step 2. Press function key F2.
Step 3. Type the new name and press Enter.
JAWS should announce the old and new names.
For example:
Renamed May 1 to Food Log May 1.
Step 1. Move to the note or category in the Notes tree view.
Step 2. Press the Delete key.
Step 3. You will be asked to confirm the deletion. Type letter Y for Yes or N for No. You can also press Enter since the Yes Button is focused. If you delete a category, everything inside that category is also deleted.
To delete several notes, select the notes in the Notes tree view, for example by holding Shift and pressing Down Arrow. Then press Delete. Multiple deletion applies to notes only, not categories.
If the selection contains a category, Leasey Notes does not delete anything from that selection. This is intentional because deleting a category can also delete everything inside it.
JAWS should announce:
Multiple deletion is for notes only
When several notes are deleted, JAWS should announce:
Deleted followed by the number of selected notes.
To copy a note:
Step 1. Move to a note in the Notes tree view.
Step 2. Press Control+C.
This copies the entire text of the selected note to the clipboard. This command is intended for use from the Notes tree view. When you are in the Note text Edit Field, Control+C behaves as a normal copy command for selected text.
JAWS should announce:
Copied note followed by the note title.
Press Control+Shift+Y to open Recent Notes. This shows the last five notes whose text you edited during normal use. Press Down Arrow to choose a note and press Enter to open it.
JAWS should announce:
Opened recent note followed by the note title.
If there are no recent notes, JAWS should announce:
No recent notes
Moving Notes and Categories.
To move a note or category:
Step 1. Move to an item in the Notes tree view.
Step 2. Press Alt+U to move it up.
Step 3. Press Alt+D to move it down.
Alt+U and Alt+D only move notes and categories when focus is in the Notes tree view. They do not move the current note if focus is in another part of the window, such as the Links list. An item only moves within its current level or category.
JAWS should announce where the item has moved.
For example:
Moving May 2 to below May 1
If the item cannot move any further, JAWS should announce:
Cannot move any further
When focus is in the Notes tree view, press Control+Z to undo the last app-level action. This is intended for larger actions such as creating, deleting, renaming, moving, sorting, adding links, changing related notes, and changing advanced fields. It does not replace the normal edit-field undo while typing note text.
JAWS should announce:
Undid followed by the action.
For example:
Undid deleted note Schedule Friday
Press Control+Shift+Z from the Notes tree view to open Undo History. This shows recent actions which can be undone during the current Leasey Notes session. Choose an item and press Enter to undo that action.
If there is nothing to undo, JAWS should announce:
Nothing to undo
To sort a category alphabetically:
Step 1. Move to the category in the Notes tree view.
Step 2. Press Control+Shift+S.
Step 3. The immediate items in that category are sorted alphabetically. If focus is on a note inside a category, Control+Shift+S sorts that parent category.
JAWS should announce:
Sorted followed by the category name and alphabetically.
For example:
Sorted Food Logs alphabetically
Moving a Note or Category to Another Category.
It is possible to move a note or category to another category.
Step 1. Move to the note or category in the Notes tree view.
Step 2. Press Control+M.
Step 3. A category list is displayed. Choose the category with the Down Arrow key and press Enter. There is also a Top level option if you want the item moved out of a category.
JAWS should announce:
Moved followed by the item name and the destination category.
For example:
Moved May 2 to Food Logs
If you move a category, everything inside that category moves with it, including its notes and subcategories.
JAWS should announce:
Moved category followed by the category name, and its contents, followed by the destination category.
For example:
Moved category BrailleNote Evolve and its contents to Techie Stuff
When you move a note out of a category, Leasey Notes tries to keep you near the original position. If another note remains below the moved note, focus moves there. If not, focus moves to the previous item or the source category.
To find text in the current note:
Step 1. Press Control+F.
Step 2. Type the text to find and press Enter.
Step 3. If the text is found, focus moves to the Note text Edit Field and the found text is selected. JAWS should announce the line where the result was found.
For example:
Found on line 3: Breakfast, coffee and toast.
This is deliberately more useful than simply saying Found. It should give enough context to know whether you have found the correct occurrence.
If the line is very long, Leasey Notes shortens the spoken message so JAWS does not read too much text.
After you have searched for text:
Press F3 to find the next occurrence. Press Shift+F3 to find the previous occurrence.
Again, JAWS should announce the line where the result was found.
For example:
Found on line 7: Lunch, vegetable soup and an apple.
If no match is found, JAWS should announce:
Text not found
If you press F3 before entering any find text, JAWS should announce:
Find text is empty
To replace one text string with another:
Step 1. Press Control+H.
Step 2. Type the text to find.
Step 3. Press Tab.
Step 4. Type the replacement text.
Step 5. Press Enter.
Leasey Notes replaces all occurrences in the current note.
JAWS should announce:
Replaced 3 occurrences.
To carry out a global search:
Step 1. Press Control+Shift+F.
Step 2. Type the text to search for.
Step 3. The Search All Notes dialog also contains check boxes so you can narrow the search. This is optional. You can press Tab repeatedly to move through the options.
The choices are:
By default, all of these are checked so Leasey Notes searches everything. Uncheck the items you wish to exclude. If inadvertently you make a mistake and uncheck everything, Leasey Notes searches everything.
Step 4. Press Enter.
Step 5. If matching notes are found, a Search Results list is displayed. Move through the list with Up and Down Arrow. You will hear the details of the note and, if it belongs to a category, the name of the category.
Step 6. Press Enter on a result to open that note.
Step 7. When the note opens, Leasey Notes also finds the matching text in the Note text Edit Field. JAWS should announce the line containing the found text, as described above.
If the match was found in something other than the note text, such as a note title, category name, attachment name, link, or advanced field, the result tells you what matched.
Step 8. If the search result is not the occurrence you wanted, press F3 to find the next matching occurrence in that note. Press Shift+F3 to move to the previous occurrence.
If no notes match, JAWS should announce:
No matching notes
This affects text capitalisation:
Step 1. Move to the Note text Edit Field.
Step 2. Press Control+U for upper case. Press Control+L for lower case. Press Control+T for title case.
If text is selected, only the selected text is changed. If no text is selected, the whole note is changed.
JAWS should announce:
Move to a note or its Note text Edit Field and press F7.
If text is selected, Leasey Notes checks only the selected text. If no text is selected, Leasey Notes checks the whole document from the beginning.
Leasey Notes uses the LeaseySpell spelling component. If the LeaseySpell settings do not specify a language, Leasey Notes detects the Windows regional setting. For example, United States English uses US spelling, while United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India use UK spelling.
The Spell Check dialog contains:
The main spell checking keystrokes are:
When a misspelled word is found, JAWS should announce:
Misspelled word followed by the word and its letters.
For example:
When a suggestion is selected, Leasey Notes speaks the letters of that suggestion after a short delay. When the Spell Check dialog first moves to a misspelled word, Leasey Notes also spells the first suggestion automatically.
Press Enter or Alt+C on a suggestion to change the current word to that suggestion. Press Delete or Alt+I to ignore the current spelling issue. Press Control+R to read the sentence containing the current misspelled word. Press Alt+A for Change All. Press Alt+G for Ignore All. Press Alt+D to add the word to the Exceptions Dictionary. Press Alt+F to finish spell checking. These are keystrokes standard to many spell checking tools. If you wish to type your own corrected spelling, press Tab to move to the Replacement Edit Field and edit the text. Then press Enter or Alt+C to change the current word to the text in the Replacement Edit Field.
Press Escape to cancel spell checking. When Escape is pressed, focus returns to the document. Words ignored with Ignore All stay ignored while the document remains open. Ordinal numbers such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 13th are not treated as spelling errors. Contractions such as don't, wouldn't and shouldn't are treated as whole words.
If no spelling errors are found, a standard message is displayed saying "No spelling errors were found".
Use Change when the current word is wrong in this one place and you want to replace only this occurrence.
Step 1. When a misspelled word is announced, move through the Suggestions list with Up Arrow and Down Arrow.
Step 2. When you hear the correct suggestion, press Enter.
Leasey Notes replaces the current word and moves to the next spelling issue.
Step 3. If none of the suggestions are correct, press Tab to move to the Replacement Edit Field.
Step 4. Type the correct spelling.
Step 5. Press Enter, or Tab to Change and press Enter or Space.
Use Change All when the same incorrect word appears several times in the text and should always be corrected in the same way.
For example, if you have repeatedly typed accomodation instead of accommodation, Change All can save time.
Step 1. When the misspelled word is shown, choose the correct suggestion or type the correction in the Replacement Edit Field.
Step 2. Press Alt+A, or Tab to Change All and press Enter or Space.
Step 3. Leasey Notes changes this occurrence and automatically changes later matching occurrences during the same spell check.
Use Ignore when the current word is acceptable in this one place, but you do not want to add it to the dictionary.
Use Ignore All when the same word appears several times and should be accepted throughout this spell check only.
For example, a project code, a temporary abbreviation, or a made-up name in a story may not need to be stored permanently.
Step 1. When the word is reported, listen to the word and its spelling.
Step 2. Press Delete or Alt+I to ignore this occurrence.
Step 3. If the word should be ignored for the rest of this spell check, press Alt+G instead.
Use Add when the word is correct and you expect to use it again.
Names of people, towns, products and companies are often reported as spelling mistakes even when they are correct.
Step 1. Press F7 to invoke Spell Check.
Step 2. When the word is reported, listen carefully as JAWS speaks and spells it.
Step 3. If the word is correct, press Alt+D, or Tab to the Add Button and press Enter or Space.
The word is added to your personal dictionary. Leasey Notes should not report it as an error in future.
Sometimes a word may be spelled correctly in one context but not another. It can help to hear the sentence.
Step 1. When a misspelled word is shown, press Control+R.
Step 2. Leasey Notes reads the current sentence without moving focus away from the current control.
This helps you decide whether to change the word, ignore it, or type your own replacement.
To count the number of words in a note:
Step 1. Move to a note or its Note text Edit Field.
Step 2. Press Control+Shift+W.
For example, JAWS should announce:
Note has 245 words, 1320 characters.
To attach a file to a note:
Step 1. Move to the note.
Step 2. Press Control+Shift+A.
Step 3. Choose the file in the standard Windows file dialog and press Enter to attach it.
The file is copied into the Leasey Notes attachments folder and appears in the Attachments list.
JAWS should announce:
Attached followed by the file name.
You can attach a folder to a note.
Step 1. Move to the note.
Step 2. Open the context menu by pressing the Applications Key or Shift+F10.
Step 3. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to find Attach Folder, then press Enter.
Step 4. Choose the folder in the standard Windows folder dialog. Be sure to press Enter on it.
Step 5. Press Tab to reach "Select Folder" and press Enter or Space.
Step 6. The folder is copied into the Leasey Notes attachments folder and appears in the Attachments list. The original folder is not moved or deleted.
Step 7. Press Enter on the folder in the Attachments list to open it.
JAWS should announce:
Folder attached followed by the folder name.
To record audio to form part of a note:
Step 1. Move to the note which should receive the recording.
Step 2. Press Control+Shift+P.
Step 3. Leasey Notes opens the Record Audio Note dialog. Choose the recording source if necessary with the Up and Down arrow keys.
Step 4. Press Tab to reach the Record Button and press Enter or Space to begin recording.
Step 5. Press Tab to reach the Pause Button and press Enter or Space if you need to pause recording. The Pause Button changes to Resume while recording is paused.
Step 6. Press Space on the Resume Button to continue.
Step 7. Press Tab to reach the Stop Button and press Enter or Space when you have finished.
You can then activate the Play Button to hear the recording. If you are happy with it, press Tab to reach the Save Button and press Enter or Space.
The recording is saved as a WAV or MP3 file and attached to the selected note.
You must create or select a note before recording an audio note. If a note is already selected, the recording is attached to that note.
JAWS should announce:
Audio note attached followed by the file name.
To open an attachment:
Step 1. Move to the Attachments list by pressing Tab.
Step 2. Select the attachment with the Down Arrow key.
Step 3. Press Enter.
You can also press Control+O.
Leasey Notes asks Windows to open the file using the default application for that file type. For example, a Word document should open in Microsoft Word. If the attachment is a folder, the folder is opened in File Explorer.
JAWS should announce:
Opened followed by the file name.
To copy an attachment for use within another application:
Step 1. Move to the Attachments list by pressing Tab.
Step 2. Select the attachment by pressing Down Arrow.
Step 3. Press Control+C.
This copies the attached file itself to the Windows clipboard. You can then paste it into an Outlook email message or WhatsApp message and it should be added as an attachment. If the attachment is a folder, the folder itself is copied to the Windows clipboard.
JAWS should announce:
Copied attachment followed by the file name.
To remove an attachment:
Step 1. Move to the Attachments list by pressing Tab.
Step 2. Select the attachment by pressing Down Arrow.
Step 3. Press the Delete key.
This removes the attachment from the current note. The note itself is not deleted.
JAWS should announce:
Removed attachment followed by the file name.
To open an attachment folder.
Press Control+Shift+O.
If an attachment is selected, the folder containing that attachment is opened. If no attachment is selected but a note is selected, the attachment folder for that note is opened.
JAWS should announce:
Attachment folder opened
To add a link to a note:
Step 1. Move to the note.
Step 2. Press Control+Shift+L.
Step 3. You are asked for two items:
Press the Tab key to move between the controls.
The title is the friendly name which appears in the Links list. The web address is the actual page address.
If you type an address such as:
hartgenconsultancy.com Leasey Notes will treat it as: https://hartgenconsultancy.com
Step 4. Press Enter to save.
JAWS should announce:
Link added: followed by the link title.
If you press Enter without entering a web address, the dialog stays open.
JAWS should announce:
Web address is empty Focus moves to the Web address field so you can correct it.
To open a link from within a note:
Step 1. Move to the Links list by pressing Tab from within the note.
Step 2. Select the link by pressing Down Arrow.
Step 3. Press Enter.
Leasey Notes asks Windows to open the address in the default web browser.
JAWS should announce:
Opened link: followed by the link title.
To rename a link:
Step 1. Move to the Links list by pressing Tab from within the note.
Step 2. Select the link by pressing Down Arrow.
Step 3. Press function key F2.
You can change either the friendly title or the web address. Press the Tab key to move through the controls. Type new text or edit the current entry and press Enter.
For example, JAWS should announce:
Renamed link Victorian street lamps to Street lamp reference.
To delete a link:
Step 1. Move to the Links list by pressing Tab.
Step 2. Select the link by pressing Down Arrow.
Step 3. Press the Delete key.
You will be asked to confirm the deletion. Type letter Y for Yes or N for No. You can press Enter since the Yes Button is focused.
JAWS should announce:
Deleted link followed by the link title.
To copy a web link address:
Step 1. Move to the Links list by pressing Tab.
Step 2. Select the link by pressing Down Arrow.
Step 3. Press Control+C.
JAWS should announce:
Copied link address
To change the order of links in a note:
Step 1. Move to the Links list by pressing Tab.
Step 2. Select the link by pressing Down Arrow.
Step 3. Press Alt+U to move it up. Press Alt+D to move it down.
These keystrokes rearrange items in the Links list when focus is in that list. They rearrange notes and categories only when focus is in the Notes tree view.
For example, JAWS should announce:
Press Control+Alt+E to move to the Note text Edit Field. Press Control+Alt+A to move to the Attachments list. Press Control+Alt+L to move to the Links list. Press Control+Alt+R to move to the Related notes list.
These commands are intended to reduce the amount of tabbing needed during daily use. Field copy Buttons do not have fixed shortcut keys because their names and number depend on the selected note. If a note has fields, reach those Buttons by pressing Tab after the Related notes list.
To reiterate, to quickly move to fields, press Control+Alt+R followed by Tab. JAWS should announce a short confirmation.
When focus moves to the Attachments, Links, or Related notes list, JAWS should first speak the native control label and list box information.
Leasey Notes can create notes from text files in a folder.
Step 1. Move to the category where the imported notes should be created. If you are not in a category, the notes are created at the top level. The category does not need to be empty. The category does not need to be open.
Step 2. Open the context menu by pressing the Applications key or Shift+F10.
Step 3. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to find Import Text Files from Folder.
Step 4. Choose the folder in the standard Windows folder dialog. Be sure to press Enter on it.
Step 5. Press Tab to the Select Folder Button and press Enter or Space.
The next time you use this command, Leasey Notes starts in the last folder you chose.
Leasey Notes imports text files directly inside that folder. It does not import files from subfolders.
The following file types are imported:
Each imported file becomes one note. The note title is taken from the file name without the extension. The note text is taken from the file contents.
JAWS should announce:
Imported followed by the number of notes.
Leasey Notes can export a single note, a category, or all notes to one file. This is particularly useful for examples such as food logs, where several daily notes may need to be sent together.
To export the selected note or category:
Step 1. Move to the item in the Notes tree view.
Step 2. Press Control+E.
Step 3. Choose the file name and location using standard Windows browse techniques.
To export all notes:
Step 1. Press Control+Shift+E.
Step 2. Choose the file name and location using standard Windows techniques.
The exported file includes headings for categories and notes. If a note has attachments, the attachment names and paths are included. If a note has links, the link titles and web addresses are included. If a note has related notes, their note titles are included. If a note has advanced fields, those fields are included under an Advanced fields heading.
JAWS should announce:
Exported to followed by the file name.
This is designed for notes where the information is best kept in separate named blocks.
For example, you may want fields called:
Step 1. Select the note for which advanced fields are required.
Step 2. Press Control+Shift+D to open Advanced Note.
The Advanced Note window contains:
If the note already has fields, the window also contains:
Press the Tab key to move through the controls.
When you move to a field in the Fields list, its text appears in the Field text Edit Field. Type or edit the text there.
Copy Field copies only the text from the selected field. You can also press Control+C from the Fields list to copy the selected field. You can press Delete from the Fields list to delete the selected field. Copy All copies all fields as one block, with each field name followed by its text. This is useful if you want to paste structured material into an email message.
If a note has no fields, the Field text Edit Field and the field action Buttons are hidden until you add the first field. There is no Leasey Notes character limit for field text. It uses a standard Windows edit control, so the practical limit is set by Windows and available memory rather than by Leasey Notes.
Step 1. Locate the note of interest.
Step 2. Press Control+Shift+D. The Advanced Note dialog box opens.
Step 3. Press Enter or Space on the Add Button.
Step 4. Type the name for the field, such as Subject, and press Enter.
Step 5. Type the text for the field, such as, Thank you for purchasing this product. Fields can contain multiple lines, so press Tab to reach the Close Button and press Enter or Space when you are finished.
Step 6. If you wish to add another field, activate the Add Button.
Step 7. Repeat the process for adding the field name and field text.
Step 8. If at that point you have completed adding fields, press Escape. The fields are automatically saved.
While it is true that you can copy individual field components from the Advanced Note list, there is an easier way.
Step 1. Find the note of interest.
Step 2. Press Control+Alt+R for Related Notes. This is the closest control we can move to prior to reaching the fields.
Step 3. Press Tab through the fields. Each field is denoted by a Button, such as, Copy Subject. This is so important. You are not only being told that you can copy the field but also the name of that field so there is no room for doubt.
Step 4. Press Enter or Space on the Button you wish to copy. JAWS announces that the Subject field has been copied.
To assign a note to more than one category:
Step 1. Move to the note.
Step 2. Press Control+Shift+M. The dialog is entitled Assign to Category.
Step 3. Press Down Arrow to choose or type the category and press Enter.
The note is not copied. It is the same note appearing in another category. If you edit it from any category, the same underlying note is changed.
JAWS should announce:
Adding note to category followed by the category name. Assigned followed by the note title and category name.
If the note is already in that category, it is not assigned a second time.
JAWS should say the note title followed by:
is already assigned to category followed by the category name.
Suppose you are building notes for a mystery story. You have a note called Thomas Reed.
He might belong in several categories:
You do not need four separate copies of the same note. Instead, create the Thomas Reed note once and assign it to the additional categories.
Step 1. Move to the Thomas Reed note.
Step 2. Press Control+Shift+M.
Step 3. Choose Suspects and press Enter.
Step 4. Repeat the process for Witnesses, Motive or Means if appropriate.
If you later edit Thomas Reed from any of those categories, you are editing the same note. This is useful because you do not have to remember which copy is the latest one.
If a note has been assigned to more than one category, the additional category entry is shown in the tree with the word assigned after the note title. This tells you that the tree item is another category connection to the same note, not a separate note.
When focus is on an assigned note, pressing Delete removes that category connection. The original note is not deleted.
You can also press Alt+R. If focus is on a normal note inside a category, Alt+R moves that note out of the category and places it at the top level.
JAWS should announce:
Removed followed by the note title and category name.
For a normal note moved out of a category, JAWS should announce:
Moved followed by the note title, top level, and the category name.
Related Notes lets one note connect to another note. This is useful for tasks like writing projects, research boards, maps, or crime-board style connections. Related note connections are bidirectional. For example, if Nat is related to The Cast, then Nat shows The Cast as a related note, and The Cast shows Nat as a related note.
Why Related Notes Are Useful.
Related Notes are useful when two notes are connected, but one note should not be inside the other.
For example, suppose you are writing a story. You might have one note called The Cast. This note contains a high-level list of all characters.
You might then have separate notes called Nat, Alice, Robert and Maria. Each of those notes contains detailed information about one character.
You can relate Nat to The Cast. You can also relate Alice, Robert and Maria to The Cast.
When you later open The Cast, the Related notes list can show each character note. When you open Nat, the Related notes list can show The Cast. This helps you move through the information without copying the same text into several places.
Another example is a text adventure map. You might have one note for each room. If the Kitchen connects to the Hall, make Kitchen and Hall related notes. You can then open Kitchen, move to Related notes, and press Enter on Hall to review the connected room.
The main Leasey Notes window contains a Related notes list.
Step 1. Move to the note whose related notes you want to review.
Step 2. Move to the Related notes list with Tab, or press Control+Alt+R.
Step 3. Press Down Arrow through the related notes.
Step 4. Press Enter on the related note you want to open.
When a related note is opened, the Notes tree view changes to that note and the Note text Edit Field is loaded.
Step 5. Press Alt+Left Arrow to return to the previous note after opening a related note. Alt+Left Arrow also works from the read only note view after following a related note.
JAWS should announce the note you have moved to.
To add or remove related notes, use the Related Notes manager.
Step 1. Move to the note for which you want to manage related notes.
Step 2. Press Control+Shift+R.
Step 3. Press the Tab key to move through the controls.
The Related Notes manager contains:
Step 4. To add a related note, press Enter or Space on Add.
Step 5. Choose the note you want to connect to the current note.
Step 6. Press Enter.
Leasey Notes creates the connection in both directions. This means you do not need to repeat the process from the other note.
JAWS should announce:
Related note added followed by the note title.
Step 7. To remove a related note, select it in the Related notes list and press Delete. You can also Tab to Remove and press Enter or Space.
Removing a related note removes the connection from both notes. It does not delete either note.
JAWS should announce:
Related note removed followed by the note title.
Step 1. Create or find a note called The Cast.
Step 2. Create or find a note called Nat.
Step 3. Move to Nat in the Notes tree view.
Step 4. Press Control+Shift+R.
Step 5. Tab to the Add Button and press Enter.
Step 6. Choose The Cast and press Enter.
Now Nat is related to The Cast. The Cast is also related to Nat.
Step 7. Press Control+Alt+R to move to the Related notes list.
Step 8. Press Enter on The Cast.
Step 9. Press Alt+Left Arrow to return to Nat.
Suppose you are researching a product, a training course, or a writing topic. You may want one note to contain your own comments, while also keeping the useful supporting material close by.
Step 1. Create a note with Control+N.
Step 2. Type your own summary or observations in the Note text Edit Field.
Step 3. Press Control+Shift+L to add the most important web page as a link.
Step 4. Press Control+Shift+A to attach a document, PDF, Word file, or other file which belongs with the note.
Step 5. If you have a whole folder of supporting documents, return to the Notes tree view, open the context menu with Applications Key or Shift+F10, and choose Attach Folder.
Step 6. If another note explains a related subject, press Control+Shift+R and add it as a related note.
The result is still one ordinary note, but it now has text, a web link, an attachment or folder, and a relationship to another note. This can be much easier than trying to remember where every separate item was stored.
For a very fast note, press the Leasey Key followed by Control+Windows+N. If you have spontaneous thoughts, or you need to take down something quickly, this is the tool for you. While Leasey Notes is excellent at what it does, you do need to think about where the note is going to be located.
Pressing this keystroke opens Leasey Notes in a minimal Quick Note window.
It contains:
That is all.
Type the note, press Tab to reach the OK Button and press Enter or Space. You can also press Control+S to save the Quick Note immediately. Press F7 to spell check the Quick Note before saving it. If Leasey Notes is in Advanced Notes mode, the note is saved in a category called QuickNotes. If QuickNotes does not already exist, Leasey Notes creates it. If Leasey Notes is in Simple Notes mode, the note is saved as a top-level note so it appears in the Simple Notes list.
The note title is the date and time in a friendly form, such as:
May 3 2026 at 5:10 PM
JAWS should announce:
Quick note saved to QuickNotes followed by the note title.
In Simple Notes mode, JAWS should announce:
Quick note saved followed by the note title.
At your leisure, you can return to the note in the QuickNotes category and do a number of things:
If Leasey Notes is in Simple Notes mode, Quick Note creates a top-level note. This means the note appears in the Simple Notes list.
JAWS should announce:
Quick note saved followed by the note title.
Leasey Notes keeps automatic backups of the notes database. If there is no backup when Leasey Notes starts, one is created automatically. When the notes database changes, Leasey Notes keeps a dated backup before the new version is saved. Routine saves are limited to one automatic backup per minute so the restore list does not become cluttered. Creating notes or categories creates an immediate restore point after the new item has been saved. Destructive actions such as deleting notes, deleting categories, moving categories, and restoring from backup still create an immediate backup first. The most recent 50 backups are kept.
To restore a backup:
Step 1. Press Control+Comma to open Options.
Step 2. Press the Tab key to move to the Backups list.
Step 3. Press the Down Arrow key to choose a date and time, such as May 7 2026 4:15:32 AM.
Step 4. Press Enter.
Leasey Notes asks you to confirm the restore. Before restoring the selected backup, Leasey Notes makes a backup of the current notes database.
If the restore succeeds, JAWS should announce:
Backup restored
Press Control+Comma to open Options.
The Options dialog is where you choose how Leasey Notes should open and where important safety settings are configured. Press the Tab key to move through the controls.
The first choice in Options is how Leasey Notes should open. Press the Down Arrow key to move through the Radio Buttons.
Choose Advanced Notes if you want:
Choose Simple Notes if you want:
Changing this option does not delete notes. It only changes which interface Leasey Notes opens next time.
This is a Check box. If Confirm deletion is checked, Leasey Notes asks before deleting or removing items. If Confirm deletion is unchecked, pressing Delete carries out the deletion or removal without asking first. Only disable this if you are very confident. The automatic backup system is still available, but avoiding accidental deletion is always better than restoring afterwards.
This is a Combo Box. The Audio recording format setting controls the format used for new audio notes.
The choices are:
WAV is the simplest format and preserves the original behaviour. MP3 creates smaller files. Press Down arrow to select a recording format.
The Default export folder is the folder Save dialogs use first when you export notes.
This is useful if you regularly export notes to the same place, such as:
A folder used for sending reports
Type the folder path, or Tab to Browse for export folder and choose it using standard Windows techniques which were fully described earlier.
Press the Tab key to move to the OK button and press Enter or Space.
The next time you export a note, category or all notes, the export dialog starts in that folder.
This will be fully described in the chapter of this documentation relating to the Backup and Restore Manager and should generally not be changed here.
The Backups list shows restore points for the notes database. Move through the list with Up Arrow and Down Arrow. The entries are shown in a friendly date and time format.
To restore a backup:
Step 1. Move to the backup you want.
Step 2. Press Enter.
Step 3. Confirm the restore.
Leasey Notes backs up the current database before restoring the selected backup.
Insert+F1 opens Context Sensitive Help for the focused control.
Caps Lock+F1 also opens Context Sensitive Help if you are using the JAWS laptop keyboard layout.
Control+Shift+I reports succinct location information through the Where Am I utility.
Control+Shift+C or Insert+H opens Leasey Command Centre for reviewing commands.
Escape closes most Leasey windows or cancels the current dialog.
Leasey Key then Alt+Windows+N starts Leasey Notes.
Leasey Key then Control+Windows+N opens Quick Note.
Control+S saves a Quick Note from the Quick Note window.
F7 spell checks a Quick Note before saving.
Control+N creates a new note.
Control+Shift+N creates a new category in Advanced Notes mode.
Control+S saves notes.
F2 renames the selected note, category, link or field where supported.
Delete deletes or removes the selected item where supported.
Control+C copies the selected note from the tree view, the selected attachment from the Attachments list, the selected link address from the Links list, or the selected field from the Advanced Note field list.
Enter opens the selected note in read only view from the tree view.
Alt+F4 exits Leasey Notes.
Control+N creates a new Simple Note.
Control+S saves the current Simple Note.
F2 renames the selected Simple Note.
Delete deletes the selected Simple Note.
Control+F finds text in the current Simple Note.
F3 finds the next match.
Shift+F3 finds the previous match.
Control+Shift+F searches all Simple Notes.
Control+Shift+S sorts the Simple Notes list alphabetically.
Tab moves through the main controls.
Shift+Tab moves backwards through the main controls.
Escape from the Note text Edit Field saves and returns to the tree or notes list.
Escape from the Attachments, Links, Related notes or field copy Buttons returns to the Notes tree view.
Control+Alt+E moves to the Note text Edit Field.
Control+Alt+A moves to the Attachments list.
Control+Alt+L moves to the Links list.
Control+Alt+R moves to the Related notes list.
Alt+Left Arrow returns to the previous note after following a related note.
Right Arrow opens a closed category.
Left Arrow closes an open category or moves to the parent category.
Typing the first few letters of a visible item moves to that item.
Applications Key or Shift+F10 opens the context menu.
Control+Shift+Y opens Recent Notes.
Control+Shift+S sorts notes alphabetically in the current category, or sorts the Simple Notes list in Simple Notes mode.
Alt+U moves the selected note, category or list item up where supported.
Alt+D moves the selected note, category or list item down where supported.
Control+M moves the selected note or category to another category.
Control+Shift+M assigns the selected note to an additional category.
Alt+R removes the selected note from the current category where applicable.
Control+Z undoes the last app-level action from the Notes tree view.
Control+Shift+Z opens Undo History from the Notes tree view.
Control+F finds text in the current note.
F3 finds the next occurrence.
Shift+F3 finds the previous occurrence.
Control+H opens Find and Replace for the current note.
Control+Shift+F searches across notes.
Control+U changes selected text, or the whole note, to upper case.
Control+L changes selected text, or the whole note, to lower case.
Control+T changes selected text, or the whole note, to title case.
Control+Delete deletes the next word and speaks the newly focused word.
F7 opens Spell Check.
Tab moves to the next control in the Spell Check dialog.
Shift+Tab moves to the previous control in the Spell Check dialog.
Up Arrow and Down Arrow move through the Suggestions list.
Enter or Alt+C changes the current word when focus is in the Suggestions list.
Enter or Alt+C changes the current word when focus is in the Replacement Edit Field.
Delete or Alt+I ignores the current spelling issue.
Control+R reads the current sentence in the Spell Check dialog.
Alt+A activates Change All.
Alt+G activates Ignore All.
Alt+D activates Add.
Alt+F activates Finish.
Escape cancels spell checking.
Control+Shift+W reports the word and character count for the current note.
Control+Shift+A attaches a file to the selected note.
Attach Folder is available from the context menu.
Control+Shift+P opens Record Audio Note.
Control+O opens the selected attachment.
Control+Shift+O opens the attachment folder.
Control+C copies the selected attachment file or folder to the Windows clipboard.
Delete removes the selected attachment from the note.
In the Record Audio Note dialog:
Alt+R starts recording or resumes recording.
Alt+P pauses recording.
Alt+S stops recording.
Control+Shift+L adds a web link to the selected note.
Enter opens the selected link from the Links list.
F2 renames the selected link.
Delete deletes the selected link.
Control+C copies the selected link address.
Alt+U moves the selected link up.
Alt+D moves the selected link down.
Control+Shift+D opens Advanced Note Fields.
Control+C copies the selected field text from the Fields list.
Delete deletes the selected field from the Fields list.
Enter or Space on a field copy Button copies that field from the main window.
Control+Shift+R opens the Related Notes manager.
Control+Alt+R moves directly to the Related notes list in the main window.
Enter opens the selected related note.
Delete removes the selected related note connection in the Related Notes manager.
Alt+Left Arrow returns to the previous note after following a related note.
Enter opens the selected note in read only view from the Notes tree view.
Enter opens the selected attachment, link, or related note from the read only view lists.
Escape closes read only view.
Control+E exports the selected note or category.
Control+Shift+E exports all notes.
Import Text Files from Folder is available from the context menu in Advanced Notes mode.
Control+Comma opens Options.
Enter on a backup in the Backups list restores that backup after confirmation.