This application contains three methods for obtaining help at any time.
Context Sensitive Help is available for each control within the LeaseySocial 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.
The main objective of LeaseySocial is simple: to provide a fast, keyboard-driven, JAWS-friendly Windows desktop client for Mastodon and Bluesky. Mastodon remains the primary platform, with Bluesky support for the core workflows users need day to day. The app does not attempt to reproduce large multi-service clients or every function of other social media applications. The aim is to make the core social media experience practical and efficient for blind users, especially those using JAWS.
LeaseySocial is designed for people who want to use Mastodon and Bluesky without fighting a web interface or relying on a client which was not designed around speech and Braille The goal is speed, clarity and control. It starts quickly. It uses predictable lists. It lets you decide which fields are spoken. It can announce new posts, mentions and notifications. It can display important messages in Braille. It supports soundpacks, global hotkeys and account-specific options. It also gives you a user interface for changing many settings which, in other clients, may require editing configuration files or understanding more technical concepts.
LeaseySocial is a large application. It can work with more than one social network, more than one account, several timelines, many post actions, soundpacks, Braille messages and global shortcut keys. Please do not try to learn all of it at once.
The most useful order is:
That is the order used in the first part of this chapter. Later sections describe the full range of features in more detail. If you are a confident user, you may wish to move quickly through the first examples. If you are new to social media or new to LeaseySocial, take them slowly. The aim is not to remember every command immediately. The aim is to understand what is possible and to know where to return when you need a particular task.
LeaseySocial is started by pressing the Leasey Key then Control+Windows+S. A distinct advantage is that it starts within approximately four to five seconds. While every effort has been made to provide shortcut keys to operate LeaseySocial globally, the primary LeaseySocial window is highly recommended. This is because shortcut keys to operate many apps on Windows are at an absolute premium. Too many global shortcut keys can cause conflicts. Applications installed on Windows can create global shortcut keys and you may not know about them.
The main LeaseySocial window is deliberately simple. Press Tab and Shift+Tab to move through the controls.
It contains:
The Accounts list remains available even if only one account is configured. This keeps startup focus predictable and makes the account context clear. The intention is that all accounts are immediately available. You do not have to open a separate account manager to switch between accounts during normal use. The information in each row is built from configurable fields.
The default fields are:
As you move through the list with Up and Down Arrow, JAWS reads the row. Left and Right Arrow move between the configured fields and speak the selected field. This allows a user to hear just the author, just the post text, just the date, just the client used or the status such as Public, Followers only or Direct message. The order of these fields, and whether they are included at all, is controlled in Options on the Columns tab. This is account-specific. Later, we will describe the columns tab.
LeaseySocial has a standard menu bar. This keeps the command set easier to browse with JAWS, while preserving the context menu for common actions on the focused post. The main menus are File, Post, Navigate, Timelines and Tools.
Accounts
LeaseySocial supports multiple Mastodon and Bluesky accounts. The Accounts list appears before the Timelines list. If one account is present, it contains that account. If two or more accounts are present, use Up and Down Arrow to choose an account. When an account is selected, the Timelines list changes to show the timelines configured for that account. All configured Mastodon accounts are streamed while LeaseySocial is running. This means you can receive new posts, mentions and notifications from more than one Mastodon account.
Bluesky accounts are also monitored while LeaseySocial is running. LeaseySocial checks Bluesky Home, Mentions and Notifications repeatedly and announces new items as they arrive. When a new item is spoken for a non-current account, the account name is included first so you know which account received it. This also applies if you are focused away from the LeaseySocial application.
For example, JAWS should announce:
brian_hartgen. New mention from Team-FM: ...
When LeaseySocial is launched for the first time, you are asked to log into an account. This can be a Mastodon or Bluesky account. In the case of Mastodon, it is recommended that you visit the Home Page of your Mastodon instance in your web browser first and be sure you are signed in. This will make the process of connecting LeaseySocial to your Mastodon account much smoother.
Step 1. The selection of account type is made through the use of a Combo Box. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to select an account type, such as Mastodon.
Step 2. Press Tab.
Step 3. Type the Mastodon instance. If you are a member of our own instance, leaseysocial.com, type that into the Edit Field now, like this:
leaseysocial.com If you are part of another instance, type the instance details, such as: mastodon.social Step 4. Press the Tab key to reach the OK Button and then press Enter or Space.
Step 5. Your web browser should then open. This is the authorisation page. It is important that you do not close the LeaseySocial window. Press ALT+Tab to find the page which has opened in your web browser. If you have difficulty finding it, press JAWS Key+F10 to bring into view the list of running programs. Press Down Arrow to locate the web page in the list and then press Enter.
Step 6. When focused on the web page, locate the Authorise button. You can usually type letter B to get there. Then press Enter or Space.
Step 7. The next page has generated a code for you. You need to copy this code to the Windows Clipboard in order that you can paste it into the LeaseySocial client. Type the letter B again to reach the button entitled Copy. Press Enter or Space on the button.
Step 8. With the code on the clipboard, press ALT+Tab to find your LeaseySocial application once more.
Step 9. Press Control+V to paste the authorisation code into the Edit Field.
Step 10. Press the Tab key. You will reach a control entitled Open Authorisation Page again. This is in place in the unlikely event that the page did not open correctly in your browser. But we have the code so we can proceed.
Step 11. Press Tab once more to reach the OK Button and press Enter or Space.
Step 12. All being well, you should hear JAWS announce that 100 posts have been retrieved.
A further account can be added via the File Menu.
Step 1. Press ALT+F to activate the File Menu.
Step 2. The first item is Add Account. Press Enter. In the case of Mastodon, this allows you to work through exactly the same procedure as before to add a second account. Bluesky accounts use a handle and an app password.
To create a Bluesky app password:
Step 1. Log into the Bluesky account using your web browser.
Step 2. Open Bluesky settings.
Step 3. Go to Privacy and Security:
This can be reached directly by pasting this URL into your browser's Address Bar:
https://bsky.app/settings/privacy-and-security Step 4. Choose App Passwords.
Step 5. Create a new app password.
Step 6. If you want the password to be usable later for direct messages, check the option to allow access to DMs.
Step 7. LeaseySocial password is used only for logging in to Bluesky. Do not enter your normal Bluesky password in the later step.
Step 8. Focus back on LeaseySocial.
Step 9. Press ALT+F for the File Menu and press Enter on the first item which is Add Account.
Step 10. From the list which is now in focus, press Down Arrow to select Bluesky.
Step 11. Press Tab to reach the Edit Field entitled Bluesky Handle. Into this field, you will type or paste your Bluesky address which will have been created for you during sign up.
Step 12. Press Tab and type or paste LeaseySocial password you obtained in an earlier step.
Step 13. Press Tab to find the OK Button and then press Enter.
Bluesky support includes:
If a Bluesky account stops loading after working previously, use Reauthenticate Bluesky Account from More Actions on the Context Menu and enter the Bluesky app password again. This refreshes the saved Bluesky session without deleting and re-adding the account.
LeaseySocial contains a lot of functionality. In addition, much of the configuration is achieved through the Options dialog, activated with Control+Comma. In this part of the chapter therefore, we are going to give you the opportunity of getting up and running quickly with LeaseySocial. We will then take you into the Options dialog, show you how to navigate it, and give you some useful getting started tips. In the second part, we will describe in detail the many ways in which LeaseySocial can be used. This is likely to get a little more daunting and you should take time to study it carefully. Because there are a vast range of features to describe, we will pick up the learning pace somewhat in the second part. Once an account has been added and LeaseySocial has loaded posts, the next step is simply to become comfortable with the main window. The main window is not intended to behave like a web page. You do not need to browse through headings, regions, links or buttons in order to read posts. The most important information is presented in lists.
The three most important places are:
If you only have one account, the Accounts list is still present so the layout remains predictable. If you have more than one account, use Up and Down Arrow in the Accounts list to choose the account you want. The Timelines list contains areas such as Home, Mentions, Notifications, Messages and Sent. The Posts list contains the posts for the selected timeline. Press Tab and Shift+Tab to move between these areas.
This is the first task most people will want to perform.
Step 1. Start LeaseySocial with the Leasey Key then Control+Windows+S.
Step 2. If you have more than one account, make sure the correct account is selected in the Accounts list.
Step 3. Press Tab until you reach the Timelines list.
Step 4. Use Up or Down Arrow until you hear Home.
Step 5. Press Tab once to move to the Posts list.
Step 6. Use Up and Down Arrow to move through posts. As you move through the Posts list, JAWS speaks the fields which have been configured for that account. By default, these include the author, the post text, the date, the client and the status. If you only want to hear one part of the row, use Left and Right Arrow. For example, you may want to hear only the author, only the text of the post, or only the date. This is one of the most important concepts in LeaseySocial. Up and Down Arrow move from post to post. Left and Right Arrow move through the pieces of information for the focused post.
Sometimes the speech in the Posts list is enough. At other times, you may want to read the post in a more spacious dialog.
Step 1. Move to a post in the Posts list.
Step 2. Press Enter.
Step 3. The Post Details dialog opens.
Step 4. Focus is placed in a read-only edit field containing the full post.
Step 5. Use the Arrow keys, Control+Left Arrow, Control+Right Arrow, Home, End, Control+Home and Control+End to read the post in the normal way.
Step 6. Press Tab to move to further information and action buttons. Next comes a read-only edit field containing information such as when the post was published, the author, the full username in the event you wish to copy it, the Mastodon client used to compose the post if known, the number of boosts the post has received, the number of times it has been favourited, the number of people who have replied to it, whether you have boosted the post, whether you have favourited it, whether you have bookmarked it, and more. Press Tab repeatedly again if necessary to move through buttons you may like to use, such as Unfollow, read profile, mention, boost, favourite, etc. These are buttons placed here for convenience. There are plenty of shortcut keys available to perform these actions.
Step 7. Press Escape when you are finished. The Post Details dialog is useful when a post is long, when it contains quoted material, when you want to review punctuation, or when you want to use commands such as Follow, Favourite, Bookmark, Open Web or Read Profile.
Mentions and Notifications are often more important than the general Home timeline because they are more likely to require your attention.
Step 1. From the Posts list, press Shift+Tab to return to the Timelines list.
Step 2. Use Up or Down Arrow to find Mentions.
Step 3. Press Tab to return to the Posts list.
Step 4. Read the Mentions timeline with Up and Down Arrow.
Step 5. Repeat the same process for Notifications. As you become more familiar with LeaseySocial, you can use Control+1, Control+2 and Control+3 to move quickly to the first three timelines. The exact timelines reached by those commands depend on your timeline order in Options which will be described later.
This example creates a new post without a content warning, poll or media attachment.
Step 1. Press Control+N.
Step 2. The Compose dialog opens.
Step 3. Type the text of your post.
Step 4. Press JAWS Key+T to read the window title. This lets you know how many characters you have typed. together with how many characters remain. Pressing the Control+Shift+I for Where Am I will also give this information.
Step 5. The dialog contains a Visibility combo box. Choose the visibility you want. Public is suitable for a normal public post. Followers only means only your followers can see it. Direct is intended for a private message-style post on Mastodon. You can press Tab to reach the combo box and press Up or Down Arrow to move through the options.
Step 6. Press Tab until you reach OK and press Enter. Alternatively, press Shift+Tab back to the message composition field and press Enter. Always take a moment to check the visibility before sending. It is very easy on any social media platform to send something more widely than intended.
Replying is one of the most common tasks in any social media client.
Step 1. Move to the post you want to answer.
Step 2. Press Control+R.
Step 3. The Reply dialog opens.
Step 4. In the standard configuration, the author's username is already placed at the start of the edit field and the cursor is after it.
Step 5. Type your reply.
Step 6. Send the reply by pressing Enter. Control+R replies to the author of the focused post. Control+Shift+R replies to all relevant people mentioned in the post, excluding your own username where possible. The distinction matters. If a post is part of a conversation containing several people, Reply answers the author. Reply All includes other participants where appropriate.
Many posts contain web links.
Step 1. Move to the post containing the link.
Step 2. Press Control+O.
Step 3. If links are available, they are shown in a list.
Step 4. Use Up and Down Arrow to choose the link.
Step 5. Press Enter. The link opens in your default web browser. If no useful links are found, LeaseySocial says so rather than opening an empty dialog.
If a post contains media, the post text may begin with a phrase such as Image attached or Audio attached.
For audio or other playable media:
Step 1. Move to the post.
Step 2. Press Control+Enter.
Step 3. Where possible, LeaseySocial passes the media to Leasey Media Centre for playback.
For images:
Step 1. Move to the post containing the image.
Step 2. Open the context menu with the LeaseySocial applications key or Shift+F10.
Step 3. Choose More Actions.
Step 4. Choose Describe Image with ChatGPT. You can also use Control+Shift+D for Describe Image with ChatGPT. This uses the OpenAI API key from Leasey's ChatGPT settings.
Some Mastodon posts contain polls.
Step 1. Move to the post containing the poll.
Step 2. Press Control+Shift+V, or open the context menu and choose Vote in Poll.
Step 3. The voting dialog opens.
Step 4. If the poll allows one answer, choose one radio button by pressing Down Arrow.
Step 5. If the poll allows more than one answer, check the options you want by pressing Tab repeatedly to move through the check boxes, and pressing Space on each one as appropriate.
Step 6. Confirm the vote by pressing Tab to reach the OK button and pressing Enter or Space. LeaseySocial tries to make it clear that a poll is present. You may hear the poll question, the available choices and the current percentage figures where the server provides them. A sound can also be associated with poll posts if sounds are enabled.
You do not have to remember every shortcut key immediately.
Step 1. Move to a post.
Step 2. Press the LeaseySocial applications key or Shift+F10.
Step 3. Use Up and Down Arrow through the context menu.
Step 4. Press Enter on the action you want. Useful actions include Reply, Quote, Open Links, Play Media, Copy Post, Direct Message, Conversation, User Timeline, View Profile, Boost, Favourite and Bookmark. The context menu also contains More Actions. This is where less frequent commands can be found, such as Describe Image with ChatGPT, Search, Follow User, Report Post, Mute User, Block User, Open Post on Web and Options.
Copying a post is useful if you want to quote it in an email, save it in a note, or send it to someone else.
Step 1. Move to the post.
Step 2. Press Control+C.
Step 3. The post is copied to the Windows Clipboard.
Step 4. Move to the LeaseySocial application where you want the text and press Control+V. The copied text includes a readable author line and the post body. For boosts and notifications, it should also include useful context, such as who boosted or favourited the post.
As previously stated, LeaseySocial can be customised extensively, but you do not need to customise everything before using it. Open Options with Control+Comma. This is a multi-page dialog box containing several tabbed pages. The first tabbed page is General and that is exactly where we want to be. Press Tab to move through the controls. When you reach the series of tabbed pages, JAWS will indicate this by announcing it, such as, "General Tab". If that happens, press Right Arrow or Left Arrow to move through the tabbed pages. We will be asking you shortly to find some of the tabs in this list. We will only work through the essential options at this stage. You may like to revisit this dialog box frequently as you learn more tasks and discover LeaseySocial's many features. You can always press Insert+F1 on any control to discover its purpose. We will be referring to this dialog box frequently. The following settings are good first choices.
In terms of getting started quickly, there are some very useful items in the General tab which you may like to configure.
Having made those adjustments, you can press the Tab key to reach the OK button and press Enter or Space. But you may like to follow along to configure more options. Press Tab repeatedly to reach the list of tabbed pages. Deciding What JAWS Speaks in the Posts List. If the Posts list is speaking too much information, change the Columns options.
Step 1. Press Right Arrow until you reach the Columns tab.
Step 2. Press Tab to move into the tabbed page.
Step 3. Review the fields in the Columns list by pressing Up or Down Arrow.
Step 4. If you only want the author and post text spoken while arrowing, remove fields such as Date, Client or Status. You can do this by pressing Down Arrow to find the item you do not wish to hear and press the Delete key.
Step 5. If you want a field spoken earlier, find the column of interest and press ALT+U. The column moves above the preceding column. Similarly, if you want to move a column down, find the item in the list and press ALT+D. JAWS will confirm the action, such as, "Moved Mentions below Notifications". Your overall objective here is to examine the list and check that the items appear in the correct order. The order the items appear in the list reflects the way in which JAWS will speak the information in the timelines.
Step 6. If necessary, press Tab to reach the OK button and press Enter or Space to save the changes. However we are going to make additional changes in the Options dialog box. So you can press Tab repeatedly to focus back on the list of tabbed pages. This setting is account-specific. You can have a detailed layout for one account and a simpler layout for another.
If JAWS is speaking too much while you are working elsewhere, adjust the Speech options.
Step 1. Press Right Arrow until you reach the Speech tab.
Step 2. Press Tab to move into the tabbed page.
Step 3. Decide whether to mute speech and sounds for the current account completely. This is a Check Box which can be checked or unchecked with the Space Bar.
Step 4. If you do not want to mute the whole account, review the individual timeline check boxes by pressing the Tab key repeatedly to sequentially move through each one. Press the Space Bar to check or uncheck a check box. Your objective here is to uncheck the items you do not want JAWS to announce. You will find a check box for each of the timelines available. For example, you might disable announcements for Home but keep Mentions and Notifications enabled. This is particularly useful if you follow a busy account but still want to know when someone has contacted you directly.
Step 5. Press Tab to reach the OK button and press Enter or Space to save the changes. That concludes part 1. We will now graduate to more extensive use of LeaseySocial.
This second part of the chapter describes LeaseySocial in greater detail. You do not need to learn all of this before using the LeaseySocial application. It is here so that, when you want to do something more advanced, you can return to the relevant section and work through it slowly. The sections are arranged by task rather than by menu. For example, the section on following people explains the Follow command, the Unfollow command and the relationship information together, because those actions are naturally related. When you are unsure about a control in LeaseySocial itself, remember that Insert+F1 opens Context Sensitive Help for that control.
A timeline is simply a list of items. In most cases those items are posts, but some timelines show users, hashtags or links.
The most common timelines are:
Home is the general timeline for the current account. Mentions contains posts where your account has been mentioned. Notifications contains items such as favourites, boosts, follows and other activity reported by the server. Messages contains direct-message conversations where the platform supports them. Sent contains posts sent by the current account.
Other timelines can appear as you use LeaseySocial. Examples include:
To move between timelines by using the lists:
Step 1. Press Tab or Shift+Tab until you reach the Timelines list.
Step 2. Use Up Arrow and Down Arrow to choose the timeline.
Step 3. Press Tab to move to the Posts list.
Step 4. Use Up Arrow and Down Arrow to read the items. There are also shortcut keys for timeline movement. Control+1 moves to the first timeline in the Timelines list. Control+2 moves to the second timeline. Control+3 moves to the third timeline. The same pattern continues through to Control+9. The exact destination of these commands depends on the order of timelines in Options. If Home is first, Control+1 opens Home. If Mentions is second, Control+2 opens Mentions. Alt+Left Arrow moves back to the previous timeline you used. Alt+Right Arrow moves forward again through that same history.
Example:
Press Alt+Left Arrow to return to Mentions. Press Alt+Left Arrow again to return to Home. Press Alt+Right Arrow to move forward to Mentions again. LeaseySocial tries to remember your position in each timeline. If you leave Home on post 40 and move to Mentions, returning to Home should put you back near post 40 if that post is still present in the loaded items. If you have more than one account, Alt+1 switches to the first account, Alt+2 switches to the second account, and the same pattern continues through to Alt+9.
Some timelines are created because you asked for them. Examples include a search timeline, a user timeline, a conversation timeline or an instance timeline.
To close one of these timelines:
Step 1. Move to the timeline.
Step 2. Press Control+W.
Step 3. If confirmation dialogs are enabled, LeaseySocial asks whether you are sure.
Step 4. Press Enter on Yes if you want to close it. You can type letter Y for Yes and N for No. Home, Mentions, Notifications and Sent are core timelines and cannot be removed in this way.
LeaseySocial uses two related ideas which are easy to confuse. The first is how many posts are retrieved from the server. The second is how many cached posts are displayed in LeaseySocial. Posts to retrieve from server controls how many posts LeaseySocial asks the server for during most refreshes. The default is 100. Mastodon servers often return about 40 posts in one request. If you ask LeaseySocial to retrieve 100 posts, it may need to make several requests. A higher number gives more server history, but it can make startup or refresh slower. Cached posts to display controls how many posts already stored locally can appear in the Posts list. The cache can hold up to 1000 items per account and timeline.
Example:
You might retrieve 100 posts from the server, but display up to 1000 cached posts in the Home timeline if those cached posts already exist. This allows LeaseySocial to start by showing cached information quickly, then refresh in the background. Clear Timeline Cache is available on the General tab of Options. Use it only when cached timeline data appears stale, confusing or problematic. After clearing the cache, LeaseySocial reloads the current timeline.
United View is a combined timeline for the current account. Its purpose is to reduce the chance of missing important activity. Mentions and Notifications can be easy to overlook if you spend most of your time in Home. United View can bring several sources into one list.
For example, you may want United View to include:
You can still open each of those timelines separately. United View does not replace them. It is an additional timeline.
To add United View:
Step 1. Press Control+Comma to open Options.
Step 2. Press Shift+Tab to reach the list of tabs.
Step 3. Press Right Arrow to move to the Timelines tab.
Step 4. Press Tab repeatedly until you reach the Add United View Button.
Step 5. Press Enter or Space.
Step 6. If you want to choose what United View contains, focus on the United tab. One way of doing this would be to press Control+Shift+Tab. Focus lands on the first control of the United Tab.
Step 7. JAWS announces the words Home check box checked". The check box is checked which means it will be included in the united view. Thereafter, press Tab through the timeline check boxes. These control which timelines are brought into the United View.
Step 8. Press Space to check or uncheck each source.
Step 9. Tab to OK and press Enter or Space. United View is account-specific. You can have United View enabled for one account and not for another. United View uses the normal Posts list. Up Arrow and Down Arrow move through items. Left Arrow and Right Arrow move through the configured fields, such as Author, Post, Date, Client and Status.
The Posts list is the main reading area. Use Up Arrow and Down Arrow to move from one item to another. Use Left Arrow and Right Arrow to move through the fields for the focused item.
For example, suppose a row contains:
Up Arrow and Down Arrow move to a different post. Left Arrow and Right Arrow move through those five pieces of information for the same post. If a post is long, press Enter to open Post Details.
Post Details opens a dialog containing:
Use the Arrow keys in the Post field to read carefully. Use Tab to move through the information field and action buttons. Press Escape to close Post Details. If the post is from your own account, Follow and Unfollow are not shown. The profile button is Edit Profile. If the post is from someone else, the profile button is Read Profile. Boosted posts and quoted posts can contain more than one person. LeaseySocial tries to make this clear. For example, it may tell you who boosted the post and who originally wrote it.
LeaseySocial gives you several ways to reach commands. The menu bar is reached with the Alt key. The context menu is reached with the applications key or Shift+F10.
The menu bar contains:
The context menu contains common commands for the focused post. It also contains More Actions, where less frequent commands are placed.
Press Control+N to compose a new post. Focus starts in the Post text field. Type your post in the normal way. Press Tab to move through the fields.
The Compose dialog can include:
Not every control is shown all the time. For example, media controls appear when Attach media is checked. Poll controls appear when Poll is checked.
The Visibility combo box controls who can see the post. Public means anyone can see it. Unlisted means the post is public but not promoted in public timelines in the same way. Followers only means only followers can see it. Direct is intended for a direct style Mastodon post. Always check visibility before sending something sensitive.
By default, Enter sends the post. If the General option Use Control+Enter to send posts instead of Enter is checked, Enter inserts a new line and Control+Enter sends the post. Sending a post is best achieved by focusing upon the composition edit field and pressing Enter or Control+Enter.
The title bar contains a character count, such as: Characters: 123 of 5000. Press JAWS Key+T to read it. Where Am I also reports the current composition information. Press Control+Shift+I.
Press F7 to run spell check from the compose field. If no errors are found, LeaseySocial says so and returns you to the post. If errors are found, the spell check dialog lets you review suggestions, change the word, ignore it, ignore all occurrences or add the word to the dictionary. The spelling language follows the regional setting where possible. US English uses US spelling. UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India use UK spelling.
Press Alt+A to use account completion. A list of possible options is displayed. Press Down Arrow to move through them. If you have typed part of a username beginning with the at sign, such as @bri, LeaseySocial searches for matching accounts. If there is no at sign fragment, LeaseySocial offers people you follow. This is useful when you know the person but cannot remember the exact username. When the desired name is located, press Enter to paste it into the composition edit field.
Press Control+Shift+T in an editable text field to open ChatGPT Text Tools. You can also press the Chat Key then T. If text is selected, the selected text is used. If no text is selected, the whole field is used. The tool can rewrite, summarise, check grammar, simplify text, use Dictionary, use Thesaurus and perform other writing tasks. Press Down Arrow to move through the choices and press Enter to apply.
A content warning is a short warning shown before the post text.
Examples might include:
To add a content warning:
Step 1. Open the Compose dialog.
Step 2. Type the post.
Step 3. Press Tab until you reach Content warning.
Step 4. Press Space to check the box.
Step 5. Press Tab to the warning edit field.
Step 6. Type the warning.
Step 7. Continue moving through the dialog box and complete fields as appropriate.
Step 8. At the end of the process, activate the Send button with Enter or Space.
Reading content warnings is controlled from the Reading tab in Options.
The choices are:
Press Control+R to reply to the author of the focused post. Press Control+Shift+R to reply to the author and other relevant mentioned users. This distinction matters.
Example:
If Sarah writes a post to you, Control+R replies to Sarah. If Sarah, David and Julia are all in a conversation, Control+Shift+R tries to include the relevant participants, while excluding your own username where possible. Reply usernames can be handled in two ways. The standard method places the usernames at the start of the reply text.
Example:
@sarah@example.social Thank you for this.
The optional method places the usernames in a separate Recipients field. This option is called Put reply usernames in a separate recipients field on the General tab of Options.
When that option is checked:
When the reply is sent, LeaseySocial combines the Recipients field and the reply text. This is useful if you often press Control+A and Delete when rewriting a reply. It prevents the usernames from being deleted accidentally.
Press Control+Q to quote the focused post. If the Mastodon instance supports native quote posts, LeaseySocial uses the server's quote post feature. If the instance does not support native quote posts, LeaseySocial falls back to inserting a link to the original post in a simple reply-style format. Native Mastodon quote posts cannot include a media attachment or a poll. If you try to combine these, LeaseySocial gives an error before sending. Quoted posts should be included when reading the full post, and links inside quoted posts should be available through Open Links where the server provides them. If a quote initially appears as Quote Pending, LeaseySocial checks again in the background. A manual refresh should not normally be needed.
So far, we have taught you a great deal about composing posts. However, there are two areas which require fuller explanation.
###Spell Checking. As previously stated, when composing a post, press F7 to begin spell checking. If text is selected, LeaseySocial checks only the selected text. If no text is selected, LeaseySocial checks the whole post from the beginning unless usernames are at the start. If this is the case, the spellings are checked after the usernames. LeaseySocial uses the LeaseySpell spelling component. If the LeaseySpell settings do not specify a language, LeaseySocial 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 "Misspelled word receive, r e c e i v e."
Move through suggestions with Up Arrow and Down Arrow. When a suggestion is selected, JAWS speaks the letters of that suggestion after a short delay. When the Spell Check dialog first moves to a misspelled word, JAWS 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 post. Words ignored with Ignore All stay ignored while the post 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.
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. LeaseySocial 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. LeaseySocial 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 if it is not already active.
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. LeaseySocial 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. JAWS 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.
As described in a later chapter, ChatGPT Tools can be used to rewrite part of (or the entire) post using a different writing style or to assist with clarification. A dictionary and thesaurus are also provided.
Step 1. Press Control+Shift+T or the Chat Key then T. As described later in this postation, The Chat Key is the Leasey key with Control pressed together. So press the Chat Key, release it, and then type the letter T. Because this is integrated into LeaseySocial however, you can simply press Control+Shift+T in this context.
Step 2. The ChatGPT Text Tools dialog contains:
Step 3. The Tools list contains writing and review tools such as:
Step 4. Press Down Arrow to select an option.
Step 5. If text was selected before opening the dialog, the Text edit field contains the selected text. If no text was selected, the Text edit field contains the whole post. You can press the Tab key to focus upon the edit field for reading and then press Shift+Tab to return back to the list.
You can review or edit the text before activating the OK button. For Dictionary and Thesaurus, if no text was selected, LeaseySocial uses the word at or just after the cursor.
Step 6. Press Enter to confirm that you wish to use one of the tools. For most tools, when ChatGPT returns the result, LeaseySocial replaces the original selection. If no text was selected, LeaseySocial replaces the whole post. You can also press Control+Z to undo the amendments ChatGPT has made. Dictionary results are different. They are shown in a read-only edit field and do not change the post. Constructive feedback results are also different. They are shown in a read-only edit field and do not change the post. Thesaurus results are also different. They are shown in a list box. Press Enter on an alternative to replace the selected or current word.
These commands are quick ways to react to or save posts.
Press Control+B to boost or repost the focused post.
Press Control+Shift+B to remove your boost from the focused post.
Press Control+Shift+F to favourite the focused post.
Press Control+Alt+F to remove your favourite.
Press Control+K to bookmark the focused post.
Press Control+Shift+K to remove the focused post from your bookmarks. Bookmarks are private to you. Favourites and boosts may be visible to others depending on the platform and post visibility.
You can delete or edit posts that belong to the current account.
To delete your own post:
Step 1. Focus upon the post.
Step 2. Press Delete.
Step 3. Confirm the deletion if confirmation dialogs are enabled. Type Y for Yes or N for No. Pressing Enter is possible as Yes is the default control. You cannot delete another person's post.
To edit your own post:
Step 1. Focus upon the post.
Step 2. Press Alt+E.
Step 3. Edit the text in the dialog.
Step 4. Send the updated post by pressing Enter or Control+Enter. After editing, LeaseySocial refreshes the relevant timeline so the edited version should be visible. If the server does not allow the action, LeaseySocial gives an accessible error.
Press Control+D to create a direct message from the focused post or focused user.
The Direct Message dialog contains:
If a post is focused, the username is filled in for you. Focus starts in the Message field when the recipient is already known. Shift+Tab moves from Message back to Username. Direct messages always keep the recipient separate from the message text. This is different from ordinary replies, where you can choose whether reply usernames are separate or inserted into the text. Alt+A performs account completion. If the Username field is empty, it offers people you follow. This process was described earlier. The message is sent with direct visibility where the platform supports it. For Bluesky direct messages, the Bluesky app password must have been created with direct message access. Incoming Mastodon direct messages may also appear in Mentions, but LeaseySocial uses the Messages timeline and the Direct message received sound where possible.
Scheduling is available for Mastodon posts in the Compose dialog.
To schedule a post:
Step 1. Press Control+N.
Step 2. Type the post.
Step 3. Press Tab until you reach Schedule Post.
Step 4. Press Space to check the box.
Step 5. Choose the date, hour, minute and AM or PM from the combo boxes. Press the Tab key to move to each combo box in turn.
Step 6. Continue through the dialog and send the post by pressing Enter on the Send button. The post is sent to the Mastodon instance as a scheduled post. It is not published immediately. Mastodon normally requires a scheduled post to be at least five minutes in the future. If you choose a time that is too soon, LeaseySocial shows an error. Scheduled Posts is available from the Timelines menu, ALT+T. It opens a timeline of posts you have scheduled but which have not yet been published.
To delete a scheduled post:
Step 1. Open Scheduled Posts.
Step 2. Focus the scheduled post by pressing Down Arrow.
Step 3. Press Delete.
Step 4. Confirm the deletion if asked. Type Y for Yes or N for No. Pressing Enter is possible as Yes is the default control. Scheduled posts can include media where the server supports it. LeaseySocial stores the scheduled media information so it can be attached when the scheduled post is sent.
Thread Mode helps you write a sequence of connected posts.
To use it:
Step 1. Open the Compose dialog with Control+N.
Step 2. Compose the post.
Step 3. Press Tab until you reach Thread Mode.
Step 4. Press Space to check the box.
Step 5. Send it by pressing Tab until you reach the Send button then press Enter or Space.
Step 6. LeaseySocial reopens the compose field so you can write the next post.
Step 7. Keep repeating the process of composing and sending. Scheduling and Thread Mode are not intended to be used together.
To attach media to a post:
Step 1. Open the Compose dialog.
Step 2. Type some text in the post.
Step 3. Press Tab until you reach Attach media.
Step 4. Press Space to check the box.
Step 5. The media file field, Browse button, Record Audio button and Alternative text field appear. Press Tab to move through them.
Step 6. Type or paste a media file path, or use the Browse button by pressing Enter on it, whereupon you can browse to a file using standard Windows techniques.
Step 7. If the media is an image, type useful alternative text. Press Tab to reach the field for the purpose.
Step 8. Send the post by pressing Tab to reach the Send button and press Enter or Space. Mastodon does not allow a poll and media attachment in the same post. If Poll is checked, the media controls are hidden.
The Record Audio button lets you record an MP3 without leaving the compose workflow.
To record:
Step 1. Having begun composing a post with Control+N, potentially add some text to it.
Step 2. Press Tab to reach the Attach media Check Box. Press Space to check it.
Step 3. Press Tab to the Record Audio button.
Step 4. Press Enter or Space.
Step 5. In the recording dialog, leave Record in stereo unchecked for normal mono recording, or check it if you need stereo and your input supports it. Press Tab to reach the check box and check or uncheck as appropriate.
Step 6. Tab to the Start button and press Enter or Space.
Step 7. Speak into the microphone.
Step 8. Activate the Stop button.
Step 9. Use the Play button if you want to review the recording.
Step 10. Activate the Save button. The recorded MP3 is returned to the Compose dialog and attached automatically. You do not need to browse for the file.
If a post contains an image, press Control+Shift+D to describe it with ChatGPT. You can also find Describe Image with ChatGPT from More Actions, available from the Context Menu. The OpenAI API key is read from Leasey's ChatGPT settings.
If a post contains playable media, press Control+Enter. Where possible, LeaseySocial passes the media to Leasey Media Centre.
Polls are available for Mastodon accounts. Bluesky poll creation and voting are not shown because Bluesky does not currently provide native poll support.
To create a poll:
Step 1. Press Control+N.
Step 2. Type the main post text. This is usually the poll question.
Step 3. Press Tab until you reach the Poll check box.
Step 4. Press Space to check it.
Step 5. Type the first option in the Option text field.
Step 6. Tab to the Add Option Button and press Enter or Space.
Step 7. Type the next option, Tab to the Add option button and press Enter or Space.
Step 8. Continue until the choices are complete.
Step 9. Choose the poll duration by pressing Tab to reach the Poll Duration Combo Box. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to set the duration.
Step 10. If appropriate, check the Allow multiple selections check box.
Step 11. If appropriate, check the Hide vote counts until poll closes check box.
Step 12. Send the post by pressing Tab to reach the Send button and pressing Enter or Space. At least two poll options are required. The number of poll options depends on the Mastodon instance. Many hosted instances allow four options. If you need more, ask the instance administrator or host whether the maximum number of poll options can be increased for your instance. LeaseySocial checks the instance's poll limits where the server provides them.
To vote in a poll:
Step 1. Focus a post containing an open poll.
Step 2. Press Control+Shift+V, or choose Vote in Poll from the context menu.
Step 3. If it is a single-choice poll, choose one radio button.
Step 4. If it is a multiple-choice poll, check the choices you want. Each choice has a check box. Press the Tab key to move through them.
Step 5. Tab to OK and press Enter or Space. After voting, the server may prevent you from voting again. When reading poll results, LeaseySocial includes vote counts, percentages and total voters where the server provides that information.
It is worth reiterating the steps for creating a poll as there is an additional aspect of this dialog box we have not shown to you as yet.
Step 1. Press Control+N to create a new post.
Step 2. Type this text. Which are your favourite days of the week?
Step 3. Press Tab repeatedly until you reach the Poll check box.
Step 4. Press Space to check it.
Step 5. Focus is in the Option text edit field. Type Monday.
Step 6. Press Tab to reach the Add Option button and press Enter or Space.
Step 7. Focus is in the option text edit field. Type Tuesday.
Step 8. Press Tab to reach the Add Option button and press Enter or Space.
Step 9. Type January into the Option text edit field.
Step 10. Press Tab to reach the Add Option button and press Enter or Space.
Step 11. January is obviously wrong. Press the Tab key repeatedly to reach a control we have not identified as yet which is the Poll Options list box.
Step 12. Find the January entry with the Up or Down Arrow keys.
Step 13. Press the Delete key. The option is no longer present.
Step 14. Press Shift+Tab back to the option text edit field.
Step 15. Type Wednesday.
Step 16. Press Tab to reach the Add Option button and press Enter or Space.
Step 17. Continue to add as many days as your server instance allows.
Step 18. Press Tab to reach the Poll Duration combo box and use the Up and Down Arrow keys to set the duration to your liking.
Step 19. Press the Tab key to reach the Allow Multiple Selections check box and check it by pressing the Space Bar.
Step 20. Press the Tab key to reach the Hide vote counts until poll closes check box. We will leave this unchecked.
Step 21. Press Tab to reach the Post Text edit field and check the question is still present.
Step 22. Press Enter or Control+Enter to send.
LeaseySocial has two different search features. Search asks the server for results. Find searches the currently visible list.
Press Control+Slash to open Search.
The Search dialog contains:
The search type can be:
Example:
To search for posts about radio:
Step 1. Into the edit field type the word radio.
Step 2. Press Tab and from the combo box select Posts with the Up and Down Arrow keys.
Step 3. Tab to OK and press Enter or Space. Search results open as a timeline named Search followed by the search term. Search timelines can remain in the Timelines list if you leave them there. To remove one, open the Timelines tab in Options or use Control+W when focused on that timeline.
Press Control+F to search the visible Posts list. Type the search string and press Enter. Press F3 to move to the next match. Press Shift+F3 to move to the previous match. Find does not ask the server for anything new. It searches only what is currently loaded.
Press Control+O to open links from the focused post. If useful links are present, LeaseySocial opens a list. Use Up Arrow and Down Arrow to choose a link. Press Enter to open it in your default browser. Links from quoted posts are included where the server provides the quote data. If there are no useful links, LeaseySocial says so and does not open an empty dialog. LeaseySocial tries to prioritise external web links over Mastodon profile or status links when those profile or status links are not likely to be the link you wanted.
Press Control+C to copy the focused post to the Windows Clipboard. The copied text includes readable context. For example, a notification may include who favourited or boosted the post, not only the post text. After copying, move to another application and press Control+V to paste.
Export Current Timeline is available from the File menu with ALT+F and Leasey Command Centre. It writes the currently visible timeline to a text file.
Export All Timelines is available from the File menu with ALT+F and Leasey Command Centre. It exports configured timelines to text files, using cached data where available and loading timelines as needed. This is useful if you want to archive information, send a list of posts to someone, or review a timeline outside LeaseySocial.
The Discover submenu is on the Timelines menu, ALT+T.
For Mastodon accounts, Discover can include:
Trending Posts opens posts the server currently considers popular. Trending Hashtags opens a list of popular hashtags. Trending Links opens links the server currently considers popular. Followed Hashtags opens hashtags followed by the current account. Open Hashtag Timeline asks for a hashtag and opens a timeline of posts using it. You can type the hashtag with or without the number sign.
Example:
You can type technology or #technology.
For Bluesky accounts, Discover can include:
Bluesky Suggested Follows asks Bluesky for accounts you may want to follow. Find Bluesky Accounts by Interest asks you to type a subject, such as music, radio, accessibility, sport or politics. LeaseySocial then searches for relevant Bluesky accounts and opens the results in a Users timeline. Use Enter on a user result to view the profile. Use the normal Follow and Unfollow commands if you decide to follow the person.
A conversation is a thread of related posts. Press Control+G to open the conversation for the focused post. The conversation opens as a temporary timeline. Use Up Arrow and Down Arrow to move through it. Press Control+W to close it when finished. If the focused post is a reply, Control+Shift+Semicolon speaks the post to which it is replying where that information is available. This is useful when you land on a reply and need to know what prompted it.
Press Control+U to open a User Timeline. If a post is focused, LeaseySocial fills in the username for you. You can accept the username or type a different one. For a user on the same instance, you may be able to type only the username.
Example:
JemimaPuddleDuck For a user on another instance, type the full address.
Example:
For boosted posts, and posts containing multiple mentions, LeaseySocial may offer both the original author and the person who boosted the post.
LeaseySocial loads these lists in pages where the platform supports it. It currently loads up to 2000 accounts for each following or follower list, including the comparison groups.
Press Control+L to follow a user. When used from a post, LeaseySocial opens a dialog containing users found in the post. This can include the author, the boosted-by user, the quoted author and mentioned users. Use Up Arrow and Down Arrow to choose the user, then press Enter. If the user is not in the list, type the full username.
Press Control+Shift+L to unfollow a user. The selection dialog works in the same way as Follow User. When you unfollow someone, LeaseySocial also tries to remove that user's existing posts from the cached Home timeline for the current account. This reduces confusion where old cached posts remain visible after the unfollow.
Press Control+Shift+Y to hear relationship information for the focused user.
Example:
I am following Example User. Example User is not following me. Speak Relationship works on posts and on user-style timelines such as followers, following, suggested follows, blocked users and muted users.
Press Control+Shift+P to view a profile. If a post is focused, the username is filled in for you. Press Enter to display the profile. From Post Details, use Read Profile for someone else or Edit Profile for your own account. Edit My Profile is also available from the File menu and Leasey Command Centre.
The profile view can include:
Most recent post date, where the platform provides it.
For Mastodon accounts, Edit My Profile opens a multi-page dialog.
The Text tab contains:
The Images tab contains:
The Options tab can contain:
The Fields tab contains profile fields. These are the extra profile entries many Mastodon users use for web site, location, pronouns or similar information. Each field has a name and value. They are all edit fields.
For Bluesky accounts, Edit My Profile opens a Bluesky profile editor.
It supports:
Bluesky allows a display name of up to 64 characters and profile text of up to 256 characters. Avatar and banner images must be PNG or JPEG files no larger than 1 MB.
Report Post and Report User are available from the Post menu, Alt+P, Context Menu More Actions and Leasey Command Centre. Report Post reports the author of the focused post and can include the focused post as evidence. Report User reports a user without attaching the focused post.
The report dialog contains:
The Context Menu More Actions includes:
Available from the Timelines menu Alt+T or by using Leasey Command Centre and search for the word Instance. Recent Posts on This Instance opens recent local posts from the current instance. Recent Posts on Another Instance asks for an instance name.
Example:
leaseysocial.com
LeaseySocial then retrieves recent local posts from that instance. These timelines are saved for the current account if they remain in the Timelines list. To remove one, use Control+W on the timeline or remove it from the Timelines tab in Options.
Lists are Mastodon server lists. They group accounts so you can read posts from those accounts in one timeline. Press Control+Shift+S to open Lists Manager.
The Lists Manager contains:
Step 1. Open Lists Manager, Control+Shift+S.
Step 2. Tab to the New List button and press Enter or Space.
Step 3. Type the name of the list into the focused edit field.
Step 4. Press Tab to the reply policy combo box. Press the Down Arrow key to choose an option.
Step 5. Decide whether to hide list members from the Home timeline. Press Tab to reach the check box.
Step 6. Save the list by pressing Tab to reach OK and press Enter or Space.
The Show Replies to combo box can include:
When the list is saved, JAWS gives a summary of the list configuration. Adding an Account to a List.
Step 1. Focus the list in Lists Manager. Press Control+Shift+S and select the list from the list box with the Down Arrow key.
Step 2. Press Tab to reach the Add Account button and press Enter or Space.
Step 3. Type the username into the edit field.
Step 4. Tab to OK and press Enter or Space. Mastodon normally requires that you follow an account before it can be added to a list.
Step 1. Focus the list in Lists Manager. Press Control+Shift+S and select the list from the list box with the Down Arrow key.
Step 2. Press Tab to reach the Open Timeline button and press Enter or Space. The list opens as a normal timeline.
Filters Manager is available from Context Menu More Actions and Leasey Command Centre. In Leasey Command Centre, search for the word Filter.
It has two main parts:
It is a multi-page dialog box with two tabbed pages.
Press the Tab key to move through the options in each tab.
LeaseySocial filters are local. They affect what LeaseySocial displays, speaks, Brailles and sounds. They do not change what is stored on the Mastodon server.
A local filter can hide:
You can also type text in Contains text.
Example:
If you create a filter for boosts, boosts disappear from the visible timeline when the manager closes. The cached data itself is not deleted.
Server keyword filters use the Mastodon server filter API.
When creating a server filter, you can set:
Server contexts can include:
Server actions can include:
Server filter behaviour depends on the Mastodon instance and the permissions available to LeaseySocial.
Nicknames Manager is available from Context Menu More Actions and Leasey Command Centre. In Leasey Command Centre, search for nicknames. It acts like a small speech dictionary for people and accounts. Press the Tab key to move through the dialog box.
It lets you enter:
Example:
You might change @verylongcomplexusername to: John.
Nicknames are account-specific.
They can affect:
Nicknames are useful where usernames or display names are long, difficult to hear, difficult to remember or full of punctuation. As a starting point, press Tab to reach the New button and press Enter or Space. Into the respective edit fields, type the username or long-form. This should be captured from the user's post which originally had focus prior to activating this utility. You can edit the text or type new text. Press Tab and type the short-form. Press Tab to reach OK and press Enter or Space. Focus returns to the Nicknames Manager. You can see a list of your nicknames. If you wish to delete one at any point, find it in the list and press the Delete key. The list displays entries such as, "MyVeryLongName becomes Belinda".
Streaming starts automatically. Mastodon uses the Mastodon streaming connection. Bluesky is monitored by repeatedly checking Home, Mentions and Notifications. The first check establishes the current position. Later checks announce items that arrived after that point. If multiple accounts are configured, all accounts are monitored. Timeline speech and sound settings are respected when new items arrive. Mute Speech and Sounds for This Account silences new-item speech, Braille and sounds for the current account only. Mute Sounds for This Account silences sounds for the current account only. Mute All Speech, Braille and Sounds is the full quiet mode. Press Control+Alt+M to turn it on. Press Control+Alt+M again to restore the normal settings. This is useful if you want LeaseySocial to keep running but you do not want it to interrupt a meeting, book, movie or phone call. If a local LeaseySocial filter hides a streamed item, the item should not be inserted into the visible list, spoken, Brailled or a sound played.
At startup, LeaseySocial checks whether there are new Mentions or Notifications since the last time LeaseySocial saw those timelines.
If there are new items, it can say something like:
brian_hartgen: 2 new mentions and 3 new notifications. This is intended to draw attention to activity which may require a response. LeaseySocial avoids false large counts when the previously seen item is no longer in the first loaded batch.
Open Options with Control+Comma. Options is a multi-page dialog. Use Control+Tab and Shift+Control+Tab to move between tabs.
When you do this, focus is set to the first control in the tab. Alternatively, press Shift+Tab to focus upon the list of Tabs and use Left and Right Arrow as described in part 1.
Use Tab and Shift+Tab to move through controls on the current tab.
The tabs are:
- General.
- Reading.
- United.
- Timelines.
- Columns.
- Speech.
- Sounds.
- Shortcut keys.
Press Insert+F1 on any setting for context sensitive help.
data location. 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.
Manage Accounts button. Opens the account manager. Use it to add accounts, delete accounts or move accounts up and down in the accounts list.
Show newest posts at bottom check box. When checked, newer posts appear nearer the bottom of the Posts list. When unchecked, newer posts appear nearer the top.
Condense multiple leading mentions check box. When checked, posts that begin with several usernames are shortened in the main list. For example, Leasey Social may read the first name and say that there are three more. The full text is still available in Post Details.
Read only the first sentence in notification announcements check box. This shortens automatic spoken notifications. When checked, a favourite, boost, poll or similar notification speaks only the first sentence of the related post. The full post is still available in the Notifications list and Post Details.
Remove emojis and other Unicode characters from posts and display names check box. When checked, non-ASCII symbols are stripped from post text, author names, boosted-by names and notification names before display and speech. This can reduce clutter from emoji or unusual symbols.
Put reply usernames in a separate recipients field check box. When checked, Reply and Reply All place usernames in a separate Recipients field before the reply text. When unchecked, reply usernames are inserted at the start of the reply text. Direct messages always keep the destination separate.
Show post times in 12 hour format check box.
Changes times such as 16:44 to 4:44 PM.
Show post times as relative times check box. Changes timestamps to wording such as 3 minutes ago, 1 hour ago or 1 day ago. When this is checked, it takes priority over exact 12 hour or 24 hour times.
Word wrap composition fields check box. When checked, long lines wrap visually inside compose, reply and direct-message edit fields. When unchecked, long lines stay on one line.
Minimize to system tray check box. When checked, minimizing LeaseySocial keeps it running in the Windows notification area.
Provide confirmation dialogs check box. Controls whether LeaseySocial asks before actions such as closing a timeline, deleting a post, deleting a filter, removing a list member, changing the data location or deleting an account.
Use Control+Enter to send posts instead of Enter check box. When checked, Enter inserts a new line in compose and direct-message fields, and Control+Enter sends. When unchecked, Enter sends.
Posts to retrieve from server combo box. Controls how many posts LeaseySocial asks the server for during most refreshes. Higher values can retrieve more history but may slow refreshes.
Cached posts to display combo box. Controls how many local cached posts can be displayed in a timeline. This is separate from the number retrieved from the server.
Clear Timeline Cache button. Clears cached timeline items for the current account and reloads the current timeline.
Content warnings combo box.
Controls how posts with content warnings are presented. The choices are:
Show post text only. Show content warning followed by post text. Hide post text and show content warning only.
Sync home timeline position with Mastodon check box. This appears for Mastodon accounts. It attempts to update the Mastodon Home marker as you move through the Home timeline. This may help another Mastodon app know where you were, depending on server and app support.
The United tab contains check boxes for timelines that can be included in United View. Press Tab to move through them. Check a timeline to include it. Uncheck a timeline to leave it out. Use the Timelines tab discussed below to add or remove United View itself from the timeline list.
Timelines list. Lists the timelines shown for the current account. Use Up Arrow and Down Arrow to choose a timeline.
Move Up button. Moves the selected timeline earlier in the list. This affects the main window timeline order and Control+1 through to Control+9.
Move Down button. Moves the selected timeline later in the list.
Remove button. Removes the selected timeline if it is removable. Home, Mentions, Notifications and Sent cannot be removed.
Add United View button. Adds United View to the timeline list.
Restore to Defaults button. Restores the default timeline order. It does not recreate custom timelines that have been removed.
Post fields spoken and Brailled list. Controls what LeaseySocial speaks and Brailles for each item in the Posts list.
The available fields are:
- Author.
- Post.
- Date.
- Client.
- Status.
- Move Up button. Moves the selected field earlier in the speaking and Braille order.
- Move Down button. Moves the selected field later.
- Remove button. Removes the selected field. At least one field must remain.
- Restore to Defaults button. Restores Author, Post, Date, Client and Status.
Mute speech and sounds for this account check box. Silences speech, Braille announcements and new-item sounds for the current account only. Other accounts are not affected. Timeline speech check boxes. Each timeline check box controls whether new items from that timeline are spoken and Brailled for the current account.
Example:
You can turn off Home announcements but keep Mentions and Notifications enabled.
Mute sounds for this account check box. Turns off sounds for the current account only. Speech and Braille are not muted by this setting.
Play startup sound check box. Controls whether the ready sound plays when LeaseySocial has finished loading.
Soundpack combo box. Chooses which soundpack is used for the current account. Choose None for no soundpack.
Soundpacks Manager button. Opens the Soundpacks Manager for adding, editing, deleting and previewing soundpacks. Sound volume slider. Controls the playback volume for LeaseySocial sounds. Available sounds list. Lists the sound events in the selected soundpack.
Preview Sound button. Plays the selected sound at the current volume. Timeline sound check boxes. Each timeline check box controls whether new-item sounds play for that timeline on the current account. Boundary and command sounds can still play when sounds are otherwise enabled.
Actions list. Lists commands that can have app or global shortcuts. Description field. Explains what the selected action does. Shortcut key edit field. Type the shortcut you want to assign.
Example:
Alt+Shift+Up
Make this shortcut global check box. When unchecked, the shortcut works only while LeaseySocial is focused. When checked, LeaseySocial tries to register the shortcut with Windows so it can work from outside the app. Global shortcuts can conflict with Windows, JAWS, Leasey or other applications.
Assign button. Stores the typed shortcut for the selected action.
Clear button. Removes the shortcut from the selected action.
Reset This Shortcut button. Restores the selected action to its default shortcut.
Restore Defaults button. Restores all shortcut keys to their defaults. The Actions list includes ordinary commands and extra reading commands such as Repeat Focused Item, Repeat Last Spoken Message, First item, Last item, Open item, Close item, Up in current timeline and Down in current timeline. Many of these are unassigned by default so that users can choose shortcuts that do not conflict with their own system.
LeaseySocial includes a Soundpacks Manager so you can add your own Soundpacks, edit existing custom Soundpacks, delete Soundpacks you no longer want, and preview sounds before using them.
You open it from Options, Sounds, Soundpacks Manager.
Soundpacks are account-specific. This means you can choose one Soundpack for one account and a different Soundpack for another account. You can also choose None for an account if you do not want a Soundpack for that account.
The Soundpacks Manager contains an Add Soundpack button, a Soundpacks list, Edit Soundpack button, Delete Soundpack button and Close button.
To create a new Soundpack, Tab to the Add Soundpack button and press Enter or Space.
The Add Soundpack dialog asks for a soundpack name. Type a clear name, such as:
Soft Sounds
You then move through the Sound events list. Each item in this list represents one event for which LeaseySocial can play a sound. Take note because these are the activities you need to create sounds for if you are creating your own soundpack.
Examples include:
- Startup sound.
- New home post.
- New mention.
- Direct message received.
- New notification.
- Boundary, top or bottom of list.
- Post contains an image.
- Post contains playable media.
- Favourite or like.
- Bookmark added.
- New post sent.
- Reply sent.
- Error.
When you select a sound event, the next field is "Name of WAV file". This is an edit field and tells you the file name LeaseySocial expects to use for that event inside the Soundpack.
The Path to sound file field contains the sound file that will be copied into the sound pack for the selected event. You can type a path, or use Browse to choose a WAV file.
Only WAV files can be added through the Soundpack Editor.
Press Tab to the Preview button, and then press Enter or Space, to hear the sound currently assigned to the selected event.
You do not have to provide a sound for every event, but a complete Soundpack is usually easier to understand because each important action has its own sound.
What makes the Soundpacks Manager particularly appealing is this. In the Soundpack Editor, the important thing is the event you have selected in the Sound events list. The WAV file you browse to can be called anything, as long as it is a valid `.wav` file.
When you save the soundpack, LeaseySocial copies that file into the soundpack folder and renames it to the filename expected for that event.
So for example, if you select:
New mention
and choose a file called:
nice-little-chime.wav
LeaseySocial will copy it into the soundpack using the correct internal event filename for New mention. You do not have to memorise all the exact sound filenames or be sure to name them appropriately.
When you have finished assigning sounds, Tab to Save and press Enter or Space. LeaseySocial copies the selected WAV files into the Soundpack folder and makes the new Soundpack available in Options, Sounds.
To edit a custom Soundpack, choose it in the Soundpacks list, Tab to Edit Soundpack and press Enter or Space. You can then change the sound files used for its events and save it again.
The Default Soundpack cannot be edited in the Soundpacks Manager. This protects the original sounds supplied with LeaseySocial. If you want a variation of the Default sound pack, create a new Soundpack and choose the sounds you want to use.
To delete a custom Soundpack, choose it in the Soundpacks list, Tab to the Delete Soundpack button and press Enter or Space. LeaseySocial asks you to confirm before the Soundpack is removed.
The Default Soundpack cannot be deleted.
After creating or editing a Soundpack, return to Options, Sounds, choose the Soundpack from the Soundpack combo box, adjust the volume if required, and Tab to the OK button. Press Enter to save your settings.
The timeline sound check boxes on the Sounds tab control whether new-item sounds play for each timeline on the current account. These check boxes do not remove the Soundpack itself. Boundary and command sounds can still play when a Soundpack is enabled.
Once you have created your special soundpack, you may like to share it with someone else.
Step 1. Press Control+Comma for Options.
Step 2. On the General tab, the first control is the data location edit field. This is where all your data is sent to. As you will discover in the Backup and Restore Manager chapter of this documentation, this is an important location. It means that if the data folder is on a cloud storage service such as Dropbox, all your LeaseySocial settings can be synchronised across devices. We need to take note of this location. Select the text in the edit field and copy it to the Windows Clipboard. It will end with the word, Data.
Step 3. Press Escape to exit the Options dialog.
Step 4. Press Windows+R to move into the Windows Run dialog box.
Step 5. Paste the contents of the Clipboard into the Run dialog box and press Enter to move into the folder.
Step 6. Inside this folder, locate the Sounds sub-folder and press Enter.
Step 7. Your new soundpack will be in its own dedicated folder inside the folder you have just entered. The name of the folder reflects the title of the soundpack you previously named. Take a copy of the folder. That is your LeaseySocial soundpack.
Step 8. Anyone wishing to use your new soundpack will work through the above procedure and paste the folder into the Data/Sounds folder on the machine.
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.
Tab moves to the next control.
Shift+Tab moves to the previous control.
Control+Tab moves to the next Options tab or dialog tab where tabs are present.
Shift+Control+Tab moves to the previous Options tab or dialog tab where tabs are present.
Applications key or Shift+F10 opens the context menu.
Enter opens the focused post or activates the focused button.
Numpad Enter also opens the focused post.
Up Arrow moves to the previous item in the focused list.
Down Arrow moves to the next item in the focused list.
Left Arrow moves to the previous virtual column in the Posts list.
Right Arrow moves to the next virtual column in the Posts list.
Home moves to the top of a list.
End moves to the bottom of a list.
Alt+1 through to Alt+9 switches to accounts one through to nine.
Control+1 through to Control+9 switches to timelines one through to nine.
Alt+Left Arrow moves to the previous timeline in the timeline history.
Alt+Right Arrow moves to the next timeline in the timeline history.
F5 refreshes the current timeline.
Control+W closes the current temporary or custom timeline.
Control+N creates a new post.
Control+R replies to the author of the focused post.
Control+Shift+R replies to the author and relevant mentioned users.
Control+Q quotes the focused post.
Control+D opens a direct message.
Alt+E edits your own focused post.
Delete deletes your own focused post, or removes a removable item in some manager dialogs.
Enter sends a post or message when the setting is configured that way.
Control+Enter sends a post or message when Use Control+Enter to send posts instead of Enter is enabled.
F7 starts spell check in compose, reply and direct-message fields.
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 sentence containing the current misspelled word.
Alt+A activates Change All.
Alt+G activates Ignore All.
Alt+D activates Add.
Alt+F activates Finish.
Alt+A starts account completion in compose, reply and direct-message fields.
Control+Shift+T opens ChatGPT Text Tools where available.
Control+B boosts or reposts the focused post.
Control+Shift+B removes your boost or repost.
Control+Shift+F favourites the focused post.
Control+Alt+F removes your favourite.
Control+K bookmarks the focused post.
Control+Shift+K removes the focused post from bookmarks.
Control+Shift+V opens voting choices for a poll.
Control+C copies the focused post.
Control+O opens useful links from the focused post.
Control+Enter plays media attached to the focused post.
Control+Shift+D describes an attached image with ChatGPT.
Control+G opens the conversation for the focused post.
Control+Shift+Semicolon speaks the context for a reply where available.
Control+U opens a user timeline.
Control+Shift+P opens View Profile.
Control+Shift+Y speaks relationship information for the focused user.
Control+F finds text in the current visible list.
F3 moves to the next Find result.
Shift+F3 moves to the previous Find result.
Control+L follows a user.
Control+Shift+L unfollows a user.
Mute Conversation is available from More Actions and Leasey Command Centre.
Mute User is available from More Actions and Leasey Command Centre.
Unmute User is available from More Actions and Leasey Command Centre.
Block User is available from More Actions and Leasey Command Centre.
Unblock User is available from More Actions and Leasey Command Centre.
Report Post is available from the Post menu, More Actions and Leasey Command Centre.
Report User is available from the Post menu, More Actions and Leasey Command Centre.
Control+Shift+S opens Lists Manager.
Control+Slash opens Search.
Control+Comma opens Options.
Control+Shift+M toggles sounds for the current account.
Control+Alt+Shift+M toggles speech and sounds for the current account.
Control+Alt+M toggles quiet mode for the entire app.
Edit My Profile.
Open Post on Web.
People I Follow.
People Following Me.
People I Follow Who Don't Follow Me.
People Who Follow Me That I Don't Follow.
Pinned Posts.
Scheduled Posts.
Blocked Users.
Muted Users.
Recent Posts on This Instance.
Recent Posts on Another Instance.
Discover: Followed Hashtags.
Discover: Trending Posts.
Discover: Trending Hashtags.
Discover: Trending Links.
Discover: Open Hashtag Timeline.
Discover: Bluesky Suggested Follows.
Discover: Find Bluesky Accounts by Interest.
Filters Manager.
Nicknames Manager.
Pin Post to Profile.
Unpin Post from Profile.
Export Current Timeline.
Export All Timelines.
Start Streaming.
Stop Streaming.
Minimize or restore from system tray.
The Shortcut Keys tab in Options also includes commands which are unassigned by default.
These can be useful if you want app-only shortcuts or global shortcuts.
Repeat Focused Item repeats the currently focused row.
Repeat Last Spoken Message repeats the last message LeaseySocial sent through speech.
Next timeline moves to the next timeline in the timeline list.
Previous timeline moves to the previous timeline in the timeline list.
Up in current timeline moves to the previous item in the current timeline.
Down in current timeline moves to the next item in the current timeline.
Start of current timeline moves to the first visible item in the current timeline.
End of current timeline moves to the last visible item in the current timeline.
First item moves to the first visible item in the current timeline.
Last item moves to the last visible item in the current timeline.
Open item opens the focused item, matching Enter.
Close item closes the currently open item, matching Escape.