Getting Started

The first thing to do is decide what software you’re going to use to write/ dictate your documents. If you decide to use Microsoft Word, then you’ll need to enable the add-in that comes with Dragon, Naturally Speaking. Simply open Word, and locate the add-in (dgnword.dll).

Word for XP/ 2003 users will click on the Help menu, About Microsoft Word, and then click on the “Disabled Items” button. Highlight the dgnword.dll and click the enable button. Word 2007 users can use the office button to access disabled items. 

Punctuation

Turn on the Automatic Punctuation feature so that you don't have to tell Dragon where to put commas and periods. This is a particularly useful feature for documents that you do not expect to insert question marks or exclamations too often. Dragon's Automatic Punctuation feature is limited to commas and periods by default.

Audio Feedback

Audio playback is an invaluable feature to anyone dictating a document, or anyone editing a document. By listening to the audio version of the text document, an editor or writer can compare what they hear with what Dragon has transcribed on to the screen. This is an excellent tool for analyzing logic, making corrections to grammar, and spotting vocabulary inefficiencies.

Let's see how Dragon handles audio files.

When the user saves a document, Dragon will ask if the user wants to save the audio version of the document (Software versions below the Professional grade cannot save audio after closing the text document). Dragon saves audio files with the extension .DRA.

For the Preferred version of Dragon, Naturally Speaking, the user can play back audio only before closing the document (Upon closing the document the audio file is automatically deleted by Dragon).

The audio file is stored along the same file path (same location) as the text document. The distinction between the two files is the extension -DRA.

To play back the dictation, the user opens the corrections menu, and then click on the Play back button. If you prefer, you can also say "Play that back". The user only needs to select the desired text to play back. To play back the entire dictation, click anywhere in the document and select Play back. During playback, the voice commands are disabled (Dragon doesn't hear you during play back mode). The user can interrupt Dragon's play back by hitting the escape key [esc] on the keyboard, or stop and make a correction by hitting the minus key [-] on the keyboard.

Dragon can read any text (in Dragon Pad, Word, and Word Perfect) back to the user. The user simply speaks the command "Read document". All of the necessary controls (commands) are located on the Text-to-speech tab on the Dragon Bar (A floating window for accessing Dragon tools, features, online user guides, and help).

Numbers mode

Let's be honest... It's nice to be able to drop some numbers into our business documents. The good news is that Dragon is numbers literate, including fractions and percentages.

For those doing accounting work, Dragon can dictate in Excel as easily as it does in Word. If you're going to be generating lengthy documents filled with numbers upon numbers, it might be a good idea to try out Dragon's Numbers mode feature. This feature allows the user to dictate numbers just by saying the numbers.

To get started, just say "Start Numbers mode". ("Stop Numbers mode" to turn off this feature).

Time is easily dictated by saying the hour, minutes, and the time of day ("am" or "pm"). To dictate time in numbers without saying am/pm, you'll need to say the number of the hour followed by saying "colon", and then the number of minutes.

Sometimes numbers require special characters, like the positive/ negative symbol or the degree symbol. Special characters are inserted in to a document by speaking their names.

Another area of special characters is the use of web and email addresses. The user need only issue the command "No Caps On" in order to dictate an email address (otherwise, Dragon will capitalize some letters as you dictate). To dictate a website address, begin by saying either "http" or "www". Next, say each letter in the web address. For the extension, just say the acronym the way it sounds rather than each letter (.com is "dot com"). Some of the formatting is handled by Dragon. For instance, http://www. is pronounced by the user as "h t t p w w w dot". After inserting the web address or email in your document, say "No Caps Off" to resume proper grammar in your dictation.

Formatting

One of the more complicated features of Dragon is the numerous formatting commands available to the user. But, don't be discouraged. You don't have to memorize any mantras or count your fingers to get the gist of Dragon. Although the array of commands for formatting might look intimidating, you'll quickly learn the commands by repeatedly saying them. In becomes habit forming (It's the same thing as your fingers remembering a phone number, only that you'll be speaking the commands). After a couple of times you'll be speaking the commands without any effort. So, let's take a high-level look at the formatting features without diving in to a lot of technicalities.

You're going to look at the document you want to format (either a new page or previously transcribed volume of text). Generally, you will want to keep all the attributes consistent in any document (font style, size, color, spacing, and so on). Good formatting is particularly important to anyone writing technical documentation (long documents, user manuals, manufacturing process procedures, job travelers, and manufacturing specifications) or business documents.

The first thing you'll do depends on whether you're looking at a blank document or a document you've already typed. An old document requires you to use the "Format that" command.

A new document requires you to use the "Set Font" and "Set Size" commands. There is also an order in which the commands need to be addressed to Dragon. So, let's have a look at what's required. Ordinance:
Although Dragon is pretty flexible with some commands, formatting text requires the user to issue commands in this order:
1. Face
2. Size
3. Style

Example of a new document:

The user says "Set font Arial 11 normal". (The font face has been set to Arial, at text size 11, with the style set to normal text).

In the example above, the font face has been set to Arial, with a text size of 11 points, and the style set to normal (standard or plain text). The user can format text to be more complex than this example. Sections for a technical document can be created by setting the font size a couple of points higher than the body text, and the style set to bold and underline. The user would then insert a new line and set the style to normal for the body text.

Here are the commands and attributes you can use with Dragon:

Commands:
"Set Font" ( Font face)
"Set Size" (Font size)

Size Attributes ("Set size"):
4 - 100 (points)

You can also bullet point your text to make your points stand out on the document. Here's how! Say "Format that bullet style". To remove the bullet points, just repeat the incantation, and-Wallah! The bullets disappear.

You don't have to memorize all the commands in Dragon, because a good deal of them are reversible by repeating the command. After working with Dragon for a day or two, your mouth will remember the commands better than you do.

Now, let's look at a document that has been completed, but lacks formatting.

In order to format text in a completed document, or a document that is in the process of being written, the user selects the desired text or the entire document. To do this, simply say the command "select" and the desired text you want to change (or "select all" for the entire document); You can also select the text with your mouse or keyboard. Once the text is selected, say "Format that". You can then say, for example, "Bold that" or "Underline that". Add any style to the attributes you want, but keep the attribute commands in order (face, size, style). Once you have your attributes ready, you can start dictating your document.

On occasion you will decide that you want to undo the formatting to a body of text. To remove the formatting, select the text and say "Restore that".

It might be funny to admit it, but after practicing some formatting commands you might start to feel a bit empowered (But don't let it get to your head! Anyone can learn to do this just as easily as I have).

Now that you have the text all showing the same pretty face, and everything is all sized up for consistency throughout your document, it's time to put the face of your document into perspective.

Aligning text

Text attributes are fine, but aligning the arrangement of headers, sub-headers, and paragraphs makes a document more readable. Dragon has a few commands for aligning your text very quickly. There is just one thing you need to remember. If you're highlighting text, then you need to use the "Format that..." command. If you want to quickly align text without a mouthful of commands, simply click next to the text you want to align. Then say "(center | left align | right align) that".

After formatting your document, just say "File" and "Save" to keep your document updated.

Tip: When formatting the layout of your document (i.e. alignment, inserting symbols, graphs, pictures, etc.), it is best to work in Page view (MS Word/ Corel Word Perfect). To see a page layout of your document, say "View" and "Page" (you might need to say "select page" in some word processor applications).