Frequently Asked Questions
From Qwitter Wiki
Below, you will find the most frequently asked questions that people have regarding the Qwitter client. If you're question is not answered on this page, please contact one of the developers, or check back later as the FAQ page is constantly being updated.
Contents |
General Information
What is Qwitter?
Qwitter is a client for the very popular twitter microblogging service. It is open source, written in Python and developed for use by blind twitter users. It uses key commands and interfaces directly with various speech systems to read tweets. it doesn't have an interface except for the configuration dialogue. Because of that, it can be used globally with any other application in focus. It is able to provide speech using SAPI5 voices, and it can also interface directly with JAWS, Window-Eyes and System Access. It is intuitively able to tell whether a supported screen reader is running and use that screen reader or just fall back on SAPI5 if the screen reader is shut down.
I've seen other Twitter clients with the same interface as Qwitter. What's going on?
We recommend that people do not download and run versions of Qwitter (or clients with a different name but the exact same interface) if said client is not from qwitter-client.net. Not only are those "counterfeit versions" unofficial and unauthorized, but they may be buggy, unstable, and may even (intentionally or otherwise) harm your computer. the official Qwitter development team takes absolutely no responsibility for the effects that running a counterfeit version of Qwitter may have on your computer.
How do I modify Qwitter's keymap?
Hhotkeys are defined in the keymap.conf file in qwitter's application data folder under your user profile folder. Note that if the application data folder is hidden you can do one of 2 things.
1. show the hidden folders under folder options in the tools menu of windows explorer. That setting is found under the view tab. or
2. type %appdata% in the run dialogue.
Note also that quitter needs to be shut down with control+windows+q when making these changes. As a precaution, you may also want to make a backup copy of the file before editing it.
to modify your hotkeys follow these steps.
1. In the run dialogue type %appdata%
2. Browse to the qwitter folder.
3. Browse to the file named "keymap.conf" and right click to open the context menu
4. Scroll down to "open with" and hit enter.
5. Choose notepad. from the drop down list; however, if it is not there choose the "choose program" option and choose notepad from the treeview.
note: if the open with options are not there hit enter on open, choose the radio button to find the program on your computer and choose notepad from the treeview.
6. Save and close the file when edits are done and restart Qwitter.
How can I modify the way qwitter reads tweets?
The format that Qwitter uses to read tweets is controlled by templates in the qwitter.conf file in Qwitter's application data folder. The placement of certain tokens determines what information Qwitter will read. These tokens are described later.
Note that if the application data folder is hidden you can do one of 2 things.
1. show the hidden folders under folder options in the tools menu of windows explorer. That setting is found under the view tab. or
2. type %appdata% in the run dialogue.
Note also that Qwitter needs to be shut down with control+windows+q when making these changes. As a precaution, you may also want to make a backup copy of the file before editing it.
To modify your templates, follow these steps:
1. In the run dialogue type %appdata%
2. Browse to the qwitter folder.
3. Browse to the file named "qwitter.conf" and right click to open the context menu
4. Scroll down to "open with" and hit enter.
5. Choose notepad. from the drop down list; however, if it is not there choose the "choose program" option and choose notepad from the treeview.
note: if the open with options are not there hit enter on open, choose the radio button to find the program on your computer and choose notepad from the treeview.
6. Scroll down to the bottom of the file to find the templates. The valid tokens for this section are described below.
7. Save and close the file when edits are done and restart Qwitter.
There are three templates in this file. The first specifies how tweets are read, the second deals with how they are copied to the clipboard, and the third controls how they are read in search buffers. You may use the following tokens to construct the template to your liking.
$when will indicate about how long ago a tweet was posted. $name will speak the full name of the user, or $screen_name will read their user name instead. $Message contains the message itself.
Troubleshooting
Qwitter sucks! It's not working!
Hang on, hang on! There are a lot of things that could be going on with Twitter that Qwitter has no control over. The service could be over-capacity, or the API may be experiencing issues. You may also have gone through your hourly alotment of API calls. Please check through all possibilities before blaming Qwitter. However, if there isn't an ongoing issue with Twitter, it may be Qwitter after all. Please report any Qwitter bugs to the Qwitter Mailing List.
Why can't I send direct messages?
Twitter only allows direct messages to be sent to people who are already following you. This measure prevents direct message spam. You can see a list of who's following you by pressing control+windows+left bracket
