Case CATalyst® Recently Asked Questions
Answers by Cindi Hartman, Training Program Manager

Please note that our archived RAQ's may not have been written
for the version of Case CATalyst that you are running.

Back to RAQ main page

  1. User Settings - commas inside quotes
  2. Fill in Field List - merge two lists
  3. Edit Macro to change "today" to {Suffix} -ed to
  4. Edit - Use Spaces command in global to add <Sticky Space> in phrase, or use Search & Replace to fix all occurrences in Dictionary?
  5. Dictionary or Edit - use Orphan Control with definitions of items that should be on the same page
  6. E-defines for text insertion shortcuts
  7. Macro to save and close Edit in one key
  8. Create Macro toolbar from tear-away menu
  9. What is SecondChoice?
  10. Compress and e-mail
  11. Insert Speaker List entries from the keyboard
  12. Arrange Speaker List and Vertical Notes in one dialog pane
  13. Use scanstops around letter "s" for conflict between singular and plural
  14. How to learn indexing
  15. Set Fill in Field to default to Select List rather than Value
  16. Quickly open/view the job dictionary during Translate
  17. Edit Macros - Stop audio and insert text for command keyboard
  18. Macro - change singular word + that's to plural word + that
  19. AccelerWriter to change last occurrence of singular word + that's to plural word + that
  20. Macro to initial cap and define
  21. Set Spell Check to recognize 1 or 2 spaces after an abbreviation
  22. Alternate User Settings
  23. Increase text size of Tooltip and Status Bar
  24. Use keyboard command to move between dialog panes
  25. How to bold speakers from speaker list
  26. Copy Compress Print Configurations to another computer
  27. Use Case Sensitive E-define
  28. Change Color of Reveal Codes
  29. Change End of Paragraph Punctuation
  30. Insert time in parenthetical
  31. Substitute time field for placeholder in included file
  32. Ensure words won't be initial capped
  33. Comma, quote, cap next Macro
  34. Nocap Words
  35. Fix One-Word Mistranslate AccelerWriter
  36. Fix Two-Word Mistranslate AccelerWriter
  37. Use print options to differentiate between print needs
  38. Change Appearances Field Values
  39. Set Scope for user-defined fields
  40. Get rid of and incorrect header
  41. Redact Text
  42. Changing order of Edit Number Conversion entry
  43. Swap specified phrase AccelerWriter
  44. Swap “to [word]” with “[word]ing to” macro
  45. Modify Font and Size of Brief It Dialog Pane
  46. Customize Steno for Brief It Suggestions
  47. Restore Steno Macros
  48. Center signature lines with tables
  49. E-defines or Selective E-defines for resolving conflicts
  50. Scroll Text with Audio
  51. Use <Index Off All>
  52. One Fingerspelling Alphabet
  53. Definition for www. and .com?
  54. Tweak phonetic table to improve Global Suggest results
  55. Definition for decimal point
  56. Auto Logon
  57. Remove Macros Toolbar
  58. Global Suggest AND Cap & J-define macro without suggest
  59. Ending punctuation
  60. Command keyboard and navigation
  61. All caps for colloquy AND Initial Caps for By Line
  62. One Concordance Index for Multiple Files
  63. Bigger fonts for file names in Manage Jobs
  64. Audio Auto Pause
  65. Hide Caption-specific Format Symbols in Format Symbol List
  66. Define <No Auto Convert> with steno for period
  67. Field for total pages in document
  68. Litter Box or Recycle Bin?
  69. Undo any global, any time
  70. Automatically delete un-needed address line in appearance
  71. Make an entry inactive in numberconversion
  72. Add custom button to Function Bar
  73. Use Another Reporter’s Field Values
  74. SDHC Memory Cards
  75. Tailoring Brief It results
  76. Spell check says it’s right; I say it’s wrong!
  77. Using pther reporters’ wordlists
  78. How to find the ReadMe file
  79. Realtime note to my scopist
  80. Allcap text in Create EZ Speakers entries
  81. Dictionary Builder
  82. Add a Quick Tran Icon to the Function Bar
  83. Sort jobs by job state
  84. Search File Contents
  85. Print a job report using landscape orientation
  86. Custom Reminder
  87. Format Symbol Options -- Different Assignment
  88. Additional Attorney Fields
  89. Customize Which Format Symbols Display in List
  90. [web] attribute
  91. Global Table Display options
  92. Write Twice to Define
  93. Suggest a Brief
  94. Max Words Per Brief
  95. Generating Steno-Specific Speaker IDs That Can Be Easily Reused
  96. How to Make Text Inserted or Replaced by Scopist Stand Out/Easy to Find
  97. How to Cycle Keyboard Maps when v10 Extras Keyboard Maps are Installed
  98. Correcting Errors in User-Defined Field Values
  99. Defining Ordinal Suffixes
  100. Automatic Question Mark at End of By Line
  101. Create Backup File During Realtime Translation
  102. AccelerWriter to Quote Read back of Last Question
  103. CommonWords and Exclude.LST – Similar But Separate
  104. Copy and Paste Table Rows
  105. Set Time Before Starting
  106. Print Selected Entries in a Dictionary
  107. Change Day/Date for Creation Day of Week or Creation Date
  108. Retain Field Scope When Transferring files to Another Computer
  109. Proper Handling of USB
  110. Extending characters beyond a cell’s right margin in a table
  111. Limit the misstrokes for EZ Speakers
  112. Macros to Show/Hide Display of Realtime on Case CATalyst Screen
  113. Repeat Selected Text Macro
  114. Using Test Mode
  115. Save and Switch Screen Layouts
  116. Proactively Seeking Briefs
  117. Setting an automatic due date
  118. Selecting DONE as Job State
  119. Export Dictionary to Writer Shortcuts
  120. Prep for new job by generating briefs from old job
  121. Creating an on-screen "preference reference"
  122. Renaming Quick Tran files
  123. Checking Current Layout
  124. Cycle Contraction
  125. Enhanced Searching with Regular Expression
  126. Prep for new job by generating briefs from old job
  127. Creating an on-screen "preference reference"
  128. Renaming Quick Tran files
  129. Which Layout Did I Use?
  130. Cycle Contraction
  131. Enhanced Searching with Regular Expression
  132. Best fit
  133. Tell Automatic Number Conversion to Leave this number alone
  134. Insert Extended Characters in a Definition
  135. Adding Bold On/Off format symbols to inserted Speaker List item
  136. Adding slightly modified entries to Fill-in-Field List from Edit
  137. Creating/using a "Generic Speakers" dictionary for writer translation
  138. Understanding "_Case" Files
  139. Add a command to the Right Click Menu in Edit
  140. Remove a command from the Right Click Menu in Edit
  141. Themes
  142. Remove a command from the Right Click Menu in Edit
  143. Editing homophones
  144. Split Compound Word
  145. Open Hotspots to Check for Missed Untranslates and Blank Fields


#145 – Open Hotspots to Check for Missed Untranslates and Blank Fields
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I was horribly embarrassed last week when my boss called me to let me know that the transcript I sent in to the office had an untranslate on page 87.  I can’t believe I missed that – I thought I was really careful when I scoped and proofed the job!  Is there some way I can prevent that from happening again?

Answer. Even when there are multiple eyes on a job, it’s very possible to miss something.  The quickest and easiest way to make sure that you haven’t missed any untranslates and that there are no fields on include pages that you haven’t filled in is to open the Hotspots dialog pane, by clicking View, Hotspots (or pressing Alt+v, o).  The Hotspots dialog pane will list the untranslates and blank fields.  If any are listed, you can quickly move the cursor to that item in the transcript by double clicking it in the dialog pane.

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#144 – Split Compound Word
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. This showed up in the job I was editing: “I got highway too often back then.” Obviously, there needs to be a space between high and way. Do I need to put the cursor on the w and press the Spacebar or is there a better way?

Answer. You can use the Split Compound Word feature.  Position the cursor on highway and then click Special Edit, Fix Words, Split Compound Word (or press Alt+s, w, s).  If you find that you use this command frequently then as with any other command, you can assign it to a preferred key in your keyboard map.

TIP:  If the command is not available, it is either because Case CATalyst does not recognize the word as a compound or there are multiple possibilities for compound words.  You can use Spelling Lookup (Ctrl+F7) with the Suggest Split Words option selected to see the ways Case CATalyst sees how the word can be split.

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#143 – Editing homophones
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. The last name of the witness in my job is Knox, and in most cases, I remembered to write it as /TPHO*BGS which I defined as the name Knox.  However, in some places in the job, I forgot to write the asterisk; I wrote /TPHOBGS and it translated as knocks, which is how I have that defined in my Personal dictionary.

I don’t want to J-define /TPHOBGS because I know they used the word “knocks” in the job, for example, one person said, “and then he knocks him out.” So what’s the best way to fix this?

Answer. There are several different ways you can edit homophones like these; the “best” method will be whatever is easiest and most convenient for you!

Method #1:  Cycle Homophones.  Position the cursor on the occurrence of knocks that you want to change to Knox and click Special Edit, Fix Words, Cycle Homophones (or press Alt+s, w, h).  TIP:  You can also assign the Cycle Homophones command to a key in your keyboard map.  If you use either the v11 Extras-Default or v11 Extras-CAT4 kbd keyboard maps, Cycle Homophones is assigned to Ctrl+Shift+n.  Advantage:  quickest one-spot fix, potentially a single keystroke.

Method #2:  Replace.  Position the cursor on the first occurrence of knocks that you want to change and press Ctrl+r.  Type Knox and press Enter.  Advantage: replacement text is remembered according to your Intuitive Replace options settings and may be reusable in future replaces or defines.

Method #3:  Search and Replace.  Mark (select) the first occurrence of knocks that you want to change and then click Edit, Search and Replace (or press Alt+e, e).  At Search for, knocks will appear automatically.  At Replace With, type Knox.  Click Selective to search for all occurrences of knocks but have the option to review the item before choosing to replace it with Knox or skip the occurrence and leave it as knocks.  Advantage: enables you to fix all occurrences in the job in the same process, vs. fixing it when you next see it.

Method #4:  Selective E-define.  Position the cursor on the first occurrence of knocks and open the E-define dialog box.  Type Knox and then press Alt+s (or click Selective) before pressing Enter (or clicking OK) to complete the define.  When the Confirm dialog box appears, click Yes to fix the current occurrence, or Goto Next to skip the occurrence and move on to the next one.  Advantage: the global can be applied in other jobs if desired.

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#142 – Search Due Jobs
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I love the concept of having jobs that are due show up in red, but I also organize my jobs in cases, which means that I don’t see the red icons or the red line to alert me that a job is due unless I open the case first. Is there any way around this?

Answer. You can easily locate all due jobs by using the Search Due Jobs feature.  Just click Tools, Search Due Jobs (or press Ctrl+Shift+d).   A dialog pane will open listing all of the jobs that are currently due, both inside and outside of cases.  Double click the name of the file to display it in the Manage Jobs window.  Or, click the [+] next to the name of the due job in the Search Due Jobs Results dialog pane, and then double click any of the listed subfiles to open them in the associated function. For example, if you double click the Text subfile, you’ll open the job in Edit.  If you double click the dictionary, you’ll open job dictionary in Manage Dictionary

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#141 – Themes
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. A friend of mine and I both have Case CATalyst 11 but her screen looks a little different than mine. My Function Bar and toolbars are blue and hers are gray. When I autohide a window, the orange tabs are a much darker orange and I think I’ve got a different font than hers. She likes the way mine looks and wants to change hers, but I don’t know why it’s different or how to change it.

Answer. You can customize the color and appearance of toolbars and autohide tabs for dialog boxes by selecting a Theme in Manage Jobs.  Click Tools, Options, Theme (or press Alt+t, o, h) and then select one of the four choices – Default, Blue Diamond, Legacy or Silver

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#140 – Remove a command from the Right Click Menu in Edit
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I love last week’s tip – I’ve added a bunch of commands into my right click menu in Edit and now they’re so much more convenient to use! One problem though – there’s a bunch of commands in the menu that I don’t ever use. Is there any way to get rid of them?

Answer. No problem – it’s very easy to remove any command from the right click menu in Edit. 

  1. In Edit, right click anywhere on a toolbar, and select Customize (or click View, Show, Customize Toolbars, or press Alt+v, s, z).
  2. In the customize dialog box, click the Menus tab.
  3. At Select context menu, select Transcript View Right Click.
Click the menu item that you want to remove from the right click menu, then drag it away from the menu (to any position on the screen except another toolbar) and then release the left mouse button to drop it.

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#139 – Add a command to the Right Click Menu in Edit
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I love the Redact feature, but I hate having to go to Special Edit, Fix Words, Redact – it’s too many clicks.  I wish it were in the right click menu in Edit; then I could just click and drag to select the text and then right click to choose Redact. That’d be much faster!

Answer. No problem – it’s very easy to add Redact or any other edit command to the right click menu in Edit. 

To modify the right click menu:

  1. In Edit, right click anywhere on a toolbar, and select Customize (or click View, Show, Customize Toolbars, or press Alt+v, s, z).
  2. In the customize dialog box, click the Menus tab.
  3. At Select context menu, select Transcript View Right Click.
  4. Click the Commands tab.  To add a command such as Redact, click the category that contains the command you want to add.  Redact is located in the Special Edit category.)
  5. Scroll through the list of commands in the category and then select the command you want to add to the right click menu.
  6. Click and drag the command to the preferred position in the right click menu.
  7. Click Close, to close the Customize dialog box.

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#138 – Understanding "_Case" Files
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. Why is there a file named Jane_Case at the main level of my Jane user?

Answer. The short answer is that you have selected a Case scope for one or more of your Case CATalyst options. 

There are three "scopes" in Case CATalyst, User, Case and Job.  Scopes are set for items that are stored and can be recalled, such as Intuitive Replace, User-defined fields and Cat Scratch; and of course User and Case scopes are available for a Default Seating Chart.

When the scope for any of these features is set to User, the information will be stored inside the System Files folder in a file called "System Files_Case.sgxml." When the scope for any of these features is set to Job, the information will be stored inside the .SGXML history subfile for that job.  For example, if the job name is 03-24-10 Hartman, you will have a job history subfile for that job called 03-24-10 Hartman.sgxml.

When the scope for any of these features is set to Case, the information will be stored inside of a history file that has the same name as the case with _Case at the end.  So if I am working inside of a Case called March 2010, I will have a file called March 2010_Case.sgxml.

However, what happens when the scope for any of these features is set to Case but you open a file in Translate or Edit that is not inside a case, but rather is located at the main level of Manage Jobs (a.k.a. the root of your user)?  Under those circumstances, the case-specific information is stored inside a case history file that has the same name as the user with _Case at the end.  For example, if I’m working in the JANE user, and I have my Cat Scratch scope set to Case, Case CATalyst creates a file called JANE_Case.sgxml in the root of my user.

If having this extra “User Name_Case” bothers you and you want to “make it go away,” obviously deleting it won’t do the trick permanently. Deleting it will just get rid of the file and the information stored in it at the moment. As soon as you open a file at the main level of manage jobs in Translate or Edit again, any features with a Case scope will cause the file to be recreated. So, rather than delete the file, here are two things you can do:

1. Leave the scope (for all features with a scope option) set to Case but do all work inside Cases.
2. Change the scope for all features with a scope option to User or Job.

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#137 – Creating/using a "Generic Speakers" dictionary for writer translation
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I don’t have speakers defined in my Personal Dictionary: I use Create EZ Speakers before each job. However, I want speakers to translate on my writer (I have a Diamante) as something -- not as the untranslated steno. Is there a way I can set up a generic speakers job dictionary on my Diamante that is automatically selected each time I translate?

Answer. Sure!  First, click File, New, Dictionary, Job to open a new job dictionary in Case CATalyst and name it something like “Generic Speakers” or whatever will make it easy for you to identify.  In Manage Dictionary, click Tools, Create EZ Speakers Entries and enter as many speakers as desired with whatever “generic” names for each of the speakers that you want (e.g. LEFT1, RIGHT1, ATTY1, ATTY2, etc.)

When exporting the Personal Dictionary to your writer, select “Generic Speakers” as a job dictionary that you also want to export.  Then, select the dictionary on your writer so that it is used to aid translation displayed on the writer.

Here are instructions to select and use the “Generic Speakers” dictionary on the Diamante:

  1. Turn on the Diamante.
  2. Before writing, press DICT, then press SELECT.
  3. Highlight the “Generic Speakers” job dictionary, press SELECT, and then press ACCEPT.
  4. Press QUIT. 

From that point forward, the “Generic Speakers” job dictionary will apply to all Diamante translations, along with the Personal Dictionary, until and unless you de-select it, or until the next time you export dictionaries to the Diamante.

The next time you export dictionaries to the Diamante, Case CATalyst will remember that you previously chose that “Generic Speakers” job dictionary (assuming it hasn’t been deleted and is still in your user) and it will send it along with the Personal Dictionary.  However, on the writer, it will not be selected and used automatically, so you will need to repeat the steps to select it on the writer:  press DICT, then SELECT, then SELECT, then ACCEPT, then QUIT to select the job dictionary for your Diamante translations.

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#136 – Adding slightly modified entries to Fill-in-Field List from Edit
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. When I’m filling in values for appearances, there are times when I realize after I’ve filled in a field for, let's say, FIRM1, that I don’t have the specific attorney I'm working with that day in the "master" fill in field list. Is there any way (other than going to Manage Jobs, System Files, Fill-in-Field list, finding the firm, modifying it and clicking “save as new”) to add the attorney's name in, from Edit?

Answer. Yes. Just double click any filled-in field for the entry and then click New List Entry. You’ll see the information for all of the related fields.  Type the new or modified information, and then click OK.  The new information is added as a new entry in your Fill-in-Field List file in your System Files case.  The original entry remains unchanged in your Fill-in-Field list

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#135 – Adding Bold On/Off format symbols to inserted Speaker List item
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I want the speaker name in my Colloquy and By Lines to be bold.  Obviously, this is no problem if I write the steno for the speaker; I define steno for my speakers with the speaker name or placeholder (e.g. [!EZ SPEAKER 01]) surrounded with and .  However, if I mis-write or drop a speaker, I want to be able to insert the speaker from the Speaker List and but there is no option within the Speaker List to add Bold On/Off.   Suggestions?

Answer. One way you can do this is via Personal Globals.  Simply enter a Personal_Globals table entry for each speaker that you wish to have bold. For example:

Match With = [!EZ SPEAKER 01]:
Replacement Text = [!EZ SPEAKER 01] :

Match With = [!EZ SPEAKER 01]:
Replacement Text = BY [!EZ SPEAKER 02] :

After you insert the speaker from the Speaker List, select the Apply Personal Globals command (click Globals, Apply Personal Globals, or press Alt+g, p).

To make this even easier, you can record macros that insert the speaker from the speaker list and then apply personal globals, so that inserting and bolding (whether for colloquy or a by line) is done with a single keystroke.

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#134 – Insert Extended Characters in a Definition
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I want to define steno for the name José with the accent over the e.  How do I get that character into my dictionary definition?

Answer. Define as you usually would, either from edit or via Insert in Manage Dictionary.  After typing Jos in the Text field, press F9.  The list of extended characters available for the current font, such as the é character, will be displayed.  Click the character you want to select.

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#133 – Tell Automatic Number Conversion to Leave this number alone
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I have /SHREF defined as the company name 7-Eleven®.  After writing this, it automatically converts to 7-11.  Why does it do that and what should I do?

Answer. In the Numbers area of your Translate Options dialog box you have selected the command “Otherwise Display as Digits.” That option is what causes 7-Eleven to convert to digits.  Assuming you do not want to de-select that option, just define /SHREF with the format symbol before 7-Eleven® and it will not be converted. 

            Steno:   /SHREF
            Text:     7-Eleven®

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#132 – Best Fit
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I prefer using Detailed List View rather than Icon View in Manage Jobs, but some of the info is cut off. I know I can click and drag the column header to adjust the column width but frankly, I’m just not very good at being precise with my mouse and it gets a little frustrating; I’ll make it too wide to fit the other columns on the screen or I have to readjust the other columns – there’s got to be a better way, right?

Answer. Right! Just right click each column header and then click Best Fit.  The column width will instantly accommodate the widest item in the column or column heading.

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#131 – Enhanced Searching with Regular Expression
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I took a job during which the attorneys involved mentioned their email addresses. I’d like to copy and paste those email addresses to my Fill-in-Field list file, so that I’ll have their addresses on file for the future. I know how to copy and paste, but how do I quickly find those email addresses? I don’t want to have to read through the entire job again. What do I want to search for, the @ symbols or “.com” or what?

Answer. There’s a very easy way to search for information that conforms to a particular category.  First, open the job and position your cursor at the beginning of that job.  Press Ctrl+f to search.  Under Search Type select Regular Expression (or press Alt+r).  On the right side of the dialog box, you’ll see a list of a couple dozen pre-made regular expression search strings that you can use to search for text that meets specific criteria, such as email address.  Double click the desired Regular Expression search, and then click OK.  To repeat the search, press F3.

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#130 – Cycle Contraction
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. As I’m listening to the audio for the depo I'm editing, I hear that they said "where is" and not "where’s." Is there a function to quickly change "where’s" to "where is"?

Answer. There is: the function is called Cycle Contraction.  With the cursor positioned on the word or first word in a two-word phrase that you want to change to/from a contraction, click Special Edit, Fix Words, Cycle Contraction (or press Alt+s, w, y). 

You can do this even faster and more efficiently by assigning the Cycle Contraction to whatever available key you prefer in your keyboard map.  If you use the v11 Extras-Default or v11 Extras-CAT4 kbd keyboard map, Cycle Contraction is assigned to Ctrl+Shift+’.

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#129 –Which Layout Did I Use?
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I work for several different firms and each of them has different layouts. I edit in Normal View and it's not easy for me to tell which layout I've used, and clicking Modify Layout makes me nervous – I'm not sure I'm going to recognize what's unique about the layout from the settings and I'm afraid I might accidentally change something. So what would you suggest: how do I know which layout I used in translation?

Answer. In Version 11, you can tell which layout you used by looking at the status bar. The name of the layout shows on the status bar, to the right of the cursor position information and to the left of the CAP NUM SCRL OVR information.

If there’s an asterisk next to the name of your layout, this means that you’ve modified the layout since translating the job.

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#128 – Renaming Quick Tran files
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I love Quick Tran but the filenames with all those numbers are really confusing to me! Could I just change it to the judge's name followed by -1, -2, -3, etc.? That'd be a lot easier for me! Or maybe the date would be okay, but could I have hyphens or something between the numbers?

Answer. In Version 11, you can set a filename scheme for jobs created via Quick Tran.  Here’s how:

  1. Before you start translation, in Manage Jobs, click Tools, Options, Translate (or press Alt+t, o, t), and then click Advanced.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the Advanced Translate Options dialog box, and click the field next to Quick Translate filename format.
  3. Type the preferred filename using text (e.g. judge’s name, court type, city, county, proceeding type or any other unique identifier) plus any of the following variables:

%M = Month (01 - 12)
%D = Day (01 – 31))
%Y = Year (00 – 99))
%h = Hour  in 24-hour format (00 - 23)
%m = Minute (00 - 59)
%s = Seconds (00 - 59)
%# = Next available number  (If this formula item is used, it will be replaced by the first available number to make the file name unique.)
%a = Abbreviated weekday name (i.e. Mon)
%A = Full weekday name (i.e. Monday)
%b = Abbreviated month name (i.e. Nov)
%B = Full month name (i.e. November)
%C = Year with century (i.e. 2009)

When you type the text and/or variables, the results are displayed in the Help/Description box.

You can insert spaces or hyphens or underscores between the variables to separate them in the file name.  For example, suppose your judge’s last name is Jackson.  You could enter Jackson-%# and your Quick Tran file names would be Jackson-1, Jackson-2, Jackson-3, etc.  If you wanted the files to be named by date, but a bit easier to read, you might try something like %B %D-%# to get files named May 17-1, May17-2, May 17-3, etc.

  1. Click OK to close the Advanced Options dialog, then click OK to close Translate Options.

The next time you translate using Quick Tran, your new naming scheme will be used.

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#127 – Creating an on-screen "preference reference"
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. As a scopist, one of the things I do to make sure I meet each of my individual reporter-client’s needs is to keep a preference sheet so that I’m sure to edit things “their way” when there’s an option vs. a rule. For example, some of my reporters prefer all dates with digits to be shown with slashes (6/4/63) and some prefer hyphens (6-4-63). I remember this kind of thing after working with a client for awhile, but you forget if it’s been a while since you’ve worked with a particular client or if you’ve picked up a new client. So it would be nice if there were a place in CATalyst where I could store some of these preferences and look them up. Is there a way to do that?

Answer. Yes, there is!  Assuming that you keep a separate user for each reporter-client, the text portion of the Cat Scratch pane, set to a User scope, will be a great place to store this kind of information.  This will enable you to store and display client-specific preference information for every job in each user.

Do the following steps once in each of your reporter’s users:

  1. From Manage Jobs, click Tools, Options, Edit, Advanced Edit (or press Alt+t, o, e, a).
  2. Click the right side of the Cat Scratch scope option, and then click the down arrow to list the three scope options.
  3. Select User.
  4. Click OK.

Whenever you edit a job, you can open the Cat Scratch pane by clicking View, Cat Scratch (or by pressing Alt+v, c).  To add a new “preference reference,” click the New icon on the Cat Scratch pane toolbar, or right click the text portion of the Cat Scratch pane and then click New Item.  Then, type whatever text you like; for example – “Use / for dates.”  Repeat as needed for any other preferences for that reporter.

The information you type will be stored for that user only.  When you open another job in the same user, that information will automatically appear in the text portion of the Cat Scratch pane.  When you open a job in a different user, that information will not appear. 

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#126 – Prep for new job by generating briefs from old job
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. A few weeks back, I took a depo in a doctor’s office; there wasn’t room to set up my computer so I didn’t do realtime, and so I didn’t use Brief It. I just found out that I’m going to be taking another job in the same case, and it would really be helpful now to get briefs for that previous depo. Is it possible to get briefs after a job is done?

Answer. With Case CATalyst 11, it’s not only possible, it’s very simple. Just open up the job, click Global, Transcript Brief It (or press Alt+g, b). Click Yes (or press Enter) to have Brief It analyze your transcript and suggest briefs. Once you’ve got those briefs, you can of course define them and/or you can copy briefs to your Cat Scratch pane to be reminded of them while you’re writing the next job in that case.

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#125 – Enhanced Searching with Regular Expression
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I took a job during which the attorneys involved mentioned their email addresses. I’d like to copy and paste those email addresses to my Fill-in-Field list file, so that I’ll have their addresses on file for the future. I know how to copy and paste, but how do I quickly find those email addresses? I don’t want to have to read through the entire job again. I don’t think they were all dot-com addresses, but can’t remember for sure. What do I want to search for, the @ symbols?

Answer. There’s a much easier way.  Open the job and position your cursor at the beginning of that job.  Press Ctrl+f to search.  Under Search Type select Regular Expression (or press Alt+r).  On the right side of the dialog box, you’ll see a list of a couple dozen pre-made regular expression search strings that you can use to search for text that meets specific criteria, such as email address.  Double click the desired Regular Expression search, and then click OK.  To repeat the search, press F3.

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#124 – Cycle Contraction
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. As I’m listening to the audio for the depo I’m editing, I hear that they said “where is” and not “where’s.” Is there a function to quickly change “where’s” to “where is”?

Answer. There is. The function is called Cycle Contraction.  With the cursor positioned on the word or first word in a two-word phrase that you want to change to/from a contraction, click Special Edit, Fix Words, Cycle Contraction (or press Alt+s, w, y).

You can do this even faster and more efficiently by assigning the Cycle Contraction to whatever available key you prefer in your keyboard map.  If you use the v11 Extras-Default or v11 Extras-CAT4 kbd keyboard map, Cycle Contraction is assigned to Ctrl+Shift+’.

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#123 – Checking Current Layout
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I work for several different firms and each of them has different layouts. I edit in Normal View and it’s not easy for me to tell which layout I’ve used, and clicking Modify Layout makes me nervous – I’m not sure I’m going to recognize what’s unique about the layout from the settings and I’m afraid I might accidentally change something. So what would you suggest: how do I know which layout I used in translation?

Answer. In Version 11, you can tell which layout you used by looking at the status bar. The name of the layout shows on the status bar, to the right of the cursor position information and to the left of the CAP NUM SCRL OVR information.

If there’s an asterisk next to the name of your layout, that tells you that you’ve modified the layout since translating the job.

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#122 – Renaming Quick Tran files
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I love Quick Tran but the filenames with all those numbers are really confusing to me! Could I just change it to the judge's name followed by -1, -2, -3, etc.? That'd be a lot easier for me! Or maybe the date would be okay, but could I have hyphens or something between the numbers?

Answer. In Version 11, you can have pretty much any filename you want for jobs created via Quick Tran. Here's how:

  1. Before you start translation, in Manage Jobs, click Tools, Options, Translate (or press Alt+t, o, t), and then click Advanced.

  2. Scroll to the bottom of the Advanced Translate Options dialog box, and click the field next to Quick Translate filename format.

  3. Type the preferred filename using text (e.g. judge's name, court type, city, county, proceeding type or any other unique identifier) plus any of the following variables:

%M = Month (0 - 12)
%D = Day (01 - 31))
%Y = Year (00 - 99))
%h = Hour in 24-hour format (00 - 23)
%m = Minute (00 - 59)
%s = Seconds (00 - 59)
%# = Next available number (If this formula item is used, it will be replaced by the first available number to make the file name unique.)
%a = Abbreviated weekday name (i.e. Mon)
%A = Full weekday name (i.e. Monday)
%b = Abbreviated month name (i.e. Nov)
%B = Full month name (i.e. November)
%C = Year with century (i.e. 2009)

When you type the text and/or variables, the results are displayed in the Help/Description box.

You can insert spaces or hyphens or underscores between the variables to separate them in the file name. For example, suppose your judge's last name is Jackson. You could enter Jackson-%# and your Quick Tran file names would be Jackson-1, Jackson-2, Jackson-3, etc. If you wanted the files to be named by date, but a bit easier to read, you might try something like %B %D-%# to get files named May 17-1, May17-2, May 17-3, etc.

  1. Click OK to close the Advanced Options dialog, then click OK to close Translate Options.

The next time you translate using Quick Tran, your new naming scheme will be used.

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#121 – Creating an on-screen "preference reference"
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. As a scopist, one of the things I do to make sure I meet each of my individual reporter-client’s needs is to keep a preference sheet so that I’m sure to edit things “their way,” when there’s an option vs. a rule. For example, some of my reporters prefer all dates with digits to be shown with slashes (6/4/63) and some prefer hyphens (6-4-63). I remember this kind of thing after working with a client for awhile, but you forget if it’s been a while since you’ve worked with a particular client or if you’ve picked up a new client. So it would be nice if there were a place in CATalyst where I could store some of these preferences and look them up. Is there a way to do that?

Answer. Yes, there is!  Assuming that you keep a separate user for each reporter-client, the text portion of the Cat Scratch pane, set to a User scope, will be a great place to store this kind of information.  This will enable you to store and display client-specific preference information for every job in each user.

Do the following steps once in each of your reporter’s users:

  1. From Manage Jobs, click Tools, Options, Edit, Advanced Edit (or press Alt+t, o, e, a).
  2. Click the right side of the Cat Scratch scope option, then click the down arrow to list the three scope options.
  3. Select User.
  4. Click OK.

Whenever you edit a job, you can open the Cat Scratch pane by clicking View, Cat Scratch (or by pressing Alt+v, c).  To add a new “preference reference,” click the New icon on the Cat Scratch pane toolbar, or right click the text portion of the Cat Scratch pane and then click New Item.  Then, type whatever text you like; for example – “Use / for dates.”  Repeat as needed for any other preferences for that reporter.

The information you type will be stored for that user only.  When you open another job in the same user, that information will automatically appear in the text portion of the Cat Scratch pane.  When you open a job in a different user, that information will not appear.

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#120 – Prep for new job by generating briefs from old job
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. A few weeks back, I took a depo in a doctor’s office; there wasn’t room to set up my computer so I didn’t do realtime, and so I didn’t use Brief It. I just found out that I’m going to be taking another job in the same case, and it would really be helpful now to get briefs for that previous depo. Is it possible to get briefs after a job is done?

Answer. With Case CATalyst 11, it’s not only possible, it’s very simple. Just open up the job, click Global, Transcript Brief It (or press Alt+g, b). Click Yes (or press Enter) to have Brief It analyze your transcript and suggest briefs. Once you’ve got those briefs, you can of course define them and/or you can copy briefs to your Cat Scratch pane to be reminded of them while you’re writing the next job in that case.

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#119 – Export Dictionary to Writer Shortcuts
(written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

Question. I’ve just updated to Case CATalyst Version 11.  Is there a way I can create a macro to send my updated Personal Dictionary to my writer?

Answer. There’s no need for a macro.  In Case CATalyst Version 11, a shortcut for this feature is built into the program.  Just click Function, Export Dictionary to Writer (or press Alt+u, y).  Select any additional case or job dictionaries that you would like to transfer in addition to your Personal Dictionary and select any desired options, then click Export (or press Enter).

If you’d prefer to have an icon for the Export Dictionary to Writer on your Function Bar, do the following:

  1. Right click the Function Bar and select Customize.
  2. Click the Commands tab.
  3. Under Categories, click Function.  Under Commands, click Export Dictionary to Writer.
  4. Hold down the left mouse button, drag Export Dictionary to Writer to the desired location on the Function Bar and then let go of the left mouse button to drop the new icon on the Function Bar

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    #118 – Selecting DONE as Job State
    (written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

    Question. Is there a way I can “gray out” jobs that I’m finished working on? I don’t like to delete stuff unless it’s necessary, and I’d like to be able to just tell at a glance whether a job is one that I’m still working on or have already turned in.

    Answer. There are at least two different methods you can use to achieve the goal of being able to tell at a glance, which jobs are finished and which are not.

    One way is to create a case for finished jobs and move the finished jobs into that case. This can be done with any version of Case CATalyst.

    Another way, introduced in Version 11 is to assign a “DONE” job state to any finished job:

    • Right click the finished job and select Change Job State.
    • If you view your jobs in “Icon View,” the Job history dialog box opens and you can select a job state from the list in the Current State field. If you view your jobs in “Detailed List View”, the list of assignable job states appears in the Job State column.
    • Select DONE.

    Icons for Jobs that are assigned a “DONE” state are displayed in a dark gray color.

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    #117 – Setting an automatic due date
    (written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

    Question. I love the way jobs in Case CATalyst automatically have a color assigned to them so that I know which ones I’ve worked on and what I’ve done with them, but I wish there were a way to change the color of jobs that are not done yet and are due to be turned in soon. For example, I’ve taken several jobs this month. I focus on the expedites; those come first and I know when those are due. I “back-burner” the regular delivery jobs. It would be nice if the icon color for those regular delivery jobs would change around three or four days before I need to turn them in, so that I know which job needs to get edited next.


    Answer. That’s precisely why we introduced the Automatic Due Date feature in Case CATalyst 11. Here’s what you’ll want to do:

    1. At the Manage Jobs screen, click Tools, Options, Manage Jobs/General, Job History (or press Alt+t, o, j, j).
    2. At Automatically Set Due Date, select Yes.
    3. At Number of Days from Job Date, type a number representing the number of days from the day you took the job that Case CATalyst should use to calculate the due date for the job.  For example, if regular delivery for you is two weeks, you would type 14.  Note: If the number of days would cause a job’s due date to fall on a Saturday or Sunday, Case CATalyst will automatically change the due date to the following Monday.
    4. At Use Color to Show a Job is Due, select Yes.
    5. At Number of Days before Due Date to Show Color, type the number of days before the Due Date that you want the job’s icon to turn red.  For example, if you want to be alerted four days before the job is due, type 4.
    If you’re concerned that the red icon won’t be sufficient to notify you which jobs are now due (for example, some jobs that are due are inside cases and you wouldn’t see the color of the icons until you open the case), you can take this a step further, and have Case CATalyst search for jobs that are due and list them in the Search Due Jobs dialog pane immediately upon opening your user in Case CATalyst, by selecting Yes at Display Search Due Jobs Results at User Startup.

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    #116 – Proactively Seeking Briefs
    (written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

    Question. I know that while I’m writing realtime, Brief It will tell me if there’s a brief for something I’m writing in 3 or more strokes. Is there a way I can find that out before I start writing – start working on this proactively?


    Answer. Yes, and in Version 11 and higher, this is pretty easy to do. First, you’ll isolate all of those entries using the Filter, Copy to Dictionary and Create Core list features, and then you’ll use the new Transcript Text List feature to generate briefs.

    Here's how:

    1. Open your Personal Dictionary.
    2. Click the Filter icon (or press Ctrl+y). At Filter On, select Entry Type; select 3 or more steno strokes as the category and then click OK.
    3. Click the Usage Count column header, to sort your entries in order of the entries you actually have used in translation, then press Ctrl+End to move the cursor to the entry you have used the most.
    4. Hold down Shift and press the Up Arrow to select each entry containing 3 or more steno strokes that you have used in translation.  (You can select them all, or just those that you use most often – select any/all entries for which you want briefs.)
    5. Right click the selected entries and then click Copy to Dictionary, Other dictionary.  At the Send to Other Dictionary dialog, type a name for the dictionary that will hold the copied entries and then click Open or press Enter. For example, type Dict Entries to be Briefed.
    6. Close the Personal Dictionary.
    7. Open the Dict Entries to be Briefed dictionary. Click Tools, Create Core List.  When the ASCII file is generated and opened in Notepad, click File, Close to close the Notepad function and the list file, and then close the Dict Entries to be Briefed dictionary.
    8. At Manage Jobs, select (click once) the Dict Entries to be Briefed file, then click the Edit icon, then click Open twice (to create a blank file in Edit called Dict entries to be Briefed). 
    9. If the Brief It dialog pane is not currently showing, click View, Brief It.
    10. Click Global, Text List Brief It.  At the Open dialog box, scroll through and select the Dict Entries to be Briefed core list.txt file.  (Double click or click once, then click Open).
    Voila! The Brief It window now contains briefs for all of the entries for which you wanted briefs.

    Now, review the suggestions. You can select the ones you like, right click and define them in the preferred dictionary. You can print the briefs. You can send any/all of them to the Cat Scratch Pane to be reminded of the new briefs the next time you’re translating in realtime. If you dislike a suggested brief, you can right click it and select New Suggestion and get a different suggestion.

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    #115 – Save and Switch Screen Layouts
    (written for Case CATalyst 11 and higher)

    Question. In depos, I use the laptop tray and my computer will be on either my right or left side depending upon the room and where I’m seated in relation to a conference room table, etc. If I’ve got Brief It set up on the right side of the screen when my laptop is on my right, it’s harder to see the suggestions because it’s somewhat further out of my periphery, so I need to move it over to the left side when my laptop is on my right side to make it easier to see. Does that make sense?

    So what I’d like to be able to do is save two different screen layouts – one with Brief It (and maybe Vertical Notes and Speaker List) on the left and one with the dialog pane or panes on the right – so that I can easily switch their positions based on where I have my computer, rather than having to click and drag each time.

    I tried to do that with Save/Load Alternate User Settings, but it didn’t work. Is it possible?


    Answer.It is possible, but not with Save/Load Alternate User Settings. Alternate User Settings only keeps track of which dialog panes are open or closed; not the column width or position. That information is stored in the UserLayout file.

    Here’s how you can do this:

    1. Open a user and change the dialog pane positions, widths, hidden/not hidden states to your preference.

    2. Close CATalyst or change users. (CATalyst doesn’t save changes to the UserLayout file until you close CATalyst or change users.)

    3. Reopen CATalyst or change users back to the original user. Back up the UserLayout file in the System Files case. Name it something descriptive (for example, UL when Laptop on Left.zip)

    4. Repeat steps 1-3 in another user with the alternate dialog pane positions.
    Now, any time you want to change the way the screen appears, all you have to do is restore those backed up UserLayout files. Just be aware that your UserLayout doesn't just record dialog box positions in Edit; it also records items in Manage Jobs as well.

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    #114 –Using Test Mode
    (written for Case CATalyst 10 and higher)

    Question.I understand that there’s something called “test mode” on the Diamante and that I’ll need to turn that on when I go to take the CRR. What exactly is “test mode,” how do I turn it on and how do I turn it off again when the test is over?

    Answer.Test Mode is designed for situations where you are taking a test or writing in a secure location that restricts you from leaving the environment with any copy of the proceedings. In Test Mode, the Diamante only writes the steno file to the Data SD card. Regardless of your settings, in Test Mode, no files are written to RAM memory or the Backup SD card and all audio recording features are disabled.

    To turn Test Mode On or Off:
    1. From the Opening Menu, press Setup, More, Test Mode. The current status of Test Mode displays on the screen.

    2. Do one of the following:
    • Press On to use Test Mode. The Status and Menu bars display in red. The Diamante remains in Test Mode until you turn the feature Off or turn the Diamante Off.
    • Press Off to disable Test Mode. The Status and Menu bars return to the normal blue display color.

    3. To display the Opening menu, press OK, More, Quit.

    FYI, for reporters using the Mira (original, G2 or A3), here are links to help desk documents that will walk you through test mode on those writers:
    Mira G1 - Mira G2 Test Mode

    Mira A3 Test Mode

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    #113 – Repeat Selected Text Macro
    (written for Case CATalyst 10 and higher)

    Question. When I’m scoping a video, something I find myself having to do constantly is fill in repeated language, for example, “If she doesn’t – if she doesn’t want to go…” The phrase will only have been written once, but the repeats and false starts have to be in the transcript. I keep thinking it would be so great if I could highlight text and then press something like “r” to make it “repeat” and put a dash in between. Can I request that as an enhancement?

    Answer.This is precisely why "macros" were invented! You don't have to request a command and wait for Stenograph to design and create a special function for you; you can record ANY group of repeated commands and then play them back with a single keystroke.

    Next time you see something you need to "fill in repeated language," do this: Go ahead and highlight (mark, select) the text as usual. Then, before you do anything else:

    1. Click Tools, Macro, Record.

    2. Do what you usually do, e.g. press Ctrl+c to copy it, move the cursor to the right, insert a dash (Ctrl+/), position the cursor where you would paste the repeated text, press Ctrl+v to paste. STOP after you've successfully pasted the repeated text.

    3. At the top of the screen, click Stop in the RecordMacro dialog.

    4. You'll be prompted to name and save the macro. Type a name like repeat previous text. Then, select (click the check box) the option Assign After Saving, then click Save (or press Enter).

    5. Next, you'll be prompted to open the keyboard map where you want to assign this command. What keyboard map do you normally use? Default? CAT4 kbd? One of the v11 Extras keyboard maps? A custom keyboard map? Select the keyboard map you use when you're in Edit (either double click it or click it once then click Open).

    6. You'll see a dialog box in which the macro you've just created is highlighted (selected) and on the left, you have a choice of keys plus the option to select key alone, key plus Ctrl, key plus Shift, or key plus Shift and Ctrl. Click the arrow to get a drop down menu of keys - pick the one you want, and pick whether you want to press the key by itself or with Ctrl, Shift or Ctrl+Shift.

    For example, for this particular macro, you might want to use something like Ctrl+4, as 4 is right above the letter "r" and isn't assigned to anything else - that might be easy to remember and use. (I wouldn’t recommend “r” by itself or with Ctrl or Shift or Ctrl+Shift as “r” is already assigned to other commands in most keyboard maps.)

    7. Click Assign, and then click Close.

    8. Press Ctrl+s to save the changes to the keyboard map, then close the keyboard map.

    Congratulations - you now have a "repeat previous text" macro available to use! Next time you're in edit and you see (or hear) a word or phrase that needs to be repeated, all you'll have to do is highlight (mark, select) the text, then press Ctrl+4 (or whatever key you selected for that macro).

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    #112 – Macros to Show/Hide Display of Realtime on Case CATalyst Screen
    (written for Case CATalyst 10 and higher)

    Question. I’m familiar with Bench Mode to hide text from being displayed from a certain point forward, but that’s not what I want – I want to be able to hide the entire realtime display on my Case CATalyst screen on demand. The way I’ve been doing that is to reach over to my computer and click the minimize icon on the title bar. I’d rather be able to do it from a writer command.


    Answer. Presuming that you are not using the {Toggle Bench Mode} command elsewhere in the job to hide/display selected portions of the text, then a simple way to achieve the desired result is to record and write AccelerWriters that insert the Bench Mode On format symbol at the beginning of the job (to hide all realtime text that follows) and delete that inserted Bench Mode On format symbol to show the realtime text.

    Here’s an example of how I created these AccelerWriters:

    First, I went into Format Symbol Options and my keyboard map to create shortcuts for a couple of commands that do not have assigned shortcuts, but are necessary commands for these macros. I clicked File, Open, List/Table, Format Symbol Options and modified the Bench Mode On format symbol to have a shortcut key. I chose F4 [ (just because it was available, no other particular reason for that key.) Then I closed the Format Symbol Options file and saved the changes. Next, I went into my keyboard map and assigned the "Cycle between Edit/Reveal Codes" function to a key - I selected Ctrl+0 (again, because it was available, no other reason); then I closed my keyboard map and saved the changes.

    Next, I recorded the following commands and saved them as the RT - Hide Realtime Display macro:

    [Move Document Top] (Ctrl+Home)
    [Insert Benchmode on] (F4 [)
    [Move Document Bottom] (Ctrl+End)

    I chose to define the steno /H-RD for this AccelerWriter.

    Next, I recorded the following commands and saved them as the RT - Show Realtime Display macro,

    [Search] (Ctrl+f)
    [Key down] (Alt+d) to de-select previous search criteria
    [Key down] (F4)
    [Key down] ([) to enter Bench Mode On format symbol in the Search For: field
    [Key down] (Alt+g) to select Go to Reveal Codes after FS search
    [Key down] (Enter) to execute the search
    [Delete forward] (Delete)
    [Cycle Between Edit/Reveal Codes] (Ctrl+0) to reposition the cursor back in transcript text window
    [Reveal Codes] (Ctrl+Shift+r) to close the Reveal Codes dialog pane
    [Move Document Bottom] (Ctrl+End)

    FYI - the reason for selecting the Go to Reveal Codes after FS search option is that if you simply navigate to the format symbol but leave your cursor in the transcript text window, pressing Delete would delete not only the Bench Mode On format symbol, but any other format symbols that happen to be immediately adjacent. Going to the Reveal Codes dialog pane ensures that pressing Delete only deletes the Bench Mode On format symbol, and nothing else.

    I chose to define the steno /SH-RD for this AccelerWriter.

    Again, assuming I have not engaged Bench Mode elsewhere in the job via the {Toggle Bench Mode} realtime commands, writing /H-RD would instantly hide all of the text in my current file, and writing /SH-RD would instantly re-display all of the text in my current file.

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    #111 – Limit the misstrokes for EZ Speakers
    (written for Case CATalyst 10 and higher)

    Question. Is there a way to go in and choose and limit the amount of “all possible misstrokes for EZ Speaker entries? My trainee uses STPHAO and SKWRAO. When I create my speakers in a job dictionary, it creates all possible misstrokes. However, some of the "possible misstrokes" it creates are really far off, and I’d rather they came up as untranslates, not as speakers.


    Answer. The easiest way to do this would be to do the following:

    1. Open a new job dictionary called TEMP EZ.
    2. Click Tools, Create EZ Speakers. At the token prompt, type 1, and at the text field, insert [!EZ Speaker 01] or #01; the placeholder you would normally use for that steno in your EZ Speakers dictionary, then click OK. Repeat for each speaker with standard steno such as STPHAO and SKWRAO, e.g. at the token prompt, type 2, at the text field, insert [!EZ Speaker 02] or #02, click OK, etc.
    3. Review the entries and delete any entries that have steno that you would NOT want to use when defining speakers. When you are finished, close and save the TEMP EZ dictionary.
    4. Open the EZ Speakers dictionary you usually use. Press F9 to include, and include the TEMP EZ dictionary into your EZ speakers dictionary. Save the changes.

    From then on, when using Create EZ Speakers Entries to build a job or case dictionary before translation, use that EZ Speakers dictionary and do not select “Generate All Possible Misstrokes.” It will only use the misstrokes that you’ve reviewed and know that you want to use.

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    #110 – Extending characters beyond a cell’s right margin in a table

    Question. I’ve created a table on the title page to contain the caption info. Three columns, one row. In the far left column I have the caption, in the middle column is a column of close paren symbols, and in the right column is the case number. At the bottom of the left column I press the underscore character many times to create a solid line that should extend all the way over to the close paren in the middle column. However, that’s the problem. That solid line only extends to the right margin of the first column then wraps. How can I get it to meet the close paren in the middle column?

    Answer. At the beginning of that solid line, press F4 R to insert the Right Margin Release format symbol. That will enable you to add underscore characters to that line and extend it beyond the margin for that column.

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    #109 – Proper Handling of USB

    At the last several workshops I've given, I've heard several reporters express confusion about how to use and care for their USB security device holders. Here are some recently/frequently asked questions regarding proper handling of the USB button holder:
    holder:

    Question. Can a USB button holder be connected via a USB hub instead of directly into a USB port on the computer?

    Answer. Yes.

    Question. If I plug in the USB button holder to a hub, does it need to be a powered hub?


    Answer. In situations where you plan to have multiple devices in a USB hub, it can be helpful to have a powered hub, but by itself, a USB button holder does not require being connected to an externally powered hub.

    Question. How should I pack my USB button holder when carrying it to and from jobs? Is it okay to just leave it loose, or should it have a container?


    Answer. A container of some kind is best to keep dirt or other debris out of the USB connection. Stenograph sells a hard plastic case which works well. Some reporters use a cloth or plastic bag.

    Question. Someone told me that those plastic cases are bad because it requires you to bend the device to fit it in and that could cause a problem.


    Answer. A little flex of the cable is fine; the plastic case is a perfectly fine carrying case. Bending a cable is not a problem; coiling a cable around other objects is something to avoid. For example, when packing a laptop computer’s charger, there are a lot of people who coil the cable attached to the charger around the power supply and over time, that can cause cracking in the insulation of the cable. Simply bending the USB holder cable to place it in the plastic case is not enough to cause that “cracking” situation.

    Question. Why is the button holder connected to an extension cord with a plastic sleeve, with a warning that says “Do not remove this plastic sleeve?” Is that sleeve and extension cord really necessary? Can I remove it?


    Answer. The extension cord and plastic sleeve serve many purposes. First and foremost, it ensures that if will be easier for you to connect additional USB devices in adjacent ports – if the button holder was connected without the extension cord, it is likely you would not be able to connect other USB devices in adjacent ports, because of the width/thickness of the button holder. It also reduces the wear and tear on the connection to button holder, ensuring that the device lasts longer and performs more reliably. While it is possible to connect the device without the extension cord, Stenograph strongly recommends you do not remove the plastic sleeve and that you connect the button holder via the extension cord.

    Question. When I write realtime, I place my computer on a Cool Table. The USB button holder is attached to a USB port on the back and dangles off the edge of the table. Is that a problem?


    Answer. It is probably not a big deal and in and of itself is not likely to be a source of connection issues. That said, the less stress on the USB port, the better. Whenever possible, it’s best to support the weight load of the device and prevent it from being “bumped.” So, rather than let the device “dangle,” if you have a port on a side of the computer that enables you to rest the entire device on the table, that would be better. Another possibility would be to use an additional USB extension cord that would enable you to rest the device elsewhere, where the entire device can safely lay flat.

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    #108 – Retain Field Scope When Transferring files to Another Computer

    Question.  I created a title page one my computer at home that has a few fields with user as the scope. When I restore the file to my computer at work, all the user scopes are modified to case scope. How can I make the scope “stick” when I move it to another computer?

    Answer. Go to the System Files_Case file in your System Files case. Right click and select Field Manager. Select the fields you want to export to the other computer. For example, if you have set up [!COUNTY], [!JUDGE] and/or other user-defined fields set with a User scope, select those fields. (Or you can select all the fields, it is up to you!) Next, click File, Export Fields. When prompted to save the information to an .ini file, name it and select a convenient location to save it.

    Copy or back up this .ini file and take it with you to the other computer, along with any include files you have created. Copy or restore the file, and restore all of the include files. Now, open the System Files case, right click the System Files_Case file and select Field Manager. Select Import Fields, browse to the location and then select the .ini file that you named containing the exported fields. When you do this, the fields and the scope you set for any fields is remembered.

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    #107 – Change Day/Date for Creation Day of Week or Creation Date

    Question.  I used the Creation Day of Week and Creation Date fields in my job, but they aren’t the correct date – the date in my writer was incorrect and this job wasn’t realtimed, so I’ve got the wrong date associated with the file! Is there any way I can fix the creation date in the file and still use those fields?

    Answer. Yes, you can. First, in Manage Jobs, open the job’s job history file (select the file, and then click File, History) and at the Job Date field, type the correct date. Second, open the job in Edit; click Edit, Insert, Field. Double click and then delete the values for the Creation Day of Week, Creation Date and Creation Date in Words fields. Close the dialog box, then close the file and save the changes. Now, re-open the file. When you insert any of those fields (Creation Day of Week, Creation Date or Creation Date in Words) the values will reflect the day and date that you typed into the job history file.

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    #106 – Print Selected Entries in a Dictionary

    Question. Could you tell me how to print out the conflicts in my main dictionary?  I want to try to clean some things up before I try to send my realtime translation out to other computers.

    Answer. Sure – this is very simple.

    1. Open the Personal Dictionary.
    2. Press Ctrl+Y (or click View, Filter).
    3. Click Entry Type, click the down arrow at the end of the blank field, then select Conflicts from the list, then click OK.
    4. Press Ctrl+A to mark all of the conflicts.
    5. Press Ctrl+P (or click File, Print).
    6. In the Print dialog box, under Range, click SELECTION. Select the prefered printer, then click OK.

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    #105 – Set Time Before Starting

    Question. Sometimes when I take a proceeding and there’s a videographer, I’m asked to make sure that the timestamps match the video. Can I do that without messing up my AudioSync?

    Answer. Adjust the time before you begin writing. Before opening the file, ask the videographer for the time on his device and adjust the clock on the device you are using to record the steno and audio to match the videographer’s.

    If you’re recording audio on your writer (e.g. Diamante, élan Mira A3 or Stentura Fusion), you can adjust the time on your writer. If you’re recording audio on your computer, adjust the clock on your computer. But make that adjustment before proceedings begin. If you adjust the clock after you’ve begun translation, it will adversely affect audio synchronization. Audio synchronization relies on accurate timestamps.

    If you have already begun proceedings and you discover that your time does not match the videographer’s, do not make any adjustments until after the file has been edited and you no longer require audio synchronization. After editing is complete, you can adjust the appearance of timestamps, as follows:

    1. If you are using clock timestamps, switch to Elapsed timestamps as follows: click View, Show, Timestamps (or press Alt+v, s, p), select Elapsed (or press Alt+e) and click OK (or press Enter).

    2. Position the cursor at the beginning of the first line of the file that includes timestamps.

    3. Click the Format Symbol List icon (or press Shift+F4).

    4. Double click to insert the Set Time format symbol.

    5. Enter the correct start time in hours, minutes and seconds.

    6. If the proceedings take place in both the morning and afternoon of the same day, times after 1:00 PM will appear as a 24-hour clock, e.g. 13:00 for 1:00 PM. If you prefer to display timestamps with 12-hour references, you will need to position the cursor at the beginning of the first line with a timestamp after 13:00, and then repeat steps 3, 4 and 5 to adjust the appearance of the timestamp.

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    #104 – Copy and Paste Table Rows

    Question. I don’t use automatic indexing yet – I promise, I’ll read the self-study guide and figure that out and get it set up soon, but in the meantime, I just use an include file for my index. For my exhibits, I have three columns of information – the exhibit number, a description and the page number. So I inserted a table, and set up three columns and one row, the first row. First row is formatted perfectly – when I type a number in that first column, I have the column properties set so that the interior margins is set to 0, and the number lines up exactly where I want it to. In the second column, the description has the leader dots extending to the end of the column. In the last column, whatever page number I type will aligns to the right margin and builds to the left – perfect.

    Here’s the question – how do I set up that perfect formatting for each additional row for additional exhibits? Sometimes I have one exhibit, sometimes I have five or six, and sometimes I have dozens. I don’t have to insert new rows and go through all of those steps to insert all that formatting each and every time, do I? There’s got to be a way to copy and paste all that, right?

    Answer. Right. Once you’ve set up one row that has the formatting you want, you can copy and paste it. Position the cursor in the table row that has all the correct formatting, and click Edit, Table, Copy Row(s). Then, without moving your cursor, click Edit, Table, Paste Row(s). You’ll be asked whether you want to paste before or after the current row. Select Before or After and then click OK (or press Enter).

    If you ever want or need to copy more than one table row, just select (mark) the contents of each row, and then click Edit, Table, Copy Row(s). When you paste, it will paste all of the copied rows.

    Of course, even the most efficient, easy to fill-in table in an include file is not going to be anywhere near as easy or efficient as automatic indexing. So follow through on that promise to yourself and read the Automatic Indexing Self-Study Guide (located on your Version 10 CD, in the v10 Self-Study Guides folder)!

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    #103 – CommonWords and Exclude.LST – Similar But Separate

    Question. Will modifying the Brief It CommonWords list have any affect on the Build Concordance Index?

    Answer. No – those functions use two separate word lists. The file that Build Concordance Index looks at to eliminate common words from the index is exclude.lst. The file that Brief It looks at to determine whether or not to provide briefs for phrases, and not offer briefs for phrases beginning with common words is the CommonWords.txt file.

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    #102 – AccelerWriter to Quote Read back of Last Question

    Question. Whenever I have a witness who asks, “what was the question?” and I’m asked to read back the last question, my firm likes me to insert THE REPORTER: “Question: then the text of that last question into the transcript text. I’d like to be able to write one steno outline that would copy and paste the previous question text into that format. Is that possible?

    Answer. Whenever I have a witness who asks, “what was the question?” and I’m asked to read back the last question, my firm likes me to insert THE REPORTER: “Question: then the text of that last question into the transcript text. I’d like to be able to write one steno outline that would copy and paste the previous question text into that format. Is that possible?

    A. Sure! All it takes is an AccelerWriter.
    1. Start a practice realtime session. Write text that mimics the situation you’d experience in a job. For example, write:

    Q. What did you say that you were doing at that time on the night of the accident?
    A. What was that question?

    MR. JONES: Please read back the previous question.

    2. Click Tools, Macro, Record, and then perform the following commands. The keys listed next to the command names/descriptions are based on either the Default or v10 Extras Default keyboard map.

    Ctrl+i – opens Insert Conflict dialog
    F4, cformat symbol
    F4, Shift+vformat symbol
    THE REPORTER:
    F4, v
    format symbol
    Spacebar
    Spacebar
    “Question:
    Spacebar
    Spacebar
    Enter
    – closes Insert Conflict dialog and inserts text at point of translation
    Ctrl+f – opens Search dialog
    Alt+d – deselects previous search options
    F4, q – sets as text to search for
    Alt+b – sets search direction as Backward
    Enter – closes Search dialog and executes search)
    Right Arrow – move cursor one word to the right, to first word of Question
    Alt+s – Special Edit menu
    m – selects Mark Start
    Alt+s – Special Edit menu
    p – Special Search menu
    q – Search Next QAC command
    Alt+s – Special Edit menu
    e – selects Mark End
    Ctrl+c – copies marked text
    Ctrl+End – moves cursor to point of translation
    Ctrl+v – pastes the copied text
    Backspace – deletes backward once to remove the extra space after the question text
    – adds end quote symbol to end of copied question text

    3. Click Stop in the RecordMacro dialog.

    4. Select the Define After Saving option.

    5. Type a name for the macro (such as RT – Quote Read back Q) and then click Save (or press Enter).

    6. At the Steno: prompt, type the steno you want to write to insert THE REPORTER: “Question: copied question text?” (I used /KW*RBG to test this macro.)

    7. Select the dictionary where you want the command defined (e.g. Personal Dictionary), and then click OK (or press Enter).

    If you wish to test this AccelerWriter immediately, click Tools, Add/Remove Dictionaries, make sure that the dictionary where you just defined the new AccelerWriter is selected and then press Enter.

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    #101 – Create Backup File During Realtime Translation

    Question. Next week I'm doing some realtime depositions and they're rushes. I'd like to be able to back up the morning session at lunch to send to my scopist. Can I do that without closing the file and stopping the realtime feed to the attorneys?

    Answer. Sure! Before you get started, select Create Work Units in the Realtime tab of Translate Options. Your file (with or without audio) will be saved at whatever interval you set to whatever location you set and then you can send the work unit(s) to the scopist without affecting the realtime feed.

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    #100 – Automatic Question Mark at End of By Line

    Question. I use the following by-line format:

    BY MR. SPEAKER: Q. Question text?

    Because there is no <QUESTION>format symbol, there is no ? at the end of the sentence. Should I record a macro to move up and insert ? (or period) at the end of a question that begins with BY MR. SPEAKER? Or is there a better solution?

    Answer. This can be automated. Just insert ? as the value for ending punctuation for the paragraph style that you use for your By Line. If the paragraph style you use for your By Lines is also used for other purposes, for example, if you currently use New Line Paragraph for By Lines and also use New Line Paragraph for other kinds of text, I strongly suggest modifying all occurrences of your By Lines (in dictionary entries, include files, EZ Text entries, etc.) to use a unique paragraph style, such as the By-line Paragraph Style or one of the 32 User-Defined Paragraph Styles. That will ensure that you get the formatting and automated punctuation you need without affecting other, non-By Line text.

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    #99 – Defining Ordinal Suffixes

    Question. What’s the best way to define /-GT as “th” after a number, for example 4/-GT = 4th? Should I use {Suffix}th or <DELETE Space> th?

    Answer. For most Case CATalyst users, I’d say neither, and instead, recommend defining any steno for an ordinal digit suffix (st, nd, rd or th) as {Number Conversion}[*Ordinal]. In addition to providing the expected results when written after a number that translates as a digit, it also works with a number that translates as text, e.g. either 4 or four followed by {Number Conversion}[*Ordinal] would result in 4th.

    There can be exceptions, depending on options selected for automatic number conversion and writing/defining style. If you have modified the entries for January, February, March, etc. to include the {MONTH}{DONT FORCE ORDINAL} rule and option, and you always write a digit when you want a digit for the day in a Month Day, four-digit year, and you write a separate stroke after the digit defined as a suffix for an ordinal digit when you want an ordinal digit, then it would be best to define /-GT as {Suffix}th. If you do this, you should also modify the prefixsuffixrules.ini file so that the entry for ^th is ^th=th,^[y]ieth.

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    #98 – Correcting Errors in User-Defined Field Values

    Question. I have a User-defined field for videographers and I have an extensive Select list (with a User scope) for each videographer. Unfortunately, there are some errors in that Select list and I need to make some changes. Do I have to open the Fill in Field dialog box and delete them one at a time and then type in new entries via Add, or is there some place I can go to modify the existing entries?

    Answer. You can use Field Manager for this task. As you specified a User scope, the values are stored in the case history file of the System Files case. Open the System Files case, select (highlight) the System Files_Case file, and then click File, Field Manager. Now, click the [+] next to the field name, in this example, VIDEOGRAPHER, to view the list of field values. You can use the same methods to modify these entries as you would use in any dictionary, list or table; i.e., right click and then click Modify, or select the value you want to Modify and then press Enter or Ctrl+m or click the Modify icon on the toolbar. You can also press Delete to delete a selected field value.

    NOTE: If you had selected a Case scope, you would, one at a time, select each case’s case history file (for example, if working in the US v Jones case, you would select the US v Jones_Case file inside that US v Jones case), and then click File, Field Manager and then modify the values for the desired field. If you had selected a Job scope, you would select the job in Manage jobs, then click File, Field Manager and then modify the values for the desired field.

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    #97 – How to Cycle Keyboard Maps when v10 Extras Keyboard Maps are Installed

    Question. When I press \ to cycle keyboard maps, when I get to a v10 Extras keyboard map, it stops working. Why?

    Answer. I’ve been told by many reporters (via email, forums, at workshops, etc.) that one problem they occasionally encounter when using the standard Default and CAT4 kbd keyboard maps is that they occasionally press \ (backslash) unintentionally and cycle to a different keyboard map without realizing it. They’ve told me that they get frustrated and annoyed when they get an unexpected result when pressing keys immediately after that switch.

    Therefore, when I designed the v10 Extras keyboard maps, I decided to assign the "change keyboard mode" command to Ctrl+Shift+\ (backslash) instead of \. This ensures that users of those keyboard maps would be less likely to “accidentally” or “unintentionally” change to a different keyboard map. It also still enables the user to easily change to a different keyboard map if and when desired.

    If you prefer to press \ by itself to cycle from the v10 Default and/or v10 CAT4 kbd keyboard maps, you can open up those keyboard maps (one at a time) and assign the "change keyboard mode" command to \ (backslash) and then save the changes.

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    #96 – How to Make Text Inserted or Replaced by Scopist Stand Out/Easy to Find

    Question. I’m a scopist. My reporter can easily see whatever I’ve globaled, because it shows up in a different color. But my reporter says she also wants to be able to easily find anything I’ve inserted or replaced. Is there a particular technique that other scopists use to accommodate that kind of request?

    Answer. I spoke with a number of scopists. Some surround all replaced or inserted text with <Scanstop Begin> and <Scanstop End> format symbols. Others will insert a marker that the reporter can search for such as an asterisk symbol (*). The best idea I heard was this one, which comes from Certified Independent Training Agent and professional scopist, Richard Wyble. Richard’s current practice when inserting or replacing text is to use a macro that inserts an <Oops> format symbol as well as surrounding the replaced or inserted text with <Scanstop Begin> and <Scanstop End> format symbols.

    Adding the <Oops> format symbol enables either the scopist or the reporter to view all changes in the Hotspots dialog pane, and if any need to be modified, one can navigate to it by double clicking rather than having to scan through the entire transcript. If the reporter prefers to scan or scroll through the transcript, the <Scanstop Begin> and <Scanstop End> format symbols cause the replaced or inserted text to stand out (in the color selected for text surrounded by Scanstops).

    Richard’s macro includes the following commands:

    Ctrl+r
    F4 O
    F6
    ALT-F (open the list of format symbols)
    o-o-p-s
    ENTER (to insert the <Oops> symbol)
    F4 o
    Enter.

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    #95 – Generating Steno-Specific Speaker IDs That Can Be Easily Reused

    Question. I work with the same attorneys, over and over. I always use syllabic IDs for each, never standard arbitraries like STPHAO, SKWRAO, etc. It’s rare that I encounter new attorneys, but they might come up. Rather than use EZ Speakers to create new speakers before each and every job, I just want all of the attorneys I use regularly to be defined in my Personal Dictionary. But I also want it to be easy to add new attorneys, if and when they’re needed. Is there some way I can use EZ Speakers to do this?

    Answer. These steps should enable you to do this:

    1. Modify the EZ Speakers Dictionary (not EZ Speakers with Fields). Make sure that the entries for ! and Colloquy with #00 and !/STKPWHR for Byline with #00 (and examinations if necessary) have the correct steno and text formatting for your needs.

    2. In the Translate dialog box, click Options and set the EZ Speakers Dictionary as EZ Speakers dictionary (not EZ Speakers with Fields).

    3. In Manage Jobs, open a new job dictionary called Speakers.

    4. Click Tools, Create EZ Speakers Entries.

    5. Leave the token as 0. Type the steno for the first speaker, then type the name, select Generate all possible misstrokes and press Enter.

    6. Repeat step 5 until ALL speakers are defined.

    7. OPTIONAL: Include the Speakers dictionary into the Personal Dictionary.

    If and when you work with new speakers, you can use Create EZ Speakers Entries before or during translation.

    After translation, open the job dictionary containing new speakers, select/mark all of the speaker IDs, right click the selected entries, and click Move to Dictionary. Select to move them to the Speakers (or Personal) dictionary.

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    #94 – Max Words Per Brief

    Question. In my last job on Version 9, I wrote "first date you contacted State Farm Insurance" a couple of times, and Brief It suggested a brief for that seven-word phrase. I would like having a brief for just "State Farm Insurance," but there's no way I can remember some of the phrases that Brief It comes up with. I'd really rather that Brief It only give me suggestions for phrases, and my sales rep said I could do that now that I've got Version 10. How do I do that?

    Answer. All you have to do is go to Brief It Options (by clicking Tools, Options, Brief It, or by clicking the Settings icon in the Brief It dialog pane), and select the maximum number of words per brief that should be suggested by Brief It. The default setting is 5. You can set it as low as 1 or as high as 10.

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    #93 – Suggest a Brief

    Question. Sometimes when I'm editing a job I took realtime, I see a word or phrase for which I'd like to find a brief. I don't want to go to the trouble of hooking up my writer and writing it to see what Brief It suggests, though.

    Answer. You don't have to. Just mark the word or phrase, click Global, then click Suggest a Brief (or press Alt+g, s). If you'd decide you'd like a different suggestion, you can right click the suggested brief and select New Suggestion.

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    #92 – Write Twice to Define

    Question. I love Brief It, but I actually think it's a little too easy to use! I'm concerned about accidentally writing and J-defining steno that I don't mean to define. I don't always pay attention to the Brief It dialog and so I might not notice that Case CATalyst has suggested steno for a brief, and then I'll write that steno thinking to use it for something else, and all of a sudden it shows up translated as some word or phrase I didn't want! Or I just want to try it out and then whoosh -- it's already defined and I can't take it back.

    Is there a way to make it so Brief It doesn't automatically use the briefs in the Brief It window right away? I mean, there are times I want to use them right away, but sometimes I don't. I'm not sure I'm making any sense.

    Answer. You're making perfect sense and yes, there's a way to ensure that you can try out the steno for the brief without defining it, or write it once and have that steno remain undefined, until you tell it you're ready for it to be defined. All you have to do is go to Brief It Options (by clicking Tools, Options, Brief It, or by clicking the Settings icon in the Brief It dialog pane), and select the Write Twice to Define option, then click OK to save that change.

    Once you do that, when you write steno from the Brief It dialog once -- for example, because you just want to try it out, or because you plan to define it as something else via a Power Define -- the steno will appear as an untranslate. If and when you want that steno to be defined as the Brief It text, then you will write that steno twice. Writing the steno twice will cause it to be J-defined as the word or phrase for which that steno was suggested. Once it has been defined, you will only write the steno once and it will translate as the defined word or phrase.

    For example, let's say Brief It suggests /*EUB for "ibuprofen." You want to try that out before actually defining it. You write /*EUB. /*EUB displays on the realtime screen. If you don't want to define it right there and then, just delete that stroke and/or just keep writing. The next time in that job you need to write the word "ibuprofen" if you decide you'd like to use that suggestion, write /*EUB/*EUB. This will cause /*EUB to be defined as "ibuprofen." The next time you have to write ibuprofen, just write /*EUB once and you'll get "ibuprofen."

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    #91 – Global Table Display options

    Question. I like to review the contents of the global table, but it's really hard to do because the fonts are so small. I know I can make the edges of the table bigger, but can I change the font size or style so that it's easier to read?

    Answer. Yes, you can. In Edit, open a global table (press Ctrl+Y or click the Global menu and then select Global Table). In the Global Table dialog box, click Tools, Display Options (or press Alt+t, d). You can select fonts, styles and sizes for the headings, steno column, text column and one font/style/size for each of the remaining columns (number, type, case sensitive, selective).

    These font choices will be remembered and used whenever you open a global table for any job.

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    #90 – [web] attribute

    Question. Occasionally, the attorney or witness will reference a web site without saying www first. For example, in a job I just had, the witness talked about stuff at the whitehouse.gov site. When I wrote it, it came out "White House dot governor." Ick! Is there some way I can force the name of a web site to appear in all lower case and squished together?

    Answer. Yes. If you know that you're going to write a web site or email address, there are steno outlines you can write just before you write the web or email address, and steno for "at" and common web and email suffixes (.com, .net, .org, .gov, .edu, etc.) that will cause the name of the web site to appear in all lower case and squished together.

    First, if you haven't done so yet, restore the v10 Extras.ZIP file from the Version 10 Exceptional Extras folder on your Case CATalyst CD. Once you've done this, you'll have access to the v10 Extras Fingerspelling dictionary. Select this dictionary to help you translate jobs (it does not matter whether you are translating in realtime).

    When writing, before writing a web or email address that does not begin with "www" or some other prefix that could be defined with a command to force lower case and squishing, write /W*EB. This outline is defined in the v10 Extras Fingerspelling dictionary as a command that will force all letters or words that follow to translate in lower case and "squished" together (without spaces between words).

    The v10 Extras Fingerspelling dictionary also contains several outlines for common web and email suffixes (.com, .net, .org, .gov, .edu, etc.) Writing any of these will turn off the command to translate in lower case and without spaces, so that the text that follows appears as preferred.

    So in the example you gave, if rather than writing your steno for the words White House dot and governor, you can write /W*EB followed by White House and then /TKO*T/TKPW*OF, and the results would be whitehouse.gov.

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    #89 – Customize Which Format Symbols Display in List

    Question. Whenever I open the Format Symbol list, I see a ton of format symbols that I never use. Can I get rid of the ones I don't need?

    Answer. Yes, you can. There are two ways to do this.

    First -- if you do not caption and would like to prevent any of the captioning format symbols from displaying in your format symbol list, you can remove all of those by selecting one option. From Manage Jobs, click Tools, Options, Edit, Advanced Edit. in the Advanced Edit Options dialog, click "Hide Caption-Specific format symbols" and then click the down arrow at the end of that item and select No. Then, click OK. From that point forward, whenever you open the format symbol list, the Caption format symbols will not display.

    Second -- you can also hide individual format symbols. For example, let's say that you never use the Font Size format symbol and want to remove it from the list of format symbols. Click File, Open, List/Table, Format Symbol Options (or press Alt+f, o, i, o). Scroll down to Font Size (or whatever format symbol you want to hide), and click the Modify icon or press Ctrl+m or press Enter or double click the entry. In the Modify dialog box, de-select the "Display this format symbol when showing the Format Symbols list" option, and then click OK. From that point forward, whenever you open the format symbol list, the Font Size format symbol (or whatever format symbol you selected) will not display.

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    #88 – Format Symbol Options -- Different Assignment

    Question. I occasionally have more than one attorney from the same firm representing one of the parties in a proceeding. For example, let's say that the plaintiff, John Smith, is being represented by Rob Nelson and Brian Cepeda from the firm of Nelson and Associates. If I use my standard appearances page, after filling in the fields for the appearance, I have to go back, create a new blank line, tab over and then type in the second attorney's name. Is there a way I can pick more than one attorney name for the same firm?

    Answer. Yes, you can. You can create additional attorney fields in your appearance, and then be prompted to fill in those fields with attorneys from your Fill-in-Field List for that firm.

    Let's say the fields on your Appearances page include file currently look like this:

    [!FIRM1]
    BY: [!ATTORNEY1]
    [!ADDRESS-A1]
    [!ADDRESS-B1]
    [!CITY1], [!STATE1] [!ZIP1]

    What you'll want to do is modify the include file to include additional fields for the attorney. To create these additional fields, in Edit, you'll click Edit, Insert, Field (or press Alt+e, i, f), and then click New Field.

    For an additional attorney field that will be filled in with other group 1 appearance information (e.g. FIRM1, CITY1, STATE1, etc.), type ATTORNEY1 and then type additional text (letters, numbers) For example, you could insert ATTORNEY1A, ATTORNEY1-ADDITIONAL, ATTORNEY1_2nd, etc. If you have more attorneys from the same firm, you can add more fields, e.g. ATTORNEY1B, ATTORNEY1C, ATTORNEY1D, etc.

    For additional attorney fields that will be filled in other groups, just repeat the steps above, but use the correct group number. For example, for an additional attorney field that will be filled in with group 2 appearance information (e.g. FIRM2, CITY2, STATE2, etc.), then click Edit, Insert, Field; click New Field, then type ATTORNEY2A .

    You can then insert the new field into your Appearances page include file as appropriate, for example:

    [!FIRM1]
    BY: [!ATTORNEY1], [!ATTORNEY1-2ND] and [!ATTORNEY1-3RD]
    [!ADDRESS-A1]
    [!ADDRESS-B1]
    [!CITY1], [!STATE1] [!ZIP1]

    When you (or your scopist) scan to Firm1 and selects the firm, the firm's name and address information will be filled in. The Attorney1, Attorney1-2nd and Attorney1-3rd fields will be blank. When prompted to fill in those fields, the Select List will display all attorneys previously entered into the Fill-in-Field List for that firm.

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    #87 – Format Symbol Options -- Different Assignment

    Question. Some of the letters assigned to format symbol shortcuts just don't make sense to me. I'm a scopist and I use Scanstop Begin and Scanstop End to surround notes to my reporter or words/phrases I want my reporter to double check when they get the job back. It doesn't make sense to me to use F4 +o for that. My reporter never uses Single Spacing in a transcript, so I have no need to have F4 S and F4 s assigned to Single Spacing On/Off. Can I switch it so that F4 S and F4 s are assigned to Scanstop Begin and End?

    Answer. Yes, you can!

    Click File, Open, List/Table, Format Symbol Options (or press Alt+f, o, i, o). Locate the format symbol you want to modify. Click the Modify icon or press Ctrl+m or press Enter or double click the entry. At F4 Shortcut, select the letter, number or symbol you would prefer to use for this shortcut. Then click OK.

    If the letter you select is assigned to another function, you'll get a message notifying you that the shortcut is already used, and you'll have the opportunity to click Yes to reassign that letter, number or symbol to the preferred format symbol, or to click No to leave it assigned as it was before.

    So, in your example, if you'd like to use F4 S for Scanstop Begin and F4 s for Scanstop End you would open Format Symbol Options, scroll down to Scanstop Begin in the list, modify it, select capital S for Scanstop Begin and then click Yes to reassign F4 S to Scanstop Begin instead of Single Spacing On. You'd repeat those steps and select the lower case s for Scanstop End.

    When you're finished making these changes, you'll close and save the Format Symbol Options file.

    Now, when editing, and you want to surround marked text with Scanstop Begin and Scanstop End format symbols, you can just mark the text and press F4 S instead of F4 O.

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    #86 – Custom Reminder

    Question. I just got back from my second trip to the attorney’s office where I took a depo today. The first trip was for the depo. The second trip was to retrieve my wireless router, which I had forgotten and left plugged into the wall in the conference room! This is like the third time I’ve done this, and at least this time, the router was still there; last time, it just disappeared and I had to buy a new one! Does this happen to other people?

    Answer. Of course. People can forget all sorts of equipment – routers, power cords, security devices – anything that gets unpacked has the potential to be forgotten when you leave. Fortunately, there’s a nifty way you can remind yourself of everything you need to retrieve, pack and take with you when you go built into Case CATalyst – it’s called Custom Reminders.

    At the Manage Jobs screen, click Tools, Options, Manage Custom Reminders. You can have two separate reminder messages come up on your screen; one when you close Edit, and one when you close down Case CATalyst. Just check the box next to “Show Closing Edit” message and/or “Show Closing Case CATalyst” message.

    There are two lines for each message – Reminder and Reminder Desc. For example, for one of your reminders, you might use this text:
    Reminder: Go get your router now!
    Reminder Desc: You don’t want to lose another piece of equipment and then have to buy it again!

    Click the Test to see how the message will display on your screen.

    FYI, these reminders are being used for a wide variety of purposes. Some reporters will insert a reminder about personal errands they need to do after a job (e.g. stop at the grocery store, pick up the kids, etc.) Some reporters will use the reminder to remember to back up the job they’ve been working on. It can be used for any purpose you want and changed as often as you like, and/or de-selected if and when a reminder is unnecessary.

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    #85 – Print a job report using landscape orientation

    Question. I really love the new job report feature -- it's so nice not to have to re-type all that information that's already in my transcript. The only problem is that I really my job report to print in landscape orientation (horizontal, wide across the page) rather than portrait (vertical, like the transcript pages). Is there any way to do that? I tried modifying my layout for the job report template to match what I want, but when I go to print, even if I click Print Setup and select landscape for my printer, it prints portrait.

    Answer. Use Compressed Print instead of Print. Under Sheets, choose 1 row, 1 column, and select Landscape under Orientation. Tip: Save these configuration settings under the name "Job Report-Landscape." In future, if you click Print instead of Compressed Print, you can just select Compressed instead of Draft or Final under Output, and then select the "Job Report-Landscape" configuration.

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    #84 – Search File Contents

    Question. I was working on a job a few months back with a lot of where they had a ton of gang and street terminology that I J-defined. I’m about to start working on a job with similar stuff, and I want to use that job dictionary to help translate this job, and I’m sure it’ll be helpful. But I can’t remember what the name of the job is, though or exactly when I took it -- all I can remember that one of the attorneys was Mr. Vance. He was really polite, spelled things, that’s why I remember him. Is there an easy way I can find that job?

    Answer. You can use the Search File Contents feature to search through all of the dictionaries on your system. All you need to know is a text or steno entry that would be in that dictionary and you should be able to find it very quickly.

    For example, let’s say you want to go find a dictionary entry with the text “Mr. Vance.” From Manage Jobs, you’d just click Tools, Search File Contents. If you want to search for text, make sure the text option is selected, and the type the text, e.g. “Vance.” If you want to search for steno, click Steno and then type the steno, e.g. /VA*PBS.

    You can limit/narrow the search by specifying where to look (all users, current user, current case and contents) and identify where the steno or text would be found in a dictionary entry (exact match, begins with, ends with, contains).

    Then click Search. The results will be displayed in the Search dialog box. You can double click the search result, open the dictionary and review the contents.

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    #83 – Sort jobs by job state

    Question. Is there any way I can organize the job icons on my Manage Jobs screen by color, e.g. all the pink ones together, all the brown ones together, all the green ones together, etc.?

    Answer. Sure. Just click the View menu, then click Sort By, and then click Job State.

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    #82 – Add a Quick Tran Icon to the Function Bar

    Question. I love the new Quick Tran feature in Version 10. I’d like to make it easier to access. I don’t want to have to click File, and then select Quick Tran. I’d like to just click an icon on the Function Bar, the way I do for regular translate.

    Answer. No problem! Here’s how to do that:
    1. Click View, Show, Customize Toolbars (or press Alt+v, s, z).
    2. Click the Commands tab.
    3. Scroll down in the list of commands and click Quick Tran.
    4. Hold down the left mouse button, drag Quick Tran to your Function Bar, then let go of the left mouse button to drop Quick Tran on the Function bar.

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    #81 – Dictionary Builder

    Question. A colleague of mine and I are going to be working together on a daily copy trial. She’s been working on this case alone for a while now, and I’m joining her on it next week. She’s got a huge job dictionary built up with all sorts of terms, and I’d like to take advantage of that, but the way I write things is different. Should I go ahead and use her dictionary, or is there some better method I can use to prepare for this job?

    Answer. There are two Manage Dictionary functions you want to use: Create Core List and Dictionary Builder. Create Core List will create a wordlist that you can use with Dictionary Builder to build a dictionary using your colleagues text entries, but with your preferred steno.
    First, restore your colleague’s job dictionary, then open it in Manage Dictionary. Click Tools, Create Core List (or press Alt+t, c). This will generate a list of each unique text entry in the dictionary. Click File, Exit to close this list and when prompted, save the changes. Then close your colleague’s job dictionary.

    Next, create a new job dictionary by clicking File, New, Dictionary, Job (or press Alt+f, n, d, j). Type a name for your job dictionary and click Open (or press Enter).

    Now, click Tools, Dictionary Builder.

    At the writer prompt, select your writer (and method of connection, e.g. élan if you connect a Mira via serial cable, élan USB if you connect via USB cable). NOTE: For this feature, you must connect your writer via cable, and not via a wireless connection. If you are using a serial cable, select the correct com port.

    At Wordlist, click Browse, and then go to the location of your colleague’s job dictionary. The Core List you created will have the same name as the job dictionary, but an extension of .TXT. Select that file and click Open (or press Enter).

    The first time you use this wordlist, you will select Start at beginning of file. If you close before you finish creating your dictionary and then come back to continue building the dictionary later, you can select “Continue where I left off.”

    Click OK, and then write a stroke to establish communication between the writer and computer.

    Now, as you are prompted with each entry from the wordlist, write the steno outline(s) for the displayed word or phrase. If you make a mistake, write /* or click the Delete button in the Dictionary Builder dialog box. When you are satisfied with the steno you have written, you can either write /*FPLT or click Next Word to enter that steno and text into your job dictionary and then move on to the next word in the wordlist or, write /*RBGS or click New Outline to enter than steno and text into the dictionary and then write another steno outline for that same word or phrase in the wordlist. If you ever wish to go back to a previous outline, click Previous Word or write /STPH*.

    When you're finished building the dictionary, or you wish to temporarily quit and continue building the dictionary at another time, click Done or write /HR-FR.

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    #80 – Allcap text in Create EZ Speakers entries

    Question. When I define my speakers via Create EZ Speakers Entries, I occasionally have problems. I press the Caps Lock key so that things will show up in all caps, but then I forget I've done that and hold down shift with the first letter of the person's name, and wind up getting mR. fRIEDMAN or something like that. I know I should slow down and pay attention, but is there a way I can avoid this?

    Answer. The easiest way to deal with this is to select the Allcap Text option in the Create EZ Speakers Entries dialog. Then, it won't matter whether or not you press Caps Lock or hold down your shift key – the text will all be entered in all caps.

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    #79 – Realtime note to my scopist

    Question. When I'm writing realtime, I occasionally would like to be able to write a brief note to my scopist, but I don't want that note to be in the transcript, and I don't want to have to take my hands off the writer and move them to the computer keyboard to open a hidden text and then type the note.

    Is there a way I could write a note from my write into a Hidden Text?

    Answer. You can't write and translate directly into a Hidden Text, but you can do this -- you'll simply write the note and then have a macro that will copy and paste the note into a Hidden Text. To be able to do that, you also have to be able to navigate to the beginning of the note, so that the macro knows how much text to cut and paste.

    The first step of doing this will be to define a steno stroke (perhaps /HOET for hidden note) as <OOPS>.

    Next, we'll record the macro. Begin a practice realtime session and write a few words. Now, write /HOET, then write a note that you want to copy into the hidden text dialogue box. Next, record the following commands in a macro:

    Ctrl+F (search)
    Alt+f (open the format symbol list)
    O (select Oops)
    Alt+b (set direction as backward)
    Enter (Search backwards for last <OOPS>)
    Ctrl+Shift+End (mark to the end of the file)
    Ctrl+X (cut)
    Alt+e, I, h (open a Hidden Text)
    Ctrl+v (paste the note into the Hidden Text)
    Enter (close the Hidden Text).

    When you click stop, be sure to select the Define after saving option. Then, type a descriptive name for this macro, such as RT-Note to Scopist, and press Enter or click Save. When prompted, select an easy-to-write, easy-to-remember steno outline, (perhaps /KHROET for close hidden note).

    Now, each time you want to write a private note to yourself or your scopist, you'd write /HOET, the text of the note, and then /KHROET, and bingo, you've got your hidden note.

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    #78 – How to find the ReadMe file

    Question. I know I can read the ReadMe file when I run the Updater, but if I don’t read it then, where do I go to find that file?

    Answer. Just click Help, View ReadMe.

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    #77 – Using other reporters’ wordlists

    Question. One of the reporters in my office is also a Case CATalyst user, has been using the system for a lot longer than I have and she has built up this terrific job wordlist with spellings for all of their attorney clients, local place names, local expert names, etc.

    I would like to be able to use her job wordlist. She backed it up for me, I restored it – now, how do I make it work with my system?

    Answer. Once you’ve restore the wordlist to a convenient, easy to find location (e.g. the System Files case):

    1. In Edit, click Tools, Options, Transcript Spell Check Options (or in Manage Jobs, click Tools, Options, Edit, Transcript Spell Check Options).
    2. Under Additional Wordlists, click Add.
    3. Browse to and select the wordlist.
    4. Click the check box next to the wordlist to select it for use during Spell Check.
    5. Click OK.

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    #76 – Spell check says it’s right; I say it’s wrong!

    Question. I was spell checking and noticed that “Inially” is not listed as a misspelled word. Why does Case CATalyst think that’s correct?

    Answer. “Inially” is considered a correctly spelled word in the Wintertree Medical wordlist. If you de-select that wordlist in Transcript Spell Check options, exit the file you were in then re-open it, then "inially" will no longer be considered correctly spelled. If you have the “show red squiggle” feature selected, inially will have a red squiggle underline.

    If you don't want to de-select Wintertree Medical during spell check, then as the list itself is not editable, as you come across items like "inially," you can add them to a personal or job wordlist that you always use when spell checking, with the action set to Exclude.

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    #75 – Tailoring Brief It results

    Question. In either Version 9 or in Version 10, is it possible to have Brief It prompt you only with reminders from your selected dictionaries and suggestions from the briefs.txt file?

    Answer. Yes, this is possible in either version. To do this, insert the same steno for the “Require” entry and an “Exclude” entry using the following steps.

    1. In either version, click the Settings icon in the Brief It dialog pane, then click Steno Include/Exclude. (In Version 10, you can also click Tools, Options, Brief It and then click Steno Include/Exclude.)
    2. Highlight the Required entry, press Delete and then press Enter to confirm deletion. The Require entry displays [none] in the Steno column.
    4. Press Ctrl+i to Insert Excluded Steno. Type * (or any preferred steno) in the Steno field, then click OK (or press Enter).
    5. Double click the Require entry. Type * (or the same preferred steno as in step 4) in the Steno field, then click OK (or press Enter).
    6. Close and save the changes to the Brief It settings file.

    The next time you use Brief It, only Reminders and Personal Briefs display in the Brief It dialog pane.

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    #74 – SDHC Memory Cards

    Question. Someone gave me an SDHC card and I’m wondering if it works the same as my other SD Cards? Can I use it in my Mira?

    Answer. "SDHC" stands for Secure Digital High Capacity. They are flash memory cards with a minimum capacity of 4GB, and are most typically used in digital cameras, camcorders, PDAs and MP3 players. SDHC works differently than standard SD cards, and this new format is not backwards compatible with legacy SD format host devices. SDHC cards are not compatible with the élan Mira A3 or the Stentura fusion.

    The SDHC cards are the same size and shape as our standard SD cards but the SDHC cards will have the HC logo on it.

    Our Purchasing department has been in contact with our memory card vendor to ensure that we can continue to purchase and receive standard SD cards for our products. Because the SDHC cards are not backwards compatible with standard SD devices, SD card manufacturers will probably keep the standard SD cards available for some time.

    Stenograph recommends using standard 2GB (or less) SD cards in the Mira A3 and Stentura fusion. We recommend SimpleTech®, Kingston® or SanDisk® SD cards, although any high quality standard SD card is acceptable.

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    #73 – Use Another Reporter’s Field Values
    (written for Version 9 and higher)

    Question. I’ve just gotten into using fields. A colleague of mine has been using fields for a long time and has all of the most common choices for various fields like [!JUDGE] and [!COUNTY] and things like that already filled in. Can she back that up somehow and give them to me?

    Answer. It’s not a matter of backup and restore, but of exporting and importing, but yes, you absolutely can get a copy of her field values. That capability is offered through the Field Manager function.

    First, in Manage Jobs, select (single click, do not open) the case or job history file that contains those field values. For example, if they’re User-specific fields, they’re stored in the System Files_Case case history file. If they’re Case-specific fields, they’re stored in that case’s case history file. If they’re Job-specific fields, they’re stored in that job’s job history file.

    Next, click File, Field Manager (or press Alt+f, f). Then, click File, Export Fields (or press Alt+f, e). When prompted, name the file and save it to a convenient location, such as on a flash drive or in a folder that is convenient for you to locate when you want to attach files to an email message.

    Now, the reporter on the other computer will do the same steps: they’ll go into Manage Jobs, select their System Files_Case file (or another case or job history file; wherever they’ll want those fields to be stored). They’ll click File, Field Manager to open the Field Manager. Then they would click File, Import Fields (or press Alt+f, i).

    At the Import Fields dialog box, the reporter will need to select the file created on the other computer. So, if it’s on a flash drive or other media, browse to that drive. If it was emailed from one reporter to another, browse to the location where the file was saved after being downloaded from the email message.

    After selecting that file, click Open (or press Enter or Alt+o) and the fields will be imported into the selected case or job history file, and be available in the Select List for that scope.

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    #72 – Add custom button to Function Bar
    (written for Version 9 and higher)

    Question. I love the Function Bar feature in Version 9 that lets you have the text below the icons. I want to have a Finish ‘em button on the Function Bar right next to Print in Manage Jobs. Can I do that, or is the text-below-the-buttons thing only available for the default functions?

    Answer. You can definitely have a Finish ‘em button on the Function Bar with an image and text below it. Here’s how:

    Open the Customize dialog box by right clicking the Function Bar and then clicking Customize or, click View, Show, Customize Toolbars (or press Alt+v, s, z), or click the down arrow at the end of the Function Bar, and then click Add/Remove Buttons, then click Customize.

    Click the Commands tab (or press Ctrl+Tab).

    Under Categories, click Tools.

    Under Commands, scroll down to Finish ‘em. Click Finish ‘em, drag it to the Function Bar, then drop it.

    Finish ‘em will appear as text only on the Function Bar. To customize it with an image, so that it looks like the other buttons on the Function Bar, with both an image and text below it, there are a few more steps. Leave the Customize dialog box open and then:

    Right click the Finish ‘em text button. Select Image and Text.

    Right click the Finish ‘em button again, select Change Button Image, and then select one of the available icons. (NOTE: If you’d prefer a different image, you can use Edit Button Image to create your own.)

    Close the Customize dialog box.

    NOTE: If the text does not “hold” after you close and re-open Case CATalyst, open the Customize dialog box, right click the Finish ‘em button, and then click in the “Name:” field. You do not have to type anything, just click in that field.

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    #71 – Make an entry inactive in numberconversion
    (written for Version 9 and higher)

    Question. In Version 8 or earlier, if I didn&rsquo;t want to use an entry in the number conversion file, I would type // in front of it to make it inactive, rather than delete the whole line. That way, if I ever changed my mind, I could quickly get it back/make it active again. Is that possible in Version 9?

    Answer. It works the same way. Within the Version 9 (and above) interface, just modify the keyword to include // at the beginning to make it inactive. Removing the // would make the keyword active.

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    #70 – Automatically delete un-needed address line in appearance

    Question. Some of the law firms in my fill-in fields database utilize both AddressA and AddressB fields(100 Main Street, Suite 200B) and some only use AddressA (100 Main Street). On my appearances page in my include file I have both AddressA and AddressB fields. But, if a law firm only utilizes AddressA I now have to delete the AddressB field and the format symbols on that line to make the address look right. Is there any way to automate deletion of that AddressB field?

    Answer. Yes! Rather than use the Scan Forward command or clicking to position a cursor on a field, you need to use the Scan and Fill in Fields command to navigate to your field list group fields. Click Special Edit, Scan and Fill in Fields (or press Alt+s, L) or assign the Scan and Fill in Next Field to an available key in your keyboard map).

    When you use this command, after filling in the field value for your appearance, Case CATalyst will prompt you to fill in any fields in that field list group that do not have a value. If you do not type a value, but simply press Enter to bypass that dialog box, Case CATalyst will automatically delete the field and the line that the field was on.

    For example if you select a firm that only utilizes Address A, you’ll receive a prompt to fill in the value for Address B. Just press Enter to bypass that prompt, and the line and AddressB field will be deleted.

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    #69 – Undo any global, any time

    Question. I'm working on a couple of jobs. Started working on one, made some J-defines (steno globals) and E-defines (text globals), then saved and closed the file, started working on a different job. Came back to the first job and saw that I had made some mistakes — can I still undo those globals? Does it matter if it's an E-define vs. a J-define? And will it matter if I moved the job over to my other computer?

    Answer. Yes, you can still undo any/all of those globals, either throughout the entire job, or in one particular spot. There is no time limit on how long you have to undo a global open and close the file as many times as you like, transfer the job to other systems it doesn't matter. If you copy/paste or back up/restore the job from one system to another, just make sure that in addition to the transcript text file (.SGNGL) that you're also copying/backing up the global table (.SGGLB). And no, it also doesn't make any difference if the global is a steno global (D-define, J-define, K-define, Other Dictionary Define) or a text global (E-define).

    After positioning the cursor on the global you want to undo, you can undo it in a variety of ways. You can right click the text of the global you want to change and then click Undo Global (to undo all occurrences) or Undo Global Once (to undo just the one occurrence). You can open the global table (Ctrl+Y is the default shortcut key), select the global and then click Edit, Undo Global (or press Alt+e, u). If you would prefer to just press one key to undo a global, you can assign any available key in your keyboard map to the Undo Global command (and you can assign an available key to the Undo Global Once command).

    Again, for clarification purposes: Undo Global will "unapply" the global in the current job - all occurrences will be changed back to their original steno or text before the global was applied; it will remove the global from the global table file so that the global can't reapply to newly inserted, included, merged or appended text or steno; and if it's a steno global, Undo Global will also remove it from the dictionary you created the entry in (Personal, update area, job dictionary, case dictionary, etc.)

    FYI, Undo Global Once will only "unapply" the global at the current cursor position. It will not affect any other occurrences, remove the global from the global table or any dictionaries.

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    #68 – Litter Box or Recycle Bin?

    Question. I lost a file I deleted; it wasn't recoverable from the Litter Box. Tech Support told me that my Litter Box wasn't set up properly and that the file wasn't recoverable, and recommended that I use the Windows Recycle bin from now on. Is there a problem with the Litter Box? Is it because I’m using Vista?

    Answer. There's no problem with the Litter Box function, but you do have to understand how the feature works to understand the results you get with the Litter Box vs. the Windows Recycle Bin and to make the best decision as to which deletion feature will be best for you.

    By default, the Litter Box is set to 1024KB in size (approximately 1 MB). When the Litter Box is full, the oldest files get pushed out to make room for the newly deleted files. Therefore, if you want your files to "hang out" in the Litter Box for a while, it needs to be set to a larger size. The maximum size is 2000000; equivalent to 2 GB.

    If you are deleting very large files (such as audio files) that would more quickly push out older deleted files. Here's an analogy that may help put things in perspective. Think of a small kitchen garbage can. If you throw away little bits and pieces of paper, bottle caps, food wrappers, banana skins, etc. it takes a long time to get full. But suppose you add something HUGE to that same garbage can; say two or three phone books! That means there's very quickly no more room for the little bits and pieces!

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    #67 – Field for Total Pages in Document

    Question. On my certificate page, it says, “The foregoing X pages constitute a true and complete record of said proceedings.” The X holds the place for the total number of pages in the transcript. When I’m finished editing the job, I check to see the total number of pages, I move to that X and replace it with the correct amount. Is there a faster way I could do that?

    Answer. Yes! Go to your certificate page and replace that X with the [!Total Pages in Document] field. Case CATalyst will automatically fill in that number for you!

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    #66 – Define <No Auto Convert> with steno for period

    Question. The witness said, “This year, I spent 600 dollars. 2006, I spent more than that.” I wrote the numbers as /SEUBGS /HUPBD /-FPLT /TWEUBGS. /SEUBGS is defined as six, /HUPBD is defined as hundred dollars, /-FPLT is defined as period and one space, TWEUBGS is defined as 2006. But It translated as “This year I spent $600.0, I spent more than that.” Why didn’t it translate the way I expected?

    Answer. The only thing separating the two numbers, 600 and 2006 is a period. Because a period can be seen as a decimal as well as a sentence-ending separator, automatic number conversion is not seeing six hundred and two thousand six as two separate numbers – it believes they need to be combined somehow. Because 2006 is too large a number for cents (to tack on to the dollar amount) it’s not sure what to do and unfortunately combines it incorrectly.

    Whenever you want to force Automatic Number Conversion to treat two numbers written immediately adjacent to each other, separated only by a period, you will need an additional separator between the numbers, in the form of the <No Auto Convert> format symbol.

    This can be done in a couple of different ways, but the easiest and most efficient is to define the steno for a period as <No Auto Convert>. (space) instead of as . (space). This will prevent two numbers on either side of the period from being seen as one larger number separated by a decimal.

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    #65 – Hide Caption-specific Format Symbols in Format Symbol List

    Question. Whenever I click the FS button on the toolbar or in a dialog box to get the list of available format symbols, there’s a bunch in there that have to do with captioning, for example: <>Caption: Baseline. <>Caption: Block, <>Caption Chars, etc.. I don’t do captioning and as far as I know, don’t need any of these format symbols.

    Is there any way that I can remove all of those format symbols from my list?

    Answer. If you are using Case CATalyst Version 9, in Manage Jobs click Tools, Options, Edit, Advanced Edit (or press Alt+t, o, e, a). Click Hide Caption-specific format symbols. Click the down arrow at the end of the field and select Yes.

    If you are using Case Catalyst Version 8, open up the UserSettings file in the System Files case. Locate the [Caption Format Symbols] section. Create a blank line in that section and type the following:

    Hide All Caption Symbols=1

    Click File (or press Alt+f), Exit (or press x) and then click Yes (or press Enter) to close the file and save the changes.

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    #64 – Audio Auto Pause

    Question. I’ve heard such great things about audio auto pause and I can’t wait to use it, but I’m a little confused about how it works. If I select that option, how does it know when to stop recording, and when does it start recording again? Is it when people start talking or when I start writing? And where do I set up that command – is it on my Mira or is it in Case CATalyst?

    Answer. Let me clarify how the Auto Pause Audio function works.

    When selected, this feature automatically pauses recording when a certain amount of time passes (measured in seconds, e.g. typically set between 15-30 seconds) without you writing on the steno keyboard. When you begin writing again, recording resumes. However, while the audio recording is “paused” you are actually still actively recording approximately 5 seconds of whatever is taking place while you are not writing, and then recording over that same 5 seconds; continually "looping" and re-recording until you resume writing. The practical result of this process is that when you resume writing, you will have the audio from 3-5 seconds before the point where you resume writing! As long as you begin writing within 3-5 seconds of testimony resuming, there should be no missing audio with your translated text.

    Where you will select the Auto Pause Audio feature depends on where you are recording your audio. If you are recording audio on your Mira A3 or STENTURA fusion, you can set the Auto Pause Audio feature by pressing SETUP and then AUDIO, and then selecting the number of seconds you prefer for Auto Pause Audio to wait before pausing the recording. The auto pause information is stored on the SD Data card along with your steno and audio file and gives you accurate synchronization results when the file is read and translated into Case CATalyst (version 6.08 or higher). (Note – you can set this feature to Off if you do not want audio to automatically pause and resume recording; for example, if you do not use a Mira A3 or STENTURA fusion with Case CATalyst.)

    If you are recording via Audio Sync on the computer via realtime translation, you will set the Auto Pause Audio option in Translate Options, in the Realtime tab. Simply click the check box next to Auto Pause Audio, and then set the number of seconds that should elapse before you wish recording to pause.

    When recording has been paused, there is a visual indicator (both on the writers and in Case CATalyst software) alerting you that the audio has been paused and to confirm when recording has resumed.

    NOTE: The Auto Audio Pause feature is different from deliberately pausing audio, for example, when proceedings are going off the record and you wish to ensure that there is no recording of those off-record proceedings. You can define a steno stroke as {Pause Audio} to halt recording immediately and a different stroke as {Resume Audio} to resume recording on demand. If the {Pause Audio} and {Resume Audio} translation commands are present in the dictionary transferred to the Mira A3 or fusion, writing the stroke defined as those translation commands will also cause audio to pause and resume upon demand for audio recorded on the writer just as they would for audio recorded via AudioSync on the computer.

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    #63 – Bigger fonts for file names in Manage Jobs

    Question. The font style and size for my file and folder names in Manage Jobs are a little too small for me to comfortably read. How can I change the font and/or increase the size of the letters, or maybe bold them and make them darker? And how about the status bar – that’s really tiny text too!

    Answer. The font style, size and attributes for file and folder names in Manage jobs is controlled by Windows, not by Case CATalyst. This can be changed, but be aware that it will change not just the file and folder names in Case CATalyst, but in every program on your computer.
    To do this in Windows XP, first close any open applications and then:

    1. Right click the Desktop.
    2. Click Properties.
    3. Click the Appearance tab.
    4. Click the Advanced button.
    5. Click the field under Item: and select Icon.
    6. Select the preferred font and character size and attributes (bold, italic).
    7. To change the size of text on the status bar, click the field under Item: and select Tooltip.
    8. Select the preferred font and character size and attributes (bold, italic).
    9. Click OK.
    10. Click Apply.
    11. Click OK.

    To do this in Windows Vista, first close any open applications and then:

    1. Right click the Desktop.
    2. Click Personalize.
    3. Click Window Color and Appearance.
    4. Click Open classic appearance properties for more color options.
    5. Click the Advanced button.
    6. Click the field under Item: and select Icon.
    7. Select the preferred font, size and attributes (bold, italic).
    8. To change the size of text on the status bar, click the field under Item: and select Tooltip.
    9. Select the preferred font and character size and attributes (bold, italic).
    10. Click OK.
    11. Click Apply.
    12. Click OK.

    You will see the new font style/size reflected on the desktop. Open Case CATalyst and you'll also see the filenames in Manage Jobs also affected.

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    #62 – One Concordance Index for Multiple Files

    Question. I have transcripts for a two-week trial; approximately 200 pages in each volume. I want to build one concordance (all-word) index for all of those transcripts, and reference words by volume, page and line number. Is that possible?

    Answer. Yes, it is!

    1. Open a file in Edit.

    2. Click Tools (or press Alt+t), Build Concordance Index (or press u).

    3. Under Sources and Ranges, click Add Files.

    4. Click the check box to select each transcript that you want the Concordance Index to reference, in the order that you want them referenced (i.e. pick volume 1 first, volume 2 second, etc.) and then click OK (or press Enter).

    5. Optional: By default, each volume will be labeled Vol. followed by a digit. In the concordance index, the volume label will be followed by a hyphen and then section/page/line number information (e.g. Vol. 1-54:13, Vol. 2-5:22 would be listed for a word appearing in the first transcript on page 54, line 13 and in the second transcript on page 5, line 22).

    If you would prefer a different label (e.g. Roman numeral I, the full word Volume and a number, a date or a witness’s last name), click the name of the transcript in the Sources and Ranges list, click the Volume field and then type the preferred label. You can have a different label for each transcript.

    6. If you want the concordance to be built at the end of the current file, proceed to the next step. If you want the concordance index to be built into a new, separate file, then in the Misc section, click the check box next to Create in New File.

    7. Select any other preferred concordance index options and then click OK (or press Enter).

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    #61 – All caps for colloquy AND Initial Caps for By Line

    Question. I use all caps for colloquy -- <Colloquy>MR. JONES: ) and initial caps for By lines -- <Byline>(By Mr. Jones) <Cap Next>. Do I have to use two different EZ Speaker fields or tokens for the name and enter the name in different cases when I use EZ Speakers, or is there a way to just use one EZ Speaker field for each speaker and have the name translate in caps for colloquy and initial capped for By lines?

    Answer. Here are two ways to set up all caps for colloquy and upper and lower case for by lines using the EZ Speakers Dictionary and Create EZ Speakers Entries:

    1. To use one token number or EZ Speaker Field for each speaker, you would define the text for colloquy to include the All Caps On and All Caps Off format symbols before and after the placeholder for the speaker name in the EZ Speakers Dictionary. For example:

    STPHAO = <Colloquy><All Caps On>#01 or [!EZ Speaker 01]<All Caps Off>:

    STPHAO/STKPWHR = <By Line>(By #01 or [!EZ Speaker) <Cap Next>

    When using Create EZ Speakers, after entering the token 1 or 01, you would type the speaker's name with initial caps, e.g. Mr. Smith. /STPHAO (and generated mis-strokes) would translate as <Colloquy><All Caps On>Mr. Smith<All Caps Off>: and thus appear as MR. SMITH in text.

    The advantage of using this method is that you only have to enter the speaker name once before translation.

    The disadvantage of using this method is that only the initial capped version of the name will be added to the Speaker List. If you want to use the Speaker List to insert colloquy during edit, you'll need to modify the Speaker List and add the name in all caps with another token number. If you don’t want to do that, but still want a shortcut to insert colloquy in Edit, you could use an EZ Text entry with the speaker field surrounded by All Caps On/All Caps Off format symbols, or create a macro that inserts the speaker and then caps it.

    2. You can also use two different token numbers or EZ Speaker Fields in your EZ Speakers Dictionary; one for each case preference. For example:

    STPHAO = <Colloquy>#01 or [!EZ Speaker 01]:

    STPHAO/STKPWHR = <By Line>(By #11 or [!EZ Speaker 11) <Cap Next>

    When using Create EZ Speakers prior to translation, you would type the token 1 or 01 and insert the speaker name in all caps (e.g. MR. SMITH) and then type the token 11 and insert the speaker name with initial caps (e.g. Mr. Smith.)

    The disadvantage to using this method is that it's a little extra work before you get started.

    The advantage of using this method is that your EZ Speakers List will automatically have both all-capped and initial-capped entries for each speaker.

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    #60 – Command keyboard and navigation

    Question. I’ve stopped using EZKeys, and I’m using the CAT4 kbd keyboard map instead. It’s just fine, except if I accidentally hit the Caps Lock key, and then I can’t move from word to word or up or down – everything appears frozen or text gets inserted that I didn’t want… Is there any way to disable the Caps Lock key?

    Answer. The reason you’re having a problem is that in the CAT4 kbd keyboard map, the navigation functions are assigned to the Key only, and not to Key + Shift. If you want the functions to work when Caps Lock is engaged, then you need to assign the same navigation function to both the Key and Key + Shift.

    For example, in the CAT4 kbd map, the “k” key is assigned to the Move Down function. If you press “k” by itself, the cursor moves down one line. However “k + Shift” is assigned to the capital letter K. If the Caps Lock key is engaged and you press “k” it would insert the letter K. To fix this, simply assign the “Move Down” function to “k + Shift” and then it won’t matter whether Caps Lock is engaged or not – you’ll get the same results.

    If you’re using Version 9, a very quick fix is restore and then use the Extras-CAT4 kbd, from the Extras.ZIP file in the Version 9 Exceptional Extras folder on your Case CATalyst Version 9 CD. All commands assigned to a key by itself in the Extras-CAT4 kbd are also assigned to Shift plus that key (with the exception of Shift + H which moves the cursor one character to the left and Shift + L which moves the cursor one character to the right). This ensures that functions will continue to work as expected if/when the Caps Lock key is engaged.

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    #59 – Ending punctuation

    Question. My off-the-record blurb translates with an extra period: (Discussion held off the record.). Why is that extra period showing up and how can I stop that from happening?

    Answer. The reason you’re getting a period after the ) symbol is because in your layout, the paragraph style you’ve used before (Discussion held off the record.) has been set with a period in the Ending Punctuation field. Because you don’t need or want Case CATalyst to automatically insert punctuation at the end of the paragraph, the ending punctuation field should be blank.

    If you use the <Parenthetical> format symbol, all you have to do is delete the period from the Ending Punctuation field for the Parenthetical Paragraph Style in the layout you use for translation.

    Some reporters use the <Colloquy> format symbol because their parentheticals use the same first line indentation, margins and line wrapping as their colloquy paragraphs. If you do that, you won’t want to eliminate the period in the Colloquy Paragraph Style’s Ending Punctuation field, because you’ll still want automatic ending punctuation for <Colloquy> paragraphs.

    Therefore, if you currently use the <Colloquy> format symbol at the beginning of your parenthetical definitions or include files, I would recommend that you do the following:

    1. Modify each definition or include file to use the <Parenthetical> format symbol instead of <Colloquy>.
    2. Modify the layout you use for translation. Select Parenthetical Par. Style from the list of paragraph styles, and then enter the same values for first line indent, left margin and right margin as you use for the Colloquy paragraph style. Make sure that the Ending Punctuation field (in the Paragraph Symbol section) is blank.

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    #58 – Global Suggest AND Cap & J-define macro without suggest

    Question. I have the “Open With Suggestions” option selected in Edit and I love it when I’m just editing, but I don’t want it on during realtime, because having the suggestions pop up interferes with my Cap and J-define AccelerWriters (realtime macros for J-defining and capping the previous two words, previous three words, etc.) My Cap and J-define macros don't run properly because the macro was recorded before there was a Suggest list and the macro doesn't know how to bypass that list.

    So it seems like I have to choose between one or the other. I don't want to have to edit or re-record the macro because it works so well. Is there any way I can have it both ways – Open With Suggestions selected for Edit but turned off for realtime?

    Answer. First – if you’re using Version 9, there are two sets of Cap and J-Define AccelerWriters available in the Extras.ZIP file (in the Version 9 Exceptional Extras folder on the Case CATalyst Version 9 CD). One set was recorded for use when Open With Suggestions is selected, and the other set was recorded for use when Open With Suggestions is not selected. So a quick way to solve this problem is simply to restore the Extras.ZIP file, read the Using Extras Accelerwriters.PDF file and, with the Extras AccelerWriters Definitions selected for translation, simply write the steno defined with the desired Cap and J-define AccelerWriter.

    If you’re on Version 8, (or you’re on Version 9 but just prefer not to use the macros from the Extras.ZIP file), then you can still have both your existing macros and automatically get your Suggest list in Edit, without having to re-record or edit your Cap and J-define AccelerWriters. You’ll just need to de-select Open With Suggestions, and then record some simple macros for opening each define and then opening the Suggest list.

    First, go into Edit, start any define and de-select Open With Suggestions.

    Next, record macros for each type of define you usually do followed by pressing Alt+u to Suggest, and then assign those macros to the keys you usually press to just open the define. For example, let's say you usually press Ctrl+j to J-define. Start recording a macro, press Ctrl+j to open the J-define dialog box, then press Alt+u to open the list of suggestions. Stop recording, name the macro “J-define with Suggest.” Make sure Assign after Saving is selected and then click Save. Assign the “J-define with Suggest” macro to Ctrl+j. Case CATalyst will remind you that Ctrl+j is currently assigned to J-define; click Yes to replace it with “J-define with Suggest.” In future, when you press Ctrl+j, you'll get a J-define dialog with Suggest.

    Repeat those steps for each type of steno define you regularly do (e.g. D-defines, K-defines and/or Other Dictionary defines.)

    When you are translating in realtime, the macro is executing the J-define command, not the “J-define with Suggest” command. Therefore, the result of these macros will be that when in Edit, you’ll have the Suggest list, just as though Open with Suggestions had been selected, and in realtime, the Suggest list will not appear and interfere with your existing Cap and J-define AccelerWriters.

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    #57 – Remove Macros Toolbar

    Question. A while back, when I was constantly recording new macros, I dragged the tear-away menu for Macros up to the toolbar to create a Macros toolbar so that I’d only need to click Record rather than click Tools, Macro, Record. However, I’m not recording many new macros any more and my toolbar is a little crowded. I’d like to get rid of the Macros toolbar now to free up space for other things. How do I remove it?

    Answer. The Macros toolbar can be turned off like any other toolbar. Click View, then Show. You'll see a list of toolbars. The ones that are displayed have a check mark next to them. Just click "Macros" to "uncheck" (deselect) it and remove the toolbar.

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    #56 – Auto Logon

    Question. I just installed Case CATalyst on a brand new computer and every time I open up the software, it takes me to the screen with my user name, then I have to double click that to get into my user. I just can’t remember – how do you set it so that when you open Case CATalyst, it goes immediately into your user?

    Answer. In your user, at the Manage Jobs screen, click Tools, Auto Logon (or press Alt+t, L). You can then choose to “Always start Case CATalyst with user: (your user name)” or to have Case CATalyst prompt you to “Choose user at startup.”

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    #55 – Definition for decimal point

    Question. How should I define my steno for “point” so that when it appears before a number or in between two numbers, it translates as a decimal?

    Answer. If you have selected Automatic Number Conversion, define your steno as the text “point.” Point will automatically convert to a decimal with the appropriate spacing. For example: “The test showed a point 08 blood alcohol level” would translate as “The test showed a .08 blood alcohol level. “His temperature was 98 point 6” would translate as “His temperature was 98.6.”

    Tip: you may want to write an alternate steno stroke for point when it should NOT be converted to a decimal point; for example, in a situation such as “There’s one point two of us were trying to make.” For a situation like this, you can write steno defined as point<No Auto Convert> and it will not affect the numbers before or after the word nor change the text from point to a decimal. Or, you can simply write a stroke defined as <No Auto Convert> after the word point, to prevent conversion.

    If you do not use Automatic Number Conversion, define steno for a decimal before a number as <Sticky Space>.<Delete Space> and steno for a decimal between numbers as .<Delete Space>.

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    #54 – Tweak phonetic table to improve Global Suggest results

    Question. I understand that if I make sure that my phonetic table better matches my steno theory, the quality of what Global Suggest suggests will be even better than it currently is. So how do I do that? For example, I want Case CATalyst to recognize that in my steno theory, steno ending with /-LGTS means that the word ends with the suffix –TLE.

    Answer. First, open the Phonetic Table file in the System Files case (double click it, or click File, Open, List/Table, Phonetic Table). Then:

    To insert a new entry (e.g. -LGTS as final -TLE):

    1. Click the Insert icon on the toolbar or press Ctrl+i to insert a new entry.

    2. Type the desired steno (e.g. -LGTS) and text (e.g. TLE), then click OK or press Enter.

    To modify an existing entry (e.g. instead of using /SWR for Z, using /STK or /STKPWHR):

    1. Click (select) the item you want to modify.

    2. Double click the entry, press Enter, click the Modify icon on the toolbar or press Ctrl+m -- any of those will work to open the Modify dialog box.

    3. Type the preferred steno and/or text, then click OK and press Enter.

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    #53 – Definition for www. and .com?

    Question. What would be a good definition for steno for web address elements like “www dot” and “dot com” or “dot net” or “dot org”? I want the definition to make sure that whatever text comes between the dots is all uncapped and the letters are squished together.

    Answer. If you’re using Case CATalyst Version 9, an Extras Fingerspelling Dictionary with these commands is already available. Just restore the Extras.ZIP file from the Version 9 Exceptional Extras folder on your Case CATalyst Version 9 CD. Then, just follow the instructions in the Using Extras Fingerspelling Dictionary.PDF file to get perfect results for all web and email addresses.

    If you’re still using Case CATalyst Version 8, then this is possible to set up on your own.

    First, have a spelling alphabet defined as lower case letters with no format symbols (e.g. /A* defined as a, /PW* defined as b, /KR* defined as c, etc.). That way if the web address does not contain a word already defined in your dictionary, you will be able to fingerspell and get results in all lower case.

    Define steno for “www dot” as <Uncap Next>www.<Delete Space><Force Next Lower>{Stitch On}[]. This definition will ensure that the first w will never be initial capped, even if at the beginning of a sentence or new paragraph; there will be no space between the “dot” and the text that follows it; that if the word that follows the “dot” is defined as initial capped, e.g. Microsoft, that it will translate as all lower case; and if what follows the dot is fingerspelled letters, they will translate without spaces.

    Define steno for “dot com” (and/or “dot net,” “dot org,” “dot edu”, etc.) as .<Uncap Next>com{Stitch Off}. The period will automatically attach to the end of the previous word or fingerspelling; the <Uncap Next> before “com” (or “net” or “org” or “edu,” etc.) will ensure that the first letter after the “dot” is not initial capped, and {Stitch Off} will ensure that words appearing after the end of this web address will translate with spaces, not be “squished” together with the web address.

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    #52 – One Fingerspelling Alphabet

    Question. I have one fingerspelling alphabet – I write /A* for A, /PW* for B, /KR* for C, etc. I want my fingerspelled words to come up in different ways. Sometimes I want the letters to be all capped (ABC) , sometimes all uncapped(abc), sometimes initial capped(Abc). Sometimes they should be stitched (A-b-c), sometimes they should have periods (A.B.C.) Do I need to have separate fingerspelling alphabets for ALL of those different translation results or is there some way I can make my one fingerspelling alphabet do all of the above?

    Answer. Yes, it is possible to use a single spelling alphabet. If you have defined your steno for each letter as the uncapped letter with no format symbols, e.g. /A* = a, /PW* = b, /KR* = c, etc. You can then make use of the {Stitch On} translation command, combined with <All Caps On> or <Cap Next> format symbols as needed to create the specific results you want for a particular situation.

    For example, when you want letters to be all capped with periods after each letter, before beginning to fingerspell you can write a stroke defined as {Stitch On}[.]<All Caps On>. When you want letters to appear stitched with the first letter initial capped, first write a stroke defined as {Stitch On}[-]<Cap Next>. If you want letters to be all capped with no spaces between then, first write a stroke defined as {Stitch On}[]<All Caps On>. When you’re finished fingerspelling, write a stroke defined as <All Caps Off>{Stitch Off}. If all caps had been turned on, it will turn off all caps. If all caps had not been turned on, the format symbol will have no effect.

    NOTE: If you’re using Case CATalyst Version 9, an Extras Fingerspelling Dictionary with a number of Stitch On and Stitch Off commands is included as part of the sample files in the Extras.ZIP file, in the Version 9 Exceptional Extras folder. Read the Using Extras Fingerspelling Dictionary.PDF file for details on how to use the definitions in that sample dictionary!

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    #51 – Use <Index Off All>

    Question. I need some help figuring out the best way to handle exhibit parentheticals in my new job. In my last job, when exhibits were marked, I’d write /-EBGS /-EBGS defined as <Parenthetical>(Exhibit <Index On E> then I write the number or letter, then I write /PHARBG/PHARBG defined as <Index Off E> marked for identification.)

    In my new job, I have to distinguish between Plaintiff’s Exhibits and Defendant’s Exhibits. I’ve created two different tables on my Index Template, one using <Index on P> for Plaintiff and <Index on D> for Defendant. I’ve decided I’ll write /P-EBGS /P-EBGS for <Parenthetical>(Plaintiff’s Exhibit <Index On P> and /TK-EBGS /TK-EBGS for <Parenthetical>(Defendant’s Exhibit <Index On D>.

    My question is, what do I do for the end of the parenthetical, for /PHARBG/PHARBG? Do I have to write two different ending strokes, one to turn off indexing for Plaintiff’s Exhibits (Index Off P) and one to turn off indexing for Defendant’s Exhibits (Index Off D)? I tried just putti ng both off symbols into the one definition, but I get an error message when building the index.

    Answer. You only need one ending parenthetical. Define your steno (/PHARBG/PHARBG) as <Index Off All>marked for identification.) To insert <Index Off All>, press F4, i, then press the Spacebar. The <Index Off All> format symbol turns off any Index On format symbol.

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    #50 – Scroll Text with Audio

    Question. Is there any way to make the cursor automatically move along with the audio playback? My finger gets tired pressing Down, Down, Down, etc.

    Answer. Yes – it’s called Play Audio with Scroll Text. The cursor will automatically advance a line at a time, in time with the audio playback. You can either click Tools, Play Audio with Scroll Text (or press Alt+t, x), or you can just assign the “Scroll Text With Audio” command to any available key in your keyboard map.

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    #49 – E-defines or Selective E-defines for resolving conflicts

    Question. One of the reporters I scope for has conflicts that are almost always one word vs. another; for example ^ cash ^ carb, or common different spellings of names such as ^ Wolf ^ Wolfe ^ Wolff. In a lot of jobs, conflicts like that are usually always going to be the same choice. Is there a quick way I can choose all the conflicts at the same time?

    Answer. If you're absolutely positive it can only be one choice vs. another, you can simply E-define it as one of the choices, e.g. E-define ^ cash ^ carb as cash.

    However, if you’re not 100% positive and would prefer to be able to very quickly double check each occurrence, do a Selective E-define instead:

    1. With your cursor on the conflict, BEFORE selecting the conflict, press Ctrl+e (in the Default keyboard) or e (in the CAT4 kbd) or whatever key you have assigned to open an E-define.

    2. In the E-define dialog box, press Alt+o or click Conflict to select the preferred conflict. Repeat if necessary until the correct word is shown in the New Text field.

    3. Press Alt+s (or click the check box next to Selective).

    4. Press Enter (or click OK).

    Case CATalyst will move forward to each occurrence and you will have the opportunity to confirm that you want the global to apply to each specific occurrence, or skip a particular occurrence and go to the next occurrence.

    When you’ve finished making a decision for each occurrence, the cursor will move back to the position where you began editing that conflict and you can proceed with editing where you left off.

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    #48 – Center signature lines with tables

    Question. The last two pages of each of my jobs are signature pages. One is the witness "read and sign" page and the other is my certificate. On the bottom of each of those pages I have a solid line on the right side of the page, and underneath that line, I want the name of the person signing it to be centered underneath that line. On the certificate page, it's my name and my name looks fine, perfectly centered under the solid line. But the witness's name – after I fill it in, the spacing changes each time, and then I have to get it centered. It's a pain in the butt: I delete spaces and tabs and then add more spaces until the name looks centered. I figure there's got to be a way to center it under that signature line automatically – isn't there?

    Answer. Of course! What you need to do is set up the placeholder for the witness's name as centered in between margins that extend the length of the signature line. There's a couple of ways you could do that – here's one way, making use of a simple one column, one row table.

    1. Open the original include file, and set your view to Page View.

    2. Position your cursor at the end of the solid line where the signature goes. Click Edit (or press Alt+e), Table (or press b), Insert Table (or press t). Click OK or press Enter to insert a table with one column and one row.

    3. Next, size the table so that it is the same length as the solid line. On the ruler bar, click the Left Margin slider and drag it to the right until the left grid line aligns with the left edge of the solid line. Then, click the Right margin slider and drag it to the left until the right grid line aligns with the right edge of the solid line.

    4. Position the cursor in the table cell and insert your placeholder for the witness's name, be it a [!WITNESS] field or a caret or scanstop – whatever method you prefer. Press Home to position the cursor at the beginning of the cell. Now click Format (or press Alt+o), then click Modify Current Paragraph (or press p). In the layout dialog pane, click the Alignment field and select Centered on Margins. Click Apply (or press Alt + a) to apply the change.

    That’s it! From now on, your witness' name, regardless of length, will always automatically be centered under the signature line. No more fiddling or adjusting the placement on any job.

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    #47– Restore Steno Macros

    Question.  I absolutely love Restore Steno to change my translated text back into the original steno, so that I can mark and define only the specific steno I want to define when I'm fixing things in Edit. But, I hate having to enter past the dialog box to tell it whether I want to restore the steno in the current spot only, or throughout the transcript. I mean, sometimes I like having the options, but most times, I just want the current spot only. Is there a way I can bypass that dialog box?

    Answer. First, let’s make sure everyone knows what we’re talking about. The Restore Steno feature comes in very handy whenever you have translation issues caused by word boundaries, or steno that has previously been defined as phrased. For example, suppose you wrote /SAOEBG/RET//REUB/AOUBGS and it translated as “secret rib /AOUGS.” If /RET/REUB/AOUBGS had never been defined as “retribution” and /SAOEBG/RET had been defined as “secret,” that would account for the translation results. But rather than define all four strokes together as “seek retribution”, you can simply use Restore Steno to change “secret” back into /SAOEBG/RET and then define /SAEOBG as “seek” and /RET/REUB/AOUBGS as “retribution.”

    If you click Special Edit, Restore Steno (or press Alt+s, o, or Ctrl+F2, the assigned shortcut key in the Default or CAT4 kbd keyboard maps), then you will get a prompt to select Yes to restore the steno globally (all occurrences throughout the job), or No, to restore the current occurrence only.

    Now, that we know why we’re using that function and why there is a Yes/No option associated with it, let’s talk about making it work faster.

    If you’re using Case CATalyst Version 9, two macros to achieve this are included as part of the sample macros in the Extras.ZIP file, in the Version 9 Exceptional Extras folder. After restoring the contents of the Extras.ZIP file to your user, switch to the Extras-Default or Extras-CAT4 kbd keyboard map, and then just press Ctrl+F2 when you want to restore steno for the current occurrence only, and press Shift+F2 if you to restore steno globally, for all occurrences.

    If you’re using Version 8, you can record two macros and assign them to keys to achieve the same thing.

    First, record, save and assign the EDIT - Restore Steno-Local macro.
    - Position the cursor on any text that was translated from steno.
    - Click Tools, Macro, Record.
    - Press Ctrl+F2 (or click Special Edit, then click Restore Steno).
    - When the dialog box appears, press Enter to select NO.
    - Click Stop in the RecordMacro dialog.
    - Name the new macro “EDIT - Restore Steno-Local”, make sure Assign after Saving is selected and then click Save or press Enter.
    - Open your preferred keyboard map and assign “Restore Steno-Local” to Ctrl+F2.
    - Save the changes to your keyboard map.
    Next, record, save and assign the EDIT - Restore Steno-Global macro.
    - Position the cursor on any text that was translated from steno.
    - Click Tools, Macro, Record.
    - Click Special Edit, then click Restore Steno).
    - When the dialog box appears, press Alt+Y to select YES.
    - Click Stop in the RecordMacro dialog.
    - Name the new macro “Restore Steno-Global”, make sure Assign after Saving is selected and then click Save or press Enter.
    - Open your preferred keyboard map and assign “Restore Steno-Global” to Shift+F2.
    - Save the changes to your keyboard map.
    From then on, you can press Ctrl+F2 to restore steno in that one spot only. However, whenever you want to restore the steno for the marked text everywhere it occurs in the job, press Shift+F2.

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    #46 – Customize Steno for Brief It Suggestions
    (written for Case CATalyst 9.05 or higher)

    Question.  When using Brief It, all of the briefs that display in yellow have asterisks in the steno. Is there any way I can change that?

    Answer. Of course. In the title bar of the Brief It pane, click the Settings icon (in between Print and Help) and then click the Steno Include/Exclude button in the Brief It Options dialog.

    The default setting is to require the asterisk. You can modify that entry so that no steno key or combination of keys is required in every brief. You'll notice other entries in those settings as well, to exclude steno that represents difficult-to-write combinations. You can remove those, leave them, add to them, etc.

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    #45 – Modify Font and Size of Brief It Dialog Pane
    (written for Case CATalyst 9.05 or higher)

    Question. The text and steno in the Brief It window is too small for me to read. How do I make it bigger? I tried resizing the Brief It dialog pane the same way I do for Vertical Notes or Reveal Codes, but that didn’t affect the text.

    Answer. In the title bar of the Brief It pane, click the Settings icon (in between Print and Help). Under Brief It Pane Display, select the font and size you prefer for the text and steno in the Brief It pane.

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    #44 – Swap “to [word]” with “[word]ing to” macro

    Question. I sometimes write steno for “to go” when what I want is “going to.” Can you help me with the steps to create a macro to fix that? This is for edit, not realtime.

    Answer. Position the cursor on the word “to” and then record the following commands as a macro, save and assign them to a preferred key. The resulting macro will fix any occurrence of “to” followed by any one word and change it to the word + {Suffix} -ing followed by the word “to.” For example, “to go” would change to “going to,” “to do” would change to “doing to,” “to take” would change to “taking to,” etc.

    Alt+s 
    w [Word Swap]
    Alt+s
    q [QuickFix Suffix]
    g (select -ing suffix).

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    #43 – Swap specified phrase AccelerWriter

    Question. There are a few phrases that I occasional write in the wrong order – I’ll write “it is” when I wanted “is it,” “are you” when I wanted “you are,” “did I” when I mean “I did,” etc. I usually don’t realize I’ve done it immediately; it’s usually just a little bit later - maybe a few words, maybe a little further. Is there a way I could fix that during realtime translation?

    Answer. Sure! You can record a macro that will search for the specified phrase and then swap the order of the two words.

    First, go ahead and set up a practice realtime session, then go ahead and start writing an example of the kind of mistake you’d like to be able to correct, e.g. A. Yes, is it the one on the left. 

    Next, write the phrase that you want to fix.

    Now, click Tools, Macro, Record, and record the following commands: (Note: the keystrokes listed here are based on the Default keyboard map. If you use a different or customized keyboard map, use whatever keystrokes are assigned to the listed command.)

    Shift+Left Arrow – [Select Word Left]
    Shift+Left Arrow – [Select Word Left]
    Ctrl+x –[Cut]
    Backspace – [Delete Backward]
    Ctrl+f – [Search]
    Alt+d (Deselect all in Search dialog)
    Ctrl+v (Paste selected and cut text to Search For field in Search dialog box)
    Alt+w (Select the Whole Word option for Search – this ensures that search looks for the whole words in the phrase, and does not search for a partial word, e.g. if searching for “is it”, you don’t want search to locate “this itself”)
    Enter (execute the search)
    Ctrl+w – [Word Swap]

    Now, click Stop in the RecordMacro dialog.

    In the Save As dialog, type a name for this macro, such as “Swap Specific Words.” Click the check box next to Define After Saving, then click Save or press Enter.

    In the Insert AccelerWriter Entry dialog, type the steno that you want to write when using this macro in realtime, e.g. /SW*P. At the Dictionary prompt, select a dictionary (Personal Dictionary or whatever dictionary you prefer). Click OK, or press Enter.

    Now, start a new realtime session. (Or, if your current session is still active, click Tools, Add/Remove Dictionaries and be sure the dictionary where you just defined the AccelerWriter is selected, and click OK or press Enter. This will refresh the dictionaries so that your new definition will be seen in the current realtime session.) Again write an example of two-word phrase that you want to be able to fix, such as “You did go to the store?” Then write the phrase (you did), then write the stroke you defined (/SW*P).

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    #42 – Changing order of Edit Number Conversion entry

    Question. Now that I'm using automatic number conversion and number conversion definitions during translation, I've noticed that the only time I'm ever using Number Conversion in Edit is to occasionally convert a numeral into a word at the beginning of a sentence. Is there any way to move the "Words" option up to the top of the list in the dialog box to make that go a little faster? Of course, now that I'm writing this, I'm thinking it might be easier to create a macro and go from there. What do you think?

    Answer. Yes, a macro (e.g. Ctrl+u, w, Enter) will probably be fastest, but if you do want to just change the position of the Words entry in the Number Conversion, you absolutely can.  You just have to go into the UserSettings file and rename the Format Description for Word so that it appears first in alphabetical order and thus highest in the list.

    1.  Go into your UserSettings file, and search for the [Number Conversion] section. 

    2.  Unless you've modified these entries in some way, the last two lines in that section, Format56=*Words and FormatDesc56=Words, are the ones that change digits to words.  Change the text on the FormatDesc56= line to FormatDesc56=0Words.

    3.  Save the changes, exit the file.

    The format descriptions are automatically listed alphabetically 0-9 and then A-Z.  By adding a zero to the beginning of the word "Words", you cause "Words" to be first in that list.

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    #41– Redact Text
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question. I’ve been asked to redact certain types of text in my transcripts, e.g. social security numbers, drivers license numbers, certain names in juvenile proceedings. How do I do that, and how exactly will the redacted text appear when I deliver my transcript?

    Answer. There are several different ways to redact text. While in Edit, you can mark the text, then click Special Edit (or press Alt+s), then click Redact (or press d); or you can assign the Redact Selection command to any key in your keyboard map and then just press that key after marking the text. If you wish to define text as redacted, you can insert <Redaction On> and <Redaction Off> format symbols around that text. If you wish to redact text during realtime translation, you can record macros to select and redact text and define them as AccelerWriters to redact selected text on-the-fly.

    Although the reporter can access/view the redacted text in Case CATalyst if/as needed, redacted text will never appear when the transcript is printed (hard copy, PDF or any other printer selection), exported to any electronic format such ASCII or RTF/CRE, or outputting to CaseView, word processor via StenoKeys, etc.

    In Version 7, when printing a document containing redacted text, the text appears blacked out, as though a thick black marker had been drawn through the text.

    In Version 8, you have three options as to how redacted text appears. You can add a line to the UserSettings.ini file to cause redacted text to print with slashes (///) or with blank white space rather than blacked-out. Depending on how much text needs to be redacted, this could reduce the amount of toner used for redacted text.

    For Version 8 users that would like to change the appearance of their redacted text: 1. Double click the System Files case, then double click the UserSettings file.

    2. Scroll down to or search forward for the [View Settings] section. Position the cursor at the end of a line in that section and then press Enter to create a blank line

    3. Type the following:

    RedactionInkSaveMode=

    Set the value to 1 for slashes, and 2 for blank white space. (A setting of 0, or the absence of this line will cause the default setting of blacked-out text.)

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    #40 – Get Rid of an Incorrect Header
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question. There’s a header in my file that I don’t want – how do I get rid of it?

    Answer. In any job that has a header that you want to remove, the first thing I'd do is go to the beginning of the job (Ctrl+Home) and then click Special Edit (Alt+s), Special Search (p), Search Next Header (x). If the header was inserted into the job during edit via Change Header or F4 h and then the number 0-7, you'll find it this way. Open Reveal Codes to see the format coding for the header, click on it and delete it. Repeat the search to see if there are any additional occurrences, and if so, delete them.

    If searching for a header finds no header change, then the header is coming from the page layout that was applied to the job. Click Format (Alt+o), Modify Layout (L), go to the Headers & Footers section (click the down arrow to the right of Paragraph Setup and select Headers & Footers), then select the number of the header that is appearing. Click in the text field, and either Backspace to remove it or select the text and press Delete. Click Apply (Alt+a). When asked for the scope (extent) of the change, select Entire Document to remove the header from the Entire Document, or one of the other options if you want the header on some pages but not others.

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    #39 – Set Scope for User-defined Fields
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question.
    I use a few different user-defined fields on my depo title page as placeholders for information that I have to fill in, for example. I use [!COUNTY] for the county name, and [!WITNESS] for the deponent’s name. Whenever I fill in information, it gets stored and shows up next time so that I can pick it from the list. But what if I don’t want it to be stored? For County, I always want all of those choices. But I’ve never had the same witness in another depo, and I don’t want the name of every witness name I’ve ever filled into be stored in a master list. I suppose it doesn’t really matter, I just ignore it, but should I be doing something different?

    Answer. User-defined field values (the text you’ve typed to fill in a field) are stored based on the “scope” set for that field. If the scope is set to User, the value is stored and shown in the Select List when filling in the field in any future jobs. If the scope is set to Case, the value is stored in the case history and shown in the Select List when filling in the field in any jobs in that same case. If the scope is set to Job, the value is stored in the job history and not shown in the select list in any other jobs.

    In previous versions of Case CATalyst, whatever choice you made for the scope, User, Case or Job, applied to all User-defined fields.

    In Version 8, User, Case or Job scope can be assigned to each individual field. You can control when or whether previously entered information appears in the Select List when you fill in a field.

    If you set a “User” scope for the field, the text you type to fill in the field (also referred to as a “value”) will be stored in the System Files_Case.ini file (in the System Files case folder). In any future job, in any future case, that value will be displayed in the Select List. [!COUNTY] is a good example of a field for which you would set a “User” scope.

    If you set a “Case” scope for the field, the field value will be stored in that case’s Case History (CASENAME_Case.ini) file. This would most typically be used for a field that will be used for a series of transcripts in a particular case, or a topic-specific case used for organizing jobs that are related by topic (e.g. asbestos-related jobs, construction jobs, tobacco litigation jobs, etc.) For example, values for the names of the plaintiff(s) and defendant(s), expert witnesses,

    If you set a “Job” scope for the field, the value will be stored in the individual job’s Job History file (jobname.ini) and will not appear in a select list for any other job.

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    #38 – Change Appearances Field Values
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question.
    On my appearances page, I use the Field List Group fields for placeholders for the attorney, firm, address, etc.  I scan to the first field which is the attorney name, and select the name from the list.  I don’t make a mistake often, but occasionally I *have* accidentally picked the wrong name, and then all the associated fields are filled in wrong, and then I’ve been fixing them one at a time.  Is there a faster way to do that?

    Answer. If you’ve just filled it in, then of course the quickest solution would be Undo (default shortcut key Ctrl+z).

    If you fill in the fields with the wrong information, edit for awhile, go back to your appearances page and then realize that the information is correct, there’s a nifty new feature in Version 8 for just this situation called Clear Group. 

    - Click any of the incorrectly filled in fields in your appearance

    - Use the Fill in Field command (right click and select Fill in Fields or click Special Edit [Alt+s], then Fill in Field [n] or double click the field, or if you’ve assigned Fill in Fields to a key in your keyboard map, just press that key)

    - Click the Clear Group button (or press Alt+r) and then click OK. That will clear the data.

    - Now use the Fill in Field command and select the correct appearance from the Select List or click New List Entry and type new information.

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    #37 – Use print options to differentiate between print needs
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question.
    What’s the difference between “draft” and “final” in the Print dialog box? When would I use that?

    Answer. You can create two unique groups of settings for printer output.  The terms “draft” and “final” were used because when this concept was originated, reporters requested one group of settings when printing a proofreading “draft,” and a different group of settings when printing the “final” product. For example, some reporters would prefer to save toner and not print a box, headers, graphics, timestamps, etc. in the proofreading “draft”, but always print those items when printing the “final.”

    If you don’t print draft and final copies with different settings, you can use these settings for other purposes. For example, suppose you always create two versions of your final transcript, one that is hardcopy, and one in PDF format. You could set up Draft to go to your printer, and Final to go to Stenograph PDF.  Suppose you work for different clients, and one wants jobs printed in all upper case, and another prefers upper and lower case.You could set Draft with ALL CAPS selected and not select that option for Final.  Perhaps all of your jobs should be printed the same except for one tiny detail – some jobs should have timestamps printed with clock time, and other jobs should be printed with Elapsed time.  You could set Draft with clock timestamps and Final with elapsed timestamps!

    To set your preferences, click the Print Options button in the Output area of the Print dialog box. Click the Draft tab and select your preferred printer and settings. Next, click the Final tab and again, select the preferred printer and settings. Then, click OK.  

    From then on, whenever you print, after you select the job(s) to be printed, you can designate which group of print settings should be used by clicking the radio button (circle) next to Draft or Final.

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    #36 – Fix two-word mistranslate AccelerWriter
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question.
    I just love that Fix One-Word Mistranslate AccelerWriter you helped me create!  Now, I need a variation on that.  Occasionally, I’ll write a two-word mistranslate and need to replace it with one word.  For example, I’ll write /WAOER, which is defined as we are, when I meant to write /WAER which is defined as “wear.”  I’ll get something like “So, what did you we are to the party?”  Is there a way I can create a macro that would replace “we are” with “wear”?

    Answer. Of course! The commands for this macro will be very similar to the ones for the Fix One-Word Mistranslate AccelerWriter, just slight variations to mark and delete the correct text. 

    Again, go ahead and set up a practice realtime session, then go ahead and start writing. Write an example of the situation you’ll want to be able to fix, such as  “What did you we are to the party?”  Then, write the steno for the wrong words “we are,” then write the correct word “wear,” then stop writing.

    Click Tools, Macro, Record, and record the following commands:  (Note: the keystrokes listed here are based on the Default keyboard map. If you use a different or customized keyboard map, use whatever keystrokes are assigned to the listed command.)

    Left Arrow – [Move Word Left]
    Shift+Left Arrow – [Select Word Left]
    Shift+Left Arrow – [Select Word Left]
    Ctrl+x –[Cut]
    Ctrl+f – [Search]
    Alt + d (De-select all previous search criteria)
    Ctrl+v (Paste the text you cut to Text field)
    Alt+b (Set the search direction to Backward)
    Enter (Execute the search)
    Ctrl+Delete – [Delete Word]
    Ctrl+Delete – [Delete Word]
    Ctrl+Shift+b – [Bookmark Current Cursor Location]
    Ctrl+End – [Move Document Bottom]
    Shift+Left Arrow – [Select Word Left]
    Ctrl+x – [Cut]
    Backspace – [Delete Backward]
    Ctrl+Shift+c – [Go to Bookmarked Cursor]
    Ctrl+v – [Paste]

    Click Stop in the RecordMacro dialog. In the Save As dialog, type a name for this macro, such as “Fix Two-Word Mistranslate.”  Click the check box next to Define After Saving, then click Save or press Enter.

    In the Insert AccelerWriter Entry dialog, type the steno that you want to write when using this macro in realtime, e.g. /TW*BGS.  At the Dictionary prompt, select a dictionary (Personal Dictionary or whatever dictionary you prefer).  Click OK, or press Enter.

    Now, start a new realtime session. (Or, if your current session is still active, click Tools, Add/Remove Dictionaries and be sure the dictionary where you just defined the AccelerWriter is selected, and click OK or press Enter. This will refresh the dictionaries so that your new definition will be seen in the current realtime session.)  Again write an example of a one-word mistranslate you want to be able to fix, such as “Did you we are that dress?”  Then write the wrong two-word phrase (we are), write the correct word (wear) and then write the stroke you defined (/TW*BGS).

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    #35 – Fix one-word mistranslate AccelerWriter
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question. A colleague of mine says that whenever he mis-strokes something and the wrong word translates, he has a macro he can use that will let him change the wrong word to the right word. Like if he wrote – “Did you have two or tree of them,” he could somehow replace the “tree” with “three.” Can I do that?

    Answer. Of course. You can record a macro that will search for the incorrect word and replace it with the correct word. 

    First, go ahead and set up a practice realtime session, then go ahead and start writing an example of the kind of mistake you’d like to be able to correct, e.g. “Did you have two or tree of them?” Then, write the wrong word “tree,” then write the correct word “three,” then stop writing.

    Now, click Tools, Macro, Record, and record the following commands: (Note: the keystrokes listed here are based on the Default keyboard map. If you use a different or customized keyboard map, use whatever keystrokes are assigned to the listed command.)

    Left Arrow – [Move Word Left]
    Shift+Left Arrow – [Select Word Left]
    Ctrl+x –[Cut]
    Ctrl+f – [Search]
    Alt + d (De-select all previous search criteria)
    Ctrl+v (Paste the text you cut to Text field)
    Alt+b (Set the search direction to Backward)
    Enter (Execute the search)
    Ctrl+Delete – [Delete Word]
    Ctrl+Shift+b – [Bookmark Current Cursor Location]
    Ctrl+End – [Move Document Bottom]
    Shift+Left Arrow – [Select Word Left]
    Ctrl+x – [Cut]
    Backspace – [Delete Backward]
    Ctrl+Shift+c – [Go to Bookmarked Cursor]
    Ctrl+v – [Paste]

    Now, click Stop in the RecordMacro dialog.

    In the Save As dialog, type a name for this macro, such as “Fix One-Word Mistranslate.” Click the check box next to Define After Saving, then click Save or press Enter.

    In the Insert AccelerWriter Entry dialog, type the steno that you want to write when using this macro in realtime, e.g. /TP*BGS. At the Dictionary prompt, select a dictionary (Personal Dictionary or whatever dictionary you prefer). Click OK, or press Enter.

    Now, start a new realtime session. (Or, if your current session is still active, click Tools, Add/Remove Dictionaries and be sure the dictionary where you just defined the AccelerWriter is selected, and click OK or press Enter. This will refresh the dictionaries so that your new definition will be seen in the current realtime session.) Again write an example of a one-word mistranslate you want to be able to fix, such as “Did you have two or tree of them?” Then write the wrong word (tree), write the correct word (three) and then write the stroke you defined (/TP*BGS).

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    #34 – Nocap Words
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question. When I want a phrase to be initial capped, I mark the phrase and press Ctrl+F5. Sometimes it initial caps words I don’t want it to cap. For example, brown vs white or brown v white becomes Brown Vs White or Brown V White. Is there any way I can prevent vs or v from capping?

    Answer. Sure. You can add vs and v and/or any other word that you want the Cap/Uncap command to refrain from initial capping to the NocapWords list in the UserSettings file in your System Files case.

    Case CATalyst comes with a default NocapWords list of articles and conjunctions. The Cap/Uncap command does not initial cap these specified articles or conjunctions if they appear between a series of words such as “of” in United States of America or “the” in State of the Union. However, it still initial caps the first word if it appears at beginning of a phrase such as Of Mice and Men.

    The default list includes:

    NocapWords0=to
    NocapWords1=is
    NocapWords2=the
    NocapWords3=a
    NocapWords4=an
    NocapWords5=of
    NocapWords6=in
    NocapWords7=on
    NocapWords8=and

    If there are additional words that should remain uncapped when the Cap/Uncap command is used, you can add them to this list by adding an additional line for each word. Use the number that is next in order and type the word after the = symbol.

    Therefore, to add vs and v to this list, do the following:

    - In Manage Jobs, double click the System Files case.
    - Double click the UserSettings file.
    - Press Ctrl+f (or click Find).
    - Type [Edit and then press Enter (to locate the [Edit Settings] section.
    - Scroll down to the last NocapWords# entry and press Enter to create a new line.
    - To add the words "vs" and "v" to the list of NocapWords, type the following:

    NocapWords9=vs
    NocapWords10=v

    Click File, Close and save the changes.

    From now on, whenever you use the Cap/Uncap command (either via Ctrl+F5 in text, or the Cap command in a Define or Replace dialog box), neither vs nor
    v will be initial capped.

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    #33 –Comma, quote, cap next Macro
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question. I'm editig a job tha has a lot of quoted material. I'm constantly having to type a comma, quotes, and then initial cap the first word. Is there a shortcut for this?

    Answer. This would be a good macro.  The next time you’re making that change, first click Tools, Macro, Record. Then press the following:
    , (comma)
    “ (quote)
    F4
    F6 (Uncap Next format symbol).

    Stop recording, name the macro (Comma Quote Cap Next).  Click the Assign After Saving check box, then click Save (or press Enter).  Assign the key to whatever key, Ctrl + key, Shift + key or Ctrl + Shift + key combination that would be most convenient.  For example, in my keyboard map, I have this macro assigned to Ctrl + Shift + Apostrophe.  (Shift + apostrophe is the quote symbol, so adding Ctrl to that combination is simple for me to remember and use.)

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    #32 –Ensure words won't be initial capped
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question. How do I ensure that words that should never be initial capped stay uncapped, even at the beginning of a paragraph or new sentence?  For example, I want to make sure that a company name like “eBay” or a product name like “i-Life” is never initial capped.

    Answer. Simple – just define the word beginning with the <Uncap Next> format symbol.   So, for example, if you are defining /AOE/PWAEU, the text for that definition should be <Uncap Next> eBay.  If you are defining /AOEU/HRAOEUF, the text for that definition should be <Uncap Next> i-Life. 

    The shortcut key combination to insert <Uncap Next> is F4, F5.

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    #31 –Substitute time field for placeholder in included file
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question. I write a stroke (/TOP/TOP) that automatically includes my title and appearances.  I use fields to fill all of the details except for the job’s date and start time, which appears in the middle of the title page.  Is there any way I could have those filled in automatically?

    Answer. You can have the job date fill in correctly by using the [!CREATION DATE] or [!CREATION DATE IN WORDS] field.  This will work either for realtime or for regular translation.  If the job is being created in realtime, it will use the computer’s system date on the date the job is written.  If the job was written on the writer and then is read and translated later, it will take the date recorded by the writer on the date the job was written.  The [!CREATION DATE] field will insert a date with slashes, e.g. 08/08/2007. [!CREATION DATE IN WORDS]  will insert the date in words, e.g. August 8, 2007.

    As for the time – there’s two ways you can do this.  One method will work either for realtime or regular translation, the other will only work for realtime translation.

    The method that will work for either realtime or regular translation would be to have one include file that includes all of the text up to the place where you need the time, one steno stroke defined as the [!Static Time -12 hour] or [!Static Time – 24 hour] field, and one include file that has everything after the time.  Then, instead of writing TOP/TOP, you would write something like /TOP/START  to bring in the first part of your title page, write your stroke for the [!Static Time -12 hour] or [!Static Time – 24 hour] field, and then write /TOP/EPBD.

    If you always/only do realtime and don’t want to have multiple include files, you can simply include your existing title page and then write a stroke for a macro that will replace your include file’s placeholder for the time with the [!Static Time -12 hour] or [!Static Time – 24 hour] field.

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    #30 – Insert time in parenthetical
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question. I'd like my ending stroke (/EPBD/EPBD) to show the time.  It inserts a parenthetical that reads (Deposition concluded at ^ TIME ^ a.m. ^ p.m.)  How can I create a macro to pop in the current time?

    Answer. No macro is required.  All you need to do is use the [!Static Time – 12 hour] field in a dictionary definition of this parenthetical.  Open the preferred dictionary and then define the steno /EPBD/EPBD as follows:  <Parenthetical>(Deposition concluded at [!Static Time – 12 hour]). 

    If you are writing and translating realtime, the Static Time field will use the time based on your computer’s clock.  If you are not translating realtime, the time will fill in based on the timestamp recorded on the writer, and read in with the steno notes.

    NOTE:  The [!Static Time -12 hour] or [!Static Time – 24 hour] field needs to be used in a dictionary definition, not an include file.

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    #29 – Change End of Paragraph Punctuation
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question. Sometimes witnesses answer with a question and sometimes the attorney will make a statement instead of ask a question, so the punctuation at the end of a Question or Answer is the opposite of what it should be. I don’t write end-of-paragraph punctuation – I just let the software put it in so sometimes it’s wrong. What I’ve been doing to fix it is that I’ve just been moving my cursor to the end of the paragraph and type the correct punctuation. Is there a faster way?

    Answer. With the cursor positioned anywhere in the paragraph, press Ctrl+Shift+period. In any of the keyboard maps provided with Case CATalyst (Default, charmode or CAT4 kbd), this is assigned to the Toggle Paragraph Ending Punctuation command. A period will change to a question mark. A question mark will change to a period. If you repeat the command, it will toggle to other possible paragraph-ending punctuation marks.

    Of course, if you would prefer a different key or combination of keys, you can assign the Toggle Paragraph Ending Punctuation command to whatever key (or key plus Shift, key plus Ctrl, or key plus Shift and Ctrl) you prefer in your keyboard map.

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    #28 – Change Color of Reveal Codes
    (written for Case CATalyst 8 and 9)

    Question. I find it a little hard to see the format symbols in the Reveal Codes – that pale blue color on the light gray background is hard for me to read.  Is there any way I can change the colors for the format symbols?

    Answer.  Yes, you can,

    In Case CATalyst Version 9, all you have to do is open a file in Edit, click View, Display, Colors (or press Alt+v, d, c).  In the top right corner of the Colors dialog, there is a drop down menu of items.  Click the down arrow to see the menu, and select FS in Reveal Codes.  Select the color you prefer, then click OK.

    In Case CATalyst Version 8 or earlier, you can do this by modifying a line in your UserSettings file.  Open the System Files case, then double click UserSettings.  Scroll down to, or press Ctrl+f and use the Find command to locate the [View Settings] section.  Press Enter to create a new line, and type:
    RevealCodesFSRGB=

    After the = symbol, type the code number for the desired color.  Some suggestions are listed below. If you prefer another color – determine the color number by applying that color to another element in the transcript text via View, Display, Colors in Edit, save changes then view the color number in the View Settings section of the UserSettings.ini file.  (You may need to close Case CATalyst and then re-open it to refresh the UserSettings.ini file and see the updated color number.)

    Examples of possible colors to assign to format symbols in Reveal Codes:
    Red      = 255
    Green   = 32768
    Orange             = 2637
    Teal      = 8421376
    Brown = 13209
    Blue     = 16711680
    Plum     = 6697881
    Aqua    = 13421619
    Pink      = 16711935

    Click File, then Exit to close the UserSettings file and save the changes. 

    The next time you go into Case CATalyst Edit and open reveal codes, the format symbols will appear in the designated color.

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    #27 – Use Case Sensitive E-define
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)


    Question.  I wrote /WEUT/WEUT which I have defined in my Personal Dictionary as <Colloquy>THE WITNESS: . For this one job I'm working on, it's supposed to be THE DEPONENT instead of THE WITNESS.  So I put my cursor on WITNESS and E-defined it as DEPONENT.  But it changed ALL occurrences of the word witness.  Sentences like "Did you witness the event" have changed into "Did you DEPONENT the event."  How do I fix this? 

    Answer.  Position the cursor on DEPONENT, right click and select Undo Global.  This will remove the global from the global table and change all occurrences of DEPONENT back to WITNESS or witness or Witness.

    Now, to change all occurrences of WITNESS in all caps to DEPONENT,  but NOT change any occurrences of "Witness" or "witness" go ahead and position the cursor on WITNESS, press Ctrl+E to E-define, but this time, after typing DEPONENT, before you press Enter or click OK, be sure to check the box next to Case Sensitive.  That way, only all capped occurrences of WITNESS will be changed into DEPONENT.

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    #26 – Copy Compress Print Configurations to another computer
    (Written for Case CATalyst 8)


    Question. I've created a terrific configuration for Compress Print -- fonts are perfect, headers and footers exactly the way my agency wants them, etc. I saved the configuration and gave it a name. Two things -- I have two computers, so how do I get that configuration from my laptop over to my desktop computer? Also, my agency likes it so much, they want me to give the settings to all the Case CATalyst reporters at the agency. How do I share the configuration?

    Answer. The answer to both questions is the same: just back up the CompressedPrintOptions file located in your System Files case. When that file is restored, it will contain your saved configuration. To apply it to a job, just open the job in Compress Print, click the Configurations button, click the saved configuration and click Select.

    Now -- if any of the reporters at the agency already has other Compress Print configurations that they don't want to lose, tell them to do this:

    - First, restore the CompressPrintOptions backup you give them to another user on the same system; not into their regular User (so that it doesn't overwrite their current CompressPrintOptions file).

    - Next, select a job in the regular User and select Compress Print.

    - Click the Configurations button, then click Import.

    - At the top of the "Open Compress Print Options File" dialog box, at the Look In prompt, browse to the User that contains the CompressPrintOptions file containing the saved configuration you want to import. You'll need to select the C:\CAT4\USR path, then double click the User name, then double click the System Files case.

    - Double click the CompressPrintOptions file (or click once then click Open or press Enter).

    - A list of configurations will appear in the Import Configurations dialog box. Select the ones you want to import, and then click Import or click OK.

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    #25 – How to bold speakers from speaker list
    (Written for Case CATalyst 8)


    Question. I'm a scopist. The reporter I work for wants all speaker IDs, colloquy and bylines, to be bold. The ones she writes translate correctly with bold, but when I need to insert a speaker or change a speaker name in edit, that's where I run into a problem.

    I set up the Speaker List at the beginning of the job. When I need to insert a speaker, I press Alt+E, I, S and then the # to insert the name for colloquy or for bylines. As you know, it depends where the cursor is whether it puts the speaker in as a byline or as colloquy. Under the byline options where you can select if you want before the Q or after, I added in the bold on/off format symbols before and after the speaker name, so bylines come out correctly. But what about colloquy? Is there another place I need to add in the command to bold the text that will automatically put the name in bold for colloquy?

    Answer. Currently there isn't an option to add Bold On/Off format symbols to cause the name to be bold in Colloquy when inserted from the Speaker List. However, you can create a simple workaround to produce the results you want, and then use fewer keystrokes than you're currently using to get the results you want.

    You can record a macro that will insert the bold on/bold off format symbols after you insert the desired speaker. Here's the steps you would record for the macro.

    Alt + e (Edit menu).
    i (Insert).
    s (Insert Speaker).
    Click the PAUSE button in the RecordMacro dialog box.
    Click the Select EZ Speaker dialog box to make it active.
    Type the number of the speaker.
    Press Enter (do not click OK - press Enter!).
    Left Arrow.
    Left Arrow (move cursor to the left to position between the colon and speaker name).
    Shift + Home (mark the speaker name).
    F4.
    B (to surround the marked speaker name with Bold On and Bold Off format symbols).
    Right Arrow.
    Right Arrow (position cursor on the first word after the inserted speaker).

    Name and save the macro (e.g. Insert Bold Speaker) and assign it to a key in your keyboard map (e.g. F2).

    Now, to use this macro, you would just press the key for the macro (e.g. F2), type the number of the specific speaker you want and press Enter.

    Again, this will mean fewer keys to press than your previous method plus you'll get the bold you want!

    There's also another option that would produce the results you want with even fewer keystrokes, if you always use the same speaker numbers: you can use EZ Text instead of a macro. Click View, EZ Text, then modify the first line to be <Colloquy>&;t;Bold On>[!EZ Speaker 01]<Bold Off>: space space. Then, modify the second line to be <Colloquy>&;t;Bold On>[!EZ Speaker 02]<Bold Off>: space space. Repeat for each speaker. Tip: if you would also like to use this technique for bylines, you might want to modify the EZ Text Shift+1 entry for a byline for [!EZ Speaker 01], Shift +2 for [!EZ Speaker 02], etc.

    Once you've modified the EZ Text entries, all you'd have to do is press F4 and then the number of the line for the speaker you want. Or you can assign the EZ Text Entry # command to a single key in your keyboard map -- I know a few scopists who assign these EZ Text entries to Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, Ctrl+3, etc. to save a few keystrokes.

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    #24 – Use keyboard command to move between dialog panes
    (Written for Case CATalyst 8)

    Question. How do I change the cursor focus from one part of the Case CATalyst screen to another (say, from Reveal Codes to the transcript text) *without* using the mouse?

    Answer. If you want an all-purpose method to move the cursor from any window/dialog pane to any other window/dialog pane (Transcript Text, Vertical Notes, Reveal Codes, Page Layout, EZ Text or Speaker List), assign a key in your keyboard map to the "Set Active Window" command. Press that key and a window will appear listing each of these windows/dialog panes as a destination. Either press the number of the window/dialog pane you want and then press Enter or click the desired window then click OK.

    If you want one command to specifically toggle between text and reveal codes, assign a key in your keyboard map to "Cycle Between Edit/Reveal Codes."

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    #23 – Increase text size of Tooltip and Status Bar
    (Writen for Case CATalyst 8)


    Question. You know those tiny little words that appear whenever you hover on an icon, like if you hover over the P button it says Open Personal Dictionary? Well, my eyes aren’t what they used to be! How can I make that text bigger and easier to read?

    Answer. Those items are called “ToolTips” and the font, color and size is controlled by Windows.

    Open the Control Panel. If you’re using the Classic View, select Display. If you’re using the Category View, click Appearance and Themes, then click Display. Click the Appearance tab, and then click the Advanced button. Under Item, click ToolTip. Here, your can select a background color for the ToolTip, the preferred font style and size, bold and/or italics.

    Note: This won’t just change the ToolTips for Case CATalyst, it will change them for all Windows programs. For example, if you hover on an icon in your Systray, you’ll see the ToolTips label identifying the icon in your chosen colors, fonts and size.

    ALSO: Increasing the font style and size will also affect the text on your status bar at the bottom of the screen which contains details such as page, section and line number, horizontal position, keyboard map name, etc.

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    #22 – Alternate User Settings
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)


    Question. I like to use different colors when I realtime than when I edit -- and different colors from when I'm editing all day vs. editing late at night. I also like normal view when I'm realtiming, but most of the time I prefer the page view when I'm editing. Is there a quick way for me to switch back and forth between these different settings?

    Answer. Yes, but using the features called Save Alternate User Settings and Load Alternate User Settings.

    First, the next time you've got your Display set up in the preferred view and with the preferred colors for realtime, when everything looks as you prefer, click File (or press Alt + f) then click Save Alternate User Setting. In the Save As dialog box, type a name that identifies this group of Display settings (e.g. Realtime Display).

    The next time you're editing, and you've selected your preferred view and your preferred colors for editing and again, everything looks as you prefer for Edit, again click File (or press Alt + f) then click Save Alternate User Setting. In the Save As dialog box, and again, type a name that identifies this group of Display settings (e.g. Edit Display).

    Now, when you're getting ready to translate, if you want to select your Realtime Display settings, you can do one of two things:

    1) Before translation begins, in the Translate dialog box, click Options, and under Input, at the Use Alternate Settings for Edit prompt, select your Realtime Settings file.

    2) After translation begins, if the wrong view settings are shown, you can click File, Load Alternate User Settings and then select your Realtime Settings file.

    Of course, you could also assign the Load Alternate User Settings command to a key in your keyboard map, and/or record that command plus the choice of a specific settings file as a macro and assign it to a shortcut key and/or define a steno outline to playback that macro and invoke the new settings from the steno machine during realtime!)

    TIP: Reporters who have multiple types of realtime output, e.g. sometimes for litigation, sometimes for CART, different display preferences for different CART clients, etc., will find this ability to store a variety of Display settings in a file and quickly load them to be invaluable.

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    #21 – Set Spell Check to recognize 1 or 2 spaces after an abbreviation
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)


    Question. Whenever I have an abbreviation like a.m. or p.m. at the end of a sentence, Spell Check stops and prompts me to delete a space. Also, I’ve noticed that if the word No is at the end of a sentence and followed by a period, Spell Check stops and prompts me to delete a space.  Guess it thinks that No. means number?  Anyway, is  there an option I can choose to make it not do that?

    Answer. Yes! Go into your UserSettings file in the System Files case, locate the [Edit Settings] section, and add the following line:

    AbbrevSpacing=1

    This will tell Spell Check to permit one or two spaces after an abbreviation.

    FYI, there may also be occasions when you want one or two spaces after a colon. By default, Spell Check will stop if there are two spaces after a colon and prompt you to delete a space. You can also add:

    ColonSpacing=1

    to tell Spell Check to permit one or two spaces after a colon.

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    #20 – Macro to initial cap and define
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)

    Question. As I write, I often have names of business or schools, etc. that are common words, like "white physical therapy" or "walnut elementary school." Sometimes I have a chance to write my {Cap Previous n Words} stroke to cap them as I write, so it's taken care of during translation, but sometimes I don't. Mostly I just deal with it in Edit. Is there a quick way I can cap and define those in Edit?

    Answer. Sure! A macro to initial cap and define is a terrific time-saving Edit shortcut and very simple to record and assign.

    The next time you come across an example of a phrase that you want to initial cap and then define, go ahead and mark the phrase. Then, before you press a key to define, begin recording your macro. (Click Tools, Macro, Record, or, if you've clicked and dragged the tear-away menu to a toolbar, just click the Record icon on the toolbar.) Now, go ahead and press your key to define (e.g. Ctrl+J for J-define or Ctrl+D for D-define, or whatever you normally press. Then, press Alt+a, which invokes the Cap command -- copies the phrase to the New Text field and intelligently initial caps it. (For example if the business name is "Stop and Go", Case CATalyst will know not to cap the word "and".) Next, press Enter to complete the define.  Now, click Stop, name the macro and assign it to a preferred key in your keyboard map. What some reporters will do is have Ctrl+J assigned to a regular J-define and have Ctrl+Shift+J assigned to their initial cap and J-define macro. They'll have Ctrl+D assigned to a regular D-define and have Ctrl+Shift+D assigned to their initial cap and D-define macro. Same thing for K-defines or E-defines.

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    #19 – AccelerWriter to change last occurrence of singular word + that’s to plural word + that
    (written for Case CATalyst version 8)


    Question. Let me follow that up with another question -- could I do the same thing in realtime from the writer?

    Answer. Yes. The difference between the edit version of the macro and the AccelerWriter would be that you need to first move the cursor from the point of translation to the beginning of the word before "that's" that needs to be changed from singular to plural.

    The commands you'll want to record for your AccelerWriter are:

    Shift + Left Arrow (Select Word Left)
    Shift + Left Arrow (Select Word Left)
    Ctrl + x (cut)
    Backspace (Delete backward)
    Ctrl + f (search)
    Alt + d (Deselect previous search options)
    Ctrl + v (paste phrase into search text field)
    Alt + b (set search to search backward)
    Enter (execute the search)
    Alt + s (Special Edit menu)
    Y (Cycle Possession)
    Right Arrow (move word right)
    Right Arrow (move word right)
    Left Arrow (move to end of last word)
    Backspace (delete previous character)
    Backspace (Delete previous character)

    To execute the macro during realtime you will first write the phrase that you want to fix (e.g. "boy that's" or "fly that's" and then write the steno you've defined to execute the AccelerWriter macro. The macro will search backward for the last occurrence of that phrase and then perform the commands required to change the first word from singular to plural and then remove the 's from the end of "that's."

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    #18 – Macro – change singular word + that’s to plural word + that
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)

    Question. I'm hoping you can help me figure out a good macro for this one! I sometimes write steno for "that's" after a word that should have been plural. For example, I write steno that translates as "dog that's" when what I wanted was "dogs that." What do you suggest? I really have tried, but I keep coming up with either weird spacing or wrong spellings.

    Answer. No problem. What you want to do is change occurrences of any singular word followed by "that's" into a plural followed by "that". The way I would do that would be to position the cursor at the beginning of the singular word and then execute a macro containing the following commands:

    Alt + s (Special Edit menu)
    Y (Cycle Possession)
    Right Arrow (move word right)
    Right Arrow (move word right)
    Left Arrow (move to end of last word)
    Backspace (delete previous character)
    Backspace (Delete previous character)

    This particular combination should work well for you because the use of the Cycle Possession command to change the singular form of the word to the plural ensures that the spelling of that word will also change accordingly. For example, the macro commands I've described would work not only to change "dog that's" into "dogs that," it would also change "fly that's" into "flies that."

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    #17 – Edit Macro – stop audio and insert text for command keyboard (written for Case CATalyst 8)

    Question. I use the CAT4 kbd, not Default, and I really, really love it -- I used to think I'd never give up EZ Keys but really, this is much better! Anyway, there's just one thing -- right now, when I'm proofreading a job and listening to the audio -- especially when I'm editing a job with video -- and there's text I have to type in, I have to press two keys, one to stop the audio playback and one to insert text. Is there a way I can shortcut that; hopefully without having to learn any new keys?

    Answer. Sure! You can record a macro that combines the Stop Audio Playback and Insert Conflict Dialog commands, and you can assign that macro to the key you currently use to insert text. If audio's currently playing it will both stop the audio and open the Insert dialog box. If audio's not currently playing, then the macro will skip over stopping audio and simply open the Insert dialog box.

    Go into any file that has audio and begin playback. Then, click Tools, Macro, Record (or if you've dragged the tear-away Macro menu to a toolbar, just click Record.) Press the key that's currently assigned to the Stop Audio Playback command (e.g. Ctrl+F9), or click the Stop Audio Playback icon on the toolbar. Next, press the key that's currently assigned to open the Insert Conflict dialog (e.g. Ctrl+F9) or click Edit, Insert, Conflict/Text. Now, click STOP in the Record Macro dialog. Type a name for the macro (such as Stop Audio and Insert), make sure the Assign After Saving option is selected and click Save. Open the keyboard map you use in Edit (for you, that's CAT4 kbd) and assign that macro to the same key you used to use for Insert Conflict dialog (e.g. Ctrl+i).

    From now on, whenever you need to insert text, whether audio is playing or not, just press the key you'd usually press to insert text. It will both stop the audio playback AND allow you to insert text.

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    #16 – Quickly open/view the job dictionary during Translate & Edit or Edit
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)


    Question. Sometimes I forget how I’ve written a word that I’ve set up in my Job Dictionary and would love to check it when I’m realtime writing. Is there a way to open the job dictionary very quickly, and maybe see it in a window like Reveal Codes or the Speaker List? The only way I know how to open the job dictionary is from Manage Jobs and then click on the job and then click on the Dictionary.

    Answer. There are a few different ways you can do this.

    If you prefer to use the mouse, just click the "J" folder on the Open Special toolbar. (If you do not see this toolbar during translate or edit, click the View menu and then click Open Special.) This will open the Job dictionary that has the same name as the job you are currently translating and/or editing.

    If you prefer to use the keyboard, you can assign any key, key + Shift, key + Ctrl or key + Ctrl + Shift in your keyboard map to the "Open Job Dictionary" function. Then you can press that key to open the current job dictionary.

    If you would prefer to open the dictionary by writing a stroke during realtime, you could record a macro to open the job dictionary, and define that macro after saving it as an AccelerWriter. If you do that, you might also want to record the Ctrl+F4 (Close) command as a macro and define it as an AccelerWriter so that you can close the active Job Dictionary window when you want to return to the transcript text window.

    In Edit, once you've got the dictionary open, if you'd like to reduce the size of the job dictionary window and see both the transcript text and the job dictionary simultaneously, do the following.

    First, close the Manage Jobs tab (and/or any other open functions/files other than the transcript text and the job dictionary.) The quickest way to close those windows is to right click the tab and then click Close.

    Once the transcript text and job dictionary windows are the only two tabs displayed, click Window (or press Alt+w) and then click Tile (or press t). You can resize the windows as desired.

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    #15 – Set Fill in Field to default to Select List rather than Value
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)


    Question. I've been using Fields for a long time now, and it's actually pretty rare for me to have to type in something new. Most of the time, I can just pick something that I've previously typed from the list. But when I scan to a field and open the Fill in Field dialog, the cursor is at Field Value, waiting for me to type something new. Could I change it so that when I open the Fill in Field dialog, the cursor would show up in the list so that I can just move to the one I want and press Enter?

    Answer. Yes, you can. Open your System Files case and double click the UserSettings file. Search for the [FIELD NAMES] section, and add the following line:

    Fill In Field Focus Select List=1

    Then, close the UserSettings file and save the changes.

    From now on, whenever you open the Fill in Field dialog box, the cursor focus will be in the Select List. You can then either scroll down to your desired item, or start typing it (and case won't matter here, as it does in the Field Value prompt).

    NOTE: if you open the Fill in Field dialog box for a new field, one that doesn't have any previously entered information, just press Shift+Tab or Alt+v to move the cursor back to the Field Value prompt, so that you can type text for that field.

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    #14 – How to learn indexing
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)

    Question. The way I currently do my index page is that I hand write notes of page numbers of examinations, exhibits, etc. while I edit and then include a blank index page and type in the information. I know that there's a way to make it happen automatically. One person told me it's really easy and I'm a fool not to use it, but then someone else told me it's complicated and hard. Well, I have no idea how to get started or whether it's worth bothering. What should I do?

    Answer. It's actually not difficult at all -- it's simply a matter of figuring out which options you need and which ones you don't for your index, and that's not difficult to learn. It will take a little time and effort to set up, but that's a one-time effort. You'll be paid back every time you create an index for every future job by being able to simply select the "Build Index" command instead of taking all those notes and doing all that typing on each and every job.

    Getting started is very simple: on your Case CATalyst CD, there's a PDF document called Self Study Guide - Understanding Automatic Indexing that will guide you through using this feature. Just insert the Case CATalyst CD. When the autorun screen appears, don't press Enter or click the first icon (which installs the Case CATalyst software); instead, click the 3rd icon down from the top, which is the "Browse the contents of this CD" function. Then double click the Self Study Guide - Understanding Automatic Indexing.PDF document. You can read it on screen or print it.

    The guide explains how to create an index template, how to insert a table, how to use the various index symbols and which ones you'll use for which purposes, so that you can decide which ones you need and want to use and which ones you don't need. The guide will help you create a custom index template to generate the specific formatting results you want.

    If, after reading the guide, you find you need additional assistance in setting up automatic indexing, (and in my experience, most reporters and scopists discover that after reading the guide, they don't need much, if any, additional assistance), you can send me an email at training@stenograph.com and I'll be happy to help you. Please note: I won't create your index for you, but I will help you learn what you need to create it yourself. I only ask that you start with the guide - because in most cases, that will give you just about everything you need!

    If you're very uncomfortable with the idea of setting up your own index template and would prefer to hire someone to set up automatic indexing for you, then I'd suggest that you contact a Stenograph certified independent training agent. Just go to http://www.stenograph.com/, click Training & Education, then click Workshops & Training Agents and then click Find a Training Agent Now.   Many of them offer an hourly or flat-rate service for creating a customized index template and associated definitions/include files with required index format symbols. If your local agent is unavailable to provide that service, email me at training@stenograph.com and I'll put you in touch with another agent who can provide this service.

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    #13 – Use scanstops around letter “s” for conflict between singular and plural
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)


    Question. In the caption on my title page, I have a couple of conflicts: ^ Plaintiff ^ Plaintiffs and ^ Defendant ^ Defendants, so that it's easy to choose the right word for the caption. But, because of the way I've got the margins of my table and where the word Plaintiff or the word Defendant needs to tab in, there's not enough room for the conflict. It works okay once I pick it, but it just looks bad to me until I pick it. Is there a better way?

    Answer. Here's an alternative. In your original include file go ahead and pick Plaintiffs and Defendants, so that those words are shown in text in the proper position. Now, do the following:

    1. Position the cursor on the "s" of Plaintiffs.

    2. Press Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow to select JUST the letter "s".

    3. Press F4 and then press the letter O or o. This will surround the letter "s" with <Scanstop Begin> and <Scanstop End> format symbols.

    4. Repeat these steps for Defendants.

    The next time you include the page with this caption into a job, you can just press Scan to go to the letter "s". If it's a single Plaintiff or Defendant, press Delete to get rid of the "s." If it's multiple Plaintiffs or Defendants, press Enter to remove the scanstop format symbols.

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    #12 –  Arrange Speaker List and Vertical Notes in one dialog pane
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)

    Question. I'd like to have both my Vertical Notes and my Speaker List open while I edit, but they just take up too much space on the screen if they're side-by-side. Any suggestions?

    Answer. To conserve screen space, you can have both items in one column.

    Open up a file in Edit, then open your Vertical Notes, then open the Speaker List. Click the four vertical dots to the left of the Speaker List title bar, and drag the speaker list over to the Vertical Notes window. You'll see a graphic of a compass appear on the Vertical Notes window. If you want the Speaker List at the bottom of the column, drag the Speaker List to the bottom compass point and drop. If you'd prefer to have the Speaker List at the top of the column, above the Vertical Notes, drag the Speaker List to the top compass point and drop.

    You can adjust the height of each window by placing your mouse pointer on the horizontal line between the two windows. The appearance of the pointer will change to two horizontal, parallel lines with an arrow pointing up and an arrow pointing down. Click and drag up or down to adjust the height of the window so that you can see the amount of information in each window that you prefer.

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    #11 – Insert Speaker List entries from the keyboard
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)

    Question. Is there any way for me to insert speakers from the Speaker List without using the mouse?

    Answer. Sure. Open your keyboard map, and double click the key you want to press to insert a speaker. Tip: many reporters like to assign this command to the F2 key. Next, in the Assign Key to Function dialog, select Insert Speaker and click Assign (or double click Insert Speaker).

    When you're editing, just position your cursor where you want the speaker ID to go, then press F2, then type the number of the speaker you want to insert.

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    #10 – Compress and email
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)

    Question. Is there a way to make an electronic file of the condensed/multi-page version and send it via email in Case CATalyst?

    Answer. There's a function specifically designed to do just that: go to Manage Jobs, click File (or press Alt+f), then click Compress & e-mail. It creates a compressed (what you're referring to as condensed) version of the file in PDF format, then zips it and attaches it to an email message. It also gives you the option to add a concordance index to the file prior to converting it to PDF.

    If you use web mail and/or if for any reason you'd prefer not to zip the file prior to attaching it to the email, just select the file, select Print, select Compressed instead of Draft or Final. Under Print Options for Compressed, select Stenograph PDF as the printer. (Note: if you have more than one configuration for Compress Print, you'll be able to select it after you click Compressed in the Print dialog.) Then, click Print and select to save the PDF file to a convenient location (such as My Documents, or wherever you prefer) and then simply browse to that location when attaching the file to an email message.

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    #9 – What is SecondChoice?
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)


    Question. I just updated to Version 7 and I noticed that there's something new in Translate Options, under Conflicts, called SecondChoice. What does it do and what's the difference between that and EZ Choice? Can I (should I) use them both?

    Answer. When you select a conflict choice in edit, two things happen, regardless of what options you select for translation.

    First, the conflict choice plus the two words preceding the conflict are saved in the Conflict Database file. Second, Case CATalyst references a system file to identify the possible parts of speech for the word before and after the conflict and places the conflict choice along with the system file information in the SecondChoice conflict database. For example, in the conflict "Did you ^ {Suffix}ing ^ go the long way or the short way?" you select the second conflict. The word prior to the conflict is a noun. The word after the conflict is an article. Case CATalyst records the second choice selection for this conflict when it occurs between a noun and an article.

    When you translate, you can choose either or both of those databases to resolve conflicts during translation. If you select the EZ Choice translate option, Case CATalyst uses the Conflict Database to determine the correct conflict resolution when a conflict translates with the same context as the entry in the Conflict Database. If you select the SecondChoice option, then when the same parts of speech appear before and after the same conflict in future translations, Case CATalyst4 selects the same conflict choice as in the SecondChoice Conflict Database.

    Note: Case CATalyst records the text, NOT the underlying steno when recording correct conflict choices in either conflict database, so it doesn't matter to Case CATalyst how many different ways you write a conflict when using the database information to select conflicts during translation. If you notice you are continually misstroking steno for a conflict, go ahead and define it in your dictionary the same way as the existing conflict. Case CATalyst's conflict databases will resolve the conflict without any additional work.

    EZ Choice provides accurate conflict resolution and when used alone, allows immediate resolution of the conflict without waiting for text to be written following the conflict. SecondChoice resolves conflicts faster when new text is encountered. If you select both conflict resolution options, Case CATalyst will first look to the Conflict Database, and if there is an entry, EZ Choice resolves the conflict. If no match is found in the EZ Choice conflict database, then SecondChoice resolves the conflict.

    Also: to help former Eclipse users who are transitioning to Case CATalyst, when importing an Eclipse dictionary, the AI information is automatically added to the SecondChoice conflict database.

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    #8 –  Create Macro toolbar from tear-away menu
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)


    Question. I noticed that when I click Tools, and then Macro (like when I'm about to record a macro) there's a dotted line at the top of that menu. Does that mean anything?

    Answer. Yes, that's called a "tear-away" menu. If you click that dotted line and then drag, you can move the Macro menu away from the Tools menu and turn it into a Macro toolbar. Like any other toolbar, it can float or be docked wherever you prefer so that in future, whenever you want to begin recording a macro, you don't need to click the Tools menu and then Macro and then Record -- you can just click Record on your Macro toolbar.

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    #7 – Macro to save and close Edit in one key
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)

    Question. I want to record a macro that will close the file in Edit and save it, so that when I'm finished editing, I only have to press one key to close out. Is that possible?

    Answer. Of course! After clicking Tools (Alt + t), Macro (m), Record (r), press Ctrl+S or click File and then click Save. Then press Ctrl +F4, or click File and then click Close. Then click Stop, name the macro and assign it.

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    #6 – E-defines for text insertion shortcuts
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)

    Question. When I'm editing a job that has video, I find myself having to type in a lot of "like's," "you know's" and "okay's" that weren't written. What's a good shortcut to get those in there?"

    Answer. There are a few different ways you could do this, but one of the easiest and most popular methods is a text entry shortcut that makes use of the way E-defines apply when the Apply E-defined to Typed Text feature is selected. Basically you'll create a global table where a couple of letters of text are E-defined as the text you want to insert, e.g. yk defined as , you know,. When that global table is applied to any job, you'll just type the shortcut letters and the full text will appear.

    The first step is to create the reusable global table containing the shortcuts:

    1. Open a new file in Edit. Call it Shortcuts (or whatever name you prefer.) Use any layout; doesn't matter which.

    2. Type 2 or 3 letter shortcuts for the text you'll want to insert. For example: lk for like, yk for you know, ok for okay. TIP: You could also insert shortcuts for common mistranslates (for example, let's say you sometimes write the brief /PWAPBL for "Bank of America," but occasionally you drop the final -L and get "ban" and you don't want to global that as "Bank of America." You could enter boa for a shortcut for Bank of America. Or you could enter common typos, e.g. teh for the or taht for that.

    3. Position the cursor on the first shortcut, press Ctrl+E (or whatever you normally press to E-define) and E-define the shortcut letters as the text you want them to mean. For example, you could E-define shortcuts such as:

    yk as , you know,
    lk as , like,
    ok as okay,
    boa as Bank of America
    teh as the
    taht as that

    4. Save and Close the file.

    Now, before you edit the next job where you'd like to use those shortcuts, you'll want to make sure the globals from your Shortcuts file are present in that job. You can do that either when you Translate or when you Edit.

    To select the global shortcuts file when you Translate, in the Translate dialog box, under Available Job Dictionaries, select Show Global Tables, then select the Shortcuts global table.

    If they were not selected when the job was translated, you can select the global shortcuts file in Edit. Open the job in Edit, click the Global menu (or press Alt + g), then select Add Other Globals (or press a). Select your Shortcuts global table. Click Select All, then click Entire File.

    From then on, whenever you need to type one of those words or phrases, you can just type the shortcut letters and the E-define will automatically apply and change the shortcut letters into the word or phrase.

    NOTE: If you follow these instructions and get the shortcut letters rather than the word or phrase that was E-defined, click Tools, Options and make sure that Apply E-defines to Typed Text is selected.

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    #5 – Dictionary or Edit – use Orphan Control with definitions of items that should be on same page
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)


    Question. The firm I work for says that if any kind of EXAMINATION appears on the last line or second to last line of a page I have to push it to the next page and put // on any blank lines on the previous page. I've been spending a lot of time searching through my jobs when I'm finished, moving them down by pressing Enter, then typing in slashes and then if I change something they move and I have to check again -- it's a pain! Is there any way to make this happen automatically?

    Answer. Absolutely! All you need to do is add the <Orphan Control> symbol after the paragraph style format symbol that precedes EXAMINATION!

    There are a number of methods to bring in EXAMINATIONs -- some folks use a dictionary definition, some use include files, others use EZ Text entries. Whatever your method, here's how to use Orphan Control:

    1. Position your cursor after the <New Line Paragraph> or <Centered Paragraph> before EXAMINATION (or DIRECT or CROSS- or whatever the text is).

    2. If you're in a dictionary entry or EZ Text entry, click the FS button (or press Alt+f). If you're in the text of an include file, click the FS icon on the toolbar or press Shift+F4. Then press O to move to format symbols beginning with the letter O, and select Orphan Control.

    You'll be prompted to tell Case CATalyst the number of lines that should be kept together on the same page. If EXAMINATION should be kept together with the next line (e.g. a by-line) on the following page, type or select 2. If EXAMINATION should be kept together with the next two lines (e.g. a by-line and the first line of the following question) type or select 3. Then press Enter (or click OK).

    To automate adding text such as // on the "blank" lines created by Orphan Control, go into any file in Edit, click Tools (or press Alt+t) then Options (or press O), then click Orphan Control Options (or press O). If you want text on the blank lines, click the check box next to "Show characters/text on empty lines created by Orphan Control." Then type the text you prefer. // is fairly commonly used, so that's the default text in that dialog box. However, some folks prefer something like (Intentionally left blank.) Type whatever you prefer. One more option: select the paragraph style that should be used to dictate what body text font and margins should be used for placement of // or your preferred text. Then press Enter or click OK.

    By the way - if you have multiple line blurbs/parentheticals and want to make sure that they are not split over page breaks, you can use Orphan Control with those blurbs. Same technique as described above - just position the cursor between the paragraph format symbol and the first word in the blurb/parenthetical and tell Case CATalyst how many lines should be kept together on the same page.

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    #4 – Edit – Use Spaces command in global to add <Sticky Space> in phrase, or use Search & Replace to fix all occurrences in Dictionary.
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)

    Question.   I haven't always used Case CATalyst, and in my old system there wasn't (or I never learned) an equivalent for <Sticky Space>. So I have a lot of stuff in my dictionary that needs a <Sticky Space> in between the words of the phrase like Los Angeles or San Francisco, so that it always translates on the same line.  Is there a quick way I can fix those?

    Answer.   Of course! There are two shortcut features that can help you with this, depending on whether you want to fix things as you go in Edit, or whether you want to immediately correct all entries in your dictionary.

    When editing, if you see an occurrence of an already-defined phrase and you just want to add the Sticky Space format symbol between the two words, you can use the Spaces command in the global dialog box.  Just mark the phrase, open the Define dialog box, then press Alt + c to select the Spaces command. (Or if you prefer the mouse, just click Spaces.)  It will automatically copy the previously defined phrase to the New Text field and add a <Sticky Space> between the words.  By the way, if you don't want a <Sticky Space>, and instead just want to remove the space between the words and join them together as one word, just press Alt + c again.

    If you'd prefer to fix all occurrences of a phrase in the dictionary regardless of the underlying steno, open the dictionary in the Manage Dictionary function (TIP: if you've got Open Special selected in the View menu, then there's a one-click shortcut to the Personal Dictionary on your toolbar), then click Edit (or press Alt + e), Search and Replace (or press e).  In the Search For field type the phrase as it currently is entered in the dictionary (e.g. Los Angeles). Select Contains for Location, and Replace All as the direction.  In the Replace With field, type the phrase with the <Sticky Space>, (e.g. Los<Sticky Space>Angeles).  When you click OK, all occurrences of the phrase will change from Los Angeles to Los<Sticky Space>Angeles. 

    And of course, if you don't want to work one phrase at a time, but fix all phrases that share the same first word, you could change all of those at the same time. For example, suppose I want to change all occurrences of phrases beginning with San, whether it's San Francisco or San Jacinto or San Salvador.  I could use Search and Replace to Search for all occurrences of San followed by a space and Replace With San followed by <Sticky Space>.

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    #3 – Edit Macro to change “today” to {Suffix} -ed to
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)

    Question. When editing, I occasionally will come across an occurrence of the word "today" and what should have happened is that the previous word should be past tense and followed by the word "to." How can I quickly fix that in Edit?

    Answer. You can create a macro to change "today" into {Suffix}ed to, and cause the suffix to "intelligently" attach to the previous root word and result in a correct spelling.

    Position the cursor on the word that should have been expressed as past tense and then record the following commands:

    Click Special Edit (or press Alt+s)
    Click Quick Fix Suffix (or press Q)
    Press d (note – do not click d and click OK – clicking within a dialog box will not be recorded as part of a macro.)
    Press Ctrl+r (to open the Replace dialog box)
    Type to
    Press Enter.

    Assign the macro to any convenient key, key+Shift, key+Ctrl or key+Shift+Ctrl in your keyboard map.

    The next time you encounter something like:
    Q. You move today the new house in August of 2006?

    You can simply position your cursor on "move", press the key assigned to this macro and it will instantly change to:

    Q. You moved to the new house in August of 2006?

    Realtimers: a similar set of commands can be used to correct this during realtime. Simply record the macro so that the first command is to search backward (as your cursor will be at the point of translation) for the last occurrence of the word "today" press the Left Arrow (or whatever key in your keyboard map is assigned to Move Word Left) and then Shift + Left Arrow (or whatever key in your keyboard map is assigned to Select Word Left).  This will correctly position the cursor on the word to be modified by Quick Fix Suffix.

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    #2 – Fill in Field List – merge two lists
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)


    Question. I just attended a workshop and then I started taking advantage of fields on my appearance pages. I have been building up a Fill-in-Field List file, but there's only a few dozen entries in it so far. I just found out that a colleague of mine who also uses Case CATalyst has been using fields for a long time and has a much better list. Can I merge the two lists, or should I delete mine and just take hers?

    Answer. You can merge the two lists. There are a couple of ways to do this; Include or Copy and Paste. You need to have two separate users on the same computer, and one Fill-in-Field list file in each user.

    To use the Include method, open the user with the “destination” Fill-in-Field List file, and click File, Include or press F9. Then, browse to the user and System Files case of the “source” Fill-in-Field List, select that Fill-in-Field List file and then click Open.

    To use the copy and paste method, open the user with the “source” Fill-in-Field List that contains the entries that you want to copy, and then open the Fill-in-Field List in that user’s System Files case. Mark any/all entries you want, then press Ctrl+c or click the Edit menu and then click Copy. Then close that user, open the “destination” user, open the Fill-in-Field List in that user, and press Ctrl+v or click the Edit menu and then click Paste.

    Regardless of which method you choose, if any of the entries that are included or pasted are duplicates, the duplicate entries will be added to the destination Fill-in-Field List. Unlike including or pasting entries in a dictionary, you will not be prompted to stop for a decision regarding duplicate entries.

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    #1 – User Settings – commas inside quotes
    (written for Case CATalyst 8)

    Question. A recent job involved the use of a few game titles that I have defined in quotes, e.g. /SO*RD/STARS defined as "Sword of the Stars" and /TKA*RBG/STAR/WUPB defined as "DarkStar One." When I write punctuation immediately after those titles, the punctuation is showing up outside the quotes and I want it inside. How do I make that happen automatically?

    Answer. Open the System Files case then open your UserSettings file. Scroll down to the [Tran Settings] section, create a new line and type: the following on the new line:

    SwapIncorrectQuotesWithPunctuation=1

    Then close and save the UserSettings file. From now on, any phrase defined with quotes will translate properly with punctuation. For example, if you write /SO*RD/STARS/-RBGS, it would translate as "Sword of the Stars," and not as "Sword of the Stars",.

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