Getting Started

 

View the Quick Start Guide to Your First Few Minutes with PAL

 

What's Needed?

 

Personal Audio Link™ (PAL™) technology requires the following system components:
Local Access Options
Installation

 

Installation Configuration

Please refer to Operational Details to review the table of system checks performed by PAL.

 

Introducing PAL™

 

Talking to PAL

 

PAL software listens to what you say and then responds accordingly. To do this, PAL technology utilizes a combination of speech recognition, artificial intelligence, and text-to-speech programs.

 

Several factors enhance results with PAL: Names

 

You can personalize PAL by giving it a name other than "PAL."  You will use this name to interrupt PAL and to wake up PAL using a PC-based microphone (please refer to Security: Wake / Sleep for details). You can also set the name that PAL will use for you.

 

PAL's Name - to change PAL's name:
  1. Go to the Options / General Settings tab
  2. Change Name you will use for PAL to the name you desire (for best results, avoid names that sound like other PAL commands)
PAL will use this name for you - to change the name that PAL will use for you:
  1. Go to the Options / General Settings tab
  2. Change PAL will use this name for you to your desired setting
PAL's Voice

 

You can choose PAL's voice from among the voices available in the Windows Speech control panel, on the Text To Speech tab.

 

To change PAL's voice:
  1. Go to the Options / General Settings tab
  2. Choose your desired voice in Available Voices
  3. To hear a sample of the voice, click the Preview button
Voice Speed

 

The speed of PAL's voice is controlled by two settings: Basic Responses - on basic responses, PAL speaks at the default speed ( the Voice speed on the Text To Speech tab in the Windows Speech control panel ).

 

Longer Responses - on longer responses, such as when PAL reads email, web sites, and rss feeds, PAL speaks at the default speed plus or minus the incremental Recitation Speed on the Options / General Settings tab (e.g., if the default speed is set at Faster +1 and the Recitation Speed is set at Faster +2, then PAL will read e-mail at Faster +3).

 

To change PAL's default speed ( used for basic responses ):
  1. Go to the Windows Speech control panel, Text To Speech tab
  2. For Voice speed, set the slider to the desired speed
  3. Click OK
To change the incremental speed ( which when added to the default speed yields that speed at which PAL reads longer responses ):
  1. Go to the Options / General Settings tab
  2. Select the desired speed in Recitation Speed
Watch Screen

 

As you speak to PAL, the Watch Screen tab shows the words and phrases that PAL is considering as it attempts to understand what you are saying. When complete, it shows which phrase, among those that it is programmed to hear, that it determined you most likely said.

 

The numbers in brackets indicate the "score" ascribed to the recognition attempts on a scale of 0 to 100.  Values over 50 almost always result in successful recognition, although it is not uncommon to see recognition values as low as 20 or 30.  Values much below this suggest audio problems or speech recognition problems.  Note that some incorrect speech recognition hypothesis values always will be quite low.

 

Sometimes when you say a correct PAL command, the exact words you said are displayed on the watch screen, but PAL attributes a recognition score that is below the threshold.  In this case, PAL will ask you to try again, even though the Watch Screen is correctly displaying what you said.

 

The Microphone Volume Meter at bottom of the Watch Screen tab reflects the magnitude of the audio signal reaching PAL.  This indicator normally should fluctuate up to roughly 1/4 to 1/2 scale. If there is little or no movement in the scale when you speak to PAL using a PC-based microphone, then the gain needs to be increased in your microphone.  Likewise, if the indicator is peaking well beyond 1/2 scale, then the audio input gain needs to be turned down.

 

To adjust the audio gain for your PC-based microphone and local speech profile, go to the Options / General Settings tab, click the Auto-Tune button, and follow the brief Microphone Wizard process.

 

To show PAL's responses on the Watch Screen, check the Show PAL Responses box.

 

To clear the Watch Screen, click the Clear button.

 

To have PAL automatically clear the Watch Screen at the start of each attempt to recognize a new command, check the Auto-Clear box ( the default ).  To create a continuous stream of text showing the recognition attempt for each command, un-check the Auto-Clear box.

 

To save the text on the Watch Screen at any time, click the Save button. By default, a new .rtf file is saved to the C:\Program Files\Adondo PAL\Watch folder.

 

To save the text on the Watch Screen every time you shutdown PAL and when the watch screen reaches 2,000 lines, check the Auto-Save box. By default, a new .rtf file is saved to the C:\Program Files\Adondo PAL\Watch folder.

 

Speech Profiles

 

Overview

 

Speech profiles enhance recognition of PAL commands . Profiles that you create are unique to your voice. For best results, create separate remote and local speech profiles (i.e., a remote profile for use from any telephone and a local profile for use from a microphone connected to your PC).

 

Creating New Speech Profiles

 

To create a new remote profile:
  1. Go to the Options / Speech Profiles tab
  2. Click Create and train a new remote profile
  3. Enter a name for the profile (e.g., "John Remote").  Don't use a name that already appears in the Available Speech Recognition Profiles window
  4. Click Accept
  5. Follow the Speech Training Wizard instructions to train your new profile. After you click Finish, confirm that you are at the Options / Speech Profiles tab
  6. Select the new profile in Selected Remote Profile
To create a new local profile:
  1. Go to the Options / Speech Profiles tab
  2. Click Create and train a new local profile
  3. Enter a name for the profile (e.g., "John Local").  Don't use a name that already appears in the Available Speech Recognition Profiles window
  4. Click Accept
  5. Follow the Speech Training Wizard instructions to train your new profile. After you click Finish, confirm that you are at the Options / Speech Profiles tab
  6. Select the new profile in Selected Local Profile
Training Existing Speech Profiles

 

You can retrain or perform additional training on existing speech profiles to improve the speech recognition with PAL.

 

To train an existing remote profile:
  1. Go to the Options / Speech Profiles tab
  2. Make sure the profile you want to train is selected in Selected Remote Profile
  3. Click Train the remote profile selected above
  4. Follow the Speech Training Wizard instructions to train your existing remote profile
To train an existing local profile:
  1. Go to the Options / Speech Profiles tab
  2. Make sure the profile you want to train is selected in Selected Local Profile
  3. Click Train the local profile selected above
  4. Follow the Speech Training Wizard instructions to train your existing local profile
Speech Profile Settings and Maintenance

 

Speech profiles reside in the Windows Speech control panel. 

 

To delete a profile or change a profile's settings:

  1. Go to the Windows Speech control panel (accessible via Start / Control Panel / Speech)
  2. Select the profile you wish to delete / change in the Recognition Profiles box located on the Speech Recognition tab
  3. Click the appropriate button to perform the desired actions (e.g., "Delete..." to delete the profile, "Settings..." to change or confirm settings for the profile, "Train Profile..." to perform speech training for the profile
  4. Follow the instructions as necessary

Note: You can also delete a profile by going to the Options / Speech Profiles tab, selecting the profile in either the Selected Local Profile or the Selected Remote Profile box, and then clicking the delete icon ( ) for that box.

 

The default speech profile (labeled "default" or possibly, your name) is a basic profile that comes with Speech. Until you create and train new speech profiles for use with PAL, the default profile will be selected in the Speech Profiles tab as the Selected Remote Profile and the Selected Local Profile.

 

To confirm the appropriate Settings for PAL speech profiles (profiles created through the PAL installation wizard and from the Options / Speech Profiles tab will be set up with the appropriate settings - no changes should be necessary):
  1. Go to the Windows Speech control panel (accessible via Start / Control Panel / Speech)
  2. Select the profile in the Recognition Profiles box located on the Speech Recognition tab
  3. Click Settings
  4. Set the Accuracy vs. Recognition Response Time slider to the far right (High/Slow)
  5. Uncheck the Background Adaptation box
  6. Click OK
Commands (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands)

 

The Speech Profiles commands are:
This last command will select <speech recognition profile name> as the Selected Local Profile (if you are using PAL locally) or the Selected Remote Profile (if you are using PAL remotely) in the PAL Options / Speech Profiles tab. This ability to select profiles using voice could be helpful if you have more than one remote profile or more than one local profile, because, for example, you speak to PAL remotely using two different phones and find that individual speech profiles for each phone improves the speech recognition you experience.
Security: Wake / Sleep

 

You can give PAL a new name and set security phrases so only you can access PAL.

 

Local wake-up security (e.g., microphone and speakers) - PAL launches in sleep mode and goes to sleep after a period of inactivity. To wake PAL locally, say: Remote call-in security - If you set call-in security, PAL asks, "Who is calling please?" after answering your call. To access PAL, say: If PAL does not understand your call-in security phrase, it will say "I was told never to speak to strangers".  Try to say the call-in security phrase again. 

 

PAL wakes up automatically when it answers your call and stays awake for as long as you have a remote connection.

 

PAL's Name - to change PAL's name:
  1. Go to the Options / General Settings tab
  2. Change Name you will use for PAL to the name you desire (for best results, avoid names that sound like other PAL commands)
Security Phrases - to set or change security phrases:

 

Wake-up security phrase

  1. Go to the Options / Security tab
  2. Check Use Local Wake-Up Security
  3. Enter your desired phrase

Call-in security phrase

  1. Go to the Options / Security tab
  2. Check Use Remote Call-In Security
  3. Enter your desired phrase
Sleep mode timer - to change the inactivity time for PAL to switch to sleep mode:
  1. Go to the Options / Security tab
  2. Change Time to "Sleep" Mode (secs) to your desired setting
Sleep - to put PAL to sleep manually, say: Applications

 

To hear the list of applications that PAL has available, say (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands): Interrupting PAL

 

While PAL is speaking, you can make PAL pause by saying: Once PAL has paused you can make another request, or you can have PAL continue from the point at which it paused by saying: To make PAL skip back or skip forward in its response, and then continue ( this can be done while PAL is interrupted or while PAL is speaking ), say: Repeat

 

To have PAL repeat its last response, say: Mute / Shutdown

 

Background noise or conversation not intended for PAL can cause PAL to continuously say, "Please try again" and/or "I’m sorry?" through your local speakers. This is because PAL is listening, awake, and hearing words that are not PAL commands: Mute / Un-Mute - to stop PAL from listening through your local microphone without closing the PAL application: Shutdown - to exit the application entirely: Local Audio Devices

 

Local audio devices are the PC-based microphone and speakers that you can use to talk to and listen to PAL when you are at your PC (please refer to Local Access Options for a list of some access options). The devices must be plugged in and installed. After installing a new device, you should close and re-launch PAL.

 

To choose the local microphone and speakers you will use to talk to PAL:
  1. Go to the Options / General Settings tab
  2. Choose your desired PC-based microphone in Local Audio Input
  3. Choose your desired PC-based speakers in Local Audio Output
You do not need to choose local audio devices if you do not intend to talk to PAL locally. These settings have no bearing on calling PAL from a telephone.

 

Audio Help from PAL

 

While talking to PAL, you can get help on common PAL commands. To hear help messages, say (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands):
PAL Phone

 

Phone Setup

 

To call PAL from any phone, the PAL Telephone must be set up with PALConnect service (Voice-over-IP service that is compatible with PAL).

 

To set up the PAL Telephone, enter your PAL serial number into the Registration screen when you first launch PAL.  The serial number unlocks the PAL capabilities for the Edition that you purchased and it sets up the PAL Telephone with the phone number you will use to call PAL (your PC).

 

To change your serial number, right click on the PAL icon in the system tray, click Change Serial Number, then Register, and enter the PAL serial number for the PAL edition and PALConnect service you would like to set up.

 

To clear and reset the phone setup, click the Refresh PALConnect button ( ) on the PAL Telephone tab.

 

Phone Status

 

To view the status of the PAL Telephone, go to the PAL Telephone tab. 

 

If your PAL Telephone is properly set up and ready to be called, the status line at the top of the PAL Telephone tab will read "Ready to Connect", and the phone number you call to talk to PAL (your PC) will appear in blue at the bottom of the screen.

 

Making Calls

 

You can use the PAL Telephone to make a phone call.  You speak and listen through the devices selected as Local Audio Input and Local Audio Output on the Options / General Settings tab.

 

To place a call, go to the PAL Telephone tab, click the phone numbers on the keypad for the number you want to call (dial 1 + area  code + 7-digit number), and click Dial. Or, if you want to call an Outlook contact, select the contact and the phone number in the boxes to the right of the phone pad (the number will appear in the PAL Telephone number display), and click Dial. Click Clear to end the call.

 

When you bridge a call to an Outlook contact (please refer to Phone Bridging for details) the call to the contact is made with the PAL Telephone. After using PAL to place a call in local mode (i.e., with a microphone and speakers) you can hang up at any point after the phone call is initiated (such as after leaving a message on an answering machine) by clicking Clear on the PAL Telephone tab.

 

Commands and Responses

 

Commands are phrases that PAL is programmed to recognize.  A response is a phrase that PAL is programmed to say in response to a command. Please refer to the PAL Commands tab for a quick reference to PAL commands.

 

Nomenclature

 

In speaking commands, you sometimes have the option of using different words or phrases and of either speaking or not speaking particular words or phrases. The following nomenclature is used in depicting commands in written form in other sections of this document:

 

[ ... = ... ] Equals signs inside brackets designate alternative words or phrases that are equivalent (i.e., cause the same response from PAL). You must say one of these words / phrases in your command.
[ ... / ... ] Slashes inside brackets designate alternative words or phrases that are NOT equivalent (i.e.,  cause different responses from PAL). You must say one of these words / phrases in your command.
( words ) Parentheses designate optional words and phrases that may be said, but need not be said.
< ID > Angled brackets designate an identifier for a person, place, or item. You must say the identifier in your command.

 

For example, for the command that is written...

…PAL would recognize any of the following: All PAL commands are listed in the All PAL Commands section.

 

Note: In creating PAL Sheets, [ ... = ... ] is a tool you can use to create flexible commands. The [ ... / ... ], ( words ), and < ID > identifiers (other than for < record > and < element >, which have specific uses in PAL Sheets) are not programming tools (please refer to PAL Sheets for details).

 

Editing Commands

 

You can define certain PAL commands like PAL's Name and Security Phrases.

 

In addition, you can create personalized new PAL commands using three techniques:

In other uses of PAL, the commands and responses are programmed and cannot be changed.

 

PAL Web

 

PAL reads information from the internet, such as traffic, news, weather, and stock quotes. It also plays audio files, including podcasts, songs or playlists, and radio stations. You can have PAL read the content from web pages, RSS feeds, and documents. You can also easily add and configure additional audio files, web pages, RSS feeds, and documents for PAL to read, as you desire.

 

Podcasts

 

You can add podcasts for PAL to play at your command. The "friendly names" of the podcasts currently available for PAL to play ( including any podcasts that you add ) appear on the PAL Web tab in the Play... ( podcast ) selection box.

 

To hear the list of podcasts currently available for PAL to play, say: To play a podcast, say:
For example, say, "Play NPR Health and Science" or "Play NPR Books."
To stop playing a podcast, say an interrupt command (please refer to Interrupting PAL for a list of interrupt commands), such as: Alternatively, to play a podcast over your speakers (the speaker device you have set in Local Audio Output on the Options / General Settings tab):
  1. Go to PAL Web
  2. In the Play... ( podcast ) selection box, choose your desired podcast
  3. Click the play button ( ) next to your selected podcast
  4. To make PAL stop playing the podcast, click the stop button ( )
To add a podcast for PAL to play:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Podcasts
  3. Each podcast currently available for PAL to play appears as a row in the data grid. To add a podcast by entering the URL for the subscription site (if you'd prefer to navigate to the subscription site, go to step 4):
    1. Click to place your cursor in the Friendly Name column on the first blank row (the one with the asterisk to the left) and enter your desired Friendly Name for the podcast (the name you will say to play it)
    2. In the Podcast Subscription Site ( url ) column, enter the URL for your desired podcast
    3. Click Apply to add the podcast (or Cancel to clear the new entry)
  4. To add a podcast by navigating to the subscription site:
    1. Click Add Podcast...
    2. In the Adondo - PAL Web Presets browser that opens, navigate to and select the subscription site for the podcast that you want to add
    3. If you like, modify the Friendly Name for the podcast
    4. Click Select
    5. Make sure that the new podcast appears in the data grid in the Options / Web Presets tab
To remove a podcast from the list of those currently available for PAL to play:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Podcasts
  3. Select the row for the podcast that you want to delete by clicking in the left-most column for that podcast in the data grid
  4. Click Delete Row
  5. Click Apply (or Cancel to undo the deletion)
Songs and Playlists

 

You can add songs and playlists for PAL to play at your command. The "friendly names" of the songs and playlists currently available for PAL to play ( including any songs and playlists that you add ) appear on the PAL Web tab in the Play... ( song or playlist ) selection box.

 

To hear the list of songs and playlists currently available for PAL to play, say: To play a song or playlist, say:
For example, say, "Play Hey Jude" or "Play Satisfaction."
To stop playing a song or playlist, say an interrupt command (please refer to Interrupting PAL for a list of interrupt commands), such as: Alternatively, to play a song or playlist over your speakers (the speaker device you have set in Local Audio Output on the Options / General Settings tab):
  1. Go to PAL Web
  2. In the Play... ( song or playlist ) selection box, choose your desired song or playlist
  3. Click the play button ( ) next to your selected song or playlist
  4. To make PAL stop playing the song or playlist, click the stop button ( )
To add a song or playlist for PAL to play:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Playlists
  3. Each song and playlist currently available for PAL to play appears as a row in the data grid. To add a song or playlist by entering the location (path) of the media file (if you'd prefer to navigate to the media file, go to step 4):
    1. Click to place your cursor in the Friendly Name column on the first blank row (the one with the asterisk to the left) and enter your desired Friendly Name for the song or playlist (the name you will say to play it)
    2. In the Song or Playlist Location ( path ) column, enter the path for your desired song or playlist
    3. Click Apply to add the song or playlist (or Cancel to clear the new entry)
  4. To add a song or playlist by navigating to the media file:
    1. Click Add Song or Podcast...
    2. In the window that appears, navigate to and select the song or playlist that you want to add
    3. Click Open
    4. Make sure that the new song or playlist appears in the data grid in the Options / Web Presets tab
To remove a song or playlist from the list of those currently available for PAL to play:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Playlists
  3. Select the row for the song or playlist that you want to delete by clicking in the left-most column for that song or playlist in the data grid
  4. Click Delete Row
  5. Click Apply (or Cancel to undo the deletion)
Radio Stations

 

You can add radio stations for PAL to play at your command. The "friendly names" of the radio stations currently available for PAL to play ( including any stations that you add ) appear on the PAL Web tab in the Play... ( radio station ) selection box.

 

To hear the list of radio stations currently available for PAL to play, say: To play a radio station, say:
For example, say, "Play KYW" or "Play WMMR."
To stop playing a radio station, say an interrupt command (please refer to Interrupting PAL for a list of interrupt commands), such as: Alternatively, to play a radio station over your speakers (the speaker device you have set in Local Audio Output on the Options / General Settings tab):
  1. Go to PAL Web
  2. In the Play... ( radio station ) selection box, choose your desired radio station
  3. Click the play button ( ) next to your selected radio station 
  4. To make PAL stop playing the station, click the stop button ( )
To add a radio station for PAL to play:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Radio Stations
  3. Each radio station currently available for PAL to play appears as a row in the data grid. To add a radio station by entering the URL for the station feed (if you'd prefer to select a radio station from a pre-defined list, go to step 4):
    1. Click to place your cursor in the Friendly Name column on the first blank row (the one with the asterisk to the left) and enter your desired Friendly Name for the radio station (the name you will say to play it)
    2. In the Radio Station Web Address ( url ) column, enter the URL for your desired radio station
    3. Click Apply to add the radio station (or Cancel to clear the new entry)
  4. To add a radio station from a pre-defined list:
    1. Click Add Radio Station...
    2. In the window that appears, check the ? box for the radio station(s) that you want to add
    3. Click Save
    4. Make sure that the new radio station appears in the data grid in the Options / Web Presets tab
To remove a radio station from the list of those currently available for PAL to play:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Radio Stations
  3. Select the row for the radio station that you want to delete by clicking in the left-most column for that song or playlist in the data grid
  4. Click Delete Row
  5. Click Apply (or Cancel to undo the deletion)
RSS Feeds

 

You can add RSS feeds for PAL to read at your command. The "friendly names" of the RSS feeds currently available for PAL to read ( including any feeds that you add ) appear on the PAL Web tab in the Read... ( rss feed ) selection box.

 

To hear the list of RSS feeds currently available for PAL to play, say: To play an RSS feed, say:
For example, say, "Read CNN News" or "Read Wired News."
To stop reading an RSS feed, say an interrupt command (please refer to Interrupting PAL for a list of interrupt commands), such as: Alternatively, to read an RSS feed over your speakers (the speaker device you have set in Local Audio Output on the Options / General Settings tab):
  1. Go to PAL Web
  2. In the Read... ( rss feed ) selection box, choose your desired RSS feed
  3. Click the play button ( ) next to your selected RSS feed
  4. To make PAL stop reading the feed, click the stop button ( )
To add an RSS feed for PAL to read:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose RSS Feeds
  3. Each RSS feed currently available for PAL to read appears as a row in the data grid. To add an RSS feed by entering the URL for the feed (if you'd prefer to navigate to the feed, go to step 4):
    1. Click to place your cursor in the Friendly Name column on the first blank row (the one with the asterisk to the left) and enter your desired Friendly Name for the RSS feed (the name you will say to play it)
    2. In the RSS Feed Web Address ( url ) column, enter the URL for your desired RSS feed
    3. Click Apply to add the RSS feed (or Cancel to clear the new entry)
  4. To add the RSS feed by navigating to the feed:
    1. Click Add RSS Feed...
    2. In the Adondo - PAL Web Presets browser that opens, navigate to and select the RSS feed site for the feed that you want to add
    3. If you like, modify the Friendly Name for the RSS feed
    4. Click Select
    5. Make sure that the new RSS feed appears in the data grid in the Options / Web Presets tab
To remove an RSS feed from the list of those currently available for PAL to read:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose RSS Feeds
  3. Select the row for the RSS feed that you want to delete by clicking in the left-most column for that feed in the data grid
  4. Click Delete Row
  5. Click Apply (or Cancel to undo the deletion)
Web Pages

 

You can add web pages for PAL to read at your command. The "friendly names" of the web pages currently available for PAL to read ( including any pages that you add ) appear on the PAL Web tab in the Read... ( web site ) selection box.

 

To hear the list of web pages currently available for PAL to play, say: To read a web page, say:
For example, say, "Read The Wall Street Journal" or "Read The New York Times."
To stop reading a web page, say an interrupt command (please refer to Interrupting PAL for a list of interrupt commands), such as: Alternatively, to read a web page over your speakers (the speaker device you have set in Local Audio Output on the Options / General Settings tab):
  1. Go to PAL Web
  2. In the Read... ( web site ) selection box, choose your desired web page
  3. Click the play button ( ) next to your selected web page
  4. To make PAL stop reading the page, click the stop button ( )
To add a web page for PAL to read:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Web Pages
  3. Each web page currently available for PAL to read appears as a row in the data grid. To add a web page by entering the URL for the page (if you'd prefer to navigate to the web page and use the wizard to set up the content to read, go to step 4):
    1. Click to place your cursor in the Friendly Name column on the first blank row (the one with the asterisk to the left) and enter your desired Friendly Name for the web page (the name you will say to play it)
    2. In the Column Ranges column, enter the column ranges for PAL to read
    3. In the Web Page Address ( url ) column, enter the URL for your desired web page
    4. In the X,Y Pos'n column, enter the X, Y coordinates of the point that you would like to have in the upper left corner of the PAL Browser window, on the PAL Web tab, when the web page opens.  Leave this column blank for 0,0 (the upper left point of the web page will appear in the upper left corner of the PAL Browser window on the PAL Web tab
    5. Click Apply to add the web page (or Cancel to clear the new entry)
  4. To add the web page by navigating to the page:
    1. Click Add Web Page...
    2. In the Adondo - PAL Web Presets browser that opens, navigate to the web page that you want to add
    3. If you like, modify the Friendly Name for the web page
    4. Click Select
    5. In the PAL Web-Site Reader Configuration Tool, click Automatic to have PAL identify what to read in the web page each time you ask it to read the page, or click Manual, to identify the columns and rows that PAL will read
    6. Click Save
    7. Make sure that the new web page appears in the data grid in the Options / Web Presets tab
To remove a web page from the list of those currently available for PAL to read:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Web Pages
  3. Select the row for the web page that you want to delete by clicking in the left-most column for that web page in the data grid
  4. Click Delete Row
  5. Click Apply (or Cancel to undo the deletion)
Documents

 

You can add documents for PAL to read at your command. The "friendly names" of the documents currently available for PAL to read ( including any documents that you add ) appear on the PAL Web tab in the Read... ( document ) selection box.

 

To hear the list of documents currently available for PAL to read, say: To read a document, say:
For example, say, "Read Using PAL Web."
To stop reading a document, say an interrupt command (please refer to Interrupting PAL for a list of interrupt commands), such as: Alternatively, to read a document over your speakers (the speaker device you have set in Local Audio Output on the Options / General Settings tab):
  1. Go to PAL Web
  2. In the Read... ( document ) selection box, choose your desired document
  3. Click the play button ( ) next to your selected document
  4. To make PAL stop reading the document, click the stop button ( )
To add a document for PAL to read:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Documents
  3. Each document currently available for PAL to read appears as a row in the data grid. To add a document by entering the location (path) of the document (if you'd prefer to navigate to the document, go to step 4):
    1. Click to place your cursor in the Friendly Name column on the first blank row (the one with the asterisk to the left) and enter your desired Friendly Name for the document (the name you will say to play it)
    2. In the Document or Spreadsheet Location ( path ) column, enter the path for your desired document
    3. Click Apply to add the document (or Cancel to clear the new entry)
  4. To add a document by navigating to it:
    1. Click Add Document...
    2. In the window that appears, navigate to and select the document that you want to add
    3. Click Open
    4. Make sure that the new document appears in the data grid in the Options / Web Presets tab
To remove a document from the list of those currently available for PAL to read:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Documents
  3. Select the row for the document that you want to delete by clicking in the left-most column for that document in the data grid
  4. Click Delete Row
  5. Click Apply (or Cancel to undo the deletion)
Traffic

 

PAL provides traffic reports for roads in major cities.

 

To hear the list of traffic routes currently available for PAL to report, say: To hear a traffic report, say:
For example, say, "What's the traffic on I-95 north?"
To stop a traffic report, say an interrupt command (please refer to Interrupting PAL for a list of interrupt commands), such as: Alternatively, to hear a traffic report over your speakers (the speaker device you have set in Local Audio Output on the Options / General Settings tab):
  1. Go to PAL Web
  2. In the What's the traffic on... ? selection box, choose your desired road
  3. Click the play button ( ) next to your selected traffic route
  4. To make PAL stop reading the traffic report, click the stop button ( )
To add a traffic route for PAL to report on:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Traffic Roads
  3. Click Add Traffic Road...
  4. In the window that appears, check the ? box for the traffic road(s) that you want to add
  5. Click Save
  6. Make sure that the traffic road appears in the data grid in the Options / Web Presets tab (note: each friendly name for a road will occupy a unique row in the date grid)
To remove a traffic road from the list of those available for PAL to read:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Traffic Roads
  3. Select the row for the traffic road that you want to delete by clicking in the left-most column for that road in the data grid
  4. Click Delete Row
  5. Click Apply (or Cancel to undo the deletion)
Weather

 

PAL provides a weather forecast for any US zip code.

 

To hear weather forecasts, the commands are (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands):

To hear the list of weather cities currently available for PAL to report, say:

To add a weather city for PAL to report on:

  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Weather Sites
  3. Each city currently available for PAL to report on appears as a row in the data grid. To add a city by entering the URL for the zip code (if you'd prefer to select a city from a pre-defined list, go to step 4):
    1. Click to place your cursor in the Friendly Name column on the first blank row (the one with the asterisk to the left) and enter your desired Friendly Name for the city (the name you will say to hear the weather)
    2. In the Zip Code column, enter the zip code for the location
    3. In the Weather Site Web Address ( url ) column, enter the URL for your desired location. You can identify the URL for a zip code by going to http://weather.msn.com/, entering your desired zip code and clicking Go.  The URL for the zip code will appear in the browser address field. Enter this URL in the Weather Site Web Address ( url ) column
    4. In the X,Y Pos'n column, enter the X, Y coordinates of the point that you would like to have in the upper left corner of the PAL Browser window, on the PAL Web tab, when the weather page opens.  Leave this column blank for 0,0 (the upper left point of the web page will appear in the upper left corner of the PAL Browser window on the PAL Web tab
    5. Click Apply to add the web page (or Cancel to clear the new entry)
  4. To add a weather city from a pre-defined list:
    1. Click Add Weather Site...
    2. In the window that appears, check the ? box for the weather site(s) that you want to add
    3. Click Save
    4. Make sure that the new weather site appears in the data grid in the Options / Web Presets tab
To remove a city from the list of those that PAL will report:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Weather Sites
  3. Select the row for the weather site that you want to delete by clicking in the left-most column for that city in the data grid
  4. Click Delete Row
  5. Click Apply (or Cancel to undo the deletion)
Stock Quotes

 

PAL retrieves 20 minute-delayed quotes on stocks that you set up for PAL to report on. The "friendly names" of the stocks currently available for PAL to read ( including any stocks that you add ) appear on the PAL Web tab in the What's ( stock ) trading at? selection box. PAL will also report on other types of securities (bonds, mutual funds, etc.) as long as the ticker symbol is one tracked by MSN Money.

 

To hear the list of stocks currently available for PAL to report on, say: To hear the report on a stock, say:
For example, say, "What's Microsoft trading at?" or "What's the Dow trading at?"
To stop a stock report, say an interrupt command (please refer to Interrupting PAL for a list of interrupt commands), such as: Alternatively, to hear a stock report over your speakers (the speaker device you have set in Local Audio Output on the Options / General Settings tab):
  1. Go to PAL Web
  2. In the What's ( stock ) trading at? selection box, choose your desired stock
  3. Click the play button ( ) next to your selected stock
  4. To make PAL stop the report, click the stop button ( )
To add a stock for PAL to report on:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Stock Quotes
  3. Each stock currently available for PAL to report on appears as a row in the data grid. To add a stock by entering the URL, including the ticker symbol for the stock (if you'd prefer to enter a list of ticker symbols in a wizard, go to step 4):
    1. Click to place your cursor in the Friendly Name column on the first blank row (the one with the asterisk to the left) and enter your desired Friendly Name for the stock (the name you will say to hear the report)
    2. In the Symbol column, enter the ticker symbol for the stock
    3. In the Stock Quote Web Address ( url ) column, enter the URL for the stock. The web address is "http://moneycentral.msn.com/detail/stock_quote?Symbol=" followed by the ticker symbol
    4. In the X,Y Pos'n column, enter the X, Y coordinates of the point that you would like to have in the upper left corner of the PAL Browser window, on the PAL Web tab, when the web page opens.  Leave this column blank for 0,0 (the upper left point of the web page will appear in the upper left corner of the PAL Browser window on the PAL Web tab
    5. Click Apply to add the web page (or Cancel to clear the new entry)
  4. To use a wizard to enter a single stock or a list of stocks:
    1. Click Add Stock Quote...
    2. In the Adondo - PAL Web Presets browser that opens, enter the ticker symbol(s) for the securities you would like to add
    3. Click Save
    4. Make sure that the new web stock appears in the data grid in the Options / Web Presets tab.  Note that the default friendly name is the official name for the security.  If appropriate, change it to a friendly name that you will remember and can easily say, so that PAL will recognize it
To delete a stock from the list of those that PAL will report on:
  1. Go to the Options / Web Presets tab
  2. In the View / Edit this Preset Group selection box, choose Stock Quotes
  3. Select the row for the stock that you want to delete by clicking in the left-most column for that stock in the data grid
  4. Click Delete Row
  5. Click Apply (or Cancel to undo the deletion)
Accessibility

 

Enabling Automatic Query Refresh

 

If you create a PAL Sheet that uses web queries to retrieve data, the Microsoft® Excel 2003 warning about Automatic Query Refresh will appear on your screen (possibly hidden behind the PAL interface) each time you load the sheet. You must click Enable automatic refresh to acknowledge the warning and access the sheet. Alternatively, you can permanently acknowledge the warning so you can access these sheets without being at your computer. To do so, you make a single new registry entry to your computer (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Options "QuerySecurity" = dword: 00000002). To make this entry using an automated script, click on the underlined words below (then when prompted, click Run, then Yes, then OK; and finally permit the script if necessary):

 

Click these words to permanently acknowledge Excel's Automatic Query Refresh warning

 

If Excel is running when you permanently acknowledge the warning, you must exit and then re-launch Excel for it to take effect. If PAL is also running, you should re-boot your PC, as PAL may keep Excel running in the background.

 

If you permanently acknowledge the warning, it will be acknowledged for all query refreshes on your PC. You can undo the permanent acknowledgement by removing the registry entry.  To remove the registry entry:
  1. Click the PC Start button, then click Run
  2. In Open:, type: regedit
  3. Click OK
  4. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Options
  5. Click on QuerySecurity to highlight it, press the Delete key, then click Yes
Warning: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Adondo cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. For more information about modifying the registry, refer to the following article: 256986

Email Read Receipt

 

Emails that you receive that generate a request for a read receipt can cause PAL to stop responding until you acknowledge the request. To stop requests for read receipts, set Outlook to Never send a response:
  1. In Outlook, go to Tools / Options
  2. Click E-mail Options...
  3. Click Tracking Options...
  4. In the section on how to respond to requests for read receipts, choose Never send a response
PAL Outlook

 

PAL can tell you your appointments, access your contacts, read your email, and take dictation.

 

Contacts

 

Overview

 

PAL reads information from your Outlook Contacts database.

 

After adding a new Contact or changing Contact data, you must close and then re-launch PAL to enable access to that new information.

 

PAL will recite information for Contacts located in the Outlook Contacts folder, but not for Contacts located in sub-folders within the Contacts folder.

 

PAL only accesses the active Outlook profile. Only one profile can be active at a time. Profiles are managed in the Mail folder in the computer’s Control Panel.

 

Commands (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands)

 

The Contacts command is:
where < Contact Friendly Name > is a PAL designation defined (based on Outlook Contacts fields) as follows:
  • < Nickname + Last Name >  ( if you've entered a nickname for the Contact )
  • < First Name + Last Name >  ( if you haven't entered a nickname, but have entered a first name for the Contact )
  • < Title + Last Name >  ( if you haven't entered a nickname or first name, but have entered a title for the Contact )
  • < Company + Last Name >  ( if you haven't entered a nickname, first name, or title, but have entered a company for the Contact )
  • < Last Name >  ( if you haven't entered a nickname, first name, title, or company for the Contact )
For example, say "What’s the home address for Joe Smith?"

 

If you create a new Contact by going to Contacts, clicking New, and then entering the name in the field to the right of the Full Name… button, Outlook automatically attempts to parse the name into its components: Title, First, Middle, Last, and Suffix.  If the Outlook name-parsing process is overridden, or it executes improperly, then some name components may be assigned the wrong fields. This can result in jumbled and/or unusable Friendly Names.

 

You can see the results of the parsing by clicking the Full Name… button. You can also enter the name directly into the component fields after clicking Full Name....
If you click on a field or name in the Options / Contacts tab, PAL will read the information for that name and field over the device selected in Local Audio Output on the Options / General Settings tab.

 

Fields

 

PAL can read any of a variety of fields associated with a Contact. You can see the available fields in the PAL Options / Contacts tab.

 

Available Fields

 

Calendar

 

Overview

 

PAL reads the appointments listed in your Outlook Calendar for the day, week, or weekend that you request. It will also tell you the date and the day of the week of a particular day and/or date that you specify.

 

PAL only accesses the active Outlook profile. Only one profile can be active at a time. Profiles are managed in the Mail folder in the computer’s Control Panel.

 

Commands (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands)

 

The Calendar commands are:
where <specified date> includes…

 

day:     [ today / tomorrow / the day after tomorrow / yesterday / the day before yesterday ]

 

          ( next / last / this ) [ Monday / Tuesday / … / Sunday ]

 

          ( next / last / this ) [ June 1st, ( 2004 ) / etc. ]

 

relative date:   [ a = one / two / three / four ] [ day(s) / week(s) / month(s) / year(s) ] from < day >

 

week / weekend:   ( the ) [ week / weekend ] ( of ) [ June 1st, ( 2004 ) / etc. ]
Email

 

Overview

 

PAL reads unread email from Outlook. It does not read email that is marked as read. PAL marks an email as read when it finishes reading it (or when you say "Next message" after interrupting the reading). PAL also flags the email with a flag as it begins to read it. PAL can delete email messages or save them to a folder that you specify.

 

PAL announces when new email arrives by saying "Excuse me, you have new mail". If a junk email or other type of automatically filed email arrives in the Inbox PAL will announce its arrival, but the message already will be filed and PAL will not be able to read it.

 

PAL only accesses the active Outlook profile. Only one profile can be active at a time. Profiles are managed in the Mail folder in the computer’s Control Panel.

 

Fields

 

To change the fields that PAL reads for each email:
  1. Go to the Options / Email tab
  2. Check the boxes for the fields that you would like PAL to read
PAL can read any of the following fields:

PAL can play audio attachments in the form of MP3 or WAV files, but not WMA files.

 

Mail Interest

 

To prioritize the reading of email using Hot Contacts:
  1. Go to the Options / Email tab
  2. Select your desired Mail Interest
    • All – all unread email will be read (in the Sort Order specified)
    • Hot Contacts First – email from your list of Hot Contacts will be read first (in the Sort Order specified), and then email from other senders will be read (in the Sort Order specified)
    • Hot Contacts Only – only email from Hot Contacts will be read (in the Sort Order specified)
To designate contacts as Hot Contacts:
  1. Go to Outlook Contacts
  2. Open the Contact you wish to designate as a Hot Contact
  3. Click the Categories… button
  4. Check the Hot Contacts box
  5. Click OK, then Save and Close
Sort Order

 

To select the order in which you would like email read:
  1. Go to the PAL Options / Email tab
  2. Select your desired Sort Order (either Most Recent Mail Last or Most Recent Mail First)

Note: Outlook determines the sort order based on the time the message was received not the time sent. Therefore, PAL will also read emails in the order that the email was received, even though it recites the sent time.

 

Saving Mail

 

You can save, to a folder that you create and specify, email that PAL has either just completed reading or that you have interrupted PAL in reading.

 

To create a folder where you can save email:
  1. Go to Outlook and click File, Folder, and New Folder
  2. Enter a folder name (e.g., PAL Saved Mail)
  3. In Folder contains: select Mail and Post Items
  4. In Select where to place the folder: select Inbox
  5. Click OK
  6. Close and re-launch PAL
  7. Go to the Options / Email tab
  8. In Folder to Save Mail To select the new folder

Send / Receive Options

  1. When PAL launches it automatically invokes a Send / Receive All in Outlook.  This control is located under the Tools menu in Outlook.
  2. When you say "Get my email" or "Read my email" it also invokes a Send / Receive All, but not when you say "Next email."
  3. Due to large emails that may take up to a few minutes to come in, PAL may not have access to all of the arriving email.
  4. Some ways to ensure that you receive all your emails include:
  1. Repeating the command, "Get my email" / "Read my email."

  2. Changing your mail settings in Outlook for Auto Send / Receive.

Navigate to Tools, Options, Mail Setup, Send/Receive.  Check "Schedule as automatic send/receive every..." and choose an appropriate time span.

 

 

Commands (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands)

 

The Email commands are:

(note: the "last" email is the message that PAL read most recently, not the last email received.)

Phone Bridging

 

Overview

 

PAL can connect a call to the phone numbers for your Outlook Contacts.

 

PAL cannot dial the extension in a contact telephone number that includes an extension. PAL will dial the number without the extension. Once the call is connected, if you are prompted by an automated attendant to enter an extension, you may be able to do so using the key pad of your phone, just as you would if you had placed the call without using PAL.

 

Transfer or Conference

 

When you are connected to PAL remotely, PAL can either Transfer or Conference a call to an Outlook contact:
  • Transfer – PAL transfers you to the contact and drops off the line. If you want to talk to PAL after your call to the contact is completed, you must call PAL again.
  • Conference – PAL initiates a conference call between you, PAL, and the contact. During your call, PAL will listen quietly. If you stay on the line after the contact hangs up, PAL will say "Hello, this is PAL", after which you can resume using PAL.
Commands  

To connect a call to an Outlook contact when you are talking to PAL remotely, say (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands):

  • [ Call = Dial ] < name > ( PAL transfers the call and determines which contact number to call based on which are available and the current day / time )
  • [ Call = Dial ] the < phone number > for < name > ( PAL transfers the call )
  • [ Transfer me to ] the < phone number > for < name > ( PAL transfers the call )
  • [ Call = Dial ] < name > ( at = on ) ( the = her = his ) [ home ] ( phone = telephone ) ( PAL transfers the call )
  • [ Call = Dial ] < name > ( at = on ) ( the = her = his ) [ office = work ] ( phone = telephone ) ( PAL transfers the call )
  • [ Call = Dial ] < name > ( at = on ) ( the = her = his ) [ cell = cellular = mobile ] ( phone = telephone ) ( PAL transfers the call )
  • [ Transfer me to ] < name > ( at = on ) ( the = her = his ) [ home ] ( phone = telephone ) ( PAL transfers the call )
  • [ Transfer me to ] < name > ( at = on ) ( the = her = his ) [ office = work ] ( phone = telephone ) ( PAL transfers the call )
  • [ Transfer me to ] < name > ( at = on ) ( the = her = his ) [ cell = cellular = mobile ] ( phone = telephone ) ( PAL transfers the call )
  • [ Conference to ] the < phone number > for < name > ( PAL conferences the call )
  • Conference ( me ) [ with = to ] < name > ( at = on ) ( the = her = his ) [ home ] ( phone = telephone ) ( PAL conferences the call )
  • Conference ( me ) [ with = to ] < name > ( at = on ) ( the = her = his ) [ office = work ] ( phone = telephone ) ( PAL conferences the call )
  • Conference ( me ) [ with = to ] < name > ( at = on ) ( the = her = his ) [ cell = cellular = mobile ] ( phone = telephone ) ( PAL conferences the call )
where < name > is the contact's Friendly Name (please refer to Contacts Commands for the definition of Friendly Name)

 

< phone number > is a Contacts phone number field:
  • cell phone (number) / cellular telephone number / mobile ( phone = telephone ) number
  • [ business = office = work ] ( phone = telephone ) number
  • [ assistant / car / company / home / other / pager ] ( phone = telephone ) number
To have PAL recite a contact's phone number first and then connect a call to that number:
  1. First, say:
    • [ What’s = What is ] the < phone number > [ of = for ] < name >?
  2. After PAL recites the number, say:
    • [ Dial = Call ] [ this = that ] number
  3. After PAL asks (when you are talking to PAL remotely), "Should I conference or transfer this call?" say:
    • Transfer
    • Conference
    or, to cancel the call say:
    • [ Neither = Never mind = Stop = Don't call ]
    • < PAL's Name >
If a Contact has two business or home phone numbers (i.e., Business and Business 2, Home and Home 2), PAL will recite both when the number is requested, and will bridge a call to the first of the two numbers.
Send Audio Email

 

Overview

 

You can send audio email (i.e., emails that include a .wav audio file, containing a message you record, as an attachment) to your Outlook Contacts. You can also send audio email as a reply to an email that you receive. When the recipient clicks on the .wav file attachment, their media player (e.g., Windows Media Player) plays the audio recording over their default speakers.

 

The subject line of all audio emails reads "Personal Audio Link Message" and the body is a sentence that asks the recipient to listen to the audio attachment.

 

Personal Closings

 

To end an email recording, either pause for 3 seconds, or pause for a second and say a Personalized Closing (e.g., "Thank you", "Talk to you soon"), which the recipient will hear at the end of the email. You can set multiple Personal Closings in the Options / Email tab, and then use different closings in different messages. For your Personal Closings, avoid phrases that you commonly use in your messages, so when you say the common phrase in midst of the message, it does not end your recording unexpectedly.

 

To set Personal Closings:

  1. Go to the Options / Email tab
  2. Enter a new Personal Closing in the Personal Closing box
The default Personal Closing is "Regards" (i.e., if you do not enter a Personal Closing in the Email tab, you end your recordings by either pausing for 3 seconds or by pausing for a second and then saying "Regards").

 

Commands (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands)

 

To send an Audio Email to an Outlook Contact:
  1. Say:
    • [ Record = Send = Start = Write ] [ an email = a message = an email message ] to < name >
    where < name > is the Contact's Friendly Name (please refer to Contacts Commands for the definition of Friendly Name)

     

    For example, say "Send an email to Jim Smith"
  2. After PAL asks (for example), "An e-mail to Tony Davis.  Is that right?" say "Yes" (or, say "No" to discontinue)
  3. After PAL says, "I'm recording now..." begin recording your message
  4. When you are finished recording, end the recording by either pausing for 3 seconds or by pausing for a second and then saying a Personal Closing (e.g., "Regards")
  5. After PAL asks "Should I send this email?" say "Yes" to send the message (or, "No" to not send - PAL will then ask if you want to save it as a draft)

To send an audio email reply after PAL finishes reading an email (i.e., after you say "Read my email), say:

  1. Say:
    • [ Record = Send = Start = Write ] a reply
    • Reply to ( the ) sender
    • Reply to [ this = that ] [ email = message = email message ]
    • [ Record = Send = Start = Write ] a reply to all   ( to also send the reply to addresses on the Cc: list )
    • Reply to all   ( to also send the reply to addresses on the Cc: list )
  2. After PAL asks (for example), "Reply to that message.  Is that right?" say "Yes" (or, say "No" to discontinue)
  3. After PAL says, "I'm recording now..." begin recording your message
  4. When you are finished recording, end the recording by either pausing for 3 seconds or by pausing for a second and then saying a Personal Closing (e.g., "Regards")
  5. After PAL asks "Should I send this email?" say "Yes" to send the message (or, "No" to not send - PAL will then ask if you want to save it as a draft)

Note: If you delete an email by hand while PAL is reading it to you over the phone or microphone, you can still send a reply to that message because PAL has temporarily stored a copy of it.  However, once you have told PAL to move onto the next message, you cannot send a reply.

 

New Drafts Include

 

For audio email, you can control whether PAL sends an MP3 audio file as an attachment to the email, a transcription of your message in the body of the email, or both.

 

Please note that transcription accuracy will very likely be lower than the recognition accuracy you can achieve in giving PAL commands. You should experiment with the transcription by creating messages, saving them as a draft, and then viewing the transcription, before sending transcription in messages.

 

To set what you would like to include in the audio email you send using PAL:

  1. Go to the Options / Email tab
  2. Select your desired New Drafts include setting
    • JUST the MP3 File as attachment – to send only an MP3 file ( the default setting )
    • JUST the written Transcription – to send only the transcription
    • BOTH the MP3 and Transcription – to send both an MP3 file and the transcription
Pending Audio Email

 

If you hang up with PAL and there is pending audio email ( audio email that you have recorded but not yet sent ), PAL can either send the email or save it as a draft.

 

To set the pending audio email hang-up setting:

  1. Go to the Options / Email tab
  2. Select your desired On Phone hang-up setting for pending audio email
    • SEND any pending Audio E-mail  – to send pending audio email, upon hang-up ( the default setting )
    • don't send - just SAVE as a Draft – to save pending audio email as a draft, upon hang-up
Call Out

 

PAL can call you with a wake-up call, or just call you back. It can also call with appointment reminders and notify you of email received from Hot Contacts.

 

Phone Number

 

To set the phone number that PAL will call when it calls you:
  1. Go to Options / General Settings
  2. Enter the phone number you want PAL to call in PAL will call this number to reach you
Wake-up Call

 

PAL can wake you up and provide the weather, your next appointment, and the number of unread emails in your Inbox. PAL wakes you by calling you at the number you specify on the Options / General Settings tab in PAL will call this number to reach you.

 

To have PAL wake you up, say:

  • Wake me up [ in / at ] < number of minutes / time >

For example, say, "Wake me up in five hours," or "Wake me up at seven am."  You could also say "Wake me up tonight at ten."

 

After PAL asks you to confirm your wake up time, say "Yes" if it is correct or "No" if you do not want PAL to call you at that time.

 

Call Back

 

To have PAL call you back (at the number you specify on the Options / General Settings tab in PAL will call this number to reach you), say:
  • Call me back [ in / at ] < number of minutes / time >

For example, say, "Call me back in twenty minutes," or "Call me back at three pm."

 

After PAL asks you to confirm your call back time, say "Yes" if it is correct or "No" if you do not want PAL to call you at that time.

 

Appointment Reminders

 

You can set PAL to call you when an appointment reminder goes off. PAL will call you at the phone number on the Options / General Settings tab in PAL will call this number to reach you).

 

To set PAL to call you when an appointment reminder goes off:

  1. Go to Options / General Settings
  2. In PAL will call you when... select your desired setting
    • an appointment reminder goes off - if you want PAL to call you only with appointment reminders
    • either one (a reminder, or an e-mail) - if you want PAL to call you with appointment reminders and with hot contact email alerts
Urgent Email Alerts

 

You can set PAL to call you when an email arrives from a Hot Contact. PAL will call you at the phone number on the Options / General Settings tab in PAL will call this number to reach you).  

To set PAL to call you when an email arrives from a Hot Contact:

  1. Go to Options / General Settings
  2. In PAL will call you when... select your desired setting
    • an urgent, hot-contact e-mail arrives - if you want PAL to call you only when an email arrives from a hot contact
    • either one (a reminder, or an e-mail) - if you want PAL to call you with appointment reminders and with hot contact email alerts
To designate contacts as Hot Contacts:
  1. Go to Outlook Contacts
  2. Open the Contact you wish to designate as a Hot Contact
  3. Click the Categories… button
  4. Check the Hot Contacts box
  5. Click OK, then Save and Close
Do Not Disturb

 

You can set the time window during which PAL will not call you with appointment reminders and urgent email (it will still call you back or wake you up during this window if you request it to do so).

 

To set the Do Not Disturb time window (the default setting is from 10:00 pm to 8:00 am):
  1. Go to Options / General Settings
  2. In Do not disturb me from... set your desired time window
Audio Notes

 

Overview

 

You can recite information to PAL, and PAL will save it as both an audio recording of your voice and as text. PAL stores the information in an email in the PAL Audio Notes folder, which is inside your Outlook Inbox. The audio .wav file is attached to the email and the text dictation appears in the body of the email. For best results in the text dictation, speak as fluidly and as clearly as possible and keep the note reasonably short.

 

Commands (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands)

 

The Notes commands are:
  • [ Record = Start = Take ] ( a = my ) note  -  to begin recording
  • Cancel ( the = my ) note  -  to cancel a Note while recording
  • Save ( the = my ) note  -  to save a Note when you’re done recording
PAL Sheets ( Excel )

 

Overview

 

PAL uses PAL Sheets, which are Excel Workbooks that have been formatted for access by PAL, to provide a wide range of information (e.g., enterprise or personal data, information from the internet), using voice. You create the commands and responses you desire. A PAL Sheet can be readily created from any blank workbook or from any existing Excel data.

 

The PAL Data tab shows a list of the PAL Sheets that are available. To have PAL tell you what PAL Sheets are available, say (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands): To load a PAL Sheet, say:
For example, say, "Look up periodic table" or "Load state information."
Once a PAL Sheet is loaded, the commands are unique to that particular sheet. You can see the Commands and the Records for that sheet in the PAL Data tab. If you "look up" another sheet, PAL will not recognize the commands for the first sheet. You must look up the first sheet again for PAL to recognize the commands for the first sheet.

 

Name and Location

 

PAL Sheet workbooks must be:

 

After creating a new PAL Sheet, you must close and then re-launch PAL to enable access to that new sheet.

 

Structure and Format

 

The active information (commands, responses, records, and elements) is stored on Sheet2 of the workbook. It is often useful to have Sheet1 include a description of the sheet and a list of commands and responses, but it can include any information in any format.  Other sheets in the workbook can be left blank or populated as desired (e.g., with information that Sheet2 will reference, such as shown on the Data and Calculations sheet of Sample.xls

 

There can be NO blank rows or columns imbedded in Sheet2 (i.e., no gaps). Similarly, there can be NO blanks cells imbedded in Rows 1 and 2, or in Column A, of Sheet2. It is possible to have blank cells elsewhere in Sheet2. PAL always will speak any Row 2 response, but will be silent as to the content of any blank cell.

 

Records

 

Records are items about which information is retrieved and recited. Examples of records include names of people, places, companies, products, substances or species. Records always are in Sheet2 Column A, starting with Cell A3 and going down. It is helpful to put a column heading for the records in cell A3 (technically, a record) and put the record names in cells A4 and below.  In order for PAL to retrieve information, these records are incorporated into PAL commands.

 

See an Example of Records ...

 

Records can be entered as plain text (e.g., Tony Davis) or as a cell reference (e.g., =Sheet3!A4).

 

More about Records ...

 

Commands

 

Commands are located in Sheet2 Row 1, starting with Cell B1 and going to the right. They always contain the term "record" delimited by angled brackets (i.e., <record>). After hearing your request, PAL will attempt to match your request to the commands in Row 1 and the record labels in Column A.

 

See an Example of Commands ...

 

Flexible commands can be built, using brackets and equals signs, to enable you to retrieve the same information from a PAL Sheet using slightly different phrases. All synonymous phrases are placed within brackets, with equal signs between the phrases. There can be multiple synonymous phrases.

 

For example, for the command that is written... ...PAL will recognize any of the following phrases: The commands in cells C1 to G1 in the Active Information sheet of Sample.xls illustrate the use of flexible commands.  There are limitations to bracketing:

Commands can be entered as:

  • What hospital is <record> affiliated with
  • What are the notes for <record>?
  • ="[What is = What's] the "&E3&" [of = for] <record>"

More about Commands ...

 

Responses and Elements

 

Responses are located in Sheet2 Row 2, starting with Cell B2 and going to the right. They always contain the term "element" delimited by angled brackets (i.e., <element>) and often also contain the term "record" delimited by angled brackets (i.e., <record>), referring to the labels in Column A.

 

See an Example of Responses ...

 

Responses are best programmed as exact parallels to the corresponding command. For example, in response to the question, "What's the so-and-so for <record>?" PAL should say, "The so-and-so for <record> is <element>." A response like "<record's> so-and-so is <element>" might confuse the user into thinking that a possessive command is okay, when in fact, PAL may not be programmed to recognize that possessive structure at all.

 

Elements are the information, related to a record, that PAL retrieves and recites. They are located in the cells to the right of Column A and below Row 2.

 

See an Example of Elements ...

 

In speaking, PAL always recites the VALUE of a cell, including any calculated result. PAL is not able to recite Excel formulas.

 

Responses and elements can be entered as: More about Responses and Elements ...

 

Example Sheets

 

PAL comes with functioning, example PAL Sheets and PAL Sheet templates that you can use to create you own PAL Sheets. For more information on these examples and templates, open the individual sheet and view the Notes tab.

 

Example PAL Sheets

 

Example PAL Sheets are located in the folder C:\Program Files\Adondo PAL\Sheets. In addition to being examples, each of these sheets are active - you can hear the information in the sheets using PAL. PAL Sheets Templates

 

PAL Sheets templates are located in the folder C:\Program Files\Adondo PAL\Templates
Scripts

 

A script is a combination of a command and the response that PAL will say in return.  You can modify Scripts as you desire (i.e., change, add, or delete). Customizing Scripts, in a way, personalizes PAL. If you like, you can make PAL seem almost human!

 

To create or change scripts:
  1. Go to the Options / PAL Scripts tab
  2. Modify scripts as you desire in USER SCRIPTS. Each row in the table is a different script
    1. Change scripts by modifying the text in the cells - User Command is what you say and PAL Response is what PAL says in return
    2. Add scripts by entering your desired command and response in a new blank row (contains an asterisk in the far left column)
    3. Eliminate scripts by highlighting and then deleting rows
    4. To have more than one command generate the same response, duplicate the row and change the command (brackets do not create alternative commands as they do in PAL Sheets)
Alarms

 

Alarms are phrases that you create and that PAL will announce, after calling a phone number that you set, or over your speakers (the speakers selected in Local Audio Output on the Options / General Settings tab), at a specified time each day.

 

To create or change alarms:
  1. Go to the Options / PAL Scripts tab
  2. Add or modify alarms as you desire in DAILY ALARMS. Each row in the table is a different alarm.
    1. In the Set column, enter on to activate the alarm or off to deactivate the alarm
    2. In the Time column, enter the time of day you want the alarm announcement to occur (e.g., 6:00 AM, 11:15 PM)
    3. In the Pattern column, enter the pattern of days on which you would like to the alarm announcement. For example you could enter:

      daily

      weekdays

      weekends

      Mon, Tue, Fri

      weekends, Wed, Thu

    4. In the Method column, enter either the phone number you would PAL to call to announce the alarm phrase, or enter Speakers if you would like PAL to make the announcement over your speakers (the speaker device you have set in Local Audio Output on the Options / General Settings tab)
    5. In the PAL Message column, enter the alarm phrase that you would like PAL to announce
Desk Tools

 

Calculator

 

PAL performs calculations, including chained calculations (i.e., takes the result of a calculation and performs another calculation with that result).

 

The Calculator commands are (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands):

  • [ Calculate = What’s = What is = How much is ]   #.#   < operation >  #.#
  • [ Calculate = What’s = What is = How much is ] the square root of   #.#
where  #.#  includes...

 

any positive or negative number (with or without a decimal point), or "the number pi". It also includes "that number" or "that value" (the last in a chained calculation)

 

and < operation > includes...

 

plus, added to, minus, subtracted from, take away from, times, multiplied by, percent of, divided by, divided into, into

 

For example, say, "What's eight point six times three?"

World Clock

 

From the clock on you computer, PAL provides the current date and time as well as the time in select world cities.

 

The World Clock commands are (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands):

where < city > includes...

 

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Geneva, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, Munich, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Rome, San Francisco, Seoul, Tokyo, and Toronto
Dictionary

 

PAL will spell words that you recite.  It also will get synonyms and antonyms for words.

 

The Dictionary commands are (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands):

Exchange Rates

 

PAL provides the currency exchange rate between two countries. It retrieves the data from the internet each time you ask for it.

 

The Currency Exchange command is (please refer to Nomenclature for the nomenclature on written commands):

where < country one > and < country two > are the names of the countries for which you want the exchange rate 
All PAL Commands

 

Wake Up PAL Locally
Please refer to Security: Wake / Sleep for more details.
Put PAL to Sleep

Interrupt

Interrupt causes PAL to stop speaking and is recognized when PAL is speaking

Continue

Continue phrases cause PAL to pick up where it stopped and are available after PAL has been interrupted

Jump Forward / Back

Jump forward / back phrases cause PAL to skip forward or back in its response, and then continue ( can be done while PAL is interrupted or while PAL is speaking )

Repeat
Repeat phrases cause PAL to repeat that last thing that it said
Applications

Confirm

PAL asks for you to "confirm" when you tell it to delete an email or to cancel or delete a note

Deny

Calendar

where < specified date > includes…

 

day:     [ today / tomorrow / the day after tomorrow / yesterday / the day before yesterday ]

 

           ( next / last / this ) [ Monday / Tuesday / … / Sunday ]

 

           ( next / last / this ) [ June 1st, ( 2004 ) / etc. ]

relative date:   [ a = one / two / three / four ] [ day(s) / week(s) / month(s) / year(s) ] from < day >

 

week or weekend:   ( the ) [ week / weekend ] ( of ) [ June 1st, ( 2004 ) / etc. ]

Contacts

Email

Send Audio Email

Record Audio Notes

Phone Bridging

Call Back / Wake up

PAL Sheets List

PAL Sheets

The commands in PAL Sheets are unique to each individual sheet. Open the PAL Sheet file to view the commands.

PAL Web List

Podcasts

Songs and Playlists

Radio Stations

RSS Feeds

Web Pages

Documents

Traffic

Weather

Stock Quotes

Exchange Rates

Scripts

Please refer to Scripts for a description of how to use script grammars

Calculator

where #.#  includes...

 

any positive or negative number (with or without a decimal point), or "the number pi". It also includes "that number" or "that value" (the last in a chained calculation)

 

and < operation > includes...

 

plus, added to, minus, subtracted from, take away from, times, multiplied by, percent of, divided by, divided into, into

Dictionary

World Clock
where city includes...

 

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Geneva, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, Munich, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Rome, San Francisco, Seoul, Tokyo, and Toronto

Speech Profiles

This command will immediately assign the <speech recognition profile name> as the default profile for the device you are currently using (either local or remote) in the PAL Options / Speech Profiles tab

Greetings

Help

Operational Details

 

Launching PAL will launch Outlook, if it is not already open. However, it is best to open Outlook first and, if connected to a server (such as a Microsoft® Exchange Server), allow the system to achieve Connected and All folders are up to date (in the lower right corner of the Outlook screen) prior to launching PAL.

 

Like many Windows programs, PAL can take some time to shut down. Furthermore, in shutting down, the software and/or its component processes might "hang" in the background, causing problems. The Windows Processes associated with PAL are: The Windows Task Manager (Ctrl-Alt-Del/Processes) displays each of these processes and their associated memory consumptions (if visible as an open window, PAL also will be listed as a Windows Application). Upon shutting down PAL, each of the above applications should shut down independently (except Outlook, which may stay open). If any of the above processes hang, you may wish to End Task manually, and/or reboot your PC.

 

If you shut down Outlook with PAL running, the Outlook interface should close, but Outlook will continue running (viewable in the Processes list). In this state, PAL can access your Outlook information. To view the Outlook interface again, simply open Outlook as you normally would.

 

When you install PAL, the default location for the new Adondo PAL folder is C:\Program Files. There are 5 folders within the Adondo PAL folder: If you uninstall PAL using the Add or Remove Programs Control Panel, the Adondo PAL folder and the Config and Sheets folders within the Adondo PAL folder will not be removed, because they contain files that you might have changed. If you wish, you can manually delete these folders and the files within them.

 

Troubleshooting

 

Launch Errors

 

Problem: Upon launch, the following Windows Security Alert appears:
   

      

 
  This message appears if Microsoft® Service Pack 2 is installed on the computer.

 
Try: Click Unblock, and the alert should not appear again.

 
Problem: Upon launch, PAL says "The local microphone, used before, may have been removed. Check Options: General Settings." This probably means that a new local audio device (e.g., a USB handset) has been installed in the PC, or that a device previously selected as a local audio device has been removed from or is not properly plugged into the PC.

 
Try: Go to the PAL Options / General Settings tab and make sure that the selected Local Audio Input and Local Audio Output devices are the ones you want to use to talk to and listen to PAL locally. Make sure that they are properly installed in the PC. Then, close and re-launch PAL.

 
Problem: PAL takes several minutes to launch, and finally says "I'm not able to connect to the Internet so some features may not be available." This means that PAL cannot make Internet web queries for information such as weather and currency exchange rates.

 
Try: Assure that your PC is connected to the Internet and that Internet Explorer can browse web sites successfully. If your PC can access the Internet, then likely there is a minor problem with Windows Sockets (WinSock), the application that provides the TCP/IP interface under Windows. Often a utility called WinsockXPFix.exe can repair WinSock and other TCP/IP irregularities. This utility can be downloaded from: http://www.adondo.net/downloads/WinsockxpFix.exe.

 
Problem: The screen appears to have stripes in the background.

 
Try: Go to the PC desktop, right click on the desktop, and then click Properties to get to the Display Properties window. Go to the Settings tab, and make sure Color quality is set on Highest (32 bit).  Click Apply.

 
Problem: PAL shuts down and displays an error saying that PAL.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. When you go to the PC Start / Administrative Tools / Event Viewer and then open the Application list, there is an error that when you open it (double click), the Description reads "Faulting application pal.exe, version ...., faulting module ntdll.dll, version ...., fault address ....."  For example:
   

      

 
Try: Go to the PC Start / Control Panel / Add or Remove Programs.  Click Add/Remove Windows Components and when the Windows Components Wizard appears, confirm that the Indexing Service is not checked.  If it is, uncheck it and click Next. Reboot the PC and re-launch PAL.

 
Problem: After launching PAL, a Limited Permissions message reading "Adondo PAL requires full Computer Administrator permissions. Please log off Windows and log back on with a User Account that has full Computer Administrator permissions" appears.

 
Try: Change your account type to a Computer Administrator:
  • Log off your PC user account and log back on in a Computer Administrator account.
  • Go to Start / Control Panel / User Accounts / Change an Account.
  • Click on the account in which you would like to use PAL, then click "Change the account type".
  • Select Computer Administrator and then click "Change Account Type".

Outlook Issues

 

Problem: PAL reads the phone number of a contact as one large number (such as 6 million one hundred thousand...).

 
Try: This problem occurs when the phone numbers in your Outlook contacts are formatted incorrectly.  Outlook should format the numbers automatically unless you have not specified a location under Phone and Modem Options.
  • Go to Start / Control Panel / Phone and Modem Options.
  • Select the Dialing Rules tab and click New.
  • Enter the Location name (ex. Home) and your local area code in the specified areas. Then click OK to apply the settings.
  • You may need to go into your Outlook contacts and try re-entering the phone number. Once you have specified your location the number will format automatically.
Problem: PAL no longer reads emails after the user has changed the Outlook profile to a different email address.

 
Try: Shut down PAL completely, then re-launch it.  PAL does not automatically refresh Outlook, so whenever you make a change in Outlook, you must re-start the program in order for PAL to recognize the change.

 
Problem: PAL will not play an audio email attachment.

 
Try: Make sure that the attachment is either an MP3 or WAV file.  PAL does not play WMA files.

 

Phone Problems

 

Problem: When calling PAL remotely, a voice recording says "The person you are calling is not available…" or some other similar message. The top line of the PAL Telephone tab may read, "Unable to Connect" or "Microphone Only" (PAL can poll the VoIP connection only occasionally, so this indication is delayed), and the phone number at the bottom of the PAL interface may appear in brown text. This means that the PAL Telephone is either not registered or has temporarily lost its registration.

 
Try: Ensure proper PC setup Call PAL again
  • Wait a few minutes, then call PAL again. If the PAL Telephone has temporarily lost its registration, it may come back automatically.
Manually refresh the connection
  • Go to the PAL Telephone tab and click the Refresh button ( ).
  • If that doesn't work, close and re-launch PAL, then call PAL again.
Avoid computer network conflicts
  • Make sure that your PALConnect number is being used in only one version of PAL. If two or more versions of PAL are running with the same PALConnect number (e.g., on more than one PC), a conflict occurs and the results are unpredictable (e.g., the wrong PC answers, neither PC answers, a busy signal occurs, a “not available” message begins immediately). If the conflicting PCs are part of the same network (share the same firewall or use the same DHCP addressing) then both PCs may need to be restarted. In rare cases, the number may be temporarily disabled. However, service should resume automatically after a few minutes.
  • Certain PC remote access capabilities, such as Windows XP Remote Desktop Connection, can interfere with PALConnect connectivity. The effect is unpredictable. Often PAL will no longer be able to detect inbound phone calls. Ironically, inbound calls may succeed while the remote access session is in progress. Then, after the session finishes, inbound calls may start failing. This problem can persist for some time, or indefinitely. For reliable operation, avoid remote PC access sessions.
If your PC is behind an enterprise firewall, the firewall settings may need to be modified Check PALConnect service

PAL Doesn't Respond

 

Problem: When I speak to PAL using a PC-based microphone and speakers, PAL does not seem to hear me at all and/or I don’t hear PAL at all. You can see if PAL’s local audio input (e.g., microphone) is hearing anything by going to the Watch Screen tab and observing whether the LOCAL Microphone meter is registering any sound and whether any text is displayed as you speak.

 
Try: Ensure proper PC setup
  • Confirm that your PC is turned on and that the PAL software is open on your PC.
Speak the necessary wake-up / security phrase
  • If you are using PAL locally, make sure PAL is awake by saying PAL's name (if you have not set wake-up security) or the wake-up security phrase (if you have set wake-up security). Note: If you are using Local Wake-Up Security and PAL is asleep, the Watch Screen will show automatically on the third consecutive unsuccessful recognition of the wake-up security phrase.
Confirm local audio devices
  • Make sure that your local audio devices are plugged in, turned on, and that the volume levels are set high enough.
  • Confirm that your local devices are selected in the PAL Options / General Settings tab for Local Audio Output (e.g., speakers) and Local Audio Input (e.g., microphone).
  • At the bottom of the PAL interface, if the Mute / UnMute icon reads UnMute, click it. Note: Upon three consecutive Failed Recognitions, the Watch Screen will appear automatically.  On the fifth consecutive Failed Recognition, PAL will mute automatically and the following screen will appear (to un-mute PAL, click UnMute on the PAL interface):

 

The Failed Recognition counter resets to zero when PAL mutes automatically, goes to sleep, recognizes a command, switches to remote mode (i.e., when you call PAL from a telephone), and when PAL launches.
Reset local audio devices
  • Go to the PAL Options / General Settings tab. Change your Local Audio Output device to a different device than the one selected, then, re-select your speakers. Likewise, change your Local Audio Input device to a different device than the one selected, then, re-select your microphone.

PAL Doesn't Understand

 

Problem: PAL keeps saying "Please try again", "Excuse Me", "I’m sorry", "I missed that", or a similar non-recognition phrase. This means that PAL hears you but does not recognize what you are saying. To see what PAL thinks you are saying, view the PAL Watch Screen tab and observe the text as you speak.

 
Try: Speaking and PAL commands
  • Say exact PAL commands.  PAL looks for an exact match between what you say and its programmed commands (please refer to All PAL Commands for details). For PAL Sheets, make sure that you have asked PAL to load the sheet (e.g., "Look up state information") before making commands for that sheet.
  • Position your audio device and speak the same way as when you performed speech training.
  • If you have renamed PAL and if you have set up a security phrase(s), use those commands and not "PAL" (please refer to Security: Wake / Sleep for details).
  • Perform more training for your speech profile(s) (please refer to Speech Profiles for details).
  • If you are asking PAL for Outlook Contact information (e.g., "What's the cell phone number for Bob Jones), make sure that you are saying the proper Friendly Name for the Contact (please refer to Contacts Commands for details on Friendly Name). Also make sure the Contact is located in the Outlook Contacts folder. PAL will not recite information for Contacts located in sub-folders within the Contacts folder.
  • Note that if PAL misunderstands you five consecutive times, it will automatically mute.  If this happens, you will need to click the "UnMute" icon at the bottom of the screen.
Confirm proper PAL setup

PAL Keeps Talking

 

Problem: Background noise or conversation not intended for PAL is causing PAL to continuously say, "Please try again", "I’m sorry", etc. through your local speakers. This is because PAL is listening, awake, and hearing words that are not PAL commands.
  • PAL listens through the local microphone selected as Local Audio Input in the Options / General Settings tab
  • PAL launches in sleep mode and wakes up when it recognizes the appropriate wake-up phrase (PAL's Name or wake-up security phrase). Words that sound like "PAL" can cause PAL to wake up if you have not renamed PAL or set a wake-up security phrase
  • While awake, PAL will say, "Please try again" if it hears words / phrases that are not PAL commands
Try: Mute / PAL

 

To stop PAL from listening through your local microphone without closing the PAL application:
  • To mute PAL, click the Mute icon at the bottom of the PAL interface
  • To un-mute PAL once it is muted, click the UnMute icon at the bottom of the PAL interface
Shutdown PAL

 

To exit the application entirely:

  • Right click on the PAL icon in the system tray and click Shutdown PAL

PAL Sheet Problems

 

Problem: PAL says, "Sorry, there was an error loading <sheet file name>" (e.g., "Sorry, there was an error loading Periodic Table") when you try to look up a PAL Sheet.

 
Try: Confirm that Sheet2 of the workbook (the second tab) contains the active data (commands, responses, records and elements).

 

Make sure that there are no blank cells embedded in the range of data in Sheet2.

 

Clear all entries and formatting that are outside the range of data in Sheet2 (there might be formatting that is not visible in the cells, but that is causing an error):

  • Close PAL and open the problem sheet (sheets are located in C:\Program Files\Adondo PAL\Sheets). On Sheet2, which contains the active data, highlight all columns to the right of the range of data (an easy way to do this is to highlight the first column to the right of the range, hold down the Shift and Ctrl keys, and press the right arrow key). In the Excel menu, go to Edit, Clear, and click All.
  • On Sheet2, highlight the rows below the range of data (highlight the first row below the range of data, hold down the Shift and Ctrl keys, and press the down arrow key). In the Excel menu, go to Edit, Clear, and click All.
  • Save and close the sheet, re-launch PAL, and try to look up the sheet again.
Note: Deleting columns and/or rows can leave hidden formatting behind, causing continued problems. The surest method is to Clear the contents rather than to Delete the rows and/or columns.

 
Problem: When you try to load a PAL Sheet, PAL says, "Sorry, <your name>, a reference to a record is missing in the search phrase in column __." This means that in Row 1, in the column PAL mentions, the <record> reference is either missing or formatted incorrectly.

 
Try: Open the PAL Sheet (sheets are located in C:\Program Files\Adondo PAL\Sheets) and go to the second tab. Check the command in the column that PAL references in the error message, and make sure that that there is "<record>" reference and that there are no spaces between the word and the angled brackets that both precede and follow the word (i.e., <record>). Save any changes to the sheet, close and re-launch PAL, and try loading the sheet again.

 
Problem: When you try to load a PAL Sheet, PAL says, "Sorry, <your name>, there's an error in column __." This means that there is an error in the command (Row 1), in the column PAL mentions.

 
Try: Please refer to PAL Sheets Commands for a description of how commands are structured in PAL Sheets.

 
Problem: When you try to load a PAL Sheet, PAL says, "Sorry, <your name>, I couldn't load the commands for <sheet file name>." This means that there is an error in the commands (Row 1) and/or the records (Column A)  in the sheet.

 
Try: Please refer to PAL Sheets Structure and Format, PAL Sheets Commands and PAL Sheets Records for a description of how commands and records are structured in PAL Sheets.

 
Problem: When you try to load a PAL Sheet, PAL says, "Sorry, <your name>, I couldn't load the data for <sheet file name>." This means that there is a problem with the data in the body of the sheet.

 
Try: Open the PAL Sheet (sheets are located in C:\Program Files\Adondo PAL\Sheets) and go to the second tab. Make sure that the data in the sheet has not been deleted and that it appears normal.