E-Scape 'EYEGAZE' control
Document ver 1.4 (no pics)     7 April 2015	E-Scape ver 2.19.14 

Everything in E-Scape can be done using a series of pop-up menus which can be operated with one or more switches, MIDI notes (from any MIDI drumpad, keyboard or controller), as well as computer keyboard or mouse.
So even if you can only move one part of your body you can operate the whole system to compose or perform. 

But what if you are 'locked in', and can't move any part of your body, just your eyes?
With E-Scape's new 'Eyegaze' mode you can. The menus can fill the screen, and each item can be selected by keeping the mouse cursor on it ('dwelling') for a set time. This allows an 'eyegaze' user to operate it - the position where the eye is looking controls the mouse cursor, and it the eye is kept on an item for the set time ('dwell time'), then the item will automatically be 'pressed'. A moving bargraph shows how the dwell time is progressing. You can change this time, to suit your eye control.
Also when you are carrying out an editing operation in the score window (eg transposing a note up), you can dwell in the bottom panels to continue (eg transpose up one more step), or finish the operation.

Opening the main menu
Simply dwell in the bottom right 'info' panel, and the dwel timer will start. After it has finished, the main menu will open

Operating in Menus
When a menu opens it fillls the screen.

You can 'rest' by looking at the title / heading (shown in orange above, although the colours can be changed).
If you look (ie move the mouse cursor) into the main menu area, then the built-in 'Dwell' system will operate:
- If you move the cursor into a menu item, a dwell timer starts for that item, with a graphic marker showing how the time is progressing. You can change the colour of this marker.
- If you move the cursor to another item before the timer has finished, then the new item starts the timer again.
- If the timer does complete, then that menu item is selected (just as if you had clicked the mouse button, or pressed Enter).

You can have a 'Turn Dwell OFF' item in menus (shown in red). Dwelling on this will temporarily turn off dwell, so you can explore a menu. For those menus which play music (eg choosing an Instrument or Step Duration) turning off Dwell will enable you to hear all the music in an item. You can set not to have this item if you don't want it.

Operating in the Score window
The two bottom panels at the bottom of the Score act as switches when you are doing various automated 'repeating' operations, eg to move to the next bar or tranpose a note:
(a) The bottom right 'information panel' acts to select the next item. (This is equivalent to pressing 'Switch 2' (or Spacebar).
(b) The bottom left 'action button' acts in two ways:
(i) if nothing is happening, then it will start playback of the score. You have a time gap to get your cursor out of the button (ie look up) - currently this is approx 2 seconds.  Again this can be changed. [ * feedback requested *].
After this time, if you enter this button then playback will stop.
(ii) if you are doing a repeated operation or audition, then entering the bottom left button will finish an operation. (This is equivalent to pressing Switch 1 or Enter). 
There is no dwell timer in this case - the operation will finish almost immediately you enter the action button, although there is a small time gap where you can flick into the box and out again without causing the operation to stop.  At present this time gap is 0.3 seconds, but we can alter this in future, or have it as a user setting [Feedback requested].

Auto-repeat
You can choose to 'auto-repeat' certain operations without needing to dwell in the bottom right panel - operations covered are moving the step cursor, changing note pitch or position, and selecting notes. The default setting for new users is for this to be ON. 
When you select one of these operations (eg 'Repeat move notes') from a menu, you need do nothing (dwell in the main part of the score window), and the action will happen repeatedly. To stop the operation, dwell in the bottom left 'action panel' as usual. A further menu then allows you to go back or forward one step, in case you missed the place you wanted.

Instrument menu
In eyegaze mode the normal 16 groups of GM sounds are split into two 'bank' menus, so as not to have to many items on the screen. Each bank has 8 'types of sound', and a ''MORE...'' item at the bottom which allows you to jump between the two banks.

Starting and stopping playing
If no operations are in progress, then  dwelling in bottom left 'action button' will simply play the whole score. Dwell there again to stop. A helper can also press Enter or Esc to stop play.

Helping
If the eyegaze user is getting tired, a helper is able to assist.
1. You can interrupt the dwell cursor, by clicking on an item - using mouse or touchscreen:
- In a menu, clicking on an item will activate it immediately. 
- In the Score window bottom right info panel, a click will immediately open the menu.

2. You can also use the keyboard:
(a) In menus, if the cursor is in the 'rest' area (menu heading), then various keys operate:
  - Esc will cancel the menu.
  - Cursor keys or spacebar will jump to different items. 
  - Enter will select the item.

(b) In the score window, when doing operations if the cursor is 'resting' in the score window, E-Scape will audition the music present. In this situation, the cursor keys can also be pressed:
If transposing, then up/down cursor keys will transpose notes. 
If moving notes, the left/right cursor keys will move notes.

Settings 
These are altered by opening the Settings window - shortcut S.  (This temporarily turns off eyegaze mode).
Eyegaze settings are in the third menu [shortcut Alt- E].
When finished, press S again to close the window.

Turning on and off
As well as in the Settings menu, there is a shortcut to turn Eyegaze on/off from the Score window: Ctrl- Shift- Y
With Eyegaze mode on, the menu buttons at the top of the score become inactive, and show blank.
In addition the bottom left 'Action' panel can be made wider, and both bottom panels can be made higher, making it easier to dwell in.

Other settings
NB. At present, these settings need to be done using the mouse or keyboard.

1. The dwell time - how long you need to stay within an area to activate it.

2. How many columns of menu items (set separately from normal non-eyegaze mode).

3. The position and size of the menu title panel: 
    - The position can be on the right of the screen, or the top. The default setting is at the top.
    - The width or height respectively can be set to be 1/4, 1/3 or 1/2 the width / height of the screen. 

4. The size of menu text  (set separately from normal mode, and larger).

5. The width of the bottom left 'action' button (1/4,1/3  or 1/2 the screen width).

6. The height of the bottom action button and info panel.

7. The colour of the dwell cursor.
       (Menu colours can also be set - open the 'Visual/Aural' menu -> Colours...

8. Whether there is 'auto-repeat' of operations.

9. Whether or not there is a 'Turn Dwell OFF' item in menus.

10. You can set the mouse cursor to jump into the 'rest area' (title bar) when the menu first opens. 
NB. This is useful if trying things out using a touch screen, mouse or trackball, but can cause problems with some settings using 'Camera Mouse' for head tracking.
   
If this feature is turned off, then the cursor will stay where it last was, so when a new menu opens it will immediately start the dwell timer on an item.

 'Scroll Notes' performing
In this performing mode moving the mouse cursor sideways will play whatever notes or chords are under the cursor (in the active track), but it doesn't matter where you are vertically on the score.

NB. For Eyegaze users, this feature is not finished - a helper needs to stop and start, and can change track using up/down cursor keys.
Shortcuts: Shift- G to turn on;    Enter to turn off

There is now the option to play without having to press the mouse button.
To set: In settings window: 'Perform' menu -> 'Scroll Notes - Mouse button mode'.

Also, if you move the cursor into the bottom panels, then notes are NOT played. This lets you move 'silently' to different parts of the score.

The above also applies when performing in mode 'Scroll segments" (shortcut G).

Other useful Utilities
Some features are not specific to Eyegaze mode, but can be useful.

1. Auto-save scores: E-Scape can save each Score after a set time interval - assuming it has been changed. You can choose various times, or turn the feature off.
To do: In the Settings Window, open Score menu -> ''Set Score auto-save time interval''.
The Score is saved as normal within your User folder, and overwrites the previous version (you are not asked about it).   NB. A backup version is not made (saved in Backups folder within your User folder), as it is when you do a manual ''Save'' or ''Save As''.
2. Backing up saved MIDI files to a chosen location: You can set a folder where backups are automatically made when you save a score as a MIDIfile. This could eg be a Dropbox folder or external drive.