Read by Zaweba's settings: hotkey, tray and update check
The few settings in Read by Zaweba: the screen grab hotkey, opening grabs for checking, staying in the tray, and an optional daily update check.
Read by Zaweba keeps its settings short. There are four things you might change: the hotkey for the screen text grab, whether a grab opens in Read's window for checking, whether Read stays in the notification area, and whether it checks once a day for updates. Each one changes how Read fits into your day rather than how it reads.
The settings are stored in a small file, settings.json, in %APPDATA%\Zaweba\Read.
The screen grab hotkey
The screen text grab freezes the screen and lets you drag round any text, which Read then reads and copies. The default hotkey is Win+Shift+T. If Windows or another program has already claimed that, Read uses Ctrl+Shift+T instead. The status bar shows which hotkey is active, so you don't have to guess.
You can change it in Settings. Pick something you'll remember and that doesn't clash with shortcuts you use in other programs. If a grab doesn't start when you press the keys, the status bar is the first place to look, because it tells you what Read actually registered.
Opening the grab result
By default a grab is quick: the text goes to the clipboard with a notice, and you paste it. If you'd rather check every grab before using it, change the setting so the result opens in Read. You then see the captured area beside its text, ready to correct.
You can also do this one grab at a time without changing the setting: hold Shift as you finish the grab, and that result opens in Read.
Staying in the notification area
The hotkey only works while Read is running. If you close the window, the grab would normally stop working. Turn on the setting that keeps Read in the notification area and it carries on in the background after you close the window, so the hotkey is always ready.
That suits anyone who grabs text often: copying error messages, numbers from pictures, text from videos or slides. If you only use Read now and then for scans, you may prefer it to close completely.
The update check
Read's daily update check is off by default. Read works offline, and nothing leaves the PC except language packs you choose to download. If you want to hear about new versions, turn the check on in Settings; leave it off and Read never contacts anything on its own.
Easy slips
Don't pick a hotkey that another program needs; one of the two will lose. Don't expect the hotkey to work after closing the window unless the notification area setting is on.
Settings you won't find here
Read's other choices live where you use them. The engine and layout mode are part of reading a page. Languages have their own tab, where packs are downloaded and removed. Output formats are ticked on the Output tab, and the Batch tab has its own choices for where files go. Keeping Settings small makes it easy to see what Read by Zaweba is doing in the background, which is very little.
