Notecard Reader HUD Version 2019-11-13

This HUD is a tool to read out the contents of a notecard where each line is prefixed with the owner's name, as if they are typing themselves.

This HUD reads out the contents of ONE OR MORE notecards in local chat whilst skipping formatting in the form of centering and blank lines that you'd normally include in handed-out notecards.

It paces the reading according to line length or you can advance each line manually. You can pause, stop and restart readings.

This is a packaged item of the HUD and instruction notecard.

The following is extracted from the Instruction notecard.

WHO WOULD WANT THIS HUD

If you run discussions, you will want to read out a general introduction followed by the topic summary. Or you can use it for a poetry or book reading.

I wrote this HUD so that one notecard could be BOTH human- and machine-readable. A notecard is easier for a person to read if there are blank lines between the paragraphs. However, you don't want these blank lines to be read out by a HUD.

WHAT IT DOES

This tool reads individual LINES from notecards and converts them to PARAGRAPHS to be read out, one by one. A line is text followed by ONE carriage return. A paragraph is a one or more lines followed by TWO carriage returns.

It skips blank lines and spaces at the start of lines and so you can create one notecard that it easy to be read as is but also can be read automatically.

HOW TO USE IT

1) attach the HUD to the top HUD position
2) add a notecard to the HUD by dragging it from your inventory to the HUD
3) click the HUD for the menu

Actions in the action menu:

Load: read new notecard placed in HUD
Manual: set reading mode to manual, click Next to advance to the next paragraph
Automatic: set reading mode to automatic (default mode), the whole notecard is read out once Started
Next: (in manual mode) read out the next paragraph
Start: begin to read paragraphs out, prefixed by HUD wearer's name
Pause: pause reading
Continue: continue reading from saved position
Stop: stop reading notecard out (repositions to the first line)
Remove: removes the only notecard, all notecards or notecards by name from the HUD
Reload: (re)load the notecards placed in HUD

When attached, it will automatically load any notecards it finds inside, in alphabetical order.

FEATURES

1) skips blank spaces at the beginning of lines and so you can center or indent text

2) converts each notecard paragraph to one spoken line

3) skips blank lines between paragraphs

4) HUD title and colour displays progress (Active, Loading, Ready, Reading, Paused)

5) There are longer gaps after longer lines.

HOW TO CREATE THE NOTECARD

Lay out your notecard as if someone was going to take away to read.

Center or indent text for readability as you like.

Hit return at the end of each line (no single line should have more than 255 characters).

Hit return twice to add a blank line between paragraphs.

If your text doesn't have multi-line paragraphs but you want each line read out separately, put a blank line between them.

Please note that the Notecard Reader HUD cannot read notecards which include links to landmarks or textures.

LOADING MULTIPLE NOTECARDS - NAMING

If you want to load more than one notecard to be read one after the other, add the reading order number to the start of the name of the notecard.

For example:

1 introduction
2 main talk
3 summary

If you have more than 9 notecards, make the sequence numbers 2-digits, e.g., 01, 02 ... 09, 10, 11 ... e.g.,

01introduction
02 chapter 1
03 chaper 2
...
09 chaper 8
10 chapter 9

LOADING MULTIPLE NOTECARDS

The HUD loads notecards that are dragged into it. Add multiple notecards as a group from your inventory so that they are automatically processed in the correct order. Select the required notecards in your inventory using CTRL+Click and then drag the selection onto the HUD.

You can also drag notecards one by one into the HUD.

NOTE: All notecards within the HUD will be reloaded in alphabetical order each time a notecard is added or removed.

PRIVATE MESSAGES

The HUD talks in local chat (usually shown in green text) and privately to the wearer (usually shown in yellow).

Progress messages just seen by the wearer:

- Notecard Reader Active
- Loading notecard
- No notecard found. Place in HUD and re-click.
- Removing notecard
- End of notecard - loaded. Click for menu.
- Problem reading notecard. Remove any landmarks in it.
- Problem reading notecard. Have you added blank lines between paragraphs?
- No text found in the notecard.
- [Starting]
- [Finished]

Progress messages that are said in local chat:

- [Pausing]
- [Continuing]
- [Restarting]
- [Stopped]

QUESTIONS

Please IM Poot Dibou with any problems, suggestions or feedback.

• Useful
• Simple
• Easy
• Versatile