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User Guide

This guide explains how to use Vocalinux effectively.

Getting Started

After installing Vocalinux (see the Installation Guide), you can start the application from the terminal or add it to your startup applications.

Basic Usage

Starting and Stopping Voice Typing

  1. Launch the application: Run vocalinux in a terminal or launch it from your application menu
  2. Find the tray icon: Look for the microphone icon in your system tray
  3. Start voice typing: Click the tray icon and select "Start Voice Typing" from the menu
  4. Speak clearly: As you speak, your words will be transcribed into the currently focused application
  5. Stop voice typing: Click the tray icon and select "Stop Voice Typing" when you're done

Understanding the Status Icons

  • Microphone off (gray): Voice typing is inactive
  • Microphone on (blue): Voice typing is active and listening
  • Microphone processing (orange): Voice typing is processing your speech

Voice Commands

Vocalinux supports several commands that you can speak to control formatting:

Command Action
"new line" or "new paragraph" Inserts a line break
"period" or "full stop" Types a period (.)
"comma" Types a comma (,)
"question mark" Types a question mark (?)
"exclamation point" or "exclamation mark" Types an exclamation point (!)
"semicolon" Types a semicolon (;)
"colon" Types a colon (:)
"delete that" or "scratch that" Deletes the last sentence
"capitalize" or "uppercase" Capitalizes the next word
"all caps" Makes the next word ALL CAPS

Tips for Better Recognition

  1. Use a good microphone: A quality microphone significantly improves recognition accuracy
  2. Speak clearly: Enunciate your words clearly but naturally
  3. Moderate pace: Don't speak too quickly or too slowly
  4. Quiet environment: Minimize background noise when possible
  5. Learn commands: Familiarize yourself with voice commands for punctuation and formatting
  6. Use larger models: For better accuracy, use vocalinux --model medium or --model large

Customization

Keyboard Shortcuts

Vocalinux supports global keyboard shortcuts for starting and stopping voice typing:

  1. Open the application settings from the tray icon menu
  2. Go to the "Shortcuts" tab
  3. Set your preferred keyboard shortcut (default is Alt+Shift+V)

Model Settings

You can change the speech recognition model for better accuracy or faster performance:

  1. Open settings from the tray icon menu
  2. Go to the "Recognition" tab
  3. Select your preferred model size
  4. Choose between VOSK (offline, faster) and Whisper (offline, more accurate)

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, check the Installation Guide troubleshooting section or run the application with debug logging:

vocalinux --debug

Check the logs for error messages and possible solutions.