How do I create a new button?

When customizing a pageset, there may be instances where you would like to create a new button!  This article will explain how to complete this process.

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1. Navigate to the page in the vocabulary file where you would like to add a button. Adding a button is easiest on a page that already has available space.  In this example, we want to add a "lizard" button to the "Pets" page of CoreWord 20.  We know there is available space on this page because there are several grey areas without buttons programmed.

   

2. Select "Menu" in the upper left corner of the screen and select "Edit" from the dropdown menu.  

   

3. You are now in "Edit Mode" and your screen should look like this:

   

4. Select a button where there is not a button currently programmed.  Once you select a button, the "Edit Menu" on the right side of the screen will populate.

   Note: On this page, the open buttons have red X's over them, indicating that they are hidden.  We will adjust this in a subsequent step!

   

5. You may customize the image and label of the button if it is not already programmed (as we did in this case with the "My Pets" button in the image below).  For more information about how to program a button, please see: How do I change a button's image, label, and speech message?

   

6. There is still a red X over the new button, which indicates that it will be hidden outside of "Edit Mode."  To unhide the button, select the downward arrow next to "Properties," and select the "Visible" button so that it turns teal.  This will remove the red X from the new button (which will make it visible when you leave "Edit Mode).

   Note:  You should also make sure that the "Selectable" button is highlighted in teal - this allows the user to press the button.

   

7. If you would like the button to perform an action other than simply speaking, you can program additional actions onto the button.  For more information on how to do that, you may be interested in the following articles:
   1. How do I change a button action?
   2. How do I program a button to open a different page within the vocabulary file?
   3. How do I program a button to open a different pageset?

8. Once you are finished programming, press the green checkmark button in the lower right corner of the edit menu.

   

9. Press the floppy disk save button in the upper left corner of the screen to save your changes. 

   

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Questions?  You are more than welcome to reach out to your local Assistive Technology Specialist:  Find a Specialist | Forbes AAC | Augmentative Communication