Settings, section by section

The gear at the end of the toolbar opens a full settings view in place. Nothing in it has a save button: every change writes itself and applies to the read already running.

Toolbar

This panel is a working copy of your toolbar, and editing the copy edits the real one.

• Drag an iconTo put it somewhere else in the row.
• Hover or click an iconTo open its options: a show or hide control, and, on some buttons, more.
• Run automatically on openOn the play button, this reads the selection the moment the toolbar opens. On the pick button, it arms the picker when there is no selection. Both can be on at once: a selection is read, and otherwise the picker arms.
• Read only the picked elementIn the pick button's options. On, picking or right-clicking an element reads just that element. Off, which is the default, reading carries on from it to the end of the page.
• Language button appearanceIn the language button's options: its code in the corner, its flag in the corner, or the flag on its own.

Play and the settings gear can be moved but not hidden, since hiding either would leave the toolbar unable to do anything.

Languages and voices

One row per language that any source can speak, which is more than eighty of them. Each row carries a switch (does this language appear in the toolbar's Language menu), a Voices button (its full voice list, by source), and, where Readalix has been translated into that language, a small screen icon that switches the extension's own interface to it. The search box matches the native name, the English name or the country.

Voices and languages covers what is behind the Voices button in full: the six sources, downloads, API keys and sample playback.

Reading

• Pause after each sentenceStops at every sentence end and waits for you to ask for the next one. Off by default.
• Scroll to follow readingKeeps the spoken word in view. On by default.
• Cache synthesized speechKeeps the audio of what has been read so re-reading it is instant. On by default.

The audio cache

The Manage cache button under those switches carries the size of what is stored, and opens the list itself: one row per clip, newest first, with the start of the text and the voice that read it. Each row can be played, downloaded or deleted, and a button at the top clears the lot.

The cache is capped and drops the least recently used clips on its own, so it does not need minding. It is worth knowing about for two reasons: it makes a second read of the same page instant, and it is where to look if you want the audio of something you have already heard.

Highlight colors

A live preview, twelve ready-made colour sets, and pickers for your own, plus a switch for each half of the highlight. Highlighting is the chapter on this one.

Shortcuts

The read shortcut, shown as keycaps, with a Record button to change it and a link to put it back to Ctrl+Alt+R. The rules for what a chord may be are in Playback controls.

Premium

Today's allowance as a meter, what paying removes, and the two prices: $5 a year or $15 once. Browser voices are free and unmetered whatever this section says. Everything else shares 20,000 characters a day, and when that runs out reading continues in a browser voice rather than stopping.

A small banner appears under the toolbar once you have used some of the day's allowance, showing roughly how many minutes are left. It can be dismissed for the day.

About

The version you are on, a note about which voices highlight exactly, credits for the open-source voice engines with a full licence list behind them, and the support address. If you are reporting something, the version number here is the thing to include.