portoptscli.adoc

=== PortOptsCLI -- Ports Collection Accessibility

Link: +
link:https://gitlab.com/alfix/portoptscli[Project repository] URL: link:https://gitlab.com/alfix/portoptscli[]

Contact: Alfonso Sabato Siciliano <[email protected]> +
Contact: FreeBSD Accessibility mailing list <[email protected]>

FreeBSD provides the Ports Collection to give users and administrators a simple way to install applications.
It is possible to configure a port before the building and installation.
The command `make config` uses package:ports-mgmt/dialog4ports[] and package:ports-mgmt/portconfig[] to set up a port interactively via a text user interface (TUI).

Unfortunately, screen readers perform poorly with a TUI; it is a well-known accessibility problem.
FreeBSD provides tens of thousands of ports; port configuration is a key feature, but it is inaccessible to users with vision impairment.

PortOptsCLI (Port Options CLI) is a new utility for setting port options via a command line interface.
Properly, PortOptsCLI provides commands to navigate configuration dialogues (checklists and/or radio buttons) and set up their items interactively.
It is also suitable for a speech synthesizer; currently it is tested with package:accessibility/orca[].
PortOptsCLI can be installed via the package:ports-mgmt/portoptscli[] port or package.

Tips and new ideas are welcome.
If possible, send reports to the FreeBSD Accessibility mailing list, to share and to track discussions in a public place.