Overview

Editing options: Features like Focus Typing (blurs other content so you can focus on the current paragraph), Typewriter Sound (simulate keyboard sound while typing), and Transliteration (type in English keyboard and convert to target language like Tamil, Hindi etc) 

Read Aloud: A text-to-speech feature that reads your document aloud, helpful for proofreading, language learning, or multitasking. 

Engagement Insights: Analytics for your document—how many times it was opened/viewed, time spent, per page stats, by collaborators. 

Random Text Generator: Insert placeholder/filler text easily using commands like =rand(n) or =rand(x,y). 

Steps

If you want to navigate through or have a preview of only images used in the document, you can use this feature.

To view all images in the document,

1. Click More > Tools tab.
2. Under the Navigation header, click View All Images. This will open a preview of all the images in the document. You can download or edit each image while you preview.
   
   

Editing options

Enable focus typing, typewriter sound, and use the transliteration feature under the editing options of the Tools tab in Writer.

Focus typing

This helps you to focus on the current paragraph you type in your document.

To enable focus typing,

1. Click More > Tools tab.
2. Under Editing header, turn on the Focus Typing button. Now your entire document will look blurred. You can click on the paragraph you want to edit so that it gets highlighted and gives a better focus on the content. Once editing is done, you can disable the focus typing mode.
   
   

Turn on typewriter sound

You have an option to switch on typewriter sounds in Writer. Turn on the sound and start typing.

1. Click More > Tools tab.
2. Under the Editing Header, enable the Typewriter Sound button.
   
   

Using transliteration

Transliteration is a typing service in Writer, that lets you type in any language with an English keyboard. The characters typed will be converted to a similar pronunciation of the target language. For example, in Tamil transliteration, you can type “thamizh” to get “தமிழ்”. Spell the words phonetically (write exactly the way it sounds) to get the desired output. To enable transliteration,

1. Click More > Tools tab.
2. Under the Editing header, turn on the Transliteration service.
3. Now choose the required language in the pop-up that follows. Click OK.
   
   
   
   
4. You can now start typing the content in English and the equivalent text will appear with respect to the chosen language. You will be shown word suggestions as you type and you can choose the one you require.

• Transliteration is different from translation.
• The conversions are made based on pronunciation and not the meaning of the typed word. Currently, Writer supports transliteration in the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu. 
  
• You can send us transliteration language requests and we will work on it in future updates.
  

Read Aloud

1. To proofread your document for errors. The computer voice can help you to identify errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
   
2. To help you understand complex or technical documents. The computer voice can help you to understand the meaning of text that you might otherwise have difficulty understanding.
   
3. To learn a new language. The computer voice can help you to practice listening to and understanding a new language.
   
4. To simply have someone read to you. If you are unable to read yourself, the computer voice can provide you with a way to enjoy reading.
   
5. To multi-task. You can put a document in Read Aloud and continue browsing and doing other tasks.

How to use the Read Aloud feature in Zoho Writer?

1. Open the document that you want to read aloud and open the left panel.
   
2. You can access Read Aloud:
   
1. By right clicking and selecting Read Aloud from the menu.
   
2. On the Tools tab, in the Review group, click Read Aloud.
   
   
   
3. The Read Aloud bar will appear at the top of the document. The computer voice will begin reading the document from the beginning. You can also select a specific section of text to be read aloud by selecting the text before you click Read Aloud. Please note that the whole document will be read if no content is selected.

How to control the reading with the Read Aloud bar?

1. The Play button will start and stop the reading.
   
2. The Pause button will pause the reading.
   
3. The Fast-Forward button will skip ahead and read the next sentence in the reading.
   
4. The Rewind button will go back to the previous sentence in the reading.
   
5. The + or - button will speed up or slow down the reading. The speed can be adjusted by 10 times, from the default speed to 10 times faster or 10 times slower.
   
   
   

When will read aloud be terminated?

Limitations:

Engagement Insights

Engagement insights in Writer is a tracking system that gives you detailed statistics on your document views, opens, and how much time each of your recipient spent on the document. You can view per page analytics or track the statistics for the entire document.

These insights will be useful for you to understand how well the content is received among your audience and get an idea on how the collaborators engage with your content.

To view the engagement insights,

1. Open the required document.
2. Go to More > Tools tab and click on the Engagement Insights option under the Analyser header. Alternatively, click the drop-down near the Share button and choose the "Engagement Insights" option. Learn more on Document Sharing.
   
   
   
3. In the Engagement Insights panel, you can see the statistics on who viewed or opened the document, how much time did each one spent per page or on the entire document.
   
   
   
   
4. You can also track the time spent, pages read, and visits made by each collaborator. Click on any collaborator name to view the engagement statistics of that particular user.
   
   

 Random text generator

Filler text/Random text generator lets you add text to your document to test layout and other design options. Just type in =rand(n) and press Enter, where n is the number of paragraphs you want. For example, if you want five paragraphs of text, type in =rand(5) and press Enter.

Also, typing =rand(x,y) followed by the Enter button, will create x paragraphs with y lines of “lorem ipsum” text.