- Accessibility
- Accessibility Thorium Reader is for everyone, including people who are blind or have other types of visual, cognitive or motor disabilities. The application is compatible with accessible technologies like screen readers, including JAWS, NVDA, Narrator and VoiceOver. It includes a read-aloud feature with visual highlighting. Thorium Reader can be used with the mouse or the keyboard, and keyboard shortcuts are configurable. The display can be customized to meet the needs of users, including colors, text size, spacing, font and layout.
- Reading with a screen reader
- Reading with a screen reader When launching Thorium, if a screen reader is detected, the relative functions are activated. Note that screen readers use a separate buffer to access the HTML content which results in the visual scroll / page offset to be out of sync. In other words, Thorium is generally not aware of the user's current reading location inside the screen reader buffer, unless the screen reader user triggers standard web API events (such as mouse click anywhere in the text, or keyboard tab into focusable HTML elements).
- Minimum system requirements
- Platform support is provided by Electron as defined in Electron github repo Readme Each Electron release provides binaries for macOS, Windows, and Linux. macOS (Big Sur and up): Electron provides 64-bit Intel and Apple Silicon / ARM binaries for macOS. Windows (Windows 10 and up): Electron provides ia32 (x86), x64 (amd64), and arm64 binaries for Windows. Windows on ARM support was added in Electron 5.0.8. Support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.
- Functions
- library functions Icon Function Description Notes Shortcuts Add book Next book Previous book Close (the book information panel) Open book menu (gives access to the Book File, allows to Delete and Export a book) Search Book list view Book grid view Indicates that the action is finished, for example when importing a book Save a copy of the book file. Opens a system window to select the folder where to save the file.
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Information The Shift key is represented by an empty arrow pointing up on some keyboards: ⇧ . The Ctrl key is replaced by Cmd key on Mac keyboards. Create annotation (`AnnotationsCreate`) Alt + Ctrl + Shift + KeyA When a text is selected, it will be marked as annotation and the annotation dialog box will open to allow additional text and select of color and stroke. Quick create annotation (`AnnotationsCreateQuick`) Alt + Ctrl + Shift + KeyQ When a text is selected, it will be marked as annotation without opening the annotation dialog box Toggle annotation marks in the margin or in the text (`AnnotationsToggleMargin`) Alt + Ctrl + Shift + KeyZ Changes the Annotations marks from the text to the margin or reverse.
- Supported publication formats
- EPUB (Electronic PUBlication) is an open file format for electronic publications. EPUB is a native semantic format allowing to use numerous standardised languages such as HTML, ARIA, MATHML, SVG and others. The actual version 3 is known to provide the best up to date reading experience. Obsolete EPUB2 files are also readable in Thorium. DAISY Usually produced and distributed by specialized libraries or NGOs, the DAISY format offers a significantly enhanced reading experience for ebooks that are not available in EPUB3.
- Glossary
- Book information panel (Book Details) Gives information about the digital book. This information is extracted from the file's metadata, its quality and quantity depends on the the attention paid during the production of the file by the publisher. Adapted books These are digital books produced by associations and made available to people with disabilities for reading. Worldwild, this system is governed by The Marrakech Treaty . OPDS Open Publication Distribution System
- Frequently asked questions
- How can I enjoy Thorium in Fullscreen? Ctrl + F11 in a reader window, will toggle this window fullscreen. Note that this is different from the Zen mode available from the top right pictogram. Keyboard shortcut is the only way to go full screen. Why can't I open an ebook without it being save in the Thorium Reader library? Thorium, like several other ebook readers and reading systems stores imported publications in its own filesystem space, as this provides a guarantee that per-publication state and external metadata (e.
- Stuck?
- If you do not find the answer to your problem on this site, you can tell us your problem via our support tracking tool or contact form. Here is the information we need: Operating system and it version Thorium version (it is indicated at the bottom of the library under the title About Thorium)
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Ressources
- 1: Accessibility
- 2: Reading with a screen reader
- 3: Minimum system requirements
- 4: Functions
- 5: Keyboard shortcuts
- 6: Supported publication formats
- 7: Glossary
- 8: Frequently asked questions
- 9: Stuck?
1 - Accessibility
Accessibility
Thorium Reader is for everyone, including people who are blind or have other types of visual, cognitive or motor disabilities. The application is compatible with accessible technologies like screen readers, including JAWS, NVDA, Narrator and VoiceOver. It includes a read-aloud feature with visual highlighting. Thorium Reader can be used with the mouse or the keyboard, and keyboard shortcuts are configurable. The display can be customized to meet the needs of users, including colors, text size, spacing, font and layout.
Accessibility information
Currently Thorium displays in the Book information panel, the accessibility information provided by the publisher. Thorium displays this information as it was defined. In case of doubt or complaint, please contact the distributor or the publisher of the file.
2 - Reading with a screen reader
Reading with a screen reader
When launching Thorium, if a screen reader is detected, the relative functions are activated.
Note that screen readers use a separate buffer to access the HTML content which results in the visual scroll / page offset to be out of sync. In other words, Thorium is generally not aware of the user's current reading location inside the screen reader buffer, unless the screen reader user triggers standard web API events (such as mouse click anywhere in the text, or keyboard tab into focusable HTML elements).
warning Attention !
Accessibility features addressed to assistive technologies are strongly affected by the quality of the book files.
Keystrokes common to NVDA and JAWS
(contribution from Prashant Verma, DAISY Consortium)
For reading text, navigating in tables, navigating in the browser window, the insertion key can be replaced by the modifier key of the screen reader (e.g. the Caps Lock key).
Quick keys for navigation
The screen reader must be in navigation or virtual cursor mode.
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Next title | H |
| Next table | T |
| Next chart | G |
| Next list | L |
| Next form field | F |
| List of elements | INSERT + F7 (works regardless of cursor mode) |
Use the above keys with the Shift key to move to the previous item.
Text
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Previous character | ← |
| Next character | → |
| Previous word | Ctrl + ← |
| Say Next word | Ctrl + → |
| Previous line | ↑ |
| Next line | ↓ |
| Previous sentence | Alt + ↑ (Jaws only) |
| Next sentence | Alt + ↓ (Jaws only) |
| Read all | INSERT + ↓ |
| Announce Font | INSERT + F |
Tables
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Cell to the right | Alt + Ctrl + → |
| Cell to the left | Alt + Ctrl + ← |
| Cell below | Alt + Ctrl + ↓ |
| Cell above | Alt + Ctrl + ↑ |
3 - Minimum system requirements
Platform support is provided by Electron as defined in Electron github repo Readme
Each Electron release provides binaries for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
- macOS (Big Sur and up): Electron provides 64-bit Intel and Apple Silicon / ARM binaries for macOS.
- Windows (Windows 10 and up): Electron provides ia32 (x86), x64 (amd64), and arm64 binaries for Windows. Windows on ARM support was added in Electron 5.0.8. Support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 was removed in Electron 23, in line with Chromium’s Windows deprecation policy.
- Linux: The prebuilt binaries of Electron are built on Ubuntu 20.04. They have also been verified to work on:
- Ubuntu 18.04 and newer
- Fedora 32 and newer
- Debian 10 and newer
Thorium 3.0 has memories issues under Linux, as documented in Issue 2519
4 - Functions
library functions
| Icon | Function | Description | Notes | Shortcuts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Add book | |||
 | Next book | |||
 | Previous book | |||
 | Close (the book information panel) | |||
 | Open book menu (gives access to the Book File, allows to Delete and Export a book) | |||
 | Search | |||
 | Book list view | |||
 | Book grid view | |||
 | Indicates that the action is finished, for example when importing a book | |||
 | Save a copy of the book file. | Opens a system window to select the folder where to save the file. The bookmarks are not present in this exported file. | ||
 | Bookmarks | |||
 | Icon Indicates that the book is being added to Thorium. This indication is not currently given to screen reader users. |
Reading functions
| Icon | Function | Description | Notes | Shortcuts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Return to library (closes the book being read) | |||
  | Open book information panel | Ctrl + i | ||
 | Go to the library | |||
| Search in the publication | Ctrl + f | ||
 | Reading settings | Ctrl + s | ||
| Next content | |||
| Previous content | |||
   | Adds or removes a bookmark | Ctrl + b | ||
 | Opens or closes the navigation panel | Gives access to the table of contents, bookmarks, bookmarks and reference pagination | Ctrl + n | |
 | Full screen | Ctrl + F11 |
Reading settings
User settings & preferences panel for the display of the publication content. Ctrl + s
| Icon | Function | Description | Notes | Shortcuts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text: Change the font size | |||
 | View / Layout : Scroll (text scrolls up and down) | |||
 | Display / Layout : Paginated | |||
 | Automatic Alignment | |||
 | 1 column | |||
 | 2 columns |
Navigation
| Icon | Function | Description | Notes | Shortcuts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Edit (the name of a Bookmark | |||
| no icon (text mention) | Table of contents | Shift + Ctrl + n | ||
| no icon (text mention) | Reference pages menu | Shift + Ctrl + p |
Audio playback (Pré recorded orTTS synthetic voice)
| Icon | Function | Description | Notes | Shortcuts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Activate audio functions | |||
 | Pauses audio playback | Ctrl + 2 | ||
 | Starts audio playback | Ctrl + 2 | ||
 | Goes to the next audio portion (depending on the book production) | Ctrl + 3 | ||
 | Goes to the previous audio portion (depending on the book production) | Ctrl + 1 | ||
 | Stops audio playback | Ctrl + 4 |
5 - Keyboard shortcuts
Information
The Shift key is represented by an empty arrow pointing up on some keyboards: ⇧ .
The Ctrl key is replaced by Cmd key on Mac keyboards.
- Create annotation (`AnnotationsCreate`) Alt + Ctrl + Shift + KeyA
- When a text is selected, it will be marked as annotation and the annotation dialog box will open to allow additional text and select of color and stroke.
- Quick create annotation (`AnnotationsCreateQuick`) Alt + Ctrl + Shift + KeyQ
- When a text is selected, it will be marked as annotation without opening the annotation dialog box
- Toggle annotation marks in the margin or in the text (`AnnotationsToggleMargin`) Alt + Ctrl + Shift + KeyZ
- Changes the Annotations marks from the text to the margin or reverse.
- Next audio (`AudioNext`) Ctrl + Digit3
- in reader window, calls the "next" command for audio (TTS or EPUB3 Media Overlays readaloud, or "forward" for audiobooks)
- Next audio Alternative (`AudioNextAlt`) Alt + Ctrl + Shift + Digit3
- in reader window, calls the "next" command for audio (TTS or EPUB3 Media Overlays readaloud, or "forward" for audiobooks)
- Play or pause audio (`AudioPlayPause`) Ctrl + Digit2
- in reader window, calls the "play" or "pause" toggle commands for audio (TTS or EPUB3 Media Overlays readaloud)
- Previous audio (`AudioPrevious`) Ctrl + Digit1
- in reader window, calls the "previous" command for audio (TTS or EPUB3 Media Overlays readaloud, or "rewind" for audiobooks)
- Alternative previous audio (`AudioPreviousAlt`) Alt + Ctrl + Shift + Digit1
- in reader window, calls the "previous" command for audio (TTS or EPUB3 Media Overlays readaloud, or "rewind" for audiobooks). Alternative shortcut key.
- Stop audio (`AudioStop`) Ctrl + Digit4
- in reader window, calls the "stop" command for audio (TTS or EPUB3 Media Overlays readaloud, or "pause" for audiobooks)
- Close the book (`CloseReader`) Ctrl + KeyW
- in reader window, closes the window and returns to the library view.
- Fixed Layout Zoom In (`FXLZoomIn`) Ctrl + Digit9
- Zoom in a fixed layout page
- Fixed Layout Zoom out (`FXLZoomOut`) Ctrl + Digit8
- Zoom out a fixed layout page
- Fixed Layout Zoom (`FXLZoomReset`) Ctrl + Digit0
- Reset to 100% zoom on a fixed layout page
- Main content(`FocusMain`) Ctrl + F10
- in reader and library windows, moves the keyboard focus to the "main" area landmark (in the reader view, this is immediately before the frame that displays publication content)
- Go to page (`FocusReaderGotoPage`) Ctrl + Shift + KeyP
- in reader window, moves the keyboard focus to the "goto page" section in the navigation panel
- Navigation (`FocusReaderNavigation`) Ctrl + KeyN
- in reader window, moves the keyboard focus to the navigation panel (table of contents, bookmarks, etc.)
- Table Of Content (`FocusReaderNavigationTOC`) Ctrl + Shift + KeyN
- in reader window, moves the keyboard focus to the navigation panel, but more specifically into the table of contents, and if possible at the detected heading / closest to the reading location.
- Reader settings (`FocusReaderSettings`) Ctrl + KeyS
- in reader window, moves the keyboard focus to the settings panel (user preferences for displaying publication content)
- Search (`FocusSearch`) Ctrl + KeyF
- Available from the library and the reading winfos. In library window, moves the keyboard focus to the search text input of local bookshelf or OPDS feed. In reader window, moves the keyboard focus to the publication-wide search text input.
- Toolbar (`FocusToolbar`) Ctrl + KeyT
- in reader and library windows, moves the keyboard focus to the top horizontal toolbar, immediately before the "skip" link (which itself moves focus to the "main" area landmark)
- Next chapter (`NavigateNextChapter`) Alt + Ctrl + Shift + ArrowRight
- in reader window, move to previous or next "chapter" (spine item in the reading order of the publication). Note that the keyboard focus is automatically moved to the "main" area landmark, which is immediately before the frame that displays publication content (just like when following / activating a link in the table of contents).
- Next chapter (`NavigateNextChapterAlt`) Ctrl + PageDown
- in reader window, move to previous or next "chapter" (spine item in the reading order of the publication). Note that the keyboard focus is automatically moved to the "main" area landmark, which is immediately before the frame that displays publication content (just like when following / activating a link in the table of contents).
- Next History (`NavigateNextHistory`) Ctrl + Shift + Backspace
- in reader window, go back or forward in the navigation history: Beginning or End of the publication
- Next library page (`NavigateNextLibraryPage`) Ctrl + Shift + ArrowRight
- In the library view, display the next set of books
- Next library page alternative(`NavigateNextLibraryPageAlt`) Ctrl + Shift + Period
- In the library view, display the next set of books (alternative keyboard shortcut)
- Next Catalogue page (`NavigateNextOPDSPage`) Ctrl + Shift + ArrowRight
- in library window for Catalogues (OPD) feeds, activates the next pagination links
- Next Catalogue page (`NavigateNextOPDSPageAlt`) Ctrl + Shift + Period
- in library window for Catalogues (OPD) feeds, activates the next pagination links (alternative keyboard shortcut)
- Next page (`NavigateNextPage`) ArrowRight
- in reader window, move to previous or next "page" (or scroll unit, if pagination is disabled)
- Next page (`NavigateNextPageAlt`) Ctrl + Period in reader window, move to previous or next "page" (or scroll unit, if pagination is disabled)
- Previous chapter (`NavigatePreviousChapter`) Alt + Ctrl + Shift + ArrowLeft
- in reader window, move to previous "chapter" (spine item in the reading order of the publication). Note that the keyboard focus is automatically moved to the "main" area landmark, which is immediately before the frame that displays publication content (just like when following / activating a link in the table of contents).
- Previous chapter (`NavigatePreviousChapterAlt`) Ctrl + PageUp
- in reader window, move to previous "chapter" (spine item in the reading order of the publication). Note that the keyboard focus is automatically moved to the "main" area landmark, which is immediately before the frame that displays publication content (just like when following / activating a link in the table of contents).
- Previous History(`NavigatePreviousHistory`) Ctrl + Backspace
- in reader window, go back or forward in the navigation history: Beginning or End of the publication
- (`NavigatePreviousLibraryPage`) Ctrl + Shift + ArrowLeft
- In the library view, display the previous set of books
- (`NavigatePreviousLibraryPageAlt`) Ctrl + Shift + Comma
- In the library view, display the previous set of books (alternative keyboard shortcut)
- Previous Catalogue page (`NavigatePreviousOPDSPage`)
- Ctrl + Shift + ArrowLeft
- Previous Catalogue page (`NavigatePreviousOPDSPageAlt`) in library window for Catalogues (OPD) feeds, activates the previous pagination links (alternative keyboard shortcut)
- Ctrl + Shift + Comma
- Previous page (`NavigatePreviousPage`) ArrowLeft
- in reader window, move to previous or next "page" (or scroll unit, if pagination is disabled)
- Previous page (`NavigatePreviousPageAlt`) Ctrl + Comma
- in reader window, move to previous or next "page" (or scroll unit, if pagination is disabled)
- Go to Begining of the book (`NavigateToBegin`) Ctrl + Home
- in reader window, goes to the beginning of the publication
- Go to end of the book (`NavigateToEnd`) Ctrl + End
- in reader window, goes to the end of the publication
- Book information panel (`OpenReaderInfo`) Ctrl + KeyI
- in reader window, publication info popup modal dialog (may be used in future Thorium version for similar feature in library window)
- where am I (quick notification supported by Screen readers) (`SpeakReaderInfoWhereAmI`) Ctrl + Shift + KeyK
- in reader window, this is the "where am I" feature, just as above, but only spoken via screen reader TTS thanks to an ARIA live region with assertive speech which interrupts the current narration.
- where am I (`OpenReaderInfoWhereAmI`) Ctrl + Shift + KeyI in reader window, publication info popup modal dialog with direct keyboard focus on section that displays the headings hierarchy trail and other contextual information for the current reading location, such as nearest preceding page break, as well as document index in the reading order (this is the "where am I" feature).
- Next search result (`SearchNext`) F3
- in reader window, when the publication-wide search text input is open, finds the previous / next match
- SearchNextAlt Ctrl + KeyG
- same as above (alternative keyboard shortcut)
- previous search result (`SearchPrevious`) Shift + F3
- in reader window, when the publication-wide search text input is open, finds the previous / next match
- (`SearchPreviousAlt`) Ctrl + Shift + KeyG
- same as above (alternative keyboard shortcut)
- Bookmarks (`ToggleBookmark`) Ctrl + KeyB
- in reader window, toggle bookmark (a notification is produced so that screen readers announce the change)
- Fullscreen (`ToggleReaderFullscreen`) Ctrl + F11
- In reader window, toggle fullscreen. Note that this is different from the Zen mode. Keyboard shortcut is the only way to go full screen.
6 - Supported publication formats
- EPUB
- (Electronic PUBlication) is an open file format for electronic publications. EPUB is a native semantic format allowing to use numerous standardised languages such as HTML, ARIA, MATHML, SVG and others. The actual version 3 is known to provide the best up to date reading experience. Obsolete EPUB2 files are also readable in Thorium.
- DAISY
- Usually produced and distributed by specialized libraries or NGOs, the DAISY format offers a significantly enhanced reading experience for ebooks that are not available in EPUB3. Thorium supports reading DAISY 3 and 2.02, both in their text only, audio only, and syncronised text and audio.
- despite a well-known lack of flexibility (no reflow option) and accessibility, many ebooks are still available in PDF only, especially in public libraries.
- Audiobooks
- a standardized format for audiobooks has been designed by the W3C Publishing Working Group in 2020, and EDRLab was part of this WG. Thorium is supporting the packaged (LPF) audiobook format, which will soon be widely used by booksellers, or so we hope.
- Visual narratives
- EDRLab has designed a standard format for comics, manga, webtoons and other styles of digital works based on sequances of images. Divina is the name of this format. This is still an experimental format, and we hope that publishers will size it in 2021+.
7 - Glossary
- Book information panel (Book Details)
- Gives information about the digital book. This information is extracted from the file's metadata, its quality and quantity depends on the the attention paid during the production of the file by the publisher.
- Adapted books
- These are digital books produced by associations and made available to people with disabilities for reading. Worldwild, this system is governed by The Marrakech Treaty .
- OPDS
- Open Publication Distribution System
8 - Frequently asked questions
- How can I enjoy Thorium in Fullscreen?
Ctrl + F11 in a reader window, will toggle this window fullscreen. Note that this is different from the Zen mode available from the top right pictogram. Keyboard shortcut is the only way to go full screen.
- Why can't I open an ebook without it being save in the Thorium Reader library?
Thorium, like several other ebook readers and reading systems stores imported publications in its own filesystem space, as this provides a guarantee that per-publication state and external metadata (e.g. bookmarks, settings, annotations, DRM status, etc.) can be reliably attached.
If you need to open files without using advanced reading features, and want to keep a manual maintenance of ebook files, you can consider using an alternative. A possibility is the Readium2 “test app”, a basic reader-only app (i.e. no library / bookshelf) which provides rudimentary support for ebook features (bookmarks, highlights), with a crude user interface designed for testing the SDK. You may give it a try using the automated builds from Readium2 “test app”GitHub’s releases page
Adding a "one shot reading" feature is not on our road map. Neither is the maintenance of a public stable web reader.
- Why is there no read aloud nor annotations for PDFs?
- EDRLab considers that EPUB 3 is a far better ebook format than PDF, and therefore prioritises its work on offering a great experience to EPUB users. In Thorium Reader, advanced features like TTS and annotations are consequently available for EPUB first, and we expect that other app developers will get the best from PDF files. It does not mean that advanced features will never be available on PDF in Thorium, simply that our limited budget is used for what we consider best for ebook readers.
- I can't select the adequate voice for read aloud function (TTS)
- Thorium uses the voices from the computer's operating system, in combination with the language information provided by the book.
- If you are using windows you can follow Microsoft’s guide Download the language pack for voice.
- If you are using Mac OSX the guide Change the voice that the Mac uses to pronounce text.
Once the required voice is installed, Thorium will choose the voice corresponding to the language of the book.
It may happen that the book has the wrong language. In this case, Thorium allows you to change the voice to one that is present in the system via the Voice menu
- How can I transfer the entire book collection from one machine to another?
- Having a UI for exporting the whole catalog is not a priority currently.
The publications are stored in a well-known directory.
- on Windows10: C:\Users\myname\AppData\Roaming\EDRLab.ThoriumReader\publications\
- on MacOS: /Users/myname/Library/Application Support/EDRLab.ThoriumReader/
In case of a migration from one computer to another or similar usecases, you can copy all ebook files in this repository and open them in the new installation of Thorium.
9 - Stuck?
If you do not find the answer to your problem on this site, you can tell us your problem via our support tracking tool or contact form.
Here is the information we need:
- Operating system and it version
- Thorium version (it is indicated at the bottom of the library under the title
About Thorium)