Shareware Universe - The Gold Collection

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Q & A Study Aid (Q&ASA) User's Guide Version 3.91 April 26, 1992 _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER Hal Endresen Quid Pro Quo Software P.O. Box 1248 Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-1248 CompuServe ID [73760,2032] Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Table Of Contents ----------------- The Association of Shareware Professionals . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Revision Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 A Special Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Q&ASA Command List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The Command Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 /FL - Load A Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 /FS - Save a Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 /FC - Continue with a Saved Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 /FD - Shell To DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 /FX - Exit to DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 /MS - Sequential Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 /MR - Pseudorandom Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 /MC - Clear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 /N - Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 /US - Set Screen Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 /UM - Set Menu Selector Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 /UP - Set Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 /UC - Invoke Q&ASA Compiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 /UD - Decrypt Score File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 /UE - Export Score File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Copyright (C) 1988-1992 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page i Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide /UR - Print Registration Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Scoring Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Answering Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Creating a Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 The Q&ASA Database Compiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Using The Q&ASA Compiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Q&ASA Language Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Terminators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 The Q= and A= Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 The P= Keyword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 The N= Keyword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 The M= Keyword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 The T= Keyword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 The C= Keyword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The S= and R= Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The F= Keyword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The E= Keyword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 The D= Keyword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 The W= Keyword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Appendix : Q&ASA Compiler Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 COPYRIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 SPECIAL OFFER! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Copyright (C) 1988-1992 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page ii Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide The Association of Shareware Professionals ------------------------------------------ The Association of Shareware Professionals is an organization whose purpose is to promote the shareware distribution concept, and to provide a forum for the resolution of disputes between ASP members and their customers. Quid Pro Quo Software is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware- related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 or send a Compuserve message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. Credits ------- Microsoft(R), Microsoft Windows(R), MS-DOS, Microsoft C Optimizing Compiler(R), and Microsoft Macro Assembler are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. IBM and PC-DOS are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. dBASE is a registered trademark of Ashton-Tate. RTLink/Plus is a registered trademark of Pocket Soft, Inc. DESQview is a registered trademark of Quarterdeck Office Systems, Inc. Lotus, Lotus 1-2-3, and 1-2-3 are trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation. Revision Information -------------------- Version 3.91 April 26, 1992 Added the /UR (Utilities/print Registration form) command. This command prompts for all of the information needed to register Q&A Study Aid, and prints a form ready to mail, complete with compu- tations showing pricing. This feature also determines many of the more important features of your computer system so that this information is available should you require assistance. Version 3.90 September 1, 1991 Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 1 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Fixed a major bug that caused questions to be skipped in both sequential and randow modes. All questions are now properly pre- sented in either mode. Thanks to a concerned user in Pennsylvania for reporting this error. Integrated all auxiliary programs into the main program file. There is now only one program. Access to the compiler and other functions related to the score file is now by password access. Added a secure password function. Q&ASA is distributed without a password. To enable password protection, you must enter a pass- word. Added the ability to export certain fields of the score file in a form suitable for importing into other spreadsheet and database programs. Added the ability to associate "letter grades" to scores. Letter grades consist of any string up to five characters in length. This permits the use of an A..F grading system, or the GPA grading system used in colleges and universities; e.g., 4.0 and down, or even "PASS/FAIL". There is no defined limit on the number of associations between scores and letter grades. Added the ability to exclude all punctuation from an answer list and from the user's response. This allows the answer list to be shorter, and permits numbers with commas to be scored correctly if the commas are omitted. Added code to detect self-referential macros, now matter how deeply recursive the nesting may be. Q&ASA can no longer crash if self-referential macros are inadvertently specified. Added a test to lock out the /N (Name) command once a database with score file logging has been loaded and a name has been entered. This prevents a user from changing his or her name if the score is low. Added the "Utilities" menu that provides access to the password- setting function, the compiler, score file utilities, menu selector character, and color selection, as follows: o The /UM command sets the menu selector character. o The /US command sets the screen colors. o The /UP command sets the password. o The /UC command executes the compiler. o The /UD command is used to convert an encrypted score file to plain text. o The /UE command is used to export a score file in a format suitable for use with other database and spread- sheet programs. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 2 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Recompiled Q&ASA using the large data model. In a system with 512K bytes of memory available after booting, Q&ASA can now accomodate some 40,000 questions and their answers. Internal overlays are used to keep the size of executable memory image to a minimum. Q&ASA is now "DESQview aware" and will properly execute within a DESQview window. Added a command to "shell" to DOS for access to an editor or other program from within Q&ASA. The /FS (File/Save Database) command no longer causes an immedi- ate exit to DOS. You may therefore save a database in progress and then load another one. Version 3.80 August 4, 1990 Changed Mode/Random from /MA to /MR. Eliminated the screen control menu. Left-justified the mode in the status window. Added a check to insure that the screen is free before updating the time left. Recompiled with aggressive optimizations using the new version (V6.0) of the Microsoft C Optimizing Compiler. The .EXE file size has been significantly reduced. Version 3.70 December 30, 1989 Fixed a major bug that caused all screen attributes to be set to zero if the configuration file was missing. Since the configura- tion file is not distributed with Q&A Study Aid, the effect was to present a blank screen. Although commands could be entered and the screen colors set, all of this had to be done with a blank screen. Also fixed a bug in the answer screen that would not allow an altered menu-select character to be used to escape into the menu system. This bug was reported by a concerned user; our thanks go out to him. Version 3.60 December 10, 1989 A potential problem was found and corrected with the calculation of weights. This problem would be encountered only if the total weight exceeded 32767, which is the maximum weight permitted. The /FS (File/Save Database) and /FC (File/Continue Database) commands were added. This combination allows the user of Q&ASA to Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 3 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide save the current state of a test or quiz database and return to it later. The database will be restored to its previous state. These commands will not work if the database has a time limit associated with it. The "E=" option has been added to the database compiler Q&AC.EXE. This option specifies that the score file is to be encrypted so that a user cannot complete a test or quiz, and then edit the resulting score in the score file. A new utility, Q&AD.EXE, restores the score file to plain ASCII text. A configuration file was added. This file must be located in the same directory as the help file Q&ASA.HLP, and the same rules that govern its access apply to the configuration file. The configuration file is named Q&ASA.CFG. It is not included in the distribution, since Q&ASA will automatically create it the first time it is executed. A new command, /FE, allows the screen colors to be changed. The new values are saved in the configuration file. A new command, /FM, allows the menu selector character to be altered. This defaults to the forward slash character ('/'), but may now be changed to any other character in the printable ASCII range of '!' through '~', inclusive. Once changed, the new selector character is saved in the configuration file so the effect of the change will be permanent unless changed again. The weighting system was altered to permit questions to have a weight of zero. If desired, all questions may be weighted as zero, but this will cause all scores to be zero also. Version 3.50 August 10, 1989 The menu was modified to eliminate the /FD and /FS commands, which were replaced with the single command /FL (File/Load Database). The directory defaults to the current working directo- ry. The directory may be changed if desired. Major internal enhancements were made to the video system. Q&ASA will now detect the type of display adapter in use, and will operate properly with 132-column and 43- and 50-line modes. The screen update rate has been increased. The /S? commands are necessary only in extreme cases where snow is a severe problem (these commands have been retained, however). Q&ASA will now autoselect the screen update method. The registration functions have been entirely replaced. The new registration system now sets the executable file to read-only to prevent inadvertent overwriting of the executable image. The serial number now provides certain essential information about the system Q&ASA is running on. Q&ASA will detect certain changes to itself and refuse to execute if it is modified. A demonstra- Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 4 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide tion mode has been added (although the program is not distributed as a demo; it is a full-featured program with no crippling of any function). Q&ASA now intercepts the Control-C and Control-Break keys and will perform a graceful exit with proper updating of the score file. Hardware error detection and handling of critical errors has been improved, and now offers the options of Retry or Cancel (Cancel aborts only the command that experienced the error, not the program as a whole). The Help key (F1) is now active in the opening screen. You may obtain an overview of the operation of Q&ASA at the opening screen, or exit the program by pressing ESCape. Several new categories have been added to the help file for registering and for reporting problems. Version 3.1 July 31, 1989 Made some minor corrections and additions to this manual, and corrected a minor bug related to locating the executable file on disk. Version 3.0 May 1, 1989 Corrected a bug in the random mode termination function, and enhanced the random mode search speed. Version 2.1 would continue to ask questions after they had been answered, allowing a user to gain a score exceeding 100%. Also enhanced the registration func- tion. o Added the 'D=' command to Q&AC and Q&ASA to allow the data- base author to disable display of the correct answer if the user answers incorrectly. o Added the ability to specify and execute a database from the DOS command line. Version 2.1 July 31, 1988 Minor enhancements to help system. Version 2.0 March 22, 1988 Major enhancements to allow Q&ASA to be used in a formal class- room environment. Among the changes are the following: o Optional logging of scoring information to a disk file. o Compiled database eliminates run-time interpreter errors and permits the database to be encrypted. o Display of the database name as the window title. o Faster response when loading questions. o Greatly improved help system allows selection and viewing of any help category at any time. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 5 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide o Optional locking of selected mode and lockout of certain commands. o Ability to assign a weight to each question and have this weight determine the number of points awarded for a correct answer to a question. o Ability to specify a time limit to answer all questions. o Elimination of all index files. Version 1.0 January 7, 1988 Initial public release. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 6 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Introduction ------------ Q&ASA is a general-purpose program designed to present questions from a database. The user is then prompted for an answer and graded accord- ingly. In the context of this document, and within all program and other files included with the Q&ASA package, the word 'database' is used in its generic sense. For our purposes, a database is simply a collection of questions, answers, and options that is created by the user, compiled, and interpreted by the Q&ASA program. Like the more general database programs such as dBASE(R), Q&A Study Aid uses an indexed database, although the index is an integral part of the database itself and not a separate file. All of the details of the database implementation, such as the index, records, fields, and data types, are handled automatically by the Q&A Study Aid package. You need not, therefore, be concerned with these, or even know what they mean. Q&ASA provides two methods of reading the questions from the database: sequential and random. The program starts up in sequential mode. A menu-driven command interface is provided with pull-down menus. Filenames are selected from a directory by pointing. It is never necessary to type in a filename unless a database is specified on the command line. Q&ASA supports a comprehensive context-sensitive help system accessi- ble via the F1 key. Help is provided by a single file, Q&ASA.HLP. This file may be located in the current directory or in any directory specified in the PATH environment variable. Q&ASA may therefore be placed in the \bin (or equivalent) directory and accessed from any other directory, provided that PATH environment variable includes "\bin". If you place Q&ASA in a directory that is not in the PATH string such that it is unable to locate its help file, Q&ASA will, as a last resort, pop up a window and ask you to enter the name of directory containing the help file. If you do not enter a directory name (by pressing RETURN at the prompt), the Help key will be inac- tive. Q&ASA uses a compiled database. The database compiler is included within Q&ASA to allow you to create and compile your own databases. The database compiler is invoked via the "Utilities" menu. Q&ASA.EXE is written in the C language (with some assembly-language) and com- piled using the Microsoft C Optimizing Compiler Version 6.00A and the Microsoft Macro Assembler V6.0. RTLink/Plus is the overlay linker used to generate the executable file. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 7 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide This package contains the following files: Q&ASA.EXE Q&ASA main program Q&ASA.HLP Q&ASA help file Q&ASA.DOC documentation file (this file) SAMPLE.Q&A sample database (compiled) SAMPLE.DEF database definition file for SAMPLE.Q&A The Q&A Study Aid package is SHAREWARE and is copyrighted by the author. If Q&ASA meets your needs and you continue to use the program, you must register and pay for its use. The SHAREWARE concept allows users to obtain high quality software at bargain prices, and rewards authors for their efforts. Please support this distribution concept by registering your copy. You will find a registration form at the back of this manual (although the /UR command will doubtless be much more convenient). You have unlimited rights to copy and distribute the program, provided you distribute it as the complete UNMODIFIED package Q&ASA391.ZIP (QASA391.ZIP on CompuServe). Comments, bug reports, or other information that may help me improve this program are welcome and are encouraged. Only you can tell me what you need! Q&ASA is offered as is. There is no guarantee that it will work on your particular system; however, it has been tested with CGA, MDA, EGA, and VGA monitors on PCs, ATs, 386 and 486 systems. Text mode is used; no graphics card is needed. Q&ASA will NOT use an EMM if one is present. A minimum of 134K of program space plus 28K of data space (RAM) is needed by the program; it will tell you if you do not have sufficient memory to execute it. Q&ASA will use all available memory below the 640K conventional-memory boundary if it is required. All I/O is performed through system calls, with the exception of the screen, which is controlled by direct writes to the screen buffer. Under Microsoft(R) Windows, you must give Q&ASA control of the screen in the Q&ASA.PIF file. Under DESQview, Q&ASA will multitask in a DESQ- view window, and does not require any special system resources. Q&ASA assumes that your screen is set to any text mode (color or mono- chrome). If not, it will NOT reset the mode. If your screen is in any of the graphics modes when Q&ASA is invoked, you will see garbage. Exit Q&ASA using the /FX command (or press ESC if you are still in the opening screen) and reset the mode manually using the DOS MODE com- mand. When Q&ASA terminates, it will restore the previous contents of your screen. Installation ------------ Q&A Study Aid requires no special installation other than that ex- plained in the section entitled "A Special Note" below. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 8 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide The configuration file Q&ASA.CFG is not supplied with the distribution package, since it is created automatically if it is missing. The first time you execute Q&ASA, you will get a prompt asking you for the directory containing the configuration file, since Q&ASA will not be able to locate it on the disk. This prompt will appear anytime Q&ASA is unable to find its configuration file. If you move the file, enter the name of the directory containing the file; otherwise, press RETURN without entering a directory to cause Q&ASA to create the file. You will not be required to enter a directory if the configuration file is stored in any directory in the PATH environment variable, or if it is in the current directory. If you are using a hard disk, you may place the executable files in any directory (note that the files Q&ASA.HLP and Q&ASA.CFG are consid- ered to be part of the executable files). If you wish to execute the program from a different directory than the one in which the files are placed, you must include the directory containing the executable files in the PATH environment variable. To view the PATH, issue the MS-DOS command SET with no arguments; all environment variables will be listed to the screen. If you do not have a PATH variable, as evidenced by a line of the form PATH=[list of directories] then you may enter one. If you have placed all executable files in the directory C:\Q&ASA, for example, issue the command SET PATH=C:\Q&ASA <ENTER> Do not include any spaces after the word PATH. Also, it is unwise to include any removable drive in the PATH, since DOS will attempt to search the directory of that drive when you attempt to execute Q&ASA. If the floppy has been removed, you will constantly get an error from DOS. If you wish to append a new directory, C:\Q&ASA for example, to an existing PATH, then simply retype your existing PATH and add the directory to it as follows: You type: SET<ENTER> MS-DOS responds with (for example): PATH=C:\BIN (other environment variables) You type: SET PATH=C:\BIN;C:\Q&ASA <ENTER> Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 9 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Note the position of the semicolon - it is REQUIRED. Under DOS 3.30 and up, you may simplify this to: SET PATH=%PATH%;C\Q&ASA <ENTER> You should place the 'SET PATH=xxxx' command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, so that it will be set automatically whenever your system is booted. The Q&A Study Aid package is small enough to be placed on a single 5.25" 360KB diskette if desired. If your database is too large to fit on one diskette, you may place it on a second diskette in the B: drive if you have one. Because Q&ASA uses embedded overlays, you may not remove the diskette that contains the Q&ASA.EXE file, as the prgram will periodically read this file to load overlays. To create a database file, you need only a database definition file, which you create, and the Q&ASA.EXE program. Similarly, once you have created a database, the only files needed to execute the database are the compiled database file (".Q&A"), Q&ASA.EXE, and Q&ASA.HLP. If space is really at a premium, you may omit the help file Q&ASA.HLP, but the HELP key (F1) will no longer function. If you do this, Q&ASA will complain that it cannot find the help file, and ask you to enter the directory in which it resides. To omit it, simply press ENTER without entering a directory. Compatibility ------------- The database files used by Q&ASA 3.91 are fully source-compatible with all previous versions, but are not binary-compatible. All that is required is that you recompile your database files with Version 3.91 of Q&ASA. Q&ASA WILL NOT WORK WITH THE HERCULES GRAPHICS ADAPTER. A Special Note -------------- Special mention is made here of a particular characteristic of Q&ASA. The program, to enforce its registration policies, will, at certain times, modify its own executable image on disk. This is brought to your attention as this behavior may trigger some virus-protection programs. Please do not be concerned if this occurs; this is normal behavior. You must allow Q&ASA to modify itself or it will not exe- cute. Each time it is executed, Q&ASA will set itself to a read-only file. The MS-DOS ATTRIB command may be used to alter this should you desire to erase or move the program file. For example, you may copy the program to a floppy diskette, then delete by issuing the following DOS commands: Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 10 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide ATTRIB -R Q&ASA.EXE ERASE Q&ASA.EXE Q&ASA must be able to locate its own .EXE file. Under MS-DOS 3.0 and above, you should experience no problems, even if you rename the file. However, under MSDOS 2.x, if you rename the program, you must specify the new program pathname using an environment variable. For example, suppose Q&ASA.EXE is in the directory C:\BIN, and you rename it to QUIZ.EXE. You must then issue the command SET Q&ASA=C:\BIN\QUIZ.EXE You may place this command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file if you wish. You MUST specify the COMPLETE pathname, including the .EXE extension. You cannot, however, change the name of the help file Q&ASA.HLP. The easist way to change the program name is to use a batch file. For example, to change the name to QUIZ, create QUIZ.BAT as follows: COPY CON: QUIZ.BAT <ENTER> Q&ASA %1 <ENTER> ^Z <ENTER> (^Z means hold down Ctrl and press 'Z') The '%1' will still enable you to specify the name of a database to load automatically upon startup by typing: QUIZ sample IMPORTANT --------- Q&ASA.EXE selects a serial number and combines this with certain system information the FIRST time it is executed. This becomes your serial number, and this number MUST be supplied to register the program (the /UR command prints the registration form with the serial number on it). ONCE THE SERIAL NUMBER HAS BEEN ASSIGNED BY Q&ASA, DO NOT MODIFY OR OVERWRITE THE Q&ASA.EXE FILE OR YOUR REGISTRATION NUMBER WILL NOT WORK. You may move the program by copying and then deleting it as described above. If you accidentally overwrite a registered program file, you will have to send for a new registration number, al- though once you have paid the registration fee, new registration numbers are supplied free of charge if they are needed. It is a good idea to make a backup copy after you have executed it the first time, and again after registering your copy. Once you have registered and entered your registration number, the serial number will change; for this reason, it is important that you include the most recent serial number in all correspondence. This applies ONLY to the file Q&ASA.EXE; all other files are standard data files. Q&ASA also requires that the time and date provided by the MS-DOS operating system be correct, since it uses this information in the score file. When Q&ASA is started, the current time and date are checked; if either is invalid, Q&ASA will abort after displaying a Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 11 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide message requesting you to set the system date and time to the proper values. Q&ASA NEVER modifies any file other than its own executable image on disk, the score file (if defined in the database), the saved database file(s) (".SAV") if this feature is used, and the configuration file. It will also create a ".Q&A" file each time you compile a new quiz, and it will create a ".PRN" file is you export the score file. You need not be concerned about modifications to your database source files or any other files on your system. User Interface -------------- Commands are entered into Q&ASA via a pull-down two-level menu system. The uppermost screen region is the menu system. Each word group on the menu line is the title block of a pull-down menu. Whenever one of the titles is selected, the menu expands to display any options available under it. Under most conditions, Q&ASA will be prompting for an answer to a question. Some means must therefore be provided to break out and into the menu system so that an option can be selected or a command given. There are two ways of doing this: via an ALT key sequence or by pressing the menu selector character, the forward slash ('/'). Note that this character may be changed using the /UM (Utilities/Menu Selector) command. This document will, however, assume that you have NOT altered the default. If an ALT sequence is used, it is only necessary to press one or two ALT keys to select any command option. A top-level selector is speci- fied by ALT-shifting the highlighted letter. For example, the "Mode / Sequential" command is executed with ALT-M/ALT-S. To do this, hold down the ALT key and press 'M' and then 'S'. If you use the '/' menu selector character, the word MENU will first appear at the right of the menu line to indicate that you are in the menu system. At this point, any combination of highlighted and under- scored letters (as defined by the screen colors you choose) and cursor keys can be used to select a menu title block. Note that F1 will always get help no matter where you may be, in or out of the menu system. The only exception to this is for error messages ("Problem"), for which you may not obtain help. Once the desired option has been selected, RETURN executes it. Note that neither the slash nor the RETURN are necessary when using ALT-key sequences. Versions 3.0 of Q&ASA and above provide the ability for you to specify a database file on the command line. If you do so, you will still see the opening screen, but as soon as you press a key, the database will be loaded and the first question will be displayed. If the database specifies a time limit, the timer will be started immediately. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 12 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide If the database you specify cannot be found, then an error message will be displayed, and you must select the database normally using the /FL command. For example, the DOS command C>Q&ASA sample will load the sample database and display the first question. Note that you do not have to specify the ".Q&A" extension. If you do specify an extension, it MUST be ".Q&A"; Q&ASA will force this exten- sion for all database files. Q&ASA's menu system commands are listed on the following page. Q&ASA Command List ------------------ /FL load a database /FS save a database for later resumption /FC continue with a previously-saved database /FD shell to DOS /FX exit to DOS /MS set mode to sequential /MR set mode to pseudorandom /MC clear score and start quiz over /N enter name /US set screen colors /UM set menu selector character /UP set password /UC invoke database compiler /UD decrypt a score file to plain text /UE export a score file /UR print registration form (works only if the program copy is unregistered) The Command Line ---------------- Q&ASA does not require any command-line parameters or arguments. It will, however, allow you to specify the name of a database file on the command line so that the program may be invoked from a batch file. If you specify the name of a database file on the command line, you do not have to enter the extension. Q&ASA will change the extension as required, and add one if it is omitted. For example, to start Q&ASA using the sample database provided, you simply type Q&ASA SAMPLE <ENTER> Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 13 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide The opening screen will be displayed normally, but once you press ENTER, the database file SAMPLE will be automatically loaded. /FL - Load A Database --------------------- When you issue this command, Q&ASA will display the name of the directory you started Q&ASA from; e.g., the current working directory. If your database files are located in this directory, simply press RETURN to accept the default name. If your database files are located in another directory, you may edit the directory name. Q&ASA will remember the new directory name and present it as the default the next time you use this command. When specifying the directory, you may select a different disk drive followed by the path name to the database files in conventional DOS form: D:\DIR\DIR..... If you clear the name of the directory by using the backspace key or by using the HOME key followed by Ctrl-End, Q&ASA will automatically insert the name of the current working directory after you press RETURN. Note that you will not see this occur as the window will be closed as soon as you press RETURN. However, the directory shown the next time you invoke the /FL command will be the current working directory again. If you enter a drive or directory that does not exist, you will receive an error message and you must enter the command again to specify the proper directory. If you enter the drive identifier of a floppy disk drive, and the drive door is open, you will receive an error, and you will be given the opportunity to close the drive door and retry the command. Note: Certain DOS configurations can cause apparent errors that Q&ASA cannot detect. If, for example, you have installed a 'foreign' disk drive using "DEVICE=DRIVER.SYS <parameters>" and reassigned the name of a diskette drive using the DRIV- PARM command in your CONFIG.SYS file (MS-DOS and PC-DOS 3.30 and later only), and you enter the original drive letter, Q&ASA will appear to hang. Actually, what is happening is that DOS wants you insert the diskette for the drive you have reassigned it to, although you will not see the message DOS normally displays. All that is necessary is for you to press the RETURN key. Once you have entered the name of the directory containing your Q&ASA database files, Q&ASA will pop up a window to allow you to select from the compiled database files available in that directory. If there are no database files in the directory, Q&ASA will display "[ empty ]". Q&ASA will NOT display any files other than compiled database files. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 14 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide To select a compiled database file, move the selection bar to it using the cursor keys, PgUp and PgDn, or Home and End. Each of these permits traveling up and down the scrollable list in larger increments. Alternatively, you may also press a letter key that corresponds to the first character of the database filename; Q&ASA will find the first file beginning with that letter. Successive depressions of the same key will step to each database name that begins with that letter. The search stops at the last file that begins with that letter. The search always proceeds down the list; to restart the search, press HOME to move the selector back to the first file in the list. Once you have pointed to the file you desire, press RETURN. The compiled database file will be loaded. If the optional score logging has been enabled in the database, Q&ASA will request that you enter your name for the score file (you may not proceed until you have done so, although you may abort the command at this point by pressing ESC). The first question will then appear on the screen, along with the number of questions in the database in the scoring window. The name of the database will also be shown in the center of the top border of the question window if it has been specified in the database. If no title was specified, then the window title will default to "Question". Note: When you load a database file that specifies a score file name, and that score file already exists, Q&ASA will check to insure that the encryption modes are compatible. If not, it will display an error message and override the encryption setting in the database file you loaded. For example, if you create two separate databases, both of which specify the same name for the score file, but only one has score file encryption enabled, you will receive an error when you load the second database, no matter which one you load first. The order will affect only the encryption of the score file, which is determined by the first database load- ed. If you always use a different score file for each data- base, or are consistent with score file encryption, you should experience no problems. Note that Q&ASA will still function properly, however. Each time you load a database file with score file logging enabled, Q&ASA will request your name, even if you have already entered it. This is to allow other users to reload the same database without using the same name for all users. If score file logging is not enabled, Q&ASA doesn't force you to enter your name. You may do this anyway if you wish, using the /N (Name) command, and Q&ASA will politely display it when it displays your final score. If the database you load has a time limit associated with it, the time remaining will be displayed in the status window under the heading 'Time Left', and the clock will start. The time is counted down to zero, and always shows the time you have remaining before Q&ASA stops you and calculates your final score. If the database does not specify Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 15 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide a time limit, the 'Time Left' field will not be displayed. If you allow the time to count down to zero, it will change to 'Time Out'. Note: If you press the help key while a timed database is loaded, the time display will not be updated until you exit the help system. Q&ASA will, however, internally track the remaining time. You may NOT extend the time by using help. To permit Q&ASA to utilize relatively large databases (~40,000 ques- tions and their answers), Q&ASA loads an index into memory rather than the database file itself. The database index is created by Q&ASA in the form of a header in the database file itself. Note that this is true of the help file also to minimize the memory used by Q&ASA. The database file (.Q&A) should never be changed directly, as it is encrypted to prevent users from copying the file to the screen or a printer and thereby viewing the answers. If you wish to create a new database or alter an existing one, you must edit the database defini- tion file (.DEF) and recompile it using Q&ASA. Q&ASA will create a (.Q&A) file from your (.DEF) file. Q&ASA will not permit you to use the .Q&A extension on a definition file, so you cannot accidentally overwrite a compiled database. You must create the database definition file and compile it before Q&ASA can be used. Instructions for doing this are in a later section of this guide. Note that this package contains a compiled database that you may use to test and evaluate Q&ASA. This file is called SAMPLE.Q&A. The database definition file it was created from is also included, and is called SAMPLE.DEF. /FS - Save a Database --------------------- This command will save the present state of a database so that you may return and continue with it later. IT WILL NOT WORK IF THE DATABASE HAS A TIME LIMIT ASSOCIATED WITH IT. If you issue this command on a database that has no time limit, the state of the database will be saved in a file in the current directory with the same base name as the database, but with an extension of ".SAV". You may have different .SAV files in different directories for the same database if you wish. Note: If you issue this command or the /FL (File/Load Database) command, any existing .SAV file for that database will be erased from the current working directory of the disk, and you will not be able to resume it. The /FL command, by definition, specifies that you wish to restart the database from the beginning. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 16 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Once you issue the /FS command, the database will be saved and you will be returned to the main screen so that you may execute another command. /FC - Continue with a Saved Database ------------------------------------ This command will allow you to resume a database which was previously saved using the /FS (File/Save Database) command. It works exactly like the /FL (File/Load) command, except that the list of files displayed will have an extension of ".SAV" instead of ".Q&A". If no database file has been saved, "[ empty ]" will be displayed. When this command is used, the previous state of the database is restored. The question that was on the screen will be redisplayed, and the scoring window will reflect the previous state of the database. Note that once you have completed a quiz or test database, any .SAV file in the directory from which the database was originally loaded will be erased. You cannot, therefore, resume a completed database. /FD - Shell To DOS ------------------ This command may be used to invoke a secondary copy of the DOS command processor COMMAND.COM (or whatever file is specified by the "SHELL=" environment variable). Q&ASA will remain loaded. Note that this command will NOT work if a database is currently load (you will receive an error message). Once DOS has been invoked, you may execute any commands you wish, although you will have less memory available. When you wish to return to Q&ASA, type 'EXIT' and the DOS prompt. The previous state of Q&ASA will be restored to the screen. /FX - Exit to DOS ----------------- Use this command to quit a Q&ASA session and return to DOS. If you have loaded a database but have not answered all questions, the score file will be updated with your current score and a notation that you quit Q&ASA. You cannot exit Q&ASA, clear the database, or reload the current or new database without updating your score file. This pre- vents extending time limits and/or starting a quiz over again without any knowledge by the administrator that such an event occurred. Also, when you quit a Q&ASA session using this command, any saved database file of the same name is erased from disk, preventing resump- tion if the database had been previously saved. As a general rule, whenever your final score is displayed (and optionally, the score file Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 17 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide is updated), or whenever you load a database using the /FL (File/Load Database) command, any associated .SAV file will be erased. Note: Pressing Control-C or Control-Break is interpreted the same as /FX without the RETURN. Simply press RETURN to update the score file and return to DOS. /MS - Sequential Mode --------------------- The sequential mode option tells Q&ASA that you wish to answer the questions in the same order as they appear in the database file (this is the default). When selected, the new mode will appear in the scoring window. This option does NOT cause Q&ASA to start reading from the beginning of the file; it simply changes the method used to determine the next question. Sequential mode reads the questions from the database in a circular fashion until all questions have been answered. This allows switching between modes. Q&ASA will not present a question again once it has been answered. When all questions have been answered, Q&ASA will update the optional score file and display the final score. Note that this command may be locked out by an option given in the database definition file. If this is the case, the command will simply be ignored. No warning will be given indicating that the command is locked out. /MR - Pseudorandom Mode ----------------------- This mode is used when you want Q&ASA to choose the questions at random. The pseudorandom number sequence is different each time the program is run. In this mode, Q&ASA will select the next question at random from the set of unanswered questions. It will not, therefore, ask a question again once it has been answered. When all questions have been answered, Q&ASA will update the optional score file and display the final score. Note that this command may be locked out by an option given in the database definition file. If this is the case, the command will simply be ignored. No warning will be given indicating that the command is locked out. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 18 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide /MC - Clear ----------- Use the Clear option to reset your score back to zero and to reset the question index back to the beginning of the file. The question index is cleared only by using this command or by loading a new database. If you use this command, a record will be written to the score file indicating that the database was started over. Note that this command may be locked out by an option given in the database definition file. If this is the case, the command will simply be ignored. No warning will be given indicating that the command is locked out. /N - Name --------- This command is used to enter your name, which is placed into the score file and also displayed when the quiz session is completed or otherwise terminated. When this command is given, a data entry window will pop up and prompt for your name and/or any other identifying information. You may enter up to 35 characters. If a database is loaded that specifies a score file, this command will not work. In this case, you will be prompted to enter your name when the database is loaded; you may not change it until the database has been completed or aborted. /US - Set Screen Colors ----------------------- This command is used to modify the screen colors. A color map of all possible color is displayed, along with a simulated menu window. A title bar at the top of the screen specifies which portion of the screen you are modifying. All color selections are performed by using the cursor keys to point to the desired color. The PgUp and PgDn keys are used to alter the title bar, thereby changing the item whose color is to be modified. The simulated menu will change with each color change so that you may see the effect of the changes. Once you have set the colors as you wish, press ENTER to save the new colors in the configuration file, or ESCape to cancel the changes. For the full effect of the changes to be seen, you must quit Q&ASA and then restart it so that it will redraw all screens using the new color set. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 19 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide /UM - Set Menu Selector Character --------------------------------- Q&ASA uses one character to escape (out of an answer prompt if dis- played) and into the menu system. This character defaults to the forward slash ('/'), but you may change it to any character you wish in the printable ASCII range of '!' through '~', inclusive. Once you change it, it is saved in the configuration file and will therefore be set each time you start Q&ASA. If you change your mind, you can reset the character or press ESCape to cancel the command if you have not yet pressed the ENTER key. The current menu selector character is always displayed at the bottom of the question/answer window. /UP - Set Password ------------------ This command is used to set or change the password that allows access to the compiler, score file decoder, and the score file export com- mands. Q&ASA is distributed with no password. Anyone may therefore use the password-protected commands until and unless a password is entered using this command. When this command is selected, if there is a password, you will be asked to enter it. You cannot change a password unless you know the current password. The password may be any series of characters in the range of space through a tilde ('~'), inclusive, and may contain up to 19 characters. If there is no current password, you will not be asked to enter it. Once you have entered the current password, if any, you will be asked to enter the new password. Once you have done this, you will be prompted to confirm it. If the two passwords match, the new password will be encrypted and stored. Any attempt to identify or modify the password will render Q&ASA useless; it will no longer execute. Note that once a valid password has been entered, Q&ASA is 'unlocked', and you will not be required to enter the password again for any function. /UC - Invoke Q&ASA Compiler --------------------------- This command is used to compile a database definition file into a compiled database file that may be executed by Q&ASA. This command is password-protected, and cannot be executed while a database is loaded even if you know the password. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 20 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide See the section entitled "Using the Q&ASA Compiler" on page 30 for a full explanation on invoking and using the compiler. /UD - Decrypt Score File ------------------------ This command is used to decrypt a score file. It is password-protect- ed. It will pop up a directory window so that you may enter the directory containing the score file to decrypt, or you may accept the directory shown by pressing ENTER. Once you have selected the directory, a file- selection window will be displayed so that you may select the score file to decrypt. Once you select a score file, the file will be converted to plain ASCII text. If the file is not encrypted, you will receive an error message. The decrypted score file replaces the original file. All score files are named using the base score file name defined in the database definition file, with an extension of ".SCR". /UE - Export Score File ----------------------- This command is used to export the contents of certain fields in the score file to a file whose format is acceptable to the vast majority of database and spreadsheet programs. This command is password-pro- tected. By using this command, you may import all scores for an entire class into a spreadsheet, for example, and use the spreadsheet to calculate bell curves, normalize the scores or convert them to another form. You could average the scores for several Q&ASA quiz sessions. You may also use a database program to maintain a history by student of all quizzes and their scores. This command will pop up a directory window so that you may enter the directory containing the score file to export, or you may accept the directory shown by pressing ENTER. Once you have selected the directo- ry, a file-selection window will be displayed so that you may select the score file to export. Once you select a file, Q&ASA will check if the score file is encrypt- ed, and if so, will ask if you wish to decrypt it first. An encrypted score file may not be exported. If you answer NO, then the command is aborted. Q&ASA will then locate and export certain fields in the score file, creating one line for each record in the score file, as follows: Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 21 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Student, Database, Score, Grade, Termination, Time where: Student is the student's name in quotes Database is the name of the database in quotes Score is the final score Grade is the letter grade in quotes Termination is the termination explanation in quotes Time is the the elapsed time in seconds Note that Q&ASA will also export a header line, which you may delete from the spreadsheet or database if you wish. The following is an example of an exported score file containg two records. "Student", "Database", "Score", "Grade", "Termination", "Time" "John Public", "History Quiz", 79.23, "C+", "Time Out", 720 "Jane Doe", "Math Quiz", 94.00, "A", "Completed", 298 If you are exporting the score file for use with Lotus(r) 1-2-3, you would use the /FI (File/Import) command. Be sure to select the "Num- bers" option. /UR - Print Registration Form ----------------------------- This command will print a registration form to make as easy as possi- ble for you to register your copy of Q&A Study Aid. You may print the form to any device or any file. The device must be able to interpret carriage return, line feed, backspace, form feed, and normal text. The registration form will prompt your for the necessary information. In addition, it will determine a number of items concerning your system configuration. If any of the configuration items is incorrect, please make the necessary corrections. For example, Q&ASA will not detect an LCD screen - only color or monochrome. This form will display the registration price schedule and calculate the registration fee based upon the number of copies you wish to register. Scoring Window -------------- The scoring window always shows the current state of both you and Q&ASA. The scoring window is blank until a database is loaded, so you may easily ascertain if a database is loaded or not. The items that may appear in the scoring window are described below. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 22 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Time Left This shows the time remaining to answer all ques- tions in a database that has a time limit. If the database does not have a time limit, this field will not be displayed. If the database has a time limit associated with it, you will see this time counting down to zero. At zero, it will change to 'Time Out'. Mode This is the current question-indexing mode, and will be "Random" or "Sequential". Q&ASA always starts up in sequential mode. The mode may be specified in the database. Questions This specifies the total number of questions in the database. Answered This indicates the number of questions that you have answered. When it equals the number of ques- tions in the database, your final score will be displayed. Correct This is the number of questions that you have answered correctly. Score Your score is a simple ratio of the number of possible points to the number you have been award- ed, and is displayed in percent. Grade If optional letter-grade equivalencies have been assigned in the database, and the grade display has not been turned OFF, then this will show the current grade that has been achieved relative to the score. The database may be configured so that the grade is not displayed at all until a certain score has been achieved; once this base score is achieved, the grade will be updated along with the score. If the grade display has been turned off, or if there are no grade equivalencies in the database, then this field will not be shown. Answering Questions ------------------- Q&ASA does not require you to answer questions in the order Q&ASA presents them (as defined by the mode). Q&ASA will determine the next question using the mode you select, but once the question is dis- played, you may elect to skip it (intending to come back to it later) and let Q&ASA present the next one. Q&ASA will remember that the question was skipped and display it again at some later time, depend- ing upon the mode you have selected. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 23 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Skipping a question is done simply by pressing the ESCape key when Q&ASA prompts for an answer. The question will not be scored, but Q&ASA will present it again after you have answered all of the remain- ing questions (sequential mode) or at any time (random mode). You may not omit a question, but you may essentially scan through the ques- tions and answer them in the order you choose. If you choose to answer a question, you must enter a response. Q&ASA will not accept a blank answer. Q&ASA will always display the number of points you will be awarded if you answer correctly at the right of the answer window. The number of points displayed is the ratio of the total weight of all questions in the database to the weight of the question in points relative to 100%, as defined in the compiled database. If you answer incorrectly, you are awarded zero points. You may also enter a command any time you are being prompted for an answer. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 24 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Creating a Database ------------------- The database is the heart of Q&ASA. Q&ASA receives virtually all of the information it needs to present and score your answers from the database. The database is created from a plain ASCII, or 'flat' file, and then compiled using the database compiler within Q&ASA. The input given to Q&ASA is called the database definition file; the output of Q&ASA is the compiled database. Q&ASA creates and destroys one intermediate file (with an extension of ".$$$") as it compiles the database defini- tion file. Q&ASA supports a large number of options that may be used to control the quiz session. Each option is specified using a keyword followed by zero or more lines of text. It is important to remember that keywords must be on a line by themselves with NO OTHER TEXT. If you use a word processor program to create the database definition file, be sure to use its 'nondocument' mode to insure that it won't put in any formatting codes. A plain ASCII text editor is recommended (EDLIN, which is included with DOS, is one such editor). To enable Q&ASA to handle all of the common question formats except 'essay' questions, a very general database arrangement is used. Q&ASA expects each question to be followed by the correct answer, which it uses to check the answer typed in by the user. Q&ASA can handle multiple-choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank questions with equal ease. The database must contain one instance of each of two keywords for each question in the database. These keywords are, exactly, in quotes: "Q=" "A=" As you might expect, these stand for "question" and "answer". The question MUST precede the answer. Q&ASA will complain about any irregularities it finds in the database when it constructs the com- piled database file. The following is a simple example of a question and answer as they might appear in the database definition file. It is a multiple-choice question. The following text is entered into the database definition file: Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 25 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Q= Multiple-choice: What is the capital of Pennsylvania? A. Philadelphia B. Washington, D.C. C. Harrisburg D. None of the above A= C Q&ASA will display the question beginning on the line immediately following the 'Q=' line. The end of the question is marked by the 'A='. All lines between these markers form the question, which Q&ASA will display exactly as it appears in the database. You may, there- fore, format your questions any way that you wish. Q&ASA does abso- lutely no interpretation of the text you enter for a question. Q&ASA will impose NO restrictions other than the number of rows and columns; you may use up to 15 lines of 76 characters. If the question contains more than 15 lines, the extra lines will be discarded and you will receive an error message. Blank lines between the end of the actual question and the 'A=' line are effectively discarded and do not count against the 15 lines allowed. The question above, therefore, consists of seven lines, not eight. Note that the 'Multiple-choice' prompt is actually a part of the database - NOT hard-coded into Q&ASA. You may include this as part of your database or omit it if you wish. The answer follows beginning on the line immediately after the 'A='. In this example, it is 'C'. All this means is that Q&ASA will score as correct any response to the question that is exactly 'C' OR 'c' - case is insignificant. Q&ASA does some preformatting of these strings prior to the comparison, however. Both the answer in the database and the answer typed in when the database is executed are processed the same way: 1. All leading whitespace is removed. This means that C and C are equivalent and are themselves equivalent to the 'C' in the example above. 2. All trailing whitespace, including newline characters, is removed. 3. All whitespace (blanks and tabs) between words is collapsed to a single space; "Washington, D.C." and "Washington, D.C." Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 26 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide are equivalent. 4. All characters are folded to uppercase; 'Yes' and 'yes' are therefore equivalent. These steps insure that a response will not be scored as incorrect due to the position or character case of any part of the response in either your answer or that in the database. Note that these same rules are also applied to the 'Q=' and 'A=' markers. They may, therefore, appear anywhere on the line. You cannot, however, insert anything between 'Q' and '=', nor can you put anything else on the line with the marker. In the example above, one correct answer was specified. The only answer that could be scored as correct is 'C' (and 'c', of course). Note that we could just as well have used numbers as selectors and given '3' as the answer. Q&ASA makes no attempt to interpret this information; it simply looks for an exact match based on the criteria outlined above. This next example will demonstrate a true/false question. Q= Answer true or false: Q&ASA understands the information in the database. A= False Note the (valid) position of the 'A='. This time we have indented the question using tabs. When Q&ASA compiles the question, it expands the tabs automatically (using 8-column tab stops) to maintain the align- ment as it is in the database definition file. We also have three blank lines after the 'Q='; this serves to shift the question down toward the center of the question window to make it look nicer. This example is not good practice (although it will be compiled correctly), since the 'A=' would be easy to miss if the database were edited, and the indentation is inconsistent. It does, however, have a more serious drawback: to get the question right, you must type in 'false' - all 5 characters - and 'false' is one word I just cannot type (it always comes out 'flase')! For a true/false question, one would be likely to respond with 'T', 'F', 'yes', 'y', 'no', 'n', or possibly '1' and '0'. To accommodate these options, Q&ASA allows more than one correct answer. In fact, every nonblank line following 'A=' is treated as a correct answer. The second example above, then, would be more appropriately given by Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 27 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Q= Answer true or false: Q&ASA understands the information in the database. A= False F No N 0 This permits any of the five answers to be regarded as correct. If you give an incorrect response to a question (e.g., one that is not among the list of correct answers), Q&ASA will display the correct answer for you, as well as omit one or more points from your score. When Q&ASA displays the correct answer, it uses the first one given in the answer list. What this means is that Q&ASA will display Incorrect. The correct answer is False Press any key to continue. which is more professional than 'N', for example. This feature adds a lot of versatility to Q&ASA. Since Q&ASA is intended to be a study aid as well as a general-purpose testing program, it provides reinforcement of incorrect answers by permitting a more complete correct answer. To demonstrate this, we'll use a third example; this time, a fill-in-the-blank question: Q= The speed of light is ______ km/sec. A= Light travels at 300,000 km/sec. 300000 300,000 300K In this example, an incorrect response will elicit Incorrect. The correct answer is Light travels at 300,000 km/sec. Press any key to continue. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 28 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Of course, this is also a correct answer in itself, but not a likely one. If you do enter it, it will be scored as correct. You would, however, be required to include the comma, the slash between 'km' and 'sec', and the period. There are three more plausible correct answers that Q&ASA would consider to be correct. Any one of them is sufficient to credit the answer as correct. Note that the display of the correct answer may be disabled beginning with Version 3.0 of Q&ASA. This is done by issuing the 'D=' (Display Off) command in the database. This a global command and will turn off the display of all answers, no matter where you place the command in the database definition file. When creating a large database definition file, it is annoying to have to type the four or more common answers to a true/false question. To make this easier, Q&ASA supports simple macros. A macro is a block of text that is inserted in place of a macro identifier. We may therefore create a macro for 'true' and a macro for 'false', and use the macro identifier instead of typing all four answer lines. These macros would look something like the example on the following page. M= $TRUE$ true t yes y M= $FALSE$ false f no n Q= Answer true or false: Q&ASA understands the information in the database. A= $FALSE$ The "M=" is the macro keyword, and tells Q&ASA that the following lines form a macro definition. The first line following the macro keyword is the macro identifier. You may use any character string as a macro identifier, provided it does not contain blanks or tabs. The dollar signs are not necessary, but serve nicely to identify $FALSE$ Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 29 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide as a macro invocation. When Q&ASA reads the identifier, it will substitute all lines following the macro identifier up to the first blank line or keyword, whichever is found first. Note that Q&ASA will display "false" as the correct answer if the question is answered incorrectly, as it is the first answer in the answer list formed by expanding the macro. The above is a short introduction to creating a database definition file. The following section describes the Q&ASA compiler in detail. The Q&ASA Database Compiler --------------------------- The Q&ASA compiler is used only when a database is first created. A password (if entered using the /UP command) is required to gain access to it. Once the database definition file has been created, it is compiled with Q&ASA, and the compiled database file (which has an extension of .Q&A) is used with the Q&ASA program. This offers several advantages, among them: 1. The database is encrypted. A user of Q&ASA cannot look in the file using any viewing, listing, or debugging program and see the questions and answers. The Q&ASA interpreter knows the encryption method and decrypts the database as it reads it. 2. The author of the database definition file may specify a number of options to control the quiz session. These options cannot be seen or modified by anyone using Q&ASA. 3. Since the database has been preprocessed by Q&ASA, loading and display of questions is fast and error-free. It is not necessary for Q&ASA to perform any formatting at run time. Using The Q&ASA Compiler ------------------------ When you issue the /UC command, Q&ASA will prompt for a password (if one has been defined), and will then display a window showing the current directory. If your database definition files are in another directory, you may edit the directory here using the standard DOS directory naming conventions. Once you accept the directory by press- ing ENTER, a file-selection window will be displayed, listing all of the database definition files in that directory (e.g., all files with an extension of ".DEF"). Q&ASA requires you to use an extension of ".DEF" for the database definition file. Select the file you wish to compile and press ENTER. Q&ASA will compile the database and then present a screen showing the results of the compilation. Q&ASA will not make any changes to the database definition file (your 'source' file). It will create a compiled database file of the same Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 30 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide base name, but with an extension of .Q&A. If the database definition file is named QUIZ.DEF, then the compiled database will have a name of QUIZ.Q&A. If the compiled database file already exists, it is over- written by Q&ASA, and the original contents will be lost. Q&ASA will NOT warn you of this. When Q&ASA is finished, it will display the results of the compila- tion, including the options you selected in the definition file. The output below was produced by compiling the sample database SAMPLE.DEF (the screen window has been reduced horizontally to fit on the page). +----------------------- Compilation Results ------------------------+ | Database Name: Q&ASA Sample Database | | Input File: C:\QPQ\V391\SAMPLE.DEF | | Output File: C:\QPQ\V391\SAMPLE.Q&A | | Score Filename: SAMPLE.SCR Total Weight: 35 | | Time Limit: 00:10:00 Mode Lock: (none) | | Clear Command: Enabled Answer Display: Enabled | | Source Lines: 496 Total Questions: 25 | | Macro List: Letter Grades: 13 | | $TRUE$ | | $FALSE$ | | | | | | | | | | | | Press Any Key To Continue | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ Q&ASA Language Syntax --------------------- Q&ASA, being a true compiler, requires that you follow certain syntac- tical rules when creating a database definition file. The syntax was made as simple and forgiving as possible to minimize the learning time. The Q&ASA language is line-oriented, meaning that Q&ASA views its input in terms of whole lines. You may not, therefore, put two keyword markers on the same line, for example. The following is a short summary of the keywords that Q&ASA uses. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 31 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Q= Question text A= Answer list P= remove Punctuation from the next answer N= quiz Name M= Macro definition T= Time limit C= Clear not allowed S= lock in Sequential mode R= lock in Random mode F= output score Filename E= Encrypt score file W= assign Weighting G= assign letter-Grade equivalencies D= disable Display of incorrect answers Each of these keywords is described in the following paragraphs. Q&ASA scans and discards all text in the database definition file that is not part of a keyword interpretation. This means that you may insert comments almost anywhere, without using special comment delim- iters or markers. Since Q&ASA is line-oriented, you may not, of course, place a comment on the same line with any keyword or its associated text. Comments are otherwise unrestricted. The sample database definition file SAMPLE.DEF provides many examples of the use of comments. Terminators ----------- Every Q&ASA keyword (e.g., "Q=", "A=", etc.) has a termination, which tells the compiler when the end of the keyword interpretation has been reached. For all Q&ASA keywords, with the single exception of the Q= keyword, the termination is the same: a blank line, another keyword, or end-of-file. In this context, a blank line is any line that con- tains zero or more space or tab characters only. For the Q= keyword, a blank line is NOT a termination; only the 'A=' keyword terminates a question. This is to allow blank lines in the question text. You must be careful not to place comment lines between the Q= and A= keywords, since these will be regarded as part of the question and displayed on the Q&ASA screen. The Q= and A= Keywords ---------------------- As mentioned previously, Q= and A= are the keywords for 'question' and 'answer', respectively. The syntax is as follows: Q= <question text> <question text> <blank line(s)> .... Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 32 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide <question text> <blank line(s)> A= <displayed answer> .... <termination> A question may not have more than 15 lines of text associated with it, and you are limited to 76 characters per line. Within this rectangular boundary, you are unrestricted. If you exceed the allowed number of lines or if a line contains more than 76 characters (after tab and macro expansion), Q&ASA will display an error message. You are permitted any number of answer lines, limited only by the amount of memory available in the PC running Q&ASA. If the PC has 128K bytes or more of available memory (free memory above DOS and all TSRs), you are essentially unrestricted. The P= Keyword -------------- This keyword is used to simplify the answer list for answers that contain unimportant punctuation. For example, if the correct answer to a question is "Washington, D.C.", you would not want a student scored as incorrect if he or she were to answer with "Washington DC". The P= keyword prevents this situation. The P= keyword applies ONLY to the next answer list following the keyword. Once the next answer is compiled, punctuation is once again significant. Also, the P= keyword causes punctuation to be stripped from all answer lines beginning with the SECOND answer line. This is so that the correct answer can be displayed with all punctuation intact if the question is answered incorrectly. To elaborate on the "Washington, D.C." example, you could use: P= Q= What is the capitol of the United States? A= Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Note that the FIRST answer line will be left intact, but all punctua- tion will be removed from the second line when it is compiled. Also, when the user enters an answer in response to the question, all punctuation will be removed from the answer before it is compared to the answer list. Therefore, any answer that contains "Washington DC" will be scored as correct: "Washington, DC", "Washington D.C.", and so on. It is NOT necessary to include the punctuation in the second answer line above. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 33 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide This keyword is also useful for numbers; e.g., it removes any distinc- tion between "1,000" and "1000", and between "$50" and "50". In some cases you will have to exercise caution, as in "$50.00", where "5000" would be scored as correct, even though it is not at all what was intended. The N= Keyword -------------- The N= keyword is used to specify the quiz name. The name must appear on the line following the keyword, and may be up to 60 characters in length. When the database is loaded into Q&ASA, this name appears in the top border of the center (question) window. For example, to name a quiz on American history as such, you would use N= American History Quiz The M= Keyword -------------- The M= keyword is the macro definition keyword, and indicates to Q&ASA that the following lines are a macro definition. The macro definition takes the following form: M= <macro identifier> <first macro line> <second macro line> .............. <Nth macro line> <termination> Macros are expanded only within question and answer text, so you may not use a macro to specify a score file name, for example. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 34 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide To build a macro for 'TRUE' from two other macros, you could use: M= $T$ True T M= $Y$ Yes Y M= $TRUE$ $T$ $Y$ We have defined three macros, "$T$", "$Y$", and "$TRUE$". If Q&ASA encounters $TRUE$ in a question or answer, it will replace it with: True T Yes Y because "True" and "T" are expansions of $T$ and "Yes" and "Y" are expansions of $Y$. Note that blank lines are unnecessary between the macro definitions, since each is terminated by the M= keyword of the following macro. Macro invocations MUST be surrounded by whitespace. For example, many multiple-choice questions use the blanket selectors "none of the above" and "all of the above". You could therefore use the following macros: M= $NONE$ None of the above. M= $ALL$ All of the above. and write a multiple-choice question as: Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 35 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Q= Multiple-choice: In what year did Christopher Columbus land in the New World? 1. 1592 2. 1492 3. 1066 4. $NONE$ 5. $ALL$ A= 2. 1492 2 1492 Q&ASA will expand this to: Q= Multiple-choice: In what year did Christopher Columbus land in the New World? 1. 1592 2. 1492 3. 1066 4. None of the above. 5. All of the above. A= 2. 1492 2 1492 Remember that the Q&ASA compiler is line-oriented, however. If you put the following in the database definition file: M= $NW$ New World Q= Multiple-choice: In what year did Christopher Columbus land in the $NW$? 1. 1592 2. 1492 3. 1066 4. None of the above. 5. All of the above. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 36 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Q&ASA will NOT expand it because there is no whitespace between $NW$ and the '?'. If, however, you use M= $NW$ New World Q= Multiple-choice: In what year did Christopher Columbus land in the $NW$ ? 1. 1592 2. 1492 3. 1066 4. None of the above. 5. All of the above. Q&ASA will expand it to Q= Multiple-choice: In what year did Christopher Columbus land in the New World ? 1. 1592 2. 1492 3. 1066 4. None of the above. 5. All of the above. because the macro expansion includes the newline. You should not, therefore, attempt to use a macro in the middle of a block of text. Although Q&ASA contains a two-pass compiler, macros must be defined before they can be used. If you place a macro definition in the middle of the database definition file and use the macro identifier before and after it, then the identifiers that appear before the macro definition will NOT be expanded. Define all of your macros before entering the first question. As shown in the examples above, macros are expanded recursively, so if you place the macro identifier in any of the macro definition lines, you will create a self-referential macro. Q&ASA will detect this condition no matter how deeply recursive the reference may be. A self- referential macro will cause a fatal compiler error. Recursive macros are allowed so that you may build complex macros from simple ones if you wish. An obvious self-referential macro is shown below: Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 37 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide M= $MACRONAME$ macro text line 1 macro text line 2 $MACRONAME$ When Q&ASA encounters the second "$MACRONAME$", it would attempt to expand it using the current definition of $MACRONAME$, which would in turn cause it to encounter $MACRONAME$ again, and so on, until the program crashed. Q&ASA will detect this condition and generate an error message. Not all self-referential macros are obvious, however. Note that you can create a self-referential macro using two macros, as shown below: M= $MACRO 1$ text text $MACRO 2$ M= $MACRO 2$ text text $MACRO 1$ In this case, both macros refer to the other when expanded, creating a circular reference. This will also cause a fatal compiler error. The T= Keyword -------------- This is the time limit keyword. Include it in the database definition file to specify a time limit. If you omit it, there is no time limit. The syntax is as follows: T= HH:MM:SS where HH is hours, MM is minutes, and SS is seconds. If the time limit is less than an hour, you may omit the hours field; similarly, if the time limit is less than a minute, you may omit the hours and minutes fields. The sample database definition file contains a 10-minute timeout, given by T= 10:00 Note: If you specify a time limit for a database, the /FS (File/- Save Database) command will be disabled. A user attempting Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 38 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide to use this command will receive an error message, and the command will be ignored. The C= Keyword -------------- This keyword is used to disable the Clear command. An individual taking a quiz with Q&ASA can use the Clear command to reset the score and essentially do the quiz twice. The author of the database defini- tion file may prevent this by entering C= in the database definition file. When this is done, Q&ASA will ignore the Clear command completely. Note that if the Clear command is allowed, by omission of the C= keyword, and the score file is enabled with the F= keyword (described later), then a score record will be written to the score file indicat- ing that the user cleared the score and restarted the quiz. The S= and R= Keywords ---------------------- These are the mode lock keywords, where S= stands for "sequential" and R= stands for "random". These keywords are mutually exclusive; a database definition may not contain both keywords. If it does, an error will be generated by Q&ASA. These keywords are used to lock Q&ASA in the mode specified by the keyword. If you do not give either keyword, then the user of Q&ASA is free to use the Mode command to change modes. For example, to lock Q&ASA in sequential mode, use the following: S= and to lock Q&ASA in random mode: R= There are no other arguments. The lock remains in effect until another database is loaded (which may also be locked). The F= Keyword -------------- The F= keyword controls logging of score information to a disk file. Logging is enabled by specifying a filename with the F= keyword, and disabled if you omit the keyword. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 39 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide The filename you specify may be any valid DOS pathname, up to 64 characters in length. All scoring records are appended to the file if it already exists, or the file will be created automatically if it does not exist. Q&ASA will, however, force the filename to have an extension of ".SCR". The score logging file may exist on a file server of a networked system if desired. However, Q&ASA DOES NOT SUPPORT FILE SHARING. Typically, and networked system will require that a file be locked while it is being updated so that no other network user may access the file until the updating has been completed. If Q&ASA is used in a networked system, the networking extensions to DOS must provide this function. If networking is to be used, but the network does not perform locking on a file level, then you should specify a score logging file on the local drive of each PC, and collect these files at a later time. Otherwise, you may end up with a corrupted score file. All score log records are plain ASCII (except when encryption is selected). An example is reproduced below. Student Name: John Q. Public Database Name: Q&ASA Sample Database Final Score: 72.41% Grade: C Termination: TIME LIMIT Started: Monday, July 31, 1989, 15:44:44 Completed: Monday, July 31, 1989, 15:46:45 Elapsed Time: 00:02:00 Database File: SAMPLE.Q&A Total Questions: 20 Possible Points: 29 Points Awarded: 21 Point Matrix: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0001-0010 10.34 3.45 3.45 ??? 3.45 --- ??? --- 3.45 3.45 0011-0020 6.90 3.45 6.90 3.45 --- 3.45 3.45 6.90 3.45 6.90 ********************************************************************** The '*****....*****' forms a separator between individual records. The first block contains summary information regarding the quiz session. The quiz taker's name is listed along with the name of the database (given by the N= keyword), the final score, the letter-grade equivalent (or "n/a" if none were assigned), and the reason the score record was written to the score file. In this example, it is given as Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 40 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide 'TIME LIMIT'. This means that the quiz taker used up the time allotted by the T= keyword. The possible reasons for termination are: Completed The user answered all questions (and optionally, within the time allotted by the T= keyword). TIME LIMIT The user exceeded the time allotted by the T= keyword. This reason can only be produced if a time limit was given. ABORTED This indicates that the user quit the Q&ASA ses- sion before answering all questions using the /FX command or by pressing Control-C or Control-Break. CLEARED The Clear command (/MC) was used to clear the score and restart the quiz. This reason cannot be produced if the C= keyword is used to disable the Clear command. RELOADED The user reloaded the database, or loaded a dif- ferent database, or continued a previously-saved database before all questions were answered. The final score is always the ratio of the number of possible points to the total number of points awarded by answering correctly. Ques- tions that were not answered are scored as incorrect. The log record also specifies the time the database was loaded (there- by starting the timer, if a time limit was given), the time the quiz was completed or stopped (for any of the reasons given above), and the elapsed time. The third block of the record gives the name of the compiled database file, the number of questions in the file, and the number of possible points with the number of points awarded. Because Q&ASA supports weighting, the number of possible points may be entirely different from the number of questions. The last block is the point matrix. This shows the results of each question in the database, ten questions per line. Each question may have three possible outcomes: 1. The question was answered, and answered correctly. The point matrix will show the number of points awarded as a ratio of the number of possible points, relative to 100. 2. The question was answered, but answered incorrectly. The point matrix will show that no points were awarded with '---'. 3. The question was not answered, either by skipping over it or by exceeding the allotted time. The point matrix will show this with '???'. No points were awarded. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 41 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide In the example score record shown, you can see that questions 6, 8, and 15 were answered incorrectly, questions 4 and 7 were not answered (most likely due to the time limit given as the reason), and the remaining 15 questions were answered correctly. The point breakdown will be described in the section on weighting. The E= Keyword -------------- This keyword is used to instruct Q&ASA that the score file is to be encrypted. This prevents a user from completing a quiz session and then editing the score file manually to increase the score. When this keyword is used, the score file will not be human-readable, and must be converted back to plain text. This is done using the /UD (Utilities/Decrypt score file) command. This command, which is pass- word-protected, will restore the score file to plain text using the same file name. If the score file is, or has already been converted to plain text, /UD will not reprocess it. If you enter the E= keyword anywhere in the database definition file, Q&ASA will set a global flag that encrypts the entire score file. The D= Keyword -------------- This keyword is used to disable the display of the correct answer if a question is answered incorrectly. If omitted, Q&ASA will display Incorrect. The correct answer is (Correct Answer) Press any key to continue The syntax of the D= keyword is as follows: D= If you enter the D= keyword anywhere in the database definition file, Q&ASA will set a global flag that disables this display. Q&ASA will go on to the next question as though the answer was correct. The W= Keyword -------------- This keyword is used to assign weights to each question. The weighting system you use is entirely arbitrary and up to you. Q&ASA imposes only the restriction that you use integer weights, and that you use numbers between 0 and 32767 inclusive. The syntax of the W= keyword is as follows: Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 42 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide W= <weight> When Q&ASA encounters this keyword, it reads the weight and assigns it to all the questions that follow it. If Q&ASA encounters the W= keyword again, it will change the weight to the new weight, and assign the new weight to all following questions. As each question is pro- cessed by the Q&ASA compiler, Q&ASA keeps track of the total weight. When Q&ASA scores a question, it determines the point score to be the ratio of the total weight to that of the question in percent. This point score is added to the running score shown in the scoring window, and also appears in the point matrix in the score file (actually, the point score is recalculated after each question from the weights to avoid rounding errors). If you do not specify a weight anywhere in the database definition file, all questions will be weighted as one point by default. Note that this arrangement allows you total flexibility in setting up a weighting system. You do not have to weight each question as a fraction of 100, for example. Q&ASA does this for you. The sample database weights each 'fill-in' question as three points, each true/false as 2 points, and each multiple-choice question as one point. There is one 'fill-in' question, 7 'true/false' questions, and 12 'multiple-choice' questions. The points are calculated as follows: fill-in 1 times 3 points = 3 points true/false 7 times 2 points = 14 points multiple-choice 12 times 1 point = 12 points --------------------------------------- Totals: 20 questions 29 points There are therefore 29 possible points (as shown in the score file). A 'fill-in' question is worth 3/29 points or 10.34 points relative to 100. A 'true/false' question is worth 2/29 points or 6.90 points relative to 100, and a 'multiple-choice' question 1/29 or 3.45 points relative to 100. In the example score record, the user was awarded a total of 21 out of 29 possible points, for a score of 21/29 or 72.41%. Adding all of the points shown in the point matrix will produce the same result. Q&ASA also allows you to assign a weight of zero to one or any number of questions. These questions will not affect the score, as the score for any question is the ratio of the total weight of all questions to the weight of the question being scored. If you assign a weight of zero to all questions, the score will always be zero. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 43 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Conclusion ---------- Most of these examples can be found in the sample database definition file, SAMPLE.DEF. Experiment with it (remember to recompile it with Q&ASA if you change it), but please don't pass on a modified copy to someone else. Hal Endresen Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 44 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Appendix : Q&ASA Compiler Error Messages ---------------------------------------- Illegal definition filename: <filename> This error is generated if you supply a database definition file with an extension of .Q&A. Cannot find database definition file <filename> This error indicates that Q&ASA was not able to open the database definition file you specified. Unable to create temporary file <filename> This error indicates that Q&ASA was not able to create its inter- mediate temporary file. File <def file> : Line <line> : Answer omitted You specified a question without an accompanying answer, or your syntax is such that Q&ASA could not determine where the answer is. File <def file> : Line <line> : Question omitted You specified an answer without a preceding question, or your syntax was such that Q&ASA could not locate the question. File <def file> : Line <line> : Macro name missing You specified a macro definition (M=), but the next line is blank. File <def file> : Line <line> : Weight definition missing You specified weighting (W=), but the next line is blank. File <def file> : Line <line> : Invalid weight You specified a weight that was outside the range 1..32767 or entered non-numeric characters. File <def file> : Line <line> : Title missing You specified the name keyword N=, but the next line is blank. File <def file> : Line <line> : Title too long - truncated The name you entered after the N= keyword is longer than 60 characters. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 45 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide File <def file> : Line <line> : Time limit definition missing You specified the time limit keyword T=, but the next line is blank. File <def file> : Line <line> : Invalid time limit The time limit you specified following the T= keyword is not in the form HH:MM:SS. File <def file> : Line <line> : Mode lock already set You specified S= and R= in the same definition file. Q&ASA is complaining about the second occurrence. File <def file> : Line <line> : Filename missing You specified an output score file with the F= keyword, but the next line is blank. File <def file> : Line <line> : Illegal filename You specified a filename after the F= keyword that has invalid characters or longer than 64 characters. File <def file> : Line <line> : Question line exceeds <nn> characters You entered a line in a question block that will not fit into Q&ASA's window. File <def file> : Line <line> : Question exceeds <nn> lines You entered a question that has too many lines. File <def file> : Line <line> : Answer line exceeds <nn> characters You entered an answer line that will not fit into Q&ASA's answer window. Cannot create database output file <filename> Q&ASA was unable to create the compiled database output file. Cannot open temporary file <filename> Q&ASA was unable to create its temporary file. File <def file> : Line <line> : Macro <name> is self-referential The macro specified is self-referential. This may be a direct self-referencing macro or it may occur as a result of a complex series of recursive, circular macro expansions. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 46 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide COPYRIGHT This program is copyright (C) 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 by Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software. All rights reserved worldwide. Q&A Study Aid is distributed as SHAREWARE, or User-Supported Software. You are encouraged to try the program and share it with others, provided that: The program is distributed in unmodified form as the complete archive Q&ASA391.ZIP (QASA391.ZIP on CompuServe), complete with documentation and the registration information on the following pages. No fee, charge or other consideration is requested or accepted (a nominal reproduction fee is acceptable if diskettes or CD-ROMs are the distribution medium, provided no charge is specified or required for the program itself). The program is not distributed in conjunction with any other product. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 47 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE ----------------------- Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are required to register and pay for its use. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software, technical support services, or an updated program with printed manual. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific excep- tions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality (in both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!). The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author specifi- cally grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware. Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee - if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT ---------------------- Users of Q&A Study Aid must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "Q&A Study Aid is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, all warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, pecuniary or other- wise, which may result from the use of Q&A Study Aid." Q&A Study Aid is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and provides an incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find this program useful and find that you are using Q&A Study Aid and continue to it after a reasonable trial period (30 days), you must make a registration payment of $20.00 (US) to Quid Pro Quo Software. The $20.00 registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 48 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide while it is also being used at another - just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time. Commercial or governmental users of Q&A Study Aid must register and pay for their copies of Q&A Study Aid within 30 days of first use or their license is withdrawn. Site licenses may be purchased according to the following schedule (all prices are in US dollars): One copy $20.00 Two copies $35.00 3-10 copies $10.00 plus $10.00 per copy 11-30 copies $50.00 plus $5.00 per copy More than 30 copies $100.00 plus $2.00 per copy Anyone distributing Q&A Study Aid for any kind of remuneration MUST specify in any literature or advertising that Q&A Study Aid is SHARE- WARE, and as such, requires registration and payment to the author of the program above and beyond any payment the buyer makes for a copy of the program on some distribution media. You are encouraged to pass a copy of Q&A Study Aid along to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find the program useful and continue using it. All registered users will receive a copy of the latest version of the Q&A Study Aid system if the registration form specifies any version prior to the latest version, and all registered users will be notified of upgrades and improvements. As a registered user, you are also entitled to free replacement of the program should a maintenance release be made within a period of one year following your original registration. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 49 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide SPECIAL OFFER! -------------- Registered users of any ASP program may purchase a 1-year subscription to Shareware Magazine, normally $20.00, for just $12.95. Simply call (800) 245-6717 and give Special Order #: 2262 in order to use Master- card or VISA. You may also send a check for $12.95 to: Shareware Magazine Subscription 1030 D E. Duane Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94086 Include the Special Order number along with your name and mailing address. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 50 Q&A Study Aid V3.91 User's Guide Q&A STUDY AID V3.91 REGISTRATION FORM Name _______________________________________________________________ Title ______________________________________________________________ Company ____________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________________ City __________________________________ State ______ Zip ___________ Country _______________________________ Phone ______________________ SERIAL NUMBER FROM OPENING SCREEN __________________________________ NUMBER OF COPIES DESIRED (see schedule below) ______________________ Display System _____________________________________________________ DOS Version ________________________________________________________ PC Make/Model/CPU __________________________________________________ Fixed Disk Type/Capacity ___________________________________________ Floppy Disks _______________________________________________________ System RAM _________________________________________________________ To register, send this form and a check for the appropriate amount to Quid Pro Quo Software at the address shown below. Site licenses are granted according to the following schedule (in US dollars): One copy $20.00 Two copies $35.00 3-10 copies $10.00 plus $10.00 per copy 11-30 copies $50.00 plus $5.00 per copy > 30 copies $100.00 plus $2.00 per copy Quid Pro Quo Software P.O. Box 1248 Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-1248 Registered users will receive notification of upgrades of Q&A Study Aid, a registration number to remove the registration notice from the opening screen, and support either via CompuServe [73760,2032] or by mail. You will be entitled to maintenance releases for a period of one year following original registration. Non-registered users may make inquiries as to the suitability of this program for their particular purpose and to report bugs, errors, or desired features. Copyright (C) 1988-1991 Hal Endresen, Quid Pro Quo Software Page 51