While you are editing the Deck using the Edit Window, StudyMaster can automatically save a backup copy of your deck, including changes you've made, to your hard disk periodically. This means that in the event of a power failure or system crash, you won't lose data you have entered, but not yet saved using "Save Deck" on the main program window's "File" menu.
To turn automatic backup on or off, select "Automatic Backup to BACKUP.DAT" on the Edit Window's "Configure" menu. A check-mark next to the menu option indicates that the automatic backup feature is turned on. No check-mark indicates the feature is turned off.
When automatic backup is turned on, StudyMaster will execute an automatic backup every fourth time you keep changes to a card. During the automatic backup, the mouse pointer will change to the hourglass, and you may notice a pause while the backup is completed.
The backup file is always saved in the StudyMaster program directory. The filename for the backup file toggles between "BACKUP1.DAT" and "BACKUP2.DAT". The reason for the two filenames is to prevent loss of the backup file in case there is a failure while StudyMaster is in the process of writing the backup file. If that were to happen, you would lose the backup file being written, but the other file would remain intact.
In the event a power failure or system crash happens while you are editing, causing you to lose unsaved data, proceed as follows. First, look at your StudyMaster Program Directory, and note which of the two backup files BACKUP1.DAT and BACKUP2.DAT has the newest filestamp (i.e. the latest file creation time.) Then, re-run StudyMaster, and load the newest backup data file. Check the file to make sure it has your changes. If there is any problem loading the backup file, load the other one. Once the backup file is loaded and you have confirmed that it is working properly, save it under a new filename using "Save Deck" on the "File" menu. You can then continue editing.
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Bitmap Files
Look up help for "pictures".
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Card Classes
Each card has a card class associated with it. The purpose of the card classes is to tell you what kind of question is on the card. For example, you might define two classes, called "explanation" and "example". (You can have up to nine card classes defined. You edit and change the card classes in the Edit Window. See Help for Editing Card Classes for more information.) The current card's card class is displayed in the Card Window, along with the rest of the card information.
The "Card Class View Selection" dialog box, accessed through "Select Card Classes to View" on the "View" menu, lets you choose which card classes you want to see when you use the "Go to Next Card", "Go to Previous Card", and "Go to Random Card" commands. When you use these commands, you will only be taken to cards whose classes you have selected in the "Card Class View Selection" dialog box.
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CardFlash
CardFlash lets you read through the deck "hands free". CardFlash will automatically flip the current card, then change cards for you, all without your even touching the mouse. When changing cards, you can have CardFlash choose the next card or a random card. CardFlash is the ultimate study tool for couch potatoes!
To configure CardFlash, choose "Configure CardFlash" from the "CardFlash" menu. You will see a dialog box allowing you to set the CardFlash interval and mode.
The CardFlash Interval determines how many seconds elapse before CardFlash flips the card or changes cards. You can enter a value from 1 to 60 seconds.
The CardFlash Mode lets you select whether CardFlash takes you to the next card or a random card when changing cards. If you choose random card mode, use "Set Up Options" on the "Deck" menu to control whether random cards are selected only from within the current category or from anywhere in the deck.
Once you have configured CardFlash, choose "Turn CardFlash On" from the "CardFlash" menu to turn on CardFlash. To show you that CardFlash is on, the CardFlash menu title will change so that it is followed by an exclamation point: "CardFlash!" To turn off CardFlash, select "Turn CardFlash Off" from the "CardFlash" menu. When CardFlash is turned back off, the exclamation point will disappear.
When CardFlash flips or changes the card for you, it will flash an icon in the center of the Card Window to let you know it's working.
While CardFlash is active, you can still use the card and category commands to change cards. However, choosing most menu options which display a dialog box (such as "Set Up Options", for instance) will automatically turn CardFlash off.
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Cards--Card Data
Card Data consists of the deck name, the names of all card categories in the deck, and the name, question, answer, and class for every card in the deck. It does not include the Card Marks, the card's view counts, test answers and test comments.
Card Data may be saved to disk. When you execute the "Save Deck..." command on the File menu, you can choose to save Card Data (as well as Card Tags and Card Test Data) for the currently loaded deck.
If you have loaded a deck from disk and you have not edited it, but rather only changed the Card Marks and view count, choose to save only the Card Tags, but not the Card Data (which has not been changed.) That way, the next time you load this deck, you can pick up at the same point where you left off.
If you have edited the deck you are working on, or you have created a new deck, you should save the card data as well as the tags.
If the currently loaded deck has been edited, the program will not let you exit or load a new deck without warning you that changes to the current deck's data have not been saved.
See also "Cards--Card Tags," and "Cards--Test Data".
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Cards--Card Marks
Each card has a mark -- Easy, Hard, or Unmarked. To mark a card, use the appropriate Mark command on the Card Menu, or click the Mark Card button in the Card Window (the big button with the check-mark in it). Each click changes the card mark, from Unmarked to Easy to Hard, then back to Unmarked. Card Mark information is displayed in the Mark Card button at the top of the Card Window, and in the drop-down Card Listbox in the Index Window.
Card Marks are used to limit the cards you want to see, so that you can "zero in" on cards that give you trouble (hard cards) while skipping cards you've learned (easy cards.) You do this by using the View menu commands. Look up help for "View Menu" for more information. You may also choose to take a test and skip the EASY cards, or test yourself on only the HARD cards. Look up help for "Test--Configure Test" for more information.
Card Marks may be saved to disk. They are stored as part of the Tags file. Look up help for "Cards--Card Tags" for more information.
To erase the Card Marks, use the "Reset Card Tags" command on the Deck Menu.
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Cards--Card Tags
Card Tags consist of all the Card Marks for the current deck (each card's EASY, HARD, or UNMARKED status), and the View Count for each card in the current deck (how many times you have viewed each card.)
Card Tags may be saved to disk. When you execute the "Save Deck..." command on the File menu, you can choose to save Card Tags (as well as Card Data and Card Test Data) for the currently loaded deck.
If you have loaded a deck from disk and you have not edited it, but rather only changed the Card Marks and view count, choose to save only the Card Tags. That way, the next time you load this deck, you can pick up at the same point where you left off.
If you have edited the deck you are working on, or you have created a new deck, choose to save the card data as well as the tags.
See also "Card Data" and "Reset Card Tags".
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Cards--Flipping the Card
To "flip" a card, use the Flip Card command. This command is available from the Card menu, the Toolbar, and the Card Window Pop-up Menu.
If you are in Single-View mode, the Flip command will show you the other side of the card. If you are in Dual-View mode, the Flip command will show the answer if it is hidden, or hide it if it is visible.
For more information on Single-View and Dual-View mode, look them up in the Help index. You can choose Single or Dual-View mode from the Set Up Options dialog box. Look up Card Window--Setup for more information.
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Cards--Moving Between Cards
To move between cards, you can use the Go To Next Card, Previous Card, Specific Card, and Random Card commands. These commands are available from the Card Menu, the Toolbar, and the Card Window Pop-up Menu. Additionally, the Go To Next and Previous Card commands are available in the Index Window. Another way to change cards is to use the drop-down card listbox, located in the bottom part of the Index Window. This listbox shows all cards in the currently selected category. You can click on any card in the listbox to view it.
When you change cards using the Go To Next Card, Previous Card, or Random Card commands, the specific card you will be taken to depends on the settings on the View Menu. See help for View Menu for more information.
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Cards--Moving Between Categories
To move between categories, you can use the Next Category and Previous Category commands. These commands are available from the Category Menu, the Toolbar, the Card Window Pop-up Menu, and in the middle section of the Index Window. Another way to change categories is to use the drop-down category listbox, located in the middle part of the Index Window. You can click on any category in the listbox to view it.
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Cards--Reset Card Tags
The Reset Card Tags dialog box lets you reset the Card Marks and/or the card View Count. (These data are stored in the Card Tags data file.)
Each card in StudyMaster Flash Cards can be marked EASY or HARD. Or, the card can be unmarked. These are called Card Marks. The two buttons in the box on the right-hand side of the dialog box let you erase the EASY or HARD marks for all the cards in the currently selected category, or all the cards in the deck. Choose the appropriate radio button which carries out the operation on the cards you want, then click the "Reset" button underneath.
StudyMaster Flash Cards keeps track of how many times you have viewed each card in the deck. This is called the View Count. The three buttons in the box on the left-hand side of the dialog box let you reset the view count (that is, clear it to 0.) Choose the appropriate radio button to reset the count for only the card you are currently looking at, all cards in the currently selected category, or the entire deck, then click the "Reset" button underneath.
When you are done using the Reset Card Tags dialog box, click the "Exit!" button to close the box.
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Cards--Sound
Each card can have up to two sound files (.WAV format) attached, one each for the question and the answer. When you first view a card, you will hear the sound file, if any, attached to the card's question. When you flip the card, you will hear the sound file, if any, attached to the card's answer. However, if you have turned on the "View Card Back Immediately" option in the "Set Up Options" Dialog box, when you first view the card you will hear the sound file attached to the answer rather than the question.
After the sound file has played, if you wish to hear it again, you can. If you are in dual-view mode, simply double click on the question or answer textbox to hear the question or answer sound, respectively. If you are in single-view mode, double-clicking on the card textbox will play the question sound if you are viewing the question, or the answer sound if you are viewing the answer.
If you don't want to hear any sound files while viewing a deck containing sound, choose the "Turn Sound Off" option on the DECK menu. When you do, the option will change to "Turn Sound On", and choosing it again will turn the sound back on.
Note that in order to hear the sound files, you must have a sound card and Windows-compatible driver installed, or the Windows speaker sound driver installed.
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Cards--Test Data
Card Test Data consists of the test answers and test comments for each card.
Card Test Data is only available if you have either taken a new test, or loaded a previously saved test from disk
Test Data may be saved to disk. When you execute the "Save Deck..." command on the File menu, you can choose to save Test Data (as well as Card Tags and Card Data) for the currently loaded deck.
If the currently loaded test data has been edited (by using the "Review Test" option on the "Test" menu to change the test score or comments), or you have taken a new test, the program will not let you exit or load a new deck without warning you that changes to the current deck's test data have not been saved.
See also "Cards--Card Tags," and "Cards--Card Data".
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Cards--Types of Cards
There are five types of cards: text (essay) cards, multiple choice cards, select all answers that apply cards, yes-no cards, and true-false cards. All five kinds of cards have text for both the question and the answer. In addition, multiple-choice, select all correct answers, yes-no, and true-false cards store the appropriate answer, which is displayed when you "flip" the card.
For information on creating multiple choice, select all answers that apply, yes-no, and true-false cards, look up help for "Editing--Answer Types".
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Cards--View Count
StudyMaster Flash Cards keeps track of how many times you have viewed each card. Every time you go to a particular card, its view count is increased by 1. The View Count is displayed at the top of the Card Window, as well as in the drop-down card listbox in the Index Window.
The view count for all cards in the deck may be saved to disk. They are stored as part of the Tags file. Look up help for Cards--Card Tags for more information.
To reset the view count, use the "Reset Card Tags" command on the Deck Menu.
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Card Window
The Card Window displays the currently selected card. At the top of the window, you can see the name, class, mark, and view count for the card.
The Card Window can be resized, minimized, or maximized using the standard Windows mouse procedures. Consult your Windows documentation for further information. When minimized, the Card Window is represented by a card icon.
Use the "Setup" button to display a dialog box in which you can set up the way you'd like to see the card. Look up help for CARD WINDOW--SETUP for more information.
For information on working with cards, look up the various help topics for "Cards". If you are just getting started with StudyMaster Flash Cards, look up help for "Introduction".
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Card Window--Dual-View Mode
In Dual-View mode, you can see both sides of the card at once in the Card Window. Flipping the card while in Dual-View mode will hide the answer if it is visible, or make it visible if it is hidden.
To select Dual-View mode, choose the Setup button in the Card Window, or the "Set Up Options..." command on the Deck menu. In the resulting dialog box, choose "Show both sides of card." Look up help for "Card Window--Setup" for more information.
See also "Single-View Mode".
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Card Window--Mark Card button
Each card has a mark -- Easy, Hard, or Unmarked. To mark a card, use the appropriate Mark command on the Card Menu, or click the Mark Card button in the Card Window (the big button with the check-mark in it). Each click changes the card mark, from Unmarked to Easy to Hard, then back to Unmarked. After marking cards, you can choose which cards you want to see by using commands on the View menu.
For more information on Card Marks, look up help for "Cards--Card Marks" and "View Menu". Card Mark information is displayed in the Mark Card button at the top of the Card Window, and in the drop-down Card Listbox in the Index Window.
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Card Window--Pop-up Menu
The Card Window Pop-up Menu is a short-cut to executing some of the most common card commands. To see it, point the mouse pointer anywhere inside the card window, then press and hold the right mouse button. The pop-up menu will appear.
To make a choice off the Pop-up menu, move the mouse pointer over the choice you want, while continuing to hold the right mouse button. When the choice you want is highlighted, release the button. To cancel the pop-up menu without making a choice, move the mouse pointer completely off the pop-up menu and release the button.
*** The Auto-Positioning Feature ***
The Pop-up Menu Auto-Positioning Feature provides a quick way to move through the deck. There are two possible modes for the auto-positioning feature. When you start the program, the default is the "next card" mode. With this mode selected, the first time you pop up the menu, the FLIP CARD option will appear under the mouse pointer. To flip the card, just release the right mouse button as soon as you see the menu.
The next time you pop up the menu, the NEXT CARD option will be highlighted. Just release the button to go to the next card. Note that if you are at the last card in a category, the NEXT CARD command automatically takes you to the first card in the next category.
Each subsequent press of the right mouse button will alternate between placing the FLIP CARD and NEXT CARD option under the mouse pointer. Thus, you can quickly read through the entire deck using only the right mouse button!
If you'd rather study the cards in a category in random order, you can use the "Set Up Options" command (see help for Card Window--Setup) to change the auto-positioning feature to the Random Card mode. With this mode, each press of the right mouse button alternates between placing the FLIP CARD and RANDOM CARD options under the mouse pointer.
If the auto-positioning feature gets 'out of sync', you can 're-sync' it by popping up the menu, then moving completely off it and releasing the right mouse button.
Note that the auto-positioning feature will not work if the Card Window Pop-up Menu does not have enough room on the screen to display in the proper position. This can happen if you pop up the menu with the mouse pointer close to the edge of the screen.
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Card Window--QuickButton
The QuickButton is the button in the upper center of the Card Window, between the View Counter display and the Mark Card Button.
Initially, each press of the QuickButton toggles it between "Flip Card" and "Go to Next Card." This lets you quickly scan through the deck without having to work with multiple buttons.
If you like, you can set the QuickButton to toggle between "Flip Card" and "Go to Random Card." To do this, use the "Set Up Options" command, available on the "Deck" menu and in the Card Window through the "Setup" button.
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Card Window--Setup
The "Setup" button in the Card Window, or the "Set Up Options..." command on the Deck menu, displays a dialog box which lets you set up the display of the card in the Card Window, configure the Card Window Pop-up Menu Auto-positioning feature, and configure the "Go to Random Card" command.
The "Select Base Font..." button displays the Font Selection common dialog box. This lets you choose the default font type, size and style to be used in the card window.
The View Buttons ("Show One Side of Card" and "Show Both Sides of Card") let you toggle between Single-View and Dual-View mode. In Single-View mode, you will see only one side of the card at a time. In Dual-View mode, you can see both sides of the card at a time.
The "Show Card Back Immediately" button, when selected, causes the back of a card to be displayed immediately upon changing cards. If you are in Single-View mode, you will see the back of the card first. Flipping the card displays the question. If you are in Dual-View mode, you will see the card's question and answer without having to flip the card. Flipping the card hides the answer.
The Auto-function buttons let you choose between "Next Card" mode and "Random Card" mode for the Pop-up menu auto-positioning feature and the QuickButton toggle function. Look up help for "Pop-up Menu--Auto-positioning" and "Card Window--QuickButton" for more information.
The "Go to Random Card" options let you choose whether the program uses the entire deck when selecting a random card, or randomly selects a card from within the current category. Remember that the current View Menu settings also limit your selection of random cards.
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Card Window--Single-View Mode
In Single-View mode, you see one side of the current card in the Card Window. Flipping the card while in Single-View mode will show the other side of the card.
Single-View mode is the default mode; that is, when you first run the program, Single-View mode is selected.
To select Singe-View mode, choose the Setup button in the Card Window, or the "Set Up Options..." command on the Deck menu. In the resulting dialog box, choose "Show one side of card." Look up help for "Card Window--Setup" for more information.
See also "Dual-View Mode".
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Categories
A "Category" is a group of cards. Each category has a name, and contains from one to forty cards. Categories are grouped together into the "Deck".
For further information, look up help for "Deck Organization."
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Configuration
The 'Load Configuration...' and 'Save Configuration' commands, located on the File Menu, let you load and save, respectively, several of the StudyMaster Flash Cards parameters.
When you choose the 'Load Configuration...' command, you will see a dialog box with a list of parameters. Those selected (with an 'x' next to them) will be loaded from the configuration file, unless you cancel the dialog box.
When you choose the 'Save Configuration...' command, all the parameters listed in the 'Load Configuration...' dialog will be saved to disk.
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Deck Organization
The basic unit in StudyMaster Flash Cards is the CARD. Each card has a question (which can include a sound file and/or a picture file), answer (which can include a sound file and/or a picture file), a name, a class, a mark (easy, hard, or unmarked), and a view count (how many times you have looked at the card.) The answer can be one of five types: pure text, a true-false answer plus a comment, a yes-no answer plus a comment, a multiple-choice answer plus a comment, or a "select all answers that apply" answer plus a comment.
Cards are grouped together into CATEGORIES. Each category must have a name, and contains from one to forty cards.
The categories are grouped together into the DECK. Each deck has a name (displayed at the top of the Index Window, and in the title bar of the main program window,) and each deck contains from one to ninety-five categories.
Every Deck must contain at least one category, and every category must contain at least one card. Thus when you first start the program, or use the "New Deck" command on the File menu, you get a one-card deck. The one card's question contains instructions on how to edit the deck or load a new deck. Do not be confused by the "New Deck" command into thinking that there is no deck loaded at all. The program ALWAYS has a deck available, containing at least one card. The instructions you see on the screen when starting the program or creating a new deck are simply text the program automatically enters into the card's question to start. You can erase this text in the Edit Window.
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Easy Cards
Look up help for "Cards--Card Marks".
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Editing
To create new cards and categories, choose EDIT DECK from the Deck menu. You will see the Edit Window.
The Edit Window lets you modify the deck. While you are using the Edit Window, the rest of the program is disabled. The Edit Window is resizable using the standard Windows mouse procedure. This is useful to let you see more of each card's information at once on a high-resolution monitor. Controls inside the window resize automatically to match the overall window size.
The Edit Window has its own set of menus, and its own toolbar. Additionally, you can perform certain operations using Drag 'n Drop icons. When you point to a toolbar button or a Drag 'n Drop icon, its function will be displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the Edit Window.
When you are done editing, use the DONE EDITING! button in the lower right of the Edit Window, or close it from the menu.
Changes you make to the deck are not saved to disk until you use the Save Deck... command on the File menu.
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Editing--Adding Cards
There are five ways to add cards to an existing category. Remember that there is a limit of 40 cards per category.
The first way is to use the "Insert New Blank Card" command. This command creates a new card, which is inserted into the category AFTER the card currently being edited. After the new card is created, you will see it in the Edit Window.
The second way is to use the "Insert Clone of Current Card" command. This command creates a new card, which is inserted into the category AFTER the card currently being edited. The new card is an exact copy of the card currently being edited. After the new card is created and duplicated, you will see it in the Edit Window.
The third way is to use the "Previous Card" command when you are editing the first card in the category. You will be asked if you wish to insert a new card at the beginning of the category. Note that, because the "Insert New Blank Card" command inserts a new card AFTER the current card, you MUST use the "Previous Card" command to insert a new card at the start of a category.
The fourth way is to use the "Next Card" command when you are editing the last card in a category. You will be asked if you want to add a new card at the end of the category.
The fifth way is to use the "Add New Cards at End of Category" command. This command lets you add from 1 to 39 additional blank cards to the end of the current category. (Remember that you cannot have more than 40 cards in any one category.)
All five of these commands are available as buttons on the toolbar, and on the "Card" menu. "Insert New Blank Card", "Insert Clone of Current Card", and "Add New Cards at End of Category" are also available through Drag 'n Drop.
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Editing--Adding Categories
There are three ways to add a new category to the deck.
The first way is to use the "Insert Category" command. This command creates a new category, which is inserted into the deck AFTER the category currently being edited. When you issue the command, you will see a dialog box into which you can type the name of the new category. The new category will contain one blank card. After the new category is created, you will see its card in the Edit window.
The second way is to use the "Previous Category" command when you are editing the first category in the deck. You will be asked if you wish to insert a new category at the beginning of the deck. Note that, because the "Insert Category" command inserts a new category AFTER the current edit category, you MUST use the "Previous Category" command to insert a new category at the start of the deck.
The third way is to use the "Next Category" command when you are editing the last category in the deck. You will be asked if you want to add a new category at the end of the deck.
The "Insert Category", "Previous Category", and "Next Category" commands are available as buttons on the toolbar, and on the "Category" menu. Additionally, "Add New Category" is available through Drag 'n Drop.
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Editing--Answer Types
Each card can have one of five different types of answers: text, yes-no, true-false, multiple choice, or select all answers that apply. Yes-no, true-false, multiple choice, and select all answers that apply cards also give you a place to enter an explanation of your answer.
To choose between the different types of answers for each card, make your selection from the Card Menu. If you select a multiple choice card or a select all answers that apply card, you can choose to have as few as two answer choices or as many as five.
If you choose a Text Card, you can enter your card's answer into the appropriate editable text field.
If you choose a True-False Card, enter a true-false question into the question field. Then, select the correct answer from the True and False radio buttons. You can also enter an explanation for your answer into the text field to the right of the radio buttons.
If you choose a Yes-No Card, enter a yes-no question into the question field. Then, select the correct answer from the Yes and No radio buttons. You can also enter an explanation for your answer into the text field to the right of the radio buttons.
If you choose a Multiple Choice Card, enter a multiple choice question into the question field. Then, select the appropriate answer to your question using the "A" through "E" radio buttons. You can also enter an explanation for your answer into the text field to the right of the radio buttons.
If you choose a Select All Answers That Apply Card, enter a multiple choice question into the question field. With this type of card, your multiple choice question can have more than one (or no) correct answer. Then, select the appropriate answer(s) to your question using the "A" through "E" check-buttons. To create a card whose answer is "none of the above", simply leave all the answer buttons unselected. You can also enter an explanation for your answer into the text field to the right of the check-buttons.
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Editing--Automatic Backup
While you are editing the Deck using the Edit Window, StudyMaster can automatically save a backup copy of your deck, including changes you've made, to your hard disk periodically. This means that in the event of a power failure or system crash, you won't lose data you have entered, but not yet saved using "Save Deck" on the main program window's "File" menu.
To turn automatic backup on or off, select "Automatic Backup to BACKUP.DAT" on the Edit Window's "Configure" menu. A check-mark next to the menu option indicates that the automatic backup feature is turned on. No check-mark indicates the feature is turned off.
When automatic backup is turned on, StudyMaster will execute an automatic backup every fourth time you keep changes to a card. During the automatic backup, the mouse pointer will change to the hourglass, and you may notice a pause while the backup is completed.
The backup file is always saved in the StudyMaster program directory. The filename for the backup file toggles between "BACKUP1.DAT" and "BACKUP2.DAT". The reason for the two filenames is to prevent loss of the backup file in case there is a failure while StudyMaster is in the process of writing the backup file. If that were to happen, you would lose the backup file being written, but the other file would remain intact.
In the event a power failure or system crash happens while you are editing, causing you to lose unsaved data, proceed as follows. First, look at your StudyMaster Program Directory, and note which of the two backup files BACKUP1.DAT and BACKUP2.DAT has the newest filestamp (i.e. the latest file creation time.) Then, re-run StudyMaster, and load the newest backup data file. Check the file to make sure it has your changes. If there is any problem loading the backup file, load the other one. Once the backup file is loaded and you have confirmed that it is working properly, save it under a new filename using "Save Deck" on the "File" menu. You can then continue editing.
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Editing--Copy, Cut and Paste Card
You can move a card from one category to another (or from one deck to another) by using the Copy Card or Cut Card commands together with the Paste Card command on the Edit Window's Edit menu.
To save a card, first view it. Then, choose "Copy Card". The card will be copied to the card buffer. Or, choose "Cut Card" to copy the card to the buffer and then delete the card, all in one step.
If you want to paste the copied card into a different category as a new card in that category, go to the category you want and add a new card using the command on the "Card" menu.
To paste the copied card, choose "Paste Card". The card you are viewing will be overwritten by the copied card. However, as long as you don't change cards, you can restore the original card by clicking the "Reset Card" button. If you change cards or use the "Save Card" button, you cannot later get back your original card.
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Editing--Copy and Paste Category
The main use of the Copy Category and Paste Category commands is to move an entire category from one deck to another. Although you could theoretically use these two commands to move categories around within a deck, it is easier to use the commands on the "Arrange" menu for this purpose.
To move a category from one deck to another, follow this procedure:
(1) In the Edit Window, view the category you want to move.
(2) Choose "Copy Category" from the Edit menu.
(3) Exit the Edit Window with the "Done Editing" button or the window's system menu.
(4) Load the deck you want to copy the category to, or choose "New Deck".
(5) Open the Edit Window.
(6) If the classes in your second deck don't match those in the first deck, you may want to edit them so that they do match. In particular, if the second deck has fewer classes than the first deck, you might want to add classes so that the second deck has at least as many classes as the first deck had. This is a good idea, because if a card in the pasted category has a class that doesn't exist in the second deck, that card's class will be reset to the first class. For instance, if a card in a copied category was set to the third class, but the deck into which it is being pasted only has two classes, that card's class will be reset to the first class. If this happens, the program will notify you by displaying a dialog box.
(7) Go to the Category you want to replace with the copied category.
(8) Choose "Paste Category."
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Editing--Cut and Paste Text
You can cut and paste text in a card's question, answer, or title by using the "Cut", "Copy", and "Paste" commands on the Edit Window's Edit menu.
First, use your mouse to highlight the text you want to cut or copy. You do this by pointing to the start of the block of text, pressing and holding the left mouse button, then "dragging" the mouse pointer to the other end of the block.
Once the text is highlighted, either "Cut" or "Copy" will copy the highlighted text to the Windows Clipboard. In addition, "Cut" deletes the highlighted text.
To paste text that you have cut or copied, place the text cursor where you want the text to go, then choose "Paste".
Since the Cut and Paste Text commands use the Windows Clipboard, you can also cut and paste text from other programs into your flashcards with these commands.
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Editing--Deleting Cards
To delete an individual card, use the "Delete Card" command, which deletes the card you are looking at. It is available as a button on the toolbar, on the "Card" menu, and through Drag 'n Drop.
If a category contains only one card, you cannot delete the card. To delete a category entirely, use the "Delete Category" command.
When you have deleted a card, you cannot get it back, so be careful!
To delete multiple cards from the current category, use the "Select and Delete Cards" command. This command displays a listbox which allows you to select as many cards as you wish to be deleted from the current category. However, you cannnot delete ALL the cards in the category. To delete a category entirely, use the "Delete Category" command.
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Editing--Deleting Categories
To delete a category, use the "Delete Category" command. It deletes the current edit category and all its cards. This command is available as a button on the toolbar, on the "Category" menu, and through Drag 'n Drop.
When you have deleted a category, you cannot get it back, so be careful!
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Editing--Drag 'n Drop
Drag 'n Drop is a visual way to execute some of the most common commands. The Drag 'n Drop area is located in the upper right of the Edit Window.
On the left of the Drag 'n Drop area are four card icons representing (1) a blank card, (2) several cards, (3) the current edit card, and (4) a category of cards. To identify an icon, simply point to it and its identity will be displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the card window.
On the right of the Drag 'n Drop area are two icons representing (1) the deck, and (2) a trashcan.
To perform a Drag 'n Drop operation, drag one of the card icons to either the deck icon or the trashcan icon. Dragging a card icon to the deck icon performs an "add" operation (as in add card or add category), while dragging a card icon to the trash performs a "delete" operation.
To identify the various Drag 'n Drop operations, try dragging each of the four card icons to the deck icon and the trash icon, but don't drop them! As you drag the card icon over the deck or trash icon, still holding the mouse button, you will see displayed in the status bar a description of the command you would execute by releasing the mouse button.
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Editing--Editing Classes
To edit the classes, use the "Edit Classes..." command on the Deck menu, or the corresponding toolbar button. This command displays a dialog box with three options in it, plus a Done! button. Click the Done! button to close the dialog and return to editing the deck.
The drop-down listbox displays the current class list. To rename a class, select it from the listbox, then choose the "Rename Selected Class..." button. A dialog box will appear into which you can type the new class name.
To delete a class, select the class you want to delete in the listbox. Then choose the "Delete Selected Class..." button. A second dialog will appear. This dialog contains another drop-down listbox with the names of the remaining classes. Choose a class, and all cards set to the class you are deleting will instead be set to the second class.
To add a class, choose the "Add New Class..." button. A dialog box will appear into which you can type the name of the new class. New classes are always added at the end of the list. There is a limit of 9 classes per deck.
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Editing--Font Codes
You can view, edit and print your flash cards in any font available on your system. Additionally, StudyMaster Flash Cards version 2 lets you view your cards using any combination of bold, underline, italics, strikethrough, and colors. These font attributes are inserted into your text in the Edit Window, through the use of FONT CODES.
Before using Font Codes, you should select a "base font." The "base font" is the default font name, size and style used in your cards. To select a base font for use when viewing your cards in the Card Window and when taking a test, use "Set Up Options" from the Main Window's "Deck" menu. To select a base font for use when editing your cards in the Edit Window, use "Select Font" from the Edit Window's "Configure" menu. To select a Base Font for use when printing, use "Select Font for Printing" from the Main Window's "File" menu.
Once your base font is selected, you can make use of any combination of font attributes by using the appropriate FONT CODES in the Edit Window. Font Codes always go at the BEGINNING of a word, without a space between the code(s) and the word itself. Font Codes can be strung together, so you can use any combination of font attributes you like. When you use a Font Code, that Font Code stays in effect within that card until you insert another Font Code turning the first one back off. Note that if your selected Base Font forces a font attribute to always be on, then the corresponding Font Code will have no effect. For example, if your selected Base Font is Arial Bold, then the Bold Off Font Code will NOT display Arial Normal.
The font codes are as follows:
~N : Reset to base font
~n : Reset to base font
~B : Turn Bold On
~b : Turn Bolf Off
~I : Turn Italics On
~i : Turn Italics Off
~U : Turn Underline On
~u : Turn Underline Off
~S : Turn Strikethrough On
~s : Turn Strikethrough Off
~0 : Color Black
~1 : Color Black
~2 : Color Red
~3 : Color Green
~4 : Color Yellow
~5 : Color Blue
~6 : Color Magenta
~7 : Color Cyan
~8 : Color White
~9 : Color Gray
Here is an example of how to use font codes. Suppose you wanted to display the sentence "This is an example of bold-italic text. Red hot, don't you think?" with "bold-italic" displaying in (what else) bold-italic, and "red hot" displaying in red. You would enter the following text into the Question or Answer field of the Edit Window:
This is an example of ~B~Ibold-italic ~Ntext. ~2Red hot, ~Ndon't you think?
Or, you could enter the following, which would result in the same display:
This is an example of ~B~Ibold-italic ~b~itext. ~2Red hot, ~0don't you think?
For a further example of Font Codes in action, examine the default text that appears in the Question field of the Edit Window when you first run the program or create a new deck.
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Editing--Insert Special Character
This command displays a dialog box which lets you insert one of ten special characters into your cards. Bullets, section markers, and numerical symbols are available. To use this command, you must see the blinking cursor in the Card Name field, Card Question field, or Card Answer field.
When you see the dialog box, click the button which contains the symbol you wish to insert at the current cursor position. Or, click "Cancel!" to cancel the command.
Note that not all the symbols are available in all fonts. If you choose a symbol and it does not display properly in the Edit Window, try changing the font by using "Select Base Font for Editing" from the "Multimedia" menu. When you exit the Edit Window, you will need to choose that same font for use while studying by using "Set Up Options" on the main "Deck" menu.
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Editing--Move Cards
The Move Cards Dialog Box lets you move a card to a different location within the current category. It is accessed from the "Arrange" menu.
First, from the list shown in the dialog box, select the card you want to move by clicking on it. Then, click the "MOVE" button. Now select another card, next to which you want the moved card. Click the "NEXT TO" button. If you make a mistake, simply select the correct card and re-click the appropriate button. Finally, select either the "BEFORE" or "AFTER" button. These buttons determine where the moved card (the first card) will be placed relative to the second card. When you are ready, click "DO MOVE!"
You can move as many cards as you like. Before moving a card, you can view it by clicking the button with the "eye" icon in it. This lets you confirm that you are moving the correct card.
When you are done, click "EXIT!".
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Editing--Move Categories
The Move Categories Dialog Box lets you move a category to a different location in the deck. It is accessed from the "Arrange" menu.
First, from the list shown in the dialog box, select the category you want to move by clicking on it. Then, click the "MOVE" button. Now select another category, next to which you want the moved category. Click the "NEXT TO" button. If you make a mistake, simply select the correct category and re-click the appropriate button. Finally, select either the "BEFORE" or "AFTER" button. These buttons determine where the moved category will be placed relative to the second category. When you are ready, click "DO MOVE!" You can move as many categories as you like. When you are done, click "EXIT!".
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Editing--Multiple Choice cards
To set the current card to Multiple Choice mode, choose one of the Multiple Choice Card options from the Card menu. You can have from two to five answer choices.
If you choose a Multiple Choice Card, enter a multiple choice question into the question field. Then, select the appropriate answer to your question using the "A" through "E" radio buttons. You can also enter an explanation for your answer into the text field to the right of the radio buttons.
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Editing--Naming the Deck
Every deck has a name, which is displayed in the Index Window and in the title bar of the main Flashcards window.
To name (or rename) the deck, use the Name Deck... command on the Deck menu, or the corresponding toolbar button. A dialog box will appear, into which you can type the new deck name.
Note that the name you give the Deck here has no connection with the filename used to store the deck's data on disk. When saving the deck, you can use any name you want.
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Editing--Pictures
The small "artist's palette" buttons next to the question and answer textboxes allow you to add pictures to your cards. You can also add a picture to a card by using the picture commands on the MultiMedia menu.
Click on the "artist's palette" button or use the menu command to display a dialog box which lets you choose a BMP (Windows Bitmap) file to add to your card. You can also view the picture while you are in this dialog box. When you are done viewing the picture, click anywhere inside the picture window to close it, or use the picture window's "close" command on the control menu.
Bitmap files can be created using the "Windows Paintbrush" software supplied with Windows.
When you attach a picture file, you are given the option to store the complete pathname to the file, or the filename only. If you store only the filename, StudyMaster will load the picture file from the same directory in which the deck you are editing is saved. Just store your BMP files and your deck (.DAT) files in the same directory and you will see your pictures. Note that if you have not yet saved a newly created deck (and hence StudyMaster does not know where it will go), BMP files will be loaded from the StudyMaster program directory. If your picture files are in another directory where you plan to ultimately save your deck, don't panic when you don't see the pictures. Just save the deck into the appropriate directory (using "Save Deck" on the main window's "File" menu) and then StudyMaster will be able to find your BMP files.
The "artist's palette" buttons provide visual feedback to let you know which cards have picture files attached. A card which already has a picture attached to it will cause the "paint spots" on the "artist's palette" button to appear brightly colored. If the card does not have a picture attached, the "paint spots" will appear dull and lifeless.
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Editing--Search Cards for Text
The "Search Cards..." command, located on the Search menu, displays a dialog box which lets you search the cards for text. The three middle options on the Search menu let you choose to search all of each card, or just the question and title, or just the answer and title. A check-mark appears next to the currently selected option. The bottom option on the "Search" menu lets you choose to ignore font codes in the Edit Window, or search them. Normally, you should let StudyMaster ignore the font codes (the default.)
When you issue the Search Cards... command, you will see the search dialog box. In this dialog box, you can enter the text you want to find. By selecting the appropriate option buttons, you can choose to search the entire deck or search only in the current category. You can also choose whether to search forward or backward from the current card, or to start searching from the beginning of the current category (if you are staying within it) or the deck (if you are searching the entire deck.) Finally, you can select a case sensitive search or a non-case sensitive search. In a case sensitive search, a capital letter and its corresponding small letter are treated as different letters. In a non-case sensitive search, they are treated as the same letter.
After entering your search text and setting the option buttons, choose the "Search!" button to begin looking. While the program searches for your text, you will see a small dialog box. This box will tell you how many cards have been searched so far. It also contains a cancel button. To abort the search before the specified text has been located, click this button.
If your search text is found, a message to that effect will be displayed briefly. It will then disappear, and you will see the card with the text you were looking for. If your search text is not found, you will see a dialog box informing you of that fact.
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Editing--Select All Answers That Apply cards
To set the current card to Select All Answers That Apply mode, choose one of the Select All Answers That Apply options from the Card menu. You can have from two to five answer choices.
If you choose a Select All Answers That Apply Card, enter a multiple choice question into the question field. With this type of card, your multiple choice question can have more than one (or no) correct answer. Then, select the appropriate answer(s) to your question using the "A" through "E" check-buttons. To create a card whose answer is "none of the above", simply leave all the answer buttons unselected. You can also enter an explanation for your answer into the text field to the right of the check-buttons.
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Editing--Select and Delete Cards
This command lets you delete several cards at one time from the current category. It is available from the "Card" menu and through Drag 'n Drop.
When you issue this command, you will see a dialog box containing a listbox showing a list of all the cards in the currently selected category. Click on all the cards you wish to delete, then click the "Delete!" button to delete them. Click "Cancel!" to cancel the command and delete no cards.
Note that you cannot delete ALL the cards in a category with this command. You must leave at least one card. To delete all the cards in the current category, use the "Delete Category" command on the Category menu.
Once you have deleted cards you cannot get them back, so be careful!
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Editing--Sound
The small "speaker" buttons next to the question and answer textboxes allow you to add sound to your cards. You can also add sound to a card by using the sound commands on the MultiMedia menu.
Click on the "speaker" button or use the menu command to display a dialog box which lets you choose a WAVE file to add to your card. You can also hear the sound played while you are in this dialog box.
When you attach a sound file, you are given the option to store the complete pathname to the file, or the filename only. If you store only the filename, StudyMaster will load the sound file from the same directory in which the deck you are editing is saved. Just store your WAVE files and your deck (.DAT) files in the same directory and you will hear your sounds. Note that if you have not yet saved a newly created deck (and hence StudyMaster does not know where it will go), WAVE files will be loaded from the StudyMaster program directory. If your sound files are in another directory where you plan to ultimately save your deck, don't panic when you don't hear the sounds. Just save the deck into the appropriate directory (using "Save Deck" on the main window's "File" menu) and then StudyMaster will be able to find your WAVE files.
The "speaker" buttons provide visual feedback to let you know which cards have sound files attached. A card which already has sound attached to it will cause the "speaker" button to have a black wave next to the speaker. If the card does not have sound attached, the sound wave next to the speaker will be greyed out.
Note that in order to hear the sound files, you must have a sound card and Windows-compatible driver installed, or the Windows speaker sound driver installed.
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Editing--Swap Cards
The Swap Cards Dialog Box lets you swap two cards within the current category. It is accessed from the "Arrange" menu.
First, from the list shown in the dialog box, select one of the cards you want to swap by clicking on it. Then, click the "SWAP" button. Next, select the card you want to swap the first card with. Click the "WITH" button. If you make a mistake, simply select the correct card and re-click the appropriate button. When you are ready, click the "SWAP" button to swap the cards.
You can swap as many cards as you want. Before swapping a card, you can view it by clicking the button with the "eye" icon in it. This lets you confirm that you are swapping the correct cards.
When you are done swapping, click "EXIT".
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Editing--Swap Categories
The Swap Categories Dialog Box lets you swap two categories. It is accessed from the "Arrange" menu.
First, from the list shown in the dialog box, select one of the categories you want to swap by clicking on it. Then, click the "SWAP" button. Next, select the category you want to swap the first category with. Click the "WITH" button. If you make a mistake, simply select the correct category and re-click the appropriate button. When you are ready, click the "SWAP" button to swap the categories. You can swap as many categories as you want. When you are done swapping, click "EXIT".
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Editing--True/False cards
To set the current card to True/False mode, choose the True/False Card option from the Card menu.
If you choose a True-False Card, enter a true-false question into the question field. Then, select the correct answer from the True and False radio buttons. You can also enter an explanation for your answer into the text field to the right of the radio buttons.
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Editing--View Buttons
The View Buttons are located to the left of the Question and Answer textboxes. They have a small "eye" icon in them.
If you click on a View Button, you will see a dialog box showing you your question or answer as it will appear in the Card Window, completely formatted. Thus, the View Buttons are useful to let you see if you have entered your Font Codes correctly.
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Editing--"X-Out" buttons
The "X-Out" buttons are located to the left of the Question and Answer textboxes. They have an "X" icon in them.
These buttons let you instantly erase all the text in the Question or Answer textboxes. If you make a mistake in clicking one of these buttons and accidently erase your text, you can "undo" by simply clicking the button a second time. The "undo" feature only works while the textbox remains completely empty.
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Editing--Yes/No cards
To set the current card to Yes/No mode, choose the Yes/No Card option from the Card menu.
If you choose a Yes-No Card, enter a yes-no question into the question field. Then, select the correct answer from the Yes and No radio buttons. You can also enter an explanation for your answer into the text field to the right of the radio buttons.
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Export Deck to Text File
This File menu command allows you to create a text (ASCII) file containing all the cards in the deck. The file is automatically formatted, and can be read by any program that can read ASCII files, such as DOS word processors. You can also use the DOS 'Print' command to quickly print the text file on your printer in draft mode. Note that picture and sound information is not included in the ASCII file.
When you issue the command, you will see a dialog box into which you enter the right and left margins for your file. The left margin can be a number from 0 to 20; the right margin can be any number from 20 up to 132, but the number of characters printed per line (right margin - left margin) must be at least 20. Because the text fields are dynamically error-checked, you cannot enter invalid margin values.
After entering your desired margins, choose the OK! button and you will see the file selector dialog box. Enter the name you want your text file to be saved under, and choose OK to write the file. Choose Cancel to cancel the command.
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Files--Load Deck
The "Load Deck..." command on the File menu displays the Load Deck Dialog Box.
In this box, you must choose whether you want to load card data, card tags, test data, or any combination. Card data comprises category names, class names, and each card's name, class, default test score, question, and answer. Card tags comprise the card marks for each card (EASY, HARD, UNMARKED), and the view count for each card. Test data comprises your test answers, comments, and scoring for each card. Card Data, Card Tags, and Test Data are stored in separate files, so if you ask to load more than one kind of file, you will see the File Selector Box once for each file. In the File Selector Box, enter the filename for the file you want to load. You do not need to enter a file extention (.DAT or .TAG or .TST) because it will be added automatically.
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Files--Save Deck
The "Save Deck..." command on the File menu displays the Save Deck Dialog Box.
In this box, you must choose whether you want to save card data, card tags, test data, or any combination. Card data comprises category names, class names, and each card's name, class, default test score, question, and answer. Card tags comprise the card marks for each card (EASY, HARD, UNMARKED), and the view count for each card. Test data comprises your test answers, comments, and scoring for each card. Card Data, Card Tags, and Test Data are stored in separate files, so if you ask to save more than one kind of file, you will see the File Selector Box more than once. In the File Selector Box, enter the filename for the file you want to save. You do not need to enter a file extention (.DAT or .TAG or .TST) because it will be added automatically.
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Font Codes
You can view, edit and print your flash cards in any font available on your system. Additionally, StudyMaster Flash Cards version 2 lets you view your cards using any combination of bold, underline, italics, strikethrough, and colors. These font attributes are inserted into your text in the Edit Window, through the use of FONT CODES.
Before using Font Codes, you should select a "base font." The "base font" is the default font name, size and style used in your cards. To select a base font for use when viewing your cards in the Card Window and when taking a test, use "Set Up Options" from the Main Window's "Deck" menu. To select a base font for use when editing your cards in the Edit Window, use "Select Font" from the Edit Window's "Configure" menu. To select a Base Font for use when printing, use "Select Font for Printing" from the Main Window's "File" menu.
Once your base font is selected, you can make use of any combination of font attributes by using the appropriate FONT CODES in the Edit Window. Font Codes always go at the BEGINNING of a word, without a space between the code(s) and the word itself. Font Codes can be strung together, so you can use any combination of font attributes you like. When you use a Font Code, that Font Code stays in effect within that card until you insert another Font Code turning the first one back off. Note that if your selected Base Font forces a font attribute to always be on, then the corresponding Font Code will have no effect. For example, if your selected Base Font is Arial Bold, then the Bold Off Font Code will NOT display Arial Normal.
The font codes are as follows:
~N : Reset to base font
~n : Reset to base font
~B : Turn Bold On
~b : Turn Bolf Off
~I : Turn Italics On
~i : Turn Italics Off
~U : Turn Underline On
~u : Turn Underline Off
~S : Turn Strikethrough On
~s : Turn Strikethrough Off
~0 : Color Black
~1 : Color Black
~2 : Color Red
~3 : Color Green
~4 : Color Yellow
~5 : Color Blue
~6 : Color Magenta
~7 : Color Cyan
~8 : Color White
~9 : Color Gray
Here is an example of how to use font codes. Suppose you wanted to display the sentence "This is an example of bold-italic text. Red hot, don't you think?" with "bold-italic" displaying in (what else) bold-italic, and "red hot" displaying in red. You would enter the following text into the Question or Answer field of the Edit Window:
This is an example of ~B~Ibold-italic ~Ntext. ~2Red hot, ~Ndon't you think?
Or, you could enter the following, which would result in the same display:
This is an example of ~B~Ibold-italic ~b~itext. ~2Red hot, ~0don't you think?
For a further example of Font Codes in action, examine the default text that appears in the Question field of the Edit Window when you first run the program or create a new deck.
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Hard Cards
Look up help for "Cards--Card Marks".
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How to Use Help
The Help Window and Help Dialog Box display help information for the program. They look alike and work in a similar manner. Differences are explained below. To tell which one you are viewing, simply look at the title bar. The Help Window has a system menu, minimize and maximize buttons. The Help Dialog does not.
When you issue a Help command, whether you get the Help Window or Help Dialog Box depends on whether or not a Modal Dialog Box is active on screen. A Modal Dialog Box is a window which, until it is closed, freezes the rest of the program. For instance, the Edit Window is a modal dialog box. Basically, if you are looking at the Index Window or the Card Window, you will get the Help Window. If you have issued a command which results in the display of a dialog box, then issued a Help command, you will get the Help Dialog Box.
Both the Help Window and Help Dialog Box are divided into two sections. The upper section displays a list of available help topics. To view a help topic, either select it from the list and choose the "View Topic!" button, or double-click on the item in the list. The bottom half of the window displays a text box containing the help information.
The "Exit Help!" button closes the Window or Dialog. If you are viewing the Window, you do not have to close it to continue working with the program. If you are working with the Dialog, you do have to close it.
The Help Dialog Box cannot be resized, minimized, or maximized. Until you close the Help Dialog Box, you cannot continue with the operation of the rest of the program.
The Help Window can be resized, minimized, maximized, or closed. When you minimize the Help Window, it is represented by an icon of a light bulb. While the Help Window is onscreen, you can continue to issue other commands and work with the program.
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Index Window
The Index Window lets you see the names of all the categories in the deck, and all the cards in the currently selected category. The Index Window cannot be resized, but it can be minimized. When minimized, the Index Window is represented by an icon which looks like a deck of cards in a box.
The top third of the Index Window displays the name of the deck, and the number of categories and cards in it.
The middle third of the Index Window displays buttons that let you go to the next or previous category, and a drop-down listbox containing the names of all the categories. To go directly to any category, select it from the listbox.
The botton third of the Index Window displays buttons that let you go to the next or previous card (as modified by the current settings on the VIEW menu--see help for View Menu for further information), and a drop-down listbox containing the names of all the cards. The number to the far left of the card's name is the number of times you have viewed the card, while the card's Mark is displayed in between the view count and the card name, as either "---" (no mark), "-H-" (marked hard), or "-E-" (marked easy). To go directly to any card, select it from the listbox.
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Introduction
Welcome to StudyMaster Flash Cards, version 2.0! This program is a comprehensive study aid which lets you outline a subject in a question-answer (flashcard) format, study the flashcards, and finally, test your retention. Flashcards can be in one of five formats: essay (text), true-false, yes-no, multiple choice, or select all correct answers. Cards can contain your choice of typestyles, colors, sounds, and graphics. The program is not just for academic work -- it can also be used for anything that uses a question and answer format, like trivia questions or employee training information.
Help is organized into topics which cover major areas of the program. You can look up help in the following general topic areas, which contain subtopics explaining aspects of the general topic:
â•– Cards
â•– Card Window
â•– Editing
â•– Files
â•– Printing
â•– Test
In addition to the major topics listed, there are also help topics which do not contain subtopics. These topics cover individual aspects of the program that do not fit into a specific category. You can recognize a topic of this type because it does not have a dual heading. For instance, a sub-topic might look like this: "Cards--Flipping the Card". A main topic might look like this: "Toolbar".
Context-sensitive help is available for virtually all dialog boxes within the program. If you press the "Help" button in a dialog box, you will see the help topic explaining that dialog box function.
If you are just getting started with StudyMaster Flash Cards, look up help for "Deck Organization".
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Load Deck
The "Load Deck..." command on the File menu displays the Load Deck Dialog Box.
In this box, you must choose whether you want to load card data, card tags, test data, or any combination. Card data comprises category names, class names, and each card's name, class, default test score, question, and answer. Card tags comprise the card marks for each card (EASY, HARD, UNMARKED), and the view count for each card. Test data comprises your test answers, comments, and scoring for each card. Card Data, Card Tags, and Test Data are stored in separate files, so if you ask to load more than one kind of file, you will see the File Selector Box once for each file. In the File Selector Box, enter the filename for the file you want to load. You do not need to enter a file extention (.DAT or .TAG or .TST) because it will be added automatically.
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Moving Between Cards
To move between cards, you can use the Go To Next Card, Previous Card, Specific Card, and Random Card commands. These commands are available from the Card Menu, the Toolbar, and the Card Window Pop-up Menu. Additionally, the Go To Next and Previous Card commands are available in the Index Window. Another way to change cards is to use the drop-down card listbox, located in the bottom part of the Index Window. This listbox shows all cards in the currently selected category. You can click on any card in the listbox to view it.
When you change cards using the Go To Next Card, Previous Card, and Random Card commands, the specific card you will be taken to depends on the settings on the View Menu. See help for View Menu for more information.
By using the "Set Up Options" command on the Deck menu, or the "Setup" button in the Card Window, you can display a dialog box which will, among other things, let you control whether the "Go to Random Card" command picks a random card from within the current category only, or a random card from anywhere in the deck.
Note that when you are looking at the last card in a category, the Next Card command will automatically take you to the first card in the next category (the first viewable card, if you have limited your card selections using the View Menu.) Similarly, if you are looking at the first card in a category, the Previous Card command will take you to the last available card in the prior category.
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Moving Between Categories
To move between categories, you can use the Next Category and Previous Category commands. These commands are available from the Category Menu, the Toolbar, the Card Window Pop-up Menu, and in the middle section of the Index Window. Another way to change categories is to use the drop-down category listbox, located in the middle part of the Index Window. You can click on any category in the listbox to view it.
Note that when you are looking at the last card in a category, the Next Card command will automatically take you to the first available card in the next category. ("Available", because you may have limited viewable cards using the View Menu commands.) Similarly, if you are looking at the first card in a category, the Previous Card command will take you to the last available card in the prior category.
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New Deck
This file menu command erases the current deck from memory, so you can enter data into a new deck. If the current deck's card data, tags, or test data have been modified but not saved, you will be notified of that fact before the current deck is erased. This helps prevent accidental data loss.
When you create a new deck, the new deck is made up of one category containing one card. The one card's question will contain text instructing you on how to load a deck or enter new data. When you begin editing, simply choose the "Erase Card!" button in the Edit Window to erase these instructions, so you can start entering data into a completely blank card.
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Pictures
Each card can have up to two picture files (.BMP format, AKA Windows Paintbrush format) attached, one each for the question and the answer. When you first view a card, you will see the picture file, if any, attached to the card's question. When you flip the card, you will see the picture file, if any, attached to the card's answer. However, if you have turned on the "View Card Back Immediately" option in the "Set Up Options" Dialog box, when you first view the card you will see the picture file attached to the answer rather than the file attached to the question.
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Picture Window
Pictures are displayed in the Picture Window, which is a separate child window within the main StudyMaster program window. The Picture Window may be moved, resized, and minimized using the standard Windows mouse procedures. Consult your Windows documentation for further information. When minimized, the Picture Window is represented by an "artist's palette" icon.
The picture window (or its icon, if minimized) automatically disappears when you view a card without a picture attached, and reappears when you view a card with a picture attached. StudyMaster "remembers" the size and location of the picture window, so when it disappears, it will always reappear in the same position.
When the Picture Window appears, if it is located on top of the Card Window, and there is enough room to the right of the Picture Window, StudyMaster will move the Card Window to the right so that the Picture Window does not cover the Card Window. When the Picture Window disappears (because you are viewing a card with no picture attached,) StudyMaster will move the Card Window back to its previous location. However, if StudyMaster moves the Card Window out of the way of the Picture Window, and you then move or resize the Card Window, StudyMaster will leave the Card Window where you put it, even when the Picture Window disappears.
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Pop-up Menu
The Card Window Pop-up Menu is a short-cut to executing some of the most common card commands. To see it, point the mouse pointer anywhere inside the card window, then press and hold the right mouse button. The pop-up menu will appear.
To make a choice off the Pop-up menu, move the mouse pointer over the choice you want, while continuing to hold the right mouse button. When the choice you want is highlighted, release the button. To cancel the pop-up menu without making a choice, move the mouse pointer completely off the pop-up menu and release the button.
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Pop-up Menu--Auto-positioning
The Pop-up Menu Auto-Positioning Feature provides a quick way to move through the deck. There are two possible modes for the auto-positioning feature. When you start the program, the default is the "next card" mode. With this mode selected, the first time you pop up the menu, the FLIP CARD option will appear under the mouse pointer. To flip the card, just release the right mouse button as soon as you see the menu.
The next time you pop up the menu, the NEXT CARD option will be highlighted. Just release the button to go to the next card. Note that if you are at the last card in a category, the NEXT CARD command automatically takes you to the first card in the next category.
Each subsequent press of the right mouse button will alternate between placing the FLIP CARD and NEXT CARD option under the mouse pointer. Thus, you can quickly read through the entire deck using only the right mouse button!
If you'd rather study the cards in a category in random order, you can use the "Set Up Options" command (see help for Card Window--Setup) to change the auto-positioning feature to the Random Card mode. With this mode, each press of the right mouse button alternates between placing the FLIP CARD and RANDOM CARD options under the mouse pointer.
If the auto-positioning feature gets 'out of sync', you can 're-sync' it by popping up the menu, then moving completely off it and releasing the right mouse button.
Note that the auto-positioning feature will not work if the Card Window Pop-up Menu does not have enough room on the screen to display in the proper position. This can happen if you pop up the menu with the mouse pointer close to the edge of the screen.
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Printing--Font Selection
This command, available on the File menu, displays the Font Common Dialog box. In this box, you can select a font, size and style to be used as the default style for printing cards. Only fonts supported by your printer will be displayed. You must choose a font size between 8 and 20 points. To cancel the command, use the "CANCEL" button.
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Printing--Making 'Flippable' Cards
To print cards on your printer that can be "flipped", use the following procedure.
Choose the "Select and Print Cards" command from the File menu. In the resulting dialog box, choose the cards you want to print.
Next, select the "Design Page Format" and "One Card Per Page" buttons. Leave the other options alone. Then, choose the "Lay Out Page" button to proceed to the Page Layout Dialog Box.
In the Page Layout Dialog Box, use both cardboxes, and place cardbox #1 in the TOP HALF of the page. Place Cardbox #2 in the BOTTOM HALF of the page. Size the cardboxes as you want, but be sure that cardbox #1 is completely in the top half of the page, while cardbox #2 is completely in the bottom half of the page. For detailed information on how to use the Page Layout Dialog Box, look up help for "Printing--Page Layout".
When you have laid out the page, click the "Print!" button to print the cards on your printer. Each card will get its own page. If a card's question or answer does not fit in one cardbox, it will spill over into the next one; thus, you may have a card that uses more than one page. However, because you chose "One Card Per Page", there will never be more than one card's info on any page. When the cards are done printing, simply fold each page in half and tape or staple at the top. There you have it--flippable cards!
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Printing--Move and Resize Cardbox
When you are using the page layout dialog box, the 'cardboxes' (the yellow boxes in the page display area) show where your printed output will go. You can move and resize the cardboxes with the mouse. However, if you wish to position the cardboxes precisely, you can use the Move and Resize Cardbox dialog box to enter precise coordinates for the cardboxes.
To see this dialog box, either double-click on the cardbox you want to work with, or select the cardbox by pressing the 'Tab' key until the cardbox changes to a darker shade of yellow, then pressing any key on the keyboard. The dialog box will appear. Enter the coordinates you wish, and choose the 'OK!' button.
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Printing--Page Layout
The page layout dialog box lets you specify precisely where you want your card information to appear on the printed page. The main use for this dialog box is to allow you to make "flippable" cards. Look up help for "Printing--Making 'Flippable' Cards" for specific instructions on how to do this. The help topic you are reading will explain only how to work the Page Layout dialog box.
On the right side of the dialog is a representation of a printed page, scaled to match the size of the paper in your printer (as set in the Default Printer settings in the Windows Control Panel). This is called the 'page display area'. The pink borders (if any) on the edge of the page display area indicate areas in which your printer cannot print.
The "cardbox" is the yellow box within the page display area. This box shows the area on the page where your printed output will go. You can have up to two cardboxes. Use the "Use Cardbox #2" button to turn the second cardbox on and off.
To lay out your page, use your mouse to drag the cardbox where you want it to go. The little squares located on the right side, bottom side, and lower-right corner of the cardbox are 'sizer hotspots.' Drag a sizer hotspot to resize the cardbox. As you move or resize the cardbox, its new location or size will be constantly updated in the status area on the left side of the dialog box. If you are using a slower computer, the position/size display may not update continually. To see the new current location and size, simply stop dragging for an instant (while continuing to hold the mouse button down), to give the display a chance to update.
If you would like to directly enter size/position coordinates for a cardbox, double-click it. A dialog box will pop open, allowing you to enter precise coordinates for the position and size of the cardbox. If you are not using a mouse, press the 'tab' key until the cardbox you want to move or resize is selected. (When selected, the cardbox will change to a darker shade of yellow.) Then, press any key on your keyboard. The 'move/resize cardbox' dialog box will open.
Precise positioning and sizing of a cardbox can be accomplished with the mouse, through the use of the 'snap' option. To turn on 'snap', click the appropriate button on the left side of the dialog box. When 'snap' is on, you will see a grid. If you drop a cardbox so that its upper edge is near a horizontal gridline, the upper edge will 'snap' to that gridline. Similarly, if you drop a card so that its left edge is near a vertical gridline, the cardbox's left edge will 'snap' to that gridline. When resizing with the sizer hotspots, dropping the right or bottom edge of the cardbox near a vertical or horizontal gridline, respectively, will cause that edge to 'snap' to the gridline. Thus, with the 'snap' function, you can precisely position and size a cardbox. By clicking the appropriate button, you can choose a grid with gridlines spaced every inch, or every one-half inch.
If you are not using 'snap', you can still display a grid with the gridlines spaced every inch. However, with 'snap' turned off, the grid will be for your reference only.
When you have positioned the cardbox or cardboxes as you want them, click the 'Print' button. The cards will print on your printer.
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Printing--Print Current Card
This File Menu command prints the current card.
You can choose to have the card question and answer printed on the same page, or on separate pages, by choosing the appropriate button. If the current card has test data available, you can choose to add that information to your printout by clicking the appropriate button. The test information will be printed immediately following the card's answer.
The printer settings used are those of the Default Printer. To change these settings, use the Windows Control Panel. See your Windows documentation for more information.
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Printing--Select and Print Cards
This File Menu command displays the Select Cards to Print dialog box. In this dialog box, you can select, for printing, as many cards as you like from anywhere in the deck.
The big listbox in the "card selection" portion of the dialog box contains a list of all the cards in a category. (When the dialog is first displayed, this category will be the current category.) You can select as many of the cards as you like by clicking on them. Selected cards will be printed; unselected cards will not. To deselect a selected card, click on it again.
If you want to print all the cards in a category, you can select them with one mouse click by using the "Select Cat." button. The "Deselect Cat." button clears all selections in the current category. The "Select All" and "Deselect All" allow you to select and deselect, respectively, all the cards in the entire deck.
To change categories, use the Next Category or Previous Category buttons. These buttons look the same as the Next Category and Previous Category buttons on the toolbar. When you change categories, the program remembers which cards you have selected for printing in each category. Thus, if you select some cards for printing, then change categories, then return to your previous category, the cards you selected for printing will still be selected.
If you choose the "Q., then A. for each card" button, each card's questions and answers will be printed together. If you choose the "All Questions, then all Answers" button, all the questions will be grouped together, followed by all the answers.
The "One Card per Page/Multiple Cards per Page" buttons at the bottom of the dialog box control whether each card you print will get its own page, or whether the program should fit as many cards as possible on each page. The default is multiple cards per page. When you choose multiple cards per page, you will see two additional buttons at the bottom of the dialog box. These buttons allow you to have the program start a new page whenever it begins printing a new category of cards. That way, you will not have cards from two different categories on the same page. Or, you can choose to have the program continue to print on the same page. This minimizes paper use.
The "Automatic Formatting/Lay Out Page" buttons let you choose whether to have StudyMaster Flash Cards lay out your pages for you, or whether you do the layout yourself using the Page Layout Dialog Box.
The "Include Test Answers and Comments" button lets you choose to print test answers and comments, if any are available for the card(s) you are printing. If you choose this option and there is test data available for a card, that data will be printed following the card's answer. If no test data is loaded at all, this button will be disabled and you will not be able to select it.
When you have selected all the cards you want printed, and have chosen whether you want one card or multiple cards on each page, you are ready to click the "Print!"/"Lay Out Page" button. (this is the same button; its title depends on whether you are using automatic formatting or page layout.) When you click this button, if you are in automatic formatting mode, all the selected cards will print on your printer. If you are in page layout mode, you will see the page layout dialog box. To cancel, and print nothing, choose the "CANCEL!" button.
When printing, the printer settings (for things such as printer resolution and portrait/landscape mode) are those of the Default Printer. To change these settings, use the Printers option in the Windows Control Panel. See your Windows documentation for more information.
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Random Card Selection
Studying the deck in order is helpful, but some people have a tendency to memorize the deck in order. You can avoid this problem by using the "Go to Random Card" command. This command can be configured by using the View Menu settings and the Set Up Options dialog box.
The "Go to Random Card" command, available on the Card menu, the Toolbar, and the Card Window Popup Menu, lets you go to a random card. The card selected is limited by your View Menu settings; look up help for "View Menu" for more information.
By using the "Set Up Options" command on the Deck menu, or the "Setup" button in the Card Window, you can display a dialog box which will, among other things, let you control whether the "Go to Random Card" command picks a random card only from within the current category, or a random card from anywhere in the deck.
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Reset Card Tags
The Reset Card Tags dialog box lets you reset the Card Marks and/or the card View Count. (These data are stored in the Card Tags data file.)
Each card in StudyMaster Flash Cards can be marked EASY or HARD. Or, the card can be unmarked. These are called Card Marks. The two buttons in the box on the right-hand side of the dialog box let you erase the EASY or HARD marks for all the cards in the currently selected category, or all the cards in the deck. Choose the appropriate radio button which carries out the operation on the cards you want, then click the "Reset" button underneath.
StudyMaster Flash Cards keeps track of how many times you have viewed each card in the deck. This is called the View Count. The three buttons in the box on the left-hand side of the dialog box let you reset the view count (that is, clear it to 0.) Choose the appropriate radio button to reset the count for only the card you are currently looking at, all cards in the currently selected category, or the entire deck, then click the "Reset" button underneath.
When you are done using the Reset Card Tags dialog box, click the "Exit!" button to close the box.
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Reset Last Cards Viewed
Whenever you enter a category by using the "Next Category" or "Previous Category" commands, or the drop-down category listbox in the Index Window, the program will always take you to the same card you were viewing when you last worked with that category. This is useful because it allows you to move back and forth between categories without having to remember where you were in each one.
However, sometimes this feature can be a problem. If you have gone through the whole deck from beginning to end, and then you want to do it again, each category you enter will put you at the last card in the category, because that was the last card you looked at. But, you really want to be at the first card.
The "Reset Last Cards Viewed" command, available on the Deck menu, provides a solution. It displays a dialog box which allows you to reset the last card viewed in each category. After choosing the OK! button in the dialog, entering a category will initially take you to the first card. Of course, when you leave the category, the program will once again remember what card you were looking at, and when you re-enter the category, take you to that card.
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Save Deck
The "Save Deck..." command on the File menu displays the Save Deck Dialog Box.
In this box, you must choose whether you want to save card data, card tags, test data, or any combination. Card data comprises category names, class names, and each card's name, class, default test score, question, and answer. Card tags comprise the card marks for each card (EASY, HARD, UNMARKED), and the view count for each card. Test data comprises your test answers, comments, and scoring for each card. Card Data, Card Tags, and Test Data are stored in separate files, so if you ask to save more than one kind of file, you will see the File Selector Box more than once. In the File Selector Box, enter the filename for the file you want to save. You do not need to enter a file extention (.DAT or .TAG or .TST) because it will be added automatically.
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Search Cards
The "Search Cards..." command, located on the Search menu, displays a dialog box which lets you search the cards for text. The three bottom options on the Search menu let you choose to search all of each card, or just the question and title, or just the answer and title. A check-mark appears next to the currently selected option.
When you issue the Search Cards... command, you will see the search dialog box. In this dialog box, you can enter the text you want to find. By selecting the appropriate option buttons, you can choose to search the entire deck or search only in the current category. You can also choose whether to search forward or backward from the current card, or to start searching from the beginning of the current category (if you are staying within it) or the deck (if you are searching the entire deck.) Finally, you can select a case sensitive search or a non-case sensitive search. In a case sensitive search, a capital letter and its corresponding small letter are treated as different letters. In a non-case sensitive search, they are treated as the same letter.
After entering your search text and setting the option buttons, choose the "Search!" button to begin looking. While the program searches for your text, you will see a small dialog box. This box will tell you how many cards have been searched so far. It also contains a cancel button. To abort the search before the specified text has been located, click this button.
If your search text is found, a message to that effect will be displayed briefly. It will then disappear, and you will see the card with the text you were looking for. If your search text is not found, you will see a dialog box informing you of that fact.
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Set Up Options
The "Setup" button in the Card Window, or the "Set Up Options..." command on the Deck menu, displays a dialog box which lets you set up the display of the card in the Card Window, configure the Card Window Pop-up Menu Auto-positioning feature, and configure the "Go to Random Card" command.
The "Select Base Font..." button displays the Font Selection common dialog box. This lets you choose a default font type, size and style to be used in the card window.
The View Buttons ("Show One Side of Card" and "Show Both Sides of Card") let you toggle between Single-View and Dual-View mode. In Single-View mode, you will see only one side of the card at a time. In Dual-View mode, you can see both sides of the card at a time.
The "Show Card Back Immediately" button, when selected, causes the back of a card to be displayed immediately upon changing cards. If you are in Single-View mode, you will see the back of the card first. Flipping the card displays the question. If you are in Dual-View mode, you will see the card's question and answer without having to flip the card. Flipping the card hides the answer.
The Auto-function buttons let you choose between "Next Card" mode and "Random Card" mode for the Pop-up menu auto-positioning feature and the QuickButton toggle function. Look up help for "Pop-up Menu--Auto-positioning" and "Card Window--QuickButton" for more information.
The "Go to Random Card" options let you choose whether the program uses the entire deck when selecting a random card, or randomly selects a card from within the current category. Remember that the current View Menu settings also limit your selection of random cards.
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Set Up Status Box
StudyMaster displays some status messages in a box which appears on the screen for a time, then erases itself automatically. The Set Up Status Box dialog box, accessed from the Deck Menu, lets you set how long the status box stays on the screen before erasing itself. You can enter any value from 0.3 seconds to 9.9 seconds.
If you don't like the automatically erasing status box, you can choose to have status messages displayed in a regular dialog box with an OK button. To choose this option, click on the appropriate option button in the Set Up Status Box dialog. The program default setting is the automatically erasing box.
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Sound
Each card can have up to two sound files (.WAV format) attached, one each for the question and the answer. When you first view a card, you will hear the sound file, if any, attached to the card's question. When you flip the card, you will hear the sound file, if any, attached to the card's answer. However, if you have turned on the "View Card Back Immediately" option in the "Set Up Options" Dialog box, when you first view the card you will hear the sound file attached to the answer rather than the question.
After the sound file has played, if you wish to hear it again, you can. If you are in dual-view mode, simply double click on the question or answer textbox to hear the question or answer sound, respectively. If you are in single-view mode, double-clicking on the card textbox will play the question sound if you are viewing the question, or the answer sound if you are viewing the answer.
If you don't want to hear any sound files while viewing a deck containing them, choose the "Turn Sound Off" option on the DECK menu. When you do, the option will change to "Turn Sound On", and choosing it again will turn the sound back on.
Note that in order to hear the sound files, you must have a sound card and Windows-compatible driver installed, or the Windows speaker sound driver installed.
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Statusbar
The statusbar is located at the bottom of the main program window. To free up some screen space, you can hide the statusbar by using the "Hide Statusbar" command on the Window menu. When you hide the statusbar, the Window menu command changes to "Show Statusbar". Choose this command to redisplay the statusbar.
The current view menu settings are displayed in the center of the statusbar.
When you point to any button on the toolbar or any button in the Index, Help, or Card window, that button's function will be displayed on the left side of the statusbar.
The right side of the statusbar displays the current card's location in the deck. First is displayed the current category and the total number of categories. Then, the current card's location in the current category, and how many cards are in that category. Finally, in parenthesis, you will see the current card's location in the overall deck, and the total number of cards in the deck.
See also "Toolbar".
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Test--Clear Test Data
This command, available on the Test menu, lets you clear test data from memory. Test data consists of test answers, test comments, and scoring.
If you have test data loaded which has not been saved, you will be warned of that fact before the data is cleared.
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Test--Configure Test
To access the Configure Test dialog box, choose "Set Up and Take Test" from the Test menu, then choose the "Configure Test!" button.
In order to use the "Set Up and Take Test" command, there must be no test data currently loaded. If test data is loaded, you will be given the option to clear it. If you wish to keep the test data, save it before clearing it by using "Save Test..." on the File menu.
The top section of the Configure Test dialog box lets you choose which cards to use in the test. Choose "All Cards", "True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice Only", "Skip Cards Marked Easy", or "Only Cards Marked Hard" to test using the corresponding cards. If you wish to select a specific set of cards, choose "Selected Cards From List". You will then see a listbox (to the right of the selection buttons) which lets you select as many of the cards as you like by clicking on them. Selected cards will be used in the test; unselected cards will not. To deselect a selected card, click on it again.
If you want to use all the cards in a category, you can select them with one mouse click by using the "Select Cat." button. The "Deselect Cat." button clears all selections in the current category. To clear ALL selected cards, use the "Deselect All" button.
To change categories, use the Next Category or Previous Category buttons. These buttons look the same as the Next Category and Previous Category buttons on the toolbar. When you change categories, the program remembers which cards you have selected for testing in each category. Thus, if you select some cards, then change categories, then return to your previous category, the cards you selected for use in the test will still be selected.
Note that, by default, when you first choose the "Selected Cards from List" button, all the cards in the deck are selected. You can either deselect cards you don't want to use in the test (by clicking on them), or clear all selections using the "Deselect All" button and start from scratch.
The bottom section of the Configure Test dialog box lets you set up time limits on your test. You can choose to have no time limit, an overall time limit for the entire deck, a time limit for each category, or a time limit for each card.
After selecting a timed test, you can enter the time limit you desire in the text fields to the right of the selection buttons.
When you are done using the Configure Test dialog box, choose the OK button. You will be returned to the Set Up and Take Test dialog box, from which you can choose to exit or take a test.
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Test--Helpful Hints
A good way to quickly improve your knowledge of cards you are having trouble with is to use the card marks (EASY / HARD / UNMARKED.)
First, clear all the card marks, using the command on the Deck menu. Then take a test, using all the cards. Next, review the test, and mark the cards you answered incorrectly as HARD. Then, clear the test data and immediately retake the test, but only with the HARD cards. This is a quick way to study the cards you don't know!
You can save your card marks using "Save Deck..." on the File menu by choosing "Save Card Tags".
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Test--Review Test
After taking a test, you can use this dialog box to review your test answers and compare them to the correct answers. Use the buttons and drop-down listboxes at the top of the dialog box to move around the deck and look at your answers. Only cards used in the test will be displayed, not the entire deck.
You can score your test by entering points in the text fields at the upper left of the dialog box. To automatically score all multiple choice, yes-no, true-false, and select all answers that apply questions, click the 'AutoScore' button. Click the 'Summary...' button to see a breakdown of your test results. You will see a dialog box showing the total number of points available, your score, and the percentage for each individual category, plus overall results for the entire deck.
With the "AutoMark" button, you can mark your cards automatically as Easy, Hard, or Unmarked, based on your test scores. To use automarking, first score your test. Then, click the "AutoMark!" button. You will see a dialog box which lets you select from two options. These options determine what test score is required for a card to be marked Easy, Hard, or Unmarked. Select the option you desire, and click "Mark Cards!" to mark the cards. Note that only those cards used in your test will have their mark changed.
You can enter comments on the test answers in the 'comments' text field at the bottom of the dialog box.
To save a test, including answers, scores, and comments, use the 'Save Deck...' command on the File Menu. One of the options in the resulting dialog box lets you save the currently loaded test.
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Test--Set Up and Take Test
This command, available on the Test menu, displays a dialog box giving you buttons which let you configure and take a test. The dialog box also displays the current test configuration; this information consists of which cards you have chosen to test on, and the current timed test settings.
In order to use the "Set Up and Take Test" command, there must be no test data currently loaded. If test data is loaded, you will be given the option to clear it. If you wish to keep the test data, save it before clearing it by using "Save Test..." on the File menu.
For more information, look up help for "Test--Configure Test" and "Test--Take Test".
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Test--Take Test
The Take Test dialog box lets you take a test. (see, this isn't so hard to figure out!)
To display the Take Test dialog box, choose "Set Up and Take Test..." from the Test menu, then choose the "Take Test!" button. Before choosing to take a test, you may wish to choose "Configure Test!" to choose which cards to use in the test, and to set up test time limits.
The top half of the window contains controls to allow you to move around within the deck. There are next and previous card buttons, next and previous category buttons, and two drop-down listboxes, one each for the categories, and the cards in the currently selected category. These controls, which are very similar to the ones in the Index Window, let you choose which card you want to work with. Thus, you are not restricted to taking your test in any particular order. You can answer the card questions in any sequence you wish.
The bottom half of the window contains a textbox which displays the card's question. If the card has a sound file attached to the question, a small "sound" button will appear to the left of the question. Click this button to hear the sound. If the card has a picture file attached to the question, a small "artist's palette" button will appear to the left of the question. Click this button to see the picture. When you are done viewing the picture, click anywhere within it to close the picture window and return to taking your test. Note that if you are taking a timed test, the timer continues to run while you examine the picture.
Below the question textbox is the place where you enter the card's answer. If this card is a Text Card, you will see a textbox. Type your answer into it. If this card is a Multiple Choice Card, a Select All That Apply card, a Yes-No card, or a True-False Card, you will see a set of buttons. Click on the correct answer (or, in the case of a Select All Answers That Apply card, click on all the correct answers) with your mouse. When you have finished answering a card, choose another one by using the controls at the top of the dialog box.
After you have entered an answer for each card, the card listbox at the top of the Take Test dialog box will display, next to the card's name, the fact that you have answered it. This is helpful for finding which cards you have yet to answer.
If you are taking a timed test, the time remaining will be displayed at the upper right of the dialog box. If you are taking a test with a deck time limit, you can move around the deck as you wish, looking at each card as many times as you want, until time runs out. If you finish the test before time runs out, click the 'End Test!' button.
If you are taking a test with a time limit for each category, you can freely move around the deck, from category to category. The program 'remembers' the time remaining for each category. For instance, if the time remaining for category #1 is 45 seconds, and you go to category #2, you can later return to category #1 and use your remaining 45 seconds. When time for a category expires, the category will be removed from the available categories list, and you will not be able to reenter that category. When time for all categories expires, the test is over. If you finish before time expires, use the 'End Test!' button.
If you are taking a test with a time limit for each card, you can freely move around the deck from card to card and category to category. The program 'remembers' the time remaining for each card. When time runs out for a card, it is removed from the available card list, and you cannot view it again. When time for all cards runs out, the test is over. If you finish the test before time runs out for each card, click the 'End Test!' button.
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Toolbar
The Toolbar contains a row of buttons that allow you to execute many of the most common commands. To see what these buttons do, use the statusbar at the bottom of the main program window. When you point to any button on the toolbar, or any button in the Index, Card, or Help Windows, you will see that button's function displayed in the statusbar. The statusbar also displays the current View Menu settings.
When you first run the program, the Toolbar is displayed at the top of the main program window, just under the menubar. By using the "Place Toolbar at Bottom" option on the Window menu, you can move the toolbar to the bottom of the main program window. When you do, the Window menu option changes to "Place Toolbar at Top". A click on this command moves the toolbar back to the top of the main program window.
If you don't want to see the toolbar, you can free up some screen space by hiding it. To hide the toolbar, use the "Hide Toolbar" command on the Window menu. When you do this, the Window menu command changes to "Show Toolbar". A click on this command redisplays the toolbar.
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Unmarked Cards
Look up help for "Cards--Card Marks".
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View Menu
The View Menu lets you select which cards you want to go to when you use certain of the various Go To Card commands -- Next Card, Previous Card, and Random Card. You can choose to see only cards marked Hard, you can skip cards marked Easy, and you can choose which Card Classes you want to see.
When you use the Next Card, Previous Card, or Random Card commands, you will only see cards whose information matches the View Menu settings.
The current settings of the View Menu are displayed in the Statusbar.
Remember that setting the View Menu to skip certain cards does not mean that you will NEVER see those cards. The View Menu only affects the Go To Next Card, Go To Previous Card, and Go To Random Card commands. It does not affect other commands. For example, suppose you set the first card in category #2 to EASY, then chose "Don't view cards marked EASY" on the View menu. If you entered Category #2 and, using the "Go to Specific Card" command, asked to see Card #1, you would see it despite the fact that it is an EASY card and the View Menu is set to skip EASY cards. This is because you got to the card WITHOUT using the Go To Next Card, Previous Card, or Random card commands.
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Wave Files
Look up help for "Sound".
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Windows 95
StudyMaster Flash Cards runs fine under Windows 95.
If you are running StudyMaster in regualar VGA resolution (640x480), you should set the taskbar to Auto-Hide. If you don't do this, then certain of the larger Windows (namely, the Edit Window and the Take Test window) will not completely fit on the screen, because the Task Bar displays OVER the Window. To set the taskbar to Auto-Hide, choose Settings-->Taskbar on the START menu, and select the Auto-Hide button in the resulting dialog box.
