This guide refers to both versions of Vocitrainer, Macintosh version and Windows version. For a short introducition to Vocitrainer, please read our overview page.
After having loaded Vocitrainer down on your computer and uncompressing it, you can start it and you will see a 'StartUp Screen' with two fields to enter your registration number and your name. Please enter here the code that you received from us and press 'Register' or press 'Demo' if you have not registrerd Vocitrainer yet. Now you can see the Vocitrainer menu bar (Macintosh version) or the main window (Windows version). If you have Vocitrainer vocabulary lists, you can open them via 'Open'. Otherwise, you have to enter the words yourself - choose 'New' under the 'File'-menu.
Vocitrainer has been programmed to read vocabulary lists from other programs in the format 'question-tab-answer-newline' (like Claris FileMaker or another database program). Normally, it saves its words in its own format where it can save additional information. Open your files by 'File' - 'Open list' or by clicking in the empty vocabulary card-index.
You can save Vocitrainer words in a Vocitrainer-File with the command 'Save list' under 'File'. That's the normal way to save your vocabulary. There is also the possiblity to save words as 'Tab-separated text', a common database format ('File'- 'Export Cards'). You may choose this way if you want to have this words on another platform (mac -> win or win ->mac). The commands 'Export Question' and 'Export Answer' (both under 'File') allow to save only one language in a file. You can use those functions to check spelling in a text editor: open the exported file from Microsoft Word or another editor and choose 'Check Spelling'.
In this version of Vocitrainer, there are for different possibilities to check vocabulary. You can find them in the 'Examination' menu.
There are several other ways to learn vocabulary besides the four 'standard' ways. You can find them in the last menu:
Everytime you open a vocabulary list there opens a examination - dialog. Here you can see an example of it (German, Windows version):
Enter the translation in the 'answer' field and press 'OK' or enter. If the answer you entered is not the same as the answer in the Vocitrainer-database, you can see the following dialog:
Here you can choose if yor answer is right or wrong and you can, if you want, change the answer in the database..
You can find all functions to change the vocabulary cards in the 'cards' menu.
Vocitrainer has a preferences dialog (File, Preferences) where
you can enter the maximum level that your words can achieve. If
you e.g. entered 5, you would have to enter your words five times
correctly until they are put into the list of known words.
There is also a checkbox available where you can enter whether
you want to see the additional inforation during an examination.
And there are radiobuttons where you can choose if:
You can print vocabulary cards (File - Print) to your printer. If you are using the Macintosh version of Vocitrainer you can also print Vocabulary cards (format A7 or A8) on an A4 sheet. To do so you have to choose 'Print Cards' under 'File'. This will first print the front of your cards. Afterwards you have to turn the sheets and lay them into the printer - the rear will be printed. Duplex printers are not supported now.
Vocitrainer is Shareware. You can find additional information
under registration.
Visit us, the Authors of Vocitrainer, under Credits
And if you are offline and you want to visit us online: http://a.die.supsi.ch/~gull/vocitrainer.
Our English version still contains a lot of language errors.
That's why we need YOU to correct it.
If you do that we will send you a free registration code.
And if you want to translate it to your language - feel free to
contact us. (It will take you ~5 hours, the documentation
included).
Emanuel Gull, gull@die.supsi.ch. Please contact me if you need more information.