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The PC-SIG Library 12
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PC-Sig Library (12th Edition)(PC-SIG)(1993).iso
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help.txt
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1991-04-08
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┌┬┬────────────────────┬┬┐
│││ INSTRUCTIONS │││
└┴┴────────────────────┴┴┘
Studying with TOTAL RECALL..................................1
Freshening Subject Files....................................2
Creating New Subject Files..................................3
Adding More Entries to a Subject File.......................4
Editing Existing Entries....................................5
Selecting or Changing Subject Files.........................6
Defining the Default Directory..............................7
Exporting to an ASCII text file.............................8
dBASE III compatibility.....................................9
1. Studying with TOTAL RECALL
================================
TOTAL RECALL uses Flash Cards and various forms of Questions and
Answers to help you learn. Learning sessions should be short but
frequent. It is better to study 20 minutes per day every day of the
week than to study 2 hours once a week.
Term & Definition can be used interchangeably with Question & Answer.
An Entry is a Term & Definition pair. A Subject File is a collection
of Entries. Related Subject Files can be grouped in a Sub-directory.
Once you've created a new Subject File using the NEW option from the
Subjects Menu, you begin by condensing and organizing your material by
using the ADD Entries option (this will also force you to understand
the material).
Then, use the LEARN option with either SEQUENTIAL or RANDOM order. The
way you LEARN is simple: TOTAL RECALL will flash the term and definition
of each entry for a certain period of time. This period is equal to the
DWELL time (set in seconds in the CUSTOMIZE menu) plus an additional
time which is proportional to how well you know the entry. Least-known
entries will "dwell" longer than better known entries. If the Flash
Cards are not staying on the screen long enough you may adjust the mini-
mum DWELL time in the CUSTOMIZE menu.
When you think you KNOW an entry you can press F1 and the fact that you
know it will be noted by TOTAL RECALL. You may also SKIP entries by
pressing F10 in which case TOTAL RECALL will not note anything about
that entry. If you need more time to study a particular entry you can
keep the Flash Card on the screen for as long as you want by pressing
any other key. Keeping an entry longer is interpreted by TOTAL RECALL
that you don't know that entry. If you wish to interrupt your learning
without exiting press F4 for PAUSE. This will freeze everything until
you hit another key. TOTAL RECALL will take no other action and will
not draw any conclusions when you press F4.
By monitoring your progress through the entire file in this manner TOTAL
RECALL soon adjusts itself to let you spend most of your time studying
those entries that you need most practice on.
LEARN with SEQUENTIAL order will allow you to break off your learning
session in the middle of the file and quit. The next day, when you come
back to the file, LEARN with SEQUENTIAL order will pick up where you
left off.
After studying the entire file a few times using LEARN with SEQUENTIAL
or RANDOM order you should next do LEARN with LEAST-KNOWN order. This
option will flash your Least-known entries not just longer but also more
frequently. Note that the order is still random and you will sometimes
see some entries that you already know.
When you get tired of studying the Flash Cards in the LEARN option, it
is time to move on to the Question & Answer activities under DRILL,
REVIEW, and TEST. These activities include ESSAY, MULTIPLE CHOICE,
TRUE/FALSE, and PAIR-MATCHING.
Start with TEST which will let you know how well you know the material.
The ESSAY, MULTIPLE CHOICE, and TRUE/FALSE tests can be limited as to
the amount of time and number of questions you get tested with. When
answering the questions please remember not to guess.
Then, DRILL is the single most important activity in TOTAL RECALL.
DRILL will drill you on those terms that you need the most help with.
It works in a similar way as LEARN with LEAST-KNOWN except that it gives
you many more activities. You should spend most of your time in the
DRILL option.
Finally, REVIEW will ensure that you have covered all the terms you need
to know. Like LEARN with SEQUENTIAL, REVIEW allows you to quit any time
and pick up later where you left off.
All these activities (LEARN, REVIEW, TEST, and DRILL) track the terms
you know and those you don't know, but only LEARN with LEAST-KNOWN and
DRILL actually use that information. TEST chooses terms at random,
and REVIEW chooses terms sequentially as you entered them.
Please note that TOTAL RECALL assumes that you either know an entry or
that you don't know it. Never guess! Guessing will give TOTAL RECALL
the wrong feedback.
2. Freshening Subject Files
==============================
When you select a Subject File from the FILES MENU, TOTAL RECALL will
automatically FRESHEN the file if you have not used it before. For
large files this may take awhile. You must have enough space on your
disk for this operation to succeed; this is typically an additional
amount equal to the size of the file being FRESHENED. You may also want
to FRESHEN Subject Files when their corresponding index files (.NX*)
become damaged or corrupted, or whenever you wish to study a Subject
File after a long absence, or if you wish to study someone else's
Subject File.
3. Creating New Subject Files
================================
To create your own new Subject File, simply go to the FILES menu and
select the NEW option. You will be asked to type in the name of the
path where you wish to put your new Subject File. Note that in DOS a
path name usually includes a drive name, a directory, and perhaps some
sub-directories. DO NOT type in the name of the Subject File at this
time. An example of a path name is C:\RECALL. The path you type in
must exist or you'll get an error message and TOTAL RECALL will ask
you if you want to create a new-subdirectory. You may then try again.
Next, TOTAL RECALL will then prompt you for the name you wish to give to
your new Subject File. Try to give your files meaningful names as this
will help you to remember what the file contains later. For example, if
you are studying Anthropology, it would be a good idea to name your file
ANTHRO.
Then, TOTAL RECALL will prompt you for the Size. You can have four
different file Sizes:
File Size definition lines Mnemonic Device
--------- ---------------- ---------------
Tiny 1 No
Small 1 Yes
Medium 3 No
Large 3 Yes
A Mnemonic Device is anything that will help you learn or memorize a
definition but is not really part of the definition. It could be an
example or illustration. If you're studying foreign languages you could
use the Mnemonic Device to hold the definition of the term in the parent
language. TOTAL RECALL is designed to be versatile, so use your
imagination.
4. Adding More Entries to a Subject File
===========================================
You can add entries to a Subject File either when you first create it
or later by going to the ENTRIES menu and selecting the ADD option.
When adding entries you are asked to type in a word, term, phrase, or
any other fact that you wish to define and memorize. Then you will be
prompted for the corresponding definition. Although you may enter
either term/definition pairs or question/answer pairs, your learning
sessions will be more flexible if your entries are the term/definition
type. During the drilling session simply remember that whenever you
are given a term, you will need to respond with the definition or vice
versa.
5. Editing Existing Entries
==============================
To make changes to existing entries, go to the ENTRIES menu and select
the EDIT option. You will then be able to select the entry to EDIT
either by typing in the term (exactly) or by browsing through a menu of
all the entries. The order of this menu will be chronological (the
order in which you have entered the terms). You may alphabetize the
order by selecting the SORT option from the ENTRIES menu.
6. Selecting or Changing Subject Files
=========================================
To select a Subject File to study or to change to another Subject File,
simply press the [F3] function key while you're in the Main Menu. TOTAL
RECALL will offer you a menu of Subject Files you can select from in the
currently defined directory. If the File is in another directory press
the [F2] key and you can then type the path to that other directory.
7. Defining the Default Directory
====================================
When you first begin using TOTAL RECALL you must give it a Default
Directory where you wish to keep most of your Subject Files. Whenever
you try to select a Subject File, the program will automatically assume
the Subject Files are in the Default Directory. Tell TOTAL RECALL the
full path name of the Default Directory in the CUSTOMIZE menu under
the PATH option.
Once you have typed in the path name of your default directory, it will
be saved to disk in the file CUSTOM2.MEM and will be in effect even
after you exit and restart the program. You may also select the current
directory as the default directory. To do this, simply press [ENTER] at
the prompt to accept the given path name.
You can also change the default directory later by going through the
same process. Note that whenever you press the [F2] key (which only
becomes activated after you've pressed the [F3] key in the Main menu)
and then select another directory path, that new directory path name
will not be saved to disk.
8. Exporting to an ASCII text file
=====================================
You may export the contents of any Subject File to an ASCII text file.
By doing this you will then be able to perform such things as spell
checking your Subject Files with a word processor. Exporting is done
by going to the OUTPUT menu and selecting the option FILE. This will
output to a file.
9. dBASE III Compatibility
=============================
All TOTAL RECALL Subject Files are compatible with dBASE III. All you
have to do to "use" them from within dBASE III is to include the ".NIM"
extension when you select a file name. Note however that the index
files (TOTAL RECALL files with ".NX*" extensions) are not compatible
with dBASE III.
Copyright (c) 1988-1991 by Zoran Sevarlic. All Rights Reserved.