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########## ########## ########## ########## # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ########## ########## ######## ########## # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ########## # Version 1.3 USER GUIDE _________ ____|___ | (tm) --| | |-------------------- | _____|___ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |------------------------- |____|____| MEMBER Copyright (c) 1991 Southwind Software Southwind Software P.O. Box 273228 Concord, CA., 94527-3228 ____________________License Agreement_____________________ This is a user supported product. It is not public domain, and it is not free software. You are granted a limited license to use Prep on a trial basis and encouraged to pass it along to others so long as all files from the original package are included and remain unaltered. However, if you find PREP to be of use and wish to continue using it after the trial period a registration fee of $35.00 is required. Southwind Software authorizes Registered Users to use PREP just like a book. That is, PREP may be used by any number of people and moved freely between any number of computers, so long as there is no possibility of use by more than one person at a time. The right to distribute Run-Time Programs created using PREP is reserved for registered users only. Clubs, User Groups and Shareware Distributers may charge a nominal fee not to exceed ten dollars ($10.00) for expenses and handling while distributing PREP. Southwind Software also provides site licenses and commercial licenses for institutions wishing to use Prep beyond the scope of single user as defined above. Contact Southwind Software for more information. This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of California. Any action or proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a State or Federal Court of competent jurisdiction located in Contra Costa County, California. The parties hereby consent to an in personam jurisdiction of said courts. ____________________Disclaimer of Warranty____________________ This Software is sold "AS IS" and without warranties as to the performance or merchantability. Distributors may have made statements about this Software. Any such statements do not constitute warranties and shall not be relied on by the buyer in deciding whether to purchase this program. This program is sold without any express or implied warranties whatsoever. Because of the diversity of conditions under which this program may be used, no warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered. The user is advised to test the program thoroughly before relying on it. The user must assume the entire risk of using the program. Any liability of seller or manufacturer will be limited exclusively to product replacement or refund of the purchase price. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may have other rights which vary from state to state. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of implied warranties, or the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, or limitations on how long any implied warranty lasts, so the above limitations may not apply to you. PREP Version 1.3 Southwind Software Table of Contents: 1.0 Overview:................................................ 1 o Test.................................................... 2 o Drill................................................... 2 o Installing Prep......................................... 2 o File System............................................. 3 o Menu Selection.......................................... 4 2.0 Quick Start:............................................. 5 o Basic Operation......................................... 5 o Making a Program........................................ 6 o Other Features.......................................... 7 3.0 Create: Question Set Creation........................... 8 o Load/New................................................ 8 o Question Entry.......................................... 8 o Build Subset........................................... 10 o Save Questions......................................... 11 o Rename File............................................ 11 o Directory/Drive........................................ 11 o Exit Program........................................... 11 4.0 Results: Review Group/Individual Results............... 12 o Group Results.......................................... 12 o List Group............................................. 12 o Find Name.............................................. 13 o Add All Names.......................................... 13 o Include Name........................................... 13 o Erase List............................................. 13 5.0 Test: Review/Create Individual File.................... 14 o Load Name File......................................... 14 o Manual Input........................................... 15 o Take Test.............................................. 15 o Name/Results........................................... 15 o Directory Drive........................................ 16 o Save Name File......................................... 16 Table of Contents Continued.... 6.0 Print: Print Results, Questions........................ 17 o Group Results.......................................... 17 o Questions.............................................. 17 o Answer Sheet........................................... 17 o Key Sheet.............................................. 17 o Print to Disk.......................................... 17 7.0 Make: Generates Question Program....................... 18 o Make Options........................................... 18 o Disk Copy: Make Executable [.EXE]...................... 19 8.0 Help: Registration/Warranty/ Dos....................... 20 o About Help............................................. 20 o Title Page.[Registration Information].................. 20 o Warranty Disclaimer.................................... 20 o Dos.................................................... 20 9.0 Test Program: Description ............................. 21 o Test Program Functions................................. 21 o Test Program Options................................... 22 10.0 Drill Program: Description............................. 23 o Drill Program Menu..................................... 23 o Drill Program Options.................................. 24 11.0 Error Messages............................................ 26 OVERVIEW PREP Version 1.3 Question Authoring Software Southwind Software 1.0 OVERVIEW: ________________________________________________________________ PREP is a Multiple Choice, True/False question authoring system for text questions. It can assist the user in developing quest- ion sets for manual or computer aided testing. In addition, PREP allows the user to analyze both group and individual results. Following is a summary of features contained in the PREP and the Run-Time programs created using PREP: Master Program Features:________________________________________ o Create Question Set of up to 200 Multiple Choice Questions. o Create Question Sub-Sets from Master Question Set. o Retrieve Results from Files containing Individual Results. o Maintain a List of 300 Individual Results which can be Saved. o View Individual Results on a Group Basis or Individually. o View Group Summary Results of Missed Questions. o Print Test, Answer Sheet, Results. o Print Questions to Disk for use with a Word Processor. o Provides Context Sensitive Help throughout the Program. o Create a Run-Time Version of Questions as a Test Program. o Create a Run-Time Version of Questions as a Drill Program. ______________NOTE______________ Because Run-Time Programs are created by modifying the executable file PREP_ASK.EXE you may receive warnings from any Virus Protec tion Programs you have installed. -1- OVERVIEW Run-Time Program Features:_______________________________________ Following is a list of features available in the Run-Time programs created using Prep: Test: o Provides Test Template which allows individual testing. o Optionally provides display of results. o Saves results to disk using individuals name entry. Drill: o Provides Features Shown under Test. o Retry Questions if missed on initial attempt. o Additional Options to Review Results with Questions. o Return to Answered Questions and Change Answers. o Drill of Questions and Answers (Responses Optional). o Flash Cards (Optional). Installing PREP:_________________________________________________ PREP can be installed on a hard disk or using floppy disks. To load PREP onto your hard disk do the following: Hard Disk Installation: 1) Make a sub-directory on your hard disk by typing: C:\> MD PREP 2) Change to PREP subdirectory by typing: C:\> CD PREP 3) Insert the PREP SYSTEM DISKS in floppy drive (ie. A) and type: C:\PREP> COPY A: *.* C: 4) Type the following to review the directory: C:\PREP> DIR Dual Floppy Disk Installation: 1) Using the copy command copy both the PREP.EXE and PREP.HLP file to a floppy disk and label as "PREP PROGRAM DISK". A:> COPY PREP.EXE B: A:> COPY PREP.HLP B: -2- OVERVIEW 2) Use the same procedure to copy PREP.HLP to all DATA DISKS and label as "PREP DATA DISK <QUESTION SET>. Note: When PREP.HLP is omitted from Data Disks PREP functions normally however HELP screens will not be avail- able to the user when [F1] Help is pressed. Depending on the means of distribution the PREP File may or may not be compressed. Use the appropriate Unpack Utility or if the Program in on a self extracting file (ie. PREP_XXX.EXE), simply type the name of the file. The following Programs and/or Files should be included in the Prep Directory to insure the proper operation of the Prep Program: Programs Files Included in Package: Prep.Exe: Master Program File. Prep.Hlp: Help File Listings for Master Program. Prep_Ask.Exe: Necessary for the creation of Run-Time Programs. Prep.Doc: Documentation for Prep. Documentation and Sample Files Readme.Txt: Documentation for Getting Started. Register.Doc: Registration Information. Sample.Ovl: Sample Test Questions. Sample.Lst: Sample Group List. File System:________________________________________________ Following is an explanation of the File System and associated Extensions used with PREP: .OVL: Question Overlay...Question sets developed using Prep are saved to individual files using the extension '.OVL'. .LST: Group Lists...Group List Files have file names which match their associated Question Files and use the extension '.LST'. The Group List contains the names and results of all individual Name Files added to the List. .XXX: Individual Files...Individual 'Name' files are identified by the last name of those taking the test with an extension which is created with each Question set. Each extension should be unique to one question set. .TXT: ASCII Text File...Text File Question Set generation to provide the opportunity for exporting questions to a word processor for enhancement, printer driver and spell checking if available. -3- OVERVIEW Menu Selection:_________________________________________________ PREP's functions are accessed easily using pull down menus which are broken down into the following sections: o Create Question Creation Functions o Results Group Results and List Review o Test Individual File Functions o Print Print Functions o Make Make Run-Time Program o Help Miscellaneous, Exit to Dos The following lists those functions included in each of the above categories: Create: Question Set Creation o Load/New Load or Create Question File. o Question Entry Creation of Title Page and Questions. o Build Subset Creation of Question Subset of Master. o Save Questions Saves Questions and Group List to Disk. o Rename File Rename Question File and Group List. o Directory/Drive Change Targeted Directory/Drive. o Exit Exit Program. Results: Review Group/Individual Results o Group Results Review Group Results and Questions. o List Group Review Individual Results and Questions. o Find Name Find Last Name in Group List. o Add All Names Add all individual name files from Disk. o Include Name Include current Name File in Group List. o Erase List Erase Group List. Test: Review/Create Individual File o Load Name File Load or Create Name File. o Manual Input Manual Input of Answers to Answer Overlay o Take Test Question Asker o Results/Name Individual Results by Question o Directory Drive Change Targeted Directory/Drive. o Save Name File Save Name File to Disk. Print: Print Results, Questions o Group Results Print Group Results to Printer o Questions Print Questions to Printer o Answer Sheet Print Answer Sheet to Printer o Key Sheet Print Key Sheet to Printer o Print to Disk Print Questions to Disk Text File. Make: Generates Question Program o Make Options Select Test/Drill Options o Make Copy Create Run Time Program Help: Registration/Warranty/ Dos o About Help [F1] Help Available Throughout Program o Title Page Registration Information o Warranty Disclaimer of Warranty o Dos Exit to Dos -4- QUICK START 2.0 QUICK START: _________________________________________________________________ Basic Operation:_________________________________________________ Following is a brief step by step introduction to PREP. You will be asked to load a file and to enter additional commands to review some of the functionality available: 1) To load PREP go to the Directory containing PREP, type PREP and press [Enter]. 2) Once loaded you will see the Title Screen, press any key or [Enter]. 3) Type [F1] for Help Screen which displays the various functions. Press [Esc] to return to the Main Menu. Help is available throughout the program by pressing [F1]. Also notice that the bottom line of the display provides a description of the each function and the Disk Drive accessed by the highlighted function. 4) Functions are selected using the cursor keys. With Create high- lighted press [Enter]. 5) With LOAD/NEW FILE highlighted press [Enter]. Press [Enter] again to access the directory. Move highlight to SAMPLE and press [Enter]. The Sample Questions and Group List are now loaded. 6) Cursor to Question Entry and press [Enter]. You are now in the Title Entry Screen. Cursor between entries and type [F1] to see Help Screens. Notice the that bottom line of the Screen now dis- plays commonly used commands. Less frequently used commands are described on the Help Screen. 7) Page Down by pressing the [PgDn] key. You are now in the Ques- tion Entry Screen. Move the cursor to each line pressing [F1]. Try some of the commands at the bottom of the Screen. Press [Esc] to return to the Main Menu. 8) Continue through other functions pressing [F1] for Help as you step through each function. -5- QUICK START Making A Program:________________________________________________ The following provides the opportunity to create a Run-Time version of the Question Set. We will start by creating a subset of the Sample Question Set. 1) At the Main Menu while Create is highlighted type the following letters [C] for Create and [B] for Build Subset (the highlighted letter for the requested function). Type [N] to the Question 'Save Existing File'. 2) Select 10 or 20 questions to include in the Sample Program by pressing the [Space Bar] and paging through the Questions using [PgDn]. Press [Esc] to end input. 3) Enter a File Name for New Question Set you wish to create. Enter a unique Extension (ie. .TST). You may now go back and make any appropriate changes to the Title Screen by pressing [Q] for Question Entry and making the appropriate changes to the original Title. 4) Return to the Main Menu by Pressing [ESC]. At the Main Menu type [M] for Make and [M] for Make Options. With Drill high lighted press Enter. At the Drill Options press the space bar to check all of the options available for the drill. Press the [down arrow] to bypass any already selected. Once all options have been selected press [Esc] to return to menu. 5) Make sure you have a floppy disk in the appropriate drive or you may write the file to the hard disk. Enter [D] for Disk Copy and at the prompt the letter of the selected drive (ie. C). 6) You can now exit PREP by pressing the following key combina- tions: [Home] [Home]............. To Return to the Main Menu. [Home] ................... To highlight Create. [Enter]................... To access Create Menu. [End]..................... To access EXIT. [Enter]................... To Exit Program. You will be prompted to Save the newly created program: [Y]....................... Program Exit. If you created the new Program on a floppy disk change to that disk and type the program name used to identify the new question set in step 3. If the Drill was written to the hard disk simply type the name of the file to use the new program. HELP screens "are not" available on either the drill or the test programs. The commands available are provided at the bottom of the screen. -6- QUICK START While in the Drill Program take the test, look at the Results and Reanswer Questions to gain familiarity with the program. You may go back and reconfigure the TEST/DRILL options to provide different features you would like to include and overwrite the existing sample file. Other Features:_________________________________________________ There are many additional features for reviewing Results and inputting Question Data. A description is included in the remainder of the documentation. You can experiment with the data included in the Sample Files to gain a better understanding of these functions. Some suggestions are: o Take a Sample Test in the Run-Time environment and Save the Results. Later include your results in the Group List using the Add All function on the Results Menu. o Manually Input results on the Test Menu, Manual Input Func- tion. Review Individual Results using the Test, Name Results function. Include results in Group List using the Results, In- clude commands. Press [F], (Find Name)and enter name of individual added to find the name on the list. o Inquire on the the Results of the Group using Results menu and accessing the Group Results and the List Group com mands. In addition to the above, remember [F1] Help is available in most functions with the exception of the Take Test Function. -7- CREATE 3.0 CREATE: Question File Functions: ________________________________________________________________ Test Functions provide for the creation of Tests; input for the Title Screen, Questions and Responses. Load/New File:__________________________________________________ Enter the name of the Question File. To load an existing Question File press [Enter] to access the current Directory/Drive. You may change Directories and or Drives during the selection process however these changes are temporary and any subsequent Load or Save will be made to the originally specified Directory and/or Drive. To make a permanent change the Directory/Drive function in the Create Menu must be used. You may temporarily change the target Directory/Drive to access specific files by: o Input Drive Letter [ie.'A'] and pressing [Esc] to return to Menu. o Change to desired Directory using Cursor Keys and pressing [Enter] to select. o [PgUp/Dn] if Directory extends to additional pages. Directory Window: Cursor.... Cursor to Selection PgDnUp.... To Page Directory Enter..... Loads Selected File Drive..... Change Drive (ie. 'A') \.. ...... Move to Directory The name of the Question File should be unique when creating a new Question file. The Name selected will be used for the following subset of files: o .OVL file which will contain Questions. o .LST file which contains a Group List of Individual Name File Results. o .TXT file containing Question Set which can be imported to a Word Processor. Question Entry:_________________________________________________ Question Entry is divided into two parts. The first part is the Title Entry Screen which provides a template for the entry of the information describ- ing the specific test to be entered. This information is used for the Title Screen shown in the Run-Time Program. Additional information is re- quired for the configuration of the Question Set. -8- CREATE Title Entry Screen: Enter Question Set Title Information. Title Entry: Title of Question File to be displayed in Run Time Program: o Line 1... Creates Block Characters on the Title Screen when 8 or less characters are entered. o Lines 2 ... Normal Lettering o Tics are displayed for centering Header Entry: Abbreviated description used to identify Question Set. This heading is displayed within Run-Time programs and on Printed material. Note Entry: Note can only be accessed during the ques- tion setup session and is for the authors use. Number Entry: Enter the 'Number' of Questions to be en tered in the Question Set. o Maximum Question Count is '200'. Extension Entry: Enter the 'Extension' to be used to identify the individual Name files. o Extensions must be unique and not dupli- cated between Question Sets. o The following 'May Not!' be used: EXE COM OVL LST BAS OBJ BAT TXT BAK DOC LIB MAP REF HLP Date Input: Input Date or Press [F1] for automatic input. The Question Entry Screen provides a template for the entry of Questions and associated information for entry into the program Question Entry Screen: Input Questions, answers and responses to Question Template. Number Input: Shows the number of the current Question Template. Press [F7] to input question num- ber to advance to a specific Question or press Backspace/Left Arrow at Home position of Question Input. Question Entry: Question Input is done using a mini-word processor which is built into the program. Following is a list of features provided: Cursor Movement: Arrows... Move text cursor Ctrl T... Top of Question Ctrl B... Bottom of Question Ctrl->... Next Word Ctrl<-... Previous Word -9- CREATE Edit Commands: F3...... Erase Question INS..... Insert Mode DEL..... Delete Character Ctr-D... Delete Word Alt-D... Delete Line Save/Write Commands: PgDn/Up.. Writes/Advances Question . F2... Write Questions to Disk (Periodic Save) Answer Input: Input the letter representing the Correct Answer [A..E]. Choices Input: Input Question Choices from which selection will be made. The following additional functions are avail- able to modify and/or copy choices between questions (ie. True/False). F3... Deletes: Answer, Choices & Responses F4... Copies Current Choices to Ques- tions Between From & To Loca tion Specified F5... Copies Choices to Specified Ques- tion Correct Response: Input Response to be displayed when Ques tion is answered Correctly. Inclusion of Responses is Optional in Final Run-Time ver- sion of the Question Program. Incorrect Response: Input Response to be displayed when Ques- tion is answered Incorrectly. Inclusion of Responses is Optional in final Run-Time ver- sion of the Question Program. Build Subset of Selected Questions:______________________________ You can Mark Selected Questions to create a subset of Questions from a larger question set. You will first be prompted to save the master file. Once questions are selected you will be asked to rename the file (existing files can be viewed by pressing Enter prior to input) and provide a new Extension to be used with the new Question Set. Once complete you may wish to return to the Title Entry screen to modify the Title for the newly created Question Set. Space Bar...... To De/Select Questions for inclusion in New Question File. Count Marked shows the number of Questions Selected of Total Available in the Master File -10- CREATE Save Questions:__________________________________________________ Save Questions saves both Questions and Group List to the current Directory. The Home Disk/Directory can be changed using the Disk/Directory Command under the Test Menu. Rename Question File:____________________________________________ Question Files can be renamed using the the Rename command. This will rename both the Question (.OVL) and Group List (.LST) files. If changes have been made to either the original answers and/or the question count the original list will no longer be valid and should be erased using the RESULTS, ERASE LIST command. Directory/Drive:_________________________________________________ The Directory/Drive for the location of the Question Set (both Questions and Group List) is independent of the Directory Drive for Individual Files. Changes made using this function are retained and all subsequent requests to access either the Question Set [.OVL] and/or Group List [.LST] will be initially directed to the selected Directory/Drive. By creating separate subdirectories within the PREP directory, Question Sets and/or Group Listing may be categorized by subject or group. To change the target Directory/Drive for Question Files the the following changes can be made: o Input Drive Letter [ie.'A'] and [Esc] to return. o Change to desired Directory using Cursor, [Esc] to return. o [PgUp/Dn] if Directory extends to additional pages Directory Window: Cursor.. Cursor to Selection PgDnUp.. To Page Directory Enter.... Loads Selected File Drive.... Change Drive (ie. 'A') \.. .... Move to Directory Exit:_______________________________________________________ Exit Program. You will be asked if you wish to save existing file and any changes which might have been made to the question file and group list. -11- RESULTS 4.0 RESULTS: Group Results and Lists _________________________________________________________________ Group Results Window:____________________________________________ Shows an approximate graphic representation of the Group perform- ance. Using the cursor keys the highlighted pointer can be advanced to specific questions for review. Once selected, the actual per- centages % Missed and % Correct are reflected. In addition, the total # On List reflects the number of individuals taking the test along with the actual spread of answers across the group under Count. Group Results Description: Graph:.... Percent Missed for Group/Question. % Missed.. Percent Missed for displayed Question. % Correct. Percent Correct for displayed Question. # on List. Number of Individuals on Group List. Count:.... Answer Spread for displayed Question. [S]....... Skipped Question Count. Question.. Highlighted Count reflects correct Answer. Group Results Commands: # Input... Go to Question (any key initiates input). PgUp/Dn... Advance/Scroll Questions. <- -> ... Advance/Scroll Questions (10). Group List Results:__________________________________________ A review of individual answers to questions can be made using this screen. Incorrect answers are shown high-lighted with the letter of the wrong answer selected during testing. "S" represents those questions skipped during testing. Use of the cursor keys allows scrolling within the list. The Questions and answers can be brought up on screen at any time by pressing [F8]. [Esc] will return you to the main screen. In addition to these function the following functions are available from within this screen to manage the group list; Commands: <- -> ... Advance 10/Scroll in either direction Up/Dn ... Scroll/Select Name F3... Delete Name From List F5... Find Name in List F8... Places Question on Screen PgDnUp... Pages Through List Home/End... Beginning/End of List -12- RESULTS To review results for a particular name you should first reposition the highlighted area to the name you to be reviewed. Then press [F8] to bring up the question window. The Question count may the be advanced by direct input of the number or by paging up or down [PgUp/Dn] through the questions. To return to the Group List press [Esc]. Find Name:_______________________________________________________ Input name to bring up a specific name for review on the Group List. A search will be made to name which most closely resembles input (search can be made on partial names). Should there be no matches on the first letter of requested name search will default to first name in the list. Add Name:________________________________________________________ Adds all Name Files with extension identified in Question Set on Current Path. The user is prompted to select the disk drive for which the home directory will be searched for files with matching extensions. The path can be changed using 'Directory/Drive' on 'Test' Sub-Menu. If a duplicate name is encountered, you will be prompted to modify the first name to prevent duplicating names on the Group List. This can be accomplished by adding additional characters to the First Name (ie. John_W). Note: Spaces must be used between the last letter and added characters. Include Name:____________________________________________________ Includes the currently loaded individual Name File in the Group List. This command is also available in the Manual Entry function. To add an individual to the Group List the file must first be loaded using the Test, Load function. To add multiple name files the Add ALL function may be used. Erase List:______________________________________________________ Erases the current contents of Group List in memory. No changes to the file are made unless the Question set is saved. -13- TEST 5.0 TEST: Individual File Functions _________________________________________________________________ Functions within the name function deal with the management of individual name files and provide a means of loading files from disks and/or creation of results either through manual input or by taking the test for personal use. Also included is a means of reviewing results for individual name files. Name Entry:______________________________________________________ Enter the Individual's name. To load an existing Name File press [Enter] to access files on the current Directory/Drive. You may change Directories and or Drives during the selection process however these changes are temporary and any subsequent Load or Save will be made to the originally specified Directory and/or Drive. To make a permanent change the Directory/Drive function in the Test Menu must be used. You may temporarily change the target Directory/Drive to access specific files by: o Input Drive Letter[ie.'A'],press [Esc] to return to Menu. o Change to desired Directory using Cursor Keys and pressing [Enter] to select. o [PgUp/Dn] if Directory extends to additional pages Directory Window: Curser. Cursor to Selection PgDnUp... To Page Directory Enter.... Loads Selected File Drive.... Change Drive (ie. 'A') \.. ....... Move to Directory Input Last Name: o Input Last Name to access File on Disk. o Press Enter prior to input to access Directory. First Name Entry: o Input First Name o Input Unique Identifier/Initial to Prevent/Eliminate Duplicate entries. o As an option input date (ie/ 1/2/91) to provide date tracking. -14- TEST Manual Entry:____________________________________________________ Provides the opportunity to input answers into the data base manually when the test is not taken using a computer. The template reflects all questions answered correctly. Manual input is made by inputting those Questions answered incorrectly or skipped [S]. Entries: o Enter [A..E] for Selection o Enter [S] for Unanswered Question Cursor Control: Up/Dn... Advance [1] PgUp/Dn... TAB/Advance Question [5] <- ->... Advance Row F2... Save To Name File F6... Add Name and Results to Group List Take Test:_______________________________________________________ Take Test provides the opportunity to answer Questions from within the program. This is a convenient way of using the test function and tracking self tests. Additionally, when test are taken in this manner the date the test is taken may be entered instead of a first name to track progress over time. When saved to the Group List the date the test was taken can be compared to tests taken previously. o Cursor Movement or Letter Selection o Enter Confirms Selection o Options found in Run_time Programs are not available within this self test. Name/Results:____________________________________________________ This window provides an opportunity to compare individual responses with questions. Commands: # .... Enter Question Number to bring up Question. PgDn/Up. To Advance Questions. Description: o Score: reflects percent correct. o Missed: reflects percent missed. o Count: Total Number of Questions on test. -15- TEST Directory/Drive:_________________________________________________ To change the target Directory/Drive for Name Files the the following changes can be made: o Input Drive Letter [ie 'A'] and Esc to return to Menu. o Change to Directory using Cursor Keys,[Esc] to return. o [PgUp/Dn] can be used if Directory extends to addi- tional pages Directory Window: Curser. Cursor to Selection PgDnUp... To Page Directory Enter.... Loads Selected File Drive.... Change Drive (ie. 'A') \.. .. Move to Directory Save Name File:__________________________________________________ Save individual files resulting from Manual Input or Self Test. Files will be saved to Home Directory. Home Directory may be changed using Directory/Drive on Test Menu. -16- PRINT 6.0 PRINT: _________________________________________________________________ The Print functions provide printer output in ASCII format to most dot matrix printers. Once prompted to Align the Paper PREP will initialize the printer position for the start of page. As an alternative PREP allows the Question Set to be printed to disk where it can be imported to a word processor for printing. Print Results: Prints Last Name, First Name and Scores in alphabetical order. Print Questions: Prints Questions and Choices. Print Answer Sheet: Prints Answer Sheet with answer selection choices. Print Key Sheet: Prints Key Sheet with correct answers for use in manual correction of tests. Print To Disk: Prints Questions to an ASCII File (.TXT) This provides opportunities to utilize a word processor for print enhancements, access printer drivers and a spelling checker from within your word processor if available. Once transferred you may find additional spaces between lines with character wrapped to the new line. This can easily be corrected by increasing the line size right margin to accommodate the line length used in PREP. -17- MAKE 7.0 MAKE: ________________________________________________________________ The Make functions provide the opportunity to develop Run-Time Programs of your Question Set for distribution and use by others. These programs will run completely independent of the Main Program and save results to disk under the Last Name entered by the individual taking the test. The two types of test and associated options are described below: Test Types: Using [UpDn Arrows] Select Test type (TEST/DRILL) you wish to create and press [Enter]. Options: Select options using the Space Bar to De/Select or [UpDn Arrows] to leave selection unchanged. Test: Generates Question Set as a Test. o Display Responses: Displays Appropriate Response based on Input Immediately on Answer. o Skip Questions: Skip Questions During Answer Entry. o Return to Skipped: Return to Skipped questions. o Display Results: Display results upon completion. Drill: Generates Questions for use as a study aid. Test: o Display Responses: Displays Appropriate Response based on Input Immediately on Answer. o Retry Incorrect Ans: Allows Retry on 'Missed' Answers when Display Responses is selected. o Skip Questions: Skip Questions During Answer Entry. o Return to Skipped: Return to Skipped questions. Drill: o Study Questions: Provides Study Session Template and Flash Card Feature in Drill Program. o Display Corr Resp: Display Correct Responses in Study Ses- sion. o Display Incorr Resp: Display Incorrect Responses in Study Session. -18- MAKE Disk Copy:______________________________________________________ Creates Disk Copy (Program Disk) of current Question Set. You will be prompted for the Drive on which intend to create the new Program Disk. As a result PREP_ASK.EXE is modified and copied to the target drive creating a new Program using the current Question Set File Name (ie. Sample.Exe). Select Disk Drive for Make: o Selects Current Path for the Specified Drive [ie. 'C']. -19- HELP 8.0 HELP: _____________________________________________________ Help [ F1 ]:_________________________________________________ o Help is available throughout this program by pressing [ F1 ]. o Help Windows provide information on function being ac- cessed. o A brief description of functions and available commands are provided at the bottom of each screen. Title:______________________________________________________ This is a user supported product. It is not public domain, and it is not free software. You are granted a limited license to use Prep on a trial basis and encouraged to pass it along to others so long as all files from the original package are included and remain unaltered. However, if you find PREP to be of use and wish to continue using it after the trial period a minimum registration fee of $35.00 is required. With your support we can continue to improve and expand PREP. Send your comments, ques- tions and registration to: Southwind Software P.O. Box 273228 Concord, CA. 94527-3228 Warranty:__________________________________________________ This Software is sold "AS IS" and without warranties as to the perfor- mance or merchantability. Distributors may have made statements about this Software. Any such statements do not constitute warranties and shall not be relied on by the buyer in deciding whether to purchase this program. o This program is sold without any express or implied warranties what- soever. Because of the diversity of conditions under which this program may be used, no warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered. The user is advised to test the program thoroughly before relying on it. The user must assume the entire risk of using the program. Any liability of seller or manufacturer will be limited exclusively to product replace- ment or refund of the purchase price. DOS:______________________________________________________ Exit to Dos from within the program without the loss of information/files currently loaded. Type 'EXIT' to return to PREP. -20- TEST PROGRAM 9.0 TEST PROGRAM: ________________________________________________________________ Run-Time programs of the Question Set can be generated in one of two formats, TEST or DRILL. The Test format generates programs which provide a means of Testing. Various options are available for configuring the Test program and will be described later in this chapter. To activate the program the individual being tested inputs the file name (ie.Sample). They are prompted to input their First and Last Name. Once their name is input the program advances directly to the first question of the question set. The commands required to respond to the question are displayed at the bottom of the Screen and may vary depending on the options selected. Once all questions are answered the individual being tested will either be asked if they would like to return to any unanswered question (if option Return to Skipped Questions was selected during Program creation) or the program will simply terminate. Once the program completes the name file containing the results are saved to disk (ie. NAME.XXX). Note: Because results are stored in a file using the Individuals last name only one copy of results may be saved by Name on a disk. Any subsequent tests made using the same disk and the same Name will overwrite any previously stored files with the same Name. Following is a description of the Test Program functionality and the various options available which can be selected from the Make Options during creation of the Program: Test Program Functions:_________________________________________ o Up/Down... Cursor to the selected Answer or input Alpha character (ie. 'A') which repre- sents choice. o Enter... To confirm Selection. o [S]... To skip displayed Question. o [P]... To return to previous Question. o [Q].. To Quit. -21- TEST PROGRAM Test Program Options:____________________________________________ o Display Responses: Displays responses if present and indi- cates if question was answered cor rectly or missed. If responses are not present no display is made when the question is answered. o Skip Enabled: Questions can be skipped during the Test session. Return to Skipped: Provides the opportunity to return to any questions previously skipped prior to completion of the test. o Display Results: When selected the results of the test are displayed at the completion of the test. The following information is displayed: Score.... Percent Answered Correctly. Missed... A count of the number of Questions missed. Count.... The total number of Ques- tions Asked. Note: When the Test Option is selected the Program encodes the correct answers on the Test Program Disk in order to score test results while insuring the correct answers are not readily available to those being tested. However, when Display Responses is selected during program creation the responses 'can be' read from within the file. Responses can be prevented from being transferred to the program disk by "not selecting" the Display Response option during program creation. -22- DRILL PROGRAM 10.0 DRILL PROGRAM: __________________________________________________________________ Run-Time programs of the Question Set can be generated in one of two formats, TEST or DRILL. The Drill format generates programs which can be used as a study aid and or drill. Various options are available for configuring the Drill program and will be described later in this chapter. To activate the program the individual being tested inputs the file name (ie. Sample). They are prompted to input their First and Last Name. If a file with the same name as that inputted already exists on the disk the user will be asked if they wish to load the results from the prior period. The program then advances to the Drill Menu. If Change Answers is selected and prior drill results were loaded the answers made during the previous session eill appear highlighted. The commands required to respond to the questions are displayed at the bottom of the Screen and may vary depending on the options selected. Once all questions are answered the individual being tested will be asked if they would like to return to any unanswered questions (if option Return to Skipped Questions was selected during Program creation). When the drill is complete the program will proceed to the Drill Menu. Drill Menu Description:__________________________________________ o Take Test: Reinitialized all answers resulting from previous Drill and re-enters Question Drill at the first question of the question set. o Change Answers: Returns to the test displaying questions and answers selected during previous session. o Name Change: Drill provides the opportunity to change the name file Name so any number of tests may be taken by an individual and saved to disk (ie. Smith_1, Smith_2). o Question Study: Question Study provides the opportunity to review the questions and optionally displays the Answers when the (Study Questions & Answers Option) is selected during program creation. Correct Responses (Display Correct Display Option) and/or Display Incorrect Responses ( Display Incorrect Responses Op- tion) options determine which responses will be displayed during the Study session. -23- DRILL PROGRAM o Flash Cards: Flash Cards provides the opportunity to review the questions randomly and display the correct answer once the question is studied. This feature is active when the Study Questions & Answers Option is selected during program creation. The Space Bar is used to display answers and to advance the question. o Results: Displays the results of the the Drill. Only incorrect answers are shown. The letter show under the question count represents the incorrect selection made during the drill. Skipped questions are shown using the letter 'S'. When the Study Questions And Answers op tion is selected during program creation the question and answers with the correct answer highlighted is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Commands for advancing the ques tion count are displayed at the bottom of the screen: # Input.. Advances to Number Up/Dn ... Scroll/Select Name Pg/DnUp.. Pages Through List Home/End... Beginning/End of List o Load: Loads the Name Results file from disk. There is no directory from within the program. If it is necessary to interrogate the disk for files exit the program and type: DIR at the prompt for a list of files. o Save: Saves a copy of the results currently in memory to Disk using the Last Name for the file name. Note: Because results are stored in a file using the In- dividuals last name only one copy of results may be saved by Name on a disk. Any subsequent tests made using the same disk and the same Name will overwrite any previously stored files with the same Name. o Exit: Exits the program. -24- DRILL PROGRAM Drill Program Options:__________________________________________ o Display Responses: Displays responses if present and indi- cates if question was answered cor rectly or missed. If responses are not present no display is made when the question is answered. Retry Incorrect Answers: When Display Responses is selected provides the opportunity to retry ques- tions answered incorrectly o Skip Question Enabled: Questions can be skipped during the drill session. Return to Skipped: When selected the person tested is provided the opportunity to return to any questions previously skipped prior to completion of the test. o Study Question/Answers: Displays Questions and Correct Answers when in the Results and Study Screens during the drill session. Additionally, the Study Question option provides the opportunity to use Flash Cards within the Drill Program. o Display Correct Resp: Displays Correct Responses during the study Session. o Display Incorrect Resp: Displays Incorrect Responses during the study session. -25- ERROR MESSAGES 11.0 ERROR MESSAGES: ________________________________________________________________ Cannot Access Disk Drive: Disk Drive Failure. Check for the presence of a disk and/or close drive door. Cannot Open File: A problem was encountered in an at tempt to open the specified file and/or a valid file name entry must be made to complete request. Cannot Open List: Group list was not saved previously. Cannot Use 'XXX': Certain common extensions may not be used. Press Help <F1> for Listing. Cannot Read Header.._Ask: The executable Prep_Ask file has been corrupted or replaced with and invalid file. Duplicate Names.. Modify ?: A Duplicate Name has been encoun tered on the existing list. Do you wish to modify the Name file to be entered on the list. 'XXXXX' File Write Error: A problem was encountered while at tempting to write file to disk. Error in File 'XXXX.XXX': An Error was encountered in attempting to add and individual Name File to the Group List using the Add All function. This is normally caused when the file added was generated using a different question count or has been corrupted since creation. You can investigate this by loading the suspect file using the Load Name function and looking at the results using the Individual/Results Function. Any suspect file must be removed before proceeding. Illegal Drive Selection: Program cannot access selected drive. Invalid Date: An invalid date was entered. Maximum Count 'XX': The Maximum Count has been ex ceeded. Increase Question Count on Title Screen. Maximum Count 300... The maximum number of individuals on the list may not exceed 300. -26- ERROR MESSAGES Name File Not Loaded: Name File is not currently loaded. Operation requested requires Name file to be Loaded. Name Not Found: The Name entered cannot be located on the current Group List. Numbers Only: An attempt was made to input some thing other than a number in a number only field. No Files with Ext 'XXX'...: No file with requested Extension exists in current directory. No Name File Loaded: Name File is not currently loaded. Operation requested requires Name file to be Loaded. No Names on Question List: No Names are currently entered on Group List. Not a PREP File: The file accessed is not a identified as a Program File. Not Enough Memory to Run:...There is not sufficient memory to run Prep. Unload any TSRs or other programs resident in memory. Out of Memory: There is insufficient memory to proceed. This normally occurs once the program is running and a function (ie. Add Name to List) demands more memory than is available. Unload TSRs or other programs resident in memory. Prior Question Displayed: Two consecutive attempts were made to access the prior question. Question Count Exceeded: The Question Count has been exceeded. The Maximum count is determined by input to the Title Screen, Count entry. This entry may not exceed 200. Quest File Must be Loaded: Question File is not currently loaded. Operation requested requires Question file to be Loaded. Question File Not Named: Question File must be named to proceed.