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Reviser v2.2 3rd March 1997 Phil Whiles 4 Ivy Cottages Boyatt Lane Otterbourne Winchester Hants SO21 2HT Contents What is Reviser ? History Registration Installation Source file format Converting existing data Test Files File locking Data Add record Data Find and edit Config Edit labels Config Test Config Sound Config Graphics Config Word wrap Start - Q.Field X Start - Q.Field Y Start - Random Start - Clear Start - Mark Start - List Marking Warranty What is Reviser ? ----------------- Reviser is a learning aid which reads a data file you prepare, and presents a series of random flash card dialogs, the first showing a 'question', and the second showing the 'answer'. What sets its aside from a simple random selector is that it can present subsets of questions from larger sets, provided you adopt a simple numbering scheme in your database. As a test progresses, you get the option to mark questions which are easy, or that you are confident about. Once it has asked all the questions in the subset, Reviser shuffles up the unmarked questions and starts the test again, allowing you to concentrate on the questions you have difficulty with. History ------- Reviser was written to help me in learning Japanese Vocabulary and Grammar. I had been entering the vocabulary I had coverered in the course book, into one large database file on my Psion, so that I could search the covered vocab. in one file. As I went along, I recorded the lesson that each word came from in the book, and a grouping so that Reviser, even in its earliest form, could select subsets from lessons. v1.0 18/12/96 First Release v1.1 22/01/97 Fixed a clear/mark bug Added Edit labels Added % info summary at start of test Added "Are you sure ?" on Esc from test v1.2 06/02/97 Changed the flash card dialogs to use scrollable fields. A side effect is that the text is deletable, so a "Refresh" button has been added to repaint the dialog. v2.0 19/02/97 Major upgrade. Flash dialogs now replaced by graphical display, allowing scalable multiline Q.A.'s. Added Data - Add record Added Data - Find and edit Added List view v2.1 27/02/97 Added Word wrap Added saving of misc. config to ini file v2.2 03/03/97 Added "cross-out" of marked entries in list view Added "isolated" option to Find Registration ------------ Reviser is shareware. If you find it useful, and wish to continue using it, please register. For the small fee requested, you receive a personal password which once entered removes the annoying nag screens. In registering, you encourage the development of even more quality software for the Psion ! If you provide an email address with your registration I shall also send you future upgrades to Reviser. To register send either £10 or $20 US as either cash ,UK cheque or Eurocheque to the address at the top of this document. If you send cash, please put it between two sheets of stiff paper, to disguise it in the envelope ! Installation ------------ The following shows where Revisers files need to be installed. To help you get the hang of the source file format, (described later), I have included my own Japanese Language database, and the associated tests, marked in the following list with an '@' : \APP\ REVISER.OPA (the executable) \APP\REVISER\ REVISER.PIC (the graphic) REVISER.RSC (optional help) \OPD\ REVISER.REG (once registered) \DAT\ @ NIHONGO.DBF (source data) \TST\ @ *.TST (test files) Source file format ------------------ Reviser reads a standard Data file that you provide, but that file must have the following format : Field Desc. Example ----- ------ ---------- 1 Mark 0 (or 1) 2 Lesson 4 3 Group 2 4 Field X Hello 5 Field Y Bonjour Reviser scans the file for records that are not marked (0), falling within the lesson and group range specified under Config - Test. It then shuffles all those up (in memory) and randomly selects questions, presenting either 'field X' or 'field Y' as the question followed by the corresponding answer ('field Y' or 'field X'). It can either be set to always use 'field X' as the question, or 'field Y', or it can choose either on a random basis. (See the Start menu) Because the fields in the Psion Database application are all strings, if you want to be able to sort your source file into lesson/group order, say with JBDATA, or if you want Reviser to be able to select subsets properly ie a range of questions, give some thought to how strings are compared : ie string "2" is greater than "199" , so a group range of "1" to "199" does not include "2". Converting existing data ------------------------ To allow you to get your data into Revisers format there is a Data Conversion menu option under File. This will take a simple database file having only two fields, field X and field Y, and convert it into the 5 field format required by Reviser. To simplify the job, you may enter defaults for the mark,lesson and group fields, and choose either an automatic mode, where each record uses these defaults, or an interactive one, where you may elect to overide these defaults on a per record basis. If you have a source data file having more than two fields, I will be glad to convert it for you ! Test Files ---------- The files that Reviser creates and which appear under its icon on the system screen, are the 'test' files. When a test file is first created, you provide the name and location of the test's source data file, and the labels you wish to be associated with 'field X' and 'field Y'. ie 'English' and 'French'. Reviser uses these labels when asking it's questions. The test config is also saved as part of the test file, which by default includes all questions in the source file. To setup a test to have different test config change it's config (Config-Test), then Save (File-Save). File locking ------------ Reviser is a type 3 application, that is it is possible to have multiple copies of reviser running. However, because two tests may read the same source data file, there is the restriction that if one Reviser is currently testing or listing any other Reviser running using the same source file will be unable to add or find/edit. Data - Add record ----------------- Allows you to add new records to the current test data source file. This means that you do not have to exit Reviser, start Data/JBData, add the record, exit Data, and restart Reviser ! Data - Find and edit -------------------- This accomplishes several tasks ! By finding and displaying each match to a find, you get to : - view each match - edit and save each match Find options available are illustrated thus: Search for: ie this Positioned: Start of line ie this thing Anywhere ie with this thing End of line ie and this Within field: Mark Lesson Group Field X Field Y All Case sensitive: Yes No Once the first match is found, you get the option to edit and save the matched record, after which the next match is displayed etd etc or simply view the next match etc etc. Config - saving --------------- Note that test related config (Labels and Test) are saved as part of the test file, while other config is saved in \opd\reviser.ini, and is loaded for all tests. Config - Edit labels -------------------- Allows you to edit the labels used for the question and answer texts. These will be saved with the test configuration when File - Save is used. Config - Test ------------- Reviser allows a type of specialisation in its question selection, in that it can select questions from subsets within subsets of questions. ie each question/answer in the data file you prepare for Reviser, has two fields indicating the lesson and grouping/type of question that it is. If you do not wish to make use of this feature dont worry, simply mark each question as being in lesson 1 group 1, and make sure that Reviser is configured to select using those criteria. Config - Sound -------------- Reviser will give two differently pitched beeps if Sound is on, one on a question, and the other on the answer. Config - Graphics ----------------- When graphics is on, Reviser shows a graphical progress bar when it generates an index of your database at the start of the test sequence. It will also show a similar graphic when it shuffles a test having more than 50 matches. When graphics is off, a simple 'busy' type message is displayed, taking less time to get a test started. Config - Word wrap ------------------ When Word wrap is ON, the Q.and A. text wll word wrap at the end of each line. When OFF it will spill over in the middle of a word. You may want to switch it OFF if your text is long, as wrapping means less displayed text. Start - Q.Field X --------------------- The database will be indexed and the test sequence started with questions being 'field X' and answers being 'field Y'. ie would allow you to test your translation of English to French. (The menu doesn't show 'field X' or 'field Y' but uses the labels that you gave when the test file was created.) Start - Q.Field Y --------------------- The database will be indexed and the test sequence started with questions being 'field Y' and answers being 'field X'. ie would allow you to test your translation of French to English. Start - Random -------------- The database will be indexed and the test sequence started with questions and answers being of mixed types ie Question in English or French. Start - Clear ------------- Will clear the Mark field in all the records in the current database, matching the current Test Configuration criteria. These question will then get asked on subsequent test runs. Start - Mark ------------ Will set the Mark field in all the records in the current database, matching the current Test Configuration criteria. These question will then not get asked on subsequent test runs. Start - List ------------ Picks out test matches but rather than testing you on them, presents a simple list view for use as a study/revision aid. Currently limited to displaying a truncated list of Q.and A.'s, ie not scalable/scrollable if the text is too wide. Very useful for reviewing the data reviser will pick out for a test. Note that the ability to page the list is reserved for registered users. Marking ------- Once a test sequence has been started, with each answer you get 3 choices for marking of that particular Q/A : o None o Memory o File Once all questions in a test have been asked, Reviser shuffles up its test index and starts again. None means ask this question again next time round. Memory means mark this question in memory only and dont ask it next time round (in this 'loop', ie next time the test is loaded it will still get asked again) File means mark the question in the source file such that it wont get asked again, even when the test is reloaded. Warranty -------- You get absolutely none what so ever ! The author holds no responsibility for this software, and you use it at your own risk. (I'll take credit for Grade A exam results though :-)