Documentation for Flash! 3.0b

Integration with Translate makes Flash the ultimate tool for learning foreign language vocabulary. Translate is a bilingual dictionary, which translates individual words or phrases between English and 18 different languages. When you look up a word pair with Translate, you can automatically export it as a card to Flash!.
  1. Overview
  2. Views (forms)
    1. List View
    2. Edit Deck View
    3. Edit Card View
    4. Test View
  3. Dialogs
    1. Start Test Dialog
    2. Deck Details Dialog
    3. Clear Values Dialog
    4. Card Details Dialog
    5. Import Dialog
    6. Preferences Dialog
  4. Menus
    1. Deck Menu
    2. Card Menu
    3. Options Menu
    4. Flash! Menu
  5. FAQ
    1. Creating and Sharing Decks
    2. Registration/Update issues
    3. Working with other apps
    4. Testing Questions
    5. Other Questions
  6. Feedback

    7. Legal Stuff

Overview

 
Basic principles Flash! is a learning aid program for the palm pilot, based on the concept of flash cards. In Flash!, groups of cards are called decks.
Three Views There are 3 main views in Flash!, which you can access using the three small buttons at the lower left. The listview is symbolized by a small house, or home; this is where you choose which deck to use and create or import decks. The editview is symbolized by a small quill (feather). There are actually two types of edit view: the edit deck view, where you see a list of cards in the current deck, and theedit cardview, where you edit the text on the various sides of an individual card. The test view is symbolized by a lightning bolt. This is where you test your knowledge and study your mistakes. 
Two Types of Test Flash! has two testing modes, learning and quiz. Quiz mode can give you a complete test of all the cards in a deck, or of only the hardest cards in a deck. The true beauty of Flash!, however, is in learning mode. This creates a personalized learning schedule for you, testing you on each card as you need to be reminded of that information. It does this by keeping track of the difficulty you have had with it in the past and how many tests it has been since you saw that card last. More about the learning paradigm
?, !, and note
 A "deck" can contain many different pieces of information about each card. For instance, you could have a deck of bird species which, for each bird, would have the common name, the latin name, the range, and distinctive features. But a test will only ask you to remember 1 answer based on 1 question (plus an optional note). To simplify those many pieces of information ("fields") down to just 3, and yet remain fully configurable and flexible, Flash! has the idea of "sides" called ?, !, and note. (If you're a nerd, you might prefer to call them "metafields"). "?" (question) just means whatever piece of information is being used as the question, and is shown in the left column on the edit deck view; "!" (answer) is what's being used as the answer, and is shown in the center-right column on the edit deck view; and "note" (note or hint) is what's being used as the note, and the small rightmost column in the edit deck view indicates whether a note is present. You can change which "field" a side refers to using the column headings in the edit deck field, or in the start test dialog.

For instance, in the example of the deck of bird species, you could set "?" to refer to the latin name, "!" to refer to the common name, and "note" to refer to the distinctive features. Then you'd have to try to remember the common name of a given species when prompted with the latin name, and you could refer to the distinctive features as a hint if needed/desired.

Decks created in Flash! will have 3 fields (field "A", field "B", and "Note Field"); but decks created using JFile (or JFile tools) may have more than three sides. If there are only two pieces of important information per card, you should put them on "A" and "B" and then use "Note" for a mnemonic (an image you use to link the two in your head).
Suggested use Research on learning suggests that the learning schedule developed in Learning mode is superior to a simple repetitive studying for an equivalent amount of time. This research can also give you some pointers to get with Flash!.
     
  1. Test on the honor system, not by multiple choice quizzes. Multiple choice is provided for your convenience, but it is not the best way of learning, except perhaps occasionally to keep you from getting bored.
  2. Try to use flash regularly. The learning schedule will work in a single "cram" session, or used at similar intervals (say, a full test every other day or so). However, if you use it in a limited number of randomly-spaced study sesssions, you could be using your time better.
  3. Take your time on each question.You should not dawdle, but you also should not feel rushed during a quiz; don't look at the answer until you are clear on all the details - spelling and all.
Power tip: Categories Categories are a very powerful feature in Flash!. Almost anything you can do with an entire deck, you can do with a given category, including import from, import into, export to memopad, clear card values, and run a test. Moreover, in multiple choice mode, the answers are chosen from questions within the same category. If you prefer to test yourself on several unrelated sets of questions at once, perhaps you should make them separate categories within a deck rather than separate decks.

(You can even delete all the cards in a given category by going to the deck list view (the house at lower left), choosing importdeck, choosing other deck as the source, choosing the deck and category, and hitting "import and delete". You then have to delete the bogus deck by choosing it and going to delete deck from the deck menu.) 
More help In addition to this help file, Flash! has a limited amount of online context-based help, available from the (i) buttons at the top right corner of the various dialog boxes. 

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list viewDeck List View

This shows the list of decks on your pilot. From this view, you may edit a deck by tapping on its name, or create a new deck by tapping new. Tapping on a deck will take you to one of the other three views (edit card, edit deck, or test) depending on how you last used that deck.

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edit deck viewEdit Deck View

This view has 2 main columns for ? and !, and one small column on the right for note. By tapping on the column head, you can change which side counts as ? (in order to test from side A to side B, or vice versa). Tapping on the head also brings up the option to sort by in order of the given column. By dragging the small vertical line dividing the columns at the top, you can widen one column or the other.

From this view, you may choose to go to the edit card view by tapping on a card from the scrolling list of cards. This also shows you some information about the deck: the total number of times you have tested yourself with any card in the deck (including deleted cards), and the total number of right and wrong answers you have had in that time.

The New button will create a new card (at the top of the deck) and take you to the edit card view to edit it. The Details button will take you to the deck details dialog.

The small highlighted deck in the upper left corner is merely an indicator that this is the edit deck view.

This view has a deck menu, a limited card menu with only the new card option, and an options menu.

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edit card viewEdit Card View

This view allows you to edit the contents of a card. The field in which you edit is scrollable. Also, if you have scrolled to one end of the field, you may use the physical scroll buttons again to switch sides or cards as appropriate.

The current side of the current card is indicated in the upper right. The sides are (note icon): note. Notes you create here may be viewed in test mode as you desire; (?) Question: this represents one part of the fact you are memorizing, often in the form of a question; (!) Answer: the other part of the fact; (deck icon) return to edit deck view. You may also return to edit deckview by tapping the quill in the lower left.

Displayed in this view is the total number of times you have answered this question in a quiz, along with the number of times you got it right (Rs) and wrong (Ws).

Press the New button to create a new card (after the current one) and edit it. Press the Details button to go to the card details dialog. The two font size push buttons adjust the font size for cards in this deck.

This view has a deck menu, a card menu, an typical edit menu, and an options menu.

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test viewTest View (multiple choice mode shown)

This view is where you actually test yourself. Before a test starts, you will have to complete the start test dialog. You can keep track of your progress through the test by watching the one-pixel bar across the top, just below the title. This bar grows from left to right as Flash! considers each card to see whether it is time to quiz that knowledge.

In a multiple choice test: If an answer doesn't fit on one line and you need to see the full text before choosing it, just tap on the text of the answer; it will highlight and the full version will show up above, where the question goes. To see the question again, tap in the field where it goes.

When you've decided on an answer, simply press a button to choose that item. If you are wrong and the "wait after mult. choice" preference is set, the right answer will highlight itself for a brief pause or until you tap again before going to the next question.

In an honor system test, think of the correct answer. Then, tap on the main part of the screen to check your answer. Press right or wrong, depending on how you answered. If you were especially sure and/or could think of the answer especially easily, check the "very"checkbox before pressing the button; this helps Flash! develop your learning schedule.

Testing will produce sounds for right and wrong answers unless game sound is turned off in the system preferences app on your pilot.

This view has a deck menu and an options menu.

 
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start test dialogStart Test Dialog

This dialog box is how you start a new test. The basic purposes of the two test types are shown in the overview.

If you choose a Category other than all

# questions is a relative term that depends on the test type, the number of cards in the deck, and your current level of progress. Since you can pause (or stop, depending on the "leaving test mode ends test" preference) a test at any time, you do not need this option if you only want to answer a few questions. It is mostly useful just to give you an idea of how much you should be studying; when the start test dialog comes up again, the test is done, and you can take a break. However, for a "quiz" type test, a low or medium number of questions will tend to ask you the questions that are harder than average for this deck.

Check the multiple choice mode checkbox if you want a multiple choice test. It says "(type *)" merely to remind you how multiple choice mode tests are displayed in the deck details dialog. Uncheck the shuffle check box if for some reason you want to quiz yourself in the order of the cards in the deck. Check theonly latest checkbox, and enter a number in the field that appears, if you want to only test yourself on cards that have been created recently, in the last n days or weeks.

Sometimes, the start test dialog won't go away when you press OK. Read "empty tests" from the FAQ to learn why.

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deck details dialogDeck Details Dialog

This is where you modify the details and the default behavior of a given deck. It is also where you view your scores for current or previous quizzes.

In the title field, you can edit the title of the current deck. 30 characters is the maximum. Press the "Default to test both sides" checkbox in order to have newly created cards have 'test both sides' checked in their card detailsdialog. (see that dialog for explanation of what that does) In order for this setting to affect already existing cards, you must use the clear values dialog. Press the "Retest mistakes same test" checkbox to test a given card more than once within a test until you get it right (cards retest right away if the shuffle checkbox was not checked in thestart test dialog.) Press the "Backup database on Hotsync" to have the database automatically back up every hotsync. This protects your data but slows down hotsyncs. Check "Store deck in JFile format" to store the deck in a format accessible to JFile (another palm app by Land-J technologies); uncheck it to hide the deck from JFile. (Compatibility note: If you have another palm app (such as Translate) which lets you create Flash! cards from outside Flash!, the deck which accepts these imported cards must not be in JFile format.)

Below these check boxes is an area which can display the results of your tests on this deck. It gives the date, type, depth, number of questions, percentage right, and "direction" (side->side) of a given test. You can choose which test to display (up to a maximum of 7 tests ago) using the scroll bar or the scroll buttons.

The clear values button takes you to theclear values dialog.

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clear values dialogClear Values Dialog

This is where you clear the statistics for a given deck. It is accessible from both the deck detailsand card details dialogs. Checking a box does not clear those values until you press clear. You can select a category at the lower left; when you hit clear, only the cards in the given category will be affected. Clearing test stats clears the statistics shown in the bottom part of the deck details dialog. Clearingcard answer stats clears the statistics shown at the bottom of theedit card view. This makes them show up often (as if they were unfamiliar) starting the next time you are scheduled to see them.Show all cards schedules all cards to show up the next time you do a learning-mode test.

The deck right/wrongs totals (shown at the bottom of the edit deck view) may be left as is, set to zero, or recalculated based on the sum of the right/wrong totals of the cards in the category shown at the lower left. (if you choose category "all", this will have the effect of undoing previously cleared totals). Note that the deck totals are used by quiz-type tests in deciding whether a given card is "harder than average" and should be shown. If you choose "zero" you may have problems with low- and medium- depth quiz-type tests. If that happens, come back here and choose "sum from cards"

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card details dialogCard Details Dialog

This dialog shows the date this card was created. It also lets you set the category and the learning delay of this card. The learning delay is approximately equal to the number of low-depth learning-type tests that will pass before this card will be shown again.

Clear or Change detail values or stats:

This card will let you clear the statistics of a card that show up at the bottom of the edit card view. This makes the card show up often (as if it were unfamiliar) starting the next time you are scheduled to see it. Next Shows lets you schedule a card to show next in the next learning-mode test, or to never show up until you set show next again. All CardsTakes you to the Clear values dialog to set the details of all cards at once.
 
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preferences dialogPreferences Dialog

The "Leaving test mode ends test" checkbox determines whether leaving the test view (by switching to another view, or by switching to another app) ends the current test, or simply pauses it in progress.
If "Wait after mult choice answer" is checked, Flash! will pause after incorrect multiple choice answers to show you which answer was right. Tapping will end this approximately 1 second pause.
If "Subway testing" is checked, then pressing the hardware scroll up button in a non-multiple-choice test is equivalent to pressing the "right" button, as the hardware down button is equivalent to "wrong".
If Show two columns in edit deck is checked, edit deck view is split down the middle, with questions on the left and answers on the right.
If the Sound box is not checked, there will be no sound. If it is checked, Flash! will play tunes if game sound is on in the preferences app that comes with your pilot; otherwise, it will play beeps if the system sound is on. If neither is on, the Soundcheckbox here does nothing.
The series of Learning Delay Function boxes determine how the learning delay is calculated for learning-type tests. The learning delay is calculated when you get a question right or wrong in a test, so changing this box has no effect on a given card until you encounter that card on a test (which you can make happen using the "clear learning delays" box in the clear values dialog). As you learn a given card more thoroughly, the delay until you see that card increases. If you choose a low number here (1 or 2) this delay will increase more slowly, and you will be tested more thoroughly, even on cards you already know. If you choose a higher number (3 or 4), Flash! will try to make the best use of your time by only testing you on those cards you need to review. Brain research suggests that an exponential delay function is optimal for long-term learning, but perhaps for you a linear function might work better if you tend to study in cram sessions.

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import dialogImport Dialog

This presents a list of possible decks to import. First choose the format from which to import (JTutor, MemoPador Other (Flash!) Deck. To import decks from Brainforest or ThoughtMill, first export them to the memo pad, then import them as a deck.)

(In the following discussion, "line" refers to the space between carriage returns, even if MemoPad normally wraps that onto several lines.)

If you choose MemoPad, further options apear. Check the Notes checkbox to interperet any line that starts with "<Note:" as a note. The note is considered to continue until the end of the line after the next ">" sign; thus multiline notes are possible. (This is the format in which Brainforest outputs notes).

The following three options tell you what should constitute an answer to be imported. Even lines means that every other line (excluding notes) should be an answer; the odd lines are questions.

Indented 1s means that the memo should be interpereted as an outline, either hand-made or as output from Brainforest or ThoughtMill. Each space or tab at the beginning of a line is counted as one level of indentation. Each item that has no children or siblings becomes an answer; its parent becomes a question. Ind. >1 does the same thing, except that groups of any number of siblings with no children become an answer, with their parent as the question.

Thus, if you had the following outline:

Types of Breakfast

Hot

Vegetarian
Hash Browns

Scrambled Eggs

Non-Vegetarian
Bacon
Cold
Cereal
Indented 1s would create a card with question "Non-Vegetarian" and answer "Bacon", and one with question "Cold" and answer "Cereal". Ind. >1 would create the same cards, plus one with question "Vegetarian" and answer "Hash Browns<return>Scrambled Eggs".

If you import from an Other Deck (in order to merge two decks or copy a deck), you may choose whether to keep or discard the card Statistics and creation Dates of the imported cards.

Finally, after choosing a source  to import from, press either Import or Import and Delete. Import and Delete deletes the database after importing from it; it is included for convenience but not recommended. The new cards go to the open database, if there is one; otherwise, a new database is created to hold them.

Note: There is a nice utility to convert text files to JTutor decks, available from Land-J technologies (www.land-j.com). Note that your registration for Flash! in no way registers you for any Land-J product, and you are obligated to pay all applicable registration fees on any Land-J product you use.

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Deck Menu

In addition, the deck menu in the edit deck view has the following options:


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Card Menu

 
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Options Menu

 
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Flash! Menu

The Flash! menu has the same items as the options menu, plus
 
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FAQ

Creating and Sharing Decks

How do I create a deck in Flash! and put in all the cards I need to study?

There are two ways to create a deck... from within Flash! on the pilot, or from elsewhere.
To create a deck from within flash:

1. Hit "new" on the list view (the view with the house highlighted in lower left; press the house to get there) to create a deck.

2. Set the name of the deck and the preferencesand hit OK.

3. You should now be in the Edit Deck view (quill highlighted in lower left; deck in upper right). Hit "new" to create a card.

4. You should be in the Edit Card view (The quill is highlighted in the view group at lower left; the question mark is in the side group at upper right). Enter the question (using graffitti or the on-screen keyboard available from the edit menu). To enter the answer to this question, first hit the exclamation point at upper right (the scroll down hardware button is a shortcut for this) and then enter the answer.

5. Hit "new" again to create a new card and repeat step 4.

To create a deck outside of flash, using your desktop computer, the preferred means is:

1. Open up a spreadsheet program.

2. On the top line, give the names of the fields you want in your deck (for instance, in an English/Spansh study deck, you could call the columns "English", "Español", and "Hint". There must be at least 2 columns, preferably at least 3.

3. When you initially import the deck into Flash!, the first three columns will be the three sides that appear in a test: column 1 will be "?", column 2 will be "!", and column 3 will be "note". As always, you can later change which field will appear on which side.

4. Fill the columns downward. Each row after the first will beome one card. (If you want to add [import] the cards to an existing deck, only put the information for any new cards; do not include existing cards.)

5. Choose "save as" and under format choose to save in "CSV" or "Comma Separated Value" format. Choose a name and location and save the file.

6. Double-click on the "JConv5.exe" application that comes with Flash!.

7. Make sure that the "use/create info file" and "encryption password" options are blank, then click the lower of the two main buttons ("Convert JFile 5.x .CSV to .PDB")

8. Choose the CSV file that you saved in step 5 and click "open". Give a name for your deck and click OK.

9. Use the windows explorer to find the .CSV file. In the same folder will be a file of the same name that is a palm database (.pdb) file. Double-click this file to use the palm installer; and then hotsync to finish installing it on your pilot.

A secondary way to create a deck outside of Flash!, using a word-processing program, is:

1. In the word processor, type in the deck, with the first "line" being a question, then the corresponding answer, then a question, etc.; all even "lines" should be answers. Remember that 1 "line" in the word processor (perhaps you call them paragraphs) might wrap to look like several lines on your screen; it ends when and only when you hit return.

2. Select all, copy, go to pilot desktop (or whatever program on the PC you sync your pilot to), open the memopad, create a new memo, and paste.

3. Hotsync your pilot.

4. Go to the list view of Flash! and use the menu to "import deck..."

5. Choose memopad; choose the memo you just created; choose "even lines"; and hit "import".

Yet more ways to create decks outside of Flash!

Get one of the JFile-compatible utilities from this page. Figure out how to use it.

Can I modify an existing deck using my desktop computer?

Yes... in limited ways. You can add cards to a deck by choosing "deck->import" from within the edit deck view; you can import these cards from a new deck created using one of the methods of the previous question.

However, if you want to modify or delete existing cards using your PC, you will have to do so in a new copy of the deck, and so you will lose all the data that Flash keeps on your performance. If this is OK, here is the process:

Unless you have problems, you can ignore this step: 0. If there is some reason it might not be, make sure in the "deck details" dialog that "store deck in JFile format" is still checked).

1. Hotsync your pilot.

2. Double-click on the "JConv5.exe" application that comes with Flash!.

3. Make sure that the "use/create info file" and "encryption password" options are blank, then click the upper of the two main buttons ("Convert JFile 5.x .PDB to .CSV")

4. Using the resulting dialog, open the file at C:\Palm\<your pilot username>\backup\<your database name>.pdb

5. Using a spreadsheet program, open the newly created file C:\Palm\<your pilot username>\backup\<your database name>.csv

6. Delete the 5 rightmost columns ("Date","Right answers","Wrong answers","Tests left", and "Flshß") - both the column header and all data in the columns.

7. You can now modify the data and follow the steps above to import the data as a new deck to Flash!.

(You can try similar things using the other JFile-format tools. You may even find a tool that allows you to modify decks without creating new ones; if you do, let me know.)

How do I share a deck I have created with people?

If you have a deck that you think others would find useful, get it ready (see next question). You should now have a xxxx.pdb file for your deck.

1)zip it, if you know how. Otherwise, that's fine, I'll do it. Make sure it is smaller than 200K. If it is larger than that, and if it is not too much trouble, warn me one week in advance and send it on a Friday.

2)Write me email to tell me about this. Include your deck. I'll check that it isn't an evil virus and put a link on my deck sharing page.

How do I get a deck ready to share with others?

If you have the 'Backup Database' box checked in the deck details dialog for a deck, it will back itself up to a .pdb file in your pilot\<username>\backup folder on hotsync. This file can be installed on other pilots. ( There is an extra character at the beginning of the name of these files to ensure unique filenames.)
The one problem, though, is that this file still has all the statistics of how well you have done in testing yourself. If you are just giving it to a friend, you can have them use the clear values dialog. However, if you intend to distribute your deck to a wider audience (for instance, by putting it on the web or uploading it to PilotGear H.Q. in one of their specialized topic categories such as 'medical'), you should clear the values before distribution. Here's how to clear the values without losing the statistics on your own pilot:

1. Go to the List View.

2. Choose "Import Deck" from the Flash! menu.

3. Choose "Other Deck" and uncheck "Statistics" and "Date"

4. Pick the deck you want to share. Remember the character that shows up before it and press "Import".

5. Tap on the newly created deck (moving you to edit deck view), tap on details, and make sure "Backup on hotsync" is checked.

6. Hotsync. In your pilot\<username>\backup folder on your computer's desktop is the file you want to share. It will have a different prefix character than the deck you imported from.

How can I merge two decks or copy a deck or a category from a deck?

In order to merge two existing decks, go into one of them, choose "Import cards..." from the deck menu, choose Other Deck, pick the deck to import from, and press "import". In order to copy a deck, do the same thing from the list view.

Note that you can merge or copy just a single category from within a deck by choosing that category before you press "import". If you then press "import and delete" all the cards in that category will be deleted from the source deck.

I love Flash!. How do I let others know what a great program it is?

Post a review at  www.eurocool.com.
 
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Registration/Update issues

How do I install a new version of Flash!?

If you are installing version 2.0.x over a pre-2.0.x version (such as 2.0bx or 1.x.x) you will need to do a complete reinstall by the following procedure.

1. Backup your decks (make sure that "backup on hotsync" is checked in the deck details dialog of each deck, then hotsync).

2. Delete Flash! from the launcher (choose delete from the app menu)

3. Install the new version of Flash!, as well as all your decks from the pilot/<yourname>/backup directory, using the palm install tool. Hotsync again to complete the installation.

4. You will need to re-enter your registration code.

However, if you are installing version 2.x over version 2.0.x or later, you should *not* delete anything. Simply install the new version; even your registration should remain in place.
 

Can I download a trial version?

The regular version works fine without registration. It just reminds you to register every so often.

What do I get with registration?

You are registered for all versions of Flash!, now and in the future. Also, I usually answer questions from registered users, though I can't guarantee it. (And my turnaround is often under a day.)

How will I get the registered version of your software? Will I receive a registration number or do you send out the registered version of the software to the consumers?

If you register via PilotGear or US mail, you will receive instructions on how to register the copy of Flash! that you already have. Registation options are explained/ linked to at braindoll.net/flash.html

I entered my password to register the program and it played a little happy tune but otherwise did nothing else.  Does this mean that the registration process was successful?

Yes.

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Working with other programs

I'm using Flash! with Translate, and I can't seem to make the font change.  How do I do this?

First go to the preferences dialog from the menu and set the default font. Then, go to the clear values dialog (accessible from the deck details "clear values" button or the card details "all cards" button). Check "Card Fonts as Default" (last option) and hit "clear".

How does Flash! know where to put the cards it imports from Translate?

The first time you export a card from a given language file in Translate, Flash! looks for a deck named after that language. If one exists, it puts the card there; if not, it makes one. From then on, it remembers to put words of that language into that deck, even if you change the name of the deck. However, if you soft-reset your pilot (by sticking a paper clip into the little hole in the back, or by a software crash, for instance), Flash! will forget its list of which deck is which, and go by name again. (If you want weird behaviour, you can actually use this as a feature. Soft reset, then rename your decks so they either do or do not get new words, then send a pair of words over to cement the connection. You can rename your decks again afterwards).

When I import decks that work fine in JTutor, instead of getting individual cards, I'm shown a first card that simply lists all the items in the deck. Suggestions?

I doubt that this is actually what is happening. It sounds as if what you are seeing is the deck view, which is supposed to list all the cards. To see individual cards, you can either:
1. Tap on a card to editit; use the buttons at upper right to edit question/answer/note
2. Tap on the lightning bolt at lower left to be tested on all the cards.
 
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Testing Questions

Is it possible to set up Flash! 1.3.0 so that I will be quizzed automatically at predetermined intervals?

Not by itself. But since Flash! automatically goes to the most recent screen when it starts up, you should be able to get this functionality by combining Flash! with a program such as LookAtMe by Bill Ezell. I haven't tested this out - if you have any comments about how it works or how I could make it work better, please let me know.

How can I tell when I have answered a question correctly in multiple choice mode?

You know by 3 cues:

1. the correct answer stays highlighted a moment longer than the other two - more than a moment if "wait after mult. choice answer" is checked in the preferences dialog.

2. If "game sound" is on in the preferences app on your pilot, there is an audio cue.

3. The counts at the bottom of the screen ("Ws" and "Rs") keep track of how many right and wrong answers you have.

I just want to walk through all the questions and answers in order without "testing" myself on them. What should I do?

Go to the edit card view for the first card, and page through using the scroll down hardware button.

How does Flash! get the different answer choices in multiple choice mode?

In order to keep decks small, the separate multiple choice answers come from different questions in the same category. If there are 6 or fewer cards in a category, it will choose answers from all categories.

In other words, (assuming all cards mentioned are in the same category) when the computer asks you question 5, the three choices might be the answers to questions 17, 3, and 5. If you get this question wrong by choosing the answer to question 3, Flash! remembers this, and tries to trick you next time it asks question 5 by giving you the answers to question 5, 3, and (for instance) 8 as options.
(I may improve this method in later versions. However, I'm not too motivated to do so because, honestly speaking, most people learn a lot more when they test themselves on the honor system.)

In an honor system (non multiple-choice) test, what is that little box with the word "Very" next to it?

Check this box when you were especially sure of the answer, and thus got the question "very right" or "very wrong". Flash! then realizes that you find this question especially easy/hard, and tests you with it less/more often in learning mode. The counts of how often you got it right and wrong shown at the bottom of the edit card viewremain accurate.

The "Very" check button only affects an internal tally flash keeps of the most recent answers to a given question, stacking that tally with some extra right or wrong answers. Since "quiz" mode only uses the count of all answers to the question, which is kept separately, "very" does not affect "quiz" tests.

Tell me more about the learning paradigm in Flash! and how it decides when to test you on any given card?

First off, there's this reference. Flash! in no way attempts to reproduce exactly the conditions of the experiments described in this paper, however. Mainly, I saw this as the best reference to give for the idea that it improves learning to quiz with increasing intervals (i.e. intervals of 1-4-9 do better than 5-5-5) and that this holds whether the timescale of the units is minutes or days (other scale domains being less explored). One other result mentioned in passing in that study is the fact that a flash-card-type quiz is better than just a representation of a fact for stimulating recall.

The main procedure in my code that implements this expanding-pattern is LTestNewTestsLeft, which takes both the recent and the overall history of right and wrong answers on a given question and derives the number of low-depth learning tests Flash! should wait before presenting that question again. (High-depth tests count as 4 low-depth ones). Essentially, this procedure goes through several steps:

1. derives the "adjusted right and wrong answer tallies" by adding the recent right or wrong answer numbers to the total numbers, weighted so that recent numbers and totals have approximately the same importance

2. Makes a quick approximation of 2 raised to the power of the ratio of right to wrong answers.

Note that this moves beyond the research in that it only expands the interval if you get the question right, actually contracting it for wrong answers. This is not directly supported by the paper I cited, but it is the advice of most "boost your memory"-type books and is also intuitively valid.

The exponential formula, the use of a ratio, and the equal weighting of recent and total numbers are really all my own developments. Although they fit broadly within the observed data, the fine-tuning of these and other minor details were mostly in order to get a system that "felt right" to me, where the program would not ask an easy question to the point of annoyingness or skip a question that I was beginning to forget.

OK, I understand "Learning" mode. What about "Quiz" mode? What's the difference between "Low" and "High" # questions then?

"Quiz" mode is intended for occasionally checking your progress, or for a final review in the last minutes before the test.

Low, med, and high still function for quiz, but they mean something different. A "high" quiz will ask all questions in a test. Medium quizzes will calculate at the overall percentage correct for this deck (based on the statistics shown in the edit deck form) and ask you any questions which have a lower percentage correct than this. Low quizzes will do the same, only they will use as a cutoff either the square of the overall fraction correct or 2/3 of the fraction correct, whichever is greater.

This is very easy to confuse with the algorithm for the "learning" protocol. There are two main differences. First, it has no element of random chance. Second, it doesn't take into account how many tests have gone by since you last saw a given question (nor does answering a question in quiz mode count as "seeing" it for the purposes of learning tests).

What does the number in the learning delay in the card details dialog actually mean?

It is the delay (in number of low-depth learning tests; a high-depth test counts as 4 low-depth ones) before you next see that question. You may see it randomly up to 3 tests earlier. "Quiz" type tests do not use or affect this number. Thus, a low-depth learning test will show all questions with delay of under 2, and some with delay under 4. Medium, all under 3 and some under 5. High, all under 5 and some under 8.

I pressed OK on the start test dialog, and the dialog just flickered and showed right back up, without testing me on any questions. What does this mean?

In learning mode, Flash! will only ask you questions with a low enough learning delay. This is so that, if you test yourself regularly, you will be reminded of a question exactly when you need reminding, and not sooner. Because of this, sometimes you will ask for a test, but Flash! will decide that you actually don't need to review any questions right now. When such an "empty test" happens, the start test dialog show right back up after you tap "OK". Notice that the "Start Test #X" at the top of the dialog will have gone up. If this number went up by more than one, that's the number of "empty tests" that were skipped. When this happens, you have two choices. If you're the kind of student who is always going for extra credit, you can go ahead and test yourself anyway, even though you don't really need it yet. Or, you can take a more laid back attitude, pat yourself on the back for the learning progress you've made, and take a break from studying for now.

How do I run a test on multiple decks at once?

You can't currently do this. However, you can get much the same effect if you import your multiple decks into separate categories within a given deck.When you want to test yourself on one "deck" which is now only a category, choose that category from the Start Test dialog. When you want to test on all "decks", choose "All" instead.
 
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Other Questions

Does Flash! have any easter eggs?

What do you think the Answer to that is? (The answer to life, the universe, and everything). I know one thing that's never the answer, at least; your mama probably taught you that much.

Are there any known bugs? Are fixes forthcoming?

1. Sound preference doesn't work. You have to turn off the pilot-wide game sound in system preferences to keep the sound from playing.
2. Screen artifacts to do with categorization. Not serious.
3. Fails on some Visor models. Have yet to reproduce this.
4. Fails during import from memopad sometimes. Have yet to reproduce this.

As to fixes, see the status letter. Actually, even though I've lost the 2.0.x source code, I could probably fix bugs 1 (an 'and' vs. 'or' mistake) and 2 (a resource error, the 0-width category list should not have the "visible" attribute) by hacking at the compiled code, and I will do that as soon as I have extra time in town (San Cristobal) to download the necessary tools. Don't hold your breath.

I want to add graphics to cards in a deck. Is there a way to do this?

Not as of version 3.0.
 
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Comments? Problems? Send tojquinn+flash@cs.oberlin.edu

Disclaimer: Although care has been taken to ensure a bug-free program, we will not be help responsible for any malfunctions as a result of the use of this program. PalmPilot is a registered trademark of 3Com incorporated, Land-J and JTutor may or may not be registered to Land-J technologies. This web page is intended for standalone use, and therefore if you are viewing it on my site you will be disappointed to find that the pictures do not make bizarre links.