Categories, Hints, Comments and More!!

Let's find out more about creating study files with WinFlash. In this session we'll add Categories and learn about using multiple fonts and text effects as well as how to add Hints and Comments to our Q&A pairs. We'll continue with the file NECAPS.FLU that we created in the first exercise.

Tip: If the response of the editor seems sluggish on your machine, turn off WinFlash's 'skins' - it won't look as pretty, but it'll be substantially quicker. Click here to learn how.

Categories

Assigning categories to your Q&A pairs as they are entered can be very useful - click here to learn more about categories. Since all of our Q&A pairs thus far deal with New England state capitals, let's place each in the category "Capitals".

1. Start WinFlash.

2. Click on the File|Open in Editor... menu item. This will bring up the Open WinFlash Source File in Editor dialog. Double-click on NECAPS.FLU. The editor will open with the first Q&A pair displayed.

3. Click into the edit box located below the caption Category of this Pair, located on the right-hand panel of the editor. Type Capitals. This will establish Capitals as an available category and assign the current Q&A pair to that category.

4. Move to the next Q&A pair in the file by clicking on the right-facing single blue arrow at the bottom right of the editor. You can also initiate this action by typing Ctrl-n.

5. Click the small, down-pointing, arrow button on the right hand edge of the Category of this Pair edit box. This will open the drop-down list to display all available categories - in our case only one - Capitals. Click on the word Capitals and that category will be assigned to the current, second, Q&A pair.

6. Repeat the sequence of moving to the next Q&A pair and selecting Capitals from the drop down Category of this Pair edit box for each of the remaining Q&A pairs.

7. Click the Save button at the top right of the editor to save your work.

8. Click the Close button or type Alt-e to return to the study mode.

9. Click through your updated file noticing that each Q&A pair now displays "Capitals" in the Category box in the upper left hand corner of the Question and Answer dialogs.

10. After looking at your file, open the editor again by right-clicking on a Question or Answer dialog and selecting Edit Current Q&A pair from the popup menu.

11. Get back to the beginning of the file by entering a "1" in the box to the right of the Go To Pair # button and either clicking the button or hitting the Enter key. You're ready to move to the next section.

Hints and Comments

1. For our next enhancement, let's add a Hint and a Comment to each of the questions. Select the editor's Hints/Comments page by clicking its tab or typing Alt-c. Since we are going to be working on this page for each of the six Q&A pairs, uncheck the Open to QuickDeck box (when this box is checked, WinFlash returns us to the QuickDeck page every time we change Q&A pairs).

2. Now, for Q&A pair 1, (Maine) type the following in the Hint 1 edit box: Starts with an 'A'. In the first Comment edit box, CMT1, type Also known as the Pine Tree State.

3. Move to Q&A pair 2 by clicking the right-facing single arrow or typing Ctrl-n. For Q&A pair 2 (New Hampshire) enter Starts with a 'C' and Also known as the Granite State for the Hint and Comment. Similarly for Q&A pairs 3-6: Starts with an 'M' and Also known as the Green Mountain State, Starts with a 'B' and Also known as the Bay State, Starts with an 'H' and Also known as the Nutmeg State and finally Starts with a 'P' and Also known as the Ocean State. There! Now we have Hints for each of the questions and Comments for each of the answers.

4. Exit the editor and run through the file - you'll note that for each question, the "Lock" button on the bar at the top is now colored in and flashing until it is clicked. When you click the button, you get the associated Hint for that Question. Similarly, for each answer, the "Bell" button on the bar at the top is now colored in and flashing. You can also type Ctrl-h to open a Hint or Comment.

After all the Hints have been looked at (up to three per question) they continue to recycle through the sequence. The Comments for the answers work exactly the same way, their presence indicated by the flashing colored-in "Bell" button on the Answer's status bar.

Note: Further controls for Hints and Comments are available in Options|View.

Fonts and Text Effects

We know you've been wanting to try those intriguing buttons in the vertical row on the right-hand side of the editor. One of the proven techniques for memorization is to have the key information highlighted so that it will stand out during review. We'll try a couple of examples of highlighting in this section.

1. Open the editor again and move to Q&A pair 1. Select the Hints/Comments page. Select (highlight) the letter 'A' in "Starts with an 'A'" and click the top button (the one with the B on it). You'll see the letter switch to boldface. Click the "Play" button to the right of the text box to see how the hint will look in practice.

2. Another method of highlighting a word or phrase is to change the background color. In the comment edit box, select the words "Pine Tree State" and then click the button with the highlighter with a red line beneath it. This will bring up a color selection dialog - click on the pale yellow square. Again, click the "Play" button to the right of the text box to check out your modification.

3. Go through the other 5 Q&A pairs and make similar changes to the hint and comment of each one. While we've used the Hints and Comments to briefly explore the font effects, they can be used in any of the text edit controls in the editor except those used to enter file names (associated files) and the Categories list. We'll explore further uses of the font effects and mixed fonts in the next tutorial session.

4. Save your work by clicking the Save button at the top right of the editor.

5. Exit the editor and run through the file, checking an occasional Hint and/or Comment.

Note: It is not necessary to open the Hint or Comment simply because it's available - you can proceed from the Q to the A or from the A to the next Q&A pair without clicking on the flashing button if you wish.

You've now enhanced your file with Categories, Hints and Comments and Text Effects!!

The third exercise will use the file that you've just finished as a starting point. If you'd like to continue with that exercise now, just click Multiple Choice, Fill-in-the-blank and Other Pair TypesMultiple Choice, Fill-in-the-blank and Other Pair Types

Page url: http://www.openwindow.com/helpfile/categories__hints__comments___more__.htm