Flash Card Manager Help
Flash Card Manager

Flash Card Manager Basics

Loading a Card File

Adding a Card

Searching for a Card

Shuffling Cards

Flipping the Cards

Editing your Cards

Deleting a Card

Starting a New Card Collection

Closing Flash Card Manager

Registering your copy and getting the password

I got the "Insufficient memory" window when I started Flash Card Manager


Flash Card Basics
Flash Card Manager Basics

Flash Card Manager organizes your flash card collections into "*.fcm" files.  The front and back of each card is stored in these files.  Flash Card Manager allows you to scroll forward through your cards, search for cards in your collection, add cards to your collection, flip the cards, edit your cards, delete your cards, and create card collections.

Flash Card Manager keeps track of your cards so that you do not have to worry about saving them.  In this way you will not have to worry about forgetting to save your changes and you won't get angry when you try to exit and a box comes up asking you if you want to save the changes.

If you make a mistake when adding a card, or you want to replace a card with different information or add to a card, you can use the edit function.  Edit displays the previous information so that you don't have to worry about retyping it all over again.

For those of us who are visual learners and who remember exactly where things that we are trying to memorize are on the page, the shuffle function adds another dimension of memorization ease.  If you catch yourself reciting what is on the next card without viewing the first side, use the shuffle function.  This will ensure that you fully memorize the cards, not just the order.

Sometimes, I forget what I've tried to memorize.  I need to go back and see what a word means.  I then use the search function.  The search function is easy to use; you don't have to remember exactly what you typed or how you capitalized it.  You can type a word or phrase you remember and the search function will do the work.  I often have more than one vocabulary word which mean the same thing.  If I start at the beginning of my card collection when using the search function, I will find the first card that matches my word.  But maybe I want to find the second card.  I simply use the search function again.  Search starts looking for your card at the card after the card you are currently viewing.  If the only card that matches your description is currently being viewed, or there is no card matching your description, Search will tell you that it cannot find the card you were looking for.

Flipping the cards comes in handy if you want to type the cards with language A on side 1 and language B on side 2, but want to quiz yourself by looking at language B and trying to match it with language A.  Say I type my Latin on side 1 and my English on side 2.  But I want to see the English and recite the Latin.  I use the flip function, and viola!  I can now quiz myself the way I wanted to.  If I want to flip the cards again to see the Latin and try to recite the English, I use the flip function again.

Notes on terminology:

"Go to the ______ menu" = press the ALT button while pressing "F" for the File menu or "C" for the Card menu, or click on the menu using the mouse.  Remember, the menu being spoken about is in Flash Card Manager.  To get to this menu, you must first exit Help.  When the File menu is being spoken about, it is the File menu in Flash Card Manager, not Help.

"Select _______" = press the down or up arrows until the highlight bar is over the ______ function.  You can also press the letter that is underlined in the function you want to use.  You can also click on the function with the mouse.

"Type in the __ side of your card" = type in what you want to be on the __ side of your card, and press ENTER or click on OK.

"Type in the name of the file you wish to load" = in the box with editable text in it next to the word "Filename:", type in the name of the file you wish to load.

Helpful Hints:

1.  Pay special attention to the "Steps" section of the help article.  Write down the steps on a spare sheet of paper for future reference or to help you remember.

2.  Print out the entire help article if you still don't understand.


Loading a Card File

To load a card file, click on the "File" menu or press ALT + F.  A popup menu will appear.  Select the "Load File" option from the menu.  A File Dialog box will appear.  Using this box you will be able to select the file you wish to load.  All files in the current directory with the ".fcm" extension will be displayed.  You can type in the name of the file you wish to load or double click on it in the File box.  When typing the name, you do not have to type ".FCM."  You can simply type the name, and Flash Card Manager will automatically add ".FCM."  So, if you want to load a file called "latin1.fcm," just type "latin1" and your file will be loaded.  If you wish to load a file with a different extension than ".FCM," you must type both the file name and the extension.  Otherwise, save some time and effort by simply typing the name.  After typing the name, your file will be loaded.  You will then see the first card in your collection on the top of the card pile.

You do not need to worry about saving a previously opened card collection; it has been saved automatically already.

Steps:

1.  Press ALT + F or click on the "File" menu

2.  Select "Load File" option

3.  Type in the name or click on the name.

4.  Press ENTER or click on OK


Adding a Card

To add a card to your collection, click on the first icon of a spinning card [image] or go to the "Card" menu and select "Add."  If you have not previously loaded a file, a file dialog box will appear, asking you to either load an already existing file or type a new name.  You do not have to type ".FCM" after your file name.  You can simply type the name of the file without a period after it, and the program will automatically add the ".FCM."  If you wish to save your files with an extension other than ".FCM," you must type the file name + the extension.  Otherwise, save some time and effort by just typing the name.  After you have completed this step, you will be asked to type both sides of the card.  Each statement can be a maximum of 37 characters long.

After you have added a card once or loaded a file, you will not be asked to specify the name of the file in the future.

Steps:

1.  Click on the Add icon or go to the Card menu and select "Add"

If you have not already loaded a file...

2.  Type the name of the file you want to add the card to.  The name can be an original name or the name of an already existing file.

3.  Type side 1 of your card

4.  Type side 2 of your card


Searching for a Card

The Search function in File Card Manager is very powerful and very useful.  If you need to search for a card, you probably will not remember exactly what is written on that card.  Fortunately, you can type some of the words on the card and the card will still be found.  You do not have to capitalize words correctly either.  Say you have a card which has written on the front, "Membrum, membri, n." (a Latin word meaning "organ").  You probably won't remember all of what is written on the card.  But, you can type "Membrum", and the card will still be found.  In fact, you could type "membruM", and the card would still be found.  You could also type "n" or "n.", but this is not advised, because the search function will search for the letter "n" or the string "n." in your collection, and there is probably more than one card with the letter "n" in it or the string "n."  You might not find what you want.  So try to be as specific as possible.

Also, you might have two cards that have the same back side, and you want to see the front of both of them.  Because of this, the Search function starts wherever you are in the card file, and works until it finds the card.  If it cannot find the card between where you are and the end, it starts at the beginning, so it scans your entire collection.  First, use the Search function to find your first card.  Then, use the Search function again with the same words to search for.  It will now find your other card.

To search for a card, click on the animated eye icon [image] or go to the "Card" menu and select "Search."  You will be prompted to type one side of the card.  It does not matter which side you type.  Also, the search is case insensitive.  If the letters are not capitalized correctly, the search will still be able to find your card.

If the search cannot find your card, it will advise you of this problem.  If the search finds your card, it will place your card on top.  No matter which side you were searching for, front or back, the card will be placed face-up on the top of the stack.

Steps:

1.  Click on the animated eye icon or go to the Card menu and select "Search"

2.  Type in what you want to search for

3.  Press ENTER or click on OK


Shuffling the Cards

To shuffle the cards, click on the animated shuffling-cards icon [image] or go to the "Card" menu and select "Shuffle."  You may or may not, depending on the size of your file, notice something happen.  The Shuffle option takes little time to complete its job.  You will, however, notice the last card in your collection appear on the top of the pile.

Sometimes the Shuffle option will not do anything.  This occurs when you select the shuffle option and you have not opened a file to be shuffled.

Steps:

1.  Click on the animated shuffle icon or go to the Card menu and select "Shuffle"


 Closing Flash Card Manager

To close Flash Card Manager, click on the folding-card icon [image] or go to the "File" menu and select "Exit."  This will close Flash Card Manager.  You do not have to worry about saving the currently open file, for it has been saved automatically.

Steps:

1.  Click on the folding-card icon or go to the File menu and select "Exit"


I got the "Insufficient Memory" window
 I got the "Insufficient Memory" Window when I started Flash Card Manager

If you received this window, you may not have enough memory available to run Flash Card Manager smoothly.  To increase the amount of memory you have available, close already running applications or exit and restart Windows.

Steps to free more memory:

1.  Close already open or minimized windows

2.  Run Windows in 386 Enhanced Mode


Flipping the Cards

Flipping the Cards is a valuable feature in Flash Card Manager.  Say you made a Latin vocabulary card collection with the Latin on side 1 and the English on side 2.  You could quiz yourself on the Latin words.  But say you wanted to quiz yourself on the English, asking yourself which Latin word goes with which English, rather than vice-versa.  This is where the Flip feature comes in handy.  Just go to the Card menu, and select Flip.  A wait cursor will appear until the flipping is complete.  If you do not see a wait cursor, that means that the job is done.  Sometimes it takes so little time that you won't even be able to see the wait cursor.  After Flash Card Manager is done flipping the cards, side 1 and side 2 will have been swapped.  You can now quiz yourself on the English.

To flip the cards, you can also choose the animated Flip icon [image].

Steps:

1.  Click on the animated flip icon or go to the Card menu and select "Flip"


Starting a New Card Collection

When you start a new Card Collection, you are closing the open one (if any) and starting with a clean slate.  You can now add cards to a new file.

To start a new Card Collection, go to the File menu in Flash Card Manager and select New File.  You will be shown side 1 of a blank card.  You now have to add cards to your file.  See Adding a Card to find out how to add a card.  When you run the Add a Card function, you will see a file dialog box that is entitled "Specify Card File."  Now, type in the name of the card file you want to create.  If you want to create a card file called "latin5.fcm", type "latin5" in the box entitled "Filename:".  After doing this, you will be asked to type in side 1 and side 2 of your card.  You have successfully created a card file.  You cannot create empty card files.  That is why Flash Card Manager did not ask you to type the name of your new card file when you select New File in the File menu.  To create a new card file, follow these easy steps:

Steps:

1.  Go to the File menu in Flash Card Manager, and select "New File"

2.  Go to the Card menu, and select "Add"

3.  Type in the name of the file you want to create

4.  Type in the first side of your card

5.  Type in the second side of your card


Editing your Cards

To edit a card in your collection, go to the card by flipping through your card file until you reach it or by using the Search function.  You can view either the front or the back of the card you want to edit.  Click on the Edit icon [image].  Or, you can go to the Card menu by clicking on it with the mouse or by pressing ALT + C, and choose the Edit option.  You will be shown the old version of the first side of your card.  You may now edit it.  After editing it, press ENTER or click on OK.  If you only want to edit the first side of your card, you may press ENTER, OK, or CANCEL when asked to edit the second side of your card.  If you do want to edit the second side, type in the new side and press ENTER or click on OK.  Your new card will be displayed.  If you started the editing process on side 2, you will still be on side 2.  If you started editing on side 1, you will be on side 1.

Steps:

1.  Use the Search function or click through the cards to get to the card you want to edit.

2.  Click on the edit icon or go to the Card menu and select "Edit"

3.  Retype side 1 of your card and press ENTER or click on OK

4.  Retype side 2 of your card and press ENTER or click on OK


Deleting a Card

To delete a card, you must first be viewing the card.  Click on the card stack until the card you want to delete is shown, or use the Search function to get to your card.  Once your card is showing, click on the delete icon [image] or press ALT + C to get to the Card menu and select Delete.  Your card will then be deleted.

The Delete function will fail if you have not already opened a card file, or if the card file you have opened only has one card in it.

Steps:

1.  Use the Search function or click through the cards to get to the card you want to delete.

2.  Click on the animated delete icon or go to the Card menu and select "Delete"


Registering your copy and Getting the Password

To register your copy of Flash Card Manager and get the password, send $7.00 to:

Christian Carrillo

2352 Calle del Oro

La Jolla, CA 92037

You will receive the password to get rid of the dialog box when you start Flash Card Manager.  You will also be encouraging quality programs such as Flash Card Manager.  If you find Flash Card Manager useful, please send $7.00.

When you get the password, remember, you cannot copy it for your friends.  However, please feel free to copy Flash Card Manager.