Reviser v1.1
22nd January 1997

Phil Whiles
4 Ivy Cottages
Boyatt Lane
Otterbourne
Winchester
Hants SO21 2HT


Contents
	What is Reviser ?
	History
	Registration
	Installation
	Source file format
	Data Conversion
	Test Files
	Config Test
	Config Sound
	Config Graphics
	Start - Q.Field X
	Start - Q.Field Y
	Start - Random
	Start - Clear
	Start - Mark
	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
								
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\					*	MONTHDAY.TST (test files)
							*	WEEKDAY.TST 
							*	COUNTRY.TST 
							*	OCCUP.TST   
							*	SML_NOS.TST 
							*	GRAMMAR.TST 
							*	SENTENCE.TST
							*	VOCAB.TST   
							*	TIME.TST    
							*	MONTHS.TST  
							*	COUNTERS.TST
							*	BIG_NOS.TST 
							*	OCLOCK.TST  
							*	ALL.TST     
							*	LESSON01.TST
							*	LESSON02.TST
							*	LESSON03.TST
							*	LESSON04.TST
							*	LESSON05.TST
							*	LESSON06.TST

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".

Data Conversion
---------------
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).

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.

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.

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.


