The Flashcard Thread
- Thread starter mikelove
- Start date
Just so all the suggestions are available from one thread, here's a link to my suggestion for separate card ranks per test style. (Briefly: it's a request to add flashcard support for learning the written and spoken forms of words at different rates.)
Even as it stands, though, 1.0's flashcard system is much better than the alternatives I've used. It's already had a noticeable positive effect on my learning speed.
Even as it stands, though, 1.0's flashcard system is much better than the alternatives I've used. It's already had a noticeable positive effect on my learning speed.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Whoops there went all my flash cards with the update!
Ok, I know its on ones own risk to make flashcards with the beta version, but i'll just write this to warn other people.
I had made a lot of flashcards with the demo versions but I just lost them all. It's probably my own fault and maybe I could have done things differently. Heres what what happend.
Usually i use manuel install but to update from beta to the final product i decided to use the update file and automatic installation. But after doing so, I realized that i suddenly didn't have room in my pda for the keylock file. I then tried to see if I could delete the font that was probably taking up so much space, but then i saw that pleco comes up as one single file in my system (in the pda delete menu). I then tried to reinstall with out the font but that didn't help either. Then i thought i would go in and export my flashcards to the memo, but because it was not a registered version yet!, it wouldn't allow me to do so. Then i thought that my flashcards were probably backed in my PC from my last hotsync so i decided to delete the pleco file on my pda and reinstall with the full version. Well, plecodict is now running fine on my pda, but all my flashcards are gone... thats my sad story so look out kids :cry:
Ok, I know its on ones own risk to make flashcards with the beta version, but i'll just write this to warn other people.
I had made a lot of flashcards with the demo versions but I just lost them all. It's probably my own fault and maybe I could have done things differently. Heres what what happend.
Usually i use manuel install but to update from beta to the final product i decided to use the update file and automatic installation. But after doing so, I realized that i suddenly didn't have room in my pda for the keylock file. I then tried to see if I could delete the font that was probably taking up so much space, but then i saw that pleco comes up as one single file in my system (in the pda delete menu). I then tried to reinstall with out the font but that didn't help either. Then i thought i would go in and export my flashcards to the memo, but because it was not a registered version yet!, it wouldn't allow me to do so. Then i thought that my flashcards were probably backed in my PC from my last hotsync so i decided to delete the pleco file on my pda and reinstall with the full version. Well, plecodict is now running fine on my pda, but all my flashcards are gone... thats my sad story so look out kids :cry:
Not exactly -- there was a bug in Beta 3 whereby the flashcard database wasn't marked with the "back this file up to the PC" flag. So you actually lost your flashcards when you deleted the old version of PlecoDict, I'm guessing.Whoops said:
For those of you who have ZLauncher or FileZ or another file management tool, you can manually mark the Beta 3 database for backup. I did that as soon as mikelove confirmed the abovementioned bug, and my flashcard database has been getting backed up without incident since then.
I was able to upgrade to 1.0 from beta 3 without losing any cards, for what it's worth.
koreth - sorry I didn't answer that suggestion earlier, it's a very good idea. We toyed with the idea of adding the option of having multiple flashcard "profiles", but we just didn't have time to do it in 1.0.
Whoops - yeah, sorry about that, we really screwed up with that backup flag bug.
Wocius - that's perfectly normal, they'll still end up as PalmDoc databases on your Palm. (I'm not quite sure why they're PRC's... have to look into that, but it wouldn't cause a problem anyway)
Whoops - yeah, sorry about that, we really screwed up with that backup flag bug.
Wocius - that's perfectly normal, they'll still end up as PalmDoc databases on your Palm. (I'm not quite sure why they're PRC's... have to look into that, but it wouldn't cause a problem anyway)
Hmm. They didn't end up as PalmDoc dbs on my Treo 650. :?mikelove said:
Pleco 1.0 works fine (great, actually), but clicking on the three prc files (which, like most everything else, I put on my SD Card) produces a blank screen for three seconds, then back to the Launcher. Then tapping "Manage Flashcards/ Import/" shows nothing, even though I try all permutations of the choices at that screen.
Wo
Thanks for the suggestion, Mike, but no luck so far. I tried changing the extensions to .pdb, .txt, and .doc, but it didn't work. I have the original (unzipped) files -- e.g., hskflash.prc -- in the palm/launcher/ directory on my sd card, which is where most of Pleco is. I also tried moving the hskflash.prc file to RAM, but that had no effect.
I notice that the files are listed as "of type...TEXT" in Resco Explorer, even though they're in as .prc.
Strange, huh?
Wo
I notice that the files are listed as "of type...TEXT" in Resco Explorer, even though they're in as .prc.
Strange, huh?
Wo
I also installed a flashcard database (the HSK one) to my SD card and was unable to find it because I didn't know the exact path to the file . . . rather then search it down with FileZ I just reinstalled the DB to RAM, and the Import/Export window was able to find it immediately (as a PalmDoc)
Henry
Henry
Suggestion: Use magnified font for Character tests
When doing a test session with only the Characters visible initially it would be great if you could add the option to use the magnified font.
On my Treo 600 with it's 160x160px screen the lo-res fonts are really not clear enough for somebody who is trying to learn to read/write Chinese (or maybe my eyesight is just not what it once was).
This seems like a very easy feature to add that would significantly add to the usefulness of the Flash Card function for anybody with a lo-res device.
cheers
Ross
When doing a test session with only the Characters visible initially it would be great if you could add the option to use the magnified font.
On my Treo 600 with it's 160x160px screen the lo-res fonts are really not clear enough for somebody who is trying to learn to read/write Chinese (or maybe my eyesight is just not what it once was).
This seems like a very easy feature to add that would significantly add to the usefulness of the Flash Card function for anybody with a lo-res device.
cheers
Ross
Regarding my issue with installing the hskflash.prc, it was resolved following Henry's suggestion. I installed it in to RAM, then imported it into PlecoDict, then deleted the hskflash.prc file from RAM, and now it works fine. I guess the flashcard files cannot be imported by installing the files on the sd card.
Many thanks for your help.
Wo
Many thanks for your help.
Wo
I've just posted updated versions of the flashcard files, re-encoded with a different Doc maker program as nice friendly PDB's. (I also fixed the problem of the PCR list names being too long) So that should spare other people from this problem at least. Sorry for the mix-up, but glad to hear you got it working.
Ross - this is already an option, actually, but you need to install the "Large High-Resolution Font" rather than the "Magnified" one - the manual should probably be clearer about that. We originally didn't allow the Magnified font to work at all on low-resolution devices, then we added support for it by popular request (from people who wanted really big characters) but there was no way we could squeeze those giant characters into the flashcard interface. But size-wise, the Large High-Res font on a low-res device is equivalent to the Magnified High-Res font on a high-res device.
Ross - this is already an option, actually, but you need to install the "Large High-Resolution Font" rather than the "Magnified" one - the manual should probably be clearer about that. We originally didn't allow the Magnified font to work at all on low-resolution devices, then we added support for it by popular request (from people who wanted really big characters) but there was no way we could squeeze those giant characters into the flashcard interface. But size-wise, the Large High-Res font on a low-res device is equivalent to the Magnified High-Res font on a high-res device.
Here's a tip for people who want to use the flashcards to test their English -> Chinese skills: Download and install the Adsotrans dictionary and use it rather than ABC for your flashcards.
ABC puts all the definitions for a particular word in one entry just like a paper dictionary. That's not so great for English->Chinese flashcard sessions when the only meaning you've learned is definition #8 and you have to scroll down a few pages to find it. And if you've just learned a new meaning for a word you already knew, you'll probably have your memory jogged by seeing the old meaning, which isn't what you want in a vocabulary test.
The Adsotrans dictionary, by contrast, has multiple single-definition entries for a given word. To take a really basic example, if you have a flashcard list for words related to time, you can create a flashcard for "fen1" that prompts you with "(NOUN) minute" rather than "V. (1) divide; separate (2) distribute; allot (3) distinguish; differentiate; discriminate" and so forth.
On the other hand, for testing in the other direction, ABC is probably better since you'll often know several of the possible meanings of a Chinese word. If you see "fen1" on an Adsotrans flashcard you have no way of guessing whether this is the "minute" flashcard or the "divide" one.
ABC puts all the definitions for a particular word in one entry just like a paper dictionary. That's not so great for English->Chinese flashcard sessions when the only meaning you've learned is definition #8 and you have to scroll down a few pages to find it. And if you've just learned a new meaning for a word you already knew, you'll probably have your memory jogged by seeing the old meaning, which isn't what you want in a vocabulary test.
The Adsotrans dictionary, by contrast, has multiple single-definition entries for a given word. To take a really basic example, if you have a flashcard list for words related to time, you can create a flashcard for "fen1" that prompts you with "(NOUN) minute" rather than "V. (1) divide; separate (2) distribute; allot (3) distinguish; differentiate; discriminate" and so forth.
On the other hand, for testing in the other direction, ABC is probably better since you'll often know several of the possible meanings of a Chinese word. If you see "fen1" on an Adsotrans flashcard you have no way of guessing whether this is the "minute" flashcard or the "divide" one.
mike,
Since I stated using the plecodict 1.0, I have used the flashcard very often, especially with review mode (not random). While I reviewed then I switched to do other jobs, i couldn't come to the position i just left.
Is it possible to implement the flashcard to jump to the flashcard number user want to go to continue reviewing. i think this function should be basic function which the plecodict should have.
Since I stated using the plecodict 1.0, I have used the flashcard very often, especially with review mode (not random). While I reviewed then I switched to do other jobs, i couldn't come to the position i just left.
Is it possible to implement the flashcard to jump to the flashcard number user want to go to continue reviewing. i think this function should be basic function which the plecodict should have.
