| FAQ: First steps with SuperMemo |
You will start making repetitions only after a few days
Good answers should be scored Pass
or higher
Why does not SuperMemo stop asking questions?
You can edit elements during repetitions
You can easily see the number of outstanding repetitions
You can see what items will be repeated on a given day
You can easily delete an element
Add New and Learn stand for 90% of value of SuperMemo for most people
There is no point at which an item is memorized "for good"
Proceed slowly to SuperMemo mastery
You can use incremental reading to employ SuperMemo to learn about SuperMemo
SuperMemo FAQs use a couple of simple conventions that you may need to learn
You can start learning English with English SuperMemo even if your English is
not very strong
Change functionality level to see more advanced options
You can easily paste pictures to an element
You can use pictures as answers
Where are those advanced menu options?
Adding components of various type
You can set question and answer fonts
You can easily increase the size of fonts
You may find SuperMemo counterintuitive
Can SuperMemo Guide be improved?
Memorized material always comes back for repetition
Remember button is grayed on memorized items
You can change the size
of the question and answer windows
You can install an icon representing SuperMemo on your Windows desktop
With SuperMemo you can tackle any exam
You can search for substrings with Ctrl+F
Many options are not available in the Basic and Beginner difficulty levels
Your backup strategy will depend on the value of your material
Plain text and font size
Trouble with terminology, e.g. What is a subset?
Cannot use File : Merge collection
You can drill yourself on a subset of elements
You can search a given branch
Global Search and Replace
Swapping questions with answers
To check system integrity use File : Repair collection
How to create a cloze deletion?
Keep your collections in one piece
You can duplicate items
Incremental reading may be a remedy against the monotony of repetitions
Swapping the question with the answer
You can see the function of menu items by enabling hints
Community forum for support questions
You can use SuperMemo on the same computer with your kids
Reviewing a category
If you paste an image, image component size will be adjusted
Use the HTML component to paste text with embedded images
You can easily move collections between computers
Certain shortcuts do not work in the editing mode
SuperMemo Help does not provide many "How to" techniques
List of shortcuts
You can easily copy the learning material for someone else to use it
If Add New does not create needed components, you can redefine the template
SuperMemo does not interrupt learning new material
You cannot use the same collection with two copies of SuperMemo
You can edit the font used with your elements
You can join SuperMemo eGroup for community self-help
You should never manually modify files or folders created by SuperMemo
If you learn vocabulary, adding your own material may be a good strategy
You can add chemical formulas to SuperMemo
Use Element Parameters dialog box to view element's category
You can easily install SuperMemo on two PCs
Answer should only show at answer time
Increasing search speed
You can use categories to influence where new elements are added with Add new
You can easily copy SuperMemo to a disc
You can use View in the contents window to see an element in the element
window
Introducing equations to SuperMemo
SuperMemo decides which material you learn first
Searching for Japanese characters
You can paste Chinese pictures with
Shift+Ins
Backing up on CDR
In SuperMemo, Memorized<>Remembered
Learning a subset of knowledge
All versions of SuperMemo are suitable for learning vocabulary
SuperMemo in other languages
Stop button is equivalent to Esc
Optimally, you should keep your knowledge in one collection
Adding sounds to sound components
Collections self-restore
Add, Insert and Add New play vitally different functions
Circular terminology used to explain SuperMemo
It is possible to import formatted questions and answers
Incremental reading tools provide for fastest conversion of electronic material to learning material
You can merge two or more collections into one body of knowledge
Feedback from users is vital to improving the documentation
You decide how many items to learn from a given branch or
category
You can start your learning all over again
Changing background color
Merging collections
You can check the version number of your SuperMemo
You can learn elements that belong to a given branch or category
You can define a French
keyboard for use with SuperMemo
What if a shortcut does not work?
We no longer produce printed manuals
Upgrading SuperMemo is easy
Problems with shortcuts in HTML component
You can check the element number with Ctrl+G
Writing advanced collections is easy!
In reporting problems, please list the error messages you receive
Hints option must be checked for hints to be displayed
In SuperMemo "registry" is used to mean a collection of objects
You can change grade names
SuperMemo FAQs use a couple of simple conventions that you may need to
learn
(sanju, Apr 21, 2005, 00:53:41)
Question:
I got a response from you suggesting that I use
Search : Find Unicode. What does it mean?
Answer:
Names separated by colons are used to indicate how to find an option on the menu. In this case, you need to click
Search on the main menu and then click Find Unicode on the
Search menu
You can start learning English with English SuperMemo even if your English is not very strong
(pro_hoziy,
Russian Federation, Apr 07, 2005, 12:48:15)
Question:
Sorry
for my English. I have studied it for a short while. I tried to understand how
SuperMemo works but I could not do that. Please help
Answer:
This
is how you can use SuperMemo to learn English (even if your English is not
strong):
You can edit elements during repetitions
(Deron Isaac, USA, May 21, 1997)
Question:
How can I edit texts of items during repetitions without
backing out of the test mode?
Answer:
Choose Q to edit the question, A to edit the answer, E to edit
all text components or Ctrl+E to switch all
components to the editing mode. You can also edit all properties of all components by
using context menus available with a right button click
over a given component
You can see what items will be repeated on a given day
(Matt Cassidy, New Zealand, Aug 18, 1997)
Question:
How to review elements to be repeated on a given day?
Answer:
Use Ctrl+W (Tools : Workload)
and double-click the day of interest
You can easily delete an element
Question:
How do I delete an element in SuperMemo?
Answer:
Choose one of the following:
Proceed slowly to SuperMemo mastery
(Arthur Norsworthy, Saturday, September 11, 2004 2:37 AM)
Question:
I find SuperMemo a fascinating program but difficult to use beyond the simplest level. There are so many things I want to learn,
but it takes too much time to figure out how to do anything
Answer:
Your opinion is not unique. Many users feel overwhelmed at the beginning. SuperMemo seems counter-intuitive in the way it approaches learning. However, the consensus seems to be, that the longer you persist with the program, the more satisfied you are likely to be. Two factors are vital in this process:
You could start with learning simple questions and answers for a couple of days to better understand the core learning process.
Then you could slowly proceed with 25 Steps to SuperMemo Mastery
It is important you do hurry this process. Missed steps and gaps in understanding may lead to frustration, while meticulous study is bound to produce rich rewards in learning. The most rewarding part of SuperMemo is incremental reading. However, the mastery of this skill may take months to develop. If you persist in this process, your learning will never be the same
You can install an icon representing SuperMemo on your Windows desktop
(Judy Citron, UK, May 26, 1998)
Question:
Your programme has been highly recommended to me so
I've downloaded SuperMemo from the web. But when I execute it I seem to get thrown into
the deep end. Do I get a nice icon on my desktop?
Answer:
If you installed manually (installer shall create icons for you), you can add
the desktop icon with File :
Installation : Install icons. To begin your work with SuperMemo see: SuperMemo
ABC
With SuperMemo you can tackle any exam
(Anatolyi Lipatov, Ukraine,
Jul 12, 1998)
Question:
I am using Advanced English to enhance my English and
business English. Now I am registering for CFA
examination (that is Chartered Financial Analyst program of Association of Investment
Management and Research). There are several organizations developing and distributing
methodological stuff for preparing to the exam. A lot of things should be memorized for
passing the exam. What do you think the best way to fit SuperMemo for memorization and
what approach should I use to prepare my own knowledge base for memorizing the material.
Is special programming knowledge needed for it?
Answer:
No specialist knowledge is needed to prepare simple collections in SuperMemo. With
Alt+A (i.e. Add new) you get the
core functionality! All advanced editing options can be worked around by an appropriate
questions-and-answer approach. Perhaps it would be useful yet to learn how to add images
to your items. To learn more about effectively structuring
knowledge in SuperMemo you might want to read 20 rules
of formulating knowledge
You can search for substrings with Ctrl+F
Question:
How can I search for a given string of characters in the collection?
Answer:
Press Ctrl+F and type
in the string
You can edit the font used with your elements
(Joe
Fosnot, USA, Nov 23, 1998)
Question:
How can I quickly increase the size of the font used in questions and answers?
Answer:
Here are some methods:
You can use View in the contents window to see an element in the element
window
(Noel Clary, USA, Sep
18, 1998)
Question:
When I double click an element without children, I get to view
it in the element window. However, when it has children, its branch opens or closes. How can I easily view contents
elements with children in the element window?
Answer:
Click View at the bottom of the contents window. If you select
the Synchronize button at the top of the contents window (Edit
toolbar), you should also be able to view elements with a single click
In SuperMemo, Memorized<>Remembered
(jj, UK, Sunday, December 24, 2000 1:54 AM)
Question:
I have noticed in the
Statistics that the number of elements memorized increases even when I enter
Fail when answering incorrectly. For instance, in the collection of US States Capitals, it was showing 100% memorized when I was still getting many of them wrong
Answer:
Parameter Memorized indicates the number of elements in the learning process; not the number of elements you are able to recall correctly. If you make regular repetitions in the long run (i.e. over weeks and months), the number of
remembered elements can be estimated with Memorized*Retention
You can set question and answer fonts
(Paul R Taubr, Wed, May 22, 2002 0:41)
Question:
I try to create a default template which is just a font and font size
(Arial 14) to use with all my items (questions and answers)
Answer:
This is the fastest way:
If you want to set the same font for all your items, choose Tools : Options : Fonts : Question font and/or Answer font
SuperMemo in other languages
(Nuno Freitas,
Portugal, Thu, Jun 21, 2001 13:39)
Question:
I'm Portuguese and I'd like to learn English with SuperMemo. Are the words translated to Portuguese?
If not, how can I learn?
Answer:
Collections in SuperMemo Library do not provide foreign language translations. You have only three options:
List of shortcuts
(kensweet21,
Nov 25, 2000)
Question:
Do you have a reference list of shortcuts?
Answer:
Yes.
See:
Keyboard shortcuts in
SuperMemo
You can easily copy SuperMemo to a disc
(Jack B., Sun, Jun 24, 2001 2:20)
Question:
After getting the program downloaded, may I simply pay for a backup disc sent to me?
Answer:
You can create your own backup disc in a minute by simply copying the downloaded file onto a blank
disc.
Refer to MS Windows help files for the basics of file copying
You can define a French
keyboard for use with SuperMemo
(David
Seagull, USA, Jul 10, 1998)
Question:
How can I define French keyboard for use with SuperMemo in Windows?
Answer:
In Window's Control Panel use Keyboard and add French on the tab
named Language or Input locales (e.g. French - Canadian). Set
French as default
Use Element Parameters dialog box to view element's category
(Steve Brown, Tuesday, August 21, 2001 4:01 PM)
Question:
Is there a way to tell what category an element (e.g. Q/A pair) belongs to without going to other windows?
Answer:
The simplest way is to press
Ctrl+Shift+P (Category combo in the Element Parameters dialog
box). If you would like to quickly see the location of an element in the contents, choose
Shift+Ctrl+X (Ancestors window)
If Add New does not create needed components, you can redefine the template
(noam-at, Israel, Aug 04, 2001)
Question:
When I click
Add New, I get a new item, but SuperMemo doesn't create two editing fields for the question and answer. Instead, I see the gray screen of SuperMemo without any fields
Answer:
Add New uses the
default template to create new items. If you delete all
components (e.g. question and answer fields) from the default template, Add New will add
new elements that look empty. If you want to restore your question and answer components, you need to redefine the template. If you are not very fluent with
templates, locate an element in your collection that looks ok and choose
Template : Save as default (Ctrl+Alt+M) on the element
menu. This will save the look of the selected element in the default template.
Add New will then replicate this look
To check system integrity use File : Repair collection
(rocky eversman, Sunday, July 08, 2001 7:35 PM)
Question:
I encountered a message that stated there were problems terminating recent session and that I should use system recovery to check system integrity. How do I do it?
Answer:
Use File : Repair collection to verify collection integrity and repair file errors (if possible). Historically, this option has been called
Recover, but users suggested a change to more meaningful Repair
You can join SuperMemo eGroup for community self-help
(Tami Laughlin, Monday, October 16, 2000 6:55 AM)
Question:
Other than reading the material and keeping at working with it, is there anything else you could suggest to learn it? Is there a discussion group somewhere maybe?
Answer:
Yahoo eGroup has been created for SuperMemo at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/supermemo
We no longer produce printed manuals
(Neville
Bailey, Australia, Dec 5, 1998)
Question:
I have previously used SuperMemo 6 and SuperMemo 7. There was always a printable
manual file with the software. I cannot find anything like that on your website.
Is there a manual to download or order?
Answer:
No. As of 1997, all our documentation is provided as hypertext that does not
have a structure that can be printed and/or processed linearly (i.e. page by page).
We are proud to adopt the environmentally-friendly electronic publishing.
Last but not least, we believe that the only rational and effective way of reading and learning is: incremental reading. Incremental reading requires that your learning material be submitted in electronic form
Add New and Learn stand for 90% of value of SuperMemo for most people
(Tosh B., Saturday, August 04, 2001 10:50 PM)
Question:
I am unable to see any collection.
Although I can access the 2 dialog boxes for the Add New question-answer formats, I can not do much
more
Answer:
Once you are able to create questions and answers with Add
New, all you have to do to begin your work with SuperMemo is to
click Learn. You have to do it regularly. Preferably once per day, until you see
the message: "Nothing more to learn". Then you can add more questions and answers. Remember that you will not experience the benefits of SuperMemo earlier than in 1-2 weeks. As
the first optimum intervals in learning last up to a week, your first week will bring no better results than traditional learning. The power of spaced repetition will show and increase in weeks, months and years. If you want to use more advanced functions of SuperMemo,
you can later venture into this Guide. In addition,
do not miss the concept of incremental reading
You can easily install SuperMemo on two PCs
(Steve Brown, Wed, Aug 15, 2001 14:00)
Question:
I just recently purchased SuperMemo and have successfully downloaded to my home PC. I would also like to load it on my work PC. How can I get another download going?
Answer:
You can simply copy the downloaded file onto a disc or USB drive and transfer it to another PC. Please note that it is not easy to synchronize large collections. The simplest method is to use
File : Copy collection and copy entire collections between the two PCs
Good answers should be scored Pass
or higher
(Frank
Gaval, USA, Oct 16, 2000)
Question:
What is the meaning of grade buttons: Bright, Good, Pass, Fail, etc.
Answer:
Bright, Good and Pass are used to indicate that you remember. Fail
or less indicates forgetting.
For more details, pause the mouse button over each button. For more details see: Repetitions in SuperMemo
Writing advanced collections is easy!
(Boris
Milikic, Slovenia, Nov 27, 1999)
Question:
Is there a quick guide to building collections such as
Advanced English? I have the knowledge tree and the contents on paper
Answer:
See: User's Guide. The most important things to learn in
the beginning are:
You can change the size
of the question and answer windows
Question:
How can I change the position of the question field on the screen?
Answer:
Alt-click the question twice. It will become draggable.
Alternatively, you can choose Mode : Dragging mode on the question's menu or Components : Mode : Dragging mode on the element menu (in the
latter case, all components will become draggable). If your element uses a
template, this change will be global. See: Using templates
You can add chemical formulas to SuperMemo
(Charles Maggio, USA, July 7, 1997)
Question:
I use ChemDraw to create structured formulas of organic substances. How can I
paste them to an image component?
Answer:
You can copy your ChemDraw formulas to the clipboard in the
picture format and just paste them to your elements (e.g. with Ctrl+V).
You can also try to use OLE components to keep your
formulas in SuperMemo. This way, you will be able to modify the formulas with ChemDraw
from within SuperMemo. Use image components (the first method) if you
do not need to modify the formulas (simplicity, disk space, etc.). Use OLE
components, if you constantly need to rework your formulas
You can duplicate items
(Ryszard
Kosowicz, Krakow, Poland, May 16, 1997)
Question:
How can I quickly copy the text of an item to another item without using the clipboard twice (for
the question and for the answer)?
Answer:
Use Edit : Duplicate on the element menu
(or press Ctrl+Alt+D on the copied element)
Memorized material always comes back for repetition
(Leitnick, David, Monday, December 17, 2001 10:56 PM)
Question:
I created my first list of 100 peg words in a file I call "Mnemonics". I scored
Bright or Good on everything until I got to the end of the list. It's been 2 weeks and SuperMemo never
gave me a review for that file when I select it. Shouldn't I still be prompted for a review at some point in time?
Answer:
You should have already been prompted for review. It is not enough to open your
Mnemonics collection. You need to choose Learn to execute repetitions. Use
Tools : Workload (Ctrl+W) to see on which date the repetitions have been scheduled. Make sure you do not manipulate the date in the computer, do not input "dummy" grades and do not trick SuperMemo in any other way to overestimate your memory
You can use categories to influence where new elements are added with Add new
(R.K., Sun, Jun 17, 2001 17:54)
Question:
I would expect SuperMemo to add a new item as
a straight neighbor of the previously added element in the contents
window. Why isn't it so?
Answer:
Selection in the contents window is too
transient to be the basis of choosing the insertion point for new material. This would require constant user attention as to the present selection. As a remedy, the concept of a
category has been introduced. Each category, such as biology or
geography, has its own insertion point called a hook. Now, all you have to do is to select a category, and
Add new will add new elements to that category. Added elements will be listed sequentially as neighbors
Keep your collections in one piece
(David
Mckenzie, New Zealand, Apr 8, 1998)
Question:
Is there any point in keeping collections
separate?
Answer:
No. Once you master categories, templates
and Postpone,
there is no point. You gain global search, global registries,
global repetitions, global optimization, etc. This would not be advisable back
in SuperMemo 7 as item difficulty measure (E-factor) was dependent on the
average difficulty of items in the collection.
Presently, the item difficulty measure (A-Factor,
or absolute difficulty factor) is absolute and does not depend on the context in
which an item is placed (see: SuperMemo Algorithm).
Only the length of the first interval will significantly be affected by the
average difficulty of items in the collection. However, this shall not bear
dramatically on the speed of learning.
Especially that variable forgetting index
for individual items makes it possible to set different first intervals for
whole contents categories or branches
of the knowledge tree
You can check the element number with Ctrl+G
(Doug
Edmunds, USA, Nov 4, 1997)
Question:
What is the fastest way of checking the number of the currently displayed element?
Answer:
Press Ctrl+G or look at the
caption of the element data window
Swapping the question with the answer
(Eric Chen, Japan, Thu, Jun 21, 2001 12:09)
Question:
I would like to swap questions with answers during learning. The closest hint I found in your website is to create a duplicate and then swap the components. But this would require me to do this duplicate-and-swap procedure for each item, which seems to take a lot of time and labor (not to mention that the knowledge base would be doubled in size).
Answer:
Duplicate-and-swap approach is indeed the recommended solution here. These are two keystrokes that should take much less time than the time needed to recall individual pairs over months. Moreover, pure word-pair solution rarely works (there are various one-to-many semantic associations between words which should be reflected in the question, e.g. via contextual examples). Each decision related to the swap and reformulating the question and/or the answer should be conscious, deliberate, and will pay in the long run.
As for doubling the size, pure swap does not duplicate the texts. Only when you reformulate the question,
the unique texts will be stored separately
Collections self-restore
(Siow Yew Nam, Singapore,
May 12, 1999)
Question:
When I delete a collection in Windows Explorer, it is automatically restored when I
return to SuperMemo! How can I go around it?
Answer:
Use File : Delete collection.
When you start SuperMemo, it tries to open the last collection used. Even it it has been
deleted, SuperMemo creates an empty new collection of the same name. This is why it is more
convenient to delete collections from within SuperMemo
You can see the function of menu items by enabling hints and the status bar
(Glą“£ia, Brazil, Monday, July 16, 2001 9:04 PM)
Question:
How can you see the function of a given menu item in SuperMemo? I want to see its description on the status bar
Answer:
You must select Window : Hints to enable displaying hints and select
Window : Status bar to make sure the status bar is shown
If you paste an image, image component size will be adjusted (#5767)
(Patrik Nilsson, Monday, July 16, 2001 3:36 PM)
Question:
How can I simplify the following sequence:
1) Create an image component
2) Paste a picture (from the clipboard)
3) Make the picture the answer
4) Stretch the image or move the sides of the rectangle to adjust the size
Answer:
Instead of creating the image component, paste the picture. This way you will save on creating the component and adjusting its size. All you will need to do is to select
Answer and moving the component to the desired location
SuperMemo does not interrupt learning new material (#8121)
(Leitnick, David, Monday, December 17, 2001 10:56 PM)
Question:
I downloaded the
GRE vocabulary off of the freeware section of your site. It was overloading me with information, like it was going to show me all 1,000+ words before it stopped. I was getting information overload
Answer:
In SuperMemo you need to distinguish two phases:
1. Learning new material
2. Reviewing old material.
SuperMemo will schedule repetitions of the old material for you. However, it is up to you to decide how much new material you want to learn. It all depends on your time or patience. Once your time is up, you feel tired, or you predict you will not be able to cope with future repetitions, you can stop learning. SuperMemo will not interrupt learning new material
Upgrading SuperMemo is easy
(tdepoty, Mon, May 20, 2002 23:01)
Question:
Can I upgrade to SuperMemo
2000-2008 and still retain all the items I have stored in SuperMemo 99?
Answer:
Yes. Choose
File : Open collection and the upgrade will be executed automatically. The upgrade is irreversible. If you want to go back to SuperMemo 99, you will need to create a backup beforehand
You should never manually modify files or folders created by SuperMemo
(Jean Adelia
R, Tuesday, February 19, 2002 2:49 AM)
Question:
I have just accidentally deleted all the info I put into your program - hours of work. Here is how it happened. Your program put icons on my desktop for Bins and Systems. To unclutter my desktop I put them all in one folder in my desktop along with other info I downloaded on how to use this software. However, after awhile new bins and systems folders appeared on my desktop. When I moved
those to the same folder all my work vanished
Answer:
You should not move or delete files handled by software applications unless with a clear understanding of their
function! This rule is universal and applies not only to SuperMemo. If you move files in Windows folders, you can crash the whole system. Most applications use various DLL, INI or data files that will render software unusable if you move them out of the
designed locations. Similarly, if you move MS Word data folder with your documents, your data will appear lost once you try
File : Open. The same happened in your case. You moved data away from SuperMemo's view. Your learning material should still be visible in the SYSTEMS folder you have moved. Before you restore it though, please read:
How to backup your learning material.
This is to make sure you do not miss files or folders that SuperMemo will later try to recreate
adding to confusion
You can search a given branch
(T. Moore, Oct 03, 2001)
Question:
How can I search for some text in a single branch?
Answer:
Select this branch in the contents window and choose
Ctrl+F
You cannot use the same collection with two instances of SuperMemo
(Herman Van
Cauwelaert, Belgium, 16/05/2002 23:03:52)
Question:
SuperMemo has just displayed the following error:
"Access denied!
System locked by another SuperMemo:
c:\sm2000\systems\003 spieren.Kno"
Answer:
This is a harmless warning which indicates that you could not open your
"003 spieren" collection due to the fact that another copy of SuperMemo has already opened the same collection. One collection cannot be used by two instances of SuperMemo (even if they are running on different computers)
You can start your learning all over again
(tdepoty, Mon, May 20, 2002 23:01)
Question:
I stopped using SuperMemo a few months ago. How can I now reset the program to start again at the beginning with the items I already have created
Answer:
Choose
File : Tools : Reset collection (you may need to choose File : Level : Professional first)
Plain text and font size
(Jan Gorski, Poland, Thu, May 23, 2002 16:20)
Question:
Converting to plain text has some bad side
effect: the text is made very small
Answer:
You need to set Tools : Options
: Fonts : Question font and Answer font to adjust the size of font in
components that do not define their own font. If you disallow font changes to
HTML components in Options, you can change the default size of the font
as used by Internet Explorer
In reporting problems, please list the error messages you receive
(maura trevino, Mexico, Sunday, October 28, 2001 1:03 AM )
Question:
SuperMemo does not work. I try to install on a new laptop and it does not work
Answer:
It is very important you include the error messages or other symptoms that could help diagnose the problem. It is also important to indicate which stages have been
successful (order, download, unzipping, running the exe file, etc.). Please send as detailed a description as possible. You do not need to use technical terminology but details are vital for diagnosis
Your backup strategy will depend on the value of your material
(Don Frankel, Sunday, October 07, 2001 8:05 PM)
Question:
Do you recommend several collection backups on the
C:\ drive in different directories?
Answer:
It depends on the value of your material. If you have invested a lot of time in your collection, you should spare no effort to provide multiple and versatile backups. For example, for your main body of knowledge, you could do a daily backup on your hard disk. You could also change your backup drive if you have more than one physical disk to reduce the likelihood of disaster in case your hard drive fails. Then you should do some less frequent backups on other computers via the network, on a CDR drive, or at some Internet location. If neither is an option, you should seriously consider investing in a backup device (e.g. a ZIP drive). Once you lose your learning material, your learning investment will be eaten away quickly by the power of forgetting.
Backups in different directories are not much safer than backups to the same directory
unless the directory in question is in danger of being accidentally deleted
(e.g. on a family computer)
If you learn vocabulary, adding your own material may be a good strategy
(Ricardo Romero dominicana, Venezuela, Sunday, June 02, 2002 6:36 PM)
Question:
I wish to use SuperMemo to expand vocabulary. Do I need additional moduli to accomplish this?
Answer:
No. Your best strategy might be to manually add the vocabulary you want to remember.
You can paste Chinese pictures with
Shift+Ins
(Leitnick, David, Fri, Dec 07, 2001 1:51 AM)
Question:
I've found a good Chinese/English dictionary at
http://www.ok88.com/go/svc/ecdict.html. It displays the Chinese characters as
.gif pictures. How do I paste these pictures to SuperMemo
Answer:
First copy the
picture to the clipboard. Then you paste it with Shift+Ins or with Ctrl+V. Be sure
that no text component is in the editing mode. That would attempt to paste text.
If you are not sure what editing mode is,
simply press Esc 2-3 times (this will take you to the display mode)
Stop button is equivalent to Esc
(Leitnick, David, Monday, December 17, 2001 10:56 PM)
Question:
What does the
Stop button do? And when do I use it?
Answer:
You can use Stop to stop repetitions. You
rarely need to use Stop as you can achieve a similar effect by quitting SuperMemo or simply navigating to another element.
Stop will complete the repetition cycle of the currently executed element. In addition, it will ask you if you will like to proceed with the
final drill if there are any elements in the final drill queue.
Stop is equivalent to using Esc
Feedback from users is vital to improving the documentation
(Safecity Training Academy, Australia, Sat, Dec 29, 2001 5:59 PM)
Question:
SuperMemo documentation needs to be better organized. Even a simple feature such as changing the default background colour is still a mystery after reading volumes and volumes of explanations which
lead to more explanations and no solution at all
Answer:
Answer should only show at answer time
(Raquel Keshishian, Uruguay, Thu, Jun 20, 2002 8:52)
Question:
I created three categories with my first template. When I choose
Learn, I can see two components (question and answer) at the same time
Answer:
Please check two things:
Community forum for support questions
(Jon Lawrance, Mon, Jun 17, 2002 19:47)
Question:
How about a forum? It is much better for support questions and lets me read the support issues others are facing
Answer:
A user from Germany has set up a
Yahoo eGroup that might serve this
function. See also: SuperMemopedia
Introducing equations to SuperMemo
(Adam Kumiszcza, Sat, Jun 08, 2002 20:40)
Question:
I am preparing for an exam and produce lots of SuperMemo elements with many equations. The
problem is I don't know how to introduce them efficiently to SuperMemo
Answer:
The fastest and most popular method is:
Other alternatives: OLE (not very stable), HTML (limited formatting), LaTEX notation (text only), binary component (any file format visible on button click).
You can easily move collections between computers
(JaM, USA Educational, Monday, January 21, 2002 4:33 AM)
Question:
It appears that SuperMemo uses various absolute links. For example, in the
collection.ini file:
Image=C:\MY DOCUMENTS\JAM\SM2000\SYSTEMS\WORK\temp\
Does it mean that my collection will malfunction if I move it to another computer?
Answer:
No. The path you quote is the default image import path. If you try to import an image on the new computer, SuperMemo will notice that this path does not exist and substitute the default directory
path instead. It will act similarly in many other cases. However, you may experience some problems with external links from SuperMemo to other files. For example:
Using external link is rare, complex, and is generally not recommended. With typical use of SuperMemo, all it takes to move your collections between computers is to copy them with File : Copy collection (or manually). The same refers to SuperMemo itself. You can copy SM2008.exe to another computer and it should work fine
You can easily see the number of outstanding repetitions
(Verona, Brazil, Tue, May 29, 2001 16:33)
Question:
How can I see the number of
outstanding repetitions for today?
Answer:
You can see the number of outstanding repetitions on the status bar (second field). If the status bar is not visible, check
Window : Status bar.
Alternatively, you can press F5 to display the Statistics window. You can also open this window and save it permanently in your layout with
Ctrl+Shift+F5.
If you would like to see repetitions scheduled for other days, choose Tools : Workload (or press
Ctrl+W)
You decide how many items to learn from a given branch or category
(Fernando Chapa, Sunday, September 01, 2002 1:12 AM)
Question:
I currently switched from
supermemo.net to SuperMemo for Windows. In supermemo.net, you can control how many items are introduced per day from each category. How do I do this in
SuperMemo for Windows?
Answer:
There is no such automatic option in SuperMemo
for Windows. You can only select a given category, learn as many items as you feel
you need, then select another category and learn as much as need and so on. You
can also use subset operations to construct a
repetition queue that will dish the material from different branches in your
chosen proportions
You can drill yourself on a subset of elements
(Michael Passmore, Canada, Thursday, September 19, 2002 12:15 AM)
Question:
Is there a possibility in SuperMemo to drill myself on a subset of elements from my collection?
Answer:
Yes.
Open the subset in a browser and select one of the following:
You can merge two or more collections into one body of knowledge
(Joanna Symonowicz, Poland, Monday, September 30, 2002 12:04 AM)
Question:
I have just purchased the Quotations, Quips, & Proverbs collection. How could I import it to my master collection?
Answer:
Open
your new collection and use File : Merge collection
to merge it with your main collection
You can learn elements that belong to a given branch or category
(Magdalena
R., Poland, Friday, October 04, 2002 11:37 AM)
Question:
I have recently purchased
Advanced English. I am mostly interested in
business English. How could I learn the vocabulary related to business?
Answer:
In Advanced English, all specialist terminology is organized in categories. The category for business English is called Business and Economics. If you would like to learn from this category, do what follows:
Hints option must be checked for hints to be displayed (#310)
(Malcolm Macgregor, Saturday, October 05, 2002 7:24 PM)
Question:
I have turned on the status bar, however, no hints are displayed no matter which button or menu item I select?
Answer:
Check
if Window : Hints is checked.
Alternatively, you could also check if the Hints checkbox on the Actions toolbar is checked (you can access the Actions toolbar by selecting Window : Toolbars> : Actions from the main menu)
Many options are not available in the Basic and Beginner difficulty levels
(sargeguy, Sunday, October 06, 2002 4:20 AM)
Question:
I have been advised to access the Options
dialog box via Tools : Options.
However, there is no Tools menu in my version
of the software. Do I need a different copy of the program?
Answer:
No. You are probably in the Basic or Beginner
difficulty level where the Tools menu is not
available. You can switch to another level with File
: Level
Increasing search speed
(Richard King, Nov 06, 2002)
Question:
My collection is 500MB text and it used to be searched in a second. Recently it takes 2 minutes! Repair does not help. Is it related to SuperMemo. Have I passed any magic limit?
Answer:
You could begin with defragmenting your hard disk (it helps in most cases). See also if you have not reduced the size of virtual memory or other important Windows parameters. See the list of processes in
Windows Task Manager to make sure no stealth process is slowing down your computer (e.g. a virus or
spyware). If it used to take 1 second to search 500 MB of text, it should roughly take 2 seconds to search 1 GB. There is nothing in SuperMemo that could slow it down with size. The problem must be with your
Windows
Adding components of various type
(Michael Smith, Canada, Tue, Jun 04, 2002 21:09)
Question:
Is there any tutorial on how to produce different types of components (e.g. graphics, etc.)
Answer:
All components are added in the same way (by using the
Compose toolbar). They also use a uniform set of properties available with the
right click over the component. Once you learn to add one type of components, it is easy to add other
types
All versions of SuperMemo are suitable for learning vocabulary
(EDGAR QUEVEDO, Colombia, Sun, Jun 30, 2002 3:29)
Question:
I have Advanced English. I want to be able to create my own vocabulary data base to study French.
What SuperMemo product would you advise me to get for this purpose?
Answer:
All versions of SuperMemo should work well for the purpose of building your own vocabulary and/or grammar material. Once you start learning, see the limitations of your present version (SuperMemo 8) to consider an upgrade (or platform change). It may appear that your present SuperMemo will entirely meet your needs
Global Search and Replace
(mikecondron,
Friday, July 26, 2002 7:13 PM)
Question:
Is there a way to do a global search/replace text?
Answer:
Do the following:
Backing up on CDR
(Dave, Saturday, July 13, 2002 9:40 PM)
Question:
I need to know how to backup SuperMemo
2008 on a CDR. Is it difficult?
Answer:
It is enough you back up the file you download from the Internet. The hardest part is handling CDR software itself. If you lose your file, you can always download again from supermemo.com.
It is more important (and slightly more complex) to back up your learning material. Here are the instructions:
Backup
Incremental reading tools provide for fastest conversion of electronic material to learning material (#11772)
(Robert Bailey, Wednesday, July 10, 2002 6:27 PM)
Question:
I have several word lists and databases to memorize. Can I convert these to SuperMemo learning material?
Answer:
Yes. Paste it with
Ctrl+Alt+N, use Extract (Alt+X) to extract individual pieces of information, and use
Cloze to generate questions and answer (Alt+Z).
See also: Incremental reading
You may also convert your material to a question-answer format importable directly to SuperMemo; however, once you try extract and cloze tools, you will know that this is the most efficient method in which you learn while processing and prioritizing your file
Incremental reading may be a remedy against the monotony of repetitions
(Roel Camorro,
Philippines, Tuesday, June 18, 2002 3:54 PM)
Question:
SuperMemo has helped me a lot in systematically memorizing definitions in my legal studies. But can we find a way to make it more attractive say, by adding more graphics, etc?
Answer:
If you have not tried
incremental reading yet, you could try and see if this can add to "attractiveness". Incremental reading is by far more challenging and colorful than typical repetitions. Naturally, you can also import there graphic rich material to make learning more enjoyable
There is no point at which an item is memorized "for good" (#16401)
(Desmond Sin, SatMar1,2003 11:10 am)
Question:
If you answer
Bright every time, after how many repetitions and what period of time will that question be dismissed?
Answer:
Elements are never dismissed automatically! Memories are always subject to forgetting. The more repetitions you make, the slower the forgetting process (for well-formulated knowledge). However, forgetting never stops. Theoretically, you might dismiss an element if you are sure you will die before the next repetition. SuperMemo will always schedule the next repetition, even if the interval is to grow beyond several decades.
You can use Dismiss for the following purposes:
Remember button is grayed on memorized items (#18384)
(pulpdoctor2000, TueAug12,2003 5:31 pm)
Question:
After I press
Alt+A to add an item, the Remember button is grayed out. Why?
Answer:
As
of SuperMemo 2002, SuperMemo for Windows automatically introduces newly added items into the learning process. This change comes from the fact that
incremental reading makes the concept of the pending queue outdated for collections created by the user. Prioritization tools provided by incremental reading are far superior to the simple first-come-first-served mechanism of the pending queue. Pending queue is still useful in large ready-made collections (e.g. Advanced English), where it determines the optimum sequence for memorizing the learning material.
Technically speaking, the button Remember is enabled only if the following three conditions are
all true:
See Tools : Workload (or Ctrl+W) to inspect the schedule of repetitions and thus verify that the said elements are indeed memorized. See also: SuperMemo ABC
Why does not SuperMemo stop asking questions?
(Robyn, May 27, 2004, 09:21:35)
Question:
I bought Basic Spanish. SuperMemo is just firing question after question.
How does one just work with 10 questions until they are mastered?
The software seems to want to go through the entire list before anything is reviewed, clearly impossible
Answer:
If you want to master only 10 questions at a time, stop repetitions after the 10th question. Optimally, you will not review these questions for some time (e.g. 3-4 days). When the time comes, these questions will be presented for review. In the meantime, SuperMemo is trying to fill up your free time by introducing more material into the process. It is up to you to decide how much you are ready to take on
Where are those advanced menu options?
(Serguei Koureda, Sunday, October 20, 2002 11:08 PM)
Question:
Why is there no option
Categories in Search menu?
Answer:
You need to be in
Professional level (File : Level) and you need full access on
(Tools : Options : Access). If you use different levels and mode settings, some menu options may be turned off
Certain shortcuts do not work in the editing mode
(JP,
Monday, December 02, 2002 9:32 PM)
Question:
The Ctrl+Alt+C
shortcut key responsible for selecting a category
from the category combo box available in the Tools toolbar
doesn't work when I review elements, which use HTML components.
Answer:
The
shortcut key will work once you exit the editing mode (e.g. by pressing Esc)
Learning a subset of knowledge
(Wladimir
Nossel, Thursday, April 04, 2002 11:04 PM)
Question:
I would like to tell SuperMemo that currently, I need to be tested only on countries whose language is Spanish
Answer:
If you do not have relevant elements stored in the same branch or category, you can best use unique string
labeling for such purposes. For example, precede your questions with "Lang:
Spanish". You will then be able to use search combined with subset learning:
Ctrl+F (search for "Lang: Spanish") and Ctrl+Alt+L
(Learn the browser subset)
Problems with shortcuts in HTML component
(MM, Netherlands,
10-07-2002)
Question:
I use Language
"Nederlands" with some words on the navigation toolbar such as Next = &Volgende and
Search = &Zoeken. Editing text in a HTML-component is problematic. When I want to type a
"z" the search window appears. When I want to type a "v" SuperMemo shows the next
element
Answer:
This problem occurs mostly in some older Windows installation. Updating to the newest Internet Explorer is likely to resolve this problem. If it does not help, however, you may need to remove the shortcuts from interface translations (&Volgende would become
Volgende). You can change translations in Tools : Options : Language.
Advanced: This problem comes from an incompatibility in Microsoft's WebBrowser control and Borland Delphi VCL component model. SuperMemo goes around this incompatibility, but the workaround does not work with some earlier WebBrowser
controls
Cannot use File : Merge collection
(Robyn, Monday, May 24, 2004 2:25 PM)
Question:
I have two collections: ABC and the Most Common Spanish Verbs. I would like to merge these into one large collection. Unfortunately the
Merge collection option does not appear under the File menu
Answer:
There may be two reasons for which
Merge collection does not appear on the File menu:
It is possible to import formatted questions and answers
(johndouglas2005, MonJan26,2004 11:03 am)
Question:
Is
it possible to import formatted Q and A files? I want to prepare some formatted
questions that use bold type or underlined words or maybe even different colored
words
Answer:
Yes. You can use HTML in your Q&A text file. You
could also use the XML format to produce formatted material importable to
SuperMemo. However, the simplest and fastest method is to write the whole
formatted text into a single file, paste it into a single topic (e.g. with Ctrl+Alt+N)
and then process it easily with incremental reading (Alt+X and Alt+Z)
In SuperMemo "registry" is used to mean a collection of objects
(JTP, May 31, 2004, 05:04:00)
Question:
I receive various registry errors. It is not a surprise to find that the registry files are missing. We have had issues with Trojans and spyware and such. Removing these things sometimes requires changes to the registry. We launch the regedit command and voila! - the computer develops bugs
Answer:
It is important to note that SuperMemo has always used the term "registry" to mean a "collection of objects" (such as pictures, texts, sounds, etc.). The confusion with Windows registry began when Microsoft launched Windows 95. Editing Windows registry is not likely to affect SuperMemo, unless you introduce systemwide errors/problems. However, viruses can indeed inflict damage that can result in loss of files. SuperMemo registry files are kept in each collection's individual folder in the subfolder named "registry". If by any means these files are deleted, emptied, corrupted and/or locked, you can receive "missing registry files" errors
You may find SuperMemo counterintuitive
(R, May 27, 2004, 09:21:35)
Question:
I am
supposed to drill earlier elements before adding new ones. Why do new ones keep coming up first? I find this program very awkward and counterintuitive
Answer:
The goal of SuperMemo is to provide a requested retention at minimum time. This goes against a widespread myth that the more you repeat, the better. When you first start learning with SuperMemo, you may be surprised that it waits a couple days before it starts drilling you on the newly added items. However, this is exactly the shortest path to your retention targets. It is no surprise that for many, SuperMemo seems counterintuitive at first. The only thing you can do is to grit your teeth and trust the science behind SuperMemo
Some reading that may help:
Use the HTML component to paste text with embedded images
(schmera, Tuesday, November 12, 2002 4:49 PM)
Question:
How can I paste text with embedded
pictures into my SuperMemo element?
Answer:
Use the HTML component for this
purpose
Change functionality level to see more advanced options
(Donald Summerton, South Africa, Monday, December 09, 2002 8:27 PM)
Question:
My first impression upon running SuperMemo for the first time is that it seems to be incomplete as I can only get the screen which has the File in the main menu, the Contents, Search, etc. buttons at the top and the Learn and Add new buttons at the bottom of the window. I am sure that there must be more to it than this single screen. What has gone wrong?
Answer:
You are right that SuperMemo offers more than meets the eye at the first. SuperMemo implements four difficulty levels: Beginner, Basic, Middle, and Professional, each displaying a different range of options. What you
see is the Beginner level, which is the default difficulty level at the first start-up of the program. To change difficulty level, choose File : Level
You can check the version number of your SuperMemo
(nleric2002, Sweden, Wednesday, December 11, 2002 2:54 PM)
Question:
How can I check which version of SuperMemo I am running?
Answer:
Choose Help : About from the main menu. In the Build field can you check the version number of the program, while the Date field shows the day, on which this version was
released. Change File : Level
to higher if you do not see Help menu
You can easily copy the learning material for someone else to use it
(#12270)
(Veli-Matti Salo, Finland, Monday, August 05, 2002 8:05 AM)
Question:
I
bought Basic Spanish. I would like to know is it possible to divide it so that
two persons can use it independently. My wife would like to give it a try too
Answer:
All
you need to do is to copy your collection (File : Copy collection) and
give it a new name (e.g. Wife.kno). If you have already started learning
in
Spanish.kno, you should yet reset the Wife.kno copy with File : Tools : Reset collection
to remove your learning process from Wife.kno.
If you want to log in as a separate user and never see your wife's collection, you can copy the entire SuperMemo folder (instead of just a collection). Once you have separate shortcuts to separate
installations on your Windows desktop, you will never need to see your wife's
copy and vice versa. You will, naturally, lose 5MB of disk space though on
duplicating SuperMemo folders
Swapping questions with answers
(Perseus Missirlis, Canada, Sunday, August 04, 2002 3:08 AM)
Question:
How do I swap questions and answers?
Answer:
Use
Edit : Swap Q&A on the element menu (Ctrl+Shift+S)
What if a shortcut does not work?
(KH, Thursday, August 22, 2002 6:58 AM)
Question:
I wanted to add an e-mail to my collection but the shortcut
Ctrl+Alt+E does not work!
Answer:
Please check if you do not define this same shortcut in Windows (it will take precedence over SuperMemo).
You can easily paste pictures to an element
(Fl, Sep 27, 2004, 06:09:04)
Question:
I do not like that it takes many keystrokes to add an image to the registry and create an HTML link to it in a component
Answer:
If you copy a picture to the clipboard, it should take only one keystroke to paste it:
Ctrl+V or Shift+Ins.
This will add the picture to the image registry, create a new image component, link the new component with the picture in the registry and size the component to match the size of the picture.
If you happen to be editing HTML, SuperMemo will yet ask you if you would like to (1) paste to HTML as a local image or (2) paste to an image component (as described
above)
You can easily increase the size of fonts
(Robert
B, Oct 04, 2004, 10:30:34)
Question:
Is it possible to go to a larger font size with the click of a button?
Answer:
Yes. You can click the font size button on the
Format toolbar, or just use the standard Ctrl+] shortcut from the keyboard. If you are using HTML, remember to first select the text that is to be enlarged (otherwise the entire text will be affected)
Can SuperMemo Guide be improved?
(fdobfan, Oct 05, 2004, 18:53:32)
Question:
SuperMemo Guide
seems more like an FAQ. After all, you wouldn't care about backup if you weren't
shown a first round of typical usage
Answer:
The Guide is
prioritized on the basis of user feedback. If you believe it should be
re-ordered, please write.
As for this particular suggestion, note that the first step of the guide informs the users that Add New and Learn make up most of the value of SuperMemo for most of users. It is vital we insist on regular backup as early as possible in the guide. There were many stories of users adding thousands of questions and answers with Add New, and losing it all due to a virus or another mishap
You will start making repetitions only after a few days
(Uyen Trinh, Wednesday, October 23, 2002 11:34 AM)
Question:
I tried using
Add New and Learn. After a few times of repetition, I got the message
"Nothing more to learn"
Answer:
That is correct. SuperMemo will schedule your first repetitions in a few days. Only then you will be able to review this material with
Learn. Until that time, SuperMemo assumes that you stand a 95% chance of correctly recalling this material. For that reason, it will not bother you with questions. Naturally, in the very beginning, SuperMemo does not know you well and may schedule repetitions in
intervals that are too long. That will change. All you need now is some patience for SuperMemo to get to know you. Before your first repetitions come, you can invest your time in adding more material with
Add New
Changing background color
(Rorce Lam, Canada, Tuesday, July 27, 2004 11:05 PM)
Question:
Where can I find the command to change the background color?
Answer:
To change the color of the element background use
Color on the element menu.
To change the color of the SuperMemo background use Window : Layout : Background color on the main menu (for this to work,
Window : Background must be checked)
Searching for Japanese character
(Chakravarty, Apr 17, 2005, 01:06:43)
Question:
I am not able to find Japanese words in my elements
Answer:
Try using
Search : Find Unicode to enter Japanese in Unicode or OEM encoding
Trouble with terminology, e.g. What is a subset?
(Wayne, Oct 28, 2005, 10:01:16)
Question:
When transferring material between SuperMemo 2008 and Pocket PC, I am supposed to use a subset of elements. I have no idea what is a "subset". I am not a computer wizard
Answer:
A subset is any set of elements in SuperMemo (e.g. your biology material, your most difficult material, your top priority material, or all elements containing the word "virus"). Unfortunately, some functions of SuperMemo work only with subsets (e.g. for performance reasons, they are not practical for large collections). Whenever you encounter a difficult term, you can refer to
SuperMemo glossary or to explanatory links. Initially, you may do more link traversal than learning; however, in the end, your investment will pay back. SuperMemo can be used in the ABC mode and learned in a couple of minutes. However, to fully utilize its potential, you will need a few months of practise and study.
If you discover particularly difficult paragraphs in the
documentation, please write back to suggest improvements
Optimally, you should keep your knowledge in one collection
(Uyen Trinh, Wednesday, October 23, 2002 11:34 AM)
Question:
Before I add new material, do I need to create my own collection?
Answer:
Optimally, you should use only one collection. Beginners might try a few collections for experimental purposes. By default, you will start with
ABC.kno collection. It is recommended that you go through this material and add new material to this same collection. However, you can also start a new collection with
File : New collection, and focus 100% of material you create for
yourself
Reviewing a category
(Dariusz Murakowski, Jan 20, 2006, 03:38:38)
Question:
What's the most efficient way of reviewing a category (e.g. before an exam)?
Answer:
SuperMemo decides which material you learn first
(Jorge Sanchez, Aug 16, 2005, 02:23:54)
Question:
I added new learning material with
Alt+A. I also used ALT+Z to do cloze deletions. But when I press
Ctrl+L to start the repetitions, I go to the old material instead of the new one. How I can select the text I need to do repetitions?
Answer:
SuperMemo determines the order of learning by choosing first the material that is most likely to be forgotten. In a basic learning mode, it is SuperMemo, not you, who decides what to learn next. However, you can override this process by using subset learning (e.g. when reviewing a portion of material before an exam). For example, you can search for "calculus" with
Ctrl+F and then press Ctrl+Alt+L in the browser. This way you will repeat only the
outstanding material in the subject of calculus
Circular terminology used to explain SuperMemo
(Elizabeth C. Brown, gru 17, 2005, 08:15:00)
Question:
The help starts to use the lingo of SuperMemo right away without clearly explaining it, and the definitions of terms are very circular
Answer:
Except for some computer-related terminology (e.g. child, sibling, tree), SuperMemo introduces a body of terms that may seem intimidating at first, but soon becomes familiar. You can best use the
Glossary for reference. This will help you discover that only a fraction of listed terms are in frequent use. Circularity is always a problem when describing new concepts. This is why in many dictionaries proteins are defined as a string of amino acids, and amino acids as a constituent part of proteins. Only with your help we can resolve such circularities. If you encounter a term that is not defined in the
Glossary or whose definition is circular, please forward it via e-mail with an explanation of what caused the
difficulty
Merging collections
(Robyn, Jul 09, 2004, 12:50:31)
Question:
I have two collections for learning Spanish.
How do I merge these into one collection?
Answer:
Adding sounds to sound components
(Arthur Norsworthy, Monday, September 06, 2004 5:33 AM)
Question:
I would like to add sound to the flashcards. I can get the sound component recording box on the screen but I do not know how to add sound
Answer:
The simplest method is to right-click over the sound component and choose
Import file (to import a wav or mp3 or midi file). If the sound component is active (e.g. being edited), it is enough you press
Ctrl+Q. If you do not care much about the quality of recordings, you could also switch to
Sound : Panel : Recorder and click the microphone icon to start recording
your own sound (e.g. from a microphone, DVD, sound playing in Sound Recorder,
etc.). The click the microphone again to stop recording. To read more about the function of individual menu items in the sound component,
read the list of functions available from the component
menu
You can use pictures as answers
(Joan Mayberry, Sep 15, 2004, 04:39:28)
Question:
I have been trying to import images into the answer portion of SuperMemo 2008 from my scanner
without success
Answer:
Here is the procedure:
You can use SuperMemo on the same computer with your kids
(C Andress, Sep 17, 2004, 08:50:14)
Question:
Is it possible to set up SuperMemo for family use, so that it can be used by more than one person? Our family has only one computer
Answer:
Yes. It is enough you create separate learning collections for everyone with
File : New collection. You can then create collections named SON.KNO, DAD.KNO, MIKE.KNO, etc. Everyone needs to begin the day with
File : Open collection and with choosing his or her own learning material.
Be sure you regularly backup all learning data. Apart from rudimentary password protection, you cannot prevent your kids deleting your or everyone's learning material
You can change grade names
(R., Geoffrey K., USA Government, Nov 07, 2006, 18:59:12)
Question:
How can I change the names of grade buttons?
Answer:
Use
Tools : Options : Language : Localization language to create a new localization table (e.g. type
'My grades'). Then click the Localization table button, scroll down to grade names and type new names on the right side
(in the Translation column)
You can use incremental reading to employ SuperMemo to learn about SuperMemo
(nibalart, Italy, Oct 13, 2004, 22:25:44)
Question:
How to include the help file in SuperMemo and apply to it incremental reading?
Answer:
You could follow this path:
SuperMemo Help does not provide many "How to" techniques (#1851)
(Florian, Sep 27, 2004, 06:09:04)
Question:
Documentation tends to involve detailed programmatic instruction, rather than having the form of "how do I do X" where X is some desired result, followed by detailed instructions
Answer:
SuperMemo for Windows is a relatively complex application where the same thing can be done in a number of ways. The documentation focuses on the tools and actions executed by the tools. Indeed,
rarely does it specify step-by-step instructions for accomplishing individual goals. These are left largely to user's inventiveness. The number of possible multi-step sequences is simply too large to document. However, each time a problem arises, we try to enrich FAQs that are jam-packed with specific how-to questions. In the long-term, FAQs influence the documentation in that apart from the description of an action associated with a given option, you will also see a couple of examples of where a given option appears useful.
If you believe, a very valuable set of simple steps is difficult to "assemble", you may suggest expanding the
Hints&Tips page
Add, Insert and Add New play vitally different functions (#1986)
(Joe
C., Friday, October 01, 2004 2:26 PM)
Question:
Why are there
Add, Insert and Add New buttons?
Answer:
You will most often use
Add New to add many new items to the current category.
Add and Insert in the contents window are used far less often. You use them at times when you want to add elements to a specific location in the
knowledge tree (i.e. not to the default attachment point, or hook, of the current category).
Add adds an element as a child of the selected element, while Insert replaces the selected element. These two operations make it possible to build a complete tree without ever using drag&drop. Without
Insert, you could only build the tree if you added all elements in the appropriate order, or if you used drag&drop to reshuffle the elements in the
tree
How to create a cloze deletion? (#17942)
(Robyn T., Feb 12, 2008, 15:59:54)
Question:
How do I do cloze deletion on a sentence I type in as a question? I get the word I want to delete highlighted in orange and then I'm stuck. I am not doing incremental reading yet
Answer:
Cloze deletion options convert a sentence into a question-answer pair. This is why you need to start with a sentence (which in SuperMemo must be a
topic), not with a question (which in SuperMemo is an item). For example, instead of typing in your sentence after
Alt+A (which is used to add items), type it after Alt+N (which is used to add topics). Once
you have a sentence typed in, select the keyword and press Alt+Z.
Even though you say you "do not do incremental reading", cloze deletions are part of the incremental reading toolkit, and are best discussed in articles related to incremental reading. Technically, you are using a subset of incremental reading.
