Tools ~ Fact 3.0

Download Fact30.zip (4.6 Mb)  Latest build: 22 Mar 2023

Click here to view program history

Fact offers a Q&A learning and self-testing environment in which question / answer sets (items) in different subjects are presented in different ways. The content is fully customisable, and searching and listing facilities are provided.

Good-to-know

• Malware-free
  Windows and anti-virus software will advise you NOT to run this program. You can safely bypass these messages and add Fact to your safe list, as the program is malware-free and contains NO malicious code. But perform a virus check anyway – it is standard practice. (If, however, you still choose not to run the program, I quite understand – no hard feelings – thank you for your time!)
• No changes to the Windows Registry (or to any other Windows files)
  There are no automated install and uninstall routines. If you wish to remove the program from your system, simply delete the program file (or the folder it was saved in) – nothing else will be affected.
• Minimal system requirements
  The program should work on any Windows device.
• Room to grow
  The program makes provision for 50,000 entries per subject. The number of subjects is practically limitless.
• Freeware
  Registration is free (see below), and there are no limitations.

Installation

1. Create a folder, using any name, e.g. Fact.
2. Unzip the contents of the downloaded ZIP file Fact30.zip into the folder you created.
3. Create a shortcut to the Fact.exe file, placing it on the Desktop or on the Start Menu (it just makes things easier).

Underlying text files

The program makes use of uniquely structured text files (‘Subjects’) located in the same folder as the program (see further below). Subject files share the same structure. The questions and answers (items) for each subject are grouped under specified topics within that subject. Each topic name (e.g. ‘Nouns’ and ‘Adverbs’ in the example below) is simply a line of text, prefixed with a hash (#), and on a line by itself. Each question/answer set (item) for that topic is also on a line by itself, under the topic to which it belongs – but this time with a hash (#) between the question and the answer. The question always comes before the answer.

In the example below you will see that there are TWO topics (Nouns and Adverbs), within a subject called e.g. German. Each topic contains THREE items. This format must be strictly adhered to: each line in the text file must contain exactly one hash, and there may be no blank lines.

#Nouns [This is a topic, followed by 3 items]

Auto, das#car

Mutter, die#mother

Tisch, der#table

#Adverbs [This is the next topic, also followed by 3 items]

heute#today

immer#always

einmal#once

You can edit a subject file by using any text editor (e.g. Notepad++). If no subject files are found (in the same folder as the program), a sample subject file will be created automatically. Click on the Edit button to open Sample.txt for editing: it will open in your default text editor. When you have made your changes, save the file, then click on the Reload button to have the changes take effect. If you left out a # somewhere, or if there are less than 2 entries for a topic, you will be prompted to make the necessary correction. (You can also right-click on the Topic drop-down to access the Subject dialog, which allows you to create, delete, rename and load new subjects – see the next section.)

Subject files

Subject files allow you to group related topics. For example, you might wish to create a subject called German, in which you will have topics such as Nouns, Adverbs, Prepositions, etc.; and another subject called Geography, in which you will have topics such as Capitals, Oceans, etc. The Subjects dialog box allows you to create, delete, rename and load new subjects. Just remember, you cannot delete or rename the current subject.

To access the Subject dialog, right-click on the Topic drop-down (top right of the main screen), or click on the Subject File button in the Settings dialog (see under ‘Customise the program’ below). You can also press <Esc> to close this dialog.

Program content – Topics and Items

The program comes with several pre-supplied subject files, each containing one or more topics. However, the idea is that you should create your own subject files, topics and items, according to your own requirements.

The program is best suited for fairly short items – a word or two, or short phrases or single sentences at most. (The font size of text in the Q&A boxes in the main window can of course be reduced [press F6] to accommodate longer entries.) The Pop Out feature (see below) is also designed to accommodate shorter (e.g. one-word) questions followed by longer answers.

A perfect use of the program would be to learn a new language (or at least the vocabularly / phrases). But the usefulness of the program extends into other areas as well – geography, history, science, music, literature, sports facts …

Program registration

To register the program (and remove the startup window shown above), the following procedure applies:

1. Email me a registration request, specifying the name of the person / group / entity in whose name you wish to register the program (for example: Peter Adams, Quanita, Excel Academy). There is a link to my email address in the About box.
2. I will register you accordingly, and email you a registration code (e.g. RB4YP-2ZCJT-EM1N9).
3. Follow the instructions in the email to download your registered copy of the program.
4. Open the program, type your code in the spaces provided, and click on the Register button. If you made no typos – voila!

Modes and sequences

There are four modes of operation (Regular, Automatic, Practice and Test), and two sequences (sequential and random).

Regular: Questions and answers are presented openly, without any hiding of the answer. Sequential and random sequences allowed.

Automatic: Similar to Regular mode, except that items are presented automatically one after each other, after a user-specified time interval.

Practice: Answers are initially hidden behind a panel. Click on the panel to reveal the answer. Click on Next if you were correct (be honest!), or on Oops! if you got it wrong. Handy shortcut: you can just keep clicking Next, Next … – if you already know the answers.). Record is kept of the number of correct/incorrect answers: score boxes and a coloured line track your progress. Random sequence is default, although sequential is also allowed. After all items in the current topic have been presented, the final score (percentage correct) is given, and user can choose whether to do another practice round.

Test: Similar to Practice mode, except that each question is asked ONCE only, and the user must click either on ‘Correct’ or ‘Oops!’. The final score is presented at the end of the test. Random sequence only.

The Test Questions feature is new. If you initiate Test mode, the value in this box defaults to 10 items. If you want the test to comprise a different number of items (say 15, or 25), type the value in this box before selecting Test mode.

Pop Out

Click on the thin horizontal bar between the Question and the Answer boxes to activate the Pop Out feature. (Shortcut Ctrl+P or Alt+P.) This displays the same basic Q&A information as in the main window, but with two important differences: Fewer controls and options (less cluttered), and the sizes of the Question and the Answer boxes are more suited to definitions or glossary-type information – for example, a short (e.g. one word) question followed by a longer answer. You can right-click on the upper Question box to resize it (make it a little bigger, to hold more text); the Answer box will resize accordingly.

There are two ways to close the Pop Out, each with its own outcome:

• Press Escape. Your current position in the underlying Main window, in each of the four modes (Regular, Automatic, Practice and Test), is preserved.
• Click on ‘x’ at the top right. The underlying Main window will revert to the Regular mode.

Quotations

Click on the Quotations button to activate the Quotations feature. The quotations are displayed in random order. Note that the search feature is linked to the author/source displayed in the drop-down box at the right, i.e. only quotations from the currently selected author/source will be displayed (or from all the quotations, if ALL QUOTATIONS is selected as in the screenshot below).

Also, if ALL QUOTATIONS is selected, you can click on the book graphic to blank out the identity of the author/source: this allows you to perform a self-test, i.e. to pose the question ‘Who said it?’. Right-click on the (white) space provided for the identity, to reveal the author/source. Anonymous sources are excluded.

General usage information and tips (in no particular order)

• By convention, the QUESTION appears in the TOP box (and is the text BEFORE the # symbol in the subject file); the ANSWER appears in the BOTTOM box (and is the text AFTER the # symbol in the subject file).
• The ALL TOPICS topic is, as the name suggests, a combination of all the topics in the current subject file.
• Press PgUp and PgDown to scroll through items in Regular mode.
• Hover the mouse over objects: often a tooltip will appear ... e.g. the two check boxes next to the search box, which define the scope of the search: ‘Current topic = ON/OFF’, and ‘Whole word = ON/OFF’.
• Press Esc to back out of an operation (e.g. to cancel a search, or to close the Quotations window, or to cancel the Automatic, Practice and Test modes, or to close the List and the Subjects dialogs).
• The functionality of the List screen (List Button) is intuitive – click around to see what each button does. The font sizes for the vertical and horizontal viewing options can be set independently of each other.
  Note: You can also press Ctrl+L or Alt+L (in Regular mode or Practice mode) to activate List.
• To reset the program to its factory (default) settings, delete the Settings.ini file (in the same folder as the program). This file contains all the program customisations (colours, font types and sizes, etc.), and if ever the file gets deleted, it will be recreated automatically at the next program run (of course with any customised settings – including the registration code – removed). But do not otherwise meddle with Settings.ini, or the program won’t run properly.
• The list of topics in the drop-down is sorted automatically, so you don’t have to sort the topics in the subject files yourself (although it might be easier to keep them in alphabetical order anyway, as it makes it easier to navigate the subject files – especially as more entries are added).
• Knowledge Fair (large button at the bottom right): after clicking on the question (to see the answer) – if you click on the answer within 10 seconds, another question will appear, and so on.
• You can click on the ‘Whole word’ check box even after entering search mode – the search results will update automatically. (Conversely, you must set the ‘Current topic’ check box before performing a search: if this check box is unchecked, it means that ALL TOPICS within the current subject will be included in the search.)
• Nice if your default text editor is set to Notepad++: this editor provides so much more functionality, especially in terms of searching, replacing, etc. (Please note: the encoding [look for this in the menu bar of Notepad++] should be set to ANSI, to enable diacriticals ... é, ë, German ß, etc.)
• In order to run a Practice or Test session with swopped question and answer, tick the Swop Q & A check box before selecting Practice or Test.
• There is no Close button. To close the program, click on ‘x’ at top right (or press Alt+F4).
• The Q & A and Randomise check boxes are unchecked automatically when you initiate a Search. This is not a bug.

Customise the program

Click on the gear image in the main window to open the Settings dialog. Here you can change the colour of various objects, and font types and sizes. Click on the Subject File button to add, delete or rename a subject, or to load a different subject. The program ‘remembers’ all settings made. Click on the blue question mark to open the About box, which contains registration and version details. You can press <Esc> to close this dialog.

Feedback

Please let me know if you come across any bugs, or if you have any suggestions on ways to improve or expand the program.

Thank You – and happy learning!

Grant Robinson