FlashBack
=========

FlashBack is a flashcard scheduler based on a card review method described by 
Sebastian Leitner. It allows one to create and review simple (text only) flash 
cards. It supports Unicode and complex scripts (via Pango). A simple, 
tab-separated cardfile format is used allowing for editing the cards with 
a text editor (e.g., if you can't enter certain script in GTK+).

How to use FlashBack
====================

1. Create the card file.
------------------------

Cardfile is a collection of flash cards - small items which you want to 
memorise. In FlashBack the card has just three fields - the first one appears 
on a front side of a card ("Question") and all three appear on the back side 
("Answer"). 

You can edit the card file in the FlashBack itself - just click "Add" button 
and fill in the fields. You will have to save the cardfile at some point using 
"Save" or "Save as..." menu items, but as soon as FlashBack knows the name of 
the card file you won't have to explicitly ask to save it any more: it'll be 
autosaved whenever FlashBack considers appropriate (when opening another file, 
creating a new one or exiting application).

You can also create the cardfile in a text editor - each line of the file will 
contain a single card with fields separated by the Tab character.  This may 
beconvenient if you can only enter the text in some exotic language ina 
specialised editor (such as yudit). FlashCard adds its own extra fields to the 
lines (card statistics) but even then you still can add new cards in an 
external text editor: as long as you don't touch existing lines you're safe.

Finally, you might find some third party application that can export the cards 
into a tab separated format. At the moment FlashBack may misbehave if such 
file contains more then three fields per line. If anybody asks I will
add import commands for cardfile formats of other software and services. 

2. Studying the cards.
----------------------

To start studying - just click on "Study" button. You will be presented with 
a choice of study card sets (see below for explanation of card sets).

Once you've selected the card set you'll be shown the first card's front side.  
Try to recall the answer to the question and turn the card (either clicking 
"Turn" button or pressing a space bar). Compare your answer with the one on 
the back of the card and decide if it's correct (click "Correct" or press 
Enter) or not (click "Incorrect" or press spacebar). FlashBack will display 
the next card and you can proceede with the same procedure.

As soon as the study set is empty FlashCard will switch back to the Edit mode.  
You can allways switch between Edit and Study mode in the middle of studying 
- e.g. to correct the current card (when switching from Study to Edit the 
current displayed card is selected in the editor).

Study card sets.
----------------

FlashBack divides the cardfile into compartmens, according a variant of 
Sebastian Leitner study method. Each time you successfully recall EXPIRED card 
it is promoted to the next compartment (and new compartment is created if 
necessary), each time you didn't recall a card (either expired or not) it is 
demoted to the first compartment.

When promoting/demoting a card FlashBack sets its expiration date, depending 
on a number of the compartment the card is going to. Cards in the first 
compartment are always expired (expiration period 0), in the second they 
expire 4 days after placing, in the third - after a week [NB the numbers are 
from version 0.3, I might change them, or slightly modify the algorythm 
later].

FlashBack allows you to study all expired cards, all cards of a certain 
compartment or expired cards of a compartment. When studying all expired or 
cards of the first compartment FlashBack enters a loop - presenting you the 
cards you answer incorrectly again and again. When studying cards of any other 
compartment (wether expired or all) it will show them only once. 

It's up to you how to organise your studying. Remember, that chosing a set 
with unexpired cards (all cards from a compartment 2 and above) will demote 
unexpired cards to compartment 1.