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When the application starts, the
first window the
user
will see is the “User Login” window as shown in
Figure
117
. The
user
selects their
username or creates a new
user
and clicks “Login”. Depending on the
user’s settings, the application will start in
normal or compact mode.
Figure 117
Login Window
2.2
Test
Center
In compact mode the
user
is brought directly to the test center as shown in
Figure
118
. A menu bar at the top allows the
user
to navigate to the other tools of the software. The compact mode is ready for
test taking right when the
user
starts the application. When the application is started without compact mode
the main window is started with the tools at the top in the form of buttons.
The
user
settings are under the tools menu.
Figure 118
Test
Center
If lists are already in the software,
just select a list from the
drop down box and click “Ready” to start a
test. Click Log Off to log out and login as a different
user. Click Recommend This Software to
recommend this software to your family and friends.
When a list is selected for a test
the words will show up in the word list at the right of the window. The current
word being tested will not be in that box. When a word is wrong it is added to
the retry list at the bottom right of the test center window.
There is a help box at the bottom of
most windows that will help guide you through the software when you place your
mouse above different objects.
The
user
can click the User Settings under the tools menu to see settings that can be
altered as shown in
Figure
119
. These are:
1. Text
Only, Audio Only, or Text and Audio
2. Show
Upcoming Words During Test
3. Show
Definition Button During Test
4. Randomize
Words During Test
5. Match
Case During Spelling Test
6. Start
Application In Compact Mode
7. Create
List from Words Spelled Wrong
8. Use
Blue Background
9. Show
Word for so Many Seconds
10. Show
Correct or Wrong for so Many Seconds
11. Show
Word Font Size
12. Answer
Font Size
The first option allows the
user
to specify how the test is administered. “Text Only” will show the word for a
short time and disappear. “Audio Only” will say the word without displaying it.
“Text and Audio” will do both. If there is no audio for a word the text will be
displayed as a default.
The second option allows a text box
on the test center showing the upcoming words in a list. It also shows the
words that need to be retried.
The third option places a definition
button on the test center to be brought to a dictionary website for the
definition of the current word.
The fourth option will randomize the
words each time a test is taken.
The fifth option is case sensitivity
during the spelling tests. If it is checked then the spelling word will be
wrong if the letters match but not the case of those letters. If it is
unchecked the spelling word will be correct if the letters match but the case
does not.
The sixth option determines if the
application starts in the compact mode. The compact mode brings the
user
directly to the test center with the other tools available from a menu at the
top of the form. When a
user
does not have the compact mode checked, they are brought to a screen with the
tools displayed inside that screen. When this is changed a
user
must logout and log back in for the change to take affect.
The seventh option is to create a
list from the words spelled wrong in other lists. The new list name will be the
username’s Error List.
The eighth option creates a gradient
blue background on all the windows for a more pleasant look.
The ninth option sets the length of
time the
user
wants the word to be shown before it disappears. This can be changed to
whatever whole integer the
user
desires.
The tenth option sets the length of
time the message is shown after the word is either spelled correct or
misspelled before starting the next word.
The eleventh option changes the size
of the font for the word shown during the test.
The last option changes the size of
the font for the answer box in which the answers are typed during a test.
When these values are changed click
the “Submit” button to save the
user’s settings.
Figure 119
General Settings
Under the Email Settings tab, the
user
can enable email status reports to be sent to those emails in the center list
box as shown in
Figure
120
. The name and email of the
user
is placed in the first two text boxes. The subject box will be the subject of
the email that will be sent. Fill in the SMTP box. Your ISP normally gives this
information to you. In order to add additional emails, type the email in the
last box and click “Add.” To remove an email, select the email in the list box
and click “Remove.” Check the enable check box to have the email sent after
each list. To temporary keep the email from being sent just uncheck that box.
When finished click the “Submit” button.
Figure 120
Email Settings
2.4
Add
Word
List
Center
To start the
Add
Word
List
Center
, click that option under the tools menu in the
Test
Center
. The
Add
Word
List
Center
window will be displayed as shown in
Figure
121
.
Figure 121
Add
Word
List
Center
The
Add
Word
List
Center
is the place to add and modify lists. When starting a new list, the first step
that the
user
performs is clicking the “Create New List” button. This will display another
window where the
user
can give the list a name. When the information is entered the
user
will click the “Done” button. The
user
is then ready to add words to the new list. The
user
then enters a word next to the “Add Word” button and adds it to the list by
either clicking the “Add Word” button or just pressing enter. The list name,
lesson number and title can be modified and then saved by clicking the “Save
List” button. If the
user
wants to remove words from the list just check the words to be removed and
click the “Remove Checked” button.
Under the Advanced menu item at the
top of the window is where you will find the ability to split and combine
lists. To split a list, a list must first be selected from the
drop down box.
To load a list for modification or
to get the list’s audio, select a list from the
drop down box in the save/load list controls
section. Then make any desired changes.
When
a list is loaded the
user
has the options: “Get Audio” and “Click Here” for the word’s definition. When
the get audio button is clicked the program uses the Internet to find audio
files from the Spelling Made Simple server. The audio column next to the word
will change from No to Yes. There is a progress bar that shows the status of
the task. If the word is not found, a
user
can record the word them self using Windows audio recorder. The file should be
saved where the
user
can later navigate to it. The
user
can check the words that he or she recorded themselves and click the “Import
Audio” button.
This will show a dialog box asking
the
user
to select the audio for a specific word at the top of the dialog. Each time the
audio is selected for the word the next word will show up at the top until all
the words that were checked have their audio selected.
The
user
can click the “Open Audio Folder” button to see where the wav files are kept.
If the “Click Here” is selected in the definition column next to the word, the
user
will be sent to a dictionary website and shown the definition of that word.
2.5
Split
List
When a list is selected in the
Add
Word
List
Center
and the split current list option is selected under the advance tab, the window
shown in
Figure
122
will be displayed.
Figure 122
Split
List Window
Enter the number of words you want
per list and information will be displayed about how many lists will be
created. When you are ready, click the “Split
” button.
When the combine list option is
selected under the advance tab in the
Add
Word
List
Center
, the window shown in
Figure
123
will be displayed.
Figure 123
Combine Window
Select the lists that you want to
combine and give the new list a name. When you are finished click “Combine”.
The
user
can click the "Active List Manager" button from within the
Add
Word
List
Center
and the window shown in
Figure
124
will be displayed. Then by clicking the “Open List Folder”, a folder will open
that stores all the spelling list files. The
user
can import lists from “*.sms” files by clicking the “Import List” button.
Multiple lists can be selected at a time by holding the Ctrl key down and
selecting additional lists. The
user
can also just
drag and
drop the spelling made simple list files onto
the active list or non-active list sides and the lists will automatically be
imported. When the lists are imported they will show up in the “Active Lists”
box. The lists can be moved back and forth from the internal database of the
software by selecting the list and clicking the center arrows. The
user
can modify the order the lists appear in the software by selecting an Active
list and clicking the up or down arrows to the left of the box.
Figure 124
Active List Manager Window
One of the biggest advantages of this
spelling software is the ability to
drag and
drop documents and convert them to a spelling
list. This greatly accelerates the spelling list creation process. This also
allows the
user
to check to see if he or she can spell all complex words in a document. This
provides the
user
with the ability to spell anything that is in the document when called upon
without warning.
To start the process of the
drag and
drop option, click the “Drag Drop Word List”
button in the main form. This will bring up the Drag and
Drop
Center
window as shown in
Figure
125
. Then select text from another document to
drag and
drop into the text area. When ready click the
“Create List” button.
Figure 125
Drag and Drop Window
A progress bar is shown
letting the
user
know the status of the word list creator. First it parses the document and
selects all the words from it and creates a large list. It then checks the
internal database for words to remove from the list that the
user
already knows how to spell.
The
user
is then brought to the second tab that shows the new list on the left and the
words the
user
wishes to exclude from all future
drag and
drop word lists on the right as shown in
Figure
126
. At this point the
user
can scan the list and check those words on the left that the
user
knows how to spell and does not need to practice. The
user
then clicks the “Add Words to Exclude” button. This eliminates these words from
any future
drag and
drop lists. If it is desired to only remove
words from the list just check those words and click the “Remove” button. Give
the list a name and when the list is finished the “Done” button can be clicked
to save the list. If further modifications are desired, this can be done in the
Add
Word
List
Center
.
Figure 126
Drag and Drop List
2.9
Statistic
Center
To view statistical performance,
click the “View Statistics” tool. This will bring up a window that has a list
box on the left with lists that the
user
has statistics for as shown in
Figure
127
. When the list is selected the statistics will show up on the right. After the
list is tested at least twice a graph will show the percentage of the test
taken. Another graph will show the amount of time taken for each test. These
graphs are clickable so that a
user
can be brought to a specific test lower on the page. All the results are
displayed under the graphs.
Figure 127
Statistics
Center
Window
If a
user
wants, they can click the “Open” button to open the current statistics in a web
browser for more convenient viewing as shown in
Figure
128
.
Figure 128
View Statistics in Web Browser
The ratings to the continuous test
words can be seen be clicking the corresponding tab at the top of the window.
The higher the rating the better the chance the word will appear during the
continuous test. The rating is dependent on how long it takes to spell a word
plus an added penalty if the word was spelled wrong. The continuous word list
remembers the past three times the word was tested. The misspelled penalty will
drop off after the
user
spells the word correctly three times. Words can be removed from the continuous
word list by placing a check next to the word in the list box in the lower left
and by clicking the “Remove Checked” box. This window can be seen in
Figure
129
.
Figure 129
Continuous Test Statistics Window
When you purchase the software, you
enter a password and your email. These are used to unlock the trial version of
the software. To register the software, click the Register Software option from
the Buy Now and Register menu item as shown in
Figure
101
.
Figure 101
Click Register Software
When the computer is connected to the
Internet, the software can be registered under the Internet tab. Insert your
email and password into the form and click “Unlock” as shown in
Figure
102
.
Figure 102
Enter Account Information
A confirmation box will be displayed
as shown in
Figure
103
.
Figure 103
Registered Successfully
To register the software on a
computer that does not have the Internet, a few more steps need to be taken.
First, click the Register Software option from the Buy Now and Register menu
item as shown in
Figure
104
.
Figure 104
Click Register Software
Click the offline tab at the top and
write down the key. Keep this window open because if you close it a new key
will randomly be generated. If your 30 day trial is over wait for the register
window to pop up by itself so that the key does not change. This window is
shown in
Figure
105
.
Figure 105
Get Unlock Code
Next take that key to a computer that
does have the Internet and go to
www.spellingmadesimple.com.
Click on the “Login” button in the upper right hand corner as shown in
Figure
106
.
Figure 106
Click Login at Spelling Made Simple Site
Enter your account information as
shown in
Figure
107
and click “Submit”.
Figure 107
Enter Account Information
Enter the key from the software next
to the decode button as shown in
Figure
108
and click “Decode”.
Figure 108
Input Key from Software
Write down the
number, as shown below in
Figure
109
, that is returned to you and return to the computer that you are registering
the software on.
Figure 109
Get Code for Software
Enter the code into the software and
click “Unlock” as shown in
Figure
105
. A confirmation window will be shown as seen in
Figure
110
.
Figure 110
Registered Successfully
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