2.1 Login

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.

2.3 User Settings

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.

2.6 Combine Lists

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”.

2.7 Active List Manager

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

2.8 Drag and Drop List Center

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

1.1 How to Register when the Computer is on the Internet

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

1.2 How to Register when the Computer is not on the Internet

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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