Copyright: Test Writer for Windows ® 1994 R. R. Merritt


Contents

Click anywhere on the item to display that help screen.

General Help

 Overview

 Question Types

 Menu Descriptions

 Tool Bar

How do I?

 Create a new test

 Edit an existing test

 Print a test

 Get questions from another test

 Copy an entire section from another test

 Change the print order of the sections

 Add a Windows bitmap (BMP) to a test

 Create and print a series of randomly generated tests

 Add special font effects such as subscripts or boldface

copyright notice


Menu Descriptions

Test Writer for Windows uses three different menu bars, depending on which window is currently active. Click on the menu pictures below to see a description of the commands available in each menu pull-down.

Initial Menu:	Displayed when you first open Test Writer for Windows or anytime there is no active test. This menu is used primary to open an existing test, create a new test, or print a randomly created batch test.

Index Menu:	This menu is displayed as a part of the Index window. Use this menu to add a new section to a test, edit an existing section, or generate a randomly created batch test.

Section Menu: This menu is used to modify the questions within a section and save those changes when you are done.


Character Menu

Use this menu to add special effects and formatting to your question text. First, use the mouse or shift-arrow keys to highlight the text you wish to work with. You can also use the shift-cntl-right/left arrow keys to highlight an entire word at a time. Then, select the format you wish from the menu. A series of codes will be added to your text. These codes will cause the desired effect to occur when you print the test.

Selecting New Line (Essay and Identification only) will insert a new-line code into the text. Use this code to add white space and paragraph breaks to your large questions.

To Delete the special formatting, you must manually delete the codes which surround the text. Be sure to delete both the start and end code.

To add special effects to answer text, use the Character Menu of the Answer dialog box.


Character Menu (Answer)

 Use this menu to add special effects and formatting to your answer text. First, use the mouse or shift-arrow keys to highlight the text you wish to work with. You can also use the shift-cntl-right/left arrow keys to highlight an entire word at a time.  Then, select the format you wish from the menu. A series of codes will be added to your text. These codes will cause the desired effect to occur when you print the test.

To Delete the special formatting, you must manually delete the codes which surround the text. Be sure to delete both the start and end code.

To add special effects to Question text, use the Character Menu of the section window.

Note: The tool bar buttons or the main windows character menu will not work on answer text. You must use the menu of the Answer dialog box to add special effects to answer text.


File Menu (Initial)

New: Create a new test. The New Test dialog will prompt you for a test file name.
Open: Open an existing test. The File Open dialog will be displayed to allow you to select which test you wish to open.
Printer Setup: Opens the Printer Setup dialog. Use this command to change the printer on which your test will print. Also use this dialog to change the settings of your printer driver.
Print Batch: Prints all tests of the name TEMP99, where 99 is a number between 01 and 99. This function is used to print randomly generated batch tests. After selecting this function, the Batch Test Path dialog will appear to allow you to select the directory to print from. Finally, the Page Setup dialog will be displayed to give you a chance to change the print options for this series of tests.
Recent Files: This is a list of the last four tests that you opened. This is an easy way to reopen a test that you have recently been editing.
Exit: Closes all windows and terminate Test Writer for Windows. You will be prompted to save any changes before exiting.


Test Writer for Windows

Help Screens

Copyright © 1993 -1994 by R. R. Merritt. All Rights Reserved.


View Menu (Initial)

 Status Bar: Turns the Status Bar on or off. A check next to the item indicates that it is turned on.
Tool Bar: Turns the Tool Bar on or off. A check next to the item indicates that it is turned on.
Large Buttons: Toggles the size of the buttons on the Tool Bar (if displayed). Users who use a screen resolution greater then 640x480 may wish to use the large button option. After selecting this menu item, the change will take effect the next time you start Test Writer for Windows.


None

The status bar is the area on the bottom most part of the main window. The left portion of this area displays helpful information about various menu items. The right side indicates whether the Num lock, Cap lock, and Scroll lock keys are turned on or off.


Help Menu

Contents: Activates the Windows help system and displays the main help window for Test Writer for Windows
Using Help: Displays the standard Windows help screens that describe how to use the help system.
About TESTWRIT: Opens the about dialog box. This box displays the program title, copyright information, and the version number.


File Menu (Index)

New: Open a new test. The New Test dialog will prompt you for the file name of the next test.
Open: Open an existing test. The File Open dialog will be displayed to allow you to select which test you wish to open.
Close: Close the active window. If  you have made any changes, you will be prompted to save before closing.
Save: Save the data in the active window to disk
Save As: Saves the active test under a different name. This command functions as a way to make a copy of a test under a different name. The Save As dialog will prompt you for a new file name.
Print: Sends the active test to the printer. The Print dialog will be displayed to allow you to change printer settings, etc.
Print Preview: Prints the active test to the screen in the same format and font that will be used when it is sent to the printer. This command allows you to see what a page will look like without actually printing it. See Print Preview help for more information.
Batch Tests: Creates a series of random tests, based on the current test. See the Batch Tests dialog for more information.
Printer Setup: Opens the Printer Setup dialog box. Use this box to change printers or printer options.
Page Setup: Opens the Page Setup dialog box. Use this box to change the page margins, font size, titles, headings, and output type.
Recent Files: A list of the last four tests you edited.
Exit: Closes all windows and terminate Test Writer for Windows. You will be prompted to save data if you made any changes to any test or section.


Edit Menu (Index)

Copy Section: When used along with Paste Section, this command allows you to copy a section from one open test index to another. COPY SECTION places a test section onto the Windows clipboard to be pasted into a new test. See the Copy Section help under "How do I" for more details.
Paste Section: Copies a section from the Windows clipboard into the active test index. See the Copy Section help under "How do I" for more details.
Delete Section: Removes a section from the active test index. Once removed, the section data can not be recovered. You must select an index entry before using this command.
Rearrange: Use this command to change the print order of the test sections. See the Print Order under "How do I?" for more details.


Add Section

Creates a new section in the active test. See Question Types for more information on each type of question.


View Menu (Index)

 Instructions: Opens the Instructions Dialog box . Use this dialog to modify the instructions for the active test. The instructions will print at the top of each section.
Section Title: Opens the Section Title dialog box. Used to change the title of the highlighted section. You must select a section (single-click) before using the Section Title command.
Section: Opens the edit dialog for the currently selected section. You may also double-click on the section to edit it.
Status Bar: Turns the Status Bar on and off A check next to the line indicates that the Status bar is currently being displayed.
Tool Bar: Turns the Tool Bar on and off. A check next to the line indicates that the Tool Bar is currently being displayed.
Large Buttons: Toggles the size of the buttons on the Tool Bar (if displayed). Users who use a screen resolution greater then 640x480 may wish to use the large button option. After selecting this menu item, the change will take effect the next time you start Test Writer for Windows.


There are six different edit dialogs, depending on the section type:

Essay questions

Multiple Choice questions

Matching questions

True/False questions

Identification questions

Group Answer

To get help on the spelling checker, see Check Spelling.


Window Menu

Cascade: Rearranges the open windows into a one behind the other sequence (the default).
Tile: Rearranges the open windows so that all windows are side by side within the main window and that no windows overlap.
Arrange Icons: Reorganizes any iconized windows so that they are in a row at the bottom of the main window.
Open Windows: On the bottom of the Window menu is a list of all currently open windows. The item with the check mark next to it is the active window. Selecting one of these windows will make the selected window active.

Note: Most of the test Writer for Windows screens (specially the section edit screens) are designed to be a certain size. As a result, you would not typically use the Cascade or Tile commands, which resize the open windows as well as rearrange them.


Overview

Test Writer for Windows is a shareware program designed to create, edit, and output printed tests. This program was created based on the requirements of actual teachers and refined from the use of two versions of the DOS program. The most benefit from this program can be obtained by using it as a "test bank" to accumulate questions for a given class over several iterations of the class. With a large "bank" of questions already inputted, the need for new questions will be greatly reduced. Creating a new test will be a simple case of picking the appropriate questions based on the subjects you covered this term.

The program supports six question types. Test Writer for Windows organizes tests into a series of sections. Each section contains a number of questions of the same type, as shown below.

Each section is edited individually. You can copy questions of the same type from one section to other using Get Questions. There is no limit to the number of sections in a test. The number of questions in a section is limited only be the amount of memory your PC has. You may open multiple tests or sections at the same time. However, I suggest you only work with one test and one section within that test at a time.


File Menu (Section)

Close: Closes the active section window. If you have made any changes, you will be prompted to save before closing.
Save: Saves changes made to the active section window to disk. The test index is also updated to reflect the section updates.
Get Questions: Opens the Get Questions dialog box. This function is used to copy questions from another test section to the active section window.
Exit: Closes all windows and terminates the program. If you have made any changes, you will be prompted to save before closing.


Edit Menu (Section)

Cut Text: Copies the currently highlighted text onto the Windows clipboard and then deletes the text.
Copy Text: Copies the currently highlighted text onto the Windows clipboard without deleting it.
Paste Text: Inserts any text on the Windows clipboard into the current question text field at the cursor position. You can paste text from one question to another as well as from another source such as a word processor. To copy one or more question and answer sets from another test, see Get Questions.
Insert Question: Adds a new, blank question below the current question (the one with the cursor in it).
Insert Group Answer: For Group Answer questions, inserts a set of choices that will be used with the questions below it. See the Group Choices dialog for more information.
Delete Question: Deletes the current question (the one with the cursor in it).
Edit/Insert Bitmap: Inserts the path and name of a BMP picture file into the question. If one already exists, the current information will be displayed. The picture will be printed above the question in which it is inserted. See BMP Open and Scale Factor for more information.
Find: Opens the Find box. This function searches for the specified text string in all question and answer text in the active section. Note: This is a case sensitive search.
Check Spelling: Starts a spelling check of the active section. A Word Not Found popup will appear if any possible spelling errors are found.


Rearrange

Move: Opens the Move Question dialog box. This function is used to change the position of one or more questions within a section.
Scramble: This command will randomly scramble the active section. This command can be very useful if you want to give different version of the same test.


View Menu (Section)

Answers: Opens or closes the Answer dialog box. Use this command to enter the answer to a question or the choices for a multiple choice question.
Group Choices: Only available in Group Answer sections, use this option to display the choices for a question group. You must place the cursor on the group answer text box before this option can be selected. Opens the Group Choices dialog box.

Bitmap: For questions with a BMP file imbedded in them, use this command to open Paint Brush and view the bitmap file.
Tool Bar: Turns the Tool Bar on and off. A check next to the line indicates that the Tool Bar is currently being displayed.
Status Bar: Turns the Status Bar on and off A check next to the line indicates that the Status bar is currently being displayed.


There are four Answer Dialog Boxes:

Multiple Choice

True/False

Essay(Identification)

Group Answer


Check Spelling

The Word Not Found dialog is displayed if a possible mis-spelled word is found during a spelling check. To start the spelling checker, select CHECK SPELLING from the EDIT menu of the section screen. You must check the spelling of each section individually.

Select the proper word spelling and click REPLACE to correct an error or click one of the IGNORE options to leave the word as is. Select CANCEL SPELLING CHECK to end the function. For more information about each option, click on the desired area in the picture above.

To begin a spelling check, select EDIT/CHECK SPELLING from the section level menu or click on the spelling check ( [image]) tool bar button.

Note: The VTSPELL.VBX, VTSPELL.DLL, USER.DIC, and AMERICAN.VTD files must be in the same directory as TESTWRIT.EXE in order for the spelling check function to work properly.


Spell Options

Spell Options controls how the spelling check will be conducted. The default settings will be correct for most all users.

This dialog is displayed by selecting the OPTIONS button of the Word Not Found dialog. Setting changes made here will be retained until the current section is closed. Opening a new section will always return the options to the default settings.

Click desired area of the above picture for further information.


Automatic Suggestions

Will automatically display a list of possible correct spellings of the word in error. This option is set by default.


Exact Match Required
Exact Match Required.

Words must match exactly with what is found in the dictionary, including capitalization.


Ignore Full Caps

The spelling checker will not examine any words which are all capital letters.


Ignore Partial Numbers

Words which contain a mixture of letters and numbers will not be examined for spelling errors.


Ignore Pure Numbers

Words which are made of entire of numbers will not be spelling checked. This option is set by default.


Allow Joined Words

For words which contain a hyphen, each part of the word is check separately instead of checking the entire word (including the hyphen). This option is set by default.


Recheck Typed Replaces

Verifies that a manually typed replacement word is spelled correctly before doing the replacement. This option is set by default.


Custom Dictionaries

Opens or closes user dictionary. Opening a new user dictionary file makes the words in that file available to the spelling checker. By default, Test Writer for Windows uses the user.dic as a user dictionary.


Standard Dictionaries

Opens or closes a vendor provided dictionary. You would need to buy a different dictionary file from the spelling check program vendor to use this option.


Performance

Controls the memory versus performance setting. For Test Writer for Windows, the default setting will provide good performance.


Suggestion Search Limit

Controls the maximum possible number of suggestions that will be listed for a given word.


Suggestions

Click either button to refresh the suggestion list, based on the word in the text box next to the button. If you have AUTO SUGGESTION turned off, you must click the top button to see the suggestion list.


Suggestion List

A list of possible correct spellings for the word in error. You may also enter a value in the REPLACE WITH field manually.


Not Found

The word which was not found in the dictionary.


Replace With

The word which will replace the mis-spelled word when REPLACE is clicked. The REPLACE WITH field may be filled either by clicking on a word in the SUGGESTION LIST or by typing the correction.


Ignore

Causes the spelling checker to ignore the current occurrence of the word in NOT FOUND.


Ignore All

Causes the spelling checker to ignore all occurrences of the word found in the NOT FOUND field. This word ignored for the remainder of the current section.


Options

Options the Spell Options dialog box. Options settings are only good for the current section.


Replace

Replaces the word in NOT FOUND with the word currently in REPLACE WITH.


Replace All

Causes the spelling checker to replace all occurrences of the word in the NOT FOUND field with the word in the REPLACE WITH field. Future occurrences will be changed without prompting the user. This setting will remain in effect until you close the current section.


Prompt Replace

Similar to REPLACE ALL, except that you will be prompted before each word is replaced. Basically this key makes it unnecessary to scroll through the SUGGESTION LIST and pick the correct spelling each time while stilling giving you the chance to not change a given occurrence.


Add to Custom

Adds the current word in the NOT FOUND field to the user dictionary shown in the pull-down box. After adding a word to the user dictionary, the speller will stop flagging it as a mis-spelled word.


Cancel Spellcheck

Terminates the current spelling check. All changes made will be kept.


Question Types

Test Writer for Windows supports six question types.

Essay: Questions which usually have a fairly long question and (unfortunately for the students) an even longer answer. The answer space for an essay question can be adjusted using the Page Setup Dialog box. For more information see the Essay screen.

Multiple Choice: Question with up to five answers provided. The correct answer is written on the line next to the question number. For more information see the Multiple Choice screen.

Matching: Sections with Matching questions in them are arranged in a two column format. The questions are in the left column and the answers are in the right column. The answers are printed in random order based on the first question (meaning that so long as the same question is #1, the answers will always print in the same "random" order). Students write the letter of the correct answer on the line next to the question. For more information see the Matching screen.

True/False: Standard true or false questions in which students write a T or F on the line next to the question number. For more information see the True/False dialog box.

Identification: Using the same basic format as Essay, Identification questions have written answers but which are shorter than Essay. The primary reason for having a separate section for these questions is to provide for a different set of instructions.  For more information see the Identification screen.

Group Answer: Similar to Multiple Choice, only the same set of answer choices is used for more than one question. Questions are arranged in groups, each of which contains up to five choices followed by a series of questions. The letter of the correct answer (from the answers at the top of the group) is written on the line next to the question. For more information, see the Group Answer screen.


Tool Bar

The tool bar provides a quick method to select commonly used commands. Clicking on a tool bar button does the same thing as selecting the equivalent menu item. For a description of each button, click on the buttons in the tool bar picture above. To change the size of the tool bar buttons, select VIEW/LARGE BUTTONS from the initial or index level menus. The Large Buttons option is provided for users with high resolution screens who find the standard buttons are too small.

A button can have three states (using Answer as an example):

 Normal: Can be clicked to activate a command.

Grayed: Button is unavailable. Most likely that button's menu command isn't used on the current menu bar.

In use: When the button state is like this, the command is currently in operation or the dialog is displayed. Clicking the button in this state "turns off" the function and returns the button to its Normal state. This is the equivalent of a check mark on a menu item.


Creates a new test. Displays the New Test dialog box.


Adds codes to make the highlighted text print in a Bold type face


Adds codes to make the highlighted text print in an Italic type face


Adds codes to make the highlighted text print in an Underline type face


Opens the print preview window.


Starts a spelling check on the active section.


Open an existing test. Displays the File Open dialog box.


Copy the highlighted text to the Windows clipboard and delete it from the text box.


Copy the highlighted text to the Windows clipboard. The original text is unchanged.


Paste text from the Windows clipboard into the current text box at the cursor position.


Insert a new question below the current question.


Delete the current question.


Toggles the Answer box on or off.


Opens the Find dialog box. Used to search for text strings within the active section.


Prints the test. The Print dialog is opened.


Opens the Page Setup Dialog box. Used to control test output settings.


Activates the Windows Help system and displays the Contents page for Test Writer for Windows.


Saves changes in the active window to disk.


Page Setup

The Page Setup dialog box is used to control how your printed output will look. For more information about Page Setup, click on the controls in the picture above. To open this dialog box, use the FILE/PAGESETUP command from the test index menu bar. This dialog will also be displayed when printing a series of batch tests. Changes made when in Batch Test mode will be applied to all tests in the series.


OK

Closes the dialog box and saves any changes you made.


Cancel

Closes the dialog box without saving your changes.


Default

Resets all fields in the dialog to their original, preprogrammed settings. The Page Setup settings will be the same as when you first created the test.


Edit Heading

Opens the Standard Headings dialog to let you customize the heading which prints on the right side of the first page.


Number Consecutively

Determines if the question numbers will start with 1 at the beginning of each section or it all sections will be numbered in sequence.


Titles

The Title, Teacher, and Class will be printed on the top, left corner of the first page of the test. To prevent these fields from printing, remove all text from the input boxes. The title field will not be displayed when the Page Setup dialog is being displayed in Batch Test mode.


Print Section Titles

If this box is checked, the title of each section will be printed above the instructions. The Section Titles are set by using the Section Title dialog box.


Standard Heading

If this box is checked, a "standard" heading will print in the upper right corner of the first page of your test. The heading provides a place for students to fill in their Name, Student Number, and Date.


Page Margin

Controls how much white space will be left on each side of the printed test. The margin size is entered in number of characters. Some printers print very close to the edge and require a margin while some printers should have a margin of 0.


Fonts

The Normal font is used to print test questions, answers, and the main heading. The Instructions font is used to print the section titles and instructions. You must select a normal font to print. The instructions font will default to the normal font. See Font Dialog for more details.


Answer Space

Answer space determines how many blank lines will be printed after Essay and Identification questions.


Multiple Choice Answer Format

If this box is checked, Multiple Choice answers will print one to a line. If this box is not checked, Test Writer will attempt to put as many answers on a line as will fit. This option lets you choose between saving space or making the questions easier to read. This switch will also determine whether the answer choices for Group Answer questions will be printed singly or together.


Output Options

Determines whether the questions, the questions and the answers, or just the answers (an answer key) will print when you select Print.


Standard Headings

The Standard Headings dialog is used to edit the heading which is printed on the right side of the first page of a test. To see these headings on the printed test, you must have checked the Print Std Heading option of the Page Setup dialog.

To open this dialog, click the  EDIT HEADING button of the Page Setup dialog.


Save As

The Save As dialog box is used to copy an existing test to a different test name or path. The original test remains under its old name. This dialog is opened by selecting the FILE/SAVE AS command from the index menu bar. For more information, click on the fields in the picture above.

This dialog (when titled Batch Test Path) may also be used to indicate the location of a series of batch generated tests. In this mode, clicking OK will cause the Page Setup Dialog to be displayed. If the word path is in the file name field, do not remove this text.


File Name

Type the name and/or path of the test or BMP file (when inserting a bitmap only).


File List Box

Lists all files of type *.idx or *.bmp in the current directory. This box will be empty for FILE/SAVEAS.


File Type

Tells the File List Box to display *.idx *.bmp files. Note: You can only open *.idx files, unless you are inserting a bitmap, in which case you can only open *.bmp files. Do not select a different file type.


Current Directory

Indicates the current directory being displayed. The test will be saved or opened from this directory. Use the Directory List Box to change this value.


Directory List

Lists the directory tree for the current path and all directories under the current directory. Double-click on an entry to change the current directory. A [image] indicates a directory underneath the current directory that can be opened. A [image] indicates that a directory is open.


Drives

Lists all drives available on your PC. The current drive is displayed by default.


Help

Displays the help screen for this dialog box.


File Open

The File Open dialog box is used to recall an existing test from disk and display the index. This dialog is opened by selecting the FILE/OPEN command from the index menu bar. File Open is also used to insert a BMP file into a question.

For more information, click on the fields in the picture above.


New Test

The New Test dialog box is used to assign a filename and path to a new test. This dialog is opened by selecting the FILE/NEW command from the index menu bar. For more information, click on the fields in the picture above.


Print Preview

The Print Preview function is used to view the test output, formatted as it will appear when it is sent to the printer. This function is activated by selecting FILE/PRINT PREVIEW from the index menu bar. To end print preview, click on the Close button.

In Print Preview mode, the status bar indicates the page(s) that are being displayed. On the top of the window are a series of buttons which are used to change the screen display:

Print: Opens the Print dialog box to allow you to send the test output to the printer.

Next Page: Moves the display one page forward.

Prev Page: Moves the display one page backward.

One/Two Page: Toggles the display between displaying one page at a time and displaying two pages at a time. The button name will change depending on the current mode.

Zoom In: Lets you take a closer look at the text. You may also click on the display when the cursor is shaped like an magnifying glass ( [image]).

Zoom Out: Reduces the magnification level of the print preview display.

Close: Closes Print Preview and returns you to the standard Test Writer for Windows display.


Find Text

The Find dialog box is used to search through the question and answer text of the active section for the specified character string. The function is called by selecting the EDIT/FIND command from the section menu bar. For more information, click on the fields in the picture above.

Find is a modeless box which will stay open until you close it or until the text string is not found. If the text string is found, the question list will be positioned so that the question/answer which contains the text is the first question on the screen.

Note: This search is case sensitive.


Find What:

Enter the text string you wish to search on in this box. Note: This search is case sensitive.


Direction

Controls whether the search will be done on questions before the current question (up) or after the current question (down). Down is the default.


Find Next

Click on this button to start the search or to continue the search from the current position. This button will be unavailable until you enter a text string into Find What.


Cancel

Closes the Find dialog box and ends the current search.


Editing Matching Questions

The Matching edit panel (shown above) is used to insert, modify, or delete questions in a matching section. The question is input into the left text box. The answer is input into the right text box. The answers will be printed in random order.

To insert a new question, select EDIT/INSERT QUESTION from the menu bar. To delete a question, select EDIT/DELETE QUESTION from the menu bar. Both insert and delete may also be selected from the Tool Bar. To copy questions from another test, use FILE/GET QUESTIONS. See the Section Menu for a complete list of commands.

Use the Scroll Bar located on the right side of the panel to move the questions being displayed either forward or backward. You may also press the PAGE-UP and PAGE-DOWN keys to move the questions one screen forward or backward.

To save and exit this panel, select FILE/SAVE followed by FILE/CLOSE from the menu bar.


Scroll Bar

The scroll bar is used to move the questions currently being displayed either forward or backward. Click on the arrow at the top of scroll bar to move the questions one backward. Use the bottom arrow to move one forward. Click in the middle of the bar to move the questions one "page" forward or backward. To move to the bottom or top of the list, grab the "thumb" (the position indicator in the middle) with your mouse and drag it to the new position. When you release the "thumb," the screen will update.


Question Number

Indicates the numeric position of this question. Use REARRANGE/MOVE or SCRAMBLE to change the order of the questions. Use the scroll bar to move through the list of questions. If there is not a number in this field, you must first use EDIT/INSERT QUESTION to add a new question at this position.


Question Text

These input boxes contain the question text. To edit the answer text (for all questions except Matching), select VIEW/ANSWER.


Answer Text

These input boxes contain the answer text. For all questions accept Matching, you will need to select VIEW/ANSWER to edit the answer text.


Editing Essay or Identification Questions

The edit panel (Essay, shown above) is used to insert, modify, or delete questions in an essay or identification section. The question is input into the text box. The answer is input by selecting VIEW/ANSWER to display the Answer dialog box. The answer displayed will match the current question (the one where the cursor was). You can move from question to question while the Answer Dialog box is still open.

Identification and Essay questions share the same format but will print with a different set of instructions.

To insert a new question, select EDIT/INSERT QUESTION from the menu bar. To delete a question, select EDIT/DELETE QUESTION from the menu bar. Both insert and delete may also be selected from the Tool Bar. To copy questions from another test, use FILE/GET QUESTIONS. See the Section Menu for a complete list of commands.

Use the Scroll Bar located on the right side of the panel to move the questions being displayed either forward or backward. You may also press the PAGE-UP and PAGE-DOWN keys to move the questions one screen forward or backward.

To save and exit this panel, select FILE/SAVE followed by FILE/CLOSE from the menu bar.


Editing True/False Questions

The True/False edit panel (shown above) is used to insert, modify, or delete questions in a True/False section. The question is input into the text box. The answer is input by selecting VIEW/ANSWER to display the Answer dialog box. The answer displayed will match the current question (the one where the cursor was). You can move from question to question while the Answer Dialog box is still open.

To insert a new question, select EDIT/INSERT QUESTION from the menu bar. To delete a question, select EDIT/DELETE QUESTION from the menu bar. Both insert and delete may also be selected from the Tool Bar. To copy questions from another test, use FILE/GET QUESTIONS. See the Section Menu for a complete list of commands.

Use the Scroll Bar located on the right side of the panel to move the questions being displayed either forward or backward. You may also press the PAGE-UP and PAGE-DOWN keys to move the questions one screen forward or backward.

To save and exit this panel, select FILE/SAVE followed by FILE/CLOSE from the menu bar.


Editing Multiple Choice Questions

The Multiple Choice edit panel (shown above) is used to insert, modify, or delete questions in a Multiple Choice section. The question is input into the text box. The answer is input by selecting VIEW/ANSWER to display the Answer dialog box. The answer displayed will match the current question (the one where the cursor was). You can move from question to question while the Answer Dialog box is still open.

To insert a new question, select EDIT/INSERT QUESTION from the menu bar. To delete a question, select EDIT/DELETE QUESTION from the menu bar. Both insert and delete may also be selected from the Tool Bar. To copy questions from another test, use FILE/GET QUESTIONS. See the Section Menu for a complete list of commands.

Use the Scroll Bar located on the right side of the panel to move the questions being displayed either forward or backward. You may also press the PAGE-UP and PAGE-DOWN keys to move the questions one screen forward or backward.

To save and exit this panel, select FILE/SAVE followed by FILE/CLOSE from the menu bar.


Multiple Choice Answer Text

This box displays all choices (a - e) for the question above it. To edit these choices, select VIEW/ANSWER from the menu.


Section List (Get Questions)

The Section List dialog is used to pick which section you wish to copy questions from. Clicking OK from the dialog will display the Get Questions dialog. From there, you can select one or more question to add to your current test.

Select FILE/GET QUESTIONS to display the File Open dialog to select a test. This will display Section List.


Section List Box

Displays the sections in the source test of the same type as the current section. Click on a section to select it and click OK.


OK

After selecting a section to open (see the list box), click OK to display the Get Questions Dialog and continue the process.


Cancel

Cancels the Get Questions process.


Get Questions

The Get Questions dialog is used to copy questions from one test into another. To select questions individually, click on each question while holding down the CNTL key. To select a group of questions, click on the top question, then click on the bottom question while holding down the SHIFT key. Then click on OK to copy the questions to the active window. The new questions will be placed at the bottom of the list.

To get to this dialog, select FILE/GET QUESTIONS from the section menu.

Note: In version 1.0, you could simply click on a single question to highlight it. You must now hold the CNTL or SHIFT key down to highlight multiple questions.


Title

The dialog box title indicates the type of question you are in the process of getting.


Question List

A list of all of the questions in the displayed test section. Single click on each question to select it. You may select as many questions to copy as you wish.


Check for Duplicates

If checked, duplicate questions will not be copied into the test. The duplicate can exist in either the get test or the receiving test.


Total

Displays the number of questions currently selected.


Move Questions Dialog

The Move Questions dialog box is used to change the print order of questions within a section. To move questions, select one or more questions within the list box by single-clicking on them. Then click on the DOWN, UP, BOTTOM, or TOP arrows to move the highlighted questions.

For more information, click on the appropriate place on the picture above.

To open this dialog, select MOVE from the Rearrange menu of the Section menu.


Question List

A list of all questions within the active section, with only the top line of each question displayed. You may select one or more questions by single-clicking on each question line.


Down

Click this arrow to move the highlighted questions downward one question.


Up

Click this arrow to move the highlighted questions upward one question.


Top

Moves the highlighted questions to the top of the list.


Botton
Bottom

Moves the highlighted questions to the bottom of the list.


About Dialog

The About dialog box displays the code version number, program name, copyright notice, and, of course, a reminder that you should pay the author some money.


True/False Answer Dialog

The True/False Answer dialog is used to indicate whether a given question is TRUE or FALSE. This information is displayed if you print a test using the Answer Key or Test with Answers print option (see Page Setup for more information).

This dialog box will remain open until you close it. The correct answer will change as you move from question to question on the main panel. The Title Bar of the box indicates which question's answer is currently being shown.

Click on the appropriate area of the picture above for more detailed information. Cut, Copy, and Paste do not have any function in this particular answer dialog box.

To open this dialog, select VIEW/ANSWER from the section menu.


Correct Answer

Indicates whether the current question is TRUE or FALSE. Change this value by typing T or F,  or click on the down arrow to pull down the list of values and clicking on either T or F.


Close

Closes the answer dialog box.


Cut

Copies the highlighted text from the answer dialog box and places it on the Windows clipboard. The text is deleted after being copied.


Copy

Copies the highlighted text from the answer dialog box and places it on the Windows clipboard.


Paste

Pastes text from the Windows clipboard into the answer dialog box. The text is inserted at the current cursor position.


Multiple Choice Answers

The Multiple Choice Answer dialog is used to enter the choices for a multiple choice question and indicate which of the 5 possible choices is the correct answer. The correct answer will be displayed if you print a test using the Answer Key or Test with Answers print option (see Page Setup for more information).

This dialog box will remain open until you close it. The correct answer will change as you move from question to question on the main panel. The Title Bar of the box indicates which question's answer is currently being shown.

Click on the appropriate area of the picture above for more detailed information.

To open this dialog, select VIEW/ANSWER from the section menu.

To add special effects such as bold type or subscripts to the answer text, use the answer dialogs Character menu (not shown in the picture).


Answer Text

Enter one of the possible answers for the question into this field. There are five answer choice fields, A through E. Any unused letters will not be printed.


Correct Answer

Indicates which of the answers ( A through E) is the correct answer. Type the correct letter in the box.


Essay/Identification Answer

The Essay/Identification Answer dialog is used to enter the correct answer text for the question. This information is displayed if you print a test using the Answer Key or Test with Answers print option (see Page Setup for more information).

This dialog box will remain open until you close it. The correct answer will change as you move from question to question on the main panel. The Title Bar of the box indicates which question's answer is currently being shown.

Click on the appropriate area of the picture above for more detailed information.

To open this dialog, select VIEW/ANSWER from the section menu.

To add special effects such as bold type or subscripts to the answer text, use the answer dialogs Character menu (not shown in the picture).


Answer Text

Contains the correct answer text for this question.


Print

The Print Dialog box is displayed by selecting FILE/PRINT from the Index level menu. Note: the index panel must be active in order to print. You can't print from the section edit panel.

Click OK to send the active test to the printer indicated by this dialog. Use Setup to change the printer destination or other printer settings. Use Page Setup to control what the test output will look like.

For more information, click on the appropriate area in the above picture.


Current Printer

Indicates which printer the test output will go to. By default, the current printer will always be the Windows Default Printer, unless you use Printer Setup to change the output destination.


Print All

Prints the entire test. This is the default setting.


Print Pages

Allows you to specify a range of pages to print rather than the entire test.


not used

Test Writer for Windows does not use this feature.


Print Quality

Controls the output quality your printer will use when printing the test. The contents of this area may vary, depending on which printer driver you have selected. For some printers, this field will not be available.


OK

Starts printing the test.


Cancel

Closes the Print dialog box without printing the test.


Setup

Opens the Printer Setup dialog box. Use this function to control which printer you will use and to setup printer driver options.


Instructions

The Instructions dialog box is used to modify the student instructions associated with each of the test sections. The instruction text automatically prints at the top of each section. Click on the appropriate area in the picture above for more information.

This dialog is accessed by selecting VIEW/INSTRUCTIONS from the index menu.


Instruction Text

The student instruction text to be printed at the top of each of the section types.


Font Dialog

The Font dialog box is used to set the printer font for the test instructions and the normal question text. These settings will be applied to the entire test. You must set the normal font before you can print a test. If you do not set the instructions font, it will default to the normal font.

For more detail, click on the appropriate area on the picture above.

The Font dialog is accessed by clicking the Normal or Instructions button of the Page Setup dialog.


Font Name

Displays a list of fonts for you to choose from. The fonts available to your printer as well as standard Windows True Type fonts will be displayed.


Style

A list of font styles that are supported by the font you selected in the Font box. For example, you may wish to select BOLD for use when printing the instructions.


Size

A list of the font sizes available to the font you have selected. These size selections control how large the text will be when you print or use Print Preview. The size is expressed in POINTS, which equals 1/72 of an inch. Test Writer for Windows limits all fonts so that the largest size available will be 20 POINTS.


Sample

Displays an example of what the font/style/size selection you have made will look like when it is printed.


Printer Setup

The Printer Setup dialog is used to choose which printer you will use to print the test and to set printer specific options. For more information, click on the appropriate area of the picture above.

To open Printer Setup, select FILE/PRINTER SETUP from any menu.


Default Printer

Select this option to send output to your Windows default printer. This printer will always be the one selected as the default from within Control Panel.


Specific Printer

Select this option to print to a printer other then the current default printer. Click on the down arrow to see a list of all printers available to your PC.


Orientiation
Orientation

Indicates whether the test will print vertically (portrait) or horizontally (landscape) on the page. This option will not be available on all printers (especially dot-matrix printers).


Size

Indicates the paper size currently loaded in your printer. This option may not be available on all printers.


Source

Indicates what paper feed option the printer will use. For most printers, this will be either an automatic or manual feed option.


Options

Clicking this button will open the options dialog for the currently selected printer driver. This dialog will be different for each printer. See your printer manual for more details on this dialog box.


Index Panel

The Index Panel lists the sections that are associated with a particular test. Click on the appropriate area on the picture above for more information. This panel is shown smaller than the normal default size.

To open a section, double-click on the section name or highlight the section and select VIEW/SECTION.

To create a new section, select ADD SECTION and pick a section type. When you return to the Index Panel, double-click on the new section to edit it.

See How to do I? for more information on how to use Test Writer for Windows.

Click here to see the Print Preview help screen.


Title

Displays the file name of the current test. To view the test title as it will appear on the printed test, see Page Setup.


Test Sections

A list of all section in this test. Each line has the following information:

     SECTION TYPE - SECTION TITLE (NUMBER OF QUESTIONS)


Section Title

The Section Title dialog is used to change the title for the highlighted section. This title is used primary for you to identify two different sections of the same type. You may also print the title on the test (see Page Setup). This dialog will be automatically displayed when you add a new section.

Click on the appropriate area on the picture above for more information.

To open Section Title, select VIEW/SECTION TITLE from the index menu.


Section Title

Type the title text into this input box.


Print a Test

1.	Select Open from the FILE menu to display the File Open dialog. Use the directory and filename lists to select the test (*.idx) file you wish to print. When you click OK, the test index panel will be displayed.

2.	If you wish to use a printer other than your default printer, select Printer Setup from the FILE menu to select the printer you wish to use. The Printer Setup dialog will be displayed.

3.	Select Page Setup from the FILE menu to enter the test title, heading information, and other print options. You must also click on the Normal button to select a printer font. You only have to do this step the first time you print a new test. See the Page Setup dialog for more information.

4.	Select Print from the FILE menu to send the current test to the printer. From the Print box you can either print the entire test or one or more pages of the test. Instead of Print, you may wish to select Print Preview to view the test output on your screen before printing it. Note: you can only print from the Index Menu. If you click on FILE and don't see a print option, close the current window and try again.


Edit an Existing Test

1.	Select Open from the FILE menu to display the File Open dialog. Use the directory and filename lists to select the test (*.idx) file you wish to print. When you click OK, the test index panel will be displayed.

2.	To open an individual section, click on one of the section names in the Index Panel to highlight it.

3.	Select Section from the VIEW menu to open the section. You can also double-click on a section to open it.

4.	With the section edit window open, use Insert Question and Delete Question from the EDIT menu to add or remove questions. Change the text of existing questions by moving the cursor to that question and typing. Change the answer text by selecting Answer from the VIEW menu to open the Answer Dialog.

5.	When you are finished editing the section, select Save from the FILE menu to write the changes to disk. Then use Close to return to the Index Panel.


Get Questions from Another Test

1.	Open the test and section you wish to insert the question into (see Editing an Existing Test).

2.	Select Get Questions from the FILE menu to open the File Open dialog and enter the test you wish to get the questions from.

3.	Clicking OK displays a list of matching sections within that test. Pick the section you wish to copy from by double-clicking on that section line.

4.	From the Get Questions dialog, select each question you wish to copy. When you have each question marked, click OK to copy the questions into the current section. New questions are added at the bottom of the section.

Note: To select a group of questions, click on the first question, then click on the last question of the group while holding down the SHIFT key. To add single questions, hold the CNTL key down to select or de-select a question.


Create a New Test

1.	Select New from the FILE menu.

2.	Enter the new test name and path using the New Test dialog. Clicking OK will open a blank Index Panel.

3.	Select ADD SECTION from the menu bar and pick the Question Type you wish to add. Type the Section title when prompted.

4.	This will add a zero question section to the Index Panel. Double-click on that entry to open the new section.

5.	Select Insert Question from the EDIT menu (or press CNTL-I) to add a new question. The cursor will be positioned on this edit box. Enter your question text.

6.	To input the answer(s), select Answer from the VIEW menu (or press CNTL-A). Type in the answer or choice text.

7.	To close the Answer Dialog, click Close from the dialog menu bar.

8.	When you have finished entering questions, select Save from the FILE to write the section to disk. Then select Close to return to the Index Panel.


Copy an Entire Section from Another Test

1.	Open the test you wish to copy the section from. Highlight the desired section by clicking on it.

2.	Select Copy Section from the EDIT menu.

3.	Open the test you wish to copy the section into.

4.	Select Paste Section from the EDIT menu to copy the section into the current test index.

Note: You can not use this method to copy a section from tests on two different floppy disks using the same drive. Both the source test disk and the target test disk must be accessible at the same time.


Change the Section Print Order

1.	Open the test you wish to change.

2.	From the Index Panel click on the section you wish to move (highlighting it).

3.	Select Rearrange from the EDIT menu. Click OK on the informational pop-up that follows.

4.	Double-click on the section below the position you want to place the highlighted section.

Note: To move a section to the bottom, insert it above the last section and them move the last section above the section you just inserted.


UnRegistered Copy

This dialog is displayed if you have not registered Test Writer for Windows on the PC. If you have paid the registration fee and received a registration number, click on REGISTER to enter it. Click on the fields in the picture above for more information.


OK

Click here to use the program without registering it.


Register

Click this button to open the Registration Form and enter your name and registration number.


Deadline

Displays the date by which you must register the program to continue using it. After this date, the code will no longer work.


Registration Form

Enter your Name and Registration number into this form. You obtain this information by paying the author the $20 registration fee (new users) or the $5 upgrade fee.


Name

Your name, as provided on the program registration form sent to you by the author.


Number

Your registration number, as provided on the program registration form sent to you by the author.


Notice

A reminder to type your name and number EXACTLY as printed on the registration form, even if your name is spelled wrong.


Group Choices

The Group Choices dialog is used to enter the five answer choices that will apply to the questions below the choices. Unlike most answer and choice dialogs, this dialog must be closed before you can continue editing the test section.

Click on the fields in the picture above for more information. To open this dialog, select VIEW/GROUP CHOICES from the section menu bar.

To add special effects such as bold type or subscripts to the answer text, use the answer dialogs Character menu (not shown in the picture).


Choice Text

Field contains one of the five possible answer choices for this block of questions. The choices will be labeled A - E. Unused letters will not be printed.


Group Answer Correct Answer

The Group Answer correct answer dialog is used to indicate which of the five choices (A - E) is the correct one for this question. This information is displayed if you print a test using the Answer Key or Test with Answers print option (see Page Setup for more information).

This dialog box will remain open until you close it. The correct answer will change as you move from question to question on the main panel. The Title Bar of the box indicates which question's answer is currently being shown.

Click on the appropriate area of the picture above for more detailed information. Cut, Copy, and Paste do not have any function in this particular answer dialog box.

To open this dialog, select VIEW/ANSWER from the section menu.


Correct Answer

Type the letter of the correct choice in this field. You may also click on the down arrow to display a drop down list of the five choices (A - E).


Scale Factor

The Scale Factor dialog box is used to control what size the bitmap will be when it is printed. Use a factor greater than 100 to increase the print size and less than 100 to decrease the size.

Click on the fields in the picture for more information.


Scale

Enter the bitmap scale to increase or decrease the print size. The scale is expressed as a percentage, where 100% prints the BMP without changing its size.


Editing Group Answer Questions

The Group Answer edit panel (shown above) is used to insert, modify, or delete questions in a Group Answer section. The question is input into the text box. The answer choices are input by selecting VIEW/GROUP CHOICES for an existing group or EDIT/INSERT GROUP ANSWER for a new group. Either command will display the Group Choices dialog.  You must insert a set of choices (a group answer) in the first text block.

To input the correct answer for a question, select VIEW/ANSWER to display the Correct Answer dialog. The answer displayed will match the current question (the one where the cursor was). You can move from question to question while the Answer Dialog box is still open.

To insert a new question, select EDIT/INSERT QUESTION from the menu bar. To delete a question, select EDIT/DELETE QUESTION from the menu bar. Both insert and delete may also be selected from the Tool Bar. To copy questions from another test, use FILE/GET QUESTIONS. See the Section Menu for a complete list of commands. To insert a new answer group, select EDIT/INSERT GROUP ANSWER.

Use the Scroll Bar located on the right side of the panel to move the questions being displayed either forward or backward. You may also press the PAGE-UP and PAGE-DOWN keys to move the questions one screen forward or backward.

To save and exit this panel, select FILE/SAVE followed by FILE/CLOSE from the menu bar.


Group Choices

The first text block of a Group Answer section will always be a set of possible answers to the questions that will follow it. There maybe up to five answer choices, lettered A - E. Unused letters will not be printed.

There maybe more than one set of choices per section.


Adding a Bitmap to a Test

1.	Select Open from the FILE menu to display the File Open dialog. Use the directory and filename lists to select the test (*.idx) file you wish to open. When you click OK, the test index panel will be displayed.

2.	To open an individual section, click on one of the section names in the Index Panel to highlight it.

3.	Select Section from the VIEW menu to open the section. You can also double-click on a section to open it.

4.	With the section edit window open, use Edit/Insert Bitmap from the EDIT menu to add a BMP file or edit an existing BMP file reference. This command will display the Open dialog to allow you to select a file, followed by the Scale Factor dialog to increase or decrease the print size of the bitmap.

5.	Edit/Insert Bitmap will place a bitmap file reference in the beginning of the current question. This reference will not be printed with the question. Instead, the BMP file it points to will be printed just above the question which contains the reference. To view the bitmap from within Test Writer, select the Bitmap command from the View Menu to open Paintbrush.

6.	When you are finished editing the section, select Save from the FILE menu to write the changes to disk. Then use Close to return to the Index Panel.

Note: You can not use the bitmap commands from within a Matching section.


Batch Tests

The Batch Tests dialog is used to control how batch tests will be generated. The Batch tests function is used to generate a series of new tests, based on the current test. Each test will have a randomly selected set of questions (if the random check box is selected), based on the current open test. The resulting tests will be stored in the current directory under a name of TEMP99, where 99 is the sequence number of the test. There maybe up to 99 tests generated using this feature.

To use this dialog, click on each test section and type in the number of questions you wish to use from that section. Next, click on the NUMBER OF TESTS field and type the number of batch tests you wish to generate.  Click OK to begin the batch generation process.

For more information on specific fields in this dialog, click on that field in the picture above. For further information on how to generate batch tests, see Create and print a series of randomly generated tests in the How do I section of the Contents.


Test Sections

A list of sections in the active test. Each line contains the section type, the title, and the number of questions in the section. When you click on a line in this box, the input focus automatically shifts to the NUMBER OF QUESTIONS field.


Number of Questions

The number of questions that will be used from the highlighted section above. The default is 0, which causes the section to be skipped. Clicking on the TEST SECTIONS box above automatically shifts the input focus to this field.


Randomize

Indicates whether to select questions randomly or not. If this box is not checked, the questions will be selected in numeric order, starting from the top of the section. If this box is checked, the questions will be selected on a random basis.


Number of Tests

This field controls how many tests will be generated. You must enter a value between 01 and 99 in this field.


Total Selected

Lists the total number of questions selected from all sections in the test


Creating and Printing Randomly Generated Tests

1.	Select Open from the FILE menu to display the File Open dialog. Use the directory and filename lists to select the test (*.idx) file you wish to open. When you click OK, the test index panel will be displayed.

2.	Select Batch Tests from the FILE menu to display the Batch Tests dialog.

3.	Click on each section in the list and type the number of questions you wish to use. A number of 0 means that the section will be skipped.

4.	Type the number of tests you wish to create in the NUMBER OF TESTS field. This number must be between 01 and 99.

5.	Turn off the RANDOMIZE option box if you wish to use the same questions for each test.

6.	Click OK to create the tests.

7.	When the process is complete, close all tests (but leave the main window open). From the FILE menu, select Print Batch.

8.	Use the Batch Test Path dialog to indicate the directory which contains the tests you wish to print. Note: Be sure to leave the word path in the file name field. Click OK to continue.

9.	The Page Setup dialog will be displayed next. Modify the print settings as necessary. The TITLE field will not be displayed. You would use this dialog primarily to switch between printing an answer key or a normal test. Click OK to start the batch print process.

10.	Depending on the number of tests, this process may take a while to complete. The program will beep and display a message box when all output has finished spooling.