ZDT 0.8.0 status

[bogleg]

Ok, after a several months hiatus, I've started working on ZDT version 0.8.0. As I add new features, I will be releasing snapshot builds in hopes of getting some feedback from you guys.

The first 0.8.0 snapshot build can be found in the ZDT sandbox area. This build includes the new Flashcard notes feature that I've started working on. It allows you to attach text, images and sounds to your flashcards. Please try it out and let me know what you think.

I will be keeping this thread and the ZDT blog updated with the latest status.

Thanks

Chris

[jbradfor]

Thanks Chris!

Any hints on what other new features to expect, or is it going to be a surprise?

[bogleg]

Good question. This is what had in mind so far for 0.8.0 feature-wise.

1) Notes feature - add sounds/pictures/text to flashcards

2) Nested categories - tree type view for categories instead of flat

3) Improvements on import - more robust / import from multiple files

4) Improving the flashcard algorithms - based on comments on previous threads

5) HanziLookup integration (maybe) - for handwriting recognition

I'll also be fixing bugs of course and I'll make sure to go through the Most annoying things about the ZDT thread.

Feel free to add your suggestions here as well.

Chris

[jbradfor]

Big mistake, Chris, asking us for other feature ideas! You're gonna get a whole lot. Just 'cause we love zdt so much.

Overall I think those are a good set of features to add next, many have asked for them. Personally, #5 seems somewhat optional as we can just use it separately, but that's just my opinion.

For me, the big additions I would like to see are

1) "Merging" words on lists. That is, keep track of words that appears on multiple lists (categories) so that a single set of stats are kept for it for the purpose of the interval filter. Right now, if the same word appears on multiple lists, I get quizzed on it multiple times.

2) When using the interval filter and the pinyin recall test, add a button "I know this" that will result in that word no longer being shown.

3) (somewhat optional) For each list, show the percent of words I know. [Here "know" is defined as either marked as I know this or the value in the interval filter is above some user-settable level.]

Why? What this will provide me is the ability to easily add ChinesePod vocab lists. I can easily extract every word into a file, and import it into zdt. All the easy words I can mark as I know them, and very quickly be quizzed only on the words I don't know. This will save me much time!

Since I started typing and can't stop, my two other feature requests.

4) When using the interval filter, a setting of the minimum (e.g. -5) values any word could have.

5) Test in which zdt gives me the English def and I need to enter the characters via IME.

[Luobot]

Chris,

So far, ZDT 0.8.0 looks nice and promising. Here are some thoughts and suggestions, both big and small, in no particular order:

Need a function key to play the user attached sound file. I would also suggest having a nice, BIG sound icon on the flashcard, itself, that’s handy to click to play or replay the sound.

The Edit Entry dialog needs a sound icon to click to test the sound file selected.

Ability to play WAV files in addition to MP3’s.

The database for sounds, images, and notes should be universal for all flashcard decks, so that the same entries do not need to be made multiple times for each flashcard deck.

- Ability to attach the Sound file universally to all flashcard decks where that flashcard occurs.

- Ability to make a Note universal to all flashcard decks where that flashcard occurs.

- Ability to make an Image universal to all flashcard decks where that flashcard occurs.

Ability to attach a sound file (also notes and images) via the dictionary, and have it appear in all flashcard decks that use that flashcard.

Ability to play the user attached sound file in the dictionary (independently of using the flashcards).

The flashcard note should be available to the corresponding dictionary entry under the flashcard tab, which is just to the right of the dictionary tab. It shouldn’t require that a flashcard session be started first.

Ability to right-click on a word in the dictionary and see in the context menu, “Edit Entry … Control + E” just as in the flashcard deck.

The Browse button in the Edit Entry dialog presently brings up the same last folder used for both sounds and images. However, sounds and images are often kept in different folders (for folder management purposes), so it would be better if the browse button accessed the last folder used for sounds and images independently of each other, rather than sharing the same last used folder.

Have a flashcard test where you hear the user attached sound file and you have to select the correct English meaning from multiple-choices.

Ability to attach sound files in bulk via an import function.

- A list that contains the pinyin word followed by the sound file folder location + name.

- Given a folder that contains sound files, where the sound files are named with pinyin tone numbers corresponding to the pinyin entries in the dictionary, would it be possible to automatically attach these sound files (that is, all such sound files in the folder) to the corresponding dictionary entries? If so, then all flashcard decks using that word should feed off that sound file. (Since sound files are just pronunciations, matching characters are not necessary or desirable – i.e., there’s a one-to-many relationship between the sound file and all the entries that use that exact pronunciation).

Ability to attach external notes, just like sounds and images.

Ability to export flashcard decks (and/or the universal multi-media database, as suggested above) with all the linkages to the multimedia files, so that they can be shared with others, or just backed-up.

Add a visual cue (e.g., sound icon, graphic icon, and text icon) to inform the user that there is an attached sound file, graphic, or text note.

Ability to make the notes fonts larger, independent of the size of the fonts elsewhere.

I mentioned the following on your blog, but I'll consolidate it here:

Ideally, example sentences would be a separate entity from the unstructured notes, so that the example sentences can have sound files attached to them, as well. Also, ideal would be the ability to automatically link an example sentence to each of the words used in the example sentence.

If you move your sound file folder to another location (for example, to an external drive for space reasons), then you don’t want to manually edit each card in each deck to reconnect everything. Hopefully, there will be a way to change, say, all occurrences of “C:SOUNDFILES” to “F:SOUNDFILES” – and the same for images.

Again, great work on this, so far!

[Xiao Kui]

I'd definitely be interested in #5 handwriting recognition since I just got a new tablet PC, but I don't know if they'll be much demand for that across the board.

[bogleg]

Xiao Kui -

Have you tried HanziLookup w/ your new tablet PC and does it work well with it?

Chris

[drahnier]

As for the handwriting recognition: If you're running Windows Vista on your tablet pc you've already got a pretty good handwriting recognition. I use it every day and it really surprises me how good it is.

[drahnier]

As for the example settings I would favor a different approach:

(1) Just have the user provide a set/database of sample sentences

and

(2) have zdt scan this database to find two or three suitable sentences for a given word entry automatically.

(1) in it's simplest implementation this could just be implemented as a list of sentences in a file (one sentence per line).

(2) could be implented by providing a "find sample text" button. Successive button pushes might find other sample sentences.

Over time the user can simply add sentences to the sample text pool if he wishes, keeping pace with his progress in learning.

[jbradfor]

Another feature request: when characters are shown in the flash card test, some way to cut-and-paste them, or a single click to look up one of the characters in the dictionary (or bring up a pop-up of the def). Often, for multi-character words, I want to know what one of the characters means by itself, and now there is no easy way of doing so.

[Luobot]

I also think that a decomposition by character would be a very useful feature, not only for the flashcards, but also for the dictionary. For example, Pablo uses the lower half of the left window panel for animating and defining the first character of the word. This would be better if it contained at least the first two characters, as most words are one or two characters. MDBG opens a complete character breakdown when you click on the word.

[recurve]

I second what jbradfor asked about:

"Test in which zdt gives me the English def and I need to enter the characters via IME."

I'd like to see this too. Right now, we can see a chinese character and pick an English definition. What is also needed is the opposite: To see an english word and allow us to both:

1) multiple choice pick a Chinese word

2) be able to type in the chinese word directly using our favorite input method.

Basically, Dim Sum has this feature but lacks the scoring and easy way of creating your own categories that ZDT has. What we need is a marriage of the two.

Thanks,

-- Aaron

[xianu]

Chris - First I have to say GREAT work on ZDT. I have been telling my students about it, and, though I don't require it in the advanced class, I use it to create vocab lists for the texts we use in class, to supplement the list already given in the book. I also add to the definitions and add parts of speech, and when I can think of an example and when the word or phrase really needs it, I add example sentences. All this gets exported to the course blackboard website as a txt file, and they just add it to their own ZDT. IT is really truly an outstanding tool.

There are two things I would really like to see: first is the ability to add symbols and english text to the flashcard words so that when it is something more like a sentence pattern, that needs a specific kind of word (like a verb, adj, etc), I can put it in the flashcard:

for example: N+感 a feeling of N, or "一V, 就V"

2nd is I think what you already have with the "note" feature, where I can add example sentences to a flashcard, so that I can explain patterns or more difficult to understand words.

Anyway, ZDT is a great tool, and I will say for myself and for my students, you rock!

[Radial]

One more addition that i would like to see...

Chinese definitions

I think after a while you want to get away from english definitions. It would be nice to have this built into the system. I guess it would involve a differnt dictionary... but I don't know about the technicalities.

[JenniferW]

I've just downloaded the files for ZDT version 7. I have only basic computer literacy (from years of office work), and would have appreciated the obvious: an instruction that I needed to download the whole set of files. Lots of applications seem to just involve downloading one thing - so that was what I was expecting. The file names weren't illuminating, so I took a guess and downloaded one of each name.

However, I now have no icon on the desktop and no way of running ZDT.

What do I do next? What does anyone suggest? Do I just do the obvious and go through the download process again?

My computer has Windows XP Home Version.

[jbradfor]

Install instructions are here:

http://zdt.sourceforge.net/main/installation/

Although they are out of date, they latest version is 0.7.0, not the 0.6.1 listed.

You also want to consider installed the updated dictionary and sound files. Files can be downloaded from here:

http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=133341

Install instructions for these are a bit different, basically you need to just copy the .jar files to a certain directory. Take a look at this thread for information on the sound files.

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/18104-help-with-sound

[chinopinyin]

Thanks a lot, bogleg, for your program, which I find very useful

Do you have plans to release a new version in the near future?

[jbradfor]

If you look at the date in the OP, that post is unfortunately over three years old. I don't think Chris (bogleg) has continued to work on ZDT for a while.