SUMMARY

This program uses four main file formats, indicated by the suffixes:
  1. '.txt', for plain or Unicode text files
  2. '.lst' for lists
  3. '.voc' for personalised vocabularies complete with learning information
  4. '.html' for help files (like this one), grammar lessons and formatted footnotes.

If you wish to link your vocabulary to a book chapter, there are two other file formats, '.chp' and '.eng', discussed under the help topic 'Linking to a book chapter'.

Vocab files are editable within the Edit Dialog, whereas all the others ('.txt', '.lst', '.html', '.chp', and '.eng') are editable within word processors such as Windows Notepad, Word, or the Trainer's main Window.

WARNING: If you are working in Windows with the 'hide extensions for known file types' option set, and try to save a text file using Notepad or another Windows program, then Windows will probably assume you need a .txt (or .doc) suffix and just add it without asking you. The secretly added suffix will be invisible in all Windows programs, but will remain there as an integral part of the file name for all other programs. (Worse still, this behaviour is inconsistent. Annoyingly, the secret addition of '.txt' stops happening as soon as Windows decides that some suffix is a 'known' file type. Basically, this is when you tell it you like to open '.lst' or '.chp' files with Notepad). This has nothing to do with the Trainer, and happens with all suffixes that Windows does not know about. This behaviour can be turned off within the Folder Options of Windows Explorer, shown below.


Understanding File Formats - The Short Version.
Each of the file types has its own formatting considerations. Standard Text files ('.txt') have no significant formatting restrictions but need to be saved with the appropriate encoding ('plain text' for European languages, 'Unicode' for non-Latin scripts such as Japanese). List files ('.lst') are special text files in which each line contains one foreign phrase, a colon, and then its English definition (foreign phrase : English phrase). Optionally, extra information can be added to the list file, or the colon can be replaced by a direction marker, as described below. Vocab files ('.voc') are not intended to be human-readable, and must be edited through the Edit Dialog. The format of HTML files ('.html') will be familar to many users because this is the standard used in web pages: in an HTML file, formatting tags are placed in angled brackets. Most simple HTML tags can be used in a Cerebware HTML file, but hyperlinks and active content are not available. Chapter files in the target language ('.chp') or in English ('.eng') should consist of numbered paragraphs, with one sentence per paragraph and an empty line between paragraphs. Note that, for all of the text files ('.txt', '.lst', '.html', '.chp', and '.eng'), it is important to save the file with the correct encoding, and to open it on future occasions with the same encoding. Odd spacing or unexpected Asian scripts are usually a sign of inadvertently switched encodings - just reopen the file with the correct encoding and it will be readable. All help files (.txt or .html) must use Unicode.

The Long Version.
For each of the main Cerebware file types, the main features are described below.

STANDARD TEXT FILES (.txt)

Standard text files are simple files consisting of straight text without formatting information. They are suitable for editing within the Trainer (in Text Editor Mode), or within basic text processors such as Microsoft Notepad. Text files are used as source text when extracting vocabulary, and can be used for student notes. When the user requests a Help file or a Grammar lesson, Cerebware will first look for an HTML ('.html') file of the appropriate name and then, if none is found, load a standard text ('.txt') file. A useful approach for teachers is to write the lesson in a standard text file and then, when it is ready for formatting, choose 'HTMLise' from the Text Manipulation tools.

LIST FILES ('.lst')

Cerebware list files resemble dictionaries, with one entry per line. Each line consists of a foreign word to be learned, followed by a colon and then the English equivalent(s), like this:
und : and
der Hund : the dog
der Mann : the man ; the husband

Other optional elements can be added by users, as discussed below. Here are some examples of legitimate entries:
foreign phrase [prompt] : English [prompt]
foreign phrase [prompt] : English [prompt] {contextual-audio}
foreign phrase [prompt] : English [prompt] {| sentence-tag | grammar lesson}
foreign phrase [prompt] : English [prompt] (image.gif)

Note the vertical bars in the third example. These are used to distinguish between different types of added information. The number of bars must comply with specific formatting rules, explained in List file syntax.

If more than one English word or phrase is a suitable answer, the alternatives can be separated by semi-colons. Any of the English answers will be counted as correct. (Note that, for many Cerebware functions, such as hints, the first-listed meaning will be the one used).
stolz auf etwas : proud about something ; proud of something

Note that the reverse is not true: every foreign word needs its own entry.

Another way to handle synonyms is through 'prompts'. After the foreign word, but before the colon, users can add a prompt to indicate which English meaning is sought, when more than one is possible. The prompts should be contained in square brackets, like this:
sie [singular] : she
sie [plural] : they

(This situation could also be handled with a semicolon (sie : she ; they) but then the second meaning might not be learned. Besides, these are fundamentally different words, which happen to share the same spelling. As a general rule, if the English alternatives represent distinct meanings, create separate entries with prompts. If they merely represent synonyms, use a semicolon.)

Similarly, just after the English word, prompts can be added to differentiate which foreign word is sought when testing in the English-to-foreign direction:
Sie : you [formal]
du : you [singular, familiar]

In the case of synonyms, the prompt can indicate the first letter of the foreign word:
das Skelet : the skeleton [Starts with S]
das Gerippe : the skeleton [Starts with G]

List files can also contain optional comments in angled brackets. These are ignored when the list is imported.
die Geschichte : the story < need to confirm the gender of this word>

For a more complete discussion of the list-file syntax, see 'List file syntax'. Also, note the following typing shortcuts, which apply when the Trainer is used in Text Editor mode (To activate this, choose 'Text... New... New Plain Text File'; the upper window of the trainer becomes a text editor). When typed in the main text window:

  1. {?} expands to the set of tags that belong in curly braces,
  2. (?) expands to tags that belong in parentheses,
  3. [?] expands to tags that belong in square brackets, and
  4. |?| expands to a full listing of all possible tags.

VOCABULARY FILES (.voc)

A vocabulary file reflects a user's current knowledge of words and phrases in the target language. The program not only keeps track of words that are yet to be learned, but also words learned months ago, and how likely they are to have been forgotten. The program actually constructs a simple model of each user's memory. All the information that makes this possible is stored in a '.voc' file, in a computer-readable format. These are not text files, and they should not be opened except from the File...Vocab menu. They can be exported to a text format (File...Import/Export...Export List) but the resulting file does not contain individual learning data.


Because each vocab file represents the entire contents of a student's vocab memory, every user should have a single vocabulary file. This file should be backed up on a regular basis, as insurance against data loss, but only one main file should be used. If you have multiple vocabularies from different sources, and want to keep them separate, it is best to keep separate list files but nonetheless import all the lists into the same vocabulary file.


For each item in the vocab, the program stores:

  1. the foreign word and its possible English translations
  2. the prompts needed to differentiate synonyms
  3. an optional audio tag
  4. optional links to a book chapter
  5. the number of times the word has been attempted, and the success rate
  6. the results of the last 5 tests
  7. the date it was last tested
  8. whether or not it has been seen, learned, or confirmed
  9. an optional pictorial representation
  10. an optional mnemonic, using text or pictures

Many of these features can be edited using the 'Edit' button on the main menu. The learning data can be reset for individual items. New lists can be added via the File...Import/Export menu. Items can be deleted singly, or in a range, by choosing 'Vocab... Delete Item(s)'.

HTML FILES (.html)

HTML formatting is not described here, but several HTML tutorials can be found on the web. If you open an HTML file within the Main Cerebware Window, in Text Editor Mode, or open it within Notepad, then you will see the HTML source code. It will look something like this:
< h2> < font color="#5522aa"> SUMMARY< /font> < /h2>
This program uses four main file formats, indicated by the suffixes:
< ol>
< li type="disc"> < b> '.txt'< /b> , for plain or Unicode text files< br>

If you open the same file via the Help menu, or in a web browser, the bracketed tags are invisible, and the text is formatted. To write your own lessons, you can open up one of the Cerebware HTML files in Notepad and then copy the elements that suit your purpose. These might include coloured or styled text, pictures, or tables. It is also useful to choose 'View Source' within your web browser if you come across a webpage (such as a grammar lesson or declension table) that has material you would like to add to Cerebware.

If you have any queries about Cerebware file formats, please contact us. Remember, you do not need to understand these formats to use pre-prepared Cerebware content.