LinguaSpace

User Interface

Vocabulary Builder

Vocabulary builder is a main program window you see right after you run LinguaSpace. Here is the screenshot with the legend:

Vocabulary builder on the picture shows the German-English vocabulary. Vocabulary builder window consists from two parts: Language Panel and Translation Panel. Language Panel contains a list of the foreign (german on this picture) words. Translation Panel displays translations of the selected german word to English. Status line shows some information about selected word and translation. Menu and toolbar expose the commands you can issue to edit the vocabulary. Many commands are context specific and are enabled or disabled based on the current selection and focus. Commands are also available through the context menus of the panels. Here is the categorized list of all available commands:

File.

• New. (Ctrl-N) Create a new LinguaSpace Vocabulary file.
• Open. (Ctrl-O) Open an existing LinguaSpace Vocabulary file.
• Properties. (F4) Modify vocabulary properties.
• Save. (Ctrl-S) Save vocabulary.
• Save As. (Ctrl-Shift-S) Save vocabulary to the specific file.
• Close. Close vocabulary.
• Exit. (Alt-F4) Exit program.

Edit.

• New. (Insert) Insert a new word or translation.
• Edit. (Alt-Enter) Edit selected word or translation.
• Delete. (Delete) Delete selected word or translation.
• Move Up. (Ctrl-Up) Move selected translation up.
• Move Down. (Ctrl-Down) Move selected translation down.
• Find. (Ctrl-F) Find word.
• Filter. Filter the words list (Not implemented yet).

Navigate.

• Back. (Alt-Left) Navigate to the previously selected word.
• Forward. (Alt-Right) Navigate to the next selected word.

User.

• New. Create a new LinguaSpace User Settings file.
• Settings. (F10) Modify User Settings.
• Switch. Switch to the other User Settings.

Exercise.

• Flash Cards. (F5) Run Flash Cards exercise.

Help.

• Contents. (F1) Display help contents.
• Register. Register your copy of LinguaSpace software.
• About. Display an About dialog.

Vocabulary Properties

Vocabulary Properties window allows you to specify general properties of your vocabulary that depend on the language you learn and your native language:

Vocabulary Properties window allows to enter the following data:

• Name. A name of the vocabulary, e.g. "German-English".
• Description. Description is a pure adornment. You may want to put some comments about your vocabulary.
• Word Types. These are the parts of the speech as nouns, verbs, adjectives etc. You specify the type of the word to allow the exercise engine create meaningful exerceises for you.
• Categories. Categories allow you to organize your vocabulary into specific sections like "top 100 words", "math", "dining" etc.
• Target and Native Keyboard. An input language locale keyboard layout to use when typing the words of the language you learn and your native language. This keyboard layout will be set for you automatically to increase your typing efficiency.

Word Edit

If you issue the edit or new command in the Language Panel you will see a Word Edit window:

Word Edit window is a simple form that allows you to enter the following information:

• Word. Word consists from two parts: prefix and text. Prefix field can be used to save the article of the word. In some languages it carries an information about the word gender. Text is a word itself.
• Type. Word type is selected from the list of word types specified in the vocabulary properties.

Word Find

Word Find window allows you search the word you need and navigate to it:

Word Find window contains an edit box and a list box. As you type into the edit box, the contents of the list box are filtered to display only the words that contain the text from the edit box. You can easily locate the words with same root using the word find window.

Translation Edit

Translation Edit Window is probably the most complicated window in all LinguaSpace:

Translation Edit Window allows you to specify the following information about the translation:

• Translations. A list of words in your native language that reasonably match the meaning of the word. You can add, edit, move and delete them with the use of the toolbar.
• Synonyms. A list of words in the language you learn that mean similar thing. Learning synonims is an efficient learning technique that naturaly makes your language rich. LinguaSpace exercise engine also uses synonyms to generate better questions.
• Antonyms. A list of words in the language you learn that mean opposite thing. Again, learning antonyms is an efficient learning technique for you and good source for the LinguaSpace exercise engine.
• Definition. A definition of the foreign word given in the foreign language itself. Learning definitions is the most powerful way to memorize the words. You can use the dictionaries like Webster as a source for definitions.
• Example. An example of the word used in the real sentence. Example gives a meaningful context to the foreign word and make you "feel" how the word is used. You can visually highlight the word you learn if you put it into brackets: [Word]. You can also select the word and press a corresponding toolbar button or strike Ctrl-H.
• Categories. A checklist of categories this translation belongs to. You can select the word categories they way you think best.
• Prefix and postfix. Some words can require some other words (mostly particles) around them to be used in this particular meaning. You can fill the fields for prefix and postfix to memorize the context for this translation.

User Settings

User Settings Window exposes a few options you may find useful to tune the LinguaSpace:

Currently we have just two options exposed:

• Beep. If the program should make a beep when you hit and answer in flash cards exercise.
• Sleep. How much time (min) LinguaSpace should sit in the tray before waking up and ask you a question.

Flash Cards

Flash Cards window is the working horse of LinguaSpace:

Flash Cards Window contains a question, a list of answers to choose from and an example text that shows up after you make an answer. The LinguaSpace exercise engine constructs various types of flash cards for you combining words, translations, synonyms, antonyms and definitions you have typed into your vocabulary. The richer content you prepared, the better flashcards you get.

There are several button in the flash cards window to control the exercise. All of them have shortcuts so you can learn words with LinguaSpace in a very comfortable way:

• Next. Request the flash cards generator to construct a new flahs card.
• Answer. Answer the question on the flash card. You hit this button after you have selected the answer in the list. You might prefer simply hit Enter key.
• Prompt. Ask a flash card to show a right answer. The exercise engine will make a note of this and will be giving this word for you to learn more often until you prove you have successfully learnt it. You can hit Space key for the prompt.
• Sleep. Send a flash cards window to sleep in the system tray. LinguaSpace will wake up in some time and ask you again. Press Escape to send LinguaSpace to sleep.
• Stop. Finish an exercise and return to the vocabulary builder window. Usual Alt-F4 does that from keyboard.

Registration

Registration window allows you to purchase a key code for you copy of the software:

Registration window shows the product code of your software, a field to enter a corresponding key code and a paypal button to safely purchase the key code. You can read the purchase instructions here.

About

About window shows the copyright information: