Radicals - Sneak Peek

Hi Beta Testers,

The radical-feature is nearly complete, but has not been tested on a naive computer. It relies on a specific radical-capable font, Code2000, which will need to be installed prior to use. The program should take care of the details, but there are bound to be a couple of problems to sort out when tried on different systems.

If you are prepared to test what might be a rough version, the download link is here. Please report any problems. This is version 2.749, and the debugged version will be 2.75.

If you need the Code2000 font, and cannot get it automatically within the program or manually from the Cerebware site, another link is here.

This version still contains a couple of minor faults that are on my to-do list:
- a couple of kanji need to have their vectors tidied up because of unwanted intersections
- the RTK keyword needs to be added during MCQ testing
- the filename of newly-opened text files in the Text Editor needs to be updated
- the backup of the main vocab file needs to be fine-tuned, which is only a problem if you are changing filenames

One feature, the 'learner profile', has been partially introduced. The GUI features have been created but, in this version, do not yet modify the actual learnng settings. This will be sorted out in version 2.76.

If you find other problems with this version, please report them below.

Cheers,

Craig.

Reviewing/Remembering the Kanji (RTK) Links

Kanji.Koohii.com
Some of you are already using this site for extra information about the kanji you are learning. One of the best features of this site is the shared 'stories' or mnemonics, which are ranked by other users of the site so you can quickly find the popular ones. Registration is free, so you might as well join.

Within the Kanji Sketch Pad, the Internet button offers you a chance to get to the stories for your current kanji with a single mouse click. First you need to add the site to your list of sites within the file KanjiWebsites.txt. (In fact, the address is already there - all you have to do is removed the angled brackets to activate the link. The reason I've added this step is that registration at koohii is necessary before using the site.). Then you can cut and paste your favourite stories straight into the Kanji Sketch Pad.

RTK Reviews
While browsing, I have also come across a couple of reviews of the RTK method. These reviews don't refer to the Kanji Sketch Pad, but do describe many of the ideas behind the KSP approach. If you are just starting out, and find the idea of learning 2000 kanji daunting, these reviews might help you decide on the method that suits you...

Review 1
Review 2

5 Biggest Mistakes
You might find this link interesting, too. Are you making any of these mistakes? Does the Kanji Sketch Pad encourage any of these mistakes? Do you even agree with the list?

Last known stable version - 2.742

So far, reports on Version 2.742 indicate that it is stable, with very few stalls or glitches. No doubt it does have some minor problems, but I am going to leave a link to it here in case future versions cause people trouble.

Known Issues:
- a couple of kanji need to have their vectors tidied up because of unwanted intersections
- the RTK keyword needs to be added during MCQ testing
- the filename of newly-opened text files in the Text Editor needs to be updated
- the backup of the main vocab file needs to be fine-tuned, which is only a problem if you are changing filenames

You can get a copy here.

Radicals

Version 2.75 introduces radicals - when each kanji is introduced, the component radicals will be displayed at the bottom of the mnemonic window. Hovering over those radicals will display their names. Clicking on any of those radicals will cause the browser to open up to this post. If the radicals are also kanji in their own right, then the relevent page from jisho.org will be loaded as well. Clicking on the radical button will open a small window displaying the kanji, its radicals, and the names of the radicals in Japanese and English.

Please coment below this post to report any mistakes you find in the radical list for any kanji, or to request the addition of new radicals.

Later versions will link each radical to a more specific page dedicated to that radical, as well as to a more general tutorial on radicals and how they can be used, so in many ways this post is a temporary placeholder.

Please send me an email if you would like to test the radical feature before I release it.

Version 2.74

This version fixes the known bugs in 2.73 and 2.72, but may still have minor issues.

Download here. (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3155259/KanjiPad%202.742.zip)

Please report any new problems.

Version 2.72 available - now 2.73

Version 2.72 is NO LONGER available from the main Cerebware website, but 2.73 is available via Softpedia, and will soon be available Cerebware as well.

Licences for the full version are FREE if you are prepared to be a beta tester - just send me your user number.

Version 2.72 added a new list view, a new usage-preferences dialog, grid-lines on right-clicking a blank page, undo facilities in the text editor (Ctrl-Z or Shift-Ctrl-Z) and a few other minor enhancements. Details to follow.

Version 2.73 added one round of bug fixes, but not enough! Version 2.74 will be a bug-fix release, hopefully in the next couple of days.The only new feature is a modification of the 'Claim' button so that you can declare a known item to be easy, which has the effect of increasing its review interval.

Version 2.75 will start to add radical/primitive information for each kanji.

List View

Version 2.72 is nearly ready for testing.

It offers a few new features, one of which is an improved List view...

Within this window, it is possible to import individual items to specific locations (above or below the currently selected item, as shown with the horizontal black arrow). Items can be moved up or down the list (curved arrows), or cut and then pasted in a new location (the scissors). Clicking on the left-most button switches to the standard vocab management window where you can import multiple items at once from a .lst file.

The search function (magnifying glass) allows you to find items within your list by typing any part of the item. If the first item found is not the one you want, click it again.

Please report any bugs you find.