LearnWords2

A vocabulary learning component for flash cards using the Leitner system

Aim

The aim of the project is twofold

1. Provide a JavaScript library which keeps a collection of vocabulary questions in a database.
2. Provide data conversion and report functions for lists of words to learn.

It does not provide a GUI though it has a demo how a GUI could be constructed.

A vocabulary question may be picked at random and then depending on the answer a new date is noted for the question to be asked again. The time interval increases if the question has been answered correctly. To do this a step (or level) value is maintained for each question to determine the time period after which the question might be asked again.

This is known as spaced repetition.

HTML and LibreOffice Draw reports are provided for flash cards to be printed (experimental feature).

Setup

Assuming grunt-cli

npm install -g grunt-cli

is installed globally, do

git clone https://github.com/hhzl/LearnWords2.git
cd LearnWords2
npm install
grunt

The grunt command generates the files in the dist directory. These JavaScript files are the debug and minified versions of the LearnWords2 library (dist/LW.js and dist/LW-debug.js). They are copied to the public/js directory so the demo and Jasmine tests are using the "latest version" (i.e. derived from the JavaScript in src) of the library. The directory public/data/json contains the output data to be used by the library.

Note that maybe you have to do

sudo npm install -g grunt-cli
sudo npm install

To use the library:

<script src="<path>/LW.js"></script>

The file public/demo.html illustrates this.

API

• LWdb is the data access layer.
• LWBoxOfQuestions contains the application logic for a Leitner box

Code:

"use strict";
var lw = function(){

	var db = LW.LWdb('learnWords');

	var box = LW.BoxOfQuestions(db);
         
        // configuration

        .......

        box.importFrom(wordlist);

	return box;
}();

The construction above (IIFE) returns the BoxOfQuestions object ready for use.

If there is no configuration of the db you could as well just do

var lw = LW.BoxOfQuestions(LW.LWdb('learnWords'));
    lw.importFrom(wordlist);

Then access to everything goes through lw.method().

lw.importFrom(....);

lw.question();

lw.answer();
lw.answerOptions();

lw.moveQuestionBackwards();

lw.moveQuestionForward();

Note: If lw.moveQuestionBackwards() and lw.moveQuestionForward() are called repeatedly on the same question it has only an effect the first time. The next time lw.question() is called a new question is provided.

TODO: Add more usage examples.

Input data

Input data are CSV files with words and pictures in the directory data/csv.

Export data

Export data in as HTML report and Anki database are generated and put into public/data. The data to be used by the library is in public/data/json.

Specification and tests with Jasmine

In the browser

• on the command line do

  grunt
  

• then a browser window will launch and bring you to a Jasmine test harness page which is usually http://localhost:8000

On the command line with node

 npm test

Credits

Anatol Marezhanyi, for the https://github.com/e1r0nd/LearnWords project which implements data storage, Leitner box mechanism and a GUI.

The project here is based on ideas and originally on code from LearnWords but

1. implements the non-gui part only to allow other projects to use a library
2. is rewritten to a large extent
3. adds data conversion functions for word list preparation and production of printed flash cards.

Status

• Jasmine specs are set up and work both in the browser and on the command line.
• The LWdb (database layer) specification is set up and implemented with an MVP set of specs.
• release 0.2.2-beta has a MVP implementation for the Leitner box and may be used for development work.
• release 0.3beta2 will come soon.