Kanji Sketch Pad Syntax Guide
If you only want to use pre-prepared lists in the Kanji Sketch Pad, you dont need to know anything about the list file syntax. Just import a list of kanji using the Target Dialog or the Import button on the Mnemonic Dialog, and let the program take care of the rest. If you want to create your own list files, though, or you want to print out your vocabulary as a plain text file, then read on.
When your vocabulary is created or extended, the new vocabulary data is read from a plain text file with the suffix '.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). Multiple English definitions can be separated by semicolons:
犬 : dog
大: big ; large
The Cerebware Vocab Trainer offers a large number of features that can be added to vocabulary items, and these require their own syntax. For instance, there are ways of specifying audiofiles that should be played for each item, grammar lessons that should be loaded when the item first appears, and sentences showing the word used in context. Items can be marked as one-way or two-way, as compulsory multi-choice items, and so on. The Kanji Sketch Pad uses a very small subset of this full syntax. In fact, there are just three special fields that you need to know about if you want to write a list file: the mnemonic image tag, the mnemonic text, and the multi-choice marker.
Fields in Round Parentheses
The full Cerebware syntax specifies three different fields that can appear within round parentheses after the English definition, separated by vertical lines: (main image | mnemonic image | mnemonic text). Empty fields should be represented as blank spaces - for instance, the main image field is not relevant to to the Kanji Sketch pad in its current form, and will generally be empty. The two common formats in kanji list files are as follows:
kanji : English phrase ( | mnemonic.gif | mnemonic text)
kanji : English phrase ( | | mnemonic text)
The 'mnemonic image' field refers to the filename of an optional image that may help a student remember the kanji or kana. The tags should include the appropriate file suffix (such as 'cat.gif'), but the full path name is not required because the program will look for the files in the images folder. Supported formats include PNG, BMP, GIF and JPG files. Online images can also be referenced with their full address, 'http:\\... etc'. If there is a mnemonic image, it must appear between the two vertical lines, like this:
う : u ( | hiragana_u_mnemonic.gif | Picture a rock landing on your back, making you say ''uugh'')
The third field, occurring after the second vertical line but before the closing parenthesis, contains the full text of the mnemonic for that item. Because it must come third, even if the other fields are not needed, this text will often appear after a parenthesis and two vertical lines, like this:
日 : sun ( | | Began as a circular sun with a spot in the middle. Used in lots of other characters.)
An entry in a list file always consists of a single line with a carriage return at the end - even if it is displayed as flowing onto the next line there can be no actual 'return' character within the entry. Multi-paragraph mnemonics must therefore be entered with a return symbol ↵ consisting of a bent arrow rather than an actual return. This unicode character can be entered by typing [ p ] without the spaces; it will be replaced by the ↵ symbol as you type. Note that, if you edit the mnemonic itself during a normal Kanji Sketch Pad session, you can enter carriage returns; these are converted to ↵ symbols behind the scenes.
The Multi-choice Marker
The Kanji Sketch Pad will revert to multiple choice format whenever an item has proven difficult in the past, and whenever it is testing usage knowledge. It is also possible to indicate that an item should always be tested in multiple choice format. Just place the '&' character at the end of the entry.
ゴ : go &
Prompts in Square Brackets
Occasionally, a vocabulary item must be disambiguated, usually when there are synonyms or homonyms involved. To add extra explanatory information, put it in square brackets after the English keyword. (For an item that was intended to be tested in the Japanese-to-English direction, a prompt might be needed after the Japanese but before the colon, to appear as a prompt with the Japanese, and this is quite common with vocabulary lists in the Vocab Trainer. Prompts on the Japanese side are not needed for simple kanji lists, though, because these are always tested in the Japanese-to-English direction.).
The RTK kanji list was specifically designed to have one unique keyword for each kanji, so it should not need any prompts. The Henshall list does not have unique key words, but the combination of English words should be unique for each item. Prompts have been used in the kana lists, however, to distinguish between two kana with similar pronunciations:
ず : zu [main form]
づ : zu [second form]
The prompt syntax has also been used to indicate additional information about each kanji, such as the grade and stroke count, which currently only appears in the List view of your vocabulary, or when you convert it back to a text file.
Fields in Curly Braces
If you study a list file in a text editor, you may see some fields in curly braces, like this:
ア : a {||Katakana}
These indicate categories used in the Vocab Trainer and can be ignored in the context of the Kanji Sketch Pad. If you want to migrate across later, tags can be added when needed.
Fields in Angled Brackets
Several list files contain comments within angled brackets. These are stripped as the list is imported. This is a good place to leave information about the origin or authorship of a list file.
Summary
All of this may seem daunting to a beginner but just remember, you don't actually need to write a single list file. You can just use the ones provided. And if you do want to try writing your own list, the only important fields for kanji lists are the mnemonic image, mnemonic text field, and multi-choice marker.