fcprinter - CGI Interface
index.cgi is the main page to load into your browser. Here you can enter new vocabulary or download complete lessons either as text files or as PDF files for printing.
Note: fcprinter uses cookies to store all options. For example the last user name and all options for downloading PDF files. To take advantage of this feature you should enable cookies for your fcprinter web site.
Enter Data
After invoking the main page index.cgi the following elements appear in your browser.
Selecting a Lesson for a User
On the top there are two listboxes from which you can select your user name and the desired lesson if they already exist. If you want to create a new user or a new lesson for a certain user you can enter them on the page which you enter with the link Maintain lessons the right.
Enter Original and Translation
Once you have selected the desired lesson you are ready to enter new vocabulary data. The input fields are arranged in two colums: on the left there is the original language, on the right there is the translation. My intention was to have the topmost row contain the main expression. Below there are usually one or more examples or phrases.
When you click one of the expressions in the table on the bottom of the page all expressions from this group are copied into the edit area and the surrounding color changes. You can then edit your expression and replace the former data or discard it.
Note: All changes are irrevocable and there is no undo functionality.
Download Data
You can downlod the vocabulary in several file formats:
PDF to print the flash cards
CSV with semikolon as field separator
CSV with tabulator character as field separator
VT3 for further use in the Langenscheidt Vocabulary Trainer
The second line shows the total amount of expresions in the current lesson and how many pages would be printed with the previous download settings for a PDF file.
Display of the Current Lesson
A table contains all entries of your lesson. For space reasons there are only the main expressions from the topmost entry fields visible. On the right there are a links to delete the entries.
Note: All changes are irrevocable and there is no undo functionality.
Upload a Lesson from a Local File
If you prefer to enter your vocabulary in a spreadsheet application like OpenOffice Calc you can as well upload such a file. Be sure to arrange the columns correctly:
- The first columns contains the main expression in the original language.
- The second column contains the main expression in the translation.
- The next columns contain the example sentences in alternating languages.
For OpenOffice Calc there is an example file oo-vocab.ods which you can use a template and fill in your vocabulary. Once your sheet contains all the words you must export it as CSV file. It should look similar to oo-vocab.csv. Then fill in the following form. Besides user name and lesson you can choose to append the data to an existing lesson or to create a new one.
Depending on your browser the look of the form may vary a bit. The field right of "from file:" must contain the full path to your CSV file. Then press "Upload file".
Maintain Lessons
All your lessons are located in one of two areas:
The regular area with all the files which are currently in use.
The archive where you put the printed files which by definition will not change any more.
Work Area
In the work area you can archive, rename or delete your regular files.
Archive Area
In the archive you can restore files to the work area, rename or delete archived files.
Create New Lesson
To create a new lesson or user enter the according names and click the button to the right. To start entering data select the desired lesson from the work space and click the button right of the select box.
Download Archived Vocabulary
If you want to know if a certain word is already in some archived lesson you can either download a list with just the main expressions or a file with a complete list.
Download PDF files
Choose Layout Set
There is a list of predefined settings for certain amounts of cards on standard sheets of paper. Choose the one that suits you best and refine with more options below.
Set Card Appearance
You can vary the appearance of the card contents in several ways:
Typically the first expression is the main vocabulary whereas the other lines are just examples. So there is the possibility to print the first line in bold face to emphasis this.
If you don't have dedicated cutting machine you will probably use a sharp knife and a ruler to cut the cards. To support this you can print guide lines on the rear pages. In this case you might need to take care of you printer settings to achive equal sizes on each cards as this requires exact printing (but maybe you don't care about slightly varying sizes :-).
If you print cards for different persons it might be useful to also print their names on the bottom of each card.
The same applies to the lesson name.
Printing the current date might prove useful to find hard to remember vocabulary.
The main purpose of fcprinter is to print cards with little content. But of course it is also possible to add lots of content and reduce the font size.
Set Card Size
Depending on your content and the printable size you select a number of rows and columns on the pages. Usually the width and height of each card is the according fraction of rows and columns, but you may choose differing values. Since many printers cannot print the outmost borders of a sheet you can also leave some padding space around each card which is never used.
Download Pages in PDF file
After setting all desired values you should store them for later use. For this purpose you must enable cookies for your fcprinter web site. Alternatively you can reset all input fields to their values after loading the page.
In a last step you download the rendered PDF files. Depending on yor printer either as combined file with front and back side in one file. Or as separate files where you have to print the front pages first and then flip the paper and print the back side in a second pass.
