WorkLifeStudy.com™                  

You now have 2 choices to create your free cards:

A Simple interface to create cards one by one:  EasyUpload

or 

A Batch approach to create cards by the score: BatchUpload

Simple is great if you just want to create a few cards and don't want to mess around with syntax issues.   

Batch is a great if you need to create lots of cards and don't mind formatting your cards into the appropriate Syntax needed.

Some key points in creating cards that will make a difference:

Keep your Questions and Answers  SIMPLE.

Emphasize  the Key Words or Concepts you need to remember.

UTF-8 supports an enormous number of characters:

[Note: Even if your browser can't see the symbols above, they will display properly on StudyCards™]

Complex Math Symbols: ∭,⊢,⊿; 

Braille: ⠏,⠗,⠝;

Musical Notation: 𝄢,𝄞, 𝇊

as well as 650 languages.   

[Note: Even if your browser can't see the symbols above, they will display properly on StudyCards™]

Note: StudyCards™ does not currently support Images, or Right/Left Languages (e.g. Arabic, Hebrew). The characters themselves display fine, but the order is reversed from what you would expect.  Users have managed to prepare cards in Arabic and Hebrew but there is some extra effort required.

As always, WorkLifeStudy.com™ is not liable for content.  By using this site to create your own cards you agree to abide by all applicable laws.  You are warned that WorkLifeStudy.com™ will delete any content created on this site at will and without warning.   Please be sure you've downloaded  content and back it up using the tools provided within iTunes.   WorkLifeStudy.com™ cannot be held responsible for the loss or corruption of data.

What tool do I use to enter my cards? How much does it cost?
Both tools are FREE for you to use.   You can type directly into the web form.  

For the Simple Interface:

• Type in a Deck Name
• Click on the First Question Field
• Enter a question
• Tab to the Answer Field
• Enter an Answer
• Tab to the next Question Field
• Continue until you're done

Press Submit if you're happy or Reset to Delete everything you entered.

Warning - If your cards fail for some reason the 'back' button will NOT restore your card info.  You will need to reenter all your data.   

For the Batch Interface:

Batch users may want to prepare their text using and  editor, word processor or spreadsheet.   Any text editor.  If you're using a Mac - TextEdit is fine (I use BBEdit), on the PC Notepad.exe works well (I use UltraEdit).  There is even one user who wrote herself a small utility in MS Word and she uses that tool to create her cards.   Bravo!!!  Be creative, you already have access to the tools you need, you don't need anything else.

What else do you need me to enter?
You simply format your questions and answers into two columns.  Questions and Answers...  Well there is a little more you need to enter since StudyCards needs to understand where the Question ends and the Answer begins.   To do this StudyCards relies on delimiters, a fancy word for punctuation.    Since I can't use periods or commas the delimiter I chose  is really 3 characters in a row:

|,|   

[a vertical bar a comma and a vertical bar.]

To indicate the end of a card I use a different character string :

|<<|  

[vertical bar, 2 less-than signs and a vertical bar.]
 
In addition to Question and Answer I also need to know if you would like to force this card to Always show the Question First.   To do this I look for a number in the third column, either a 0 (zero) or a 1 (one) .  A one indicates that you want the question to always appear first whenever you get to this card.


When would I want Questions First?
You might want this for math problems like

Question: 3+4=      

Answer : 7  

It would not make sense to see the 7 and then try to figure out what the question is.  It could be 6+1, 5+2 3+4 and so on.
Or fill in the blanks -  

Question: ________ invented the light bulb.    

Answer:  Thomas Edison.  

It would not make sense to see Thomas Edison and then guess what the question would be.   The guy did a lot.    For most other cards you would just enter a 0 (zero).  This allows either face to show first and works well for definitions and associative learning situations.   Personally,  I like this for definitions, studying foreign words, state capitals, etc.

  

I need Examples.
Here is a simple example in the proper format:

Your First Question Here|,|Your Answer|,|0|<<|
Your Second Question Here|,|Your Answer|,|0|<<|
Your Third Question Here|,|Your Answer|,|0|<<|

Note the |,| between the question and answer, also note the |,| between the answer and the zero.  The zero is followed by |<<| to indicate the end.   If you have ANY trouble with this please don't hesitate to write.

I don't like to type that much, is there a quicker way?
I don't like typing either so I usually just type a bunch of lines with the formatting in place:

   |,|   |,|0|<<|
   |,|   |,|0|<<|
   |,|   |,|0|<<|

After that I just copy and paste my questions and answers into the appropriate blank areas.   It is VERY fast, and I don't make any mistakes!

A user shared a GREAT suggestion!   What he does is end each Question with a "!" character and ends each Answer with an "@" symbol.  Once he's finished he does a simple Search  & Replace for the "!" changing it to a "|,|" and does another Search & Replace for the "@" changing it to a "|,|0|<<|".   What a CREATIVE solution!   You could use any character!  User !!! and @@@ if you have the ! or the @ in your text.  But that makes it so easy to Create your Own Cards!

Here's another suggestion for using EXCEL -  Put your questions in Column A, your Answers in Column B, then put this formula in Column C:

=A1&"|,|"&B1&"|,|0|<<|"

This adds all the syntax needed automatically.

You'll need to use a unique name for each deck you create.   You can reuse a name if you are making changes to an existing deck you just created.   You just want to be unique from other users decks.   I recommend putting your intials or some other character combination to distinguish your deck from others. 

You can many cards - fast.   For example -  I did a listing of 750 GRE/SAT definitions within 5 minutes.   I would not have wanted to enter these through my iPod interface, or use the Simple interface for this.    I could have, but it would have taken me longer, and I am very impatient.

Click on this link to take you to the page and start creating your own cards.   Hundreds of new cards are created every day at:
 www.worklifestudy.com/Upload_Beta.html

Okay now that I've created a deck how do I see it?
That's easy.  Once you submit your cards you will need to go to the iPod/iPhone and click the Add button at the top (the Plus "+")  Then click Download in the upper right.   Once the screen shows a listing of Categories find the Staging area.   This is where the deck you named in the page is.   Just tap on that name and your new deck will download into your device.  [Note:  If it is a very long file (hundreds of cards), you'll need to be patient while that wheel is spinning.]   Once the download is complete your new deck will appear at the bottom of the stack of decks.  

How Long will my deck stay out in the Staging area?

Not long, 2 days tops.   Right now I try to clean out decks over a day old.   If you have something you want to keep be sure to download it quickly.   If you want to share it with others Upload it to another Category.   Please share.

If you delete the cards from Staging what happens if I need my cards again?

Staging is only the temporary place new cards are created in.  Once you've downloaded, edited and are satisfied with your cards, you can Upload them again to a Topic Appropriate Category.   Others will be able to find your cards there.

Wow that's nice, I bet others would like this deck too.   My Deck is GREAT!
You can Upload your deck into the appropriate category.  You created your cards in the Staging Category but you may want others to find it in Language, Biology, Exams, Math and so on.   

At the Decks page, tap on Edit (the Pencil or Slash sign "/").  Green Circles with Plus signs will appear down the left side.  You can now tap on any green circle and it will take you to the Deck Details window.  Tap on the Upload button at the top.  This will connect back to the same server you downloaded from and you can choose where you would want your new deck to go.   As soon as you select a directory, the file will begin uploading.   Nope, you can't stop it once it starts, so choose wisely.    Once finished the program takes you back to the Deck Details page.   Call, IM, or email your friend to let them know it's out there.

Nice program but I want more...
First and Foremost - StudyCards™ was designed to be stable and useful.   There are a ton of features I could have included which would have added a glossy shine and a "WOW" factor.   Unfortunately, StudyCards™ would have fallen prey to the same problems many other applications have.  Some iPhone apps are breaking due to their implementation of these WOW features.   StudyCards™ is primarily a learning tool.   I want it fun, but mostly I want it useful.    I will continue to support and improve StudyCards™ and will add new features that do not risk its stability or usefulness.   Any suggestions you have to help this application become more useful for yourself or others is welcome.   As anyone who has written to me can attest, I respond quickly and effectively.
I will be posting feature recommendations on this site so you can see what I'm seeing.   I'll also update the list to show you what's been implemented and what's still on the plate.  
Updates will most likely occur on a monthly or quarterly basis depending on the value of the changes.    Once I update the application I must resubmit the application to Apple for their review.  [This is a good thing, but it adds time to each revision.]

-Mike