Quizzler File Format
All Quizzler quiz files begin as plain text files
using this special format. Quizzler for Palm allows you to import
these text files from the Memo Pad (Quizzler
Pro can import from Doc files too), and creates quiz database
files from the text file. Once you have created the text file in
the correct format, you use the "Import" button on the
Quiz List screen to select the file and convert it.
Since you can make your own quizzes very easily just
by creating a memo in the standard Memo Pad application that comes
with every Palm OS device, this means that you can either use your
desktop computer (Windows or Macintosh) to enter the quiz data,
or if you have a Palm keyboard you can make your quizzes right on
your Palm device.
Pocket PC Users: Version 3 of Quizzler for
Pocket PC is available now. Pocket PC users should upgrade so you
can use quizzes with the newer file format. Since Quizzler for Pocket
PC does not currently have an "Import" function, you can
use Quizzler Maker on your PC to make quizzes.
Long Quiz Format: See New
Long Quizzler File Format for details on a new file format that
is ideal for creating larger quizzes.
A Simple Quiz
The first two lines of every quiz must begin with
the #quizzler tag and the #name tag. You follow these two lines
with some number of question/answer lines and other optional special
tags that are described below. Using these tags you can create quizzes
that operate in a wide variety of ways for many different purposes.
Here is a very simple quiz text file that does not
use any optional tags:
#quizzler
#name demo
What color is an apple?
red;blue;purple
What color is the sky?
blue;red;green;orange
(Note that blank lines are optional, but must not be found between
a question and an answer. The first answer listed is always the
correct answer)
Required Tags
#quizzler
Every quiz must begin with this tag on the first line. This
is a marker that identifies this quiz as a Quizzler quiz. You can
actually put anything you want after the tag, and doing so makes
it easier to identify in a list of memos.
#name x
Every quiz must have this tag on the second line. "x"
is the name of the quiz as seen by the PalmOS system after importing
the text file, and is limited to 32 characters. For PocketPC systems,
this tag is ignored (but must still be present).
Optional Tags
#author x
"x" is a string that will be displayed on screen with
the other options when a quiz is selected. Usually this will contain
the author's name and/or contact information. The string is limited
to 63 characters.
#moreinfo
Use this tag to include more info about your quiz. In Quizzler
2.0, this extra info is available by tapping the "More"
button on the Quiz Options scrreen. You might use this to include
an explanation of your quiz, or a scoring table (like "5-10
correct = pretty smart"). The information you provide is limited
to 255 characters.
#chapter x
Use this tag in the middle of your questions to insert chapter
markers. If you are going to insert chapter markers, you should
insert one right before the first question. A quiz with chapter
markers will allow the user to take portions of your quiz (one chapter
at a time), or the entire quiz. "x" is the name of the
chapter and is limited to 23 characters.
#delimeter x
The normal delimter that separates answers is a semicolon. If
you want to include semicolons within an answer, you need to choose
a different character for your delimeter. "x" must be
a single character.
#oneguess
Only one guess is allowed for each question, so if the guess
is wrong, it won't be revealed which answer is correct. This only
applies to multiple choice style quizzes.
#scoreatend
Use this tag to keep a user's score hidden until the quiz is
over. Only one guess is allowed for each question (just like the
#oneguess tag), and there will be no indication if each guess is
right or wrong. This only applies to multiple choice style quizzes.
#nonavigate
Use this tag to disable all navigational functions while taking
the quiz. This forces the user to answer each question in turn.
This could also be useful as a "demo mode" setup in which
a Palm is passed around a group and you want to keep things simple.
This tag will disable the Next and Previous buttons, and the Goto
menu item.
#timer x
This tag imposes a time limit for students taking the quiz.
When the time limit expires, the quiz will end automatically. "x"
is the number of seconds allowed for the quiz. (Starting with version
2.6, this no longer required the Pro version)
#useallanswers
This is a shortcut for creating a multiple choice quiz without
coming up with all the possible (wrong) answers. You simply include
one possible (correct) answer for each question, and while taking
the quiz in multiple choice mode, the user will see 5 possible answers
which have been randomly selected from all the other questions.
For example, you could create a vocabulary quiz and provide only
the correct answer for each question, but still take the quiz in
multiple choice mode.
#norandom
Used to stop Quizzler from displaying answers in random order.
See New Long Quizzler File Format
for details.
#longformat
Used to swtich to different quiz format that is ideal for larger
quizzes with longer answers. See New Long
Quizzler File Format for details.
#newline
Sometimes you want to insert carriage returns (line feeds) into
your questions or answers to get them to look better on the screen.
If you use this tag near the beginning of the quiz, then you can
insert a tilda (~) and when the question or answer is displayed
on screen, a carriage return will occur in place of the tilda. For
example, "what is this~formula" will appear on two lines.
#
Any tag that begins with "#" but doesn't match a valid
tag will be ignored. You can use the symbol "#" followed
by a space to insert comments into your quiz text file.
##x
This tag is actually inserted after a possible answer, just
before the semicolon or end of line. "x" is the number
of points that should be awarded for that answer. When using "special
points" in this manner, only one guess per question is permitted
(just like the #oneguess tag).
For example, your question/answer might look like
this:
How many times per day do you comb your hair?
zero##0;one to three##5;more than three##10
If the second answer is selected, then 5 points are
awarded. You can use this tag to set up a multiple choice quiz with
more than one "correct" answer. The amount of points you
award must be less than 256.
Tags Supported by Quizzler
Pro/Quizzler Maker Only
(Quizzler Pro 2.x and Quizzler Maker allows you to
create new quizzes with the following features. Once created, either
Quizzler or Quizzler Pro can be used to view the quizzes and use
the special features.)
#exam
This simple tag enables several features that are useful for
educators when conducting a real "test", rather than just
a study quiz. It is designed to simulate an actual exam environment
and prohibit cheating. This tag does all of the following:
Note that this is similar in some ways to the "Exam Mode"
option that a user can choose before taking a quiz, but a quiz that
is built with "#exam" can never function in any other way.
This is a very powerful tool combined with "#limituse" and/or
"#timer".
##PICTURE:NUMBER
This tag is placed at the end of a question, and links that
question to a picture that is stored in a separate database file.
You give the name of the database file, and the picture number.
For example, if there was a picture file named "fruits"
and a picture in that file with ID 3000, you would phrase the question
like this:
What type of fruit is this?##fruits:3000
apple;orange;grape
This is a new tag introduced with version 2.5. Currently,
only Quizzler Pro can create a quiz with pictures.
Quizzler Maker will be updated in the near future. The free Quizzler
can view quizzes with pictures.
Starting with version 2.6, you can link to JPEG images
stored on a memory card, like this:
What type of fruit is this?##fruits.jpg
apple;orange;grape
More info on how to create
a quiz with pictures.
#scorecode x y
This tag provides a means of certifying the score. You can request
that a user provide you with the "Score Code" to verify
what score they achieved when taking the quiz. The Score Code can
be obtained by selecting the appropriate menu item in the Quiz Options
section of Quizzler.
When using this tag, set "x" to a multiplier
value that will be multiplied by the actual score, and set "y"
to an offset that will be added to the result. For example, if the
actual score was 10 and you use this tag: "#scorecode 5 -20",
then the Score Code generated for this score would be 10 X 5 -20,
or 30.
#limituse x
This allows you to create a quiz that can only be taken a limited
number of times before it is disabled. This can be used as a form
of copy protection so you can distribute a demo version, or as a
way to prevent a student from taking a quiz repeatedly to get a
better score. If you use this in conjunction with the "#nobackup"
tag and beam your "fresh" quiz to a student, there will
be no easy way to reload a new quiz to get more uses.
#nobeam
Quiz authors creating a commercial quiz might want to disable
beaming as a form of copy protection. This tag will prevent the
quiz from being beamed to another device.
#nobackup
This type of quiz will not be backed up on the desktop during
a HotSync operation. This is another form of copy protection that
you might desire.
#noscore
Use this tag to completely hide the score so that there is no
indication at all of incorrect or correct answers. You could use
this tag along with the "#scorecode" tag for a certification
type quiz, or as a means to provide a demo version of a commercial
quiz.
#protect nnnn
nnnn is a number from 1000 to 32000. This is a code that must be
entered before the quiz can be taken. If you also include the #limituse
tag in a quiz, it must come AFTER the protect tag. In that case,
you can take the quiz without entering a key code until the specified
number of uses is used up, after that the key code must be entered.
After entering the key code, the quiz is permanently unlocked for
unlimited use (even if beamed to someone else).
Questions and Answers
You can include up to 1000 questions in a quizzler
file. Just insert each question on one line, followed by up to four
answers on the next line. Update: Version 2.3 of Quizzler
now supports up to 10 possible answers. Each answer can be up to
128 characters, and is separated by semicolons. The total number
of characters in the question and all possible answers is 512. Update:
Version 2.7 of Quizzler raises the total length limit to 8191 characters!
The first answer listed on each line is the
correct answer. The order will be scrambled when viewed
with Quizzler. (See New Long Quizzler
File Format for an alternative method)
We recommend 3 or 4 possible answers in every quiz
so that multiple choice becomes an option. Also, try to keep most
answers less than 32 characters so they can be viewed more easily
on the handheld screen.
Here is an example of a question and 3 possible answers:
What planet is closest to the Sun?
mercury;venus;mars
Examples
Here is a quiz file that includes two chapters, and
some questions have more than one correct answer (worth 1 point):
#quizzler my demo
#name my demo
#author By John Covele, www.QuizzlerPro.com
#chapter The Planets
What planet is closest to the Sun?
mercury;venus;mars
Which planet gets much hotter than the earth?
mercury##1;venus##1;pluto
#chapter Science
What is boiling point of water?
212 degress##1;depends on altitude##1;200 degrees;150 degrees
Which weighs more: a ton of lead or a ton of feathers?
they are the same;feathers;lead
