More Premium Topics

A few more Premium topics were added to gFlash this week.  They are:

• MCAT Flashcards
• EMT Exam Flashcards

The McGraw-Hill MCAT Flashcards (also available on Amazon) is a set of 600 key terms, concepts, and formulas that appear on the Medical College Admission Test.  The Barron's EMT Exam flashcards contains 71 EMT scenarios.

These flashcards sets can be downloaded from the gFlash Premium Library, which is available from the + (Add) button at the bottom of the gFlash screen.

Creating, Saving, and Sharing Flashcards Using gFlash

(Updated 9/6/12) Not sure of which approach to use for your next set of gFlash flashcards?  Here's a quick overview of the most common options and the advantages and disadvantages for each:

Approach	Advantages	Disadvantages
Use Google Spreadsheets	Use any web browser to enter and edit flashcards Share flashcards with your study group or the gWhiz Catalog content library Data is backed up on extraordinarily reliable servers (docs.google.com) Data is easily exportable to other programs Downloaded data can be used offline Supports multi-sided and user-defined multiple choice flashcards	Requires Google Account Requires internet access to create, edit or download Generally works best from a Mac or PC
Use the gFlash Editor	Can create and edit cards directly on the mobile device - no download necessary Flashcards can be created and edited without network access Include images from the photo library or from the camera Record audio directly from the device Can share via email or iTunes file sharing.	Only available on iOS
Use third party flashcard sites like StudyStack.com and Quizlet.com	Sophisticated flashcard creation, editing, and on-line study tools Data is easily exportable to other programs Study games and other features Large library of content	Requires internet access to create, edit or download Only available on iOS Additional charge to use on gFlash+

How do I share flashcards made with the gFlash Editor?

(Updated 9/6/12)


NOTE:  The gFlash+/gFlashPro Editor is currently only available on iOS.

The gFlash Editor is a great tool for creating and editing flashcards and is available right from within gFlash+ and gFlashPro.   So how do you share those device-created cards with another device or study partner?

Starting with our latest release (gFlash+ v22 /gFlashPro v5) it's really easy.

Let's say I have a flashcard set called State Population that I created using the editor, and now I want to share it with my iPad and with my friend.  The first step is to tap and hold the item in the flashcard list until it changes color.

When you release, it will bring you into the editor with the cards for that set loaded.

Next, tap the Export Set button at the bottom and choose either Email or iTunes File Sharing.  For most situations, email is the best option.

When you export a set, it writes the set information to a .gts file.   If the created set contains images or audio, everything will be contained in a .gts.zip file.  (For simplicity, we'll just refer to it as a .gts file for the rest of this post).

 

 

Sharing via Email 

If you select Email, the email composer window will be shown pre-populated with the flashcard set as a .gts  attachment.  Just set the destination emails into the To: field and select Send.

On the destination device, make sure that you've installed gFlash+ or gFlashPro, and then tap on the attachment.  A popup will be shown allowing you to open the .gts attachment.  

 

 

Sharing via iTunes File Sharing

If you select iTunes File Sharing, a message will be shown letting you know that the .gts file was written into a directory called "export" in the iTunes File Sharing area.  To get access to the file, connect your device to iTunes, select your device on the left panel, the Apps tab on the top, and the scroll down to the File Sharing area.  Select gFlash.

To save the directory to the file system, tap the Save to.... button.

The .gts file inside the export directory can then be emailed, or copied back into iTunes File sharing.  If you copy it back into iTunes File sharing, it will be loaded onto the device on the next device sync (it will also be removed from the iTunes File Sharing area).

Some other interesting things about sharing:

• You can convert .gts files into Google Spreadsheets for editing or transfer to non-iOS devices.  (Does not work for .gts.zip at this time {Sept 2012}).
• All sets on your device can be shared using this method with the exception of Premium content.  (in that case, just redownload to the other device)

How to back up and restore the gFlash database

Note: The backup/restore database feature is currently only available on iOS


The gFlash Database
As flashcard sets are downloaded, created, or edited from within gFlash, those flashcards and supporting information are recorded into a database.  This database is used by gFlash to keep track of the available flashcard sets, progress within each set, scoring, and more.

Are Database Backups Necessary?
For most gFlash users, there is normally no need to explicitly backup the gFlash database because the iOS system does it automatically.   And data downloaded from web sources (Google Spreadsheets, gWhiz Catalog, Premium Sets, StudyStack, Quizlet) can just be downloaded again.

However, there are still a few situations where a user might want to make a copy of their current gFlash database:

• To replicate the flashcard database on an additional device (or another user's device)
• As another level of "insurance" in case the iTunes/iCloud backup was unable to save the data

How To Make a gFlash Database Backup

1. From the gFlash home screen, select the List tab bar item.
2. Next, select the Export Database menu item.  This will export the database where we can access it in iTunes.  Note that Premium content will not be exported (since it can be downloaded at any time without additional charge).

3. Bring up iTunes on your Mac or PC.
4. Select your device from the left panel
5. Select Apps at the top.
6. Next, scroll down to the File Sharing area.  Select gFlash+ or gFlashPro
7. Drag the export directory from the Documents list to the desktop.  In the export directory is the gflash.sqlite file which is the actual database.   

How To Restore gFlash from a Database Backup

IMPORTANT!!! Restoring the database into gFlash will delete and replace the current database.  Do not restore a database if there is flashcard content on the restoration device that you do not want to lose.

1. From iTunes, select the gFlash device that you want to restore.  This may be the same device that the database was created on, or it may be another device that you are transferring the data to.
2. Select Apps at the top.
3. Next, scroll to the File Sharing section.  Select gFlash+ or gFlashPro.
4. Select the Add button and then navigate to the location of a gflash.sqlite file stored previously.  Select the gflash.sqlite and it will be added to the gFlash Documents list.

5. Make sure gFlash has been stopped (if you're not sure how to close an app, check here for instructions).
6. Restart gFlash.
7. The database will be restored and the Documents list in iTunes will be cleared.

New Premium Topics Available

We added four new premium titles to iOS gFlash last week.  They are:

• ARE in a Flash (PPI)
• LEED GA (Wiley CPE)
• AP European History (McGraw-Hill)
• AP World History (McGraw-Hill)

ARE is for the Architect Registration Exam and LEED GA is for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Associate.  The AP topics are for the Advanced Placement tests which were taken this past week (we really should time these things a little better).

These flashcards sets can be downloaded from the gFlash Premium Library, which is available from the + (Add) button at the bottom of the gFlash screen.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new gFlash+/gFlashPro blog!

With its ever-increasing popularity, we've decided gFlash needs its own blog.  We'll use this forum to provide up-to-date gFlash news, we'll address common and current support issues, and we'll  take some time to explore app features in depth.

We hope that you'll join in the discussion!