Anki with Flashcards Deluxe

[HoushaSen]

Background: I am sure there are several of you out there like to create cards on desktop and review on the ipad/iphone. It just simply easier to use actual full sized keyboard. I have been searching for various ways to achieve this, but only officially supported approach I came across was relatively expensive app with desktop counter part only available on Mac. Alternatively, some may say what about using Quizlet or other major flashcard website? The main issue with this approach for me was I use tons of images on my cards. But many of these sites restrict media use unless you sign up and pay monthly dues.

Solution: Now, it is not single step path and definitely not officially approved method but Anki desktop application works with Flashcards Deluxe!

Steps:
1. First download Anki desktop application. Available for free on multiple platforms including PC and Mac. The interface is amazingly good. You can simply drag and drop images or even straight from clip board images onto the cards.
2. Launch the Anki desktop application. First card must be Text 1 (front), Text 2 (back).
3. Now simply keep adding cards as if you were to create regular deck. Even multiple images on one side is fine.
4. Select export with option of text file tab delimited.
5. Copy this file text file along with media directory into Dropbox Flashcards Deluxe Folder.
6. Change the name of the media directory to Flashcards Deluxe format i.e. on Anki, media directory is named as DeckName.media so take out . and replace with space.
7. Now simply download the card from Flash Deluxe on your ipad/iphone.

*Step 2 can be bypassed but if that's the case, you have to manually open the text file and add the line on top; otherwise, image files will not be recognized by Flashcards Deluxe due to the fact without the line it consider the file as older import format.

Hope/Request:
I know it's not official so probably won't happen but if following two changes are made on the Flashcards Deluxe, we can save couple steps from above i.e. becomes as simple as export and drag and drop.
1. Allow image tag recognition on original import format i.e. without Text 1 & Text 2 first line.
2. Allow DeckName.media folder as an alternative folder name to "DeckName Media."

In any event, if you are making tons of card like myself this would save time.

Good luck

[HoushaSen]

Advanced Option:

You can actually create extra sides on Anki desktop. So basically you can do whatever you want to match up with FlashCards Deluxe column.

For example, I wanted to add category. In order to do this, I made three sided cards deck on Anki.

The very first card was named Text 1, Text 2 and Category 1.

I'm sure you can do the same for Category 2 or even multiple choice format.

Afterall, the only thing we may need to ask Flashcard Deluxe developers is simply make alternative directory name option of Deckname.media. !!

[Ernie]

Wow, thanks for the post! I'll need to try this out. If the only thing you are looking for now is to get out of having change a "." to a space in the directory name, I feel pretty good. Ha.

I'll consider adding some better support for importing Anki data, including sounds.

[HoushaSen]

Yeah. I personally think you can make this as one of the sales points especially as official Anki Ipad software cost ridiculous $25. And probably there is no other free desktop flashcard application as good as Anki.

It even allows us to make italisized, bolded, or even colored text without actually hardcoding html tags. Flowless integration with Anki would be really great and in fact with built in ability to download from Dropbox, I think we are 90%+ there already. Of course for full integration, we can do little here and there to take out any extra steps. Allowing .media folder name convention in addition would take one extra step away.

*I personally don't use any sound so not sure how that works.

[Guest]

It would be great to use Anki to make flashcards, particularly because it allows you to paste images directly into the flashcards.

However, I'm having some trouble getting images to show up correctly in Flashcards Deluxe using the method described above. I'm able to get the absolute img tag (<img src="url/etc.jpg") to work, but the relative img tag <img src="etc.jpg"> doesn't work. This is a problem because Anki outputs with the relative image format.

For example, if I make the following flashcard test.txt within the folder Dropbox/Flashcards Deluxe/ :

Text 1 Text 2
ABSOLUTE LINK PICTURE<br /><img src="url/OandA_small.png" /> RELATIVE LINK PICTURE<br /><img src="OandA_small.png" />

and the image "OandA_small.png" is within the folder Dropbox/Flashcards Deluxe/test Media , Flashcards will properly display the absolute link but won't display the relative link. I get the feeling I'm missing something simple here, but haven't been able to figure it out. Any help would be appreciated.

Edit: had to delete the urls so the forum software would let me post

[Ernie]

In the dropbox download screen, tap the gear icon at the top right and change "Text Format" to "Basic TSV".
("TSV" will interpret quotes differently.)

I assume this will fix your problem. I need to update the app to be a little more smart about this...

Sorry for the trouble.

[Guest]

That did it, thanks!!

It might be helpful to include the "basic TSV" hint in the "About Dropbox" instructions on the main page.

[Ernie]

Ok, thanks for the suggestion. Glad it's working.

[Hilarior]

HoushaSen, I'new here. I'd like to now how did you manage to create three sided cards on Anki?

[Ernie]

Hi Hilarior,

He probably won't see your question since he was a guest.
I don't know how to create 3-sided cards with Anki so can't answer, but posting on an Anki forum would probably be a better place to ask.

Ernie