Distractors > Find / Replace

• Zigzag Generator allows you to assign distractors to textual segments in a fully or partially automatized manner. In the first case, the generation of distractors is done for all the textual segments, without the user's intervention. However, partially automatized generation of distractors allows for the choice of the best-suited distractors among those suggested by Zigzag Generator, for each segment of the text in turn. In order to fully automatize the generation, the box marked Random Generation of Distractors (Full text or Selected segments) must be checked.
  
  
• Selecting the horizontal view (View > Horizontal View menu or the button of the toolbar) generally makes it easier to follow the process of distractor generation. The following explanations will pertain to the horizontal view. However, the vertical view facilitates working in multi-selection mode (cf. Note 1).

Partially Automatized Generation of Distractors

• Select the menu Distractors > Find / Replace. The following window will appear:
  

• This window allows you to generate distractors using the Find / Replace function. You must do the following:
  
  
  • In the field called Find, type the word or part of the word to be found. By writing the letters to, the search will be limited to whole words (that is to say, the graphemic sequence to preceded and followed by a space). By adding an asterisk before and after the letters on (*to*), the search will include the graphemic sequence to regardless of its position in the word (ex. to, top, into). When the letters are preceded or followed by an asterisk, (*to) or (to*), the search will be carried out on the graphemic sequence word-initially (ex. to, into), or word-finally (ex. to, top) respectively.
    
    
  • In the field marked Replace, type the graphemic sequence to replace the letters in question. It is not necessary to include an asterisk in this field.
    
    
  • If you wish to restrict the search by making a distinction between capitals and small case letters, check the box marked Case sensitive.
    
    
  • Click on Refresh in order to immediately display the search results and replacements.
    
    
    
• You can then choose one of the following two options:
  
  
  • Double-click on one of the bold-type distractors in the window Segment No. 12.
    
    
  • Click once on the bold-type distractor and then on the checkmark Generate Distractor.
    
    
• This operation can be repeated as many times as there are rows available for distractors (with a maximum of five distractors for a matrix with six rows).
  

• Once you have created the desired number of distractors, click on the arrow Next without Distractor to access the next textual segment that is still without a distractor.

• You can browse through the segments of a text in two ways:

• Click on the arrow Previous without Distractor and Next without Distractor in the Find and Replace window.
  
  
• In the integrated editor of Zigzag Generator (vertical or horizontal view), select the textual segment desired. It will then appear in the Find and Replace window.
  
  
  

Fully Automatized Generation of Distractors

• Instead of selecting the distractors one after the other, you can randomly generate them either for the whole text, or for the pre-selected segments in the editor. In order to do this, check the box marked Random Generation of Distractors (Full text or Selected segments). The window Find and Replace will then take on a different look:
  
  
  
  
• Determine the maximum number of distractors by using the arrows and inserting the desired value. (cf. Note 2).
  
  
• Click on the checkmark Generate Distractors and then on Close.

   

  Assigning a Code to Generated Distractors
  

• Using a code allows you to obtain specific information on the segments corresponding to that code. It is thus possible to code or not code the textual segments affected by the command Distractors > Find / Replace. The chosen code is visible in horizontal and vertical view. Three options are available:
  
  
• Select the button Use the code and insert a code no longer than four letters.
  
  
• Select the button Use one of the following codes (cf. scroll-down menu). This option is only available if other codes have already been generated for the text. If it seems appropriate, one of those codes can be reused.
  
  
• Select the button No code. This option is to be used if you do not require specific information for these segments in the results section.
  

 

Note 1. In the vertical view, you can simultaneously select many textual segments in the integrated editor of Zigzag Generator (multi-selection mode). To do so, hold down the Ctrl key while selecting the textual segments of interest. These will change to red (and not dark blue as is the case for singly-selected segments).

When you are in multi-selection mode, random generation of segments is applicable only to the selected segments (and not to the segments of the full text). Similarly, in partially automatized generation the arrows Previous without Distractor and Next without Distractor allow you to access only the segments selected at the time.

Note 2. The number of distractors per textual segment cannot exceed the number of rows in the matrix less one row (i.e. the one of the target-segment). In fact, the number of textual segments selected is often less than the maximal number. This can be explained by the fully randomized selection mechanism: when a textual segment is composed of many words, the random algorithm chooses from among all the words having at least one distractor (and not only from the words having the maximum number of distractors).

 

Summary Table of Commands