ENTERING ITEMS AND SCORING A TEST
=================================

1. Choosing a test
------------------
Note that all gray windows are non editable, they show useful 
information. The first step is choosing the test whose items 
you want to introduce and score. In the upper left corner you
will find a window labeled "Which test would you like to 
score?". Find the test name using the scrolling bar if 
necessary, and click on it. The test's name will be 
highlighted. Now you can see the characteristics of this test 
on the window labeled "Test details". Beyond the name of the
test, its authors , and some comment, you will find the number
of items, the valid answers and the codes for missing 
answers.

2. Entering the identification data of the subject
--------------------------------------------------
In the middle part of the window you can enter some data on 
the subject. These are optional fields which admit any 
characters, except for sex which is recorded through radio 
buttons.

3. Entering the items
---------------------
On the upper right corner of the main window you will find 
the area for entering the items which is labeled "Entry items 
window". The first line shows the number of the item to be 
entered. You have to put the cursor in the white rectangle 
located on the left. DO NOT MOVE THE CURSOR FROM THIS 
POSITION WHILE ENTERING ITEMS, all the necessary actions are 
done through the keyboard. The numerical keypad is the most 
convenient way to introduce the answers, but the numerical 
keys and the spacebar of the main keyboard can also be used.

Enter the answer of the items using the keyboard. Only the 
valid and missing characters shown in the "Test details" 
window are allowed. If you enter an invalid character a pop-
up window appears highlighting the error and the program is 
blocked until the error window is closed.

Every time you enter a valid answer the counter of items will 
increase in one unit until all the items are entered. The 
progression is reflected in two ways. First, the "Item to 
enter" is updated. Second, in the lower part of the window 
will appear the answers just introduced and an asterisk (*) 
showing the position of the next answer to be entered (see 
figure 1). As any gray window of the GUI, this one is non 
editable. Every line shows ten items, corresponding to the 
numbers shown in the right margin, and the upper margin 
indicates the position in the group of ten.

The window allows the representation of 100 items, but the 
ones which exceed the length of the test are crossed out with 
an equal symbol (=). Had the test more than one hundred 
items, the window would be refreshed showing the next hundred 
automatically.

In case of error, you can move through the answers using the 
arrow keys and introduce the correction for the appropriate 
items. Right and left arrow move to the previous or posterior 
answer respectively. The up and down arrows jump to the tenth 
previous or following answer. The use of the arrows updates 
the number of the new answer to be introduced and the 
position of the asterisk indicator automatically. If you try 
to go to an answer beyond the limits of the test a pop-up 
window will alert you of the invalid choice.

4. Scoring the test
-------------------
When you have entered all the answers press the "Show (& write)
results" button to show (and write into a file if this options
has been choosen) the results on the R's console. From the 
R's menu bar you can print or save this results. "Only write"
scores the test without showing it on the console, but 
recording the results on a file as explained in the next
paragraph.

5. Recording scores and answers to a file
-----------------------------------------
It is possible to record the items and scores of the tests in 
a file for further statistical analysis. To do so, click on 
the button labeled "Change option". This opens a system window
for choosing or creating a file for recording. If the file 
already exists the new information will be appended. The chosen
file will be showed in the window labeled "Where would you like
to save the scores?". Some tests are carried out to ensure
that the old file structure is compatible with the new data,
but the user must be careful and take the necessary precautions 
themselves. The radio buttons beneath the "Would you like to 
save the items" label allow recording the answers (as 
introduced through the keyboard without further processing) 
in addition to the scores.

The data are written to an ASCII text file with semicolons
between fields as delimiters. These kinds of file are easily
imported by almost any program and also by R.

OTHER BUTTONS
=============
At the bottom of the screen you will find different buttons:
 
"Show (& write) results" and "Only write" are for scoring
    and saving as explained previously.

"Clean Items", cleans the items but maintains the 
    identification information of the subject. So you can 
    introduce and score another test of the same subject
    without reintroducing his or her data.
    
"Clean all", cleans both the items and the identification data.

"Test manager" creates instructions for scoring a new test or
    deletes a test already existent.

"Help" shows this document.

"Exit TestScorer" exits GUI. To exit R console, close the window.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
====================
See the document "TestScorerHelp.pdf" in this directory or in
the package documentation.
