The contents window in SuperMemo displays the knowledge tree of the current collection.

These are the most prominent components of the contents window:

• Knowledge tree (in the middle of the window)
• Caption at the top with the full path to the location of the current collection on the hard disk (or a network drive)
• Toolbars (under the caption):
  • Edit toolbar - buttons used in most frequent operations on the knowledge tree
  • Data bar - information about the element that is currently selected in the knowledge tree
  • Title tab - edit area for editing element's title
• Editing buttons at the bottom of the window:
  • View - view the currently selected element in the element window
  • Review - sequentially review the elements in the currently selected branch
  • Add - add a new element as a child of the currently selected element (a child is an element that is one level down in the knowledge tree)
  • Sibling - add a new element as a sibling of the currently selected element (a sibling is an element is is on the same level in the knowledge tree)
  • Insert - insert a new element in the place of the currently selected element (the current element moves one position down)
  • Delete - delete the currently selected element and all its children (if any)
  • Choose - choose the currently selected element. This button is active only if another option in SuperMemo requires selecting an element. In such a case, the contents window is opened and you can point to the element of interest and click Choose)

In the figure above, red stop icons denote dismissed elements (i.e. elements that do not participate in learning), while L-plate icons indicate elements that take part in the learning process. L-plate icons are light blue if the element is pending and dark blue if the element is memorized.

The plus sign to the left of the element indicates that the element has children. You can see the children when you click the plus sign. The minus sign to the left of the element indicates that the element with children can be collapsed. When you click the minus sign, all children will disappear from view and the minus sign will be replaced with a plus sign

Professional level

The contents window provides also a number of advanced options from its pop-up menu. To open the pop-up menu right-click over the contents window or press Alt+F10.

Frequently Asked Questions

(Noel Clary, USA, Sep 18, 1998)
Question:
When I double click an element without children, I get to view it in the element window. However, when it has children, its branch opens or closes. How can I easily view contents elements with children in the element window?
Answer:
Click View at the bottom of the contents window

(Jim Ivy, USA, June 4, 1997)
Question:
What is the difference between a topic and an item?
Answer:
Topics are used to present knowledge (like chapters in a book), while items are used to test knowledge by means of repetitions (e.g. they have the question-and-answer structure). The main difference is that topics do not take part in repetitions but are only presented before learning a sequence of items. This helps to approach the subject as a whole before repetitions begin. See also: Topics vs items

(Pawel Galecki, Poland, Feb 10, 1998)
Question:
I have created my own collection that contains 700 items in the root node. The system loads for nearly 60 seconds each time I open it! How can I speed this up?
Answer:
For performance reasons, you should limit the number of elements per category to 50-100. For this purpose, set a lower value at Tools : Options : Appending : Children limit per hierarchy node. To break up your 700-item category, run Tools : Arrange in folders on the contents window pop-up menu

(Vidar Garlie, Norway, Mar 18, 1999)
Question:
When I go to the contents window, select a category branch and click Ctrl+A, the template of this category is not used! Can you help?
Answer: