Acces 4.3 update - January 29th, 2010

New features

Here are the important new features in Acces:

• New Reading TEKS. This affects customers in Texas only. In the database browser, elementary, middle and high school reading questions are now matched up with ELAR TEKS for 2009. No reading questions were added or removed, only re-aligned. (In some cases, when questions don't match up with the new TEKS, the old TEKS are still shown.)
• For reading only, objectives are shown in the status bar. You still pick questions by category or passage. However, as you cycle through the available questions, you now see the objective for each one in the status bar (just below the database browser). This will make it much easier to pick questions for certain objectives.
• PDF converter. This feature allows you to re-use a reading passage from a PDF file (such as a released test) or a visual piece that is not easy to re-create with Acces' typesetting language. The feature is implemented as a step-by-step wizard in the Tools menu. Its purpose is to bring in reading passages only, not questions or graphics that may appear in a PDF file.
• Assets editor. With the release of Acces version 4.3, all of EducAide's figures and reading passages, which we call “assets”, got compressed into a single library. This saved disk space and allowed the assets to be indexed more easily. With this update, it's possible to extract the assets from the libary and modify them with a graphics or text editor. (For graphics, the feature requires that you have a paint or drawing program installed.)
• Additional fonts. Acces now has a total of 12 fonts. There are four serif fonts (Computer Modern, Century, Times and Bookman), three sans-serif fonts (Helv, Helv Condensed, and CM Bright), two slab or geometer-like fonts (Charter and Bera) and three other classic fonts (Epigraphica, Artemisia and Iwona). All have matching math characters and special symbols. See Format > Fonts and Misc. for examples of each.
• Passage Locator. Normally when you choose a reading question in Acces, you automatically get the passage that goes with it. With the new lookup feature, you can insert a passage first, then jump to the category in the database browser that has matching questions. To do this, right-click the passage in the Document Tree and choose “Locate in Browser”.

Changes and bug fixes

There were many low-level program changes and bug fixes. Here are three which are most relevant:

• Uninstall works properly under Windows Vista and Windows 7.
• Workspace gets calculated properly when the “Distribute Extra” option is unchecked (Format > Document Setup), and the minimum space has been reduced when workspace is turned off.
• Vocab and Emph style. The options now support bold and underlined words in reading passages and questions.

Help and Support Center

Acces' Support Center has grown. There are many more guides, especially for graphics and math formulas. You can see, for example, how to insert formulas using GoogleDocs' free equation editor. You can also sign up for Webinars, or online training seminars. They are regularly scheduled and free! For details, please visit:

www.educaide.com/supportcenter

Installation and Compatibility

The Acces version 4.3 update goes on top of any installation from CD 2.7 or higher. There is no need to uninstall. Any documents you created with an older version of Acces will open just fine. Also, it has all files needed to run the program. You can use it for updating or for first-time installations.

Thank you for using Acces!

EducAide Software
email: support@educaide.com
phone: 800-669-9405 (9—5 PST)