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0001 <?xml version="1.0" ?>
0002 <!DOCTYPE book PUBLIC "-//KDE//DTD DocBook XML V4.5-Based Variant V1.1//EN" "dtd/kdedbx45.dtd" [
0003   <!-- Define an entity for your application if it is not part of KDE
0004        Git -->
0005   <!ENTITY gcompris "<application>GCompris</application>">
0006   <!ENTITY kappname "&gcompris;"><!-- replace kmyapplication here
0007                                             do *not* replace kappname-->
0008   <!ENTITY % addindex "IGNORE">
0009   <!ENTITY % English "INCLUDE"> <!-- ONLY If you are writing non-English
0010                                      original documentation, change
0011                                      the language here -->
0012 
0013   <!-- Do not define any other entities; instead, use the entities
0014        from entities/general.entities and en/user.entities. -->
0015 ]>
0016 <book id="gcompris" lang="&language;">
0017 
0018 <bookinfo>
0019 <title>The &gcompris; Administration Handbook</title>
0020 
0021 <authorgroup>
0022 <author>
0023 <personname>
0024 <firstname>Johnny</firstname>
0025 <surname>Jazeix</surname>
0026 </personname>
0027 </author>
0028 <author>
0029 <personname>
0030 <firstname>Timothée</firstname>
0031 <surname>Giet</surname>
0032 </personname>
0033 </author>
0034 
0035 <othercredit role="developer">
0036 <othername>The &gcompris; Team</othername>
0037 <contrib>Developers</contrib>
0038 </othercredit> 
0039 
0040 <!-- TRANS:ROLES_OF_TRANSLATORS -->
0041 </authorgroup>
0042 
0043 <legalnotice>&FDLNotice;</legalnotice>
0044 
0045 <!-- Date of the documentation
0046 Don't forget to include this last date.
0047 Please respect the format of the date (YYYY-MM-DD),it is used by scripts.
0048 -->
0049 <date>2023-06-06</date>
0050 
0051 <!--version information of the application and kde this documentation is valid for.
0052 for example 'xx.yy.zz'
0053 -->
0054 <releaseinfo>3.3</releaseinfo>
0055 
0056 <!-- Abstract about this handbook -->
0057 
0058 <abstract>
0059 <para>
0060 &gcompris; is a multi-activity educational software.
0061 </para>
0062 </abstract>
0063 
0064 <keywordset>
0065 <keyword>KDE</keyword>
0066 <keyword>education</keyword>
0067 <keyword>children</keyword>
0068 <keyword>games</keyword>
0069 </keywordset>
0070 
0071 </bookinfo>
0072 
0073 <chapter id="administration-handbook">
0074 <title>Administration Handbook</title>
0075 
0076 <sect1 id="introduction">
0077 <title>Introduction</title>
0078 <para>&gcompris; is a rich educational software suite which contains a wide range of activities.</para>
0079 <para>It offers various activities aimed at covering a variety of fields. The topics include reading and typing, arithmetics, geography, sciences, and other topics. It is meant to be used both at home and at school.</para>
0080 <para>The purpose of &gcompris; is to provide playful activities but always educational.</para>
0081 <para>&gcompris; is part of &kde; project and is placed under the <ulink url="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.html">AGPLv3 license</ulink>. All the code, except the engine for analog electricity activity is under <ulink url="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html">GPLv3 license</ulink>.</para>
0082 <para>&gcompris; is available on the following operating systems: &GNU;/&Linux;, &BSD;, MacOSX, &Windows;, Android.
0083 It requires a 3D card with support of <emphasis>OpenGL 2.1</emphasis> or higher. 32 bits color depth mandatory.</para>
0084 </sect1>
0085 
0086 <sect1 id="installation">
0087 <title>Installation</title>
0088 <para>The software is delivered under several forms. Follow the process according to your case. </para>
0089 <itemizedlist>
0090 <listitem><para>&GNU;/&Linux;: use the packages delivered by your &GNU;/&Linux; distribution.
0091 If &gcompris; is not packaged in your &Linux; distribution, 
0092 please contact them to ask for the inclusion of &gcompris; in your &Linux; distribution.</para></listitem>
0093 <listitem><para>&Windows;: delivered under a classic installer for &Windows; or via the Microsoft Store.</para></listitem>
0094 <listitem><para>MacOSX: delivered under a classic installer.</para></listitem>
0095 <listitem><para>Android: distributed by the F-Droid store or Google Play Store. Apk file is also available.</para></listitem>
0096 </itemizedlist>
0097 </sect1>
0098 
0099 <sect1 id="user-interface">
0100 <title>The User Interface</title>
0101 <para>The interface is designed for easy use by small children. &gcompris; is controlled with a mouse.
0102 Keyboard navigation is also available on most of the activities.</para>
0103 
0104 <sect2 id="main-window">
0105 <title>Main window</title>
0106 <para>When you start the program, &gcompris; shows a graphic interface which presents the list of activities 
0107 with a control bar at the bottom.</para>
0108 <screenshot>
0109 <screeninfo>Here's a screenshot of &gcompris; Main Window</screeninfo>
0110   <mediaobject>
0111     <imageobject>
0112       <imagedata fileref="gcompris-main-menu.png" format="PNG"/>
0113     </imageobject>
0114     <textobject>
0115       <phrase>&gcompris; Main Window</phrase>
0116     </textobject>
0117   </mediaobject>
0118 </screenshot>
0119 
0120 <para>Each icon represents an activity. Around each one, you can find small icons which give additional information 
0121 about the activity. A simple click on the icon will lead you to an activity or a menu of activities. There are 8 sections 
0122 (categories) of activities, which are placed on the top or on the left (only if your orientation is portrait). For example, 
0123 there is section "Board games", which includes board games, like chess, tic tac toe or align four.</para>
0124 <para>Some categories have subcategories to better filter the activities. For math activities, we have three subcategories: numeration, arithmetic and measures.</para>
0125 <para>The stars indicate the age group for which each game is designed:</para> 
0126 <itemizedlist>
0127 <listitem><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="difficulty1.svg" format="SVG"/></imageobject>
0128 </inlinemediaobject>1, 2 or 3 yellow stars - for 2 to 6 years old.</para></listitem> 
0129 <listitem><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="difficulty4.svg" format="SVG"/></imageobject>
0130 </inlinemediaobject>1, 2 or 3 red stars - greater than 6 years old.</para></listitem> 
0131 </itemizedlist>
0132 
0133 <para>At the bottom of the screen there is a control bar for &gcompris;. The possible icons are (the icons are only displayed if they are available in the activity):</para>
0134 <itemizedlist>
0135 <listitem><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="bar_home.svg" format="SVG"/></imageobject>
0136 </inlinemediaobject> Home - Leaves the current activity, returns to the previous menu.</para></listitem> 
0137 <listitem><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="bar_ok.svg" format="SVG"/></imageobject>
0138 </inlinemediaobject> "OK" - Validate, confirm your answer. Some activities do not detect automatically whether or 
0139 not the child has completed the task. In this case, you have to click on this icon. You can also use the &Enter; 
0140 key on your keyboard.</para></listitem> 
0141 <listitem><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="bar_hint.svg" format="SVG"/></imageobject>
0142 </inlinemediaobject> Light - Display a hint for the activity. We can help the children on some activities to guide them to find the answers.</para></listitem>
0143 <listitem><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="bar_previous.svg" format="SVG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject>
0144 <inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="bar_next.svg" format="SVG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject> 
0145 Arrows - The present level is displayed. Click on one of the arrows to select another level. 
0146 Generally, the activities offer several levels whose numbers depend on the activity. 
0147 In &gcompris;, it is possible to go to the next level without having completed the current level.</para></listitem> 
0148 <listitem><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="bar_repeat.svg" format="SVG"/></imageobject>
0149 </inlinemediaobject> Lips - Ask &gcompris; to repeat the question.</para></listitem> 
0150 <listitem><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="bar_help.svg" format="SVG"/></imageobject>
0151 </inlinemediaobject> Question mark - Display the help dialog box. Sometimes, an activity can be too complex 
0152 to be described easily in the description area. In this case, this function gives access to additional information.</para></listitem> 
0153 <listitem><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="bar_config.svg" format="SVG"/></imageobject>
0154 </inlinemediaobject> Tool box - Configuration menu. The configuration is saved in the user repository (folder) 
0155 under the name <filename>.config/gcompris/gcompris-qt.conf</filename>. This is a text file which can be edited manually.</para></listitem> 
0156 <listitem><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="bar_activity_config.svg" format="SVG"/></imageobject>
0157 </inlinemediaobject> List item - Display the activity settings menu. There are two possible tabs here. First one, "Dataset", allows to choose the levels of the activities depending on several objectives and the second one, "Options", allows to update the configuration of the activity if available. </para></listitem>
0158 <listitem><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="bar_about.svg" format="SVG"/></imageobject>
0159 </inlinemediaobject> Capital "G" - Information box on &gcompris;, presents the main contributors and the version of the software.</para></listitem> 
0160 <listitem><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="bar_exit.svg" format="SVG"/></imageobject>
0161 </inlinemediaobject> Power - Quit &gcompris;. You can also use the shortcut on your keyboard 
0162 <keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>Q</keycap></keycombo></para></listitem> 
0163 </itemizedlist>
0164 </sect2>
0165 
0166 <sect2 id="kiosk-mode">
0167 <title>Kiosk Mode</title>
0168 <para>When you use &gcompris; with small children or on a self-service kiosk, you can disable a certain number of options:</para>
0169 <itemizedlist>
0170 <listitem><para><userinput><command>gcompris --enable-kioskmode</command></userinput> : disable the <guiicon>Quit</guiicon> and <guiicon>Configuration</guiicon> buttons.</para></listitem> 
0171 <listitem><para><userinput><command>gcompris --disable-kioskmode</command></userinput> : enable the <guiicon>Quit</guiicon> and <guiicon>Configuration</guiicon> buttons.</para></listitem>
0172 <listitem><para><userinput><command>gcompris -f</command></userinput> : run &gcompris; in fullscreen mode</para></listitem> 
0173 <listitem><para><userinput><command>gcompris -C</command></userinput> : disable the cursor (touch screen mode)</para></listitem> 
0174 </itemizedlist>
0175 <para>These options can of course be combined.</para>
0176 </sect2>
0177 
0178 <sect2 id="keyboard-shortcuts">
0179 <title>Keyboard Shortcuts</title>
0180 <informaltable>
0181 <tgroup cols="2">
0182 <tbody>
0183 <row>
0184 <entry>Shortcut</entry>
0185 <entry>Action</entry>
0186 </row>
0187 <row>
0188 <entry>&Esc; or <keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>W</keycap></keycombo></entry>
0189 <entry>Quit the current activity or dialog then return to the main menu.</entry>
0190 </row>
0191 <row>
0192 <entry><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>Q</keycap></keycombo></entry>
0193 <entry>Quit &gcompris; without further notice.</entry>
0194 </row>
0195 <row>
0196 <entry><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>F</keycap></keycombo></entry>
0197 <entry>Toggle fullscreen mode.</entry>
0198 </row>
0199 <row>
0200 <entry><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>M</keycap></keycombo></entry>
0201 <entry>Toggle sound mute.</entry>
0202 </row>
0203 <row>
0204 <entry><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>B</keycap></keycombo></entry>
0205 <entry>Display or Hide the control bar.</entry>
0206 </row>
0207 </tbody>
0208 </tgroup>
0209 </informaltable>
0210 </sect2>
0211 
0212 </sect1>
0213 
0214 <sect1 id="internationalization">
0215 <title>Notes on Internationalization</title>
0216 <para>&gcompris; is internationalized and is available in more than 35 languages. If you want 
0217 to check if your language is available, you can start &gcompris; and select your language in 
0218 the option of configuration.</para>
0219 <para>Be careful, some languages need specific fonts to be displayed correctly. </para> 
0220 <para>If your language is not supported, you can contribute to the software and add the 
0221 translation of your language. If you are interested, you can contact the 
0222 <ulink url="https://l10n.kde.org/teams">translation team</ulink> of 
0223 the &kde; project for your language. You can check the level of translation for your language on 
0224 the <ulink url="https://l10n.kde.org/">&kde; translation web site</ulink>.</para>
0225 </sect1>
0226 
0227 <sect1 id="learning-language">
0228 <title>Language learning</title>
0229 <para>You can use &gcompris; in a foreign language that you are learning. Select a foreign language 
0230 in the configuration menu. Do not forget to download the optional audio modules for this language.</para>
0231 </sect1>
0232 
0233 <sect1 id="customizing-activities">
0234 <title>Customizing activities</title>
0235 <para>You can customize some activities using the configuration button in them.
0236 For example, you can set the locale in some text activities (like wordsgame), 
0237 or make it show real car images instead of filled rectangles (traffic).</para>
0238 
0239 <para>For multiple activities, you can choose several datasets in the configuration. Each one has a specific objective which is described.</para>
0240 <screenshot>
0241 <screeninfo>Dataset of activity "Count the items"</screeninfo>
0242   <mediaobject>
0243     <imageobject>
0244       <imagedata fileref="dataset.png" format="PNG"/>
0245     </imageobject>
0246     <textobject>
0247       <phrase>Dataset of activity "Count the items"</phrase>
0248     </textobject>
0249   </mediaobject>
0250 </screenshot>
0251 
0252 <para>You can choose the options for this activity.</para>
0253 <screenshot>
0254 <screeninfo>Select mode of activity "Count the items"</screeninfo>
0255   <mediaobject>
0256     <imageobject>
0257       <imagedata fileref="activity-config.png" format="PNG"/>
0258     </imageobject>
0259     <textobject>
0260       <phrase>Select mode of activity "Count the items"</phrase>
0261     </textobject>
0262   </mediaobject>
0263 </screenshot>
0264 </sect1>
0265 
0266 <sect1 id="console-switches">
0267 <title>Console Switches</title>
0268 <para>Running &gcompris; from a command console with the --help option will display all the parameters it accepts:</para>
0269 <informaltable>
0270 <tgroup cols="2">
0271 <tbody>
0272 <row>
0273 <entry>-f, --fullscreen</entry>
0274 <entry>Run &gcompris; in fullscreen mode.</entry>
0275 </row>
0276 <row>
0277 <entry>-w, --window</entry>
0278 <entry>Run &gcompris; in window mode.</entry>
0279 </row>
0280 <row>
0281 <entry>-s, --sound</entry>
0282 <entry>Run &gcompris; with sound enabled.</entry>
0283 </row>
0284 <row>
0285 <entry>-m, --mute</entry>
0286 <entry>Run &gcompris; without sound.</entry>
0287 </row>
0288 <row>
0289 <entry>-c, --cursor</entry>
0290 <entry>Run &gcompris; with the default system cursor.</entry>
0291 </row>
0292 <row>
0293 <entry>-C, --nocursor</entry>
0294 <entry>Run &gcompris; without cursor (touch screen mode).</entry>
0295 </row>
0296 <row>
0297 <entry>-v, --version</entry>
0298 <entry>Print the version of &gcompris;.</entry>
0299 </row>
0300 <row>
0301 <entry>-l, --list-activities</entry>
0302 <entry>Outputs all the available activities on the standard output.</entry>
0303 </row>
0304 <row>
0305 <entry>--launch activity</entry>
0306 <entry>Specify the activity when starting GCompris.</entry>
0307 </row>
0308 <row>
0309 <entry>--start-level level</entry>
0310 <entry>Specify the level on which to start the activity specified by --launch option when starting GCompris. Ignored if no --launch option, or if level specified is invalid.</entry>
0311 </row>
0312 <row>
0313 <entry>--difficulty {value|min-max}</entry>
0314 <entry>For the session, force GCompris activities difficulty to be either at value or between min and max values. The values must be between 1 and 6, and if the format is min-max, the min value must be lower than the max value. If it is not the case GCompris will not start.</entry>
0315 </row>
0316 <row>
0317 <entry>--export-activities-as-sql</entry>
0318 <entry>Export activities as SQL.</entry>
0319 </row>
0320 <row>
0321 <entry>--enable-kioskmode</entry>
0322 <entry>Enable the kiosk mode (hides Quit and Configuration buttons).</entry>
0323 </row>
0324 <row>
0325 <entry>--disable-kioskmode</entry>
0326 <entry>Disable the kiosk mode (default).</entry>
0327 </row>
0328 <row>
0329 <entry>--software-renderer</entry>
0330 <entry>Use software renderer instead of openGL (should work with any graphical card).</entry>
0331 </row>
0332 <row>
0333 <entry>--opengl-renderer</entry>
0334 <entry>Use openGL renderer instead of software (faster and more graphical effects but can crash with some graphical cards).</entry>
0335 </row>
0336 </tbody>
0337 </tgroup>
0338 </informaltable>
0339 
0340 <sect2 id="windows-example">
0341 <title>&Windows; Example</title>
0342 <para>You can add these switches in the desktop icon properties. Here is an example that runs &gcompris; in kiosk mode in full screen, without Configuration button and cursor:</para>
0343 <para><userinput><command>"C:\Program Files\GCompris-Qt\bin\GCompris.exe" --enable-kioskmode -f -C</command></userinput></para>
0344 </sect2>
0345 
0346 <sect2 id="gnu-linux-example">
0347 <title>&GNU;/&Linux; Example</title>
0348 <para>Create an application launcher and configure the command line parameters. Here is an example that runs &gcompris; in kiosk mode in full screen, without Config button and cursor:</para> 
0349 <para><userinput><command>gcompris-qt --enable-kioskmode -f -C</command></userinput></para>
0350 </sect2>
0351 
0352 </sect1>
0353 
0354 </chapter>
0355 <chapter id="credits">
0356 
0357 <title>Credits and License</title>
0358 
0359 <para>
0360 &gcompris;
0361 </para>
0362 <para>
0363 Program copyright 2000-2023 Timothée Giet and others
0364 </para>
0365 
0366 <!-- TRANS:CREDIT_FOR_TRANSLATORS -->
0367 
0368 &underFDL;               <!-- FDL: do not remove -->
0369 
0370 &underGPL;               <!-- GPL License -->
0371 
0372 </chapter>
0373 
0374 &documentation.index;
0375 </book>
0376 
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