Morse Practice Support

Morse Practice

This page describes the Java source files used by MorsePractice, debug logs, and provides some information on the Sun audio classes MorsePractice uses.

Java Source Files

Here are the Java source files used by the application. You may use them to develop your applets and applications for personal use or "Open Source" distribution. Click here for documentation on the Java classes and methods.

src.zip: src.zip contains all Java source files in a 100 Kbyte ZIP archive.
AlertDialog.java: AlertDialog.java displays a simple text dialog.
AppletFramework.java: AppletFramework.java runs an Applet in an application context.
AudioSynthesizer.java: AudioSynthesizer.java creates the signal source (either a tone or silence) that will be played. It is not a general audio synthesizer, but is useful only for Morse Code. It is based on SynthAudioClip.java, Copyright © 1996 by Jef Poskanzer. Please see SynthAudioClip.java for the original source, copyright, and disclaimers.
Comparable.java: Comparable.java is an interface used by the Sort class.
EditTextArea.java: EditTextArea.java is a text area that supports the Edit Menu, including Undo.
EditTextAreaListener.java: EditTextAreaListener.java is the interface that connects an EditTextArea to the component that manages the Edit Menu.
EtchedBorder.java: EtchedBorder.java draws eye-candy for the user interface. It is based on software developed by Taligent Inc. See the source code for Taligent's copyright and permission notice.
IntegerField.java: IntegerField.java is a dialog field that only accepts integer values.
KochTextField.java: KochTextField.java is a text field that shows and selects the symbols used for Koch random symbol training..
Main.java: Main.java is a trivial main program that simplifies starting MorsePractice on Windows or Linux.
MacFileUtilities.java: MacFileUtilities.java contains several Macintosh (MRJ) file management utilities. They were written using Java class reflection so they should compile and run on all Java 1.1 implementations (and do nothing on non-Macintosh environments).
MorseCode.java: MorseCode.java contains the table of Morse Code characters.
MorseCodeSender.java: MorseCodeSender.java converts a Morse Code symbol to tones. It understands the sun.audio data format.
MorsePractice: MorsePractice is a stand-alone MacOS application that runs MorsePractice directly. This is all you need to run MorsePractice on a MacOS system that supports MRJ version 2.2 or later.
MorsePractice Run: "MorsePractice Run" is a stand-alone MacOS application that launches the application from MorsePractice.jar. If you put this file and MorsePractice.jar into the same folder, you should be able to run MorsePractice on MRJ 2.1.4, however this is untested.
MorsePractice.java: MorsePractice.java is the main program. It contains the user interface.
MorsePractice.gif: MorsePractice.gif is a decorative image.
MorsePractice.hqx: MorsePractice.hqx is a Macintosh archive containing the double-clickable application.
MorsePractice.html: MorsePractice.html defines a web page that contains the applet.
MorsePractice.mcp: MorsePractice.mcp is the MetroWerks java project.
MorsePractice.mf: MorsePractice.mf is the JAR manifest file.
MorsePractice.rsrc: MorsePractice.rsrc contains icons for the MorsePractice application. It is only used by the Macintosh build procedure.
MorsePracticeFile.java: MorsePracticeFile.java has some file utilities. Although this class uses Macintosh-specific routines to manage the Mac creator and filetype information, it should work correctly on all Java 1.1 implementations.
MorsePracticeSupport.html: MorsePracticeSupport.html is this software description file.
MRJApp.properties: MRJApp.properties configures the MacOS application.
RandomQSO.java: RandomSentence.java generates random QSO's using RandomSentence.java to do the generation."
RandomSentence.java: RandomSentence.java generates random sentences from a context-free grammar. It is based on a C utility I wrote in 1979 and, originally, on a sample in James Gimpel's "Algorithms in SNOBOL4."
readme.txt: readme.txt provides an overview of how to install the sofware.
ResultPanel.java: ResultPanel.java shows the text that was sent with incorrectly-received symbols indicated.
RotateImageFilter.java: RotateImageFilter.java is an.ImageFilter that rotates the source image by 90 degrees. The VerticalLabel class uses it to draw the confusion matrix label.
Sort.java: Sort.java is a generic sort utility.
Trial.java: Trial.java manages a random text trial.
TrialChar.java: TrialChar.java holds one symbol in a listening trial.
TrialData.java: TrialData.java performs the numerical computation displayed by TrialDialog.java.
TrialDialog.java: TrialDialog.java displays the results of a random text trial.
TrialLabel.java: TrialLabel.java displays confusion matrix row and column labels.
TrialMatrix.java: TrialMatrix.java displays the confusion matrix content.
TrialPair.java: TrialPair.java is the data retained by a random text trial.
TrialScrollPanel.java: TrialScrollPanel.java contains the entire confusion matrix and its row and column labels.
VerticalLabel.java: VerticalLabel.java draws a string rotated 90 degrees for one of the confusion matrix labels..

The Sun Audio Package

MorsePractice uses non-standard Java classes to generate sound. Here are some links that helped me learn how to use these classes:

Please contact me if you find any bugs in MorsePractice.

Recent changes and bug-fixes

Added additional international characters and punctuation marks (as synonyms for prosigns BT, AR, SK) using the ARRL data and sample QSO's from MEGS.
Rewrote the synthesizer to eliminate glitches. The disadvantage of the rewrite is that the application can't be extended to callback to the user interface to provide "follow the bouncing ball" progress. On the other hand, the revision seems to have eliminated the glitches.
Added edit and file menus. The edit menu can copy text to and from the Clipboard. The file menu loads to and saves text from the listening area. The file menu is not useful in the Applet version.
Cleaned up the code. Added Undo support to the edit menu.
Added confusion matrix display. Changed the symbol buttons to checkboxes to use for training. Added an audio save menu option. Cleaned up the user interface, not for the first time, and probably not for the last.
Messing around with trial data statistics. The numbers are probably meaningless right now. The goal is to be able to fiddle with the random statistics to provide additional training for symbol pairs that the student is finding troublesome.
The Clipboard code was rewritten to avoid a null pointer exception on Linus that occurs if there is no Clipboard object.
Added a parameter file. This currently saves the current data rate, option states, and the selected training set. Also added a "Koch" field that displays the characters in training order. This is only useable in the Applet version.
Fixed a typo in the Koch training list ("0" and "O" were confused.). Added "selectAll" and "selectNone" menu options.
Added random QSO's using the grammar from SuperiorMorse, a Unix program published by Paul J. Drongowski, N20QT and distributed on the amateur radio FTP site. (Copyright © 1991 Paul J. Drongowski). 'You may use it for any non-commercial purposes. This is roughly equivalent to "fair use."' The grammar synthesizer is based on one I wrote for Decus C which, in turn, was based on James Gimpel's "Algorithms in SNOBOL-4."
Rewrote the sample smoothing to avoid clicks at 30 wpm. Rewrote the timing computation to match algorithms in two Unix Morse Code synthesizers, but the results are still about 3% slow if I use their algorithm exactly. Fiddled with the numbers until the timing is close (about +/- 200 msec). Fixed a bug (negative timeout value) that could appear for long messages.
More code cleanup. Moved the file creation and browsing methods to a separate class. Revised the user interface slightly so the choice between random symbol and random QSO training is made using a selection popup list.
Documentation cleanup. Moved all classes into a private Java package. Ran the 100% Pure Java compatibility test.
Moved the Mac-specific file utilities into a separate class to simplify Windows compatibility. The file utilities should now compile on all Java 1.1 implementations.
Implemented an Applet version. This omits all file-related capability (including the parameter state). The Applet user gets a default code speed and no initial Koch state.
Added a non-package Main class to simplify Windows launching. Also moved the source files into their package hierarchy and implemented a ZIP distribution. Registered a MacOS creator type and built a standard double-clickable application.
Reorganized the web page and wrote an article for QST magazine.
2000.02.06: Send code example when the user clicks on the symbol in the Koch list.
2000.02.16: Rewrote the confusion matrix display: it's much faster now. Removed some menu options that haven't been used (save trials, etc.)
2000.02.24 Changed the main window layout so it fits on a Windows 640x480 display. Added a number of random text options to augment Koch training. The "check" panel now shows the text that was sent with errors marked in red.
2000.02.25 Cleaned up the trial dialog scrolling panes. Changed the "Random" selection pull-down to make the window narrower.
2000.03.03 Reorganized the project folder. Moved the distribution to homepage.mac.com/k6mam/MorsePractice/MorsePractice.html. Removed Audio support from the applet wrapper (it isn't needed and forces the application user to have the MRJ-specific libraries on-hand. Use reflection to get the AudioPlay classes in AudioSynthesizer.java
2000.03.05 Fighting Windows Java implementation bugs. Eventually added a gratuitous image to force proper text alignment. Fixed tiny random-access script typos.
2000.03.07 Finished fighting Windows and Mac. Gave up on MRJ 2.1.4 support, switching over to the 2.2 (PPC-only) application builder. This works on my office iMac, while the earlier application would not load. Cleaned up the web page and wrote a readme file.
2000.07.28: Rewrote the audio synthesis to support javax.sound (Java 1.3). The synthesis class was split into two separate classes, one with data and one with sun.audio (Mac and Java 1.1.8) support. Added a second package that provides javax.sound (AudioClip) support. Also, moved the "Options" menu into the dialog so it was accessable to applet users and removed the 3D-panel (it has problems on browsers that don't obey component z-order display constraints).

Permission to use, copy, modify, and redistribute this software and its documentation for personal, non-commercial use is hereby granted provided that this copyright notice and appropriate documentation appears in all copies. This software may not be distributed for fee or as part of commercial, "shareware," and/or not-for-profit endevors including, but not limited to, CD-ROM collections, online databases, and subscription services without specific license. The author makes no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for any incidental or consequental damages in connection with or arising out of the use of the information or program.