Xcalibre 4.1 + and Lertap 5 for Excel 2010 and later versions

The information in this topic has to do with getting Lertap to create the two special files for use with Xcalibre 4.1.

 

Lertap has an Xcalibre interface which works something like that for the Bilog-MG program mentioned in a previous topic. To activate the interface, go to the System worksheet in the Lertap5.xlsm file, and activate the setting in Row 24, Column 2 -- set it to "yes". Once "yes" is in the appropriate spot in the System sheet, Lertap will spin out two new worksheets, and two corresponding "txt" files, every time the output "Item scores and correlations" option is selected from the Run menu; the subtest selected for processing may be either cognitive or affective.

 

Xcalibre 4.1 requires a "Data matrix file" and an "Item control file". (This is not strictly true, it will also work with the old data matrix file used by the former version of Xcalibre. The Excel 2007 version of Lertap, 5.8.2.1, was the first able to create such a file -- it's called "XCal", please see the previous topic.)

 

The data matrix file created by Lertap 5.10 is called LrtpXcalData.txt. It is a "tab delimited text" file. Lertap will create this file in the same folder as the active workbook (that is, the one Lertap was working with when the "Item scores and correlations" option was selected).

 

The item control file created by Lertap 5.10 is called LrtpXcalICF.txt. It is also a "tab delimited text" file, and it will also be placed in the same folder as the active workbook.

 

Here's a picture of the File tab in Xcalibre 4.1, showing links to the two files from Lertap:

 

MathsQuizXcal41Setup1

 

Lertap also creates worksheets with the same information as that found in the two text files. One of these new worksheets is called XCal41Data; the other is called XCal41ICF. These two worksheets are in no way critical to Lertap -- they may be deleted if they're of no use; deleting the worksheets does not delete the corresponding text files.

 

There's more information about Lertap 5 and Xcalibre in this topic.