templates
Is there a document class available that allows for the creation of learning cards?
I thought of an environment that allows me to define a question and the according solution. The final document has for example 6 questions on every even page and the according 6 answers on every odd page -> I can simply cut out the learning cards.
Following Matthew's prediction, this is how I would do this layout in ConTeXt. The table at the top can be set as a header. The callouts on the left margin can be set using layers. We can add frames (borders) by carefully adding frame=on or frame=off to different elements. The rest is just a matter of setting the right margin's etc.
\setuplayout
[topspace=1\lineheight,
top=1\lineheight,
topdistance=0cm,
header=1.25in,
headerdistance=0cm,
height=fit,
footerdistance=0cm,
footer=0.5in,
bottomspace=0.25\lineheight,
bottom=0.25\lineheight,
bottomdistance=0cm,
backspace=0.75in,
width=fit,
cutspace=0.125in,
]
\setupbackgrounds[text][text][frame=on]
% Header
\setuppagenumbering[location=]
\setupheadertexts[\setups{header}]
% Left margin
\definelayer [leftlayer]
[width=\paperwidth,
height=\paperheight,
x=0cm,
y=1cm]
\defineframed[margincallout]
[height=\dimexpr\layoutparameter{backspace}\relax,
width=\dimexpr(\textheight+\layoutparameter{header})/2\relax,
align={middle,middle},
foregroundstyle=\tfc,
frame=off]
\setlayer [leftlayer] [preset=leftbottom]
{\rotate{\margincallout[rightframe=on]{Rotated text callout 1} }}
\setlayer [leftlayer] [preset=lefttop,y=2.5mm]
{\rotate{\margincallout {Rotated text callout 2} }}
\setupbackgrounds[page][background=leftlayer]
% Actual content
\startsetups header
\setupTABLE[each][each][height=\dimexpr\layoutparameter{header}/4\relax,
width=0.25\textwidth,
align={middle,middle},
frame=on]
\bTABLE
\bTR
\bTD[nr=3] \fakewords {5} {10} \eTD
\bTD[nr=3,nc=2] \fakewords {5} {10} \eTD
\bTD \fakewords{1}{3} \eTD
\eTR
\bTR
\bTD \fakewords{1}{3} \eTD
\eTR
\bTR
\bTD \fakewords{1}{3} \eTD
\eTR
\bTR
\bTD \fakewords{1}{2} \eTD
\bTD \fakewords{1}{2} \eTD
\bTD \fakewords{1}{2} \eTD
\bTD \fakewords{1}{2} \eTD
\eTR
\eTABLE
\stopsetups
% For dummy text
\usemodule[visual]
\starttext
Page Content
\stoptext
The output looks as follows:
Material that should go on every page should be placed in the head or foot (\@oddhead typically). One useful trick is to put a \begin{picture}(0,0) environment this will produce a zero sized box but whose contents can spill out over the entire page, and being in the head they will be absolutely positioned. So you can \put the frame (using th epicture mode box commands, or a fancier package) and similarly \put an \includegraphics with the logo at exact coordinates. (Setting \unitlength to 1mm or some other "real world" length unit often helps when measuring this sort of thing unless your design spec is already given in points).
Then for the first page you just want a different style with perhaps a different style box. the "header" section should just be normal body text for LaTeX not set as a part of \@oddhead as it is of unspecified size.
something like this:
\documentclass{article}
\setlength\textwidth{130mm}
\setlength\textheight{190mm}
\makeatletter
\def\@oddhead{%
\setlength\unitlength{1mm}%
\begin{picture}(0,0)%
\put(120,20){\fbox{A LOGO HERE}}%
\put(-10,-200){\framebox(150,200)[tl]{}}%
\end{picture}\hfill}
\makeatother
\begin{document}
\def\x{Stuff goes here. just to fill up the space. }
\def\xx{\x\x\x\x\x\x}
\def\y{%
\xx\par some other text to fill up space. \xx\xx\xx
\xx\par some other text to fill up more space. \xx\xx\xx
\xx\par some other text to fill up space to get more pages. \xx\xx\xx}
\y
2222 \y
333 \y
\end{document}
Best Answer
What about the flashcards class on CTAN? Looks like they already have layouts for one of the printable Avery index card templates, but you could just cut along the same dimensions yourself.
http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/flashcards/