Overview
Use this workscreen to specify or clear a filter.
A filter is one or more conditions that are applied to the test units, limiting which subsidiary members—programs, objectives, or questions—of those units are used in filling the question pool. The programs, objectives, or questions that don't meet those conditions are "filtered out" (ignored) when the pool is loaded from the test units.
There are three kinds of filters: program, objective, and question. A test can have no more than one of each kind, but a single filter can have as many conditions as you like. For example, a single question filter might specify the two conditions that a question must have a status of Active and also be of type Multiple-Choice.
This workscreen deals with only one filter type at a time. So to develop multiple filters for a test—for example, one filter for objectives and another for questions—then work on one filter, close the workscreen, and then work on the other filter.
Filters can be saved as files (in the TESTFLTR folder), so that they can be reused on other exams. Filters saved as files are the filters that are listed in the Defined Filters pane.
To use a filter from the "Defined Filters" pane, follow these steps:
1.Select the filter in the Defined Filters pane and click the Load Defined Filter button.
2.If you want to make modifications to the filter, you can do so in the "Current Filter" window.
Tip: Changes made in the "Current Filter" window affect only that test. The file from which the original filter was loaded is not affected by your changes. If you do want to update the file or save the changed filter to a new file, click the save button:
3.Click the Check Syntax button to check for errors in the filter's script commands.
Tip: To use a filter, you do not have to use a predefined one. You can simply type the filter conditions in the "Current Filter" window or use the filter designer,
Filter Files
If you find yourself retyping the same filter on test after test, why not save that filter to a file for easy reuse. Then it will show up in the "Defined Filters" window for easy reuse on other exams.
A saved filter needs a title for display in the "Defined Filters" list. Enter a title or short description as the first line in the filter, preceded by the pound (#) symbol. Below that line enter the actual filter conditions. Here are a couple of filter examples to illustrate that design:
Example 1: (An Objective filter)
Example 2: (A Question filter)
File Names
When you save a filter to a file use the following file extensions:
•For Question filters, use “QQ” as the extension.
oExample: ACTIVEMC.QQ
•For Objective filters, use “OB” as the extension.
oExample: ENABLERS.OB
•For Program filters, use “PG” as the extension.
oExample: HASOBJS.PG
Filter files go in the TESTFLTR folder. This is a sub-directory under the directory containing VISION.EXE.
Defined Filter List
Use this window to select a filter from the list of predefined filters. Each entry in the list is associated with a file found in the TESTFLTR sub-directory. To use a filter from this list, select the filter and click the Load Defined Filter button. For more help on filter files, click the Help button.
File Name
This is the file name of the filter selected above in the "Defined Filters" window.
Filter files are located in the TESTFLTR folder, which is inside the folder containing VISION.exe. But it is possible to specify a different location for filter files. That is done in the Security program (Security.exe).
Deleted Filter
Click here to delete whichever filter is highlighted in the Defined Filters list. The deletion won't be immediate; you will be asked to confirm.
If you just want to clear the Current Filter, don't use the Delete button; use the clear button for that: 
Current Filter Text
This pane displays the filter currently in place for this exam—and for the data type indicated in the window caption (Program, Objective, or Question). There are three ways to enter a filter in this pane:
•Load a defined filter from the list above, OR
•Manually type the filter in this pane, or edit one that was loaded from the list of defined filters. This requires some knowledge of the VISION report scripting language. OR
•Click the Add Filter button to open a tool that will assist you in creating the filter.
Tips:
•Click the Check Syntax button to verify that the Current Filter is grammatically correct according to the filter language.
•Click the Clear Filter button to remove a filter from use on this test.
Load Defined Filter button
Click this button to load in the "Current Filter" window the filter selected above in the "Defined Filters" list, thereby activating the filter.
Clear Filter Button
Click this button to clear the "Current Filter" window. This removes the filter.
Check Syntax Button
Click this button to check the syntax of the commands in the "Current Filter" window. This verifies whether the filter expression is grammatically correct according to the filter language.
New Filter
Click this button to create a new filter. A tool will assist you in the filter creation, so you don't need to know the filter language.
The new filter will appear in the "Current Filter" box for use on this exam only. If you want to make it available for use on other exams, save it to a file with the Save Filter button 
. That will add it to the "Defined Filters" list above.
Don't Create a New Filter When:
You don't need to create a new filter if the filter you want is already in the list above. To use a filter in the list above for this exam, select it and then click "Load Defined Filter," which loads the selected filter into the "Current Filter" box below.
Save Filter To File
Click this button to save the Current Filter to a file. It isn't necessary to save a filter to a file in order to use it for this exam; save it to a file if you want it to be available for use on other exams.
A filter that has been saved to a file will appear in the Defined Filters list above.
To revise a defined filter:
1.Load it into the Current Filter box.
2.Edit the Current Filter.
3.Save the filter to the same file name showing in the File Name box above.
Auto Reload Pool
If this is checked, then the question pool will be reloaded when you click the OK button, if the filter changed.
This is a convenience feature. It spares you from having to remember to reload the question pool yourself after you have set or changed a filter. You can reload the question pool yourself using the Load button on the window behind this one.
If you are defining multiple filters (question, objective, etc.) for a test whose pool takes a long time to load, then to save time you may wish to leave the box unchecked until you've defined the final filter.
VISION remembers the checkbox state between VISION sessions.
Filter Designer
Overview
Use this window to build a filter. Click OK to load that expression into the Current Filter pane in the window behind this one.
Note that this interface builds either a question filter, an objective filter, or a training unit filter, depending on which filter type you are working on.
The complete filter consists of one or more filter conditions. Each condition is specified using a row of window controls. The row for the first condition is always present. To specify more conditions, click the + button. To remove a condition, click the minus (-) button in the row representing that condition.
This window is only good for creating filters; it won't edit an existing filter. Of course, you can always in effect "edit" an existing filter by replacing it with the one you create here; it's just that you always have to build a filter from scratch each time you use this window.
Specifying A Condition
Use the controls in a row to specify a condition.
•If the control is a droplist type, then select an entry in that list.
•If the control is a textbox, type in some text; in a few cases a number is appropriate instead of text.
•If the control is a date picker, then select the desired date
Some conditions entail two values, for the low and high values in a range.
More Help on Controls
For specific information on any particular control in this interface:
•right-click the mouse on the control, or
•click the ? button and then drop the cursor on the control.
Filter Title
In this box enter a title or description of the filter. This title is what will eventually appear in the list of predefined filters—if you choose to save this filter to a file.
Any/All
This is only relevant if the filter contains more than one condition. In that case:
Any means: this condition OR that condition OR … etc.
All means: this condition AND that condition AND … etc.
Not
Check here to negate or reverse the meaning of the condition.
Condition Type
From this droplist, select the type of filter condition.
Then, using other controls in this row, complete the condition by selecting or entering your desired value(s) for that condition type.
Some condition types don't involve any values; for example, "Linked to document".
Remove Condition
Click the minus (-) button to remove the filter condition specified in that row.
Add Condition
Click the + button to add a filter condition (below this row).
Strictly speaking, this doesn't actually add a condition; it adds another row of controls for you to specify another condition.
Filter Text
In this read-only box is the filter text that corresponds to your entries above (including the title). This is the text that will get copied into the Current Filter pane in the window behind this one—if and when you click OK.
This box automatically updates while you interact with the controls above.
