Cloze card type insertion for new cards not random

Anki Help
1

I import a deck with a few cloze fields (c1, c2, c3… different cards.) I then proceed to review the deck. Even if the new card scheduler section shows random, the order I am presented with the cards is sequential (all c1 cards, then all c2 cards, etc.) The only way to work around this is to create a filtered deck and select the random card selection.

Why can’t the new card insertion be random in the first place for cloze cards?

2

Hi! I made some tests and that’s what I got for you:

anki_lzt6KNV4dZ

Let me know the result :+1:.

3

I made a video to repro what I am experiencing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHzmPkxFH2c

  • Deck #1 contains all the cards with c1, c2, c3, etc. cloze fields. I checked the random new card as shown in the video. I “forgot” all the cards to make sure it’s reset to initial state. Then I go thru the study. As you can clearly see; the c1 cloze are reviewed, then the c2 cloze, etc. That’s not what I would expect with the random new cards selected in options.
  • Deck #2 is a filtered deck I built from Deck #1. There I select random too. And as you can see from the study fo the deck, it is random this time.

So the question remains: does random really works on cloze card types with decks that are not filtered? Not in my experience. But then, why?

Sorry this is basic stuff, and I may have missed something. I guess it’s part of the protocol to understand Anki before using it effectively…

4

Actually your image made me think twice. I discovered that there are two sections under options: A “New Cards” section and a “Display Order” section. I selected random under and new card sort order and it magically worked as expected. I guess this “new card sort order” in display is something used by new cards. But the question begs; what is the random in the New Cards insertion order? I selected it, so that cloze cards should have in theory been inserted randomly (not just the note but also the c1, c2, c3… Apparently note. Random insertion is for notes, not the cards generated from those. Can someone confirm this please?

5

Are you using shared decks?

6

Template order is preserved at insertion time, as for most users it makes sense to introduce templates in a predefined order even when notes have been randomized.

1 Like
7

Q: Are you using shared decks? A: Never!

8

I think that’s the explanation why the “insertion Order” on the “New Cards” section doesn’t work with clozes cards.

When you select random order, Anki will randomize your notes, keeping the cards of a given note close together. The cards of a given note are shown in the order, in which their card types appear, so that siblings are introduced consistently — otherwise you could end up in a state where some notes had all their cards introduced and other notes had only one or two. Please see the “bury related” and “display order” sections below for more info.
Deck Options - Anki Manual

9

Yes, I need to spend more time studying Anki to use it better. At the end, it seems that I spend more time studying Anki than my deck…

10

Anki is a very flexible and powerful tool, with lot of features. At its most basic level is very easy to use, but like any other tool, the user just need to learn to use it properly, specially when trying to use its more advanced features.

Judging by your other comments on the forum, it seems that you’re complaining about the tool without really knowing how to use it properly. I’d recommend taking your time and reading the manual instead.