The ability to reverse a card should be possible through a simple checkbox toggle that can be accessed by a keyboard shortcut, without the need to change note types. Maybe add a setting that defaults the checkbox back to normal after a reversed card has been added.
Also, the ability to add cloze sections should be possible for the standard note type, regardless of whether if it is reversed or not, also removing the need to change note types.
For a reversed cloze card, the “Back extra” can become the front of the card and the entire “Text” section without the cloze sections can be the back.
Old note types can still stay for older versions or for backwards compatibility, but it would save a lot of time if such a card was added to Anki.
If you want to generate reverse cards for only some of your material (perhaps you only want to take the time to study reverses for the most important material, or some of your cards don’t make sense reversed), you can select the “Basic (optional reversed card)” note type. This note type generates a forward-only card when you fill in only the first two fields; if you additionally enter something in the “Add Reverse” field (like a ‘y’), Anki will generate a reverse card as well. The contents of this field will never be displayed on a card.
It is not a checkbox that’s the toggle but it’s the “Add Reverse” field (empty: toggle off; has content: toggle on).
Yes, you have not misunderstood me, except the optional reversed field cannot be accessed via a keyboard shortcut; one needs to like, press the tab button a lot.
I know that that feature already exists in a crude way, but I added it here anyways because I feel it would be better if all of the core features of Anki cards were available in one standard note type.
I see the appeal of having one note type to rule them all (such as: no need to copy “Sources” or “Extra” sections). In practice, I use a cloze note template with multiple Text fields for almost everything. With cloze, you can simulate the Basic note types.
It’s noteworthy that in the browser, we now can right click → Create Copy (Ctrl+Alt+E). And of course Ctrl+N in the editor to change the note type.
Anyway, I wondered whether we can fuse the two note types: add a cloze field, implement it into front/back templates. Then I remembered this section from the manual:
The cloze note type is treated specially by Anki, and cannot be created based on a regular note type. If you wish to customize it, please make sure to clone the existing Cloze type instead of another type of note. Things like formatting can be customized, but it is not possible to add extra card templates to the cloze note type.
Because card generation functions differently for cloze deletion cards, {{cloze:…}} tags can not be used with a regular note type - they will only function properly when used with a cloze note type.
So, it seems like they work fundamentally differently and thus changing that would require a fundamental rework.
You want a function that
reverses the Text and Extra fields
automatically removes all clozes from the Text field
lets you then add clozes to the Extra field,
so that Text is now shown on the back and Extra on the front, correct?