Educational Trivia Game

Overview

The Trivial game generator creates educational trivia cards for the Operating Systems Implementation (ISO) course. It reads questions from an Excel spreadsheet and generates printable card sets for three evaluation periods.

The trivia game is designed as an engaging assessment tool for reviewing course material across different operating systems topics.

Project Structure

Trivial/
├── trivalize.py              # PNG-based card generator
├── trivialize_svg.py         # SVG-based card generator
├── TrivialISO.xlsx          # Questions database
├── crea-pdfs.sh             # PDF compilation script
├── limpiar.sh               # Cleanup script
├── dibujo_preguntas.svg     # Question card template
├── dibujo_respuesta_1.svg   # Answer template (Eval 1)
├── dibujo_respuesta_2.svg   # Answer template (Eval 2)
├── dibujo_respuesta_3.svg   # Answer template (Eval 3)
└── rsrc/
    ├── garamond.ttf         # Font for text rendering
    ├── Tux.svg              # Linux mascot
    └── Logos/               # OS logos (Windows, Linux, Debian)

Dependencies

Install required packages on Debian/Ubuntu systems:

sudo apt install librsvg2-bin pdftk python3-openpyxl python3-pil python3-reportlab

System Tools

librsvg2-bin (SVG rendering)
pdftk (PDF manipulation)

Python Packages

openpyxl (Excel reading)
PIL/Pillow (Image processing)
reportlab (PDF generation)

Generator Scripts

trivalize.py (PNG Generator)

Generates trivia cards as PNG images.

Features

Reads questions from TrivialISO.xlsx
Creates 30 cards per evaluation period (3 evaluations = 90 cards total)
Uses Garamond font at 11pt
Processes 6 categories per card
Validates question/answer length constraints

Key Configuration

numTarjetas = 30
trivial_path = "TrivialISO.xlsx"

# Card positions (width, height)
qbpos = [(64,27),(64,60),(64,93),(64,128),(64,163),(64,195)]
rbpos = [(190,27),(190,60),(190,93),(190,128),(190,163),(190,195)]

Validation Rules

Content Length Limits

Questions: Maximum 57 characters

Ensures text fits on card without wrapping
Triggers warning if exceeded

Answers: Maximum 29 characters

Maintains readability on answer side
Warnings printed for violations

Usage

./trivalize.py

Output Structure

Eva1Carta_1/
├── Eva1Carta_1_CARA_A.png  # Questions side
└── Eva1Carta_1_CARA_B.png  # Answers side

Eva1Carta_2/
├── Eva1Carta_2_CARA_A.png
└── Eva1Carta_2_CARA_B.png
...

trivialize_svg.py (SVG Generator)

Generates trivia cards as SVG files for higher quality and editability.

Advantages Over PNG Version

Scalability

Vector format allows infinite scaling without quality loss

Editability

SVG files can be edited in Inkscape or other vector graphics tools

Color Detection

Automatically detects category colors from sheet names

File Size

Smaller file sizes for storage and distribution

Usage

./trivialize_svg.py

Output Structure

Eva1Carta_1/
├── Eva1Carta_1_CARA_A.svg  # Questions side (editable)
└── Eva1Carta_1_CARA_B.svg  # Answers side (editable)

Excel Workbook Format

The TrivialISO.xlsx file organizes questions by category and evaluation period.

Sheet Naming Convention

<Color>_<Evaluation>

Example sheets:

Rojo_1 - Red category, Evaluation 1
Azul_1 - Blue category, Evaluation 1
Verde_2 - Green category, Evaluation 2
Amarillo_3 - Yellow category, Evaluation 3

Column Structure

Column A	Column B
Question	Answer

Each sheet should contain at least 30 rows of questions and answers.

Card Categories

The trivia game typically covers 6 categories aligned with course topics:

Installation

OS installation procedures and boot processes

Users & Permissions

User management, groups, and file permissions

File Systems

Storage, partitioning, and file system types

Networking

IP configuration, services, and protocols

Software

Package management and updates

Security

Firewalls, encryption, and security policies

Production Workflow

Step 1: Prepare Questions

Edit TrivialISO.xlsx with your course content:

Create sheets for each category/evaluation combination
Add questions (Column A) and answers (Column B)
Keep questions under 57 characters
Keep answers under 29 characters

Step 2: Generate Cards

Choose your preferred generator:

./trivalize.py

Step 3: Review Output

Check the terminal for any length warnings:

Hoja :Rojo_1 Fila: 15 -- Pregunta * : This question is too long and will be truncated
Hoja :Azul_1 Fila: 8 -- Respuesta * : This answer exceeds the limit

Step 4: Create PDFs

Use the included script to compile cards into PDFs:

./crea-pdfs.sh

Step 5: Print and Cut

Print cards double-sided (front: questions, back: answers)
Cut along card boundaries
Optional: laminate for durability

Customization

Change Number of Cards

Edit the numTarjetas variable:

numTarjetas = 50  # Generate 50 cards per evaluation

Modify Text Positions

Adjust coordinate arrays for different card layouts:

# Questions positions (x, y)
qbpos = [(64,27), (64,60), (64,93), (64,128), (64,163), (64,195)]

# Answers positions (x, y)  
rbpos = [(190,27), (190,60), (190,93), (190,128), (190,163), (190,195)]

Change Font

Replace the font file and update the reference:

font = ImageFont.truetype("your-font.ttf", 11)

Cleanup

Remove generated card directories:

./limpiar.sh

Educational Value

The trivia game format offers several pedagogical benefits:

Active Recall

Students retrieve information from memory rather than passive review

Spaced Repetition

Three evaluation periods support distributed practice

Gamification

Game format increases engagement and motivation

Peer Learning

Cards can be used in group study sessions

Troubleshooting

Font Not Found

OSError: cannot open resource

Solution: Ensure garamond.ttf is in the Trivial/ directory or use a system font:

font = ImageFont.truetype("/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans.ttf", 11)

Template Not Found

FileNotFoundError: dibujo_preguntas.svg

Solution: Run the script from the Trivial/ directory:

cd Trivial/
./trivialize_svg.py

Openpyxl Missing

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'openpyxl'

Solution: Install Python dependencies:

pip3 install openpyxl pillow reportlab

Additional Resources

​Overview

​Project Structure

​Dependencies

System Tools

Python Packages

​Generator Scripts

​trivalize.py (PNG Generator)

​Features

​Key Configuration

​Validation Rules

​Usage

​Output Structure

​trivialize_svg.py (SVG Generator)

​Advantages Over PNG Version

Scalability

Editability

Color Detection

File Size

​Usage

​Output Structure

​Excel Workbook Format

​Sheet Naming Convention

​Column Structure

​Card Categories

Installation

Users & Permissions

File Systems

Networking

Software

Security

​Production Workflow

​Step 1: Prepare Questions

​Step 2: Generate Cards

​Step 3: Review Output

​Step 4: Create PDFs

​Step 5: Print and Cut

​Customization

​Change Number of Cards

​Modify Text Positions

​Change Font

​Cleanup

​Educational Value

Active Recall

Spaced Repetition

Gamification

Peer Learning

​Troubleshooting

​Font Not Found

​Template Not Found

​Openpyxl Missing

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Project Structure

Dependencies

Generator Scripts

trivalize.py (PNG Generator)

Features

Key Configuration

Validation Rules

Usage

Output Structure

trivialize_svg.py (SVG Generator)

Advantages Over PNG Version

Usage

Output Structure

Excel Workbook Format

Sheet Naming Convention

Column Structure

Card Categories

Production Workflow

Step 1: Prepare Questions

Step 2: Generate Cards

Step 3: Review Output

Step 4: Create PDFs

Step 5: Print and Cut

Customization

Change Number of Cards

Modify Text Positions

Change Font

Cleanup

Educational Value

Troubleshooting

Font Not Found

Template Not Found

Openpyxl Missing