PGbasicmacros.pl --- located in the courseScripts directory
These produce answer blanks of various sizes or pop up lists or radio answer buttons. The names for the answer blanks are generated implicitly.
ans_rule( width )
tex_ans_rule( width )
ans_radio_buttons(value1=>label1, value2,label2 => value3,label3=>...)
pop_up_list(@list) # list consists of (value => label, PR => "Product rule",...)
pop_up_list([@list]) # list consists of values
In the last case, one can use pop_up_list(['?', 'yes', 'no']) to produce a
pop-up list containing the three strings listed, and then use str_cmp to check
the answer.
To indicate the checked position of radio buttons put a '%' in front of the value: ans_radio_buttons(1, 'Yes','%2','No')
will have 'No' checked. tex_ans_rule works inside math equations in HTML_tth mode. It does not work in Latex2HTML mode
since this mode produces gif pictures.
The following method is defined in PG.pl for entering the answer evaluators corresponding to answer rules with automatically generated names. The answer evaluators are matched with the answer rules in the order in which they appear on the page.
ANS(ans_evaluator1, ans_evaluator2,...);
These are more primitive macros which produce answer blanks for specialized cases when complete control over the matching of answers blanks and answer evaluators is desired. The names of the answer blanks must be generated manually, and it is best if they do NOT begin with the default answer prefix (currently AnSwEr).
labeled_ans_rule(name, width) # an alias for NAMED_ANS_RULE where width defaults to 20 if omitted.
NAMED_ANS_RULE(name, width)
NAMED_ANS_BOX(name, rows, cols)
NAMED_ANS_RADIO(name, value,label,)
NAMED_ANS_RADIO_EXTENSION(name, value,label)
NAMED_ANS_RADIO_BUTTONS(name,value1,label1,value2,label2,...)
check_box('-name' =>answer5,'-value' =>'statement3','-label' =>'I loved this course!' )
NAMED_POP_UP_LIST($name, @list) # list consists of (value => tag, PR => "Product rule",...)
NAMED_POP_UP_LIST($name, [@list]) # list consists of a list of values (and each tag will be set to the corresponding value)
(Name is the name of the variable, value is the value given to the variable when this option is selected, and label is the text printed next to the button or check box. Check box variables can have multiple values.)
NAMED_ANS_RADIO_BUTTONS creates a sequence of NAMED_ANS_RADIO and NAMED_ANS_RADIO_EXTENSION items which are output either as an array or, in scalar context, as the array glued together with spaces. It is usually easier to use this than to manually construct the radio buttons by hand. However, sometimes extra flexibility is desiredin which case:
When entering radio buttons using the ``NAMED'' format, you should use NAMED_ANS_RADIO button for the first button and then use NAMED_ANS_RADIO_EXTENSION for the remaining buttons. NAMED_ANS_RADIO requires a matching answer evalutor, while NAMED_ANS_RADIO_EXTENSION does not. The name used for NAMED_ANS_RADIO_EXTENSION should match the name used for NAMED_ANS_RADIO (and the associated answer evaluator).
The following method is defined in PG.pl for entering the answer evaluators corresponding to answer rules with automatically generated names. The answer evaluators are matched with the answer rules in the order in which they appear on the page.
NAMED_ANS(name1 => ans_evaluator1, name2 => ans_evaluator2,...);
These auxiliary macros are defined in PG.pl
NEW_ANS_NAME( number ); # produces a new answer blank name from a number by adding a prefix (AnSwEr)
# and registers this name as an implicitly labeled answer
# Its use is paired with each answer evaluator being entered using ANS()
ANS_NUM_TO_NAME(number); # adds the prefix (AnSwEr) to the number, but does nothing else.
RECORD_ANS_NAME( name ); # records the order in which the answer blank is rendered
# This is called by all of the constructs above, but must
# be called explicitly if an input blank is constructed explictly
# using HTML code.
These are legacy macros:
ANS_RULE( number, width ); # equivalent to NAMED_ANS_RULE( NEW_ANS_NAME(number), width)
ANS_BOX( question_number,height, width ); # equivalent to NAMED_ANS_BOX( NEW_ANS_NAME(number), height, width)
ANS_RADIO( question_number, value,tag ); # equivalent to NAMED_ANS_RADIO( NEW_ANS_NAME(number), value,tag)
ANS_RADIO_OPTION( question_number, value,tag ); # equivalent to NAMED_ANS_RADIO_EXTENSION( ANS_NUM_TO_NAME(number), value,tag)
Usage \[ \{ answer_matrix(rows,columns,width_of_ans_rule, @options) \} \]
Creates an array of answer blanks and passes it to display_matrix which returns
text which represents the matrix in TeX format used in math display mode. Answers
are then passed back to whatever answer evaluators you write at the end of the problem.
(note, if you have an m x n matrix, you will need mn answer evaluators, and they will be
returned to the evaluaters starting in the top left hand corner and proceed to the left
and then at the end moving down one row, just as you would read them.)
The options are passed on to display_matrix.
solution('text','text2',...);
SOLUTION('text','text2',...); # equivalent to TEXT(solution(...));
hint('text', 'text2', ...);
HINT('text', 'text2',...); # equivalent to TEXT("$BR$HINT" . hint(@_) . "$BR") if hint(@_);
Solution prints its concatenated input when the check box named 'ShowSol' is set and the time is after the answer date. The check box 'ShowSol' is visible only after the answer date or when the problem is viewed by a professor.
$main::envir{'displaySolutionsQ'} is set to 1 when a solution is to be displayed.
Hints are shown only after the number of attempts is greater than $:showHint ($main::showHint defaults to 1) and the check box named 'ShowHint' is set. The check box 'ShowHint' is visible only after the number of attempts is greater than $main::showHint.
$main::envir{'displayHintsQ'} is set to 1 when a hint is to be displayed.
COMMENT('text','text2',...);
Takes the text to be lines of a comment to be shown only in the Library Browser below the rendered problem.
The function COMMENT stores the needed html in the variable pgComment, which gets transfered to the flag 'comment' in PG_FLAGS.
Usage:
random(0,5,.1) # produces a random number between 0 and 5 in increments of .1
non_zero_random(0,5,.1) # gives a non-zero random number
list_random(2,3,5,6,7,8,10) # produces random value from the list
list_random(2,3, (5..8),10) # does the same thing
SRAND(seed) # resets the main random generator -- use very cautiously
SRAND(time) will create a different problem everytime it is called. This makes it difficult
to check the answers :-).
SRAND($envir->{'inputs_ref'}->{'key'} ) will create a different problem for each login session. This is probably what is desired.
These macros produce different output depending on the display mode being used to show the problem on the screen, or whether the problem is being converted to TeX to produce a hard copy output.
MODES ( TeX => "Output this in TeX mode",
HTML => "output this in HTML mode",
HTML_tth => "output this in HTML_tth mode",
HTML_dpng => "output this in HTML_dpng mode",
Latex2HTML => "output this in Latex2HTML mode",
)
TEX (tex_version, html_version) #obsolete
M3 (tex_version, latex2html_version, html_version) #obsolete
@ALPHABET ALPHABET() capital letter alphabet -- ALPHABET[0] = 'A'
$PAR PAR() paragraph character (\par or <p>)
$BR BR() line break character
$LQ LQ() left double quote
$RQ RQ() right double quote
$BM BM() begin math
$EM EM() end math
$BDM BDM() begin display math
$EDM EDM() end display math
$LTS LTS() strictly less than
$GTS GTS() strictly greater than
$LTE LTE() less than or equal
$GTE GTE() greater than or equal
$BEGIN_ONE_COLUMN BEGIN_ONE_COLUMN() begin one-column mode
$END_ONE_COLUMN END_ONE_COLUMN() end one-column mode
$SOL SOLUTION_HEADING() solution headline
$SOLUTION SOLUTION_HEADING() solution headline
$HINT HINT_HEADING() hint headline
$US US() underscore character
$SPACE SPACE() space character (tex and latex only)
$BBOLD BBOLD() begin bold typeface
$EBOLD EBOLD() end bold typeface
$BITALIC BITALIC() begin italic typeface
$EITALIC EITALIC() end italic typeface
$BCENTER BCENTER() begin centered environment
$ECENTER ECENTER() end centered environment
$HR HR() horizontal rule
$LBRACE LBRACE() left brace
$LB LB () left brace
$RBRACE RBRACE() right brace
$RB RB () right brace
$DOLLAR DOLLAR() a dollar sign
$PERCENT PERCENT() a percent sign
$CARET CARET() a caret sign
$PI PI() the number pi
$E E() the number e
Usage:
TEXT(@text);
This is the simplest way to print text from a problem. The strings in the array @text are concatenated
with spaces between them and printed out in the text of the problem. The text is not processed in any other way.
TEXT is defined in PG.pl.
Usage:
BEGIN_TEXT
text.....
END_TEXT
This is the most common way to enter text into the problem. All of the text between BEGIN_TEXT and END_TEXT
is processed by the EV3 macro described below and then printed using the TEXT command. The two key words
must appear on lines by themselves. The preprocessing that makes this construction work is done in PGtranslator.pm.
See EV3 below for details on the processing.
TEXT(EV3("This is a formulat \( \int_0^5 x^2 \, dx \) ");
TEXT(EV3(@text));
TEXT(EV3(<<'END_TEXT'));
text stuff...
END_TEXT
The BEGIN_TEXT/END_TEXT construction is translated into the construction above by PGtranslator.pm. END_TEXT must appear on a line by itself and be left justified. (The << construction is known as a ``here document'' in UNIX and in PERL.)
The single quotes around END_TEXT mean that no automatic interpolation of variables takes place in the text. Using EV3 with strings which have been evaluated by double quotes may lead to unexpected results.
The evaluation macro E3 first evaluates perl code inside the braces: \{ code \}.
Any perl statment can be put inside the braces. The
result of the evaluation (i.e. the last statement evaluated) replaces the \{ code \} construction.
Next interpolation of all variables (e.g. $var or @array ) is performed.
Then mathematical formulas in TeX are evaluated within the
\( tex math mode \) and
\[ tex display math mode \]
constructions, in that order:
FEQ($string); # processes and outputs the string
The mathematical formulas are run through the macro FEQ (Format EQuations) which performs
several substitutions (see below).
In HTML_tth mode the resulting code is processed by tth to obtain an HTML version
of the formula. (In the future processing by WebEQ may be added here as another option.)
The Latex2HTML mode does nothing
at this stage; it creates the entire problem before running it through
TeX and creating the GIF images of the equations.
The resulting string is output (and usually fed into TEXT to be printed in the problem).
Usage:
$string2 = FEQ($string1);
This is a filter which is used to format equations by EV2 and EV3, but can also be used on its own. It is best
understood with an example.
$string1 = "${a}x^2 + ${b}x + {$c:%.1f}"; $a = 3;, $b = -2; $c = -7.345;
when interpolated becomes:
$string1 = '3x^2 + -2x + {-7.345:%0.1f}
FEQ first changes the number of decimal places displayed, so that the last term becomes -7.3 Then it removes the extraneous plus and minus signs, so that the final result is what you want:
$string2 = '3x^2 - 2x -7.3';
(The %0.1f construction is the same formatting convention used by Perl and nearly identical to the one used by the C printf statement. Some common usage: %0.3f 3 decimal places, fixed notation; %0.3e 3 significant figures exponential notation; %0.3g uses either fixed or exponential notation depending on the size of the number.)
Two additional legacy formatting constructions are also supported:
!{$c:%0.3f} will give a number with 3 decimal places and a negative
sign if the number is negative, no sign if the number is positive. Since this is
identical to the behavior of {$c:%0.3f} the use of this syntax is depricated.
?{$c:%0.3f} determines the sign and prints it
whether the number is positive or negative. You can use this
to force an expression such as +5.456.
TEXT(EV2(@text));
TEXT(EV2(<<END_OF_TEXT));
text stuff...
END_OF_TEXT
This is a precursor to EV3. In this case the constants are interpolated first, before the evaluation of the \{ ...code...\}
construct. This can lead to unexpected results. For example \{ join(" ", @text) \} with @text = ("Hello","World"); becomes,
after interpolation, \{ join(" ",Hello World) \} which then causes an error when evaluated because Hello is a bare word.
EV2 can still be useful if you allow for this, and in particular it works on double quoted strings, which lead to
unexpected results with EV3. Using single quoted strings with EV2 may lead to unexpected results.
The unexpected results have to do with the number of times backslashed constructions have to be escaped. It is quite messy. For more details get a good Perl book and then read the code. :-)
######################################################################
#
# New version of EV3 that allows `...` and ``...`` to insert TeX produced
# by the new Parser (in math and display modes).
#
# Format: EV3P(string,...);
# EV3P({options},string,...);
#
# `x^2/5` will become \(\frac{x^2}{5}\) and then rendered for hardcopy or screen output
#
# where options can include:
#
# processCommands => 0 or 1 Indicates if the student's answer will
# be allowed to process \{...\}.
# Default: 1
#
# processVariables => 0 1 Indicates whether variable substitution
# should be performed on the student's
# answer.
# Default: 1
#
# processMath => 0 or 1 Indicates whether \(...\), \[...\],
# `...` and ``...`` will be processed
# in the student's answer.
# Default: 1
#
# processParser => 0 or 1 Indicates if `...` and ``...`` should
# be processed when math is being
# processed.
# Default: 1
#
# fixDollars => 0 or 1 Specifies whether dollar signs not followed
# by a letter should be replaced by ${DOLLAR}
# prior to variable substitution (to prevent
# accidental substitution of strange Perl
# values).
# Default: 1
#
beginproblem() # generates text listing number and the point value of
# the problem. It will also print the file name containing
# the problem for users listed in the PRINT_FILE_NAMES_FOR PG_environment
# variable.
OL(@array) # formats the array as an Ordered List ( <OL> </OL> ) enumerated by letters.
htmlLink($url, $text)
# Places a reference to the URL with the specified text in the problem.
# A common usage is \{ htmlLink(alias('prob1_help.html') \}, 'for help')
# where alias finds the full address of the prob1_help.html file in the same directory
# as the problem file
appletLink( { name => "xFunctions",
codebase => '', # use this to specify the complete url
# otherwise libraries specified in global.conf are searched
archive => 'xFunctions.zip', # name the archive containing code (.jar files go here also)
code => 'xFunctionsLauncher.class',
width => 100,
height => 14,
params => { param1 =>value1, param2 => value2},
}
);
helpLink() allows site specific help specified in global.conf or course.conf
the parameter localHelpURL must be defined in the environment
currently works only for 'interval notation' and 'units'
NEEDS REFINEMENT
########################
deprecated coding method
appletLink ($url, $parameters)
# For example
# appletLink(q! archive="http: //webwork.math.rochester.edu/gage/xFunctions/xFunctions.zip"
code="xFunctionsLauncher.class" width=100 height=14!,
" parameter text goes here")
# will link to xFunctions.
low level:
spf($number, $format) # prints the number with the given format
sspf($number, $format) # prints the number with the given format, always including a sign.
nicestring($coefficients, $terms) # print a linear combinations of terms using coefficients
nicestring($coefficients) # uses the coefficients to make a polynomial
# For example
# nicestring([1,-2, 0]) produces 'x^2-2x'
# nicestring([2,0,-1],['', 't', 't^2']) produces '2-t^2'
protect_underbar($string) # protects the underbar (class_name) in strings which may have to pass through TeX.
Usage:
lex_sort(@list); # outputs list in lexigraphic (alphabetical) order
num_sort(@list); # outputs list in numerical order
uniq( @list); # outputs a list with no duplicates. Order is unspecified.
PGsort( \&sort_subroutine, @list);
# &sort_subroutine defines order. It's output must be 1 or 0 (true or false)
Usage:
begintable( number_of_columns_in_table)
row(@dataelements)
endtable()
Example of useage:
BEGIN_TEXT
This problem tests calculating new functions from old ones:$BR
From the table below calculate the quantities asked for:$BR
\{begintable(scalar(@firstrow)+1)\}
\{row(" \(x\) ",@firstrow)\}
\{row(" \(f(x)\) ", @secondrow)\}
\{row(" \(g(x)\) ", @thirdrow)\}
\{row(" \(f'(x)\) ", @fourthrow)\}
\{row(" \(g'(x)\) ", @fifthrow)\}
\{endtable()\}
(The arrays contain numbers which are placed in the table.)
END_TEXT
Usage:
$string = image($image, width => 100, height => 100, tex_size => 800)
$string = image($image, width => 100, height => 100, extra_html_tags => 'align="middle"', tex_size => 800)
$string = image([$image1, $image2], width => 100, height => 100, tex_size => 800)
$string = caption($string);
$string = imageRow([$image1, $image2 ], [$caption1, $caption2]);
# produces a complete table with rows of pictures.