I agree that would be the best from a management, consistency and security perspective. Unfortunately it means having to learn more Webwork internals than the stand-alone solution, so the development goes a little slower the first time around... =]
(1). Take a look at the way that the "File Manager" page of WeBWorK uploads files -- it uses javaScript to help the student search for the file to upload and then upload it.
Thanks for that pointer. I don't know why I didn't think of the File Manager, except that I had it in mind as an instructor-only access tool. It would obviously have most of the functionality (upload, delete, preview by clicking on the file's link) already built in.
(2). The File Manager approach requires the creation of a form. [This can be resolved by... ] loading the text into the section BEGIN_POST_HEADER_TEXT/END_POST_HEADER_TEXT.
Ah! That's what I was looking for earlier, to break out of the problem's form trap; it's good to know that code/HTML inserted in the POST_HEADER region will be outside that master form.
Thanks very much for the tips and suggestions; I'll work on this some more and report back likely in a few weeks (after the end-of-term craziness dies down). I appreciate the help offer: if any questions come up along the way, I'll get in touch.
Cheers,
Alan