I would like to add solutions to some .pg problem files while their set is currently open. If the new stuff appears below the last answer checking, will this be safe (in the sense of not changing the problems as seen previously by students)? Note: neither the file name nor the path to it would change.
My experience writing solutions and debugging the results prior to opening a set seems to indicate that the problem's parameters will not change. Because all of that development work was done while I was enabled with Teacher status and using jsMath for display, I worry that "safe" might be a hasty generalization about students now using images for display. (I have not been using the image PreCreate script --- I'm not sure it's still in the distribution.)
Note: writing and testing the revised .pg files happens on a different computer. Making the change in the live setting would involve a quick overwrite of prior versions of files (while no student is logged-in [thanks again to Bob Byerly for Nandor Sieben's script to list current logins]).
Hi Dick,
Adding the solution should not change the problems unless there's a call to the random number generator that precedes the problem set up, which from your description seems that it will not be the case.
So I think the short answer is "no problem." One can imagine a case where one might succeed in changing the parameters in students' problems by adding a solution, but they don't seem likely and it appears that you're avoiding them in any case.
Gavin
Adding the solution should not change the problems unless there's a call to the random number generator that precedes the problem set up, which from your description seems that it will not be the case.
So I think the short answer is "no problem." One can imagine a case where one might succeed in changing the parameters in students' problems by adding a solution, but they don't seem likely and it appears that you're avoiding them in any case.
Gavin