** Using WeBWorK **

Building a problem set from the problem templates

A problem set is built by e.g. entering the prof Page for MTH140A, then the "Build Problem Set Page", selecting set1.def and building the set.

Look at the documentation on the Set definition file format (e.g. set1.def). In addition there are header-files and footer-files which control how a problem set is displayed. In short:

The set-definition file gives the opening and due dates, the list of problems in the set, and the value of each problem. The class-list database contains the list of all students (and instructors, etc) for whom problems will be constructed, together with personal information about the student (studentID, student login, email address, what section and recitation a student is in, etc.). The header and footer files control how TeX will typeset the problems and contain header and footer verbiage for the set.<P>

There are different situations in which the problem templates are run through the TeX typesetting program to produce typeset mathematics: when downloading a postscript or PDFversion of the problem set; and when viewing a "GIF" version of an individual problem where the typeset output has been converted to a picture format using the perl program Latex2HTML.

In each case it is necessary to specify some global parameters which tell the TeX program how to process the individual problems. These header and footer files are combined with the output from processing the problem templates to produce the complete typeset printout of the set, or the "GIF" enhanced version of the individual problem. The files are found in the $templatesDirectory and are processed in the order given. They can be customized to change the appearance and the boiler plate contents of the typeset problem sets. Examples of these files can be found in the $templatesDirectory of the demoCourse.

To obtain the complete typeset output of the problem set using downloadPS.pl the following files are used:

1 $TEX_SET_PREAMBLE = "texSetPreamble.tex"

E.g. loads AMS latex and graphics packages, two column format, and macro definitions.

2 $TEX_SET_HEADER = ""

Usually empty.

3 $SET_HEADER = "paperSetHeader.pg"

Provides the preliminary verbiage for the entire problem set.
E.g. Course name, student name. problem set number, due date.

4 The type set contents of the problem template files listed in the set.def file.

5 $TEX_SET_FOOTER = "texSetFooter.tex"

Contains final instructions to TeX such as end{document}

To obtain typeset output on a single problem using Latex2HTML the following files are used:

1 $TEX_PROB_PREAMBLE = "texProbPreamble.tex"

Used by processProblem.pl typeseting an individual problem. Usually very similar to $TEX_SET_PREAMBLE

2 $TEX_PROB_HEADER = ""

Usually empty

3 $PROB_HEADER = "screenSetHeader.pg"

Used by processProblem.pl to enter preliminary verbiage for an individual problem.

4 The typeset contents of the problem template file.

5 $TEX_PROB_FOOTER = "texProbFooter.tex";

Contains final instructions to TeX such as end{document}

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