MoodleDocs - User contributions [en]

Import questions

2009-05-15T18:18:45Z

Arthur-dent: /* Importing questions from an existing file */

{{Questions}}

Moodle has a number of different formats that can be used to import questions into [[Question bank]] categories and as [[Adding a question page|lesson question pages]]. These include some proprietary quiz software formats, as well as text files and Moodle formats.

==Importing questions from an existing file==

In order to import questions in any format, you first need to create a quiz activity in your course. Fill in the form for the activity and then choose [Save and display]. Choose [edit] on the following page. You will then see an option [Import] which leads you where you want to go.

There you can choose which type of file you want to import. For more information on file types see below.

==Question import formats==

=== [[GIFT]] ===
Moodle 'proprietary' text format for import and export. Reasonably comprehensive.

=== [[Moodle XML]] ===
Moodle 'proprietary' xml format for import and export. Very comprehensive.

=== [[Aiken]] ===
This format is an easy way of writing multiple-choice questions for import.

=== AON ===
This format is the same as the missing word format, except it creates matching questions from the multiple choice questions. Please note that from Moodle 1.8 it will no longer be part of the standard Moodle.

=== Blackboard ===
From Moodle 1.7 onwards, if you're converting from Blackboard to Moodle, you can export your course and then import the question pools into Moodle using the Blackboard "POOL" type export format. It relies on XML functions being compiled into your PHP. Note that you must first unpack the exported zip file and provide Moodle with the appropriate .dat file. Note that this version does not work with Blackboard Version 6 and newer. (Use this format for ExamView 5 or 6)

=== Blackboard V6+ ===
This module can import questions saved in Blackboard's export format. It provides limited support for Blackboard Version 6 and 7. It relies on XML functions being compiled into your PHP. You must upload the zip file exported from Blackboard.

=== [[WebCT format]] ===
This format supports importing multiple choice and short answers questions from WebCT's text format.

=== Course Test Manager ===
This format enables you to import questions from the Course Test Manager from Course Technology.

=== Embedded Answers (Cloze) ===
This format is a multiple question, multiple answer question with embedded answers. They can be a bit tricky to develop, but they are a unique way of asking questions.

=== Examview ===
ExamView 4 supported an XML export format that Moodle can import. If you are using a newer version of ExamView, you should export using Blackboard, extract the zip archive ExamView creates, then import in Moodle using Blackboard format (do not use 6+ format for moodle import, even though exam view calls this a Blackboard6+ file--it isn't). You can choose one of the ".dat" files from the ExamView archive to import. Note that images are not currently imported.

Any questions that included images must be edited to "re-link" those images. The image files can be found in the file folder that is in your item test bank directory of your course files. Click the edit tool next to a question in the question list. If one or more images files are included in the question, you should see a placeholder with the image file name in it embedded with text in the text edit window. Click on the placeholder and then click on the insert image tool of the text editor. Navigate to the folder containing the image files. (It will be in the folder you uploaded the zipped question bank to). Find the file with the same name as indicated in the image placeholder. Type the alternate text then click "okay" to re-link the image. Click on "okay" to return to the question list.

See http://www.rose-prism.org/moodle/mod/resource/view.php?id=6788 and http://www.rose-prism.org/moodle/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=1451

== Question bank process ==
The question bank allows you a great deal of flexibility when importing questions. It is possible to import questions from a file on your network/computer or from a file that has been saved or uploaded into your course files.

*Select import tab
*Select the question type to import
*General: pick the category, determine if the context and category information that maybe contained in the file should be used. Select what should happen if there are no grades or an error is detected in the import process.
*Determine the file to import and import it
**Import from file upload. Use the browse function to import a file from your computer. Use the "Upload this file" button to import the questions.
**Import from file already in course files. A popup window will take you to the course files start page. Use the "Import from this file" button.

[[Image:Question bank import file gen import 1.png|thumb|center|General and import file parameters sections]]

==Lesson module process==
The question types that can be imported into a lesson are similar to question bank.
[[Image:Lesson Import question types.png|thumb|center|Lesson screen asking which file type will be imported]]

[[Lesson module|Lesson]] can only import from a file located on the teachers computer.
*In edit, using the expanded view
*Select the position where questions should be inserted into the lesson
*Click on the Import question link between the pages.
*Select the file type
*Use the browse function to find the file on your computer
*Import the selected file.

== Character encoding ==

It is important that the imported file is encoded in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTF-8 UTF-8] standard.

If this is not adhered to you may get import errors and/or strange characters in the imported materials. If the file is not UTF-8, an external tool must be used to change the encoding. Note that if only basic 'latin' characters are used, then the coding issue can generally be ignored. Be particularly careful when creating questions using Microsoft Word. For reasons best known to themselves, Microsoft used their own encoding for some characters (incompatible with UTF-8) and this is likely to break the import.

:''Note:'' Prior to Moodle 1.6 the question file was assumed to be encoded in the same way as the language being used within the Moodle site. With Moodle 1.6 and onwards the imported file must be encoded in UTF-8.

==Tips and tricks==
*''TIP:'' It may be easier and faster to type many questions into a '''single text file''', than to create a series of Quiz or Lesson question pages. Some teachers report that once they master creating questions in one of the formats to import, they do not have to wait for their Moodle site screen to refresh and the process of selecting the next question type to create.
*''TIP:'' Want to use questions from your quiz in a '''Lesson'''? Export the question category in say a GIFT format, then use a text editor to delete questions, or perhaps use a search and replace function to change names or places.

== See also ==

* The help button link next to the import file button gives a lot of detail about each format in a popup window.
* Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=51316 escaping problem in gift import?] forum discussion
* [[Converting files to UTF-8]]
* [[Import and export FAQ]]

[[fr:Importer des questions]]
[[ja:問題のインポート]]
[[de:Fragen importieren]]

Moodle XML format

2009-05-15T18:11:18Z

Arthur-dent: /* Overall structure of XML file */

==A word about validity==

The XML parser assumes that the XML file is well formed and does not detect or report errors. If it is not you are very likely to get unexpected errors. If you are hand-coding the XML file it is strongly recommended that you pass it through some sort of XML verifier before importing into Moodle. A simple way to do this is to open the XML file using Firefox. Note particularly that embedded HTML fragments should be within CDATA sections.

==Overall structure of XML file==

The file is enclosed by tags as follows. It is '''important''' to make sure the xml-line is really the first line of the file. A blank first line turns your otherwise compliant file into a source of frustration.

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<quiz>
.
.
.
</quiz>

Within the <quiz> tags are any number of <question> tags. One of these <question> tags can be a dummy question with a ''category'' type to specify a category for the import/export.

<question type="category">
<category>
<text>$course$/XXXX</text>
</category>
</question>

Where XXXX is the new category name. If the category exists, the question(s) will be added to the existing course; otherwise a new category will be created. This only works if you have "Get category from file" checked.

Multiple categories can be specified in the same file. Just add another dummy 'category' question each time you would like to establish a new category and the questions that follow it will be placed there.

The file must be encoded in [[UTF8]]

Moodle XML import and export are balanced in functionality, so if you need to understand the format you can simply create some questions and export them to see what it looks like.

==Tags common to all question types==

A question is written as follows.

<question type="multichoice|truefalse|shortanswer|match|cloze|essay|numerical|description">
<questiontext format="html">
<text>What is the answer to this question?</text>
</questiontext>
.
.
.
</question>

"Format" selects the [[Formatting options]] for the question text. The options are '''moodle_auto_format''' (the default), '''html''', '''plain_text''' and '''markdown'''. The choice effects the way in which the text will be displayed.

Further tags, which usually include at least one <answer> tag, follow in the space marked with dots as child nodes to the <question> tag. The response-related tags are listed further down on this page. Various (optional?) tags are possible.

* penalty
* generalfeedback
* defaultgrade
* hidden

The <image> tag contains the url of any included image. Nested within the <image> tag may be an <image_base64> tag which contains the actual image data encoded in base64 [http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.base64-encode.php].

'''In the following question type examples the common parts of the question are not shown to improve clarity. It's a good idea to export some examples yourself to see a full example.'''

==Multiple choice==

MC questions have one <answer> tag for each choice. Each choice can carry feedback and score weighting (by using the fraction attribute). In addition, an MC question has the following tags:

* single ''(values: true/false)''
* shuffleanswers ''(values: 1/0)''
* correctfeedback
* partiallycorrectfeedback
* incorrectfeedback
* answernumbering (allowed values: 'none', 'abc', 'ABCD' or '123')

The <single> tag is used to distinguish single response (radio button) and multiple response (checkbox) variants.

<question type="multichoice">
<answer fraction="100">
<text>The correct answer</text>
<feedback><text>Correct!</text></feedback>
</answer>
<answer fraction="0">
<text>A distractor</text>
<feedback><text>Ooops!</text></feedback>
</answer>
<answer fraction="0">
<text>Another distractor</text>
<feedback><text>Ooops!</text></feedback>
</answer>
<shuffleanswers>1</shuffleanswers>
<single>true</single>
<answernumbering>abc</answernumbering>

== True/false ==

Two answer tags are given, one which is true, and one which is false. The fraction attribute of the answer tag identifies which option is correct (100) and which is false (0). Feedback is supported. The following example shows the format when true is the correct answer and false is wrong.

<question type="truefalse">
<answer fraction="100">
<text>true</text>
<feedback><text>Correct!</text></feedback>
</answer>
<answer fraction="0">
<text>false</text>
<feedback><text>Ooops!</text></feedback>
</answer>

== Short answer ==

The short answer question type supports alternative correct responses, each with its own weighting and feedback. The Moodle XML format uses one <answer> tag for each of the alternative correct answers.

The <usecase> tag toggles case-sensitivity with the values 1/0.

<question type="shortanswer">
<answer fraction="100">
<text>The correct answer</text>
<feedback><text>Correct!</text></feedback>
</answer>

<question type="shortanswer">
<answer fraction="100">
<text>The correct answer</text>
<feedback><text>Correct!</text></feedback>
</answer>
<answer fraction="100">
<text>An alternative answer</text>
<feedback><text>Correct!</text></feedback>
</answer>

== Numerical response ==

The following is a simplified version of the Moodle XML format for numerical responses.

<question type="numerical">
<answer fraction="100">
<text>23</text>
<feedback><text>Feedback</text></feedback>
</answer>

Moodle also supports a <tolerance> tag (how accurate must the number be?) and one or more <unit> tags. Unit tags have names and multipliers. E.g. if the main answer is in kilometres, an additional answer could be the equivalent in metres with a multiplier of 1000.

'''Note:''' prior to 1.7.2 the fraction was expressed as a value between 0 and 1 in a <fraction> element and the answer value was '''not''' enclosed in <text> tags. This format of the numerical question type is deprecated but will still be correctly imported if found (for now).

== Matching ==

Pair matching responses use the <shuffleanswers> tag to determine whether the order of the items should be randomized.
Each pair is contained inside a <subquestion> tag. The first item of each pair is contained with a <text> tag, while the second has an <answer> tag around it as well. Feedback and score weighting is not supported by Moodle for this response type.

<question type="match">
<subquestion>
<text>This is the 1st item in the 1st pair.</text>
<answer>
<text>This is the 2nd item in the 1st pair.</text>
</answer>
</subquestion>
<subquestion>
<text>This is the 1st item in the 2nd pair.</text>
<answer>
<text>This is the 2nd item in the 2nd pair.</text>
</answer>
</subquestion>
<shuffleanswers>true</shuffleanswers>

== Essay ==

An example of the essay type question...

<question type="essay">
<answer fraction="0">
<text></text>
</answer>
</question>

There isn't an answer and there isn't a grade in this case.

'''Note:''' prior to 1.7.2 the fraction was expressed as a value between 0 and 1 in a <fraction> element and the answer value was '''not''' enclosed in <text> tags. This format of the essay question type is deprecated but will still be correctly imported if found (for now).

== Other question types ==

=== Cloze ===

It is supported, and depends on a special format for the <questiontext> tag.

=== Description response type===

This response type has no further tags other than those contained in the question header (such as <questiontext>).

=== Random matching ===

Moodle has a question type which consists of taking short answer questions in the same quiz and displaying them as a pair matching exercise. However Moodle is neither able to export nor import this question type.

==Hints and Tips==
Here's a Word Template for generating Moodle XML [http://finemetronome.com/moodle/].

==See also==

*[[Export questions]]
*[[Import questions]]
*[[GIFT format]]
*[[Aiken format]]
*[[XML FAQ]]
*[[Import and export FAQ]]

[[Category:Questions]]

[[ja:Moodle XMLフォーマット]]
[[de: Moodle XML-Format]]

Moodle XML format

2009-05-15T18:10:42Z

Arthur-dent: /* Overall structure of XML file */

==A word about validity==

The XML parser assumes that the XML file is well formed and does not detect or report errors. If it is not you are very likely to get unexpected errors. If you are hand-coding the XML file it is strongly recommended that you pass it through some sort of XML verifier before importing into Moodle. A simple way to do this is to open the XML file using Firefox. Note particularly that embedded HTML fragments should be within CDATA sections.

==Overall structure of XML file==

The file is enclosed by tags as follows. It is important to make sure the xml-line is really the first line of the file. A black first line turns your otherwise compliant file into a source of frustration.

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<quiz>
.
.
.
</quiz>

Within the <quiz> tags are any number of <question> tags. One of these <question> tags can be a dummy question with a ''category'' type to specify a category for the import/export.

<question type="category">
<category>
<text>$course$/XXXX</text>
</category>
</question>

Where XXXX is the new category name. If the category exists, the question(s) will be added to the existing course; otherwise a new category will be created. This only works if you have "Get category from file" checked.

Multiple categories can be specified in the same file. Just add another dummy 'category' question each time you would like to establish a new category and the questions that follow it will be placed there.

The file must be encoded in [[UTF8]]

Moodle XML import and export are balanced in functionality, so if you need to understand the format you can simply create some questions and export them to see what it looks like.

==Tags common to all question types==

A question is written as follows.

<question type="multichoice|truefalse|shortanswer|match|cloze|essay|numerical|description">
<questiontext format="html">
<text>What is the answer to this question?</text>
</questiontext>
.
.
.
</question>

"Format" selects the [[Formatting options]] for the question text. The options are '''moodle_auto_format''' (the default), '''html''', '''plain_text''' and '''markdown'''. The choice effects the way in which the text will be displayed.

Further tags, which usually include at least one <answer> tag, follow in the space marked with dots as child nodes to the <question> tag. The response-related tags are listed further down on this page. Various (optional?) tags are possible.

* penalty
* generalfeedback
* defaultgrade
* hidden

The <image> tag contains the url of any included image. Nested within the <image> tag may be an <image_base64> tag which contains the actual image data encoded in base64 [http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.base64-encode.php].

'''In the following question type examples the common parts of the question are not shown to improve clarity. It's a good idea to export some examples yourself to see a full example.'''

==Multiple choice==

MC questions have one <answer> tag for each choice. Each choice can carry feedback and score weighting (by using the fraction attribute). In addition, an MC question has the following tags:

* single ''(values: true/false)''
* shuffleanswers ''(values: 1/0)''
* correctfeedback
* partiallycorrectfeedback
* incorrectfeedback
* answernumbering (allowed values: 'none', 'abc', 'ABCD' or '123')

The <single> tag is used to distinguish single response (radio button) and multiple response (checkbox) variants.

<question type="multichoice">
<answer fraction="100">
<text>The correct answer</text>
<feedback><text>Correct!</text></feedback>
</answer>
<answer fraction="0">
<text>A distractor</text>
<feedback><text>Ooops!</text></feedback>
</answer>
<answer fraction="0">
<text>Another distractor</text>
<feedback><text>Ooops!</text></feedback>
</answer>
<shuffleanswers>1</shuffleanswers>
<single>true</single>
<answernumbering>abc</answernumbering>

== True/false ==

Two answer tags are given, one which is true, and one which is false. The fraction attribute of the answer tag identifies which option is correct (100) and which is false (0). Feedback is supported. The following example shows the format when true is the correct answer and false is wrong.

<question type="truefalse">
<answer fraction="100">
<text>true</text>
<feedback><text>Correct!</text></feedback>
</answer>
<answer fraction="0">
<text>false</text>
<feedback><text>Ooops!</text></feedback>
</answer>

== Short answer ==

The short answer question type supports alternative correct responses, each with its own weighting and feedback. The Moodle XML format uses one <answer> tag for each of the alternative correct answers.

The <usecase> tag toggles case-sensitivity with the values 1/0.

<question type="shortanswer">
<answer fraction="100">
<text>The correct answer</text>
<feedback><text>Correct!</text></feedback>
</answer>

<question type="shortanswer">
<answer fraction="100">
<text>The correct answer</text>
<feedback><text>Correct!</text></feedback>
</answer>
<answer fraction="100">
<text>An alternative answer</text>
<feedback><text>Correct!</text></feedback>
</answer>

== Numerical response ==

The following is a simplified version of the Moodle XML format for numerical responses.

<question type="numerical">
<answer fraction="100">
<text>23</text>
<feedback><text>Feedback</text></feedback>
</answer>

Moodle also supports a <tolerance> tag (how accurate must the number be?) and one or more <unit> tags. Unit tags have names and multipliers. E.g. if the main answer is in kilometres, an additional answer could be the equivalent in metres with a multiplier of 1000.

'''Note:''' prior to 1.7.2 the fraction was expressed as a value between 0 and 1 in a <fraction> element and the answer value was '''not''' enclosed in <text> tags. This format of the numerical question type is deprecated but will still be correctly imported if found (for now).

== Matching ==

Pair matching responses use the <shuffleanswers> tag to determine whether the order of the items should be randomized.
Each pair is contained inside a <subquestion> tag. The first item of each pair is contained with a <text> tag, while the second has an <answer> tag around it as well. Feedback and score weighting is not supported by Moodle for this response type.

<question type="match">
<subquestion>
<text>This is the 1st item in the 1st pair.</text>
<answer>
<text>This is the 2nd item in the 1st pair.</text>
</answer>
</subquestion>
<subquestion>
<text>This is the 1st item in the 2nd pair.</text>
<answer>
<text>This is the 2nd item in the 2nd pair.</text>
</answer>
</subquestion>
<shuffleanswers>true</shuffleanswers>

== Essay ==

An example of the essay type question...

<question type="essay">
<answer fraction="0">
<text></text>
</answer>
</question>

There isn't an answer and there isn't a grade in this case.

'''Note:''' prior to 1.7.2 the fraction was expressed as a value between 0 and 1 in a <fraction> element and the answer value was '''not''' enclosed in <text> tags. This format of the essay question type is deprecated but will still be correctly imported if found (for now).

== Other question types ==

=== Cloze ===

It is supported, and depends on a special format for the <questiontext> tag.

=== Description response type===

This response type has no further tags other than those contained in the question header (such as <questiontext>).

=== Random matching ===

Moodle has a question type which consists of taking short answer questions in the same quiz and displaying them as a pair matching exercise. However Moodle is neither able to export nor import this question type.

==Hints and Tips==
Here's a Word Template for generating Moodle XML [http://finemetronome.com/moodle/].

==See also==

*[[Export questions]]
*[[Import questions]]
*[[GIFT format]]
*[[Aiken format]]
*[[XML FAQ]]
*[[Import and export FAQ]]

[[Category:Questions]]

[[ja:Moodle XMLフォーマット]]
[[de: Moodle XML-Format]]

Import questions

2009-05-15T18:08:04Z

Arthur-dent:

{{Questions}}

Moodle has a number of different formats that can be used to import questions into [[Question bank]] categories and as [[Adding a question page|lesson question pages]]. These include some proprietary quiz software formats, as well as text files and Moodle formats.

==Importing questions from an existing file==

In order to import questions in any format, you first need to create a quiz activity in your course. Fill in the form for the activity and then choose [Save and display]. Choose [edit] on the following page. You will then see an option [Import] which leads you where you want to go.

==Question import formats==

=== [[GIFT]] ===
Moodle 'proprietary' text format for import and export. Reasonably comprehensive.

=== [[Moodle XML]] ===
Moodle 'proprietary' xml format for import and export. Very comprehensive.

=== [[Aiken]] ===
This format is an easy way of writing multiple-choice questions for import.

=== AON ===
This format is the same as the missing word format, except it creates matching questions from the multiple choice questions. Please note that from Moodle 1.8 it will no longer be part of the standard Moodle.

=== Blackboard ===
From Moodle 1.7 onwards, if you're converting from Blackboard to Moodle, you can export your course and then import the question pools into Moodle using the Blackboard "POOL" type export format. It relies on XML functions being compiled into your PHP. Note that you must first unpack the exported zip file and provide Moodle with the appropriate .dat file. Note that this version does not work with Blackboard Version 6 and newer. (Use this format for ExamView 5 or 6)

=== Blackboard V6+ ===
This module can import questions saved in Blackboard's export format. It provides limited support for Blackboard Version 6 and 7. It relies on XML functions being compiled into your PHP. You must upload the zip file exported from Blackboard.

=== [[WebCT format]] ===
This format supports importing multiple choice and short answers questions from WebCT's text format.

=== Course Test Manager ===
This format enables you to import questions from the Course Test Manager from Course Technology.

=== Embedded Answers (Cloze) ===
This format is a multiple question, multiple answer question with embedded answers. They can be a bit tricky to develop, but they are a unique way of asking questions.

=== Examview ===
ExamView 4 supported an XML export format that Moodle can import. If you are using a newer version of ExamView, you should export using Blackboard, extract the zip archive ExamView creates, then import in Moodle using Blackboard format (do not use 6+ format for moodle import, even though exam view calls this a Blackboard6+ file--it isn't). You can choose one of the ".dat" files from the ExamView archive to import. Note that images are not currently imported.

Any questions that included images must be edited to "re-link" those images. The image files can be found in the file folder that is in your item test bank directory of your course files. Click the edit tool next to a question in the question list. If one or more images files are included in the question, you should see a placeholder with the image file name in it embedded with text in the text edit window. Click on the placeholder and then click on the insert image tool of the text editor. Navigate to the folder containing the image files. (It will be in the folder you uploaded the zipped question bank to). Find the file with the same name as indicated in the image placeholder. Type the alternate text then click "okay" to re-link the image. Click on "okay" to return to the question list.

See http://www.rose-prism.org/moodle/mod/resource/view.php?id=6788 and http://www.rose-prism.org/moodle/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=1451

== Question bank process ==
The question bank allows you a great deal of flexibility when importing questions. It is possible to import questions from a file on your network/computer or from a file that has been saved or uploaded into your course files.

*Select import tab
*Select the question type to import
*General: pick the category, determine if the context and category information that maybe contained in the file should be used. Select what should happen if there are no grades or an error is detected in the import process.
*Determine the file to import and import it
**Import from file upload. Use the browse function to import a file from your computer. Use the "Upload this file" button to import the questions.
**Import from file already in course files. A popup window will take you to the course files start page. Use the "Import from this file" button.

[[Image:Question bank import file gen import 1.png|thumb|center|General and import file parameters sections]]

==Lesson module process==
The question types that can be imported into a lesson are similar to question bank.
[[Image:Lesson Import question types.png|thumb|center|Lesson screen asking which file type will be imported]]

[[Lesson module|Lesson]] can only import from a file located on the teachers computer.
*In edit, using the expanded view
*Select the position where questions should be inserted into the lesson
*Click on the Import question link between the pages.
*Select the file type
*Use the browse function to find the file on your computer
*Import the selected file.

== Character encoding ==

It is important that the imported file is encoded in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTF-8 UTF-8] standard.

If this is not adhered to you may get import errors and/or strange characters in the imported materials. If the file is not UTF-8, an external tool must be used to change the encoding. Note that if only basic 'latin' characters are used, then the coding issue can generally be ignored. Be particularly careful when creating questions using Microsoft Word. For reasons best known to themselves, Microsoft used their own encoding for some characters (incompatible with UTF-8) and this is likely to break the import.

:''Note:'' Prior to Moodle 1.6 the question file was assumed to be encoded in the same way as the language being used within the Moodle site. With Moodle 1.6 and onwards the imported file must be encoded in UTF-8.

==Tips and tricks==
*''TIP:'' It may be easier and faster to type many questions into a '''single text file''', than to create a series of Quiz or Lesson question pages. Some teachers report that once they master creating questions in one of the formats to import, they do not have to wait for their Moodle site screen to refresh and the process of selecting the next question type to create.
*''TIP:'' Want to use questions from your quiz in a '''Lesson'''? Export the question category in say a GIFT format, then use a text editor to delete questions, or perhaps use a search and replace function to change names or places.

== See also ==

* The help button link next to the import file button gives a lot of detail about each format in a popup window.
* Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=51316 escaping problem in gift import?] forum discussion
* [[Converting files to UTF-8]]
* [[Import and export FAQ]]

[[fr:Importer des questions]]
[[ja:問題のインポート]]
[[de:Fragen importieren]]

Import questions

2009-05-15T18:07:15Z

Arthur-dent:

{{Questions}}

Moodle has a number of different formats that can be used to import questions into [[Question bank]] categories and as [[Adding a question page|lesson question pages]]. These include some proprietary quiz software formats, as well as text files and Moodle formats.

==Importing from a file==

In order to import questions in any format, you first need to create a quiz activity in your course. Fill in the form for the activity and then choose [Save and display]. Choose [edit] on the following page. You will then see an option [Import] which leads you where you want to go.

==Question import formats==

=== [[GIFT]] ===
Moodle 'proprietary' text format for import and export. Reasonably comprehensive.

=== [[Moodle XML]] ===
Moodle 'proprietary' xml format for import and export. Very comprehensive.

=== [[Aiken]] ===
This format is an easy way of writing multiple-choice questions for import.

=== AON ===
This format is the same as the missing word format, except it creates matching questions from the multiple choice questions. Please note that from Moodle 1.8 it will no longer be part of the standard Moodle.

=== Blackboard ===
From Moodle 1.7 onwards, if you're converting from Blackboard to Moodle, you can export your course and then import the question pools into Moodle using the Blackboard "POOL" type export format. It relies on XML functions being compiled into your PHP. Note that you must first unpack the exported zip file and provide Moodle with the appropriate .dat file. Note that this version does not work with Blackboard Version 6 and newer. (Use this format for ExamView 5 or 6)

=== Blackboard V6+ ===
This module can import questions saved in Blackboard's export format. It provides limited support for Blackboard Version 6 and 7. It relies on XML functions being compiled into your PHP. You must upload the zip file exported from Blackboard.

=== [[WebCT format]] ===
This format supports importing multiple choice and short answers questions from WebCT's text format.

=== Course Test Manager ===
This format enables you to import questions from the Course Test Manager from Course Technology.

=== Embedded Answers (Cloze) ===
This format is a multiple question, multiple answer question with embedded answers. They can be a bit tricky to develop, but they are a unique way of asking questions.

=== Examview ===
ExamView 4 supported an XML export format that Moodle can import. If you are using a newer version of ExamView, you should export using Blackboard, extract the zip archive ExamView creates, then import in Moodle using Blackboard format (do not use 6+ format for moodle import, even though exam view calls this a Blackboard6+ file--it isn't). You can choose one of the ".dat" files from the ExamView archive to import. Note that images are not currently imported.

Any questions that included images must be edited to "re-link" those images. The image files can be found in the file folder that is in your item test bank directory of your course files. Click the edit tool next to a question in the question list. If one or more images files are included in the question, you should see a placeholder with the image file name in it embedded with text in the text edit window. Click on the placeholder and then click on the insert image tool of the text editor. Navigate to the folder containing the image files. (It will be in the folder you uploaded the zipped question bank to). Find the file with the same name as indicated in the image placeholder. Type the alternate text then click "okay" to re-link the image. Click on "okay" to return to the question list.

See http://www.rose-prism.org/moodle/mod/resource/view.php?id=6788 and http://www.rose-prism.org/moodle/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=1451

== Question bank process ==
The question bank allows you a great deal of flexibility when importing questions. It is possible to import questions from a file on your network/computer or from a file that has been saved or uploaded into your course files.

*Select import tab
*Select the question type to import
*General: pick the category, determine if the context and category information that maybe contained in the file should be used. Select what should happen if there are no grades or an error is detected in the import process.
*Determine the file to import and import it
**Import from file upload. Use the browse function to import a file from your computer. Use the "Upload this file" button to import the questions.
**Import from file already in course files. A popup window will take you to the course files start page. Use the "Import from this file" button.

[[Image:Question bank import file gen import 1.png|thumb|center|General and import file parameters sections]]

==Lesson module process==
The question types that can be imported into a lesson are similar to question bank.
[[Image:Lesson Import question types.png|thumb|center|Lesson screen asking which file type will be imported]]

[[Lesson module|Lesson]] can only import from a file located on the teachers computer.
*In edit, using the expanded view
*Select the position where questions should be inserted into the lesson
*Click on the Import question link between the pages.
*Select the file type
*Use the browse function to find the file on your computer
*Import the selected file.

== Character encoding ==

It is important that the imported file is encoded in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTF-8 UTF-8] standard.

If this is not adhered to you may get import errors and/or strange characters in the imported materials. If the file is not UTF-8, an external tool must be used to change the encoding. Note that if only basic 'latin' characters are used, then the coding issue can generally be ignored. Be particularly careful when creating questions using Microsoft Word. For reasons best known to themselves, Microsoft used their own encoding for some characters (incompatible with UTF-8) and this is likely to break the import.

:''Note:'' Prior to Moodle 1.6 the question file was assumed to be encoded in the same way as the language being used within the Moodle site. With Moodle 1.6 and onwards the imported file must be encoded in UTF-8.

==Tips and tricks==
*''TIP:'' It may be easier and faster to type many questions into a '''single text file''', than to create a series of Quiz or Lesson question pages. Some teachers report that once they master creating questions in one of the formats to import, they do not have to wait for their Moodle site screen to refresh and the process of selecting the next question type to create.
*''TIP:'' Want to use questions from your quiz in a '''Lesson'''? Export the question category in say a GIFT format, then use a text editor to delete questions, or perhaps use a search and replace function to change names or places.

== See also ==

* The help button link next to the import file button gives a lot of detail about each format in a popup window.
* Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=51316 escaping problem in gift import?] forum discussion
* [[Converting files to UTF-8]]
* [[Import and export FAQ]]

[[fr:Importer des questions]]
[[ja:問題のインポート]]
[[de:Fragen importieren]]

Import questions

2009-05-15T18:04:03Z

Arthur-dent: /* Moodle XML */

{{Questions}}

Moodle has a number of different formats that can be used to import questions into [[Question bank]] categories and as [[Adding a question page|lesson question pages]]. These include some proprietary quiz software formats, as well as text files and Moodle formats.

==Question import formats==

=== [[GIFT]] ===
Moodle 'proprietary' text format for import and export. Reasonably comprehensive.

=== [[Moodle XML]] ===
Moodle 'proprietary' xml format for import and export. Very comprehensive.

=== [[Aiken]] ===
This format is an easy way of writing multiple-choice questions for import.

=== AON ===
This format is the same as the missing word format, except it creates matching questions from the multiple choice questions. Please note that from Moodle 1.8 it will no longer be part of the standard Moodle.

=== Blackboard ===
From Moodle 1.7 onwards, if you're converting from Blackboard to Moodle, you can export your course and then import the question pools into Moodle using the Blackboard "POOL" type export format. It relies on XML functions being compiled into your PHP. Note that you must first unpack the exported zip file and provide Moodle with the appropriate .dat file. Note that this version does not work with Blackboard Version 6 and newer. (Use this format for ExamView 5 or 6)

=== Blackboard V6+ ===
This module can import questions saved in Blackboard's export format. It provides limited support for Blackboard Version 6 and 7. It relies on XML functions being compiled into your PHP. You must upload the zip file exported from Blackboard.

=== [[WebCT format]] ===
This format supports importing multiple choice and short answers questions from WebCT's text format.

=== Course Test Manager ===
This format enables you to import questions from the Course Test Manager from Course Technology.

=== Embedded Answers (Cloze) ===
This format is a multiple question, multiple answer question with embedded answers. They can be a bit tricky to develop, but they are a unique way of asking questions.

=== Examview ===
ExamView 4 supported an XML export format that Moodle can import. If you are using a newer version of ExamView, you should export using Blackboard, extract the zip archive ExamView creates, then import in Moodle using Blackboard format (do not use 6+ format for moodle import, even though exam view calls this a Blackboard6+ file--it isn't). You can choose one of the ".dat" files from the ExamView archive to import. Note that images are not currently imported.

Any questions that included images must be edited to "re-link" those images. The image files can be found in the file folder that is in your item test bank directory of your course files. Click the edit tool next to a question in the question list. If one or more images files are included in the question, you should see a placeholder with the image file name in it embedded with text in the text edit window. Click on the placeholder and then click on the insert image tool of the text editor. Navigate to the folder containing the image files. (It will be in the folder you uploaded the zipped question bank to). Find the file with the same name as indicated in the image placeholder. Type the alternate text then click "okay" to re-link the image. Click on "okay" to return to the question list.

See http://www.rose-prism.org/moodle/mod/resource/view.php?id=6788 and http://www.rose-prism.org/moodle/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=1451

== Question bank process ==
The question bank allows you a great deal of flexibility when importing questions. It is possible to import questions from a file on your network/computer or from a file that has been saved or uploaded into your course files.

*Select import tab
*Select the question type to import
*General: pick the category, determine if the context and category information that maybe contained in the file should be used. Select what should happen if there are no grades or an error is detected in the import process.
*Determine the file to import and import it
**Import from file upload. Use the browse function to import a file from your computer. Use the "Upload this file" button to import the questions.
**Import from file already in course files. A popup window will take you to the course files start page. Use the "Import from this file" button.

[[Image:Question bank import file gen import 1.png|thumb|center|General and import file parameters sections]]

==Lesson module process==
The question types that can be imported into a lesson are similar to question bank.
[[Image:Lesson Import question types.png|thumb|center|Lesson screen asking which file type will be imported]]

[[Lesson module|Lesson]] can only import from a file located on the teachers computer.
*In edit, using the expanded view
*Select the position where questions should be inserted into the lesson
*Click on the Import question link between the pages.
*Select the file type
*Use the browse function to find the file on your computer
*Import the selected file.

== Character encoding ==

It is important that the imported file is encoded in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTF-8 UTF-8] standard.

If this is not adhered to you may get import errors and/or strange characters in the imported materials. If the file is not UTF-8, an external tool must be used to change the encoding. Note that if only basic 'latin' characters are used, then the coding issue can generally be ignored. Be particularly careful when creating questions using Microsoft Word. For reasons best known to themselves, Microsoft used their own encoding for some characters (incompatible with UTF-8) and this is likely to break the import.

:''Note:'' Prior to Moodle 1.6 the question file was assumed to be encoded in the same way as the language being used within the Moodle site. With Moodle 1.6 and onwards the imported file must be encoded in UTF-8.

==Tips and tricks==
*''TIP:'' It may be easier and faster to type many questions into a '''single text file''', than to create a series of Quiz or Lesson question pages. Some teachers report that once they master creating questions in one of the formats to import, they do not have to wait for their Moodle site screen to refresh and the process of selecting the next question type to create.
*''TIP:'' Want to use questions from your quiz in a '''Lesson'''? Export the question category in say a GIFT format, then use a text editor to delete questions, or perhaps use a search and replace function to change names or places.

== See also ==

* The help button link next to the import file button gives a lot of detail about each format in a popup window.
* Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=51316 escaping problem in gift import?] forum discussion
* [[Converting files to UTF-8]]
* [[Import and export FAQ]]

[[fr:Importer des questions]]
[[ja:問題のインポート]]
[[de:Fragen importieren]]