Calculated Objects question type

This a contributed Moodle question type which extends the Calculated question type.

Versions available

This plugin is available for Moodle 1.9 to 2.3

Wild cards

Teachers can create questions like,

  How much is {apples} + {oranges}?

- where the {wildcards} become M and N × images of apples and oranges respectively. It is aimed at pre/primary-school students (approximately age 3-10).

http://moodle.org/file.php/1/moddata/data/13/48/4143/mdl-q-calcobjects-5a-sub-green.png

Currently supported wildcards: apple, orange, pear, pineapple, walnut, cookie (each with or without an 's', eg. {cookies} and with an optional differentiator). For example,

  {apples_1} - {apples_2}

Tested with Moodle 1.9.7.

(Author N.D.Freear, 14 August 2010.)

Installation

1. Download from the Moodle plugins database and unzip the archive. Copy the directory 'calculatedobjects' into the directory {MOODLE}/question/type/ on your server.
2. Visit the administrator 'notifications' page, http://my.school/moodle/admin/ - there are no database changes for this question type.

Use

• Note, this question type uses the database tables of the 'calculated' question type.
• You must make some standard calculated type questions in order to have some data sets with the proper ranges of numbers using the variables you will need BEFORE you can use the calculated objects question type.
  • Eg, make some {apples} data sets with a reasonable range (1 to 10).

Example use

• Add one question in the Question bank
• Write the question text

• Write the answer formula

• Populate the sets for the objects with reasonable values (1 to 10 in this case)

• Save the question and test it

Change log

• 2 September 2010/ Pre-"release" - [https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/CONTRIB-2308 CONTRIB-2308].
• 8 September 2010 - Added new clip art ('greenapple', 'tomato', 'cake', 'pencil', 'car'). Aliases: 'apple'=>'greenapple'. And, added all objects to language pack - CONTRIB-2334.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to:

• Wikimedia Commons and contributors for clip art/images.
• Open Clip Art Library and contributors for clip art/images.
• Quiz forum contributors and developers on Moodle.org, for valuable feedback.

ISSUES (August 2017)

• No English language strings in AMOS. See Moodle tracker issue

• missing 'pluginnamesummary' string . See GitHub solution
  • 
  • Will use $string['pluginnamesummary'] = 'A version of calculated questions which extends the built-in 'calculated' question type. Teachers can create questions like, How much is {apples} + {oranges}.';
  • This fixes this error

• When I installed the additional code checker plugin I could see many problems and locally fixed many of them.

• • Moodle coding style must be used.
  • After checking the files with the Code checker, it was easy to fix many (but not all) of the errors:

• • But now it will need a real PHP programmer to fix the remaining errors and submit it to the Moodle plugins database :)

New Moodle 3.3 version for beta testing

• • New files for Moodle 3.3.x hosted in GitHub

See also

• Calculated objects for Moodle 1.9, in the plugins database
• Initial discussion, in the Quiz forum (Using Moodle)
• Report bugs & make suggestions
• (Initial bug/issue: CONTRIB-2308)