Calculated question improvements

I will use this page to describe the various improvements I will try to develop related to the calculated questions.

Creation and modification of calculated questions

See the Calculated question actual 1.7 interface summary

A more FULL PROOF code proposal

The code can be improved

• by allowing user to do normal browser operations like a click on the BACK button to comeback at the first step and correct the question text

If the HTML editor of the question text is activated, all the text already written will be lost.
If the HTML editor is not activated (ex. on MACs with OS 9) and the simple HTML textarea is used, the text already written is not lost.

• by checking ALL the content of the first form elements (i.e. name, question text, answer formula etc.) when the user click the SAVE CHANGES button.

If the javascript perform all the tests done in the PHP code before saving the calculated question parameters, we eliminate almost all the possibility of loosing the work when clicking the ADD button in the third form.

The editquestion.html being specific to each questiontype can perform tests specific to the calculated question which are known to the developpers of the calculated questiont PHP code.

Full proof and clearer creation process

Actually the creation or edition of calculated question is a three steps process ( 3 different pages) where the user can make errors that he cannot readily recuperate.

• Identify the steps and renaming the save changes or continue buttons.
• Using javascript to correct for errors or non valid values in each steps before going to the next step.
• Creating buttons to access the previous steps for corrections.
• Creating a table showing the variables used by the other calculated questions in the same category.
• Allowing to create or delete data items by 1, 10, 20 etc in one step.

Import and export of calculated question

Actually there is no import or export mudle that works for calculated questions

Import from webct

At Uqam we are migrating to Moodle from Webct.

Improvements in general question editing interface

• Showing the text of the questions

Creation of a short (simple) calculated question

The actual calculated question allows for calculated params that can be shared by different problems. This could lead to a somewhat cloze used of calculated questions.However the questions cannot migrate individually to another category. A short calculated question that just allow for calculated parameters reserved for this question will allow use of this question in drag and drop cloze lesson.

Side effects to other modules

• Modification of the question type to allow moving of calculated question to another category.
• Creation of general functions to standardize the import or export process.

 Pierre Pichet  August 2006 (WST)

Developer_notes Calculated question creation developper docs