--- loncom/homework/templates/sampleexternal.problem	2010/12/20 18:14:18	1.1
+++ loncom/homework/templates/sampleexternal.problem	2013/05/06 12:21:27	1.6
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 <problem>
+<parameter name="externalurl" type="string" description="URL for external testing" />
 <script type="loncapa/perl">
 sub fact {
    my $n=shift;
@@ -10,19 +11,39 @@ sub fact {
 }
 
 $testvalues='0=1';
-for ($i=1,3) {
+foreach $i (1..3) {
    $rand=&random(3,8,1);
    $testvalues.=','.$rand.'='.&fact($rand);
 }
+
+#
+# Set anything else you want to pass in this hash.
+# Name-value pairs will be passed as posted form parameters.
+#
+%args=('somecode' => (<<'ENDCODE')
+sub negative {
+   my ($number)=@_;
+   return $number<0;
+}
+ENDCODE
+);
+# Get a URL if it is externally set
+$externalurl=&parameter_setting('externalurl');
+#
+# Important: set your default URL here
+#
+unless ($externalurl=~/\w/) { $externalurl='http://localhost/cgi-bin/sampleexternal.pl'; }
+#
 </script>
 
 
-<startouttext />Write a Perl subroutine called <tt>factorial</tt>, which returns the factorial of its argument, e.g. <tt>&amp;factorial(17)=17!</tt>.
+<startouttext />Write a Perl subroutine called <tt>factorial</tt>, which returns the factorial of its argument, e.g. <tt>&amp;factorial(17)=17!</tt>. You can use the
+boolean function <tt>&amp;negative(number)</tt>, which returns <tt>true</tt> if the argument is negative.
 <instructorcomment>
 Sample code for an evaluation script can be found <a href="/res/adm/includes/templates/sampleexternal.pl">here.</a></instructorcomment>
 <endouttext />
-<externalresponse url="http://localhost/cgi-bin/sampleexternal.pl" answer="$testvalues">
-<textfield />
+<externalresponse url="$externalurl" answer="$testvalues" form="%args" answerdisplay="The most elegant (and dangerous) solution is recursive.">
+<textfield></textfield>
 
 </externalresponse>
 </problem>