Return to Numerical_Response_Randomization.tex CVS log

Up to [LON-CAPA] / loncom / html / adm / help / tex

This commit implements the .tex-based online help system in LON-CAPA. It
may be necessary to manually run loncom/build/help_graphics_converter.pl
and doc/help/rebuildLabelHash.pl after a cvs update, and
loncapa_apache.conf may need to be manually copied to /etc. (The
loncapafiles.lpml has been updated.)

After merging this, the URL http://[loncapahost]/adm/help/Foils.hlp
should display a help file.

Also, some *very* out-of-date files have been removed from the /doc
directory.

    1: 
    2: For LON-CAPA, one of the most important functions is the \texttt{random}
    3: function. Random takes three parameters: a \emph{lower limit}, an \emph{upper
    4: limit}, and an \emph{interval}. The \texttt{\&random} function returns a
    5: random value between the upper and lower limit, some integer number of \emph{interval}'s
    6: away from the lower limit. Thus, for example, \texttt{\&random(1,2,.2)} might
    7: return 1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, or 2. \texttt{\&random} uses a uniform distribution.
    8: Other distributions are available in LON-CAPA, and can be found by consulting
    9: the function list.
   10: 
   11: %
   12: \begin{figure}
   13: \begin{lyxcode}
   14: \$a~=~\&random(1.0,10.0,1.0);
   15: 
   16: \$b~=~\&random(-10.0,~-3.0,~1.0);
   17: 
   18: \$answer~=~\$a+\$b;
   19: \end{lyxcode}
   20: 
   21: \caption{Sample \texttt{random} Calls \label{Sample Random Calls figure}}
   22: \end{figure}
   23: If you put the script in ``Sample Random Calls'' into the
   24: \textbf{Script} block (replacing whatever contents might be in the block
   25: already), you'll get two random variables \$a and \$b. Now, in the \textbf{Text
   26: Block}, put {}``What is \$a plus \$b?'', and in the \textbf{Answer} put
   27: {}``\$answer'', without the quotes for either of them. (It is a good idea
   28: to create a variable to hold the answer and call it \$answer, or some other
   29: reasonably standard name. Do not try to compute the answer in the \textbf{Answer}
   30: field itself; it will not work as you expect.) Now save the problem and \textbf{View}
   31: it. You'll see a randomized problem.
   32: 
   33: For each student, the same random number will be used each time they visit
   34: the problem, but each student will get different random numbers. For any
   35: but the simplest random problems, you'll want to see several random problems
   36: to make sure everything is working out correctly. This is what the \textbf{Random
   37: Seed\index{Random Seed}} field is for. To see another randomized version
   38: of the problem you've just created, put another number into the \textbf{Random
   39: Seed} field and hit \textbf{Change}. It doesn't really matter what number
   40: you put into the field. But for any given \textbf{Random Seed} with the same
   41: problem, you'll see the same randomized problem generated for you. (If you
   42: change the \textbf{Script}, you are no longer guaranteed to get the same
   43: problem.)