[LON-CAPA-dev] 11-15-2005 meeting notes

Guy Albertelli II lon-capa-dev@mail.lon-capa.org
Wed, 16 Nov 2005 16:34:27 -0500 (EST)


Hi Donnell,

> I was forwarded this question:
> 
> I wonder:  If Lon-CAPA can communicate via COM and XML docs, it might
> even be possible to use a tool like Matlab or Mathcad or Maple to let
> the students enter math expressions and do any symbolic processing on
> them, then let Lon-CAPA evaluate if the correct answer was entered. Then
> we get the best of both worlds because we already have licenses for the
> various math engines.
> -Roger Dougal
> 
> I don't know the answer
> What should I reply with?
> 
> I was under the understanding that the external response would allow for
> external solving, however how this is done I don't know yet.  Via COM? I
> dunno.. I assume that XML docs can be used (since that's how .problem's
> are constructed anyway).  I haven't had time to mess with external
> response yet.

It is done through HTTP (we submit a http POST request to a specifed
url with 
- any key/value pairs the problem wants to send
- the text of the student's submission
- the problem's answer

We then expect back an xml response that looks like:

<loncapagrade>
  <awarddetail>EXACT_ANS</awarddetail>
  <message>Message to student</message>
</loncapagrade>

Current valid possible awards are: (some of these may not make sense
in this context, and if we need new ones they aren't hard to add)

MISSING_ANSWER
ERROR
NO_RESPONSE
TOO_LONG
UNIT_INVALID_INSTRUCTOR
UNIT_INVALID_STUDENT
UNIT_IRRECONCIBLE
UNIT_FAIL
NO_UNIT
UNIT_NOTNEEDED
WANTED_NUMERIC
BAD_FORMULA
SIG_FAIL
INCORRECT 
MISORDERED_RANK
INVALID_FILETYPE
DRAFT
SUBMITTED
ASSIGNED_SCORE
APPROX_ANS
EXACT_ANS
COMMA_FAIL 

-- 
guy@albertelli.com   0-7-2-0-27,137