Into WeBWorK¶

rhema compiles a file to a WeBWorK problem file (.pg), ready to upload to a course.

Compiling¶

$ rhema assignment.rhm --run week3

writes week3.pg in the current directory. The output is named after the set with --run, otherwise after the input file (quiz.rhm gives quiz.pg); -o NAME.pg names it, and -o - prints it.

A single question type compiles the same way. --count says how many questions to put in the file:

$ rhema values.rhm --count 10 -o derivatives.pg
$ rhema questions.rhm --question sum --count 5 -o sums.pg

What the file contains¶

$ rhema assignment.rhm --run week3 -o - | head
DOCUMENT();
loadMacros("PGstandard.pl", "MathObjects.pl", "PGML.pl");
Context("Numeric");

BEGIN_PGML
Sequences

1(a). An arithmetic sequence has first term [`a_1 = 0`] and common
difference [`d = 5`]. Find [`a_{14}`]. [_____]{65}

It is ordinary PG: the macros it needs, the context, and the questions in PGML with their answers in the blanks. Questions that need a different context, such as a proposition to rewrite in the Boolean context, are put in their own PGML block with the context switched before it.

One paper per assignment¶

Compiling week3 again gives the same file, today or next term. The paper is fixed by the assignment's name, which is the set's name unless you give another:

$ rhema assignment.rhm --run week3 --assignment "MATH2003 HW3"

Two assignments with different names are different papers, even from the same file. Nothing about the paper depends on when or where it was compiled.

A paper for each student¶

When every student should have different numbers, name the student:

$ rhema assignment.rhm --run week3 --student 2330026211 -o week3_2330026211.pg

Each student's paper is fixed in the same way: the same student and assignment always give the same paper, so it can be regenerated for marking or a resit. Most assignments do not need this; one paper for the whole class is the default for a reason.

One file per question¶

$ rhema assignment.rhm --run week3 --pg-dir week3/

writes week3.pg and also week3/question01.pg, question02.pg and so on, for courses that prefer one problem per file.

Uploading¶

In the WeBWorK course:

1. File Manager: open templates, make a folder for the assignment if you like, and upload the .pg files.
2. Homework Sets Editor: create the set, or open an existing one.
3. Library Browser: choose the course's local problems, browse to the uploaded files, and add them to the set.
4. Open a problem as a student to check that it displays and accepts the answer.

The files are plain text and can also be copied into the course's templates directory by anyone with access to the server.

Before you upload¶

rhema run shows exactly the questions and answers that will be in the file, so read the paper there first:

$ rhema run assignment.rhm --run week3

That is the end of the tutorial. The reference describes the command in full; the library's grammars, under share/rhema where Rhema is installed, are worked examples of everything above.