1

I am trying to create a database of maths questions and answers in TeX form. The idea is that a simple command such as \getfromDB{101} will pull the text from the database of the question numbered 101. The solutions should be included in the text source with the question. Hence a typical entry in the database is:

What is the answer? \solution{This is it!}

A user can simply put the \getfromDB{101} text in their document as they like: say, within a list/enumerate/theorem, numbered whichever way they want. Now if all questions were like this, then I think that there are all sorts of options and packages available that can redefine the \solution macro the way any user would like.

But some questions come in parts:

This question has two parts:
\begin{parts}
\item Part one \solution{Part 1 answer}
\item Part two \solution{Part 2 answer}
\end{parts}

Again the idea is that the user can define the parts environment the way they like, but so far I haven't found a suitable package that can help with a suitable redefinition of the \solution macro.

I have looked at the following packages and so far I haven't been smart enough to solve my problem: answers and exsheets. Can anyone point me in an appropriate direction?

Corentin
  • 9,981
Geoff
  • 2,637

3 Answers3

1

This is not exactly using a database but exsheets can selectively include questions from an external file. Questions can be given IDs and can be included by ID. Suppose your exernal file looks like this:

% this is file questions-db.tex
% ID=1
\begin{question}[ID=1]
 First question.
 \begin{parts}
  \item Part one
  \item Part two
 \end{parts}
\end{question}
\begin{solution}
 The answer to the first question.
 \begin{parts*}
  \item Part one
  \item Part two
 \end{parts*}
\end{solution}

% ID=2
\begin{question}[ID=2]
 Second question.
\end{question}
\begin{solution}
 The answer to the second question.
\end{solution}

% ID=3
\begin{question}[ID=3]
 Third question.
\end{question}
\begin{solution}
 The answer to the third question.
\end{solution}

Then you could use these questions in a main document as follows:

\documentclass{scrartcl}
\usepackage{exsheets}

\usepackage[inline]{enumitem}
\newlist{parts}{enumerate}{1}
\newlist{parts*}{enumerate*}{1}
\setlist[parts,parts*]{label=(\alph*)}

\begin{document}

\includequestions[IDs={1,3}]{questions-db.tex}

\printsolutions

\end{document}

enter image description here

It is not quite clear where the problem with the different question parts is...

cgnieder
  • 66,645
  • This doesn't solve my problem. The format of the question as given in the database is such that part questions have the solution attached per part. Your solution has a list of questions followed by a list of solutions, which breaks this link. – Geoff Oct 24 '12 at 04:33
  • Ah, that wasn't clear from your question. You should edit it, I guess. Do you have these exercises in a real database like in MySQL or how does the format look like? Anyway, this answer of mine might be of intererst for you. – cgnieder Oct 24 '12 at 07:20
  • The database exists, but is a work in progress, so I can modify it as necessary. My thinking is that the solution goes directly with the question; so if a question has parts, each part has its solution. Exsheets (AFAIK) needs the questions as one list and then the solutions as another. This isn't what is stored in the db. – Geoff Oct 24 '12 at 07:42
  • You haven't understood what I meant: you need to describe (in your question) how exactly the database looks like. Is it a simple text file? If so, how is its format? A csv list? One needs to know this in order to write a command \getfromDB. – cgnieder Oct 24 '12 at 07:49
  • exheets needs every solution after the question it belongs to. But my linked answer shows a way around that! – cgnieder Oct 24 '12 at 07:50
  • I have the \getfromDB command, that's fine. The text that comes with is as given in the question. So the actual tex file contains a bunch of such text blocks as given in the original question. (ps: I'm working through the linked example) – Geoff Oct 24 '12 at 07:53
  • Ok then. In this case you really should have a look at the answer I've linked as it should answer your case! – cgnieder Oct 24 '12 at 07:55
  • let us continue this discussion in chat – Geoff Oct 24 '12 at 10:19
1

I usually do

\usepackage{versions}
...
\newboolean{ShowSolutions}
\setboolean{ShowSolutions}{false}

\ifthenelse{\boolean{ShowSolutions}}
    {\includeversion{solution}}
    {\excludeversion{solution}}
\begin{document}

question ?
\begin{solution}
the answer is...
\begin{solution}

next (sub) question ?
\begin{solution}
the answer is...
\end{solution}

etc.

Works fine

A.G.
  • 457
0

It seems that I couldn't find a suitable package. One solution would be simply writing the solutions into an external file and then calling that back in at the end. I asked about this at Write the value of enumerate to output file where one can find the appropriate solution.

Community
  • 1
Geoff
  • 2,637