Generating assignments and solutions using LaTeX-PythonTex and jinja2 templates

Generates Individualized Assignments and Solutions based on a LaTeX Template

Author: Colin Caprani, colin.caprani@monash.edu

genassign is a wrapper script that performs mail-merge like functionality, with adaptations for generating assessments and solutions. It does two main things:

1. It repeatedly calls a LaTeX-PythonTex template file and places the output in subfolders of the template file directory.

2. It substitutes student-specific data into each generated file.

When the template file has randomization embedded, this is called automatically at each compilation, resulting in individualized assignments. Further, using a specific sequence of LaTeX commands, the question paper and associated solution file are generated separately and placed into separate subfolders of the template file directory.

genassign is written to allow independent compilation of the template file to facilitate development and checking of the questions and solutions, including close control of the randomization.

It is not necessary for there to be PythonTex commands in the template.

Prepare a template LaTeX-PytonTex file with complete questions and solutions. Add the jinja templating variables to the document as necessary to identify individualization (e.g. student name, ID, etc). Include the LaTeX commands, and wrap the solutions as shown above. Use PythonTex to randomize the problem variables upon each compilation.

Standard example usage:

python genassign.py -e template.tex students.csv -t "Test 1 "

To debug using an IPython prompt:

!debugfile('genassign.py', args='-e "template.tex" "students.csv"')

genassign can perform generic mail-merge functionality for LaTeX documents. Use program option -g to enable generic mode. In this mode, only one set of files is output to the -r root directory using:

• -t file mask

• -f folder mask

The masks are based on the columns number in the worksheet, and constructed using #d as field variables for the column number, where d is 1-9. An example is 'File_#2_#3' in which the data in columns 2 and 3 (using 1-base numbering) is substituted for the file or folder name.

An important restriction in this mode is that the column names, which are the keys to be used in the LaTeX template, do not contain spaces, hyphens or underscores.

Note that in the generic mode, it is not necessary for there to be the hidden commands in the LaTeX document.

Example: This will put the mail merge letters in the current folder with file names id_name.pdf:

python genassign.py letter.tex addresses.csv -g -t "#1_#2" -f . -r "letters"

genassign.py [-h] [-t FILE_MASK] [-f FOLDER_MASK] [-b] [-g] [-e]
                [-s SOL_STEM] [-p PAPER_STEM] [-r ROOT] [-q QUESTDIR] 
                [-w PASSWORD]
                template worksheet

-h, --help show this help message and exit

-t, --file_mask FILE_MASK Test title filename prefix, or if in generic mode -g then the filename mask

-f, --folder_stem FOLDER_MASK Folder stem, for Moodle assignment types usually onlinetext or file or if in generic mode -g then the subfolder name mask

-b, --gen_paper If set, the paper without solutions will not be produced

-e, --encrypt If set, the produced PDFs will be encrypted with --password

-g, --generic Operates in a generic mailmerge manner

-s, --sol_stem SOL_STEM Solutions filename stem, e.g. '_sols'

-p, --paper_stem PAPER_STEM Question paper filename stem, e.g. '_paper'

-r, --root ROOT Root directory name for main (solutions) output, e.g. 'solutions'

-q, --questdir QUESTDIR Directory name for questions output, e.g. 'questions'

-w,--password PASSWORD Password for encrypted PDFs, e.g. 'd0n0tC0py!'

template LaTeX Template File with certain commands for jinja2 and hiding solutions, e.g. main.tex

worksheet Student Moodle worksheet of specific format from assignment grading, e.g. students.csv

System requirements are working installations of Python, LaTeX, and PythonTex. More specifically, genassign requires:

1. A LaTeX (optionally using PythonTex) template with certain specific commands;

2. A Moodle grading worksheet (or generic database) for the assignment as input.

The Pandas library is also required, which can be obtained via PyPI or Anaconda, depending on your python environment setup.

There are two commands required at a minimum in the LaTeX file for Moodle assignment output.

The command for jinja2 templating

    \newcommand*{\VAR}[1]{}

which has no effect on the template other than to identify variables used for substitution of student-specific information as defined in Moodle worksheet:

• Student's full name: \VAR{FullName}

• Student's ID: \VAR{StudentID}

In case it is useful to have the fields to be replaced highlight in the LaTeX template, the templating command can be altered, e.g. to highlight the fields in bold red: latex \newcommand*{\VAR}[1]{\textcolor{red}{\textbf{#1}}} This formatting does not appear in the rendered documents. If this is required, the \VAR{Field} should be wrapped in the desired formatting in the document body.

The LaTeX commands to wrap the solutions, so they can be toggled on and off, must be placed in the document preamble. The following must appear:

\usepackage{comment}
    
\newif\ifhidden
% This defines whether to show the hidden content or not.
\hiddenfalse
\ifhidden 	% if \ hiddentrue
    \excludecomment{hidden}	% Exclude text within the "hidden" environment
\else   	% \ hiddenfalse
    \includecomment{hidden}	% Include text in the "hidden" environment
\fi

so that the solutions are wrapped in the document body as follows

\begin{hidden}
    ...LaTeX solution code, including PythonTex as necessary
\end{hidden}

Note that the LaTeX commands for hiding solutions are not required when operating in generic mail-merge mode.

To use pdoc to generate this documentation, issue this:

pdoc --html --force --output-dir . --config show_source_code=False genassign