Q. How do I create and install a made from scratch homework assignment the first time on WHS?

How do you create a WHS homework from scratch? Here is a procedure I use. After you become slightly experienced, you can develop your own method.

1 Open a Maple worksheet

2 Copy the latest MCtools you have (At least June 8, 2002) into the new worksheet. Do this by opening a worksheet with an MCtools section, then using the cursor, right click the boundary of the section icon to select the section without opening it. (The border will disappear), then copy with a control C, then put your cursor in the new Maple worksheet and paste the section in.

3. Open the MCtools section and execute it, then close the section

4. Click on the Format Menu at the top of Maple to open it, then click Merge Existing at the lower left of the Style Management Window that opens up. A window titled Merge Style Set opens up. Browse in there to find a previous homework (comath10.mws will do). Highlight it and press the Open button, then press Done. This is a convenient way to modify the styles so that zipit will work as it is supposed to.

5. Make a title for the homework. This involves putting a heading tag H_ on one line, then the title (plus whatever introductory text you want), then a SKIP_ tag on its own line so that you can compute and jot notes without it appearing in the homework.

6. Create a folder to save the homework in and save it there. You can do this from Maple from the File Menu. Click Save As, then browse for the mathclass folder (go down the directory tree by doubleclicking folders; go up with the yellow up arrow), then click the Create new folder button (just to the right of the yellow up arrow), then name the homework folder that appears appropriately. I usually give the folder the name of the homework (say it is pre-test) with a whs appended (so the folder would be named pre-testwhs). Then type in the file name line the name of the homework (we have agreed on pre-test)

7. Create the correct zipit line for this homework. Open a couple of input cells just under the MCtools section and type in
zipit("pre-test","c://mathclass/pre-testwhs");

Don't execute this just yet (you have created the problems).

5. Make the homework problems . I like to put problems in their own sections so that I can eliminate them from the homework easily (just close off the section). So I create a problem template like the one below. These can be as elaborate as you want. Another way is to copy a problem template from a previous homework, or just load an entire homework worksheet, and proceed to eliminate the problem sections you don't want to modify. Here are a couple of samples.

A selectionbox template

A textbox template