Refactoring of the Cloze Question type

1 Requirements

This is an element from the T&A Maintainer Funding Wishlist, transferred due to a potential funding. Implementation details need to be settled prior to a funding availability can be communicated.
 
Original text:
Refactoring of the Cloze Question Type
Currently, the cloze question type mixes two information aspects of a question.
This request proposes to separate these aspects into individual visual elements. The current state in the cloze question is not streamlined and requires an intuitive understanding of the question types expected user interaction. (Though we admit, it's really quite obvious.)
 
The most graphical example for this discrepancy is the difference between the cloze- and the errortext question in the respective properties screens. While the textbox of the cloze question is used to define both instruction and material, the question is answered with, the errortext question uses separate text boxes and cleanly separates the concerns.

In order to enhance the situation and remove the "working material" from the "instruction text", we need to migrate legacy questions.
However, this change leads to a question being unusable with the working material remaining in the instruction text, as gaps would not be processed in there. Migrating the current texts into the working material leaves the instruction text empty and the question in an incomplete state.
 
The following changes are necessary:
 
a) We propose to database-migrate the questions by moving the current question text into the working material box and populating the question text with a blank entity. (non-break-space).
 
b) We propose to change the export to support backward compatibility. This means that the question text in the export will be both instruction and working material separated by a paragraph. Historic versions of ILIAS should then be able to properly import the type.
 
c) To support the separation on current and future versions of ILIAS, question text and working material should be passed via META-Tags separated.
 
d) During imports, it is necessary to detect the presence of the separated contents in the META-Tags and use these preferred over the question-text field, which holds the legacy solution.

2 Status

• Scheduled for: Release 5.0
• Funding: Funded by Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Maintainer: Björn Heyser
• Implementation of the feature is done by Databay AG AG, Björn Heyser bheyser_at_databay_dot_de, Maximilian Becker mbecker_at_databay_dot_de
• Contract settled: Yes
• Tested by / status: Fred Neumann, fred.neumann@fau.de / (testing completed)

3 Additional Information

Contact the following persons if you want to know more about this feature, its implementation or funding:

• Information about concept: Databay AG AG, Maximilian Becker mbecker_at_databay_dot_de
  
• Information about funding: Databay AG AG, Maximilian Becker mbecker_at_databay_dot_de
• Information about implementation: Databay AG AG, Maximilian Becker mbecker_at_databay_dot_de

4 Discussion

JF 25 Nov 2013: We appreciate this change. Please check the behaviour in learning modules after the implementation and contact Alex Killing, if necessary.

JF 13 Oct 2014: We finally accept this feature.

5 Implementation

NA 06 May 2014: Implemented

Fred Neumann,
04 Sept. 2014: Testes and bugs reported.
24 Sept. 2014: Tested resolved bugs.

19 Jan 2015: Implementation Description
 
The implementation separates the working material (gap text) from the advising question text. Now there are two fields.
 
For the existing questions the stored question text does contain both information and is migrated into the new field for the working material. The question text field is filled with a whitspace entity. The import of questions of older ilias releases processes in the same way.
 
For the new export, the information of question text and working material is separated, too, of course.

6 Test Cases

• Create a test object
• Add a cloze question to the test
• Enter a question text
• Enter a cloze text with gaps and press the 'Create and Refresh Gaps' button.
• Now you can define the gaps: Choose the gap type 'text gap'
• Save the question and start the test.  Check if the question text and the cloze text is shown as expected
• Export and import the test and check if the question text and cloze text values are as expected

6.1 Selenium Test Cases

Selenium Test Preconditions:
 

1. Login to ILIAS
2. Disable the TinyMCE in the ILIAS administration
3. Switch your language to English
4. Enter a category
5. Play the test case