RE: Draft Node: Fill in the Blank

Actually, I like the idea of using semantics and annotation as it keeps this interpretation within MathML proper. It seems as if it is more in keeping with their purpose and less hacky. I worry about any HTML standard that associates a special meaning to a class name. Is there a precedence for this, or a statement for or against this, within the W3C?

 

Paul

 

From: Paul Libbrecht [mailto:paul@hoplahup.net] 
Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2012 10:22 PM
To: Paul Topping
Cc: Neil Soiffer; www-math@w3.org
Subject: Re: Draft Node: Fill in the Blank

 

 

Le 7 juil. 2012 à 21:34, Paul Topping a écrit :





	
	If we allow several expressions associated to a blank then it also

	makes sense to allow one that allows the recipient user-agent (e.g. a

	web-page with some javascript) to compare the user-input with the one

	(given some flexibility).


So this would be the "correct answer" typically, right? I imagine that some won't want to use that as it would be open to cheating by anyone that can View Source on the page. Still, that's probably not a reason to omit it.

 

It would be an basis for a correct answer, whichever that basis is.

It could allow, for example, a stateless direct communication to an evaluation service and this data would then be used as a predicate or function to evaluate where to go once this is submitted; see an example below.





	My concern now is whether it is good to allow multiple children. From

	this discussion it sounds unavoidable. And if we do so, how do we

	markup so that renderers that are unaware of this note still render

	something partially useful?


Can we not tell page authors to use CSS in the page source HTML to hide those parts that should not be visible? 

 

I'm surprised this is coming of you since MathPlayer would have to implement CSS extra for it to work, if I do not mistake.

 

I am thinking that for more complex expressions there are better markups for this.

 

One possibility, that would change radically the current, is to use the semantics and annotation-xml representations alternatives as below. This should be processed by all MathML-compliant processors into ignorance for all but the first child of the semantics element and for, those would would support fill-in-the-blanks, into an expression with a more elaborate function.

 

But this looks like too radical a change.

 

Paul

 

<semantics>

  <mrow>....(I am a prompt)....</mrow>

  <annotation-xml cd="fill-in-the-blanks" name="phantom" encoding="MathML-presentation">

          <mroot><mfrac><mrow>1</mrow><mrow>x^2+1</mrow></mroot>

  </annotation-xml>

 <annotation-xml cd="fill-in-the-blanks" name="evaluator" encoding="OpenMath">

        <OMOBJ xmlns="http://www.openmath.org/OpenMath">

          <OMBIND>

            <OMS cd="fns1" name="lambda" />

            <OMBVAR>

              <OMV name="f" />

            </OMBVAR>

            <OMA>

              <OMS cd="arith1" name="plus" />

              <OMA>

                <OMS name="minus" cd="arith1" />

                <OMV name="f" />

                <OMA>

                  <OMS cd="arith1" name="divide" />

                  <OMI>1</OMI>

                  <OMI>1</OMI>

                </OMA>

              </OMA>

              <OMA>

                <OMS cd="arith1" name="power" />

                <OMV name="x" />

                <OMI>2</OMI>

              </OMA>

            </OMA>

          </OMBIND>

    </annotation-xml>

</semantics>