Problem Selection Scripts

Writing a Problem Selection Script for the Insert Problems dialog is similar to typing in CodePaths in the Grid View or Advanced View. Instead of typing repeated information, you type only the information that changes from one problem to another.

For example, instead of typing in:

TX9.AA.1
TX9.AA.2
TX9.AA.3
TX9.AB.7
TX9.AB.8
TX9.AB.9

You can use the following script to select the same problems:

TX9.AA 1 2 3 AB 7 8 9

The general format for a Problem Selection Script is:

PartCodePath ProblemNumberList

This pair can be repeated any number of times within one line of a script, but for clarity's sake, we recommend the number of repetitions be 2 or 3 at the most.

Special Commands

For increased flexibility in your problem selection scripts, you can also use the following special commands to select ranges, subsets, and random groups of problems within a Framework:

The Hyphen (-)

Use the hyphen in a problem number list to select a range of problems. For example, the script

TX9.AA 1-10
would select the first ten problems in TX9.AA.
The Slash (/)

Use the slash after a Part CodePath to select n random problems from that Part. Use the slash after a number range to select n random problems from that range.

Examples:

TX9/20
TX9.AA/20
TX9.AA 1-100/20

The first example selects 20 random problems from the entire TX9 Framework, the second selects 20 from the problems in TX9.AA, and the third selects 20 from the first 100 problems of TX9.AA.

The Colon (:)

Use the colon after a Part CodePath or after a number range to select every n th problem within a Part or range of problems, starting with the first problem in the Part or range of problems. For example, the script

TX9.AA 1-100:10

would select the following problems:

TX9.AA.1
TX9.AA.11
TX9.AA.21
TX9.AA.31
TX9.AA.41
TX9.AA.51
TX9.AA.61
TX9.AA.71
TX9.AA.81
TX9.AA.91