LaTeX → tex4ht → moodle ?

LaTeX → tex4ht → moodle ?

由George Schaathun發表於
Number of replies: 8

I consider moving into moodle, and I wonder it and how I can bring existing material and processes with me.

l teach HE maths and write in LaTeX.  Currently I compile into web pages with MathML and inline video using tex4ht. Everything is compiled and uploaded to a web server in batch using rsync (1) and make (1). This material is constantly updated.

What is the best way to take such material into Moodle without having to fiddle with every detail in a GUI? I do not know exactly what I want to gain with moodle - there are a number of features I want to explore. The point is to be able to build upon what I have and not start over from scratch.

If l could find suitable doc's for hand authoring SCORM modules, I could probably write a script to package as SCORM automatically. But I have not found much.

Any advice?

TIA

:-- George

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In reply to George Schaathun

Re: LaTeX → tex4ht → moodle ?

由Frederic Nevers發表於

Hi George, 

If you want to leave your current workflow untouched, have you considered creating Moodle 'pages' to show the content hosted on your current site, using iframes? That way, you could keep your workflow, and still get to discover the basic functionality of Moodle. I know, not ideal, but it's a possible avenue. 

You'd have to enable  Allow frame embedding for it to work, though. 

Cheers, 

Fred

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In reply to Frederic Nevers

Re: LaTeX → tex4ht → moodle ?

由George Schaathun發表於

Thanks a lot.  That's a good idea, most certainly as an initial step.


I suppose you mean using HTML (rather than moodle) to reference the original page!?  I was not familiar with iframe, so I did not think of that at all.

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In reply to George Schaathun

Re: LaTeX → tex4ht → moodle ?

由Visvanath Ratnaweera發表於
Particularly helpful Moodlers的相片 Translators的相片
This is my workflow: "LaTeX to Screen: Creating PDF, HTML, Moodle and E-Book from LaTeX"
http://www.syndrega.ch/?p=33.

Also discussed under: "PDF and HTML from the same LaTeX source, a minimal example" https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=276119.
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In reply to Visvanath Ratnaweera

Re: LaTeX → tex4ht → moodle ?

由George Schaathun發表於

It is so good to see that I am not the only one to feel that multiple production formats from LaTeX is the natural and obvious approach 微笑

(For the curious, my existing course is here: http://www.hg.schaathun.net/DisMath/week01.xml; video is password protected, but everything else is open. This is not vanilla conversion via tex4ht; several macros have been recoded for XML output to give a typical web layout, while the PDF is still normal latex output.)

I am, however, looking for solutions beyond primitive access to big chapters from LaTeX. I would have liked to see integration at a box/theorem/exercise level if possible.  I wonder if it is practical to push data directly into the SQL database from make!?  Or design a plugin which takes an ensemble of files from the file system repo and displays them as native-looking moodle.  Anybody else who would like to go down that path?

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In reply to George Schaathun

Re: LaTeX → tex4ht → moodle ?

由Visvanath Ratnaweera發表於
Particularly helpful Moodlers的相片 Translators的相片
Hi

You wrote:
> I wonder if it is practical to push data directly into the SQL database from make!?

No, never considered that. (I assume, by "data" you mean HTML or XML files?)

> Or design a plugin which takes an ensemble of files from the file system repo and displays them as native-looking moodle. Anybody else who would like to go down that path?

Demanding approach. https://docs.moodle.org/en/Repositories are the prescribed path, I would think. You might want to ask in the Repositories forum https://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?id=1807 or in the General developer forum https://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?id=55.

> (For the curious, my existing course is here: http://www.hg.schaathun.net/DisMath/week01.xml; video is password protected, but everything else is open. This is not vanilla conversion via tex4ht; several macros have been recoded for XML output to give a typical web layout, while the PDF is still normal latex output.)

Neat, the typical mathematician's approach!
眨眼
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In reply to Visvanath Ratnaweera

Re: LaTeX → tex4ht → moodle ?

由George Schaathun發表於

I am not sure this is mainly a repository question.  The prescribed path seems to be to upload the material into the repository, which is ok, and then in the Moodle GUI import each individual element manually, which is not so ok.

What I was thinking of was to be able to generate one PDF document and dozens of Moodle activities from the same master source.  Yes I know that that it is tricky, and repositories seem to solve only half of the problem.

I cannot say that I know what I am aiming for though, since I am testing out new didactical and tehcnological approach at the same time.

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In reply to George Schaathun

Re: LaTeX → tex4ht → moodle ?

由Ryan Hazen發表於

I know it's a paid service, but Wiris is the best maths editor I have found after a lot of research. Basically, Wiris can take the place of your html editor (atto in current Moodles, TinyMCE in older versions) and let you either use buttons to insert maths or type LaTeX and have it rendered. In this way, whatever you had in Moodle would be editable in the same way normal text (or html) is. Here's a link to a demo of the product:

http://www.wiris.com/editor/demo/en/mathml-latex

I met Carles, Wiris sales rep at USMoot this year. He was very friendly and informed me that the editor is free to try in your Moodle up to 1000 equations.

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In reply to Ryan Hazen

Re: LaTeX → tex4ht → moodle ?

由George Schaathun發表於

Thanks for the tip.

Unfortunately such a solution would still mess up the work-flow or require a score of new tools and techniques learnt. One would lose the use of general purpose version control (git). One would lose the standard editor interface of vi.  Reuse of TeX code between documents (say slides + exercises) would be difficult (or worse?). Parallel production of PDF and HTML would be tricky.

Otherwise, such an editor is a good idea 微笑

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