Hacking and Hosting Hot Potatoes

How Potatoes can be configured, hacked and hosted

 Schools ICT Conference (2008)

Creative Commons Share AlikeDerek Moore http://www.weblearning.co.za

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Overview

• What is Hot Potatoes? • You can hack their code• Hosted and learned

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What is Hot Potatoes?

What do you mean by hacking?

– A quick job that produces what is needed, but not well.

– To interact with a computer in a playful and exploratory rather than goal-directed way

– An incredibly good, and perhaps very time-consuming, piece of work that produces exactly what is needed.

• http://hotpot.uvic.ca/howto/hacking_hotpot.htm

You can hack

• Starting Out• 3 Minor Modifications• Hack our code.

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STARTING OUT

Enter data Configure the output Create the web page

Enter Data

• Enter questions, answers etc

Enter Data 

Step 1

After opening Jquiz:1. Type in the title in the title box.2. Type in the question in the

question box.3. Ensure sure that "Multiple-

choice" is selected4. Type in the answers in the boxes

on the left, and the feedback on the right.

5. Check the "Correct" checkbox next to answer B.

Repeat this process for all your questions

Configure Output

• Prepare the buttons, captions, instructions, and other features of your Web pages

Configure Output

Step 2

The configuration information is a collection of pieces of text, including •instructions for doing the exercise, •button captions, •and link URLs

Create the Web Page

• Compile your exercise into HTML pages.

Create the Webpage

• Step 3

The third step is to create a Web page from your data. •Click on the File Menu•Select Create Web page / Web page for v6 browsers from the menu•Give your page a filename

The program will tell you that it has produced a file, and let you view it in your Web browser.

3 MINOR MODIFICATIONS

1) Adjust the Look and Feel2) Add Multimedia3) Email the results

Adjust the Look and Feel

• Modify the configuration• Modify the CSS• Modify the Source File

You may want to transform the look and feel of the Web Test to match other resources on your web site

Adjust the Look and FeelYou could make modifications to the test by going to the menu bar and clicking Options > Configure output

Modify the Configuration file

Adjust the Look and Feel

Modify the CSS

You could make modifications to one particular test by making changes to the CSS code.

Open a text editor or web development programme and then open the test file that you generated.

Find the css called div.NavButtonBar 

And add the four linesbackground-image: url(bg_header.gif);background-position: center left;background-repeat: repeat-x;border:1px solid #369;

Save the work

Adjust the Look and Feel

Modify the Source File

You could make permanent modifications to the CSS by making changes to the CSS source file

Open a text editor or web development programme. Go the location where the programme is

c:\Program Files\HotPotatoes6\source\

Take the source file which contains the CSS code When you've found it, open the fileAnd add the linesfont-size: 100%;background-color: #336699;background-position: center left;background-repeat: repeat-x;border:1px solid #369;

Save it and every quiz that you create will have that look and feel

Add Multimedia

• Add Sound• Add Video

Email the results

• Configure Output• Add URL• Receive results via email

Collecting scores can be made much easier if you configure the Outputs file in Hot Potatoes

Email the ResultsIn the authoring environment Choose Options > Configure Output

Choose the Tab CGI

URL of Formmail CGI script –

Email Address to submit

Message requesting students to enter a name

Configure Output

Email the ResultsIn the authoring environment Choose Options > Configure Output

Choose the Tab CGI

1. Ensure that the checkbox is clicked

2. Add the URLhttp://www.webtests.co.za

3. Add your email Address

4. Add an instruction to the student

• AddAdd URL

Email the ResultsResults will automatically be sent to the email address supplied on the configure output page

Hack their code.

• Introduction to Hacking HP• Workshop on Hacking HP • How to make your HP work server side • 16 ways to customise Hot Potatoes• Technical Details about the Source Files

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Hosting and Learning

• Hosting• Feedback• The future

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Hosting Hot Potatoes

UKZN Law Web Tests

UploadScheduleReport

View the Web Tests Site

Student Feedback

• Generally Positive• Guess the web test assisted me in finding out that I

knew bugger all (crossed out) reasonably nothing coz when you get things wrong you realize you lack understanding

• Web tests were extremely useful. They helped to determine the types of short questions or MCQ’s that could be expected in the test. It definitely helped me to learn more in depth than I would have.

Technical Feedback

• Technical– Server Issues– Browser Issues– The Suite– The Tests

Staff Feedback

• Amongst Staff agree on– aims and objectives– number of questions– level of question

• Amongst Students– Clarrify Procedure– Help Sheet

Where to?

• This is an open source project

• Get results e-mailed to you • Configure the management

suite for your server

This is an open source project

Get results e-mailed to you

Configure the management suite for your server

Create an account and use the management suite on www.webtests.co.za

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I can assist

Contact me • E-mail me at

derek@weblearning.co.za• Follow my thoughts

www.twitter.com/weblearning

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CreditsSources • Arneil, s. Holmes, M. Hacking in Hot Potatoes: A little knowledge 

brings a lot of power. Introduction to Hacking HP Available http://hotpot.uvic.ca/howto/hacking_hotpot.htm

• Bateson, G Getting More Out of Hot Potatoes Available• http://www.kanazawa-gu.ac.jp/~gordon/research/hot-• potatoes/index.html• 16 ways to customise Hot Potatoes• HotPotatoes Tutorials and How-to's Avaialable http

://www.ewbooks.info/hotpot/tutorials/hotpotatoes-tutorials.html

ImagesPressed Forefinger

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidelong/2945717204/Open Palm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aksphotography/367363319/ Dirty Thumb

http://www.flickr.com/photos/epadillag/2026996431/Sparks Flying

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbum/436602164/Curved Palm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimrit/295231285/One Finger

http://www.flickr.com/photos/windelbo/2668770453/Two Fingers

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10816399@N05/2575161811/Three Fingers

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tep/404919416/Helping Hand

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30235101@N06/3344044448/ Hack like a champion

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