We describe methods of styling the print versions of Ximera materials.

1 Documentclass options

There are a number of options for the document class, though their effects are only seen in the PDF:

handout

The default behavior of the class is to display all content. This means that if any questions are asked, all answers are shown. Moreover, some content will only have a meaningful presentation when displayed online. When compiled without any options, this content will be shown too. This option will supress such content and generate a reasonable printiable “handout.”

noauthor

By default, authors are listed at the bottom of the first page of a document. This option will supress the listing of the authors.

nooutcomes

By default, learning outcomes are listed at the bottom of the first page of a document. This option will supress the listing of the learning outcomes.

instructornotes

This option will turn on (and off) notes written for the instructor.

noinstructornotes

This option will turn off (and on) notes written for the instructor.

hints

When the handout option is used, hints are not shown. This option will make hints visible in handout mode.

newpage

This option will start each problem-like environment (exercise, question, problem, and exploration) on a new page.

numbers

This option will number the titles of the activity. By default the activities are unnumbered.

wordchoicegiven

This option will replace the choices shown by wordChoice with the correct choice. No indication of the wordChoice environment will be shown.

2 The preamble versus printing styles

The preamble is used to make the Ximera document compile. You include things like: 

\newcommand{\R}{\mathbb R}
\renecommand{\vec}{\mathbf}

The printing style is used to make cosmetic changes to the PDF. They are only included in the xourse files and are enclosed in \pdfOnly. For example the printstyles for this document are loaded with 

\pdfOnly{\usepackage{manual}}

In the print styles, you can change how the document looks cosmetically with things like: 

\let\warning\relax
\let\endwarning\relax
\newtheoremstyle{warning}
{\topsep}{\topsep}{\rmfamily}{}{\bfseries\sffamily}{:}{ }{#1}
\theoremstyle{warning}
\newtheorem*{warning}{WARNING}
\surroundwithmdframed[innertopmargin=10pt]{warning}

3 When and how to use prompt

Prompt allows you to make your exercises look beautiful in the PDF. As an example consider this exercise: 

\begin{exercise}
Compute $\frac{d}{dx} x^2$
\begin{prompt}
\[
  \frac{d}{dx} x^2 = \answer{2x}
\]
\end{prompt}
\end{exercise}

It renders as

Compute \(\frac {d}{dx} x^2\)
\[ \frac {d}{dx} x^2 = \answer {2x} \]

The environment prompt hides the display math in the PDF. In a PDF, you don’t need answer boxes! As another example, consider: 

\begin{exercise}
 Consider the planes defined by the equations below.
\begin{align*}
  P_1:  \quad 4 &= 2x-y+3z  \\
  P_2:  \quad 5 &= 4x-2y+6z \\
  P_3:  \quad 7 &= 5x+2y+z
\end{align*}
Describe the relationships between the planes
$P_1$, $P_2$, and $P_3$ in terms of ‘‘parallel,’’
‘‘orthogonal,’’ or ‘‘neither.’’
\begin{prompt}
\begin{enumerate}
  \item The planes $P_1$ and $P_2$ are \wordChoice{
    \choice[correct]{parallel}
    \choice{orthogonal}
    \choice{neither parallel nor orthogonal}
    }
  \item The planes $P_1$ and $P_3$ are \wordChoice{
    \choice{parallel}
    \choice{orthogonal}
    \choice[correct]
    {neither parallel nor orthogonal}}.
  \item The planes $P_2$ and $P_3$ are \wordChoice{
    \choice{parallel}
    \choice{orthogonal}
    \choice[correct]{neither parallel nor orthogonal}
    }
\end{enumerate}
\end{prompt}
\end{exercise}

The environment prompt says that the stuff inside the environment is used as a prompt for the student. In the PDF, everything within the prompt is hidden, as a student doesn’t need that content to answer the question using pencil and paper.

2024-12-23 16:29:17