TeX And GIFT In Moodle

As I pointed out earlier, Moodle uses a TeX filter to convert TeX code to GIF images. Moodle can use a binary program on the server to render the images. The binary program can be MimeTeX or a full LaTeX implementation. This is configured by the system administrator.

The quadratic formula, for example, is rendered by typing

$$x=\frac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}$$.

Here is a rather concise Moodle TeX reference.

Take note, however, that when you save your questions containing TeX codes in the GIFT format, additional symbols appear.

For example, the following code in TeX

Find the discount interest if $$F=\text{PhP}5,000$$, $$d=.09$$ and $$t=9$$ months.

becomes

Find the discount interest if $$F\=\text\{PhP\}5,000$$, $$d\=.09$$ and $$t\=9$$ months.

in GIFT. Notice the extra backslashes (\).

Here is another pair:

TeX:

What are the factors of $$4c^{2}-a^{2}+2{ab}-b^{2}$$?

GIFT:

What are the factors of $$4c^\{2\}-a^\{2\}+2\{ab\}-b^\{2\}$$?

So here are my recommendations:

• You can use GIFT for editing, but not for creating the items with a lot of math. Why? There are extra characters that need to be encoded.
• Suggested work flow: From ODF to TeX to Moodle to GIFT. For editing, you can simply work with the GIFT version. Just synchronize the ODF copy with it. The TeX and Moodle versions are intermediate and need not be maintained. To update the Moodle version, for example, you can just import the GIFT back into Moodle.