I want to implement an adaptive test (exam) using PHP. (So,
like any quiz, or any multi-page form, but using internal
logic to decide what question to serve next and deciding when
the exam is done.) I am a researcher (not a programmer) but I
am familiar with Perl and other programming languages and with
some web application models.
It looks like the vast majority of the PHP examples use the
page (perhaps with parts dynamically injected using PHP) to
represent the "mode" (state) of the application. I definitely
want to separate my logic/code from presentation, but AFAICT
the popular frameworks all use a MVC pattern where the "mode"
is encoded in the URL (which is really the same since the URL
specifies the page).
I don't think an exam fits well with either of these models.
Even in research, a test-taker completing an exam should
proceed linearly through a series of screens (consent,
instructions, a series of items, optionally some
post-questionnaire questions, optionally some exam results,
some kind of "thank you"). And the examinee should not have
any ability to modify the sequence of screens or the
backend/underlying data by manipulating the URL.
Also, one of my design goals is to allow the researcher (who
would install and configure this software) to control whether
the optional pages appear and to modify templates to include
their own content on these pages.
My inclination is to create a large index.php file that
examines the user input and the current state and executes a
subroutine that serves the appropriate next page (by selecting
the appropriate template and filling it with appropriate
information). I know this is atypical and I'd appreciate
thoughts about things I may be overlooking as a newcomer to
PHP and the PHP way of creating web apps. If I'm reinventing
any wheels, I'd appreciate pointers to those frameworks.
I'm also having trouble finding a simple example of using a
template outside of a framework. But maybe that's my
newness...
-Alan
--
Alan D. Mead, Ph.D.
President, Talent Algorithms Inc.
science + technology = better workers
http://www.alanmead.org
"You're an interesting species. An interesting mix.
You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such
horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off,
so alone, only you're not. See, in all our
searching, the only thing we've found that makes
the emptiness bearable, is each other."
-- Carl Sagan, Contact
I don't know how much you know so I apologize if I am telling
youi anything you already know.
You need to understand the fundamentals of how the HTTP
protocol and HTML work. Initially in the world wide web
browsers would send a request for a page to the server and the
server would read the HTML file and send it to the client (the
browser). If that is new to you then there are thousands of
places you can learn more. The important thing is that the
server forgets about the request. There is nothing left in the
server. The server is done with the request.
Also in the early days of the internet HTML had forms but they
were very basic compared to how they are currently used.
Initially a form would have a submit button that would send
the form contents to the server. Normally the server would
execute a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) program. The CGI
program would write out a HTML file that was sent to the
client. Alternatively the server would show a second HTML file
but that is not relevant here. The important thing is that PHP
uses the same CGI technology. PHP reads a HTML file (except
with PHP in it) and writes out a HTML file that is sent to the
client. And here it gets complicated. Over the years various
techniques have been developed so that server-side programming
could retain and/or send data across requests. One way is for
data in a page to be sent as part of a request that has the
relevant data.
Well there is much more to the story. If any of that is new to
you then you have some reading to do.
There are two general possible solutions to your requirements,
but there are many more possibilities too. One possibility
would be to send all the data to the client and do all the
work in the client using _javascript_ or some client-side
programming. That could provide the best performance but
requires you to use _javascript_ and would compromise security.
Another possibility is something called a post-back and that
is quite technical. It is however using technology much like
an old-style HTML form except generalized and made more
technical.
Thanks. JS isn't an option because the adaptive algorithm
needs to score the items and I don't consider it secure to
send the answer keys of an exam to a client-side script.
So, if you were me, what PHP framework or app model would you
use?
-Alan
On 7/1/2019 10:58 PM, Sam Hobbs
wrote:
--
Alan D. Mead, Ph.D.
President, Talent Algorithms Inc.
science + technology = better workers
http://www.alanmead.org
"You're an interesting species. An interesting mix.
You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such
horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off,
so alone, only you're not. See, in all our
searching, the only thing we've found that makes
the emptiness bearable, is each other."
-- Carl Sagan, Contact
