Common preview issues in written assignments

In this article, we have listed all the common preview issues in written assignments including a solution or workaround. In the screenshot below, you will find an example of how a preview issue would look like. The only thing that differs is the message in the error.

The '^' and '<<' characters do not format correctly

Cause: These are both reserved characters within LaTeX and will display differently in the preview of the written assignment.

Solution: This can be solved by entering the following in the rich text editor:

• ^ character : \textsuperscript{$$\wedge$$}
• << character: <{}<

Image is too large

Cause: An uploaded image is too large to fit on the page. 

Solution: Click on the image that is causing this error and use the square at the bottom right to reduce the size. Save the image to see if it will fit on the page.

Question or description is too long

Cause: A question or description is too long to fit on the page.

Solution: Go to the question or description that is causing this error. Split the question or make use of the 'Start on new page' option to force the question or description to start on a new page. Click on Save to see if this fixed the error.

A certain filetype does not work in written assignments

Cause: Some filetypes are not accepted when creating a written assignment. In that case, you will receive the 'Unknown graphics extension' error. This mainly happens when converting a digital test to a written assignment.

Solution: Convert the file using a file converter or replace the file.

Unknown characters

Cause: The preview cannot load due to unknown characters that is not supported within LaTeX. 

Solution: This can be solved by removing or replacing the character. 

Code blocks

Cause: At the moment, code blocks are not properly supported in written assignments. 

Solution: A workaround would be to use an image instead.

Copy and pasting from a table outside of Ans

Cause: In some cases you may receive an error when copying answers from a table outside of Ans into a multiple choice option in Ans. This may create an HTML table in the answer option which causes an error.

Solution: This can be fixed by editing the question and copy-paste each choice again, making sure to select the text as it is shown and not through HTML view.

Unequal amount of columns per row

Cause: The number of columns in one or more rows of a table is not consistent.

Solution: To fix this error, ensure that each row has the same number of columns. Please note, this often occurs in the test instructions of an assignment.

Undefined control sequence error: using the \lt command (larger than)

Cause: This is caused by using the \lt command for the 'larger than' symbol.

Solution: A workaround would be to use the < symbol instead.

Uneven number of curly brackets 

Cause: Use of curly brackets with an imbalance between the amount of opening and closing curly brackets will cause LaTex errors. 

Using square brackets in an assignment name 

Cause: Adding square brackets to an assignment name in the assignment settings causes the preview of the written assignment to have an error message. For example: [Assignment X]

Solution: This can be fixed by adding a backslash before the square bracket.
For example: \[Assignment X\]

In case you are experiencing a preview issue that is not mentioned in this article, do not hesitate to contact our Support team.