10th of November 2024 (patch release)

This article contains this patch release's bug fixes.

Important changes

5th of January 2025 - The option to limit points to zero or the total points of open-ended questions will be removed

From the 5th January 2025, the option to limit points to zero or the total points will no longer be available for open-ended questions. This includes all questions that are graded with criteria, rubrics and sliders. If the points need adjustment, you can apply a manual adjustment.

We are removing the option to limit points to make scoring simpler and clearer. With this change, points become the total of all criteria and any adjustments. This way, users can understand how points are calculated without extra settings or limits.

While most users had the maximum point limit enabled, it was rarely needed. For most, the sum of criteria did not go over the maximum points, so the limit was not actually applied. This change helps to remove an unnecessary setting for most users and makes point calculation easier to follow.

This change will only affect answers that are graded after 5th January 2025. Any answers already graded with the option to limit points to zero or the total points will remain unchanged unless you change grading scheme or change the score of an individual answer.

If you are planning to review during this period and wish to minimise the impact of this change, we advise removing the limits on each question before starting to review.

Bug fixes

• Fixed an issue where inserting a gap into an empty cell would place it in the first cell of the row
  Fixed an issue where adding a gap to an empty cell of a table would place it in the first cell of the row. Now, gaps can be added directly to empty cells.
  
  
• Improved course and assignment names to allow for different types of 'dash' characters
  We have improved the way we check for restricted characters in course and assignment names, allowing different kinds of the 'dash' characters to be used.
  
  
• Fixed an issue using Safe Exam Browser 3.4 for Mac
  Safe Exam Browser version 3.4 for Mac was released 2 weeks ago, but was not compatible with Ans. We have updated the 'browserWindowWebView' setting to make sure version 3.4 works with Ans. We have also updated the download link, which now downloads version 3.4.
  
  
• Fixed an issue where an error regarding discussions will be shown when creating publication timeslots, even when allow asking questions was disabled
  Previously, it was not possible to save publication timeslots when enabling and then disabling the option to allow asking questions within the publication timeslot settings. The start and end date values for the discussions would still remain, even when disabling the option to allow asking questions. Now, the discussions start and end date are cleared when disabling the option within the publication timeslot settings.
  
  
• Fixed an issue where the separator between assignment and answers would not scale the content of the left side panel while grading
  Previously, certain sizes of answers could detach the grading separator from the content of the left panel while grading. This would cause the need for scrolling to see the complete answer content while grading. This has now been resolved and the grading separator will always be able to resize the content again, so that all content fits on the page without the need for scrolling.
  
  
• Fixed an issue where the user's role visually changed after updating the email
  When using custom roles and updating a user's email, all roles with the same base role would end up selected in the role dropdown. This was only a visual issue, as the role itself did not actually change when the user's email was updated. Now, this no longer happens and the correct role remains selected in the role dropdown.
  
  
• Fixed an issue where some assignment logs older than two years were inaccessible
  Some assignment logs from more than 2 years ago were not accessible. Now, the logs are accessible again.
  
  
• Fixed an issue where unusual spacing or indentation in multiple choice alternatives would prevent the preview from loading
  Previously, using unusual spacing or indentation in multiple-choice alternatives, the preview would not load. Now, we have improved how we handle alternatives, so the preview works even with uncommon spacing or indentation.
  
  
• Fixed an issue where using tables inside the multiple choice alternatives in a written assignment works inconsistently
  Previously, the usage of tables within a multiple choice alternative could lead to difficulties generating a preview, as the table would offset the vertical positioning of the checkbox or circle belonging to the alternative. Now, we have refined the way we determine if a preview has been generated correctly, making the use of tables in multiple choice alternatives more reliable.
  
  
• Fixed an issue where multiple choice alternatives of a specific length would prevent the preview of a written assignment from being generated
  Previously, multiple choice alternatives of a very specific length would add an unseen extra line, causing problems when generating a written assignment. Now, written assignments generate normally regardless of answer length.