Variables and

Their Scope

Each AppletQuiz question is allowed up to twenty-six variables named A-Z (or a-z, since variables are not case sensitive.)

The value of all variables are initialized to zero (0) before the question is displayed.

The value of all variables remain in effect while any part of the question is being displayed, including the question text, any multiple-choice answer choices, hints, and explanations. In other words, if you set the variable "X" equal to 6 within the question text of a question, it will still have the value 6 in the hint of that question. In the next question, though, the value of "X" will be "0".

In computer jargon, variables have "floating point" values - that is, they may (or may not) contain decimal values, and they are accurate to 6 or 7 decimal places.

If you are not familiar with computer programming, the term "variable" may conjure up notions of "unknown" or "something to solve for" - however that is not the meaning in AppletQuiz. You can think of a variable in AppletQuiz as "a place to store a numerical value".

You do not need to use all 26 variables in a question. You do not have to assign values in any particular order (other than required by the logic of your problem). No variables are reserved for special purposes.

last update July 29, 1998 by JL Stanbrough (jstanbro@venus.net)