Testing a new STACK version

What to do when meclib is to be tested with a new STACK release (e.g. before the Moodle server is updated). The Meclib Workbench and the Offline Maxima Tests use local copies of STACK's files, kept per STACK version in the repository.

What is kept per STACK version

What	Where	Used by
STACK's Maxima library (stack/maxima/ of the release)	config/stack/<version>/maxima/	offline Maxima tests, workbench evaluation, syntax help (signatures)
STACK's security map (stack/cas/security-map.json)	config/stack/<version>/security-map.json	workbench: forbidden functions are reported as in STACK
JSXGraph bundled with STACK	entry in tools/workbench/workbench_config.json ("jsxgraph"), loaded from the release tag on GitHub	workbench graphics
STACK documentation (doc/en of the release tag)	tools/workbench/.cache/stack-docs/<tag>/ (downloaded, not committed)	syntax help (texts)

<version> is the numeric plugin version from the release's version.php (e.g. 2026080600 for STACK 4.13.1), not the release number. When several versions are present, the workbench and the Maxima tests use the newest one. The syntax help (syntax_help.json) exists once; it records the STACK version it was built from.

Steps

1. Find the release. On https://github.com/maths/moodle-qtype_stack/tags pick the tag (e.g. v4.14.0) and read $plugin->version in its version.php. Check the supported Maxima versions on https://docs.stack-assessment.org/en/Installation/STACK_versions/ against your local Maxima.

2. Copy the Maxima library and the security map (in the repository folder, with the tag and version filled in):

   git clone --depth 1 --branch v4.14.0 --filter=blob:none --sparse https://github.com/maths/moodle-qtype_stack.git stack-tmp
   git -C stack-tmp sparse-checkout set stack/maxima stack/cas
   mkdir config/stack/2026xxxxxx
   cp -r stack-tmp/stack/maxima config/stack/2026xxxxxx/maxima
   cp stack-tmp/stack/cas/security-map.json config/stack/2026xxxxxx/
   

   Delete stack-tmp afterwards. On Windows, copy the two items with the Explorer instead of cp.

3. Run the offline Maxima tests (Maxima/tests/run_tests.bat). The first line of the log names the library in use; it must be the new folder. Differences in the feedback texts usually come from changed STACK functions (castext_concat(), ct2_latex(), answer tests).

4. JSXGraph. Look up the JSXGraph version the release bundles: the first lines of corsscripts/jsxgraphcore.min.js name it (JSXGraph 1.12.2; thirdpartylibs.xml is not reliable, it still says 1.5.0 in STACK 4.13.1). If it changed, add an entry to "jsxgraph" in tools/workbench/workbench_config.json (copy the existing one, replace the tag and the version in the name) and select it on the workbench pages.

5. MathJax. STACK loads the MathJax URL of Moodle's MathJax filter (Moodle 5: 3.2.2). The workbench offers 2.7.9 and 3.2.2 in the MathJax selector; add a version to "mathjax" in the configuration if needed.

6. Graphic block. Compare stack/cas/castext2/blocks/jsxgraph.block.php between the old and the new tag (GitHub: Compare v4.13.1...v4.14.0). If the frame STACK builds for [[jsxgraph]] changed (scripts, input binding, sandbox), tools/workbench/frame.js has to follow.

7. Test scenes. Open the Tests page of the workbench, choose the new JSXGraph entry, run all scenes. Differences show changed behaviour of JSXGraph or meclib.

8. Questions. Open a few typical questions on the Questions page, check them with the model answers and look at the review messages (e.g. functions newly forbidden by the security map).

9. Syntax help. Add the version and tag to STACK_TAGS at the top of tools/workbench/build_help.py (or give --stack-tag) and run

   python build_help.py --wiki <path of the meclib wiki clone>
   

10. Record it. Mention the version in config/README.md, Maxima/tests/README.md (the "currently ..." line) and the History. Keep the old version folder as long as the Moodle server still runs it; to test the old one again, move the newer folder out temporarily (the tools always take the newest).