Autoanswering textareas  
 
This is a collection of scripts that may be used for building interactive courseware. You can use the scripts for free. However, we would apreciate if you could mention the source in the acknowledgements.  
Autoanswering textareas prompt the user with the correct answer when loosing the focus. Type some words in the areas below and mouse-click outside of them.
Example
Why are clay minerals so reactive?

How can clay minerals be identified?
 
The source  (please avoid line breaks!)
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<!C- hide this script tag's contents from old browsers>
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript">

answer1="They have a very small grain-size and therefore a high surface-to-volume ratio. There are also some structural features, but that is behind scope for that course.";

answer2="Because they are so small you cannot use a microscope. X-ray diffraction is the means of choice!";

 function replace(text1,wherefrom){
           wherefrom.value="Your answer: " +  wherefrom.value + "      \nOur suggestion: "+text1;
 }

</script>
 <!-- done hiding from old browsers -->

<body>
.... your html here

<form>
<b>Why are clay minerals so reactive?</b><br>
<TEXTAREA rows=3 cols=50 wrap=virtual  name="question1" onFocus=this.value="" onChange=replace(answer1,this)>"Please, type your answer here!"</TEXTAREA> </P>
<b>How can clay minerals be identified?</b><br>
<TEXTAREA rows=3 cols=50 wrap=virtual  name="question1" onFocus=this.value="" onChange=replace(answer2,this)>"Please, type your answer here!"</TEXTAREA> </P>
</form>

.... your html here
</body>
</html>
 

 

Stefan Krumm 
Institut für Geologie, Schloßgarten 5, 91054 Erlangen  
krumm@geol.uni-erlangen.de