Short answer question with a number range

Sue.S.4

How do we input an answer in a short answer question which permits any number between a range - eg any number between 1000-1400. We have [1000-1400] and if you type say 1125, it marks it as incorrect.

Thanks in advance.

Jennifer.W.973

Hi Sue, I would use this for 5 through 12: ^([5-9]|1[0-2])$

Regular expressions find matches based on each individual digit, so [5-9] can only search for 5 through 9, then the pipe symbol | means or, while 1[0-2] searches for 10 through 12. The ^ and $ symbols are just to denote the beginning and end of the line. Without them, any of those numbers within a larger number (such as the 5 in 15 or 150) would technically be a match.

Jennifer.W.973

@Sue.S.4 Hi Sue, when creating/editing the question, click abc to open the drop-down menu and choose Regular Expression. Then paste this into the answer blank: ^(1,?[0-3][0-9][0-9]|1,?400)$

You can remove both ,? if you don't want to allow for commas in the answer.

Sue.S.4

Thank you Jennifer, I"ll try it out.

Sue.S.4

Hi Jennifer, As long as I click regular expression, and the response is anywhere between 5 and 12, would this be suitable in a short answer box as a possible answer [5-12].

Sorry I'm not a programmer - I'm an academic helping other academics…

Sue.S.4

Thank you so much Jennifer. That is such a helpful response :)

Rusha.S.831

Hi @Sue.S.4,

May I suggest trying the following regular expression in the answer field: ^(1[0-2]|[5-9])$ This may help ensure that only valid responses between 5 and 12 are accepted.

For context, here's how it works:

• ^ and $ are anchors that ensure the match applies to the entire string, from start to finish.
• 1[0-2] matches the numbers 10, 11, and 12.
• [5-9] matches the numbers 5 through 9.

This expression will successfully match any number from 5 to 12, while excluding anything outside that range.

Thanks,

Rusha

Sue.S.4

Thank you Rusha

This is very helpful, especially the explanation.

Regards, Sue