Educational Resource Editor

The Educational Resource Editor is a powerful, multi-format content creation and management tool designed specifically for educators. It supports a wide range of document types including Plain Text, Rich Text (RTF), HTML, LaTeX, Images, PDFs, and Word documents. The editor provides a unified interface where teachers can create, edit, format, and manage educational content with precise control over layout and formatting to ensure compatibility with standard A4 paper output.

Educational Resource Editor Main Interface

Educational Resource Editor Interface

Table of Contents

Interface Overview Supported Formats Content Creation File Management Database Operations Paper Layout System Advanced Features

Interface Overview

Primary Workspace

The editor is organized into two main content areas:

  • Content Section: Primary area for creating and editing educational questions, problems, or learning materials
  • Answer Section: Dedicated area for creating answer keys, solutions, or explanatory notes

Control Panels

  • Content Toolbar: Formatting and import tools specific to the content section
  • Answer Toolbar: Formatting and import tools specific to the answer section
  • Metadata Panel: Right-side panel for resource metadata and navigation
Universal Width Constraint: All content areas are fixed to a width of 6.19 inches (converted to pixels based on DPI settings). This ensures all content fits properly within the A4 paper layout during printing or PDF generation.

Key Interface Components

Navigation Controls

  • Previous/Next: Arrow buttons to navigate between existing resources
  • ID Display: Shows current resource ID or "(New item)" for new content
  • Database Search: Search field to load specific resources by ID

Metadata Panel

  • Source: Origin or category of the educational resource
  • Score: Maximum points for the resource (default: 1)
  • Additional Details: Notes, remarks, or special instructions

Action Buttons

  • Delete: Permanently remove current resource from database
  • Save: Save or update resource in the database
  • Clear: Start a new resource (clears all fields)

Supported Document Formats

The editor supports multiple document formats, each with specific handling characteristics:

📝 Plain Text

  • Extension: .txt
  • Editing: Direct text editing in QTextEdit
  • Storage: Converted to HTML format using toHtml()
  • Restoration: Loaded using setHtml()
  • Best For: Simple questions, instructions, notes

🎨 Rich Text (RTF)

  • Extension: .rtf
  • Editing: Full rich text formatting support
  • Storage: Converted to HTML format using toHtml()
  • Restoration: Loaded using setHtml()
  • Features: Formatting, images, tables, advanced layout

🌐 HTML

  • Extension: .html, .htm
  • Editing: Direct HTML source code editing
  • Storage: Saved as plain text using toPlainText()
  • Restoration: Loaded using setPlainText()
  • Processing: Use "Run HTML" to render in editor

📐 LaTeX

  • Extension: .tex
  • Editing: Direct LaTeX source code editing
  • Storage: Saved as plain text using toPlainText()
  • Restoration: Loaded using setPlainText()
  • Processing: Use "Run LaTeX" to compile and render

🖼️ Image

  • Extensions: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .bmp, .gif
  • Handling: Converted to Base64 and embedded in HTML
  • Storage: Saved as HTML with <img> tag
  • Resizing: Automatically scaled to 6.19 inches width
  • Insertion: Can insert into existing content or replace

📄 PDF

  • Extension: .pdf
  • Modes: Editable (HTML extraction) or Read-only (image)
  • Editable Mode: Extracts text as HTML for editing
  • Read-only Mode: Converts first page to Base64 image
  • Limitation: Only first page is processed

📘 Word (DOCX)

  • Extension: .docx
  • Processing: Converted to HTML using pypandoc
  • Limitation: Some formatting may be lost in conversion
  • Status: Basic support (may require additional setup)
Important Note: LaTeX and HTML documents are saved as raw source code. They must be processed ("Run LaTeX" or "Run HTML") before they can be properly displayed or distributed. Unprocessed LaTeX/HTML will appear as source code in generated materials.

Content Creation Tools

Content Toolbar (Top)

Located above the Content Editor, provides tools specifically for the main content area:

Answer Toolbar (Bottom)

Located above the Answer Editor, provides identical tools for the answer section:

Screen Capture Tip: The snipping tool automatically hides the main window, allowing you to capture any part of your screen. The captured image is automatically inserted at the current cursor position and resized to fit the 6.19-inch content width.
Content and Answer Toolbars

Content (Top) and Answer (Bottom) Toolbars

File Management

Uploading Files

The Upload menu (📤 button) provides access to all supported file types:

Image Upload

  • Insert Mode (+): Adds image at cursor position
  • Replace Mode: Replaces entire content with image
  • Auto-resize: Images scaled to 6.19 inches width
  • Format: Converted to Base64 and embedded in HTML

PDF Upload

  • Editable Mode: Extracts text as HTML (for editing)
  • Read-only Mode: Converts to image (for display)
  • Page Limit: Only first page is processed
  • Best Practice: Use editable for text, read-only for complex layouts

Text-based Formats

  • Plain Text: Loaded and converted to HTML
  • RTF: Preserves formatting through HTML conversion
  • LaTeX/HTML: Loaded as raw source code
  • Word (DOCX): Converted to HTML (basic support)
Content and Answer Toolbars

Uploading Files options

File Type Detection and Handling

The editor automatically detects file types and applies appropriate processing:

PDF Limitations: Only the first page of PDF files is processed. For multi-page documents, consider splitting into separate resources or using image mode for specific pages.

Database Operations

Navigation and Search

Record Navigation

  • Previous (◀): Load previous resource in database
  • Next (▶): Load next resource in database
  • ID Display: Shows current resource ID or "New item"
  • Auto-detection: Smart format detection on load

Database Search

  • Search Field: Enter specific resource ID
  • Quick Access: Dropdown menu with search field
  • Format Detection: Automatic detection of stored format
  • Error Handling: Clear messages for missing records

Data Management

  • Save: Insert new or update existing records
  • Delete: Remove current record with confirmation
  • Clear: Reset all fields for new content
  • Auto-ID: New records receive auto-generated ID
Content and Answer Toolbars

Database Operations

Storage Strategy

The editor uses intelligent storage based on content type:

Storage Logic:
1. Plain Text & RTF → Converted to HTML using toHtml()
2. HTML & LaTeX → Saved as raw text using toPlainText()
3. Images → Converted to Base64 and embedded in HTML
4. All content → Stored with fixed width constraint (6.19 inches)
5. Format detection → Uses helper.is_rtf() on load

Bookmark Feature

The 🔖 bookmark button adds a [MARKED] tag to Additional Details:

  • Purpose: Flag resources needing review before distribution
  • Usage: Click to insert [MARKED] at beginning of Additional Details
  • Workflow: Resources with [MARKED] should be reviewed before use
  • Visibility: The tag is visible in Educational Resources View
Content and Answer Toolbars

Bookmark

Data Integrity: The editor maintains data integrity through automatic format detection. When loading resources, it checks if content contains RTF/HTML formatting and applies the appropriate restoration method (setHtml() for formatted content, setPlainText() for raw source code).

Paper Layout System

A4 Paper Constraints

All content is designed to fit within A4 paper dimensions with proper margins:

A4 Paper Layout (210mm × 297mm / 8.27in × 11.69in)
0.5 inch Margins (Left & Right)
Column 1
0.54 in
CONTENT AREA
6.19 inches (157mm)
Fixed width for all educational content
Column 3
0.54 in
0.5 inch Margins (Left & Right)

Width Calculation

The content width is calculated based on DPI (Dots Per Inch) settings:

Consistent Output: The fixed 6.19-inch width ensures all educational resources maintain consistent formatting when printed or converted to PDF. Images and other content are automatically scaled to this width, guaranteeing proper alignment in the final output.

HTML Template Structure

Generated HTML content includes proper width constraints:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/strict.dtd">
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8" name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
</head>
<body style="width:{app_context.EDU_ITEM_PIXELS}px;">
  <main>
    <b>Add here main content.</b>
  </main>
</body>
</html>

Advanced Features

LaTeX Processing

The editor includes built-in LaTeX compilation capabilities:

Screen Capture Integration

The snipping tool provides seamless screen capture functionality:

Format Detection Algorithm

Intelligent detection of content format on load:

Detection Logic (helpers.is_rtf()):
1. Check for HTML meta tags (qrichtext, viewport)
2. Look for HTML/XML doctype declarations
3. Detect RTF formatting markers
4. Identify LaTeX document structure
5. Fallback: Plain text detection

Result: Apply setHtml() for formatted content, setPlainText() for raw source

Error Handling and User Feedback

Notification System

  • Success Messages: Green notifications for successful operations
  • Error Messages: Red notifications with specific error details
  • Warning Dialogs: Confirmation prompts for destructive actions
  • Position: Bottom-right corner notifications

Validation

  • Score Validation: Numeric score checking
    • File Format Validation: Supported format checking
  • Database Validation: Connection and query error handling
  • Content Validation: Empty content warnings
Prerequisites for Advanced Features:
1. LaTeX: Requires LaTeX distribution (TeX Live, MiKTeX) with xepersian package
2. Word Documents: Requires pypandoc and Pandoc installation
3. PDF Processing: Requires PyMuPDF (fitz) library
4. Screen Capture: Requires proper screen permissions
Best Practices:
1. Use Plain Text for simple questions and instructions
2. Use RTF for formatted text with images and tables
3. Use LaTeX for mathematical content and formal documents
4. Use HTML for web-based content and complex layouts
5. Always "Run LaTeX" or "Run HTML" before saving if using those formats
6. Use the [MARKED] bookmark for resources needing review
7. Regularly save work to avoid data loss