9. Variable Input

This session explains how to use wildcard * (star) to handle a group of students' answers with a single cell.

The Problem

What's wrong with the below conversation we mentioned for the previous session?

Example 1

  • Cell 1
    • My name is Jack
    • <strong/>what is your name
    • Nice to meet you!
  • Log 1
    • Hello! My name is Aco. What's your name?
    • My name is Jack.
    • Nice to meet you!

It doesn't work if the student is not Jack but Marry, Sherry or Avery!

The Solution (Easy but Not So Reliable One)

We can use wildcard * to represent the name, regardless whether it's Marry, Sherry or Avery. This is how.

Example 2. Cell using wildcard *

  • Cell 2
    • My name is *
    • <strong/>what is your name
    • Nice to meet you!
  • Log 2
    • Hello! My name is Aco. What's your name?
    • My name is Jack.
    • Nice to meet you!
  • Log 2
    • Hello! My name is Aco. What's your name?
    • My name is Marry.
    • Nice to meet you!

That works for the most time but not perfect always. What if a student says "My name is short"? What if "What if "My name is too long to memorize"? The bad news: The natural language is so flexible and complex that the easy solution is not always reliable. The good news: We have a solution for you, as always! Keep reading and you will learn how to address the issue.

Things to Keep in Mind

  • Use * in Input to handle a group of answers with a single cell.
  • This is an easy but not so reliable solution.