[WWdevel] feedback e-mail subject line

[P G. L. <gl...@um...>]

Hi all,

I'd like opinions on the desirability of the following, and, if it's 
desirable, suggestions for a better way of doing it.

Currently the WeBWorK system generates feedback e-mails with the subject 
line
WeBWorK feedback from [coursename]: [User Name] set [setNum]/prob [probNum]

We always have some big courses where there are multiple sections of the 
course which have different instructors or TAs.  It would be convenient 
for those courses to have the subject line to be something like

WeBWorK feedback [CourseName] ([SectionNum]-[RecitationNum]): [User Name] 
set [setNum]/prob [probNum]

so that instructors could filter their incoming WeBWorK feedback e-mail to 
isolate those from students in their section(s).

In the past I've done this by just hacking the code in Feedback.pm to 
accomplish this, but it seems it might be better to have a setting in 
global.conf or course.conf that allows the customization of the feedback 
subject line.  e.g., using some sort of format characters---say,
     %c = course name
     %u = user name
     %s = set number
     %p = problem number
     %x = section number
     %r = recitation number
then the default subject line could be
     $mail{subjectLine} = 'WeBWorK feedback from %c: %u set %s/prob %p';
and in course.conf it could be reset, if desirable, to something else (for 
me,
     $mail{subjectLine} = 'WeBWorK feedback %c (%x-%r): %u set %s/prob %p';
).

This would require adding the $mail{subjectLine} value to global.conf 
file, and doing some substitutions on that in Feedback.pm.

Does this seem like a good idea?  If so, is there a better way of doing 
it?

(The other option to resolve my problem would be to associate instructors 
in a course with sections within the course, thereby allowing e-mail to be 
directed to them, rather than to all instructors of the course.  Would 
this be better or worse than the above?)

Thanks,
Gavin

-- 
P. Gavin LaRose, Ph.D.  Program Manager (Instructional Tech.)
Math Dept., University of Michigan
gl...@um...                        "There's no use in trying," [Alice]
734.764.6454                             said. "One Can't believe impossible
http://www.math.lsa.umich.edu/~glarose/  things." "I daresay you haven't had
                                          much practice," said the Queen.
                                                               - Lewis Carrol