Always load PGbasicmacros.pl and PGauxiliaryFunctions.pl.

[drgrice1]

This is done at the end of the DOCUMENT method in PG.pl. This means that problems no longer need to load PGstandard.pl. The basic functionality that is needed is always there.

This does NOT load PGanswermacros.pl. That is because that is entirely deprecated functionality. Problems that use it already load what is needed, and must continue to do so. Newly written problems should not use it.

This could also load customizeLaTeX.pl, but I held off on that. That is an antiquated approach to customization of notation that the rest of PG never followed up on.

Edit: Also remove PGstandard.pl from the loadMacros calls in most sample problems.

There is one problem in which PGstandard.pl was replaced with PGanswermacros.pl for now. That is the problem Misc/Matching.pg. The problem was using unionTables.pl to layout the multiple choice questions and answers. That was replaced with a niceTables.pl layout table via its PGML syntax. However, it uses the PGchoicemacros.pl match list which is the one case that we still have not created a modern equivalent of. That needs the str_cmp method. Note that this problem is replaced in #1541.

[drgrice1]

As discussed, loading PGML.pl by default is troublesome because it loads MathObjects.pl which breaks lib/Matrix.pm and any macro that depends on it. The PGmorematrixmacros.pl is one of these, and many problems in the OPL load this macro. Note that many of those problems do not actually use the macro, they just load it. However, that is enough to break the problem if MathObjects.pl is already loaded. Generally that macro, and more generally lib/Matrix.pm, is entirely incompatible with MathObjects.pl.

[Alex-Jordan]

Should the sample pg problem (and all distribution pg problems both here and in PG) stop loading them then? Alex Jordan Mathematics Instructor Portland Community College

…

On Tue, Sep 15, 2026, 7:14 PM Glenn Rice ***@***.***> wrote: *drgrice1* left a comment (openwebwork/pg#1537) <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/openwebwork/pg/pull/1537*issuecomment-5690987563__;Iw!!Ka_JY85zDv0FFw!kTLGNMLrlTohXijL1Kp5pLComzFbS-KBlDJ9MUgqddzkrxnbaje8H9HfDMhiNc3Gyi993I9kjnayfIMhvvjJeS6reSM$> As discussed, loading PGML.pl by default is troublesome because it loads MathObjects.pl which breaks lib/Matrix.pm and any macro that depends on it. The PGmorematrixmacros.pl is one of these, and many problems in the OPL load this macro. Note that many of those problems do not actually use the macro, they just load it. However, that is enough to break the problem if MathObjects.pl is already loaded. Generally that macro, and more generally lib/Matrix.pm, is entirely incompatible with MathObjects.pl. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/openwebwork/pg/pull/1537?email_source=notifications&email_token=ABEDOAB3QOOOA4CANQT2QWL5PHZQBA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTKNRZGA4TQNZVGYZ2M4TFMFZW63VKON2WE43DOJUWEZLEUVSXMZLOOSWGM33PORSXEX3DNRUWG2Y*issuecomment-5690987563__;Iw!!Ka_JY85zDv0FFw!kTLGNMLrlTohXijL1Kp5pLComzFbS-KBlDJ9MUgqddzkrxnbaje8H9HfDMhiNc3Gyi993I9kjnayfIMhvvjJzgxtfCA$>, or unsubscribe <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ABEDOAEIIMKL5X44XX434RD5PHZQBAVCNFSNUABDKJSXA33TNF2G64TZHMZTANRUGYYDCO2JONZXKZJ3GU2DMOJTGU2DMMRRUF3AE__;!!Ka_JY85zDv0FFw!kTLGNMLrlTohXijL1Kp5pLComzFbS-KBlDJ9MUgqddzkrxnbaje8H9HfDMhiNc3Gyi993I9kjnayfIMhvvjJS754kC8$> . Triage notifications, keep track of coding agent tasks and review pull requests on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/notifications/mobile/ios/ABEDOABCC6SFENPIISLD3W35PHZQBA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTKNRZGA4TQNZVGYZ2M4TFMFZW63VKON2WE43DOJUWEZLEUVSXMZLOOSVGM33PORSXEX3JN5ZQ__;!!Ka_JY85zDv0FFw!kTLGNMLrlTohXijL1Kp5pLComzFbS-KBlDJ9MUgqddzkrxnbaje8H9HfDMhiNc3Gyi993I9kjnayfIMhvvjJgeC5280$> and Android <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/notifications/mobile/android/ABEDOAFHSCYC27OZYDT5JE35PHZQBA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTKNRZGA4TQNZVGYZ2M4TFMFZW63VKON2WE43DOJUWEZLEUVSXMZLOOSXGM33PORSXEX3BNZSHE33JMQ__;!!Ka_JY85zDv0FFw!kTLGNMLrlTohXijL1Kp5pLComzFbS-KBlDJ9MUgqddzkrxnbaje8H9HfDMhiNc3Gyi993I9kjnayfIMhvvjJc2BydrA$>. Download it today! You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[drgrice1]

So this is just starting to feel out where we want to go with this. This is the most basic approach that resists going further with loading PGML.pl by default as well. I also have an approach that sort of handles loading PGcourse.pl by default, although, it is a hack. @dlglin has suggested going so far as removing the need for even the DOCUMENT(); and ENDDOCUMENT(); calls at the beginning and end of the file.

But yes, if this is where we stop, then all of the sample problems should be updated accordingly.

[somiaj]

Good start.

[drgrice1]

I went ahead and removed PGstandard.pl from most sample problems. See the edited initial comment for this pull request.

[somiaj]

Seems there could be more work done to remove use of PGstandard.pl if this is the route we are going (which I think is good).

• WeBWorK::PG::ConvertToPGML should probably not include it anymore.
• PGbasicmacros.pl POD for helpLink suggest loading PGstandard.pl.
• Various macros load PGstandard.pl but may not need to. I suspect some of those macros could have PGstandard.pl removed, though most are older/deprecated macros that may require it.

[somiaj]

Also left out, many tests load PGstandard, maybe update those tests too, for which it is appropriate.

[drgrice1]

Yes, there will be more work needed. One of the reasons I proceeded with removing it in the sample problems was to see that it works well with those. The result is that it does for all but those two problems, and it reveals the issues there. One is a macro that is yet needed (a math object match list macro), and one is a current macro with a bad dependency.

If we decide that this is the way to go, and that it goes far enough (i.e., that, at least for now, we don't want to go to loading PGML by default, or include the PGcourse.pl loading hack, or go on to removing the need to call DOCUMENT and ENDDOCUMENT), then I will take it the rest of the way.

[drgrice1]

I made this a draft for now until we can figure out what we really want to do with this.