Configuring a Logo (Turtle) Problem

Turtle problems allow students to use the Python Turtle API to make programs that draw vector graphics.

Basic Configuration Details

These problems are configured with Language: Logo.

Marking a Logo problem requires using the Python 3 Logo driver, with the Logo Diff checker.

Beta: It is now possible to use the Python 3 Function driver with the Logo Diff checker. Care must be taken to configure the failure message template for this combination of driver / checker. Please ask us for assistance if you'd like to mark questions with this configuration.

Initialisation file

You can include turtle commands in a special initial workspace file -- ___turtle.py -- in order to set up the turtle world (if needed). These commands will be executed before any commands in program.py (or program.blockly) and will be saved (on a Terminal run) in the logo-final and logo-animation data used in an inline snippet.

The ___turtle.py workspace file needs to have the following File Settings to function correctly:

undeletable, unrenamable, readonly,hidden, exportable

If using an inline snippet, it must have the following parameters:

path:___turtle.py;readonly;hidden;exportable;eg:your-eg-id;

Supported API Features

The following commands from the Turtle API are supported:

Movement commands: forward, backward, right, left, goto
Set position and heading: setx, sety, setheading
Shorthand drawing commands: circle, dot
World configuration: bgcolor, degrees, radians, reset, clear, setworldcoordinates
State information: position, towards, xcor, ycor, heading, distance
Pen configuration: pensize, penup, pendown, pen, isdown
Colours: color, pencolor, fillcolor, colormode
Fills: filling, begin_fill, end_fill
Turtle Appearance: showturtle, hideturtle, isvisible, speed, shape, settiltangle, tilt, tiltangle, get_shapepoly, getshapes

Creating Turtle Animations

To create an animation to include in a slide, first run the turtle code in the main editor. Once it's run, you can copy out the animation file and/or the test case file from the special files ___logo_animation and ___logo_finalrespectively. You can copy the contents by cmd+click'ing the Copy button in the editor. This allows you to specify the workspace filename to copy. Enter one of these two hidden filenames, and the contents of those hidden workspace files will be copied to their copy buffer. NOTE there is currently a bug that means you need to perform this copy operation twice before the clipboard is populated.

Author-only API Features (custom API)

Grok has added new API hooks to allow an author to use features that are not in the Python Turtle AP.

bgurl(image_url) -- Set the background to an image loaded via an asset URL. The background image should be 400 x 300 in size, to match the shape of the Turtle display window. Images that are smaller than this size will tile across the background. Use this api hook inside a ___turtle.py workspace file.