Examark

Write exams in Markdown. Export to Canvas in seconds.

Documentation · Getting Started · Report Bug

Why Examark?

Stop clicking through Canvas forms. Write once, export anywhere.

┌─────────────────┐      ┌──────────┐      ┌─────────────────┐
│   quiz.md       │ ───▶ │ examark  │ ───▶ │  quiz.qti.zip   │
│   (Markdown)    │      │          │      │  (Canvas-ready) │
└─────────────────┘      └──────────┘      └─────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
                    ┌─────────────────┐
                    │   quiz.txt      │
                    │   (Printable)   │
                    └─────────────────┘

Perfect for: Instructors, TAs, and course developers who want version-controlled, portable exam files.

Quick Start

No installation needed — try it now:

npx examark quiz.md -o quiz.qti.zip

Write Your Exam

# Statistics Midterm

1. [MC] What is the mean of 2, 4, 6? [2pts]
a) Three
b) Four [x]
c) Five

2. [TF] Variance can be negative. [1pt]
a) True
b) False [x]

3. [Essay, 10pts] Explain the Central Limit Theorem.

Convert & Import

examark midterm.md -o midterm.qti.zip    # For Canvas
examark midterm.md -f text                # For printing

Then: Canvas → Settings → Import Content → QTI .zip

Or Import to Item Banks (New Quizzes)

For random question selection across quizzes:

1. Quizzes → ⋮ → Manage Item Banks
2. + Add Bank → Name your bank
3. ⋮ → Import Content → Upload .qti.zip
4. Create quiz → Add from Item Bank → Randomly select N questions

📖 Item Banks Tutorial →

Features

📝 Clean Syntax

Write questions naturally without complex markup.

1. [MC] Question here [2pts]
a) Wrong
b) Right [x]

🧮 LaTeX Math

Full equation support, auto-converted for Canvas.

Find $\bar{x}$ given:
$$\bar{x} = \frac{\sum x_i}{n}$$

📦 8 Question Types

• Multiple Choice ([MC])
• True/False ([TF])
• Multiple Answer ([MA])
• Short Answer ([Short])
• Numerical ([Num])
• Essay ([Essay])
• Matching ([Match])
• Fill-in-Multiple-Blanks ([FMB])

🔧 Powerful CLI

examark *.md -o output/       # Batch convert
examark quiz.md -f text       # Paper exams
examark verify pkg --strict   # New Quizzes check
examark check quiz.md         # Lint syntax

🖼️ Image Bundling

Local images automatically packaged into QTI.

![Graph](assets/chart.png)

🔬 Quarto Integration

Dynamic questions with R/Python.

format: exam-gfm
exam:
  qti: true

Installation

🚀 Choose Your Path

📝 Markdown Only

Write .md files → Canvas

📊 Quarto Only

Author .qmd → HTML/PDF

📊🎯 Quarto + Canvas

Author .qmd → Canvas

One-Line Install:

npx examark quiz.md

No install needed!

One-Line Install:

quarto add Data-Wise/examark

Extension only.

Two Steps:

quarto add Data-Wise/examark
npm install -g examark

Extension + CLI.

📦 Detailed Installation Guide

For Markdown users who want to convert .md → QTI immediately:

npx examark quiz.md -o quiz.qti.zip

What this does:

• Downloads examark temporarily to npm cache
• Converts your markdown file to QTI
• No permanent installation

Requirements: Node.js ≥18 (see Windows/Mac setup below)

When to use: Quick one-off conversions, trying examark without committing

For Markdown Users (Static Exams)

Install once, use forever:

macOS:

# Option A: Homebrew (recommended)
brew install data-wise/tap/examark

# Option B: npm
npm install -g examark

Windows:

npm install -g examark

Linux:

npm install -g examark

Usage:

examark quiz.md -o quiz.qti.zip
examark *.md -o output/           # Batch convert

For Quarto Users (Preview Only - No QTI)

Install Quarto extension for authoring and preview:

quarto add Data-Wise/examark

What you get:

• Formats: exam-html, exam-pdf, exam-odt, exam-docx, exam-typst
• LaTeX math support
• Solution toggle (exam.solutions: true/false)

What you DON'T get: QTI conversion (see "Quarto + QTI" below)

Usage:

quarto render exam.qmd --to exam-html    # Preview in browser
quarto render exam.qmd --to exam-pdf     # Print version

For Quarto Users (Full Workflow - Preview + QTI)

Install both extension (authoring) and CLI (QTI conversion):

# Step 1: Quarto extension
quarto add Data-Wise/examark

# Step 2: CLI tool
npm install -g examark        # Windows/Linux
brew install data-wise/tap/examark  # macOS (alternative)

Complete workflow:

# 1. Author exam
vim exam.qmd

# 2. Render to markdown
quarto render exam.qmd --to exam-gfm

# 3. Convert to QTI
examark exam.md -o exam.qti.zip

# 4. Upload to Canvas
open exam.qti.zip  # Drag to Canvas → Import Content

💡 Tip: Use npx examark instead of installing globally if you prefer

Windows Users

If you've never used Node.js:

1. Install Node.js → nodejs.org

   • Click green "LTS" button
   • Run installer, accept all defaults
   • Click through everything

2. Open Terminal:

   • Press Windows + R
   • Type cmd and press Enter

3. Test it works:

   node --version

   Should show: v18.x.x or higher

4. Use examark:

   npx examark quiz.md -o quiz.qti.zip

Permanent install:

npm install -g examark

macOS Users

Recommended: Homebrew (easiest)

1. Install Homebrew (if not installed):

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

2. Install examark:

   brew install data-wise/tap/examark

Alternative: npm

1. Install Node.js → nodejs.org

2. Install examark:

   npm install -g examark

Install from Source

git clone https://github.com/Data-Wise/examark.git
cd examark
npm install
npm run build
npm link

Install Specific Version

npm install -g [email protected]

Update to Latest

npm update -g examark       # npm
brew upgrade examark        # Homebrew

Uninstall

npm uninstall -g examark    # npm
brew uninstall examark      # Homebrew

Commands

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | examark <file.md> | Convert to QTI (default: file.qti.zip) | | examark <file.md> -f text | Export as printable plain text | | examark *.md -o output/ | Batch convert multiple files | | examark verify <pkg> | Validate QTI package | | examark verify <pkg> --strict | Strict validation for New Quizzes | | examark emulate-canvas <pkg> | Simulate Canvas import | | examark check <file.md> | Lint markdown for errors | | examark --preview | Preview parsed questions (JSON) |

Options: -o <output> · -p <points> · -t <title> · --no-answers · -v · --strict

Configuration

Create .examarkrc.json for project defaults:

{
  "defaultPoints": 2,
  "outputDir": "output",
  "validate": true
}

Templates

Markdown (no Quarto needed):

| Template | Description | |----------|-------------| | minimal.md | 3 questions — quickest start | | starter.md | One of each question type | | all-question-types.md | Comprehensive — all 8 types |

Quarto (for R/Python users):

| Template | Description | |----------|-------------| | minimal.qmd | Simplest Quarto template | | starter.qmd | Full-featured starter | | dynamic.qmd | Randomized questions with R | | with-figures.qmd | R-generated plots |

Quarto Integration

Generate dynamic, randomized questions with R or Python code.

Quick Start

# Add extension to existing project
quarto add Data-Wise/examark

# Or start from template
quarto use template Data-Wise/examark

⚠️ Note: This only installs the Quarto extension (for authoring/preview). To export QTI packages, also install the CLI: npm install -g examark

Example: Dynamic Questions

---
title: "Statistics Exam"
format: exam-html      # Preview in browser
exam:
  solutions: false
  default-points: 1
---

## 1. Random Calculation [2pts]

What is `r x <- sample(1:10, 1); x` + `r y <- sample(1:10, 1); y`?

a) `r x + y - 2`
b) `r x + y` [x]
c) `r x + y + 2`

Available Formats

| Format | Output | Use Case | |--------|--------|----------| | exam-html | HTML | Browser preview | | exam-pdf | PDF | Print exams | | exam-gfm | Markdown | QTI conversion (use with CLI) | | exam-odt | ODT | Google Docs, LibreOffice | | exam-docx | DOCX | Microsoft Word | | exam-typst | PDF | Modern typesetting |

Complete QTI Workflow

# 1. Render to markdown
quarto render exam.qmd --to exam-gfm

# 2. Convert to QTI (requires CLI installed)
examark exam.md -o exam.qti.zip

# 3. Upload to Canvas

📖 Full Quarto Guide → · Dynamic Examples →

Claude Code Plugin

Use examark directly from Claude Code with slash commands.

Commands

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | /exam:convert <file> | Convert .md or .qmd to QTI package | | /exam:check <file> | Lint markdown or verify QTI package | | /exam:preview <file> | Show formatted question summary table |

Auto-Lint Hook

The plugin includes a PostToolUse hook that automatically lints exam files after edits, catching errors as you write.

Installation

Copy or symlink the .claude-plugin/ directory and commands/ directory to use with Claude Code. The plugin also includes migrated skills for exam generation and formatting knowledge.

Documentation

| | | |---|---| | 📚 Full Docs | Complete reference | | 🚀 Getting Started | Install + first quiz | | 📝 Markdown Syntax | Question syntax | | 🏦 Item Banks | Random quizzes | | ⚙️ Configuration | Project settings | | 🎓 Tutorials | R/Quarto, VS Code |

Get Started →

Made with ❤️ by Data-Wise · MIT License