Configuring a Task in Autotool

While working on a task configuration, you’ll want to test it in Autotool at some point. Most Flex‑Tasks functionality can be tested in isolation (more on that later). However, certain aspects, such as the overall output style, can only be fully inspected inside Autotool. You’ll also want to confirm that your configuration actually works in Autotool, not just locally.

Accessing Autotool

There are two main ways you can access Autotool:

1. You can pull our Autotool repo and build it yourself (instructions in the README), then locally work with your copy.
2. We run a permanent instance.

Testing Flex-Tasks on a Local Build

Follow these steps on a local build to test a task:

1. Make sure you are running dev mode (this should be the default anyway).
2. Hover Task in the navigation at the top of the screen.
3. Select Choose Server.
4. Confirm the default server and select Flex → Flex-Flex in the task tree.
5. Choose any template and continue.
6. Paste your task and confirm.
7. An instance will be created for you to interact with.

If your task produces any errors, you will be able to see them in the terminal running the Autotool backend. You can also run the same steps described for the live instance (next section) on a local build. This works the same way but also lets you see detailed error messages.

Testing Flex-Tasks on the Live Instance

🔒 A major downside of this method is that you won’t be able to inspect error messages. If something goes wrong, you’ll just see a generic server error. As such, testing new tasks on the live server is not recommended.

If you still want to do this, here are the steps:

1. Navigate into an existing lecture (or create a new one first).
2. Hover Lecture in the navigation at the top of the screen.
3. Select Create task in the popup menu.
4. Select Flex → Flex-Flex in the task tree.
5. Choose any template and continue.
6. Paste your task and confirm.
7. An instance will be created for you to interact with.

⚠️ Important: Do not actually finalize creation of the task.

This method only works if you have at least tutor access level on the server (otherwise you will not be authorized to create new tasks).

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