Desmos API v1.5 released
desmos-api-announce
Desmos is very happy to announce the release of version 1.5 of the Desmos API.
This release is part of our scheduled release cycle, and we recommend all users upgrade to this version. Benefits of upgrading include:
remaining consistent with what students see on high-stakes tests where Desmos is embedded in the test platform.
offering an experience for students in your product similar to the one at desmos.com.
ensuring the best interaction with the latest browsers and platforms.
We will help all of our partners upgrade to version 1.5 in a timely fashion. Please email Chris Lusto (ch...@desmos.com) or Jason Merrill (ja...@desmos.com) with any questions.
These technical release notes are intended for developers who incorporate the Desmos API into their own applications. We ask kindly that you not forward this email to your customers. If you’d like a user-facing summary to send to your customers (districts, teachers, etc.), or for other product inquiries, please contact your partner representative or email partne...@desmos.com.
New Features:
Version 1.5 contains several important accessibility and usability improvements, particularly for users with visual impairments. It also better handles several important types of regression models and introduces the ability to generate SVG images from plots.
Braille in the graphing calculator. Users with refreshable Braille displays may now choose to read and write expressions in the graphing calculator using either Nemeth or UEB math modes. Users may also enable “six-key input,” which allows them to enter six-dot Braille characters using the home row keys on a standard keyboard. These options are available through the settings menu. See our Braille accessibility documentation for more information.
Regression improvements. For certain classes of regression model, the graphing calculator would sometimes return parameter values that—despite being optimal (or nearly so) in the sense of squared errors—might be unintuitive. For example, performing a trigonometric regression might have returned a very high frequency parameter when a lower frequency would have been equally good. For several of these important cases, the calculator now does a much better job of matching user expectations.
Improved translation coverage in the basic calculators. It is now possible to localize the four-function and scientific calculators. See below for how to change the display language via the API.
Compute length for lists of non-numeric types. The length function now operates on generic lists rather than being restricted to lists of numbers.
Keypads respect projector mode. In addition to the expressions list and graph paper adjusting in response to projector mode, the keypad buttons themselves now display larger text in projector mode as well.
Arrow keys on the scientific keypad. Certain expressions available in the scientific calculator are difficult to navigate without arrow keys (e.g., nthroot). The on-screen keypad now includes left and right arrow keys so that users on touch devices can navigate those expressions more easily.
New API Features:
The brailleMode and sixKeyInput constructor options now work in the graphing calculator the same way they work in the basic calculators.
It is now possible to set the language property in the basic calculators via the updateSettings mechanism, just as it is in the graphing calculator. See the section on languages for more information.
The graphing calculator’s asyncScreenshot method now accepts a format option that allows the caller to choose between SVG and PNG output.
When setting {qwertyKeyboard:false} in the graphing calculator, the alphabetical keyboard now contains exactly the same characters as the QWERTY version, simply in a different order.
Process Update:
As of v1.5, Desmos is moving to an annual long-term support (LTS) release in April of each year. There will no longer be a major release in the winter. Instead, we will offer more frequent minor releases so that partners who do not require the stability of an LTS version can incorporate new features sooner than would otherwise be possible. The LTS will continue to receive backported bugfixes as required. Bugs in minor releases will be fixed in the subsequent release.
This is that last API release that will officially support Internet Explorer.