--- loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Problem_LON-CAPA_Functions.tex	2013/08/18 01:40:23	1.25
+++ loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Problem_LON-CAPA_Functions.tex	2013/08/27 21:15:59	1.26
@@ -241,12 +241,12 @@ undef @name  & To destroy the contents o
 \hline
 \end{longtable}
 
-The \&EXT() \index{\&EXT}external function is extremely powerful to access parameters 
-and submission values and can be
-used within scripts and the grading spreadsheet.
+The \&EXT() \index{\&EXT}external function is extremely powerful, and is used to access parameters 
+and submission values.  It can be
+used within scripts and also within cell formulas in the grading spreadsheet.
 Some examples can be found by browsing in the repository to /res/msu/albertel/test/ext\_examples.html.
-The \&EXT() function can be used to access many of the same parameters as some of the other functions
+The \&EXT() function can be used to obtain values for the same parameters as are retrived by some of the other (newer) helper functions  
 summarized in the table above, such as \&firstname() which is equivalent to \&EXT(`environment.firstname'),
-and \&parameter\_setting(\$name,\$partid) is equivalent to \&EXT(`resource.'.\$partid.`.'.\$name)
-and the more specialized functions are preferred for clarity of the code.
+and \&parameter\_setting(\$name,\$partid) is equivalent to \&EXT(`resource.'.\$partid.`.'.\$name).
+In such cases the newer (specialized) functions are preferred to &EXT() on the basis of ease of use.