localtest

A program so you don't need to use VLab anymore.

• Fetch starter code
• Run autotests
• Complete submissions

This software is archived

I don't intend to maintain this code anymore. If you think it is useful, feel free to use it in your own projects. Be warned, it was a first-year project, so it is exceptionally poorly designed, and will need a lot of reworking though.

Installation

1. Ensure you are using MacOS, Linux, or Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Note that as Windows is vastly different to Linux and MacOS, results may differ when programming with it and as such, it is recommended to use WSL.
2. Launch a terminal and cd into a folder where you want to install Localtest.
3. Run the command git clone https://github.com/MiguelGuthridge/CSE-Localtest.git to download the required files. This will download them to a folder named CSE-Localtest.
4. cd into this folder.
5. Install the required Python modules by running pip3 install -r requirements.txt. If you get an error, you may not have Python installed. Install python from the official website, ensuring you choose the correct version for your OS. If you are using Linux or WSL, install it using your package manager (eg apt install python3.8). After installing Python, try running the command again.
6. Run the installation script by running the command python3 install.py. This will add Localtest to the alias files for both ZSH and Bash. For other shells, you will need to add the alias it prints manually. Consider submitting a pull request adding support for your favourite shell!
7. Make localtest.py executable by running chmod +x localtest.py
8. Restart your terminal. Localtest is now ready to use.

Requirements:

• Git (for self-updating)
• Python (I tested using 3.8.10)
• Python modules:
  • Colorama
  • Paramiko
  • Getpass
• Linux or Windows Subsystem for Linux (it might work on MacOS but I'm not sure). Writing your code in Windows without the Linux subsystem is not recommended for UNSW COMP courses.

Usage

Usually, a directory can be set up for use by running the command localtest setup [course] [project]. This will create a localtest.json file that is used to determine how autotests and submissions are run. If it is provided, then it will also download starter code. If a project configuration isn't found, refer to the section Making a Manual Configuration.

Testing exercises: run localtest test to test all exercises, or localtest test [exercise name] to test an individual exercise.

Submitting exercises: run localtest give to submit all exercises, or localtest give [exercise name] to submit an individual exercise.

Copying files to VLab: run localtest upload to copy all files in the directory to VLab.

Displaying project instructions: run localtest instruct to open the instruction page for the project in your web browser.

Updating Localtest: run localtest update to run a git pull command to update Localtest (requires the program to have been installed using a git clone command).

When running a test or give command, adding a -v argument will cause all output to be printed regardless of whether it submitted or not. This is great people with trust issues.

Making a Manual Configuration

For some work (tests and exams), setup configurations are not provided to prevent seeing the questions in advance.For such cases, you should create a manual configuration based on the default template.

You can do this by running localtest setup default. You can fill out the localtest.json file using the following specifications:

• course: course code of the course this project applies to (eg 1511 for COMP1511). Used when running autotests and submitting, eg *1511* autotest my_exercise or give cs*1511* thing.

• project: name of the project being worked on (eg lab01 for Lab 1). Used when submitting, eg give cs1511 *lab01*_motd.

• starter_code: bash command used to gather starter code on VLab. This command is run on a CSE machine during localtest setup, before the resulting files are copied to the local machine.

• exercises: list of dictionaries describing individual exercises of the project. Each exercise matches the following specification:

  • name: name that is presented when submitting or running tests.
  • identifier: name used to identify the exercise in autotests and submissions, eg in the command 1511 autotest *hello_world*.
  • files: list of filenames associated with the exercise, used when submitting code, eg in the command give cs1511 lab01_*hello_world*.

If you go through the effort of creating one of these files yourself, I'd love it if you created a pull request so that others can access your work too. The json file should be stored under setups/course_number/project_name.json.

Including Extra Files in Tests and Submissions

If you need to include extra files in your tests or submissions, you can modify the localtest.json file for your project, adding extra files to the files list of any required exercises.