Python module to help config PrairieLearn's (PL) courseInstance.json
In PrairieLearn, courses are categorized by individual instances they're offered. For example, a class called CS 101 may be offered in the Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020 etc. Each of the offerings of a class is an instance of the class.
Each instance is configured by a file called infoCourseInstance.json, that defines some important information about the instance itself, such as access times, users, and timezones etc. More Info
The most difficult property in this file to deal with is "userRoles" which includes a mapping <email> : <user role> for every single person involved with the course, whenever a new person is added or dropped, this file would need to be updated and synced up with the PL server to maintain consistency. This can be annoying, and error prone. This module aims to solve some of the issues, especially pushing updates to said section, such as at the beginning of the course when administrators might need to manage thousands of students.
Current version is built with Canvas in mind, future versions will provide more flexibility.
Language Requirement: python 3.8+ (uses collections.abc lib)
Dependencies: None 🎉
Download the latest release https://github.com/bojinyao/PL-courseInstance-config
This project is written as a python module, technically you do not need to unzip the file. However, considering the length of the project name, we will refer to this project as plcc from here on.
Download course roster as a csv file from Canvas.
- Go to Roster Photos
- Click Export
Make sure you have an existing, non-empty infoCourseInstance.json file, this module will NOT create the file for you for safety reasons.
For full command-line options:
python3 plcc -hTo load course roster csv, the command might look like:
python3 plcc <path to json> --csv <path to csv>The --csv option can be shortened to -c
After its execution, the module will print a small summary to stdout that tells you if any changes are made to the json file. And if there are, it will tell you how entries are added, updated, or deleted. It will also warn you of changed roles or emails not found.
If no change is made to the json file, it will let you know of that fact too.
By Default, "userRoles" will be grouped by roles, with "Instructor" at the top, then "TA", then "Student". The reason being there are usually more Students than TAs, and more TAs than Instructors.