Programming Taskbook

Russian

1000 training tasks on programming

©  M. E. Abramyan, 1998–2011

Overview

The PT4TeachMini—the teacher control center—is intended to assist teacher while preparing for and taking classes using Programming Taskbook. It can perform the following actions:

1. Managing files of student groups: creation of a new group or loading of the existing group, saving changes, renaming groups, adding new student to and removing a student from a group, browsing and editing information about whole group or any student.
2. Managing backup-files: adding of a backup-file to and removing it from a group, testing backup-files in student directories.
3. Managing results-files: browsing a contents of results-files, saving backup copies in the results.zip file at the teacher directory, synchronization of the current results files and their backup copies, restoring the results-file from the archive zip-file.
4. Changing group directory and path for shortcuts created in student directories, editing personal information about student and its directory name, selecting programming environment for a group and editing list of available environments.

Group files and directories

Data corresponded with a student group are contained in the following file and directories:

• A group file contains general information about the group and a list of students. This is a text file with .ptgroup extension and a standard ini-file format.
• A teacher directory should be corresponded with each group file. It is located in the same directory as the group file and has the group file name and .ptteach extension. This directory contains extra files, in particularly, the archive results.zip file with backup copies of the results-files.
• The student directories should be a subdirectories of a group directory, which may be located on any (local or network) drive. All names of student directories are stored in the group file as a relative path from the group directory.

When installing the PT4TeachMini tool the group files with .ptgroup extension are associated with this tool. After clicking on the icon of the group file the PT4TeachMini tool runs automatically and loads this group file.

Modes and workspace components

The PT4TeachMini tool may be located in any directory, but it is convenient to place it in the Programming Taskbook system directory.

There are 3 modes in the PT4TeachMini tool, namely:

• "No group" mode: no group is loaded in the program.
• "Group" mode: the group is loaded in the program and the first item ("«Group ...»") is selected in the list of students.
• "Student" mode: the group is loaded and one of the students is selected in the list.

The PT4TeachMini main window consists of the following components:

1. Menu bar contains all commands.
2. Tool bar contains speed buttons that provide one-click access to often used commands.
3. Students list contains all students of the current group. The first item labeled "«Group ...»" allows to browse group settings.
4. Panel of settings displays the current settings for whole group or the selected student.
5. Status bar indicates whether the group has been modified and also displays addition information when commands are executed.

The panel of settings consists of the following items:

Environment contains brief description of the programming environment that is used for the current group. If this item is clicked then the "Options | Environment" command is executed.

Group directory displays the name of a directory that should contain all student directories of the current group. If this item is clicked then the "Options | Group directory" command is executed.

Path for shortcuts displays the path that is used for creating shortcuts of Programming Taskbook tools in student directories. If this item is clicked then the "Options | Path for shortcuts" command is executed.

Backup.dat file contains description of the backup.dat file corresponded with the current group. This item is empty in the "No group" mode and also when backup- files are not used for the current group. If this item is clicked in the "Group" or "Student" mode then the "Backup-files | Add" command is executed.

Group/Student information contains information about whole group or selected student when PT4TeachMini is in the "Group" or "Student" mode respectively. In the "No group" mode this item is empty. If this item is clicked in the "Group" or "Student" mode then the "Group | Information" command is executed.

Teacher/Student directory displays a name of the teacher directory or the directory of current student when PT4TeachMini is in the "Group" or "Student" mode respectively. In the "No group" mode this item is empty. If this item is clicked in the "Student" mode then the "Option | Student data" command is executed.

The panel of settings also contain additional information about whole group or selected student in the "Group" or "Student" mode respectively. In the "No group" mode this part of the panel is empty.

Hot keys and speed buttons

Group
	New...				Ctrl+N
	Open...				Ctrl+O
	Save				Ctrl+S
	Save As...				Shift+Ctrl+S
	Information				Space
	Add student...				Ins
	Remove student				Del
	Exit				Alt+F4
Backup-files
	Add...				Ctrl+B
	Remove				Shift+Ctrl+B
	Test				Shift+Ctrl+T
Results-files
	Browse results				Enter
	Save in archive				Ctrl+R
	Restore from archive				Shift+Ctrl+R
Options
	Group directory...				Ctrl+U
	Path for shortcuts...				Ctrl+L
	Student data...				Ctrl+D
	Environment...				Ctrl+E
?
	Help				F1
	About...				Ctrl+F1

Designed by
M. E. Abramyan and V. N. Braguilevsky

Last revised:
04.06.2011