Submission Reminder App

A shell script-based application that helps track and remind students about pending assignment submissions.

Overview

This application automates the process of checking student submission statuses and sends reminders to students who haven't submitted their assignments. It uses a flexible configuration system that allows easy updates to assignment names and tracking multiple students across different assignments.

Installation & Setup

Step 1: Run the Setup Script

First, make the setup script executable and run it:

chmod +x create_environment.sh
./create_environment.sh

The script will:

• Prompt you for your name
• Create a directory named submission_reminder_{yourName}
• Set up the required directory structure (config, modules, assets)
• Create all necessary configuration and data files

Step 2: Test the Application

Navigate to the created directory and run the startup script:

cd submission_reminder_{yourName}
./startup.sh

Running the Application

To execute the reminder application:

cd submission_reminder_{yourName}
./startup.sh

This will display:

• Current assignment name
• Days remaining to submit
• List of students who have NOT submitted the assignment

Updating the Assignment

To change the assignment being tracked:

./copilot_shell_script.sh

The script will:

1. Ask for your app directory name
2. Show the current configuration
3. Prompt you to enter a new assignment name
4. Update the config file automatically
5. Optionally run the application to show students who haven't submitted the new assignment

Example:

$ ./copilot_shell_script.sh
Enter your submission reminder app directory name: submission_reminder_john
Enter the new assignment name: Git Basics
Assignment updated successfully!
Do you want to run the application now? (y/n): yes or y

Directory Structure

After running create_environment.sh, the following structure is created:

submission_reminder_{yourName}/
├── config/
│   └── config.env          
├── modules/
│   ├── functions.sh        
│   └── reminder.sh         
├── assets/
│   └── submissions.txt     
└── startup.sh              

startup.sh

Entry point that executes the reminder application

Customization

Adding Student Records

Edit submission_reminder_{yourName}/assets/submissions.txt:

nano submission_reminder_{yourName}/assets/submissions.txt

Add new lines with the format:

StudentName, AssignmentName, submitted

Changing Configuration Values

Edit submission_reminder_{yourName}/config/config.env:

vim submission_reminder_{yourName}/config/config.env

Or use the copilot script for automated updates:

./copilot_shell_script.sh

Troubleshooting

"Permission denied" when running scripts

Make sure the scripts are executable:

chmod +x create_environment.sh
chmod +x copilot_shell_script.sh

Scripts not found

Ensure you're in the correct directory and the path to the script is correct.

No reminders displayed

1. Check that students have "not submitted" in the submissions.txt file
2. Verify the assignment name in config.env matches the assignment name in submissions.txt
3. Check for extra spaces in the CSV file that might prevent matching

Version Control with Git

This project uses Git branching:

• feature branch: Used for development (e.g., feature/setup)
• main branch: Contains the final, production-ready code

Basic Git Workflow

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/submission_reminder_app_yourusername.git
cd submission_reminder_app_yourusername

# Create and switch to feature branch
git checkout -b draft_branch/setup

# Make changes and commit
git add .
git commit -m "Initial setup scripts"

# Switch to main and merge
git checkout main
git merge feature/setup

# Push to GitHub
git push origin main

Repository Structure

The GitHub repository should contain only:

• create_environment.sh - Setup script
• copilot_shell_script.sh - Assignment updater script
• README.md - This documentation file

Examples

Example 1: Initial Setup

$ chmod +x create_environment.sh
$ ./create_environment.sh
Enter your name: john
Created directory: submission_reminder_john
Created subdirectories: config, modules, assets
...
Environment setup completed successfully!

$ cd submission_reminder_john
$ ./startup.sh
Assignment: Shell Navigation
Days remaining to submit: 2 days
--------------------------------------------
Reminder: Chinemerem has not submitted the Shell Navigation assignment!
Reminder: Divine has not submitted the Shell Navigation assignment!

Example 2: Update Assignment

$ ./copilot_shell_script.sh
Enter your submission reminder app directory name: submission_reminder_john
Enter the new assignment name: Git
Assignment updated successfully!
Do you want to run the application now? (yes/no): yes

Assignment: Git
Days remaining to submit: 2 days
--------------------------------------------
Reminder: Chiagoziem has not submitted the Git assignment!