BlackboardSync

Automatic Downloads Of Your Blackboard Content

BlackboardSync performs a periodic, incremental download of all your Blackboard content, such as lecture slides, lab sheets, and other attachments.

About

Being a student in this day and age means constantly having to keep up to date with the files that are uploaded to the student portal. I needed a tool that would take care of retrieving these files for me, allowing me to focus on the work to be done. Something I could set up and forget about.

What I was looking for in such an application was:

• Automatic syncing with minimal intervention after the initial setup
• Graphical interface
• Cross-platform compatibility
• It would make use of the Blackboard REST API

30+ Universities Supported Around the World

Why is my university not supported?

Simply put, some information is necessary to make the login process compatible with any given university. If you would like to help to add support for your university, or would like to see which universities are currently supported, start here.

Built with:

• Python 3.10
• PyQt5

Features

• Supported content:
  • Attachments of any* type (e.g. .docx, .pptx, .pdf, etc.)
  • Internet links
  • Content descriptions (saved as html files)
• Cross-platform
  • Linux, Windows, and macOS ready

*: Except videos

Installation

Windows (.exe) and MacOS (.dmg)

Please first download the latest release.

Windows Installation

You will first need to get around Microsoft SmartScreen by clicking in More Details > Run Anyway.

MacOS Installation

You will need to confirm the installation in System Preferences > Security and Privacy. You can see the specific steps in the GIF below. After the program has been installed, you may eject the mounted disk.

Linux via Flatpak

Help in creating additional distributions is always welcome.

PyPI

python3 -m pip install blackboardsync
python3 -m blackboard_sync # notice the underscore (0.9.11 and below)
blackboardsync # from 0.9.12 onwards

From source

Requires Python >=3.10, pip, pipenv, git

git clone https://github.com/jacobszpz/BlackboardSync.git
cd BlackboardSync
pipenv install
pipenv run python -m blackboard_sync

Previous Releases

You can find all releases on GitHub.

Contributions

Contributions are welcome.

More details available at CONTRIBUTING.md

We are looking for beta testers for all platforms!

Bugs, issues or feature requests?

Open a GitHub issue here.

Show Your Support

Ko-fi ☕

LiberaPay

Bitcoin ₿

bc1qhvcs07y3jnf09kahefscs05gxlmvhu542wzvgp

If you wish to contribute in a different way, please inquire.

License

This software is distributed under the General Public License v2.0, more information available at the Free Software Foundation.

Acknowledgements

Blackboard API documentation

PyInstaller

README templates/guide by tonycrosby-tech, neildrew, and Rita Łyczywek

Flathub team for their quick work in approving the app ❤️