EdRecord is a desktop app for managing student contacts, optimized for use via a Command Line Interface (CLI) while still having the benefits of a Graphical User Interface (GUI). If you are a TA that can type fast, EdRecord can get your student contact management tasks done faster than traditional GUI apps.

Before you start

This user guide will take you through the steps of setting up EdRecord and introduce you to EdRecord’s functionalities, so that you, as a teaching assistant, can better manage your student contacts and their learning progress.

Some symbols used in this guide:

Symbol Meaning
:information_source: Important information
:bulb: Useful tips
:exclamation: Cautions

Quick start

  1. Ensure you have Java 11 or above installed in your Computer.

  2. Download the latest edrecord.jar from here.

  3. Copy the file to the folder you want to use as the home folder for your EdRecord.

  4. Double-click the file to start the app. The GUI similar to the below should appear in a few seconds. Note how the app contains some sample data. You can take a look at the sample data to get an overview of what information EdRecord can store.
    Ui

  5. Type the command in the command box and press Enter to execute it. e.g. typing help and pressing Enter will open the help window.
    Some example commands you can try:

    • list : Lists all students contacts.

    • delete3 : Deletes the 3rd contact shown in the current list.

    • clear : Deletes all contacts and modules/groups. This command can be used to clear the sample data.

    • exit : Exits the app.

  6. Refer to the Features section below for details of each command.

Features

:information_source: About the command format:

  • Words in UPPER_CASE are the parameters to be supplied by you.
    e.g. in n/NAME, NAME is a parameter that you should provide. For example, if the student’s name is “John Doe”, you should type n/John Doe.

  • Items in square brackets are optional.
    e.g. n/NAME [t/TAG] can be used as n/John Doe t/friend or as n/John Doe.

  • Items with …​ after them can be used multiple times, including zero times.
    e.g. [t/TAG]…​ can be used as   (blank, i.e. 0 times), t/friend (1 time), or t/friend t/family (2 times) etc.

  • Items in round brackets are the set of possible values that you can supply. You must provide one and only one value from this set.
    e.g. for view (contacts/asg), you can either use view contacts or view asg. It is invalid to input only view, or input both view contacts asg.

  • Parameters can be in any order.
    e.g. if the command specifies n/NAME p/PHONE_NUMBER, p/PHONE_NUMBER n/NAME is also acceptable.

  • If a parameter is expected only once in the command but you specify it multiple times, only the last occurrence of the parameter will be taken.
    e.g. if you specify p/12341234 p/56785678, only p/56785678 will be taken.

  • Extraneous parameters for commands that do not take in parameters (such as help, list, exit and clear) will be ignored.
    e.g. if the command specifies help 123, it will be interpreted as help.

  • Scope of commands: All commands work within the currently selected module. If no module is selected, then the commands will work on all students across all modules. (see also cd)

Viewing help : help

Shows a message explaining how to access the help page.

help message

Managing student details

Adding a student: add

Adds a student to EdRecord.

Format: add n/NAME p/PHONE e/EMAIL m/MODULE c/CLASS [i/INFO] [t/TAG]…​

  • If specified, the module and class must already exist (see mkmod and mkclass for creating module and class).
:bulb: A student can have any number of tags and info fields (including 0).

Examples:

  • add n/John Doe p/98765432 e/E1234567@u.nus.edu i/telegram @JohnD
  • add n/Betsy Crowe p/12345678 e/betsycrowe@u.nus.edu m/CS2103 c/W-14-3 i/telegram @betsy t/diligent

Editing a student’s details : edit

Edits an existing student in EdRecord.

Format: edit INDEX [n/NAME] [p/PHONE] [i/INFO] [t/TAG]…​

  • Edits the student at the specified INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number shown in the student list being displayed on EdRecord. The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​
  • At least one of the optional fields must be provided.
  • Existing values will be updated to the input values.
  • When editing tags, the existing tags of the student will be removed, to be replaced by new tags provided by your input, i.e. adding of tags is not cumulative.
:bulb: Thus, you can remove all the student’s tags by typing t/ without specifying any tags after it.

Examples:

  • edit 1 p/98009800 e/johndoe@u.nus.edu Edits the phone number and email of the 1st student to be 98009800 and johndoe@u.nus.edu respectively.
  • edit 2 n/Betsy Crower i/telegram @BetBet t/ Edits the name of the 2nd student to be Betsy Crower, edits the info of the student to i/telegram @BetBet and clears all existing tags.

Deleting a student : delete

Deletes the specified student from EdRecord.

Format: delete INDEX

  • Deletes the student at the specified INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number shown in the student list being displayed.
  • The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

  • list followed by delete 2 deletes the 2nd student shown in the list.
  • find Betsy followed by delete 1 deletes the 1st student in the results of the find Betsy command.

Listing all students: list

Shows a list of all students in the current module, or shows all students in all modules if no module is being selected.

Format: list

Locating students by name: find

Finds students whose names contain any of the given keywords in the current module.

Format: find KEYWORD [MORE_KEYWORDS]

  • The search is case-insensitive, e.g. hans will match Hans
  • The order of the keywords does not matter, e.g. Hans Bo will match Bo Hans
  • Only the name is searched.
  • Only full words will be matched, e.g. Han will not match Hans
  • Persons matching at least one keyword will be returned (i.e. OR search). e.g. Hans Bo will return Hans Gruber, Bo Yang
  • If no module is selected, the scope of the command would be across all modules.

Examples:

  • find John returns john and John Doe
  • find alex david returns Alex Yeoh, David Li

Managing modules

Working within a specific module: cd

Changes the working directory to a specific module in EdRecord, and shows the students of that module.

Format: cd MODULE

  • Changes the scope of the displayed student list to show only students under MODULE.
  • MODULE should already exist in EdRecord (see mkmod for creating a module).
  • Many commands such as mkasg, dlasg only work after you cd into a module.
:information_source: Use cd * to “move out” of any selected module. This command is useful to get an overview of all students in all modules.
:information_source: When you first start up EdRecord, you will not be inside any module. EdRecord will show all modules with all their students.

Example:

  • To work with module CS2103, use cd CS2103. EdRecord will now show you students in module CS2103 only.

Listing modules: lsmod

Lists all modules available in EdRecord.

Format: lsmod

Creating a module: mkmod

Creates a new module.

Format: mkmod MODULE

Examples:

  • mkmod CS2103

Deleting a module: dlmod

Deletes a module.

Format: dlmod MODULE

Examples:

  • dlmod CS2103

Moving students into an existing class and module : mv

Moves a particular student into a particular module and class.

Format: mv INDEX [INDEX]... m/MODULE c/CLASS

  • Edits the module and class of the student at the specified INDEX. The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed student list. The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Example:

  • mv 2 m/CS2103 c/T10

Removing students from an existing class and module : rm

Removes a particular student from a particular module and class.

Format: rm INDEX m/MODULE c/CLASS

  • Edits the module and class of the student at the specified INDEX. The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed student list. The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

  • rm 3 m/CS2103 c/T10

Managing classes in a module

Listing classes: lsclass

Lists all available classes for a specified module.

Format: lsclass

  • This command can only be made after changing directory to a particular module (i.e cd MODULE).

Creating a class: mkclass

Creates a new class in the specified module.

Format: mkclass m/MODULE c/CLASS

Examples:

  • mkclass m/CS2103 c/T09

Delete a class: dlclass

Deletes the class in the specified module.

Format: dlclass m/MODULE c/CLASS

Examples:

  • dlclass m/CS2103 c/T09

Managing module assignments

As a teaching assistant, you are very likely to be responsible for keeping track of students’ progress in their assignments for the module. EdRecord provides a set of commands to help you manage those assignments efficiently.

Toggling the view: view

Toggles the view between showing student details and showing the module’s assignments. This command works on the filtered list, toggling the view for students currently listed.

Format: view (contacts/asg)

  • The default view when the application launches is the student details view.
  • The only valid parameters are contacts or asg.

Examples:

  • view contacts toggles the view to display the student’s contact details for each student listed.
  • view asg toggles the view to display the assignment completion status and/or grade for each student.

Creating an assignment: mkasg

Creates an assignment in the currently selected module.

Format: mkasg n/NAME w/WEIGHTAGE s/MAXSCORE

  • This command can only be made after changing directory to a particular module (i.e cd MODULE).
  • WEIGHTAGE is a number from 0 to 100 with at most 2 decimal places, indicating the weightage of the assignment in percentage.
  • MAXSCORE is a non-negative decimal value, indicating the maximum score attainable for the assignment.
:information_source: You won’t be able to create an assignment if adding that assignment makes the total weightage of all assignments in the module exceed 100%.

Example:

  • If you are in module CS1010S, mkasg n/Midterm w/12.5 s/50 will create a new assignment called Midterm with weightage 12.5% and maximum score 50 under that module.

Editing an assignment: edasg

Edits an assignment under the currently selected module.

Format: edasg ID [n/NAME] [w/WEIGHTAGE] [s/MAXSCORE]

  • This command can only be made after changing directory to a particular module (i.e cd MODULE).
  • ID represents the unique ID of the assignment, as displayed in the assignment view.
  • Edits the assignment identified by ID.
:bulb: We recommend that you switch to Assignment View before editing an assignment, so that you have a clear idea what its ID is. Editing assignments without Assignment View is more prone to mistakes and can lead to unexpected results.
  • At least one of the optional fields must be provided.
  • Existing values will be updated to the input values.
  • When editing weightage, EdRecord will report an error if the new weightage causes the total module weightage to exceed 100%.
  • If the maximum score is edited but this new MAXSCORE is lower than an existing student grade for that assignment, EdRecord will also reject the edit.

Example:

  • If you are in module CS2103, edasg 1 n/PE Dry Run w/0 will edit the assignment with ID number 1 in CS2103, and change its name to PE Dry Run with a new weightage of 0%.

Deleting an assignment: dlasg

Deletes an assignment in the currently selected module.

Format: dlasg ID

  • This command can only be made after changing directory to a particular module (i.e cd MODULE).
  • ID represents the unique ID of the assignment, as displayed in the assignment view.
  • Deletes the assignment identified by ID.
  • Similar to editing assignment, we recommend that you use the assignment view when deleting assignments.

Example:

  • dlasg 2 will delete the assignment with ID number 2 in the module you are currently in.

Managing students’ grades

Keeping assignments without the students’ grades is not of much use to teaching assistants. EdRecord can help you record the grades of students for each submission!

Grading a student’s assignment: grade

Grades a student for the specified assignment.

Format: grade INDEX id/ID st/STATUS [s/SCORE]

  • This command can only be made after changing directory to a particular module (i.e cd MODULE).
  • Assigns a grade to the student identified specified INDEX used in the displayed student list. The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed student list. The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​
  • ID represents the unique ID of the assignment, as displayed in the assignments view (view asg)
  • Status has 3 possible inputs: Not submitted, Submitted or Graded
  • Score must be less than or equal to the assignment’s maximum score
  • If the student has an existing grade for this assignment, it will be overwritten.

Examples:

  • grade 2 id/3 st/submitted
  • grade 3 id/4 st/graded s/35

Deleting a student’s grade : dlgrade

Deletes a grade for the specified assignment from the student at the specified INDEX used in the displayed student list.

Format: dlgrade INDEX id/ID

  • This command can only be made after changing directory to a particular module (i.e cd MODULE),
  • ID represents the unique ID of the assignment, as displayed in the assignments view (view asg)

Example:

  • dlgrade 3 id/4

Clearing all entries : clear

Clears all entries, both contacts and modules/groups, from EdRecord.

Format: clear

Go through command history : Up or Down arrow key

Cycles through your previously entered commands.

  • Up Arrow: go back one command
  • Down Arrow: go forward one command

Exiting the program : exit

Exits EdRecord.

Format: exit

Saving the data

EdRecord data is saved in the hard disk automatically (as a JSON file [JAR file location]/data/edrecord.json) after any command that changes the data. There is no need to save manually.

Editing the data file

EdRecord data is saved as a JSON file [JAR file location]/data/edrecord.json. Advanced users are welcome to update data directly by editing that data file.

:exclamation: Caution: If your changes to the data file makes its format invalid, EdRecord will discard all data and start with an empty data file at the next run.

FAQ

Q: How do I transfer my data to another Computer?
A: Install the app in the other computer and overwrite the empty data file it creates with the file that contains the data of your previous EdRecord home folder.

Q: Am I able to manually edit the application’s preferences and data?
A: Unfortunately, at this version of EdRecord, we do not fully support the manual editing of the generated files. Highly advanced users should attempt at their own risk of their data being corrupted.

Command summary

Action Format, Examples
Add student add n/NAME p/PHONE e/EMAIL m/MODULE c/CLASS [i/INFO] [t/TAG]…​
e.g., add n/James Ho p/85436543 e/jamesho@u.nus.edu i/Currently on SHN t/strong t/careless
Edit student edit INDEX [n/NAME] [p/PHONE_NUMBER] [e/EMAIL] [i/INFO] [t/TAG]…​
e.g., edit 2 n/James Lee e/jameslee@u.nus.edu
Delete student delete INDEX
e.g., delete 3
List students list
Find students find KEYWORD [MORE_KEYWORDS]
e.g., find alex david
Change module working directory cd MODULE
e.g.,cd CS2103, cd *
List modules lsmod
Create module mkmod MODULE
e.g., mkmod CS2103
Delete module dlmod MODULE
e.g., dlmod CS2103
Move student into class in module mv INDEX m/MODULE c/CLASS
e.g., mv 2 m/CS2103 c/T10
Remove student from class in module rm INDEX m/MODULE c/CLASS
e.g., rm 2 m/CS2103 c/T10
List class lsclass
Create class mkclass m/MODULE c/CLASS
e.g., mkclass m/CS2103 c/T09
Delete class dlclass m/MODULE c/CLASS
e.g., dlclass m/CS2103 c/T09
Toggle view view (contacts/asg)
e.g., view contacts, view asg
Create assigment mkasg n/NAME w/WEIGHTAGE s/MAXSCORE
e.g., mkasg n/Midterm w/12.5 s/50
Edit assignment edasg ID [n/NAME] [w/WEIGHTAGE] [s/MAXSCORE]
e.g., edasg 1 n/PE Dry Run s/0
Delete assignment dlasg ID
e.g., dlasg 1
Grade an assignment grade INDEX id/ID st/STATUS [s/SCORE]
e.g.,grade 4 id/2 st/Graded s/50
Delete student’s grade dlgrade INDEX id/ID
e.g.,dlgrade 3 id/3
Clear clear
Help help
Exit exit