Help for Prof Classlist Page
- The difference between the classlist database and classlist files: WeBWorK, with one exception on the send email page, never works directly with a classlist file. It only uses information in the classlist database. Classlist files are only used as a convenient way to update the classlist database when making large changes. Most changes (e.g. changing a student's name or recitation or login) will be made directly to the database using methods below (adding a new student is done from the add student page). However, if you are making extensive changes, it is convenient to use a spreadsheeet program such as Excel or maybe you want to use an updated classlist from your registrar. Usually the procedure is as follows:
(1) lock the classlist database so e.g. a student can not change their email address while you are working on the database
(2) export the classlist database to a classlist file giving youself a current version
(3) download the classlist file to your personal computer
(4) make any changes you want
(5) upload the classlist file to the server
(6) import the classlist database from the classlist file being careful to select the options you want
If for example, you want to use an updated classlist from your registrar, be careful NOT to update the email address since email addresses in the database have most likely been changed by students to reflect addresses they really use. If you are using an updated classlist from your registrar, you would do steps (1), (5), and (6). Even though it breaks the symetry, imporing the database automatically unlocks it.On the send email page, you can directly use a classlist file to send email to selected students. For example I have a test_email.lst file with about 8 real students except that I have changed all the email addresses to my own email address. Then if I want to send email to 300 students telling them exam and final grades using a merge file, I first send email using the test_email.lst to make sure everything is correct.
- Lock (and Unlock) the classlist database: If the database is unlocked it can be updated via the web but the database can NOT be exported to and imported from an ascii comma separated (.cvs) classlist file. Locking the database reverses this.
- Edit the classlist database: Use this to change a student's enrollment status. For example change it from C (Current) to D (Drop) if the student drops the course and add a comment with the drop date. The student will no longer be able to login and will no longer receive email. You can also change other personal information about the student (name, student ID, section, recitation, email address). You can also totally remove a student's classlist record, but generally changing the enrollment status is what you should do.
- Give a student a new password: This is self explainatory.
- View the classlist database: Again this is self explainatory. You can order the records alphabetically for the course as a whole, or by section or recitation.
- Export the classlist database to a classlist file: This will export the current classlist database to a classlist file. You have to lock the database before you can export it. The file will have the name you select (except it will always end in .lst, e.g. abc.xyz will be changed to abc.lst) and will be placed in the templates directory. You have to lock the database before you can export it.
- Import the classlist database from a classlist file: This will update the classlist database using the information from the selected classlist file. Note the classlist database must locked first. The list of classlist files comes from all files with a .lst extension in the templates directory. If you have a large classlist and/or have already built many sets, this may take quite a bit of time since it has to make sure all the data is consistent. Generally for students who are both in the current classlist database and in the the selected classlist file, you want update information in the classlist database from the classlist file ONLY IF the information in the classlist file is more accurate. By default only the status is selected to be updated. Usually you will not update the email address since this is the one item students can and do change themselves.
For students who are in the current classlist database but not in the the selected classlist file, you almost always want to use the default which is to change their status to drop.
- Download (or view) classlist file(s) to your personal computer: You can download classlist files for editing or viewing in either cvs (i.e. comma delimited), html, text, or tab (i.e. tab delimited) format. csv is a supported format for Excel and is the recommended format if you use Excel. Note these are classlist files, not the classlist database. Use html format if you just want to view the classlist file and the other formats if you want to edit it. We have received some reports of people having problems with end-of-the-line characters when downloading and uploading files with a Mac. If you have it available, ftp or scp can be used instead to download and upload files.
- Upload classlist files from your personal computer: You can upload classlist files from your personal computer in cvs (i.e. comma delimited), tab (i.e. tab delimited), or html format. Usually you would do this after exporting the classlist database to a file, downloading and then editing the file in Excel or some other editor or spreadsheet program. Only valid classlist files can be uploaded. For csv format, the filename on your personal computer must have extension .csv or .lst. For tab format, the extension must be .txt and for html format, the extension must be .html or .htm. The file will be saved on the server with extension .lst (e.g. MTH140A.csv would be saved as MTH140A.lst). Be very careful. Students can change their own email addresses and it is possible that a student my have changed his or her address after you started working on the file. This can only happen if you explicitly unlocked the classlist database after exporting it.
- Simple editing of classlist files: You can use this to do simple editing of classlist files. Note these are classlist files, not the classlist database. Usually you will edit the database directly or download a classlist file, and edit it with a spreadsheet program.
- Hints:
- first hint
- next hint
For more information on WeBWorK: Webwork docs.
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Last updated: 1 January 2001
profClasslistHelp.html