README.md

Snipper

A lightweight framework for removing code from student solutions.

Installation

pip install codesnipper

What it does

This project address the following three challenges for administering a python-based course

• Maintain a (working) version for debugging as well as a version handed out to students (with code missing)
• Use LaTeX references in source code to link to course material (i.e. \ref{mylabel} -> "(see equation 2.1 in exercise 5)")
• Including code snippets and console output in lectures notes/exercises/beamer slides
• Automatically create student solutions

This framework address these problems and allow you to maintain a single, working project repository. Below is an example of the snippets produced and included using simple \inputminted{python}{...} commands (see the examples/ directory):

The project is currently used in 02465 at DTU. An example of student code can be found at:

• https://gitlab.gbar.dtu.dk/02465material/02465students/blob/master/irlc/ex02/dp.py

A set of lectures notes where all code examples/output are automatically generated from the working repository can be found a

• https://lab.compute.dtu.dk/tuhe/books (see Sequential decision making)

Usage

All examples can be found in the /examples directory. The idea is all our (complete) files are found in the instructor directory and snipper keeps everything up-to-date:

examples/cs101_instructor  # This directory contains the (hidden) instructor files. You edit these
examples/cs101_students    # This directory contains the (processed) student files. Don't edit these
examples/cs101_output      # This contains automatically generated contents (snippets, etc.).

The basic functionality is you insert special comment tags in your source, such as #!b or #!s and the script then process the sources based on the tags. The following will show most common usages:

The #!f-tag

Let's start with the simplest example, blocking out a function (see examples/cs101_instructor/f_tag.py; actually it will work for any scope) You insert a comment like: #!f <exception message> like so:

def myfun(a,b): #!f return the sum of a and b
    """ The doc-string is not removed. """
    sm = a+b
    return sm