User Guide

TAssist is a desktop app designed to help teaching assistants manage their classes and students. TAssist lets you save student contact data and group students into class groups and modules. Record attendance, mark assessments, and more by typing commands. TAssist combines its text command-based system with an intuitive interface to help you work quickly while displaying information in a clear and organized manner. If you are someone who prefers Command Line Interface (CLI) to Graphical User Interface (GUI) while having a GUI to view student data, TAssist is the app for you. However, if you are not familiar with CLI, this user guide will help you understand how each commands work.

• Quick start
• Using this Guide
• Features & Walkthrough
  • User Interface (UI)
  • Command Parameters
• Features
  • Managing Modules
    • Add a module: add module
    • List all modules: list module
    • Delete a module: delete module
  • Managing Assessments
    • Add an assessment: add assessment
    • List all assessments: list assessment
    • Delete an assessment: delete assessment
  • Managing Classes
    • Add a class group: add class
    • List all class groups: list class
    • Delete a class group: delete class
  • Managing students
    • Create a student: add student
    • List all students: list student
    • Find students: find
    • Delete a student: delete student
    • Enrol a student: enrol
    • Disenrol a student: disenrol
  • Taking student attendance
    • Mark attendance: mark
    • Unmark attendance: unmark
  • Grade assessments: grade
  • Managing data
    • Clear all entries: clear
    • Saving the data
    • Editing the data file
    • Archiving data files [coming in v2.0]
  • Exiting the program: exit
• FAQ
• Command summary
• Command Shortcodes

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Quick start

1. Ensure you have Java 11 or above installed in your Computer.
   1. You can download the Oracle version or another alternative such as the OpenJDK version.
   2. To check if Java is installed successfully, you can open Command Prompt (for Windows users) or Terminal (for Mac users) and type java --version.

2. Download the latest TAssist.jar from here.

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

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.
   

5. When you open TAssist for the first time, the app displays sample data. A data file will be saved to your device only after you issue your first command.

6. Type the command in the command box and press Enter to execute it. e.g. typing list student and pressing Enter will list all students added.
   Some example commands you can try:

   • list student: Lists all students.

   • add student id/E0123456 n/John Doe e/johnd@u.nus.edu: Adds a student named John Doe to TAssist.

   • delete student 3: Deletes the 3rd student shown in the listing of the entity.

7. Refer to the Features below for details of each command.

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Using this Guide

Features & Walkthrough

User Interface (UI)

TAssist’s user interface features a command input box, a command results box, and a button bar. Use the buttons to switch between lists of your modules, class groups, students, and assessments.

From TAssist’s “Classes” tab, click the “Check Absentees” button to open a popup window. This popup displays a list of lessons 1-13 and any students who were absent for a lesson.

From TAssist’s “Assessments” tab, click the “See Attempts” button to open a popup window. This popup displays a list of student attempts for that assessment including their name and assigned grade.

Command Parameters

Parameter	Prefix	Description
ACADEMIC_YEAR	a/	It represents the year (last 2 digits) and a semester. Semester value ranges from S1 to S8. The table under the Add a module feature shows the representation of each value.
ASSESSMENT_INDEX	a/	It represents the index of the assessments shown when list assessment is executed.
ASSESSMENT_NAME	n/	It represents the name of the assessments e.g. Lab 1.
CLASS_GROUP_ID	id/	It represents the ID of the class group, similar to those used by NUSMods, e.g. T13.
CLASS_GROUP_INDEX	c/	It represents the index of the class groups shown when list class is executed.
CLASS_GROUP_TYPE	t/	It represents the type of the class groups e.g. Tutorial.
EMAIL	e/	It represents the email of the student.
GRADE	g/	It represents the numerical grade given to a student's assignment attempt.
INDEX	No prefix	It represents the index of the students/modules/class groups/assessments shown when list student/list module/list class/list assessment is executed.
KEYWORD	No prefix	It represents the string to match when returning search results.
MODULE_CODE	c/	It represents the code of the module, similar to those used by NUSMods, e.g. CS2103T.
MODULE_INDEX	m/	It represents the index of the modules shown when list module is executed.
MODULE_NAME	n/	It represents the name of the module, similar to those used by NUSMods, e.g. Software Engineering Project.
NAME	n/	It represents the name of the student.
SIMPLE_NAME	sn/	It represents the short form of the assessment. It is used to grade assessment, so that you do not need to type the full assessment name. If no simple name is provided, the assessment name will be used (with the spaces removed).
STUDENT_ID	id/	It represents the ID of the student, e.g. E0123456.
TELEGRAM_ID	t/	It represents the Telegram handle of the student.
WEEK_INDEX	w/	It represents the week index of the lesson, similar to the ones used by NUS Academic Calendar, e.g. 1 to 13.
all|STUDENT_INDEXES|STUDENT_IDS	s/	all refers to all students. STUDENT_INDEXES represents the index of the students shown when list student is executed. STUDENT_IDS represents the student ID of the student, e.g. E0123456.

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Features

Managing Modules

Add a module: add module

Start using TAssist by adding modules you’re teaching.

Format: add module n/MODULE_NAME c/MODULE_CODE a/ACADEMIC_YEAR

• ACADEMIC_YEAR is represented by the year (last 2 digits) and a semester.
• Semester value ranges from S1 to S8. The table below shows the representation of each value:

Key	Semester
S1	Semester 1
S2	Semester 2
S3	Special Term (Part 1)
S4	Special Term (Part 2)
S5	Mini-Semester 1A
S6	Mini-Semester 1B
S7	Mini-Semester 2A
S8	Mini-Semester 2B

Examples:

• add module n/Software Engineering Project c/CS2103T a/21S1 creates a new module named Software Engineering Project with a module code of CS2103T for the academic year 21S1 (academic year 2021 Semester 1).

List all modules: list module

Use the list module command to display your modules in TAssist’s “Modules” tab.

Format: list module

Delete a module: delete module

You can always delete a module from TAssist. Deleting the module will also delete associated class group(s) and assessment(s).

Format: delete module INDEX

• Deletes the module at the specified INDEX.
• The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed module list.
• The module is removed from both the displayed list and the original list.
• The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

• list module followed by delete module 2 deletes the 2nd module and its associated class group(s) and assessment(s) in TAssist.

Managing Assessments

Add an assessment: add assessment

TAssist lets you create and grade module-wide assessments. Assessments can represent any gradable component including exams, participation, labs, and homework assignments.

Format: add assessment n/ASSESSMENT_NAME m/MODULE_INDEX [sn/SIMPLE_NAME]

Examples:

• add assessment n/Test m/1 creates a new assessment that is tied to the 1st module shown when list module is executed.

List all assessments: list assessment

Use the list assessment command to display your assessments in TAssist’s “Assessments” tab. Optionally, you can filter this list by a specific module.

Format: list assessment [m/MODULE_INDEX]

• Displays the assessments belonging to the module at the specified MODULE_INDEX. If MODULE_INDEX is not specified, displays all assessments.
• The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed module list.
• The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

• list assessment m/1 displays the assessment(s) belonging to the 1st module shown when list module is executed.

Delete an assessment: delete assessment

Delete any assessment from TAssist by specifying its index.

Format: delete assessment INDEX

• Deletes the assessment at the specified INDEX.
• The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed assessment list.
• The assessment is removed from both the displayed list and the original list.
• The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

• list assessment followed by delete assessment 2 deletes the 2nd assessment in TAssist.

Managing Classes

Add a class group: add class

After creating modules in TAssist, you can add class groups to these modules. Class groups refer to labs, recitations, sectionals, and tutorials you personally teach.

Format: add class id/CLASS_GROUP_ID t/CLASS_GROUP_TYPE m/MODULE_INDEX

• You can create 4 different types of class groups: labs, recitations, sectionals, and tutorials. Specify CLASS_GROUP_TYPE using one of the following values: LAB, RECITATION, SECTIONAL and TUTORIAL.

Examples:

• add class id/T13 t/tutorial m/1 creates a new class group that is tied to the 1st module shown when list module is executed.

List all class groups: list class

Use the list class command to display your class groups in TAssist’s “Classes” tab. Optionally, you can filter this list by a specific module.

Format: list class [m/MODULE_INDEX]

• Displays the class groups belonging to the module at the specified MODULE_INDEX. If MODULE_INDEX is not specified, displays all class groups.
• The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed module list.
• The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

• list class m/1 displays the class groups belonging to the 1st module shown when list module is executed.

Delete a class group: delete class

Use the delete class command to remove a specified class group from TAssist.

Format: delete class INDEX

• Deletes the class group at the specified INDEX.
• The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed class group list.
• The class group is removed from both the displayed list and the original list.
• The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

• list class followed by delete class 2 deletes the 2nd class group in TAssist.

Managing students

Create a student: add student

Create a student to record their contact details. You can enrol this student in class groups later.

Format: add student id/STUDENT_ID n/NAME e/EMAIL [t/TELEGRAM_ID]

Examples:

• add student id/E0123456 n/John Doe e/johnd@u.nus.edu creates a new student named John Doe with a student ID of E0123456 and email johnd@u.nus.edu.
• add student id/E0123456 n/John Doe e/johnd@u.nus.edu t/john_doe creates a new student named John Doe with a student ID of E0123456, email johnd@u.nus.edu and telegram handle john_doe.

List all students: list student

Use the list student command to display your students in TAssist’s “Students” tab. Optionally, you can filter this list by a specific module or class group.

Format: list student [{m/MODULE_INDEX | c/CLASS_GROUP_INDEX}]

• Displays the students belonging to the module at the specified MODULE_INDEX or the class group at the specified CLASS_GROUP_INDEX.
• The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed module or class group list.
• The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

• list student m/1 displays the students belonging to the 1st module shown when list module is executed.
• list student c/2 displays the students belonging to the 2nd class group shown when list class is executed.

Find students: find

Use the find command to search for students whose names contain any of the specified keywords.

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.
• Students matching at least one keyword will be returned (i.e. OR search). e.g. Hans Bo will return Hans Gruber, Bo Yang.

Examples:

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

Delete a student: delete student

Delete a specified student from TAssist as well as the student’s attempt(s) in any assessment(s).

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

Examples:

• list student followed by delete student 2 deletes the 2nd student in the whole student list and their assessment(s)’ attempt(s) in TAssist.

Enrol a student: enrol

Once you’ve created some students, enrol them into class groups. You can enrol the same student into multiple class groups.

Format: enrol c/CLASS_GROUP_INDEX s/all|STUDENT_INDEXES|STUDENT_IDS

• Enrols the specified students to the class group at the specified CLASS_GROUP_INDEX.
• Students may be specified with either all (i.e. all students), STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS.
• Multiple STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS should be separated with commas (i.e. s/1,2,3 or s/e0123456,e0234567).
• Duplicate STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS will be ignored.
• The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed student or class group list.
• The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

• enrol c/1 s/all enrols all students to the 1st class group shown when list class is executed.
• enrol c/1 s/1,2,3,4,5,6 enrols the 1st 6 students shown when list student is executed to the 1st class group shown when list class is executed.
• enrol c/1 s/e0123456,e0234567 enrols the students with student IDs E0123456 and E0234567 to the 1st class group shown when list class is executed.

Disenrol a student: disenrol

Use this command to remove 1 or more students from a class group.

Format: disenrol c/CLASS_GROUP_INDEX s/all|STUDENT_INDEXES|STUDENT_IDS

• Disenrols the specified students from the class group at the specified CLASS_GROUP_INDEX.
• Students may be specified with either all (i.e. all students), STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS; they should already be enrolled in the specified class group.
• Multiple STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS should be separated with commas (i.e. s/1,2,3 or s/e0123456,e0234567).
• Duplicate STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS will be ignored.
• The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed student or class group list.
• The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

• disenrol c/1 s/all disenrols all students from the 1st class group shown when list class is executed.
• disenrol c/1 s/1,2,3,4,5,6 disenrols the 1st 6 students belonging to the 1st class group shown when list class is executed.
• disenrol c/1 s/e0123456,e0234567 disenrols the students with student IDs E0123456 and E0234567 from the 1st class group shown when list class is executed.

Taking student attendance

Mark attendance: mark

Record attendance for any class group by marking student(s) “present” for a given week. Currently, TAssist assumes that each class group meets at most once per week from week 1 to week 13.

Format: mark c/CLASS_GROUP_INDEX w/WEEK_INDEX s/all|STUDENT_INDEXES|STUDENT_IDS

• Marks the attendance(s) of the specified student(s) belonging to the class group at the specified CLASS_GROUP_INDEX for the specified week.
• Students may be specified with either all (i.e. all students), STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS.
• Multiple STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS should be separated with commas (i.e. s/1,2,3 or s/e0123456,e0234567).
• Duplicate STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS will be ignored.
• The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed student or class group list.
• The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

• mark c/1 w/3 s/all marks the attendances of all the students belonging to the 1st class group for week 3.
• mark c/1 w/3 s/1,2,3,4,5,6 marks the attendances of the 1st 6 students belonging to the 1st class group for week 3.
• mark c/1 w/3 s/e0123456,e0234567 marks the attendances of the students with student IDs E0123456 and E0234567 belonging to the 1st class group for week 3.

Unmark attendance: unmark

Use the unmark command to mark student(s) as “absent” during a specified lesson (identified by class group and week).

Format: unmark c/CLASS_GROUP_INDEX w/WEEK_INDEX s/all|STUDENT_INDEXES|STUDENT_IDS

• Unmarks the attendance(s) of the specified student(s) belonging to the class group at the specified CLASS_GROUP_INDEX for the specified week.
• Students may be specified with either all (i.e. all students), STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS.
• Multiple STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS should be separated with commas (i.e. s/1,2,3 or s/e0123456,e0234567).
• Duplicate STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS will be ignored.
• The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed student or class group list.
• The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

• unmark c/1 w/3 s/all unmarks the attendances of all the students belonging to the 1st class group for week 3.
• unmark c/1 w/3 s/1,2,3,4,5,6 unmarks the attendances of the 1st 6 students belonging to the 1st class group for week 3.
• unmark c/1 w/3 s/e0123456,e0234567 unmarks the attendances of the students with student IDs E0123456 and E0234567 belonging to the 1st class group for week 3.

Grade assessments: grade

Grade a student’s attempt at a specified module assessment. You can assign the same grade to multiple students at once.

Format: grade {a/ASSESSMENT_INDEX | sn/SIMPLE_NAME m/MODULE_INDEX} s/all|STUDENT_INDEXES|STUDENT_IDS [g/GRADE]

• The assessment can be specified with either the ASSESSMENT_INDEX or the SIMPLE_NAME and MODULE_INDEX.
• Students may be specified with either all (i.e. all students), STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS; they should already be enrolled in the module tied to the assessment.
• Multiple STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS should be separated with commas (i.e. s/1,2,3 or s/e0123456,e0234567).
• Duplicate STUDENT_INDEXES or STUDENT_IDS will be ignored.
• The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed assessment or module list.
• The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​
• If the grade is omitted, the value of the student’s attempt will simply be incremented (i.e. 0 will be incremented to 1).

Examples:

• grade sn/lab1 m/1 s/all g/1 adds a grade of value 1 to the lab1 assessment for all students enrolled in the 1st module shown when list module is executed.
• grade a/1 s/1,2,3,4,5,6 increments the grades of the 1st 6 students enrolled in the module tied to the 1st assessment shown when list assessment is executed.
• grade a/1 s/e0123456,e0234567 g/1 adds a grade of value 1 for the students with student IDs E0123456 and E0234567 to the 1st assessment shown when list assessment is executed.

Managing data

Clear all entries: clear

Use this command to clear all entries from TAssist including modules, assessments, class groups, and students. You will not be able to restore this data.

Format: clear

Saving the data

TAssist saves data in the hard disk automatically after any command that changes the data. There is no need to save manually.

Editing the data file

TAssist saves data as a JSON file [JAR file location]/data/tassist.json. Advanced users are welcome to update data directly by editing that data file.

Archiving data files [coming in v2.0]

Details coming soon …

Exiting the program: exit

Exit the program.

Format: exit

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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 TAssist home folder.

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Command summary

Action		Format, Examples
Add	student	syntax: add student id/STUDENT_ID n/NAME e/EMAIL [t/TELEGRAM_ID] e.g., add student id/E0123456 n/John Doe e/johnd@u.nus.edu t/john_doe
	module	syntax: add module n/MODULE_NAME c/MODULE_CODE a/ACADEMIC_YEAR e.g., add module n/Software Engineering Project c/CS2103T a/21S1
	class group	syntax: add class id/CLASS_GROUP_ID t/CLASS_GROUP_TYPE m/MODULE_INDEX e.g., add class id/T13 t/tutorial m/1
	assessment	syntax: add assessment n/ASSESSMENT_NAME m/MODULE_INDEX [sn/SIMPLE_NAME] e.g., add assessment n/Test m/1
Enrolling	student(s)	syntax: enrol c/CLASS_GROUP_INDEX s/all|STUDENT_INDEXES|STUDENT_IDS e.g., enrol c/1 s/all e.g., enrol c/1 s/1,2,3,4,5,6 e.g., enrol c/1 s/e0123456,e0234567
	student(s)	syntax: disenrol c/CLASS_GROUP_INDEX s/all|STUDENT_INDEXES|STUDENT_IDS e.g., disenrol c/1 s/all e.g., disenrol c/1 s/1,2,3,4,5,6 e.g., disenrol c/1 s/e0123456,e0234567
Taking attendance	student(s)	syntax: mark c/CLASS_GROUP_INDEX w/WEEK_INDEX s/all|STUDENT_INDEXES|STUDENT_IDS e.g., mark c/1 w/3 s/all e.g., mark c/1 w/3 s/1,2,3,4,5,6 e.g., mark c/1 w/3 s/e0123456,e0234567 syntax: unmark c/CLASS_GROUP_INDEX w/WEEK_INDEX s/all|STUDENT_INDEXES|STUDENT_IDS e.g., unmark c/1 w/3 s/all e.g., unmark c/1 w/3 s/1,2,3,4,5,6 e.g., unmark c/1 w/3 s/e0123456,e0234567
Grading	assessment	syntax: grade {a/ASSESSMENT_INDEX | sn/SIMPLE_NAME m/MODULE_INDEX} s/all|STUDENT_INDEXES|STUDENT_IDS [g/GRADE] e.g., grade sn/lab1 m/1 s/all g/1 e.g., grade a/1 s/1,2,3,4,5,6 e.g., grade a/1 s/e0123456,e0234567 g/1
List	students	syntax: list student
	modules	syntax: list module
	class groups	syntax: list class
	assessments	syntax: list assessment
Filter	students	syntax: list student {m/MODULE_INDEX | c/CLASS_GROUP_INDEX} e.g., list student m/1 e.g., list student c/2
	class groups	syntax: list class m/MODULE_INDEX e.g., list class m/1
	assessments	syntax: list assessment m/MODULE_INDEX e.g., list assessment m/1
Find	student	syntax: find KEYWORD [MORE_KEYWORDS] e.g., find John
Delete	student	syntax: delete student INDEX e.g., delete student 2
	module	syntax: delete module INDEX e.g., delete module 2
	class group	syntax: delete class INDEX e.g., delete class 2
	assessment	syntax: delete assessment INDEX e.g., delete assessment 2
Clearing		syntax: clear
Exiting		syntax: exit

Command Shortcodes

To save you time, TAssist supports shorthand commands for each entity. When entering commands, a shortcode (substring of original entity) can be used in place of the full entity name.

• Example: list a is equivalent to list assessment
• Example: delete stu 2 is equivalent to delete student 2

Entity	Possible Shorthands
module	m mod
assessment	a assess
class	c cl
student	s stu