User Guide

Hello School of Computing (SoC) Professors! Have you ever felt that managing your teaching assistants (TAs) manually is a chore? Do you wish that you could have a tool that helps you manage your TAs more efficiently?

If so, TAManager is the tool for you!

TAManager, or Teaching Assistant Manager, is your reliable desktop application that helps you manage your TAs, so you can focus on what matters most - teaching!

While TAManager is mainly catered to SoC Professors, all educators are welcomed to use TAManager too! With our user-centric design, TAManager is crafted with consideration for both new and experienced educators.

Gone are the days of having to manually manage your TAs. TAManager is here to help you manage your TAs with ease!

💡 Why choose TAManager?

• Easy-to-use: TAManager is optimized for use via a Command Line Interface (CLI), with all the benefits of a Graphical User Interface (GUI), making it intuitive to use.
• Efficient: If you can type fast, TAManager can help you manage your TAs faster than traditional GUI apps, allowing you to save more time.

🎉 What can TAManager do for you?

• Effortlessly manage your TAs contact list
• Efficiently track the total working hours of your TAs
• Conveniently find replacement for your absent TAs

Don’t let the stress of administrative work affect your teaching quality.

Let TAManager handles all your TA management needs, while you power up your lectures and tutorials with your teaching prowess!

Using this Guide

Whether you’re a new user or an experienced one, this guide is designed to help you make the most of TAManager. Follow the instructions below based on your familiarity with TAManager.

• New Users: If you’re just getting started, we recommend beginning with the Quick Start section. This will provide you with a comprehensive introduction to TAManager’s essential features.

• Experienced Users: If you are an experienced user of TAManager, you can use the Table of Contents to quickly navigate to specific sections of interest. If you’re looking for a quick reference, the Command Summary provides an overview of the command syntax.

Throughout our guide, you will see the following annotations:

Table of Contents

• Using this Guide
• Table of Contents
• Quick Start
• Command Format
• Understanding Our GUI
• Commands
• 1. TA Management Commands
  • 1.1 Adding a Teaching Assistant: add
  • 1.2 Editing a Teaching Assistant: edit
  • 1.3 Viewing Teaching Assistants: list
  • 1.4 Finding a Teaching Assistant: find
  • 1.5 Removing a Teaching Assistant: delete
  • 1.6 Updating Hours for Teaching Assistants: hour
  • 1.7 Editing free time of a Teaching Assistant: editft
• 2. Course Management Commands
  • 2.1 Viewing Course Information : course
  • 2.2 Adding a Default Course : teach
  • 2.3 Reset the Default Course : clearteach
• 3. Utility Commands
  • 3.1 Viewing Help : help
  • 3.2 Clearing All Entries : clear
  • 3.3 Exiting the Program : exit
• Saving Your Data
• Editing the Data File
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Glossary
  • Command Line Interface (CLI)
  • Graphical User Interface (GUI)
  • Javascript Object Notation (JSON)
• Known Issues
• Command Summary

Quick Start

1. Ensure you have Java 11 or above installed on your computer. To check, run the command java -version in the terminal.

2. Download the latest TAManager.jar from here.

3. Copy the file to the folder you want to use as the home folder for your Teaching Assistant Manager.

4. Open a command terminal, cd into the folder where you placed the jar file, and use the java -jar TAManager.jar command to run the application. A GUI similar to the one below should appear in a few seconds. Note how the app contains some sample data.

5. Type a command in the command box and press Enter to execute it. For example, typing help and pressing Enter will open the help window. Here are some more example commands you can try:

   • list: Lists all teaching assistants.
   • add n/Snowball p/98765432 e/snowball@example.com tele/@snowball t/fulltime c/CS1231S h/10: Adds a teaching assistant named Snowball to the list.
   • edit 1 n/Napoleon p/23456789: Edits the name and phone number of the 1st teaching assistant shown in the current list.
   • delete 3: Deletes the 3rd teaching assistant shown in the current list.
   • exit: Exits the app.
6. Refer to the following sections below for details on each command.
   • TA Management Commands
   • Course Management Commands
   • Utility Commands
7. You’re all set! Use the clear command to clear the sample data and embark on your journey with TAManager!

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Command Format

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Understanding Our GUI

Here are the various components of TAManager’s GUI:

1. Menu Bar: Access the File and Help features.
2. Command Line: Enter commands to execute.
3. Command Result: View the results or error messages of executed commands.
4. Teaching Assistant List: View and manage teaching assistants.
5. Data Storage: View the path where your data is stored.

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Commands

1. TA Management Commands

1.1 Adding a Teaching Assistant: add

You can add a new teaching assistant into TAManager, so that you can keep track of the team of teaching assistants you are managing.

Format:

add n/NAME p/PHONE e/EMAIL tele/TELEGRAM [h/HOUR] [t/TAG]... [c/COURSE_CODE]...

Example:

• add n/ Rayner Toh p/93812311 e/rayner@example.com tele/@raynertjx h/4 t/parttime c/CS2103T adds a new teaching assistant named Rayner Toh to TAManager.

When the command succeeds:

New teaching assistant added: Rayner Toh; Phone: 93812311; Email: rayner@example.com; Telegram: @raynertjx;
Free Time:  Tags: [parttime];
Courses:
Name: Software Engineering
Lessons: [CS2103T Lecture 10:00-12:00, CS2103T Tutorial 10:00-12:00, CS2103T Laboratory 10:00-12:00];
Work Hour: 4

When the command fails:

Error	Resolution
Invalid command format!	Ensure that all required parameters are present
Course not found.	Ensure that the COURSE_CODE is an existing course
This teaching assistant already exists in the address book	Ensure that the teaching assistant is not already in TAManager
Invalid parameter	Ensure that input causing the error follows the required format

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1.2 Editing a Teaching Assistant: edit

You can change the details of an existing teaching assistant in TAManager, so that you can keep the information in your contact list up-to-date.

Format:

edit INDEX [n/NAME] [p/PHONE] [e/EMAIL] [tele/TELEGRAM] [h/HOUR] [t/TAG]... [c/COURSE_CODE]...

Example:

• edit 7 tele/@raynertohjingxiang edits the Telegram handle of the 7th person in the list into @raynertohjingxiang.

When the command succeeds:

Edited Teaching Assistant: Rayner Toh; Phone: 93812311; Email: rayner@example.com; Telegram: @raynertohjingxiang;
Free Time:
Mon: 08:00-12:00
Tue: 08:00-12:00
Wed: 08:00-12:00
Thu: 08:00-12:00
Fri: 08:00-12:00
Tags: [parttime];
Courses:
Name: Software Engineering
Lessons: [CS2103T Lecture 10:00-12:00, CS2103T Tutorial 10:00-12:00, CS2103T Laboratory 10:00-12:00];
Work Hour: 4

When the command fails:

Error	Resolution
Invalid command format!	Ensure that all required parameters are present
Course not found.	Ensure that the COURSE_CODE is an existing course
Invalid parameter	Ensure that input causing the error follows the required format

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1.3 Viewing Teaching Assistants: list

You can view the list of all teaching assistants in TAManager, so that you can conveniently browse through all the teaching assistants you are managing.

Format:

list

When the command succeeds:

Listed all teaching assistants

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1.4 Finding a Teaching Assistant: find

You can find specific teaching assistants using various search parameters, so that you can quickly find the specific teaching assistant(s) you are looking for.

Format:

find [n/NAME] [c/COURSE_CODE] [d/DAY from/FROM to/TO] [t/TAG]

Examples:

• find n/Alex returns all teaching assistants whose names contain alex (e.g. Alex Yeoh).
• find n/Alex Bernice gives all TAs who have either “Alex” or “Bernice” in their names.
• find c/cs1231s returns all teaching assistants that are teaching cs1231s.
• find t/parttime returns all teaching assistants with the parttime tag.
• find n/Alex c/cs1231s returns all teaching assistants whose names contain alex and are teaching cs1231s.
• find d/1 from/10:00 to/12:00 returns all teaching assistants that are free on Monday from 10:00 to 12:00.
• find c/cs2103t d/1 from/10:00 to/12:00 returns all teaching assistants who are teaching cs2103t and are free on Monday from 10:00 to 12:00.

When the command succeeds:

Filters applied: name: [Alex]
1 persons listed!

When the command fails:

Error	Resolution
Invalid command format!	Ensure that there is at least one prefix provided and parameter provided follows the format

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1.5 Removing a Teaching Assistant: delete

You can remove a specified teaching assistant from TAManager, so that you can remove TAs who are no longer part of your teaching team.

Format:

delete INDEX

Examples:

• list followed by delete 2 deletes the second teaching assistant in the address book.
• find n/Betsy followed by delete 1 deletes the first teaching assistant in the results of the find command.

When the command succeeds:

Deleted Teaching Assistant: Rayner Toh; Phone: 93812311; Email: rayner@example.com; Telegram: @raynertohjingxiang;
Free Time:
Mon: 08:00-12:00
Tue: 08:00-12:00
Wed: 08:00-12:00
Thu: 08:00-12:00
Fri: 08:00-12:00
Tags: [parttime];
Courses:
Name: Software Engineering
Lessons: [CS2103T Lecture 10:00-12:00, CS2103T Tutorial 10:00-12:00, CS2103T Laboratory 10:00-12:00];
Work Hour: 4

When the command fails:

Error	Resolution
Invalid command format!	Ensure that INDEX is present and is a positive integer
The person index provided is invalid	Ensure that INDEX corresponds to a TA in the list

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1.6 Updating Hours for Teaching Assistants: hour

You can add hours to all teaching assistants in the current list, so that you can efficiently update the total working hours of your teaching assistants.

Format:

hour HOUR

Examples:

• hour 4 adds 4 hours to all TAs in the TA list.
• find c/CS1231S then hour 4 adds 4 hours to all CS1231S TAs and other TAs will not be affected.

When the command succeeds:

Hour updated to all TAs identified!

When the command fails:

Error	Resolution
Resulting hours after update should be in range 0-9999	Ensure that HOUR is present and the resulting value is between 0 and 9999

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1.7 Editing free time of a Teaching Assistant: editft

You can edit the free time of a specific teaching assistant on a specified day, so that you can keep track of changes in your teaching assistants’ free time.

Format:

editft INDEX d/DAY from/FROM to/TO

Example:

• editft 1 d/2 from/13:00 to/15:00 updates the free time of the TA at index 1 to be from 13:00 to 15:00 on Tuesday.

When the command succeeds:

Edited Teaching Assistant: Alex Yeoh; Phone: 87438; Email: alexyeoh@example.com; Telegram: @12345_; 
Free Time: 
Mon: 11:30-12:30
Tue: 13:00-15:00
Wed: 11:30-12:30
Thu: 11:30-12:30
Fri: 11:30-12:30
Tags: ; 
Courses:
Name: Software Engineering
Lessons: [CS2103T Project 11:00-14:00, CS2103T Lecture 10:00-12:00, CS2103T Tutorial 10:00-12:00, CS2103T Laboratory 10:00-12:00]; 
Work Hour: 8

When the command fails:

Error	Resolution
Invalid command format!	Ensure that all prefixes are present
The person index provided is invalid	Ensure that INDEX corresponds to a TA in the list
TA's free time should have a start and end time in HH:mm format	Ensure that FROM and TO follow the format
The start time should be before the end time.	Ensure that FROM is before TO

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2. Course Management Commands

2.1 Viewing Course Information : course

You can view the information for a specific course and its tutorial timings.

Format:

course c/COURSE_CODE

Example:

• course c/CS2103T returns the course information and tutorial timings for CS2103T.

When the command succeeds:

Course: CS2103T Software Engineering
CS2103T Lecture 10:00-12:00
CS2103T Tutorial 10:00-12:00
CS2103T Laboratory 10:00-12:00

When the command fails:

Error	Resolution
Invalid command format!	Ensure that prefix c/ is present
Course codes should start with 2-3 alphabets, followed by 4 numbers, and optionally end with an alphabet.	Ensure that COURSE_CODE follows the format
Course not found.	Ensure that COURSE_CODE is an existing course

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2.2 Adding a Default Course : teach

You can add a default course you are teaching to TAManager.

This will automatically filter the list of TAs teaching under the default course when you launch the app, so that you can easily browse through your team of TAs.

Format:

teach c/COURSE_CODE

Example:

• teach c/CS2103T sets the default course to the course CS2103T.

When the command succeeds:

CS2103T is successfully added as default course.

When the command fails:

Error	Resolution
Invalid command format!	Ensure that prefix c/ is present
Course codes should start with 2-3 alphabets, followed by 4 numbers, and optionally end with an alphabet.	Ensure that COURSE_CODE follows the format
Course not found.	Ensure that COURSE_CODE is an existing course

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2.3 Reset the Default Course : clearteach

You can reset the default course in TAManager.

This will revert the changes made by the teach command.

If no default course is set, the command will execute successfully but nothing will happen.

Format:

clearteach

Default course has been cleared!

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3. Utility Commands

3.1 Viewing Help : help

You can access the link to access this user guide if you need it while you are using the app.

Format:

help

Opened help window.

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3.2 Clearing All Entries : clear

You can clear all entries from TAManager, so that you can quickly reset the TA contact list.

Format:

clear

Address book has been cleared!

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3.3 Exiting the Program : exit

You can safely exit the program.

Format:

exit

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Saving Your Data

TAManager data is saved in the hard disk automatically after any command that changes the data. There is no need for you to save manually.

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Editing the Data File

TAManager data are saved automatically as a JSON file [JAR file location]/data/addressbook.json. Advanced users are welcome to update data directly by editing that data file.

Caution: If your changes to the data file makes its format invalid, TAManager will discard all data and start with an empty data file at the next run. Hence, it is recommended to make a backup of the file before editing it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

Q: What is default course?
A: The default course is the course that you are currently managing or teaching. It is a useful setting to personalize your TAManager experience. After setting your default course, the list of teaching assistants will be filtered to only show teaching assistants that are teaching the default course on startup.

Q: Why can’t I add a course to the course list?
A: At the moment, TAManager does not support adding course to the course list. However, advanced users can edit the course list directly by editing the courses.json file.

Q: Why is free time only available from Monday to Friday?
A: At the moment, TAManager only supports free time from Monday to Friday. As teaching assistants are usually not working on weekends, we have decided to not include weekends in the free time feature.

Q: Why can’t I add a teaching assistant with the same name as an existing teaching assistant?
A: TAManager does not allow duplicate teaching assistants. This is to prevent confusion when you are managing your teaching assistants.

Q: What if I teach multiple courses?
A: Instead of the teach command, you might opt to filter the list of TAs each time using the find command.

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Glossary

Command Line Interface (CLI)

CLI is a text-based interface that allows users to interact with a computer or software application by typing commands into a terminal. CLI relies on text commands to perform tasks.

TAManager is a CLI application where you can type commands to manage your teaching assistants.

Example: When a user types hour 2 and presses Enter, TAManager will add 2 hours to all TAs in the list.

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

GUI is a type of interface that uses visual representations, such as icons, buttons and windows to interact with the system.

TAManager has a GUI that allows you to view and manage the contact information of your teaching assistants.

Example: When a user types list and presses Enter, the application will list all TAs and user can scroll through the list to view the list.

Javascript Object Notation (JSON)

JSON is a lightweight data-interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write. It is also easy for machines to parse and generate.

We have decided to use JSON as the format for TAManager data so that advanced users can easily edit the data file directly.

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Known Issues

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Command Summary

Commands are arranged in alphabetical order for your easy reference.

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