CSCI 235: Getting Example Files

On the cslab computers, you'll find the public directory for this class at

/cslab/class/csci235

Note that these files are not available as web pages. You must be logged in to one of the lab computers to access them (though you can copy them from there to your own computer, if you wish).

The files from class will show up under the directory in-class, organized by the date for which they are relevant, where the directories are named MM-DD (two-digit month and day). Note the following:

Papers handed out for a future class meeting (such as prep assignments) will be under the date of that future meeting.
Other handouts will appear on the day they are passed out.
Source code will be on the day we start working with it.

So you'll find the syllabus under 01-11, and the prep assignment passed out that day under 01-12.

The files in the directory will mostly be in PDF format. Many of the handouts you receive are printed 2-up; these files may appear in both 1-up format (e.g., 01-11/01handout.pdf) and the 2-up format that was distributed (01-11/01handout-2up.pdf). Source code (Java) files will appear as is; the formatted listing file will usually have code in its name.

When you are logged in to a lab computer, you can list the files for a particular date (such as 09-04) with a command like

ls /cslab/class/csci235/in-class/09-04

You should feel free to point your favorite file transfer program (such as FileZilla or, for a Mac, Fugu) at the class directory in order to list the files and copy them to your own computer. See the notes on copying for more information.

To look at a .pdf file on a lab computer, use a command like

evince /cslab/class/csci235/in-class/09-04/09-04.pdf &

From within that program, you can select and print particular pages. Or, to print the entire file, use

lpr -Pcs /cslab/class/csci235/in-class/09-04/09-04.pdf

Files that are not yet formatted for printing can be formatted more nicely by the a2ps command. The code handouts from class are typically produced with

a2ps -2 --file-align=fill -Pcs filenames...

The -2 says to print two pages per sheet, and --file-align=fill says to fill all the available space.

Later in the semester, some of the directories will be Mercurial repositories, in which case you can retreive earlier versions of the files. If you use ls -a, the presence of a subdirectory named .hg indicates that there is a repository present. To look at earlier versions, you would clone the repository to your own working copy, then use hg log to find out what versions exist and hg revert to get particular versions. (More info about that will show up in the Mercurial tips.)

Cary Gray

Last modified: Sun Jan 10 17:54:40 CST 2016