Linux starter help needed!

j2dab

hi guys i'm helping out as a lab assistant and have been told to use a linux shell script to gather assignments from the students in the class I'm helping out in. They've been told to have their assignment in a certain folder in their accounts and I'm to gather them, only problem is I don't don't know how and don't want to seem a total fool to the lecturer I'm helping!
Any help would be appreciated!

witnessmenow

Do you know the directory the assignments are in?

j2dab

Hi, yes I do know the directory, I can get it tomorrow when I am in work, would you have any idea how to go about it?
Thanks,

ethernet

What do you have to do with them? Copy them to another directory, to another server, archive them?

j2dab

I have to copy a file called test from a directory on each of the students accounts called assignments into a folder on my account called submissions and to log any students who have not got a file in their directory. Thanks for the help

ethernet

Right, a bit beyond my level

I suppose you have an input file of some sort with the usernames or else you're going to look in everyone's home directory for the file. Hope you'll have the permissions to do this.

Then you'd be using some 'if exists' (-e) test in the script for the file called 'test' and if not, write to some file.

Well, there is the algorithm. Hope someone can make use of it.

brianmc

ethernet wrote: »

I suppose you have an input file of some sort with the usernames or else you're going to look in everyone's home directory for the file.

That's a good question. Have you a list of the usernames of the people in the class?

I'll give it a lash if you can tell me how you know what users to check for a submission.

j2dab

brianmc wrote: »

That's a good question. Have you a list of the usernames of the people in the class?

I'll give it a lash if you can tell me how you know what users to check for a submission.

Hi, there is a list of students which correspond to each class code, so when you run the script you also input "code" Thanks,

brianmc

j2dab wrote: »

Hi, there is a list of students which correspond to each class code, so when you run the script you also input "code" Thanks,

How do you get the student list from the code? From paper? Do we need to build a mechanism to handle this?

j2dab

brianmc wrote: »

How do you get the student list from the code? From paper? Do we need to build a mechanism to handle this?

Basically, the students number would be the directory where the submissions are, so the student list is just a directory. I can probably look after that end, I just need a script to make the new files and copy the peoples names into them

brianmc

j2dab wrote: »

Basically, the students number would be the directory where the submissions are, so the student list is just a directory. I can probably look after that end, I just need a script to make the new files and copy the peoples names into them

I've got lost somewhere along the way. I'll take it to PM.