HCW PRG1 Course Assistant

VS Code extension for the HCW PRG1 course. It supports Classroom50 onboarding and provides an invigilation-oriented exam mode for supervised assessments.

Requirements

Required software

• Visual Studio Code 1.110.0 or newer. This is the minimum version declared by the extension.
• JDK 25. A complete JDK is required, not only a Java Runtime Environment. The generated Java and JavaFX projects request a Java 25 Gradle toolchain.
• Git. The git executable must be available on PATH, and VS Code's built-in Git extension must be enabled. Git is required for Classroom50 repository cloning and repository-based autograding links.
• Extension Pack for Java. Installing vscjava.vscode-java-pack is recommended for Java language support, debugging, testing, and project integration in VS Code. It is included when installing the HCW PRG1 extension pack.

Verify the command-line tools before using the extension:

java -version
javac -version
git --version

Both Java commands should report version 25. The setup check currently verifies that java can be executed; the generated Gradle build ultimately verifies that a suitable Java 25 toolchain is available.

Gradle

A system-wide Gradle installation is not required. Newly generated projects include the Gradle Wrapper configured for Gradle 9.6.1, which supports running on Java 25:

.\gradlew.bat --version

On Linux or macOS, use:

./gradlew --version

Existing Classroom50 repositories use the wrapper version committed to that repository, which can differ from 9.6.1. The extension checks and runs the repository's own wrapper rather than a globally installed Gradle version.

Network access

Internet access is needed for:

• Opening and accepting Classroom50 assignments
• Cloning and accessing repositories on GitHub
• Downloading the Gradle distribution on the first wrapper execution
• Downloading JUnit and JavaFX dependencies from the Gradle Plugin Portal and Maven Central
• Opening GitHub Releases with autograding results

After the required Gradle distribution and dependencies have been cached, normal Gradle work may be possible offline. Exam mode is the exception: it intentionally checks that internet access is unavailable during a supervised assessment.

Supported project layout

The workspace setup check expects the opened folder to be the Gradle project root. It should contain at least one Gradle marker such as:

build.gradle
settings.gradle
gradlew
gradlew.bat
gradle/wrapper/

Do not open only src, a package folder, or an individual Java file as the workspace. Empty and non-Gradle folders are reported as not being Gradle-based Java projects.

Features

Course Actions sidebar

The extension adds a PRG1 Assistant icon to the Activity Bar with a Course Actions view.

Available actions:

• Create Java Project
• Clone Classroom50 Repo
• Check Workspace Setup
• Open Autograding Page

Java and JavaFX project creation

Command: PRG1: Create Java Project

Creates a small Gradle project through a guided wizard. Choose a plain Java application or a JavaFX application, then enter the project name. Generated sources use the course package at.ac.hcw. If the currently opened folder is empty, it is initialized directly; otherwise, the wizard asks for a parent folder, creates a new project folder, and automatically opens it in a new VS Code window. Generated projects include:

• Gradle 9 wrapper scripts, so a system-wide Gradle installation is not required
• Java 25 toolchain configuration
• src/main/java and src/test/java source sets
• Main and test resource folders
• A runnable starter application
• A JUnit 5 starter test
• Standard input forwarding for console applications
• JavaFX 25 controls, a starter window, and a separate launcher class for JavaFX projects; JavaFX is downloaded through Gradle and does not need to be installed separately

Classroom50 onboarding

Command: PRG1: Clone Classroom50 Repository

What it does:

• Accepts an assignment link on https://classroom50.org/
• Also accepts a direct GitHub repository URL
• Checks whether git is installed and available in VS Code
• Opens Classroom50 assignment links in the browser so the student can accept the assignment
• Prompts for the accepted repository URL
• Clones the repository into a selected target folder
• Checks the cloned workspace for Java and a Gradle wrapper
• Offers to open the cloned project in VS Code

Workspace setup check

Command: PRG1: Check Current Workspace Setup

Checks:

• Git availability
• Java availability
• Gradle wrapper presence
• Gradle wrapper execution

Autograding shortcut

Command: PRG1: Open Autograding Results

This derives the assignment repository from its Git origin remote and opens its GitHub Releases page, where Classroom50 publishes the detailed autograding points. For example, an origin ending in ...-campusstudent.git opens https://github.com/...-campusstudent/releases; no separate GitHub username is needed.

Exam mode

Exam functionality is available through:

• PRG1: Start Exam Mode
• PRG1: Stop Exam Mode
• PRG1: Open Exam Mode Dashboard

The extension also contributes an Exam Mode sidebar view inside PRG1 Assistant, but it is hidden by default and can be enabled from the view container menu when needed.