Computor VS Code Extension

A comprehensive teaching and learning platform for VS Code that facilitates code-based education through integrated course management, assignment submission, and grading workflows.

Overview

Computor is a VS Code extension designed for educational institutions to manage programming courses. It supports three main roles:

• Students: Browse courses, work on assignments, run tests, and submit solutions
• Tutors: Review and grade student submissions, provide feedback
• Lecturers: Create and manage courses, upload examples, release content

Features

• 🎓 Role-based Interface: Dedicated views for students, tutors, and lecturers
• 📚 Course Management: Create, organize, and deploy course content
• 💻 Git Integration: Automatic repository management for assignments
• 🔐 Single Sign-On: Browser-based Keycloak SSO login, with an API-token option for automation
• ✅ Test Integration: Built-in test runner with result visualization
• 💬 Messaging System: Communication between students, tutors, and lecturers
• 📊 Progress Tracking: Real-time submission and grading status

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio Code (latest version)
• Git installed and configured
• Access to your institution's Computor backend server
• GitLab account (if your institution uses GitLab for repository hosting)

Installation

1. Install the Computor extension from the VS Code marketplace
2. Restart VS Code after installation

Initial Setup

Step 1: Configure Git

1. Open the Command Palette by pressing F1 (or Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)

2. Search for and execute the command:

   Computor: Configure Git
   

3. You will be prompted to provide the following information:

   • Name: Enter your full name (e.g., "John Doe")
   • Email: Enter your institutional email address

Step 2: GitLab Token (if applicable)

If your institution uses GitLab:

Create a Personal Access Token:

1. Navigate to your GitLab instance's personal access token page
2. Click Add new Token
3. Configure the token:
   • Name it computor
   • Set an appropriate expiration date
   • Select the following scopes:
     • api
     • read_repository
     • write_repository
4. Copy and save the generated token - you'll need it in Step 4

Step 3: Configure Backend URL

1. Open the Command Palette (F1)

2. Search for and execute:

   Computor: Change Backend URL
   

3. Enter your institution's Computor backend URL (provided by your administrator)

Step 4: Sign In

Computor uses your institution's single sign-on (SSO). There is no separate password to set in the extension.

1. Open the Command Palette (F1)

2. Search for and execute:

   Computor: Login
   

3. Your web browser opens to your institution's sign-in page. Authenticate there (if you are already signed in, this may complete instantly).

4. When the browser shows "Signed in to Computor", return to VS Code — you're ready to go.

Your Computor account is matched automatically by your email address.

Advanced: signing in with an API token

For automation, CI, or headless/Coder workspaces you can sign in with a Computor API token instead of the browser flow:

• Run Computor: Sign in with API Token and paste a token (it starts with ctp_), or
• Set the COMPUTOR_AUTH_TOKEN environment variable before launching VS Code — the extension picks it up automatically when a Computor workspace is detected.

You can mint an API token from the Computor web interface.

You're now ready to use Computor!

Usage

For Students

1. Browse Courses: Access available courses in the Student view
2. Clone Assignments: Download assignment repositories to your workspace
3. Work on Files: Create, copy, move, rename and delete files from the tree
4. Run Tests: Execute tests locally to verify your solution
5. Commit: Save a single assignment, or the whole course in one step
6. Restore Material: Delete a ruined file and run Update Repository from Template to get a fresh copy
7. Submit Solutions: Push your code and create submissions for grading
8. Export Your Work: Pack the course into a ZIP you keep after enrolment ends

For Tutors

1. Filter Students: Use filters to find specific submissions
2. Clone Student Repositories: Review student code locally
3. Grade Submissions: Provide grades and feedback
4. Track Progress: Monitor grading status across assignments

For Lecturers

1. Create Courses: Set up new courses and course content
2. Upload Examples: Provide starter code and examples
3. Release Content: Deploy assignments to students
4. Manage Users: Handle course enrollments and permissions

Advanced Features

Token Management

• Use Computor: Manage GitLab Tokens to manage GitLab Personal Access Tokens per origin
• Tokens are stored securely in VS Code's secret storage
• Supports multiple GitLab instances

Workspace Management

• Automatic workspace structure creation
• Repository backup before destructive operations
• Conflict detection and resolution

Performance Features

• Response caching for improved performance
• Request batching to reduce network overhead
• Virtual scrolling for large lists

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Cannot connect to backend:

• Verify your network connection
• Check the backend URL is correct
• Ensure your credentials are valid

Git operations failing:

• Verify Git is installed and configured
• Check GitLab token permissions
• Ensure repository access rights

Authentication errors:

• Try signing out and signing back in (Computor: Logout, then Computor: Login)
• Your session may have expired after a period of inactivity — sign in again to refresh it
• If the browser sign-in doesn't complete, confirm your backend URL is correct and reachable

Support

For issues and questions:

• Check the documentation
• Contact your course administrator
• Report bugs through your institution's support channels

Development

For developers who want to contribute or extend the extension, see the Developer Guide and Architecture Overview.