Getting Started

Introduction

As a user of Docket, you may be intimidated by the interface you're met with. As it stands now (At the time of writing, the current version is 0.2.x), you are not given any tutorial or information as to how to use Docket (which is hereafter referred to as the "System").

Once you get an understanding of how the System works, the practical knowledge necessary should follow.

How it works

Docket is comprised of multiple "components." The pertinent ones include "courses," "classes (or classrooms)," "teachers," "assignments," "exams," and "events." Below is a description of each component.

• Teachers: A "teacher" is simply an individual person. They were built into Docket with the purpose of keeping track of who teaches which "classroom" (see below). The only information besides the teacher's name that is necessary is their email, which is generally their last name followed by their first initial.

• Courses: A "course" is simply a group of classrooms. For the purposes of the program, we included a "coursebook number" (a.k.a. "course id") field. This can be obtained by visiting Harmony, clicking on "Schedule", and looking at the left-hand side of the "class name." For example, a first-hour Honors Chemistry class has the class name "3064H-01 CHEM I H." In the database, all Honors Chemistry classes have the same course ID (because they are using the same curriculum or very similar curricula), "3064H." When entering new courses, please supply this coursebook number; as support is added in the future, it will likely be used more heavily by our planned "mobile entry system."

• Classes or Classrooms: A "class" or "classroom" is simply a period-class that meets daily. One's schedule includes a total of eight of these (well, seven and lunch, which really doesn't count). Each of these classrooms is taught by a teacher, which must be supplied upon creation, and has a corresponding curriculum, which must be supplied upon creation in the form of the "course." Each class also has a period (or hour, depending on which term you prefer), which must also be supplied for organizational purposes.

• Assignments: Assignments are simply assignments; they have a title, an optional description, and a due-date. Each assignment has a "parent class", which it goes with. The title of an assignment should be short and concise, but should contain enough information that the assignment can be located and completed by others without needing to read the description. The due-date should be when the assignment is due.

• Exams: Exams are all forms of examination: tests, quizzes, reading checks, etc.; they have a title, an optional description, and a date. Very similar to assignments, exams also have a "parent class", which they go with as well. The title of an exam should be enough to inform others of what the exam is over. The description is optional, but can include information about what a teacher says will be on the exam. The date is the date of the exam.

• Events: [description coming soon; use common sense and poke around with things]