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ZIP file upload for CSNS, please?

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CertainAffinity Posts: 9	Posted 23:38 Feb 19, 2012 \| Professor, could you consider allowing zip files as an uploadable file type for CSNS? As the number of files increases with the complexity of our HW, uploading to CSNS is becoming increasingly tedious. Under the current system, students have to laboriously find then upload each source file individually. By allowing zip files to be uploaded in addition to current offerings, students will be able to upload all of their source code into a simple container. For example, instead of uploading many files individually, we would instead have the ability to upload, say, "src.zip" or "WebContent.zip". Uploading would be a simpler process: right click ~/workspace/project_name/src > Send to compressed (zipped) file one "Upload" button click on CSNS page (~/workspace/project_name/src.zip) (This is in stark contrast to the 100+ steps currently required to upload each and every source file one-by-one.) This would also save valuable CSNS server resources. As we move deeper into the 21st century, there is a greater expectation to have as minimal an impact on natural and technological resources. By allowing zip files to be uploaded, we would realize savings in bandwidth, savings in CSNS server load, which in turn saves energy and money. Zip file upload would also save time for students, professors, and teaching assistants alike. This method rids the professor or teaching assistants from hearing "ooh, i forgot to upload that ONE file". Also, by having an src.zip, the way the contents are structured eliminates the time consuming process of having to properly set up packages before the source could could be compiled in an IDE. It allows those students who need every second up until the exact due date/time to have time to polish or finish their homework assignment. Granted, students shouldn't be waiting literally until the last second to upload their files. But I think this really beneficial. That and it's just so much clicking to uploading one-by-one >.<
cysun Posts: 2935	Posted 08:43 Feb 20, 2012 \| No. If we allow zip file upload, we can no longer control the types of the uploaded files, and inevitably some people will upload a bunch of class files and other unrelated files (and waste server resources and all that). Another reason is that when the files are uploaded separately, the instructor can view each file easily by just clicking on it, instead of having to download the zip file, unzip it, locate the extracted files on disk then open them one by one using some editor. And last but not least, I don't think there are that many files to upload for this to become a problem - there are may be 20 files for a homework assignment, and only about 5 or 6 for a lab/exam, which is not a lot.

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CertainAffinity

Posts: 9

Posted 23:38 Feb 19, 2012 |

Professor, could you consider allowing zip files as an uploadable file type for CSNS?

As the number of files increases with the complexity of our HW, uploading to CSNS is becoming increasingly tedious. Under the current system, students have to laboriously find then upload each source file individually. By allowing zip files to be uploaded in addition to current offerings, students will be able to upload all of their source code into a simple container. For example, instead of uploading many files individually, we would instead have the ability to upload, say, "src.zip" or "WebContent.zip".

Uploading would be a simpler process:

right click ~/workspace/project_name/src > Send to compressed (zipped) file
one "Upload" button click on CSNS page (~/workspace/project_name/src.zip)

(This is in stark contrast to the 100+ steps currently required to upload each and every source file one-by-one.)

This would also save valuable CSNS server resources. As we move deeper into the 21st century, there is a greater expectation to have as minimal an impact on natural and technological resources. By allowing zip files to be uploaded, we would realize savings in bandwidth, savings in CSNS server load, which in turn saves energy and money.

Zip file upload would also save time for students, professors, and teaching assistants alike. This method rids the professor or teaching assistants from hearing "ooh, i forgot to upload that ONE file". Also, by having an src.zip, the way the contents are structured eliminates the time consuming process of having to properly set up packages before the source could could be compiled in an IDE. It allows those students who need every second up until the exact due date/time to have time to polish or finish their homework assignment. Granted, students shouldn't be waiting literally until the last second to upload their files. But I think this really beneficial. That and it's just so much clicking to uploading one-by-one >.<

cysun

Posts: 2935

Posted 08:43 Feb 20, 2012 |

No.

If we allow zip file upload, we can no longer control the types of the uploaded files, and inevitably some people will upload a bunch of class files and other unrelated files (and waste server resources and all that).

Another reason is that when the files are uploaded separately, the instructor can view each file easily by just clicking on it, instead of having to download the zip file, unzip it, locate the extracted files on disk then open them one by one using some editor.

And last but not least, I don't think there are that many files to upload for this to become a problem - there are may be 20 files for a homework assignment, and only about 5 or 6 for a lab/exam, which is not a lot.