GitHub Classroom Lab Template

A template repository for Java programming labs using GitHub Classroom with automated test grading via GitHub Actions.

Overview

This project serves as a proof-of-concept template for first-year Java programming labs, leveraging GitHub Codespaces for a browser-based development environment and GitHub Classroom for automated submission management. Students complete Java exercises involving Scanner input/output, and their code is automatically compiled and tested using JUnit 5 with the system-lambda library for console I/O verification.

Features

• Four structured Java exercises focusing on Scanner input and console output
• Automated grading via GitHub Actions and GitHub Classroom autograding
• JUnit 5 test suite with system-lambda for stdin/stdout testing
• VS Code Dev Container for a consistent Java development environment
• Shell-based test runner for compiling and executing individual exercise tests
• Each exercise worth 25 points (100 total)

Prerequisites

• Java 8 or higher (Java 8 is used in the CI workflow)
• Git for version control
• A GitHub account with access to GitHub Classroom

Getting Started

Installation

1. Use this template to create a new GitHub Classroom assignment, or clone it directly:

   git clone https://github.com/danielcregg/github-classroom-lab-template.git
   cd github-classroom-lab-template

2. Open in GitHub Codespaces or a local Dev Container for a pre-configured Java environment.

Usage

Complete each exercise by writing your Java code in the corresponding file (Exercise1.java through Exercise4.java) where indicated by the // YOUR CODE HERE comment.

Run a test for a specific exercise locally:

./bin/run_test.sh Exercise1

Submit your work:

git add .
git commit -m "Complete exercises"
git push origin main

Pushing to main triggers the GitHub Classroom autograding workflow, which compiles and runs the JUnit tests for all four exercises.

Tech Stack

• Java - Programming language for exercises and tests
• JUnit 5 - Testing framework
• system-lambda - Library for testing console I/O in JUnit 5
• Hamcrest - Matcher library for expressive test assertions
• GitHub Actions - CI/CD for automated grading
• GitHub Codespaces - Browser-based development environment

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.