CSE 101
Introduction to Data Structures and Algorithms
Programming Assignments

General Instructions:

All programming assignments for this course will be submitted through the UCSC GitLab server. If you are new to GitLab, the following GitLab Tutorial may be useful. More introductory material can be found at the ITS GitLab for Instruction page.  There is also a very gentle introduction to GitLab on YouTube, and some helpful documentation pages here and here that introduce command line tools for Git. Note these videos describe interaction with the (free) cloud services GitLab.com or GitHub.com, whereas you will submit your projects to UCSC GitLab. Strictly speaking, Git command line tools are not part of the content of this course, but they constitute an important skill for any software professional, so it is worth your time to learn them.  If you'd prefer not use Git at the command line, you can just to log in to UCSC GitLab, then upload your files directly through the web interface.

Begin by creating an account on UCSC GitLab.  I will run a script once a day that will then create your repository.  Note I cannot create a repository unless an account already exists, which is why I run the script once a day. Thus you may have to wait up to 24 hours after you create your account before your repo appears on the server. Next, create subdirectories in your repo for each of the assignments in this class. They should be named pa1, pa2, pa3, etc.. (not PA1, prog1, asgn1 or any other name). Be aware that if you misname any file or directory associated with a programming project in this course, you will break our grading scripts, and lose points as a result.

For each assignment, submit all required files to GitLab by placing them in the appropriate directory in your local repo, then upload them to the server (either by using Git commands add, commit and push, or by using the web interface.)

If you have any trouble with any of these instructions, consult a Course Tutor or Teaching Assistant during office hours for help.

Programming Assignments:

pa1: Due Wednesday January 12, 10:00pm    Extended one last time to Friday January 14, 10:00pm
pa2: Due Wednesday January 19, 10:00pm    Extended yet again to Saturday January 22, 10:00pm (last one)
pa3: Due Thursday January 27, 10:00pm     Extended again to Sunday January 30, 10:00pm (last one)
pa4: Due Thursday February 3, 10:00pm     Extended yet again to Monday February 7, 10:00pm (last one)
pa5: Due Friday February 11, 10:00pm       Extended yet again to Wednesday February 16, 10:00pm (last one)
pa6: Due Monday February 21, 10:00pm     Extended yet again to Friday February 25, 10:00pm (last one)
pa7: Due Monday February 28, 10:00pm     Extended yet again to Friday March 4, 10:00pm (last one)
pa8: Due Monday March 7, 10:00pm        Extended again to Thursday March 10, 10:00pm (last one)


UCSC Computer Accounts:

All programming assignments in this course will be tested and evaluated on the UCSC Unix Timeshare, unix.ucsc.edu. You may develop your projects on any platform, but since they will be graded on the timeshare, it is imperative that you thoroughly test all programs in that environment before submission. Grading scripts for each project will be made available by Teaching Assistant Zhihang Zhou (zzhou37@ucsc.edu). Do not fail to use these scripts when you test your projects.

The host unix.ucsc.edu provides a Linux command line environment and home directory access to multiple concurrent users. All students with an active CruzID account can access this system using their CruzID-Blue password. Follow the instructions below to log on to unix.ucsc.edu from your computing device.

Terminal access for Windows users:
Open a PowerShell or Command Prompt window. Type: ssh CruzID@unix.ucsc.edu, where CruzID is your Cruz ID (the the string before the @ in your email address), then respond with your Blue password.

Terminal access for Mac or Linux users:
Open your Terminal app. Type: ssh CruzID@unix.ucsc.edu, where CruzID is your Cruz ID (the the string before the @ in your email address), then respond with your Blue password.

The following software may be useful for development and testing of your projects

Secure File Transfer for all users:
Download and install FileZilla for your platform. (Warning to Windows users: do not download the installer found here.) Set Host to unix.ucsc.edu, Username to your CruzID, Password to your Blue Password and Port to 22, then click Quickconnect.  The left pane shows your local file system, and the right pane shows the remote file system on unix.ucsc.edu. Just drag and drop files from one pane to the other to transfer files.

Code Editors:
Notepad++ (Windows only), BBedit (Mac only), SublimeText(all platforms). There are many others.

If you have any problems installing these tools, or logging on to unix.ucsc.edu, get help from a Teaching Assistant or Course Tutor. The host unix.ic.ucsc.edu is administered by Information Technology Services.  Consult the IT Services Catalog for assistance with your account.


If you find any errors, please report them to:   ptantalo@soe.ucsc.edu