Signing up

Follow these steps to setup an account on Autolab:

1. Go to this page and click on the Sign in with MyUB link . A new account will automatically be created for you.
2. By default, AutoLab will use your official UB first and last name. If you have a different preferred name, please let us know ASAP.
3. We will have leader boards for all the programming assignments. For anonymity, all students are identified by their chosen nicknames. So please make sure you pick an appropriate one (you can change your nickname at any point of time).
4. After you have done the above steps, you wait.

What happens next

Here are the steps that we need to take at our end:

1. We will upload a list of UB emails of students registered in the course (students cannot register themselves in a course). After that, you can just login into AutoLab using MyUB and you should see the CSE 331 course.
2. If you turned in your syllabus form, you will be added to the Y section. Otherwise you will be added to the N section.
3. Whenever you submit your form, you should be moved to the Y section: if this does not happen within two days of you submitting the form, you should send us a reminder.
4. I will only release the grades for section Y.

In the steady state

Here are the various things to keep in mind once you are successfully added to the course on Autolab:

1. Once you log in to the system (after creating your account), you will see all the courses for which you have been registered. CSE 331 should appear with the description CSE 331: Introduction to Algorithm Design (f17).
2. Once you go to the course web page for CSE 331, you will see a list of pending homeworks. To begin with you should one box for Homework 0 and one link each for Question 1 and another for Question 2. (You will need to click on each Question and submit your solution on the corresponding page.) As you move along in the semester, you will also see completed assignments/homeworks.
3. For each homework, there will be three question for each homework.
4. The interface is reasonably intuitive but make sure you explore and make yourself comfortable with the interface- you will be spending quality time with it this semester!
5. For the autograded question, to see the feedback you will need to click on any of your scores.

VirtualBox VM Image

To ensure that all library dependencies required by the homeworks are resolved and that versions are what they should be, we have created a virtual machine image to be used with VirtualBox. This image uses Ubuntu 16.04 and has all the correct versions and dependencies. By default the image uses 2GB of RAM and 10GB of disk space, however this can be changed in the VM settings on VirtualBox.

Installation Instructions

To install VirtualBox and add the VM image do the following:

1. Download Oracle VM VirtualBox from here
2. Download the Ubuntu CSE331 VM image
3. Install and start Oracle VM VirtualBox
4. In VirtualBox:
   1. Select File
   2. Select Import Appliance
   3. Select the Ubuntu CSE331 VM image and Continue
   4. Select Import

Now that VirtualBox is installed and the VM has been created, it can be started by selecting the VM in VIrtualBox and selecting Start.

Autolab Walkthrough

Version of programming languages on Autolab

Java

Openjdk version "1.8.0_131"
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_131-8u131-b11-2ubuntu1.16.04.3-b11)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.131-b11, mixed mode)

Python

Python 3.5.2

C++

To be added soon

Frequently Asked Questions

• How often can I submit my answer for any question on Autolab? + -
  You can submit as many times as you want before the deadline. Autolab will take your latest score for Q1, and we'll grade your latest submission for Q2 and Q3.
• How can I look at the feedback I receive on Autolab? + -
  For question 1, you can click on any of the scores for a submission (usually available within a few minutes). For question 2, the grades and feedback will be released manually and you'll be notified by a Piazza post. Once the grades are released, you'll be able to open your submitted file and look at the grader's feedback.
• Why can't I see my printouts in the Autolab feedback? + -
  Print statements are disabled on Autolab for security reasons. However, You can print and run your code locally before submitting to Autolab.
• How can I tell if my code is timing out on Autolab? + -
  Autolab feedback will let you know if your code exceeds a threshold time for a testcase. However, if your code exceeds the global 180 second time limit (for all testcases), then the feedback maybe cut off. In that case, it is recommended that you submit your code to run on fewer testcases to figure out the bottleneck.
• What do the textfields MaxInputs, Sources, and Collaborators mean? + -
  MaxInputs is only relevant to the first question, where you can specify the number of testcases you want the Grader to test your code on (for partial credit). This is especially useful if your code times out if you run it on all 10 inputs. Sources and Collaborators applies to all assignments and their use is outlined on the Homework Policy page.

Java Specific

• How do I import my project to Eclipse? + -
  Select 'File' > 'Open Projects from File System...' then select the directory you wish to open.
• How do I run my project with arguments in Eclipse? + -
  Right click the Class you wish to run (in 331's case it will be Driver) and select 'Run As' > 'Run Configurations' and the Run Configurations window will open. Make sure that in the left column of the window the desired class is selected under 'Java Applications'. Select the 'Arguments' tab, then write any arguments in the 'Program Arguments' box you would like to include, then click 'Apply' (arguments should be seperated by spaces).