pgp08/12/2019

Project1-Part 2-GitVS

Retrieving Assignments using Visual Studio 2019 and GitHub, on Windows10


Summary of steps
Common Problems
Sample HomePage
Troubleshooting



This is a continuaton of Project 1.
You must have created and published your website per Part 1 before you can proceed to Part 2.


Below here is part 2, how to retrieve subsequent assignments, and possible error messages.

During the semester you will obtain course assignments (Formative, Summative, Project Reports...) by retrieving them from a GitHub repository.
This will provide you with the tools and experience (Git, Team Explorer, Visual Studio) that are being used by organizations to work together more effectively.
Note that Professor Paulson controls release of all assignments, just as your supervisor or team lead would do in an IT environment.
Due dates for all assignments can be found in D2L.
Typically the assignment will be made available on the 'eprofessor' GitHub repository the Sunday or Monday before it is due.


 

Retrieving Assignments
  1. Course assignments are retrieved by following these steps.
  2. Open your course solution in Visual Studio. (Note it will be in a location such as C:\Users\MyStarID\Source\Repos\MyCourse
  3. In Team Explorer click the 'Connections' icon, then make sure the appropriate GitHub repo is in bold, so that you are working with the correct repository, below is shown MIS202.
    check Git Hub repo Check GitHub Repo

  4. In Team Explorer click the Home icon, click Sync to find if any new or updated assignments are available.
    obtain assignmentsSync and Check For Assignments

  5. Under Incoming Commits press Fetch.
    fetch assignmentsFetch Assignments

  6. If an assignment or change is available, there will be a number in parentheses after Incoming Commits indicating the number of files to be retrieved.
    fetch assignmentsFetch Assignments

  7. Under Incoming Commits Press Pull and in a few minutes a message will appear that the repository has been updated.
    pull assignmentsPull Assignments


  8. In the top toolbar of Solution Explorer press the Refresh button and the new assignment will appear.
    refresh
  9. Open your home page, default.html, and double click to select the assignment just retrieved.
    From the menu choose Format>Convert to hyperlink and browse to and select the assignment file(Formative01.html shown
    hyperlink assignmentsHyperlink Assignments

  10. From the menu choose Build>Publish website to send all files to your website. (alternatively just publish changed files individually)



  1. Completing Assignments- type your answer in the 'Value' field located in the Properties Window (if Properties Window does not show up from the menu choose View>Properties Window
  2. You will complete the rest of your Assignment that contain questions followed by text fields in this way.
  3. For questions that require you to submit a file or make a screen shot:
    1. First complete the assignment using Excel, Access, VB....
    2. Save the file with the required file name.
    3. Place a copy of this file in the required folder.
      This is very important, failure to organize your files will cause problems during assignment submission.
      A primary objective of all Professor Paulson's courses is to improve your technology skills.
      Following these directions is very important so that you develop skills that former students will tell you have been incredibly valuable in their careers.
  4. Make sure to save your work frequently.
  5. When you are finished go to File>Save to save your work.

  6. Assignment Screen Shots
    Use the Snipping Tool, by clicking the Start button and typing in "snip" to find it! Or do the following series of steps...
    If you are asked for a screen shot remember the following tips
    1. Pressing the ‘Fn+PrtScrn’(Mac may be different) button copies all contents of your screen/monitor to the clipboard.
    2. Pressing ‘Fn+Alt + PrtScrn’ (Mac may be different) copies only the contents of the active window to the clipboard.
    3. Place the cursor at the location in your assignment where you want to place the image, and press Ctrl+V or choose Edit>Paste and the screen shot will appear-or your 'Snip' will appear. (If the 'Image Optimization' dialog box appears click 'OK').
    4. Choose File / Save.  Choose the appropriate assignment folder to save to.  Use the suggested file name (example:  Ex1). 
      Choose .png or .jpg as file type.  Click Save.


End of Project 1 Part 2



Following material is for troubleshooting purposes

  1. Local Website Check
    1. With your assignment solution open in Visual Studio, press the green triangle next to 'IIS Express' in the toolbar.
    2. In a few minutes the selected browser will open, showing a local copy of your website in directory-listing mode.
    3. Use this as a way to check all local website functionality, correcting any errors.
    4. Viewing your local website is for trouble-shooting purposes only!
      Remember Professor Paulson cannot view the local copy of your website, only the copy on classes.winona.edu
  2. Website Publishing
  3. - note that you can Publish your entire website, or just selected files.
    Note: 8/17/2018 VS2017 15.8.0 File System Publishing of selected files is not available. You must publish entire site. Microsoft is working on a fix.
    1. Make sure you are logged onto the WSU network.  If off campus first establish a VPN connection.
    2. Open Visual Studio – make sure your website is displayed. 
    3. If you are opening Visual Studio and your website is not open- you will find your web site from using the menu, select File>Open>Web site...  Click on your site’s name from the Local IIS choices, and then click on Open.  
    4. To publish, from the menu select Build>Publish Web App, make sure you have the correct course website listed, and click on 'Publish'. 
    5. It is a good idea to check the 'Web Publish Activitiy' Output window to make sure that publishing was successful and there were no errors or warnings.
      web publish success
    6. alternative: From the menu refer to Project>Publish " " to publish a specific file.
    7. alternative: From the menu choose Website>Copy Web Site... in order to move around specific files
    8. warning: if your website does not publish your updated files, you may need to publish individual files or folders
  4. Internet Website Check
      1. In your browser navigate to:  http://classes.winona.edu/<YearTerm + CourseID>/<UserName>/
    1. Your ‘default.htm’ web page should display.
    2. Verify that each assignment hyperlink works correctly, i.e. displays the proper page on your website.
      If not, you must return to Visual Studio and correct your hyperlinks.
    3. You must check your email hyperlink for proper operation by clicking on it while viewing it in your browser.
    4.  You are strongly advised to use Outlook for your email program. It will be autoconfigured when you start it up while you are logged onto the WSU network.
    5. If the email hyperlink does not work correctly, that is, does not open Outlook with an email addressed to your webmail account, with a carbon copy (cc:) to my email account, and the proper subject line-then go back to step 6 and review and fix any problems.
    6. When satisfied that your website is correct, and your email hyperlink is correctly formatted, click on the email hyperlink. Outlook should start up and create a new email that is addressed to you, with a cc: to me.
    7. In the body of the email type "I have finished my Project 1 website and everything appears to work OK."
    8. Press the send button.
    9. Verify that you have successfully received this email in your WSU email account.
    10. Do not worry if you send this email several times.
    11. Realize that the copy of this email is your proof of completing this assignment on time. If it does not work correctly, or a copy is not sent to me, you have not proven that your assignment is complete.
    12. Each time you do an assignment, make sure to check for proper operation of the hyperlinks on your website home page (default.htm), and that your assignment and all the screen shots are functioning properly. Remember that if you make any changes to a assignment or screen shot, you must republish those files. Then you must make sure to recheck the website, using your browser. Be aware that you may need to press the F5/Refresh button to view the latest file. Sometimes you may need to repeatedly press Ctrl+F5. Alternatively, you can set your browser to request a new web page each time you view a url.
      Refer to the table below.
      Internet Explorer: Tools>Internet Options>Browsing History>Settings Firefox: Tools>Options>Privacy, choose "Never remember history"
      browser cache

  1. Submit Assignment Pages
    1. The submit button is on each assignment page. Your assignment is not considered done until you have completed the submission process and received confirmation of your submission.
    2. If not already at your homepage:

                              i.      Open your browser and navigate to: https://classes.winona.edu/<YearTerm + CourseID>/<UserName>/.

                             ii.      Your ‘default.htm’ webpage should display.

                            iii.      Navigate to your Summativexx page.

                            iv.      Make sure that your assignment is completed.  Check that screen shots display properly, all answers are completed, and your name and assignment information is filled in.  If not, go back to Visual Studio and complete or correct any problems or errors.

                             v.      When you are satisfied with your assignment, click the Submit button to submit your assignment.

                             vi.      You will see a confirmation page telling you that your assignment was submitted.  There will be a lot of other info on there that you probably will not understand – just ignore.  It is a good idea to save this confirmation page.  Click File>Save As….  Choose an appropriate folder to store these pages.  A possibility is Libraries\Documents\<Course>\ConfirmationPages\

If instead of a confirmation page you see a warning or error message, then your assignment did not submit and you will not receive credit for it. Save a copy of the page containing the warning/error. If you cannot figure out what went wrong (such as not being connected to the Internet), then email this page to the instructor before the assignment is due. Make sure the email subject line contains at least the course, section and wording "Assignment Submission Problem".

                            vii.      Click on the Homepage hyperlink to go back to the professors's website… or click the Back icon in the menu to go back to yours.

  1. Assignment Inquiry – Review what assignment you have already submitted and when it was submitted.
    1. On https://eprofessor.azurewebsites.net click on Inquiries>Assignment Submissions.
    2. You will need to enter your Last Name and your StarID; and select the proper semester, class and section.
    3. Press the ‘List Submissions!’ button.
    4. You will see what you submitted and when.  This is handy if you cannot remember what you have done so far for the class or to make sure your assignment was turned in on time!

  2. Submit your URL – You will use a FORM to do this.
    1. These steps need to be done only once at the start of the semester.  If for some reason you change the URL to your website (name change or submitting a new social security number will cause a username change) make sure to notify your professor.  See if they want you to repeat this step.
    2. Using your broswer, navigate to the form used to submit your URL to Professor Paulson- it is at this location
    3. The name of the form is Studentwebs Assignment Website URL Submission Form.
    4. Fill out form with the term, campus, class, your last name, your first name, your StarID (also use the StarID for assignment and attendance) and your website address.  You will fill out this form the normal way by just clicking in the fields and entering your information.
    5. Press the SUBMIT button.
    6. Your will receive a confirmation page telling you that your website URL was submitted successfully.  It will also tell you the time and date you submitted it.
    7. Next make sure that the url that you submitted works by going to the form shown below, entering your  last name and StarID, and then click on 'Check URL'.  Your assignment website home page should be displayed.  If not, I cannot see it either, and there is a problem with your website.  You must correct any problems!
      URL Inquiry

  3. URLInquiry – Confirm that your website URL has been submitted correctly.
    1. On https://eprofessor.azurewebsites.net click on Inquiries>Website URL.
    2. You will need to enter your Last Name and your username.
    3. Press ‘Get URL!’ button.
    4. You will see what you submitted and when.  Check to make sure information is correct.  If you are in multiple classes with Professor Paulson, information for all your websites will be listed.
    5. Click on Check URL in the Hyperlink column.  This should display your home directory for your website.  If you get a 'page not found' type of message there is something wrong with the URL that you submitted. Recheck your information and resubmit your url. Or stop by Somsen 207 and ask one of the STARs for assistance. Or see Professor Paulson.
  1. Summary-Completing Assignments- Completing an assignment consists of the following steps.
    1. Making sure you have downloaded the assignment from the proper GitHub repository.  See Step 7.
    2. Completing the assignment.  See steps 9,10, 11 and 12.
    3. Publishing your assignment.  See step 13.
    4. Verifying your assignment.  See step 14.
    5. Submitting your assignment.  See step 15 and 16.
  1. Recomnended care and maintenance-
    1. Add links to your browser toolbar to access your studentwebs site quicker.
    2. Make periodic backups of your website using One Drive for Business.
    3. Create another website to experiment with and learn about the technology (such as 'studentwebs')

----- Common Assignment Website Problems ------

  1. Wrong class/section- The most common mistake is that students do not change from the default MIS999 class when submitting their url.  See 17.d.
  2. Incorrect email hyperlink- Another common mistake is that students do not create the correct email hyperlink on their assignment website home page. See step 6.
  3. Change to username- If you obtain a new WSU network username (<UserName>) during the semester, this can cause problems.  Reciving a new network username will occur if you submit a name change to WSU, or if you submit a social security number.  If you are going to do either, make sure to have a complete and accurate backup copy of your website.  There can be problems accessing your new network accounts and website. Having a backup copy of the website will allow you to get your assignment website installed at its new location very quickly and conveniently.  Please notify me of either of these events, because I will have to change your assignment website home page in my database.
  4. Exceed disk space- If you have had more than one class with me, or you publish a lot of materials to your studentwebs site, you may run out of web storage space. As a precaution only publish Assignment assignments to your website. Do not use it for general purpose storage, otherwise you will exceed your disk quota. When this happens, you will no longer be able to connect and/or publish Assignment to the server. The error message that you receive will in no way reflect this fact, it is very ambiguous!
  5. Hard drive re-imaged- If your hard drive is re-imaged you may lose your Visual Studio website settings.You then must reconfigure your website by repeating step 1.
  6. Incorrect screen shot hyperlinks- If you see this image in either Visual Studio, or while viewing your assignment page from the studentwebs server (NOT from your local machine), there is something wrong with the way you inserted the image into your page.  Review step 10.
    page does not exist at this location

  7. Password change - If you see a password error message:

    It is most likely because you recently changed your network password or username.



  8. Directory Listing Denied?-You hyperlinked to a folder and not to a file.
    Check out the status bar in your browser.
    If you hyperlinked to a folder, the file extension (.htm, .png) will not be displayed.
    If you hyperlink to a folder which does not contain a file named index.htm or default.htm (like your hompage), you will receive one of the following errors, depending on the browser you are using.

    access denied IE6

    access deniedIE 7

    Directory listing denied FireFox2


    Try it, Click Here!

    Solution: See step 11.i.
    Make sure you are linking to a file-usually it will have an extension of .htm; but some assignments require you to link to .exe; .xls or other files.
    Also note that you will not get this error if you link to a folder that contains a file named index.htm or default.htm
    Those files are automatically displayed instead.
    Here is an example. Default.htm

  9. Page Note Found- Most likely there is an error in your file or path name.
    page not foundIE8



  10. Assignment Submission Problem- if you press the submit button and receive this message, there are network or server problems beyond your or my control.
    Please send a copy of the message via email to alert me as soon as possible.
    SQL error


  11. Cannot upload files to the network. There are several reasons why you may encounter the following error, most likely you are trying to upload/publish files from off campus and you did not first start up the VPN. Or your network access was revoked(unlikely), or there is something wrong with the WSU network (also unlikely). Possible solutions-start up VPN, click to map drives, try again, reboot, try again.

  12. --- Trouble Shooting Tips ---

  13. Chris Pederick's Web Developer toolbar is a valuable web page troubleshooting add-on for Firefox. It is a great way to quickly verify that your hyperlinks are correct. (Information> Display Link Details)

This section contains information that may be added in future versions of this Project.


Commit your Changes!
  1. Once your website is working correctly, return to Visual Studio.
  2. In Team Explorer click the Home icon, then select 'Changes'.  In the text box where you are asked to enter a commit message, type 'initial commit' and press 'Commit All'
     initial commit