Table of Contents

Introduction

Welcome to the TeachBook User Guide!

If you are a primary or secondary school teacher who is using TeachBook, or just someone who wants to find out more about what TeachBook can do, you are at the right place.

In this user guide, you will find step-by-step instructions on how you can install TeachBook and a guide on how to use all of its features.

What is TeachBook?

TeachBook is a desktop app for primary and secondary school teachers to manage student contacts, optimized for use via a Command Line Interface (CLI) while still having the benefits of a Graphical User Interface (GUI). It is targeted towards teachers who can type fast. It allows teachers to store and organise contacts related to their students into different classes.

How to use this guide?

As this user guide is created for users with varying levels of experience using the app, it is divided into different sections, so feel free to navigate to the portion of interest using our handy Table of Contents provided above.

  • If you are a new user who is using TeachBook for the first time, you can follow the Quick Start on how to get TeachBook running on your system for the first time.

  • If you are an intermediate user who is facing some issues with TeachBook, you can go to the FAQs section to see if your issues have already been addressed. If not, feel free to reach out to us, and we will respond promptly.

  • If you are an experienced user who can’t remember the extensive list of features that TeachBook provides, you can jump to the Command Summary section or the Features section if you want to find out more.

There are 3 symbols that you need to know in order to use this user guide effectively, and they are :information_source:, :bulb: and :exclamation:. Refer to the table below for more information.

Symbol Meaning
:information_source: additional information that we feel that you ought to know
:bulb: a tip (e.g. shortcut or hidden features) which you can follow to enhance your experience using TeachBook
:exclamation: a caution you have to take to prevent any unwanted results

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Quick Start

  1. Ensure you have Java 11 or above installed on your computer.

  2. Download the latest TeachBook-v1.4.0.jar from here.

  3. Copy the file to the folder you want to use as the home folder for your TeachBook.

  4. Double-click the file to start the app. The GUI similar to the below should appear in a few seconds. Note how the app contains some sample data.

    Ui

  5. Type the command in the command box and press Enter to execute it. For example, typing help and pressing Enter will open the help window.

    Some example commands you can try:

    • select4E2 : Displays all the students from the class named 4E2.

    • delete2 : Deletes the 2nd student shown in the list on the right.

    • addClass4E4 : Adds a new class named 4E4 to the TeachBook.

    • clear : Clears all existing data.

    • exit : Exits the app.

  6. Refer to the Features below for details of each command.

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Graphical User Interface

In this section, we will be guiding you through the different sections of TeachBook’s Graphical User Interface (GUI). There are a total of 5 different sections according to the image of our GUI below (highlighted in red) and they are the:

  • Menu Bar
  • Command Box (Place for you to type in the command)
  • Result Display (Place where the result of the command will be displayed)
  • Class List (Place where you can see the list of classes that you have added)
  • Student List (Place where you can see the list of students that you have added)

GUI

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Features

:information_source: Notes about the command format:

  • Words in UPPER_CASE are the parameters to be supplied by the user.
    e.g. in add n/NAME, NAME is a parameter that can be used as add n/Jane Doe.

  • The parameter INDEX refers to the index number currently shown in the student list, and it must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …

  • Items in square brackets are optional.
    e.g. n/NAME [t/TAG] can be used as n/Joseph Chan t/class monitor or as n/Joseph Chan.

  • Items in square brackets with … after them can be used multiple times including zero times.
    e.g. [t/TAG]… can be used as   (i.e. 0 times), t/friend, t/friend t/family etc.

  • Items outside square brackets with … after them can be used multiple times but at least once.
    e.g. INDEX… can be used as 1, 2 3, 1 4 5 9 etc.

  • Items separated by || means only one of the partitioned items should be supplied.
    e.g. sort name||grade can be used as either sort name or sort grade, but not sort name grade.

  • If a command accepts more than one parameter (i.e. word in UPPER_CASE), parameters can be in any order. However, this does not apply to the parameter INDEX, which should always be specified before others.
    e.g. if the command specifies n/NAME p/PHONE_NUMBER, p/PHONE_NUMBER n/NAME is also acceptable.

  • If a parameter is expected only once in the command, but you specified it multiple times, only the last occurrence of the parameter will be taken.
    e.g. if you specify p/12341234 p/56785678, only p/56785678 will be taken.

  • Extraneous parameters for commands that do not take in parameters (such as help, exit, and clear) will be ignored.
    e.g. if the command specifies help 123, it will be interpreted as help.

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Basic features

Viewing help : help

You can use this command to get a link back to this user guide whenever you are in need of assistance.

Format: help

help message Fig 1: Help window popup when help command is executed


Clearing all entries : clear

You can use this command to delete all classes and students, and reset the grading system of the TeachBook, giving you a fresh TeachBook to work with.

Format: clear

:bulb: Tip: Don’t forget that TeachBook provides an undo feature if you accidentally clear all the data!

Undoing a command : undo

You can use this command to revert the TeachBook to the previous state. You most likely will be using this command if you have made a mistake.

Format: undo

:information_source: Info:

  • If a command executed results in an error message, nothing in the TeachBook will change, hence you do not have to undo it.
  • Commands that do not cause any changes in data or display cannot be undone (e.g. print, help, etc.).


Redoing a command: redo

You can use this command to redo a command after using an undo command if you undid it accidentally.

Format: redo


Exiting the program : exit

You can use this command to exit TeachBook. There is no need to save any data manually.

Format: exit

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Adding a class : addClass

You can use this command to add a new class into TeachBook. After this, you can start organising the class by adding students inside.

Format: addClass CLASS_NAME

  • Adds the class with the specified CLASS_NAME.
  • The CLASS_NAME is case and space sensitive and should not be already inside the TeachBook.

Examples:

  • addClass 4E4 adds a class named 4E4 into the TeachBook.

addClass Fig 2: Class 4E4 is added after addClass 4E4 is executed

Deleting a class : deleteClass

You can use this command to delete a class currently in TeachBook. All the students in the class will also be deleted. With this command, you can easily delete a whole class without the need to delete individual students.

Format: deleteClass CLASS_NAME

  • Deletes the class with the specified CLASS_NAME.
  • The CLASS_NAME is case and space sensitive and should be inside the TeachBook.

Examples:

  • deleteClass 4E4 deletes the class named 4E4 from the TeachBook.

deleteClass Fig 3: Class 4E4 added in addClass is deleted after deleteClass 4E4 is executed


Selecting a class : select

You can use this command to navigate to a class so that you can view students in that class.

Format: select CLASS_NAME

  • Navigates to the class with the specified CLASS_NAME.
  • The CLASS_NAME is case and space sensitive and should be inside the TeachBook.
:information_source: Info: The currently selected class is highlighted in blue in the class list.
:information_source: Info: We are currently working on a new feature that allows you to select a class by its index so that you will not need to type out the entire class name!

Example:

  • select 4E2 selects the class named 4E2 in the TeachBook.

select_example Fig 5: Class 4E2 is highlighted in blue with its students list displayed after select 4E2 is executed

Editing a class name : editClass

You can use this command to make changes to the class name of the currently selected class, if you have made a spelling mistake or if you just want to change the class name.

Format: editClass CLASS_NAME

  • Edits the name of the currently selected class to the specified CLASS_NAME
  • The CLASS_NAME is case and space sensitive and should not be already inside the TeachBook.

Examples:

  • editClass 4E5 edits the name of the currently selected class to be 4E5.

editClass Fig 4: Class 4E4 added in addClass is now named 4E5 after editClass 4E5 is executed

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Adding a student : add

You can use this command to add a new student to the currently selected class so that you can start storing contacts.

Format: add n/NAME [p/PHONE_NUMBER] [e/EMAIL] [a/ADDRESS] [t/TAG]…

  • A class should be selected before adding a student.
  • Everything is optional except for the name of the student.
  • The NAME is case and space sensitive and should not be already inside the class.
  • You can add multiple tags by adding more t/ flags.
:bulb: Tip: A student can have any number of tags (including 0)
:bulb: Tip: If you have multiple students with the same name in a class (although unlikely), you can use different capitalization or different spacing in the names.

Examples:

  • add n/John Doe adds a student named John Doe into the currently selected class.
  • add n/Jane Doe p/91234567 e/janedoe@example.com a/21 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119077 t/class monitor adds contact information of Jane Doe with all the optional information into the currently selected class.

add Fig 6: Student Jane Doe is added into Class 4E1 after the second example command above is executed


Deleting a student : delete

You can use this command to remove the student from the TeachBook, if you have added a student to the wrong class or when the student is no longer in the class.

Format: delete INDEX…||all

  • delete INDEX… deletes the students at the specified INDEXs.
  • delete all deletes all the students currently displayed in the student list.
:information_source: Info: We are currently working on a new feature that allows you to move a student to another class so that you will not need to delete and add the student!

Examples:

  • list all followed by delete 2 3 deletes the 2nd and 3rd students in the TeachBook.
  • find John followed by delete 1 deletes the 1st student in the results of the find command.
  • select 4E2 followed by delete all deletes all the students in class 4E2.

delete Fig 7: Student Jane Doe added in add is removed from Class 4E1 after delete 3 is executed


Editing a student : edit

You can use this command to edit students’ information at any time if there are any changes.

Format: edit INDEX [n/NAME] [p/PHONE_NUMBER] [e/EMAIL] [a/ADDRESS] [t/TAG]…

  • Edits the information of the student at the specified INDEX.
  • At least one field to edit must be specified.
  • Existing values will be overwritten by input values.
:bulb: Tip: You can clear a field by omitting the value after the prefix.
:exclamation: Caution: Tags cannot be replaced individually. For example, if the current tags of the student at index 1 are class monitor and excellent grade, calling edit 1 t/allergic to seafood will clear the original tags class monitor and excellent grade, resulting in the student having only one tag allergic to seafood.

Examples:

  • edit 1 p/91234567 e/johndoe@example.com edits the phone number and email address of the 1st student shown in the list to be 91234567 and johndoe@example.com respectively.
  • edit 3 n/Joseph Chan t/ edits the name of the 3rd student shown in the list to be Joseph Chan and clears all existing tags.

edit Fig 8: Student Jane Doe added in add, has been renamed to Joseph Chan with no tags after edit 3 n/Joseph Chan t/ is executed


Locating students by name : find

You can use this command to search for students with the specified keywords in their names, instead of scrolling through the whole list of students to find a specific student which is often time-consuming.

Format: find KEYWORD…

  • The search is case-insensitive e.g. john, JOHN or JoHn will match John.
  • The order of the keywords does not matter e.g. Doe John will match John Doe.
  • Only the name is searched.
  • Only full words will be matched e.g. John will not match Johnny.
  • Students matching at least one keyword will be listed (i.e. OR search) e.g. find John Doe will return John Deer, Jane Doe.

Examples:

  • find Jane Doe returns only one Jane Doe from the currently selected class, even if there is another Jane Doe from a different class.
  • list all followed by find John Doe returns two John Doe, assuming that there are two John Doe in the entire TeachBook from different classes.

find Fig 9: Student Jane Doe added in add is displayed in the student list after find Jane Doe is executed


Adding remark to a student : remark

You can use this command to add any special notes to your students.

Format: remark INDEX r/[REMARK]

  • Adds the specified REMARK to the student at the specified INDEX.

Example:

  • remark 3 r/Contracted COVID-19 adds a remark to the 3rd student that he/she has contracted COVID-19.
  • remark 1 r/ clears previously added remark of the 1st student.

remark Fig 10: Student Jane Doe added in add is displayed with remark Contracted COVID-19 after remark 3 r/Contracted COVID-19 is executed

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Setting a grading system : setGrade

You can use this command to implement your own grading system as grading systems might differ as the semester/subject changes, in order to grade your students accordingly.

Format: setGrade GRADE_1[>GRADE_2]…

  • Grades are set in descending order, from the highest to the lowest grade, separated by >.
:information_source: Info: TeachBook currently only accepts one grading system at the same time. If there is already a system in use, you need to first reset the grading system using the reset command before setting a new one.

Example:

  • setGrade A>B>C>D sets the grading system where A is the highest grade and D is the lowest grade.

setGrade
Fig 11: New grading system is set after setGrade A>B>C>D is executed

Giving grade to a student : grade

You can use this command to assign grades to your students.

Format: grade INDEX…||all g/[GRADE]

  • A grading system should already exist in the TeachBook.
  • GRADE must be from the previously set grading system.
  • grade INDEX… g/GRADE gives the specified GRADE to the students at the specified INDEXs.
  • grade all g/GRADE gives the specified GRADE to all the students currently displayed in the student list.

Example:

  • grade 1 g/B gives the 1st student a B grade.
  • grade 2 4 5 g/A gives the 2nd, 4th, and 5th students an A grade.
  • grade all g/A gives an A grade to all the students currently displayed in the student list.
  • grade 1 g/ clears any grade of the 1st student.

Grade Fig 12: All students in Class 4E1 are given an A grade after grade all g/A is executed

Resetting grading system : resetGrade

You can use this command to wipe out an existing grading system before setting a new one, because TeachBook can only incorporate at most 1 grading system at any time.

Format: resetGrade

:exclamation: Caution: All students’ grades will be cleared!

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Marking the attendance of a student : mark

You can use this command to mark your students as present. The present checkbox will turn green with a tick indicating successful marking of attendance.

Format: mark INDEX…||all

  • mark INDEX… marks the students at the specified INDEXs present.
  • mark all marks all the students currently displayed in the student list present.

:information_source: Info: This command will result in all the students in the list being shown. For example, if you execute list absent to filter out all absent students and want to mark attendance one by one, it may not work as expected because, after every mark, the list will no longer contain all absent students. As a result, we recommend marking the attendance of multiple students at once.

:bulb: Tip: After marking, you can generate the attendance list with the print c/attendance command. You might also want to check out the print command for more columns available to be added.

Examples:

  • mark 3 marks the 3rd student present.
  • mark 2 3 4 marks the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th students as present.
  • mark all marks all the students currently displayed in the student list present.

mark Fig 13: Student Jane Doe added in add is displayed with a green checkbox with a tick after mark 3 is executed


Un-marking the attendance of a student : unmark

You can use this command to mark your students as absent. The present checkbox will turn red indicating successful un-marking of attendance.

Format: unmark INDEX…||all

  • unmark INDEX… marks the students at the specified INDEXs as absent.
  • unmark all marks all the students currently displayed in the student list as absent.
:bulb: Tip: Before taking attendance for a new event, you can execute list followed by unmark all to clear the attendance of all students.

Examples:

  • unmark 3 marks the 3rd student as absent.
  • unmark 2 3 4 marks the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th students as absent.
  • unmark all marks all the students currently displayed in the student list as absent.

unmark Fig 14: Student Jane Doe, who was previously marked as present, is now marked as absent and is displayed with a red checkbox after unmark 3 is executed

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Utility features

Printing to Excel : print

You can use this command to generate an Excel (.xls) file containing students in the student list currently displayed with customized columns.

Format: print [c/class] [c/phone] [c/email] [c/address] [c/tags] [c/remark] [c/attendance] [c/grade] [c/COLUMN_TITLE]…

  • The first column always consists of the names of the students.
  • Columns with special names as in the format will be populated with the respective information of the students.
  • You can add one or more empty columns with the specified COLUMN_TITLEs.

:information_source: Info: Putting an empty column title (i.e. c/ ) will give you an empty column.

:bulb: Tip: This command helps you to obtain a physical copy of the student list for administrative tasks.

Examples:

  • print c/class c/email c/Signature creates an Excel file with four columns: student name column, class column, email column, and an empty column with title Signature. excel Fig 15: Excel sheet generated from TeachBook after print c/class c/email c/Signature is executed

Sorting students : sort

You can use this command to sort the student list according to either their name or grade because an unorganized student list is a pain to see.

Format: sort name||grade

  • sort name reorders students according to their name.
  • sort grade reorders students according to their grade in descending order.
  • Sorting by grade requires a grading system to be in place in the TeachBook.

:information_source: Info:

  • When there is a currently selected class, sort will sort the entire student list of the class, not just the displayed student list.
  • sort followed by list all will not sort individual class’s student list.
:exclamation: Caution: TeachBook currently does not store the order in which students are added to each class. This means you may not be able to restore the list to the order in which students are originally added.

Examples:

  • select 4E2 followed by sort name sorts the students in class 4E2 according to their name.
  • list all followed by sort grade sorts all the students in the TeachBook according to their grade but will not reorder each class’s student list.

Listing all students : list

You can use this command to list all the (absent) students from the currently selected class or the entire TeachBook.

Format: list [all||absent]

  • list shows all the students in the current student list.
  • list all lists all the students from all the classes.
  • list absent lists all the students in the current student list whose attendance status is unmarked.
  • When students from different classes are shown, each student’s class is displayed in the top right corner of the student.
:information_source: Info: list all should be interpreted as a way to unselect the currently selected class. Therefore, in order to view the original list after calling list all followed by other commands like list absent, list all won’t take you back to the original list, you should not use list all as there is already no class selected. Instead, the list command should be used to take you back to the original list by listing out all the students from all the classes as no class is selected.

list all Fig 16: All students in the TeachBook are displayed after list all is executed

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Others

Saving the data

TeachBook data are saved in the hard disk automatically after any command that changes the data. There is no need to save manually.


Editing the data file

TeachBook data are saved as a JSON file [JAR file location]/data/teachbook.json. Advanced users are welcome to update data directly by editing that data file.

:exclamation: Caution: If your changes to the data file make its format invalid, TeachBook will discard all data and start with an empty data file at the next run.

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FAQs

Q: How do I transfer my data to another computer?
A: Install the app on the other computer and overwrite the empty data file it creates with the file that contains the data of your previous TeachBook.

Q: Where does the Excel file save to after using the print command?
A: It will be saved to your computer’s download folder. A detailed file path is also given in the command result after the print command is executed.

Q: There seems to be a lag after some commands. What can I do?
A: Close any background programs or applications which are not in use on your computer.

Q: When performing tasks on classes (e.g. deleting or selecting a class), I find it cumbersome to type the class name all the time. Can I select it by the index?
A: Currently, it is still not possible. We have heard your feedback and are currently working on it to add this feature in. Do keep a lookout for our next update!

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Command Summary

Action Format, Examples
Help help
Clear all data clear
Undo previous command undo
Redo previous command redo
Exit exit
Add class addClass CLASS_NAME
e.g., addClass 4E4
Delete class deleteClass CLASS_NAME
e.g., deleteClass 4E4
Select class select CLASS_NAME
e.g., select 4E2
Edit class editClass CLASS_NAME
e.g., editClass 4E5
Add student add n/NAME [p/PHONE_NUMBER] [e/EMAIL] [a/ADDRESS] [t/TAG]…
e.g., add n/Jane Doe p/91234567 e/janedoe@example.com a/21 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119077 t/class monitor
Delete student delete INDEX…||all
e.g., delete 1
Edit student edit INDEX [n/NAME] [p/PHONE_NUMBER] [e/EMAIL] [a/ADDRESS] [t/TAG]…
e.g., edit 2 n/Joseph Chan t/
Find student find KEYWORD…
e.g., find James Jake
Add remark to student remark INDEX r/[REMARK]
e.g., remark 1 r/Contracted COVID-19
Set grading system setGrade GRADE_1[>GRADE_2]…
e.g., setGrade A>B>C>D
Give grade to student grade INDEX…||all g/[GRADE]
e.g., grade 3 g/A
Reset grading system resetGrade
Mark student attendance mark INDEX…||all
e.g., mark 1 2 3
Un-mark student attendance unmark INDEX…||all
e.g., unmark 1 2 3
Print data as Excel file print [c/class] [c/phone] [c/email] [c/address] [c/tags] [c/remark] [c/attendance] [c/grade] [c/COLUMN_TITLE]…
e.g., print c/class c/email c/Signature
Sort students sort name||grade
List students list [all||absent]

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