TeachWhat! is a desktop app for tutors to manage their schedule, students and lessons, optimized for use via a Command Line Interface (CLI) while still having the benefits of a Graphical User Interface (GUI). If you can type fast, TeachWhat! can get your tuition management tasks done faster than traditional GUI apps.

Quick start

  1. Ensure you have Java 11 or above installed in your Computer.

  2. Download the latest TeachWhat.jar from here.

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

  4. To start TeachWhat!

OS How to start TeachWhat!
Windows Double-click the TeachWhat jar file.
Mac On Terminal, go to the directory where the TeachWhat jar file is and do
java -jar TeachWhat.jar
  • The GUI similar to the one shown below should appear in a few seconds. Note how the app contains some sample data.
    Ui

  • Type the command in the command box and press Enter to execute it. e.g. Execute help to open the help window.
    Some example commands you can try:

    • listlessons : Lists all lessons.

    • liststudents : Lists all students.

    • student <STUDENT_ID> : Displays the details of the student with the provided STUDENT_ID.

    • exit : Exits the app.

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

Features

:information_source: Notes about the command format:

  • Words in <UPPER_CASE> are the parameters to be supplied by the user.
    • e.g. in addstudent -n <NAME>, <NAME> is a parameter which can be used as addstudent -n John Doe.
  • Words in [SQUARE BRACKETS] are parameters that are optional and supplied by the user.
    • e.g. in the command editstudent INDEX [-n NAME] [-p PHONE]..., [-n NAME] and [-p PHONE] are optional parameters.
  • Parameters can be in any order.
    • e.g. if the command specifies -n <LESSON_NAME> -d <DATE/START_DATE> -t <START_TIME>,
      -d <DATE / START_DATE> -t <START_TIME> -n <lesson_NAME> is also acceptable.
  • Where <STUDENT_ID> and <LESSON_ID> are mentioned, they are with referring to the index number of the student or lesson in the viewable lists.
    • eg. If a find command is used, and the viewable list changes to a filtered one, <STUDENT_ID> and <LESSON_ID> would refer to the index in the new viewable list.
  • Duplicate prefixes are not allowed unless explicitly stated.
    • e.g. assign -s 1 -l 1 -l 2 is not allowed as there are two -l prefixes present in the command.
  • Where <START_TIME> is required, the application requires the 24-hour time format.
    • e.g. 6pm would be 18:00
  • When a <DATE> needs to be specified, it should have the format DD-MM-YYYY.
    • e.g. 21st March 2022 should have entered as 21-03-2022.
  • In each Feature description, the command word section will tell you what the command words are for each command. You may see more than one command word for a command, the second one being the shorter command for more advanced users.
  • Integer refers to a maximum value of 2147483647.

Viewing a student

Displays the details for the student with the specified student ID.

Command word: student

Format: student <STUDENT_ID>

Examples: student 3 displays the details of the student with STUDENT_ID of 3.

Viewing a lesson

Displays the details for the lesson with the specified lesson ID.

Command word: lesson

Format: lesson <LESSON_ID>

Example: lesson 3 displays the details of the lesson with LESSON_ID of 3.

Viewing all students

Command word: liststudents / ls

Example: liststudents would display a list of all the students that a tutor has.

Viewing all lessons

Command word: listlessons / ll

Example: listlessons would display a list of all the lessons that a tutor has.

Adding a student

Adds a student to TeachWhat!

Command word: addstudent / as

Format: addstudent -n <NAME> -p <PHONE_NO> [-e EMAIL] [-a ADDRESS] [-t TAG]

Example: addstudent -n James -p 999 -e jamesboyo@gmail.com -a 34 Lor 11 Geylang -t hardworking -t small

Adds a student with the following attributes:

  • name: James
  • phone: 999
  • email: jamesboyo@gmail.com
  • address: 34 Lor 11 Geylang
  • tags: hardworking, small

:information_source: Note that:

  • The address, email and tag are optional and can be omitted so that the tutor only keeps the most vital information which is the student’s name and phone number.
  • There can be multiple tags assigned to one student, as demonstrated in the example above.
  • Student name cannot contain all numbers.
  • Student name is limited to 50 alphanumeric characters with spaces allowed.
  • Phone number is limited to 20 digits.
  • Address is limited to 100 characters.
  • Email is limited to 100 characters.
  • Tags are limited to 30 alphanumeric characters with no spaces allowed.

Editing a Student

Edits an existing student in TeachWhat!.

Command word: editstudent / es

Format: editstudent <STUDENT_ID> [-n NAME] [-p PHONE_NO] [-e EMAIL] [-a ADDRESS] [-t TAG]

Example: editstudent 2 -n Sammy -p 123 -t codinggod -t extrageeky -t extrahansum

Suppose the student with the <STUDENT_ID> of 2 is “Sammy boyo”. The edit command above will cause the changes shown.

Before After
Name: Sammy boyo
Phone no.: 911
Email: sam@gmail.com
Address: 123 West Coast road
Tags: geeky, hansum		 Name: Sammy boyo
Phone no.: 123
Email: sam@gmail.com
Address: 123 West Coast road
Tags: codinggod, extrageeky, extrahansum

:information_source: Note that:

  • At least one prefix must be given to edit the student.
  • If tags are provided, all existing tags will be replaced with the new tags.

Deleting a student

Deletes a student from TeachWhat!

Command word: rmstudent / rms

Format: rmstudent <STUDENT_ID>

Example: rmstudent 13

Adding a lesson

Adds a lesson to TeachWhat!

Command word: addlesson / al

Format: addlesson [-r] -n <LESSON_NAME> -d <DATE_OF_LESSON> -t <STARTING_TIME> [-h DURATION_OF_LESSON_IN_HOURS] [-m DURATION_OF_LESSON_IN_MINUTES] [-s LESSON_SUBJECT] [-a ADDRESS_OF_LESSON]

:bulb: Adding Recurring Lessons: To specify that the lesson added is recurring on a weekly-basis, simply specify -r in your command! If it is a temporary lesson, simply leave it out.
Duration: At least one of the optional prefixes -m or -h must be used to specify the duration of the lesson.

:information_source: Note that:

  • The subject and address are optional fields and can be omitted so that the tutor only keeps the most vital information of the lesson.
  • Lesson durations cannot be greater than 24 hours!
  • You can use -h and -m together to specify a more precise duration
  • Lesson name is limited to 50 alphanumeric characters with spaces allowed.
  • Address is limited to 100 characters.

Example: addlesson -r -n Biology group 1 -s Biology -a Blk 11 Ang Mo Kio Street 74, #11-04 -d 27-02-2022 -t 18:00 -h 1 -m 50

Adds a recurring lesson with the following attributes:

  • name: Biology group 1
  • subject: Biology
  • where the lesson is conducted: Blk 11 Ang Mo Kio Street 74, # 11-04
  • on date: 27 February 2022
  • starting at: 6pm
  • duration: 1 hour and 50 minutes

:exclamation: Conflicting Lessons:
If you have any existing lessons that clash with the one that you’re trying to add, TeachWhat! will not add this lesson. In this scenario, TeachWhat! will show you a warning message and also a list of such conflicting lessons.

:bulb: Tip:
If you still want to add this lesson, use rmlesson to remove the list of conflicting lessons shown before proceeding to add the new lesson.

Editing a Lesson

Edits an existing lesson in TeachWhat!.

Command word: editlesson / el

Format: editlesson <LESSON_ID> [-n LESSON_NAME] [-s SUBJECT] [-a ADDRESS_OF_LESSON] [-d DATE_OF_LESSON] [-t STARTING_TIME] [-h DURATION_OF_LESSON_IN_HOURS] [-m DURATION_OF_LESSON_IN_MINUTES]

Example: editlesson 2 -n Bio Make Up Session -t 17:00 -h 2

Suppose the lesson with <LESSON_ID> of 2 is “Biology group 1”. The edit command will cause the changes shown below.

Before After
Name: Biology group 1
Subject: Biology
Address: Blk 11 Ang Mo Kio Street 74, #11-04
Date: 27 February 2022
Start Time: 6pm
Duration: 1h 50mins		 Name: Bio Make Up Session
Subject: Biology
Address: Blk 11 Ang Mo Kio Street 74, # 11-04
Date: 27 February 2022
Start Time: 5pm
Duration: 2hrs

:information_source: Note that:

  • Editing of the lesson’s type is not allowed. Recurring lessons cannot be edited to become temporary lessons and vice-versa.
  • You can use -h and -m together to specify a more precise duration.
  • If you are changing the lesson’s duration, take note that durations of the lesson cannot be greater than 24 hours!

Deleting a lesson

Deletes the specified lesson from the list of lessons.

Command word: rmlesson / rml

Format: rmlesson <LESSON_ID>

Example: listlessons to list the lessons and display their LESSON_ID, followed by rmlesson 5 to delete the lesson with the id 5.

:information_source: Note that:

  • Deletes the lesson with the specified LESSON_ID.
  • The LESSON_ID corresponds to the number in the displayed lesson list.
  • The LESSON_ID must be a positive integer.

Assigning a student to a lesson

Assigns the specified student to the specified lesson.

Command word: assign

Format: assign -s <STUDENT_ID> -l <LESSON_ID>

Example: liststudents followed by assign -s 5 -l 11 assigns the student with <STUDENT_ID> of 5 to the lesson with <LESSON_ID> of 11.

Unassigning a student to a lesson

Unssigns the specified student from the specified lesson.

Command word: unassign

Format: unassign -s <STUDENT_ID> -l <LESSON_ID>

Example: liststudents followed by unassign -s 5 -l 11 unassigns the student with <STUDENT_ID> of 5 to the lesson with <LESSON_ID> of 11.

Finding a Student

Displays the students whose names or tags contain the input provided.

Command word: findstudents / fs

Format: findstudents <FIND_CRITERIA>

Examples: findstudents alex friends searches the student list for students whose names or tags contain the keyword “alex” or “friends”.

Finding a Lesson

Displays the lessons whose names or subjects contain the any of the keywords provided.

Command word: findlessons / fl

Format: findlessons <FIND_CRITERIA>

Examples: findlesson biology searches the lesson list for lessons with names or subjects that contain the keyword “biology”.

Clearing all entries

Clears and deletes all lessons and students from TeachWhat!

Format: clear -f

:information_source: Note that:
To prevent accidental deletion on your entire list, it is mandatory for you to include -f with the command (confirmation).

Remember to include -f when typing this command!

:exclamation: Caution:
THIS WILL WIPE YOUR ENTIRE LESSON AND STUDENT LIST!

Help

Opens a pop-up that gives you a link to the User guide.

Format: help

:bulb: Tip:
Alternatively, you can press F1 to open the pop-up.

Viewing previous commands

View previously typed commands in the command text box.

While typing in the command text box, you can use

  • ↑ key to go back in history and
  • ↓ key to go forward in history

:information_source: Note that:
Newly executed commands would be added to the history as you use TeachWhat!.

Exit

Closes TeachWhat! window.

Format: exit

FAQ

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

Q: Why are both student and lesson lists empty?
A: This is most probably due to data in the respective files that holds the data for students and lessons.

To guard against the possibility of you being misled by corrupted data, TeachWhat! will wipe all data and start from scratch if any error is found in the data files for students or lessons.

An example of such an error would be conflicting lessons being found in the data file that holds lessons.

Command summary

Action Format, Examples
Add Student addstudent <NAME> e.g. addstudent sammy boyo
Add lesson addlesson <LESSON_TYPE> -n <LESSON_NAME> -s <SUBJECT> -a <ADDRESS_OF_LESSON> -d <DATE_OF_LESSON> -t <STARTING_TIME> -h <DURATION_OF_LESSON_IN_HOURS> -m <DURATION_OF_LESSON_IN_MINUTES>
Delete Student rmstudent <STUDENT_ID> e.g. rmstudent 13
Delete lesson rmlesson <LESSON_ID> e.g.rmlesson 5
Edit Student editstudent <STUDENT_ID> -n <NAME> -p <PHONE_NO> -e <EMAIL> -a <ADDRESS> -t <TAG>
Edit lesson editlesson <LESSON_ID> -n <LESSON_NAME> -s <SUBJECT> -a <ADDRESS_OF_LESSON> -d <DATE_OF_LESSON> -t <STARTING_TIME> -h <DURATION_OF_LESSON_IN_HOURS> -m <DURATION_OF_LESSON_IN_MINUTES>
Assign Student assign -s <STUDENT_ID> -l <LESSON_ID> e.g.assign -s 5 -l 11
Unassign Student unassign -s <STUDENT_ID> -l <LESSON_ID> e.g.unassign -s 5 -l 11
List Students liststudents
List lesson listlessons
View Student student <STUDENT_ID> e.g. student 5
View lesson lesson <LESSON_ID> e.g. lesson 2
Find Student findlesson <FIND_CRITERIA>
Find Lesson findstudent <FIND_CRITERIA>
Clearing all entries clear -f
Help help
Exit exit