Compsci 101, Fall 2012, Python Snarfing

Sometimes it is useful to be able to download starter code (e.g., .py files) or data files or Python libraries specific to a project you're doing for class. We've built this functionality into our Ambient Eclipse plugin. You can accomplish the same ends by simply downloading and importing into Eclipse, but the Ambient snarf plugin makes it easy to create a project from starter files we provide --- snarf only works when you're connected to the Internet.

You can select snarf/download either from the Ambient menu or from the Eclipse toolbar as shown below:

snarf toolbar icon

After selecting the snarf/download you'll see the Snarfer Site Browser Eclipse window displayed, typically at the bottom of your Eclipse application. The picture below shows how this might appear on your computer.

snarfer window

If you right-click with the cursor in the snarfer window you'll get a menu (see picture above) asking for either a new snarf site or to refresh existing sites. The first time you click you'll need to add a new site. The URL is specific to a course and to a semester. We're using the URL below in Fall 2010 for Compsci 6/101. 


  http://www.cs.duke.edu/courses/cps006/fall10/snarf

This will populate the Snarfer Site Browser panel/window with assignments, labs, and so on that are specific to a course. Here's the setup at the beginning of the semester when only one assignment is ready for snarfing:

snarf panel display

Double clicking on the assignment you want to download/snarf/install will bring up a series of menus. Typically you just click on the default choice and things work: you've snarfed starter code for a project in your Compsci course at Duke!