CSC/ECE 517 Fall 2023: E2367. Reimplement participants controller.rb, participants.rb and its child classes

This wiki page is for the description of changes made under E2367 OSS assignment for Fall 2023, CSC/ECE 517

Introduction

Expertiza is a prominent open-source project founded on the Ruby on Rails framework, serving as a collaborative effort between the faculty and students of NC State. This web application facilitates instructors in generating customized assignments, including both new and existing tasks. Additionally, instructors can establish a roster of topics for student enrollment. Within Expertiza, students have the ability to form teams for collaborative work on various projects and assignments. An integral aspect of the platform is the provision for students to conduct peer reviews of their peers' submissions.

Project Objectives

Overall Purpose:

The Expertiza project, built on the Ruby on Rails framework, serves as an open-source learning management system. It facilitates collaborative assignments, peer reviews, and diverse document submissions. The primary aim of this reimplemented project is to strengthen the reliability and functionality of the participant management system within Expertiza.

Overview of the Classes

participants_controller.rb:

The ParticipantsController is responsible for managing participants in an application. Participants can be associated with either "Course" or "Assignment" models. It handles actions related to creating, updating, retrieving, and deleting participants. Inherit copies existing participants from a course down to its assignment while bequeath copies existing participants from an assignment up to its course. It has two private methods namely copy_participants_from_source_to_target which copies participants from source to target and participant_params.

assignment_participant.rb:

The assignment_participant.rb is a model class that has many associations including ‘assignment’. This association signifies that an AssignmentParticipant belongs to a specific assignment. The AssignmentParticipant class includes several attributes such as avg_vol_per_round, overall_avg_vol and handle that are vital for its functionality. There are many methods present which collectively facilitate various actions and operations related to managing participants in assignments, including reviewing, copying, importing, and handling file paths and deadlines. They include review_file_path, current_stage, stage_deadline, current_user_is_reviewer, reviews, dir_path, etc. There are also a couple of methods that use digital signatures such as assign_copyright and verify_digital_signature.

course_participant.rb:

The course_participant model has a class named CourseParticipant that inherits from a class called Participant. It is used to manage participants in courses, allowing for copying participants to assignments and importing new participants into a course. It consists of three methods namely copy, import and path. Copy creates a copy of a course participant for an assignment. Path method returns the path of the course participant while self.import method is used for importing course participants by taking row_hash, session, and id as parameters.

Background of the Project

The Expertiza project involves the reimplementing of the participants_controller.rb and participants.rb files, along with their respective child classes. The previous iteration of the participant model and controller underwent reimplementations in prior semesters, resulting in tests that relied extensively on mocks and stubs due to missing components.

The participants_controller.rb file encapsulates various methods and functionalities vital to managing participants within the system. This includes actions like adding, updating, and deleting participants, inheriting participants from courses to assignments, bequeathing participants from assignments to courses, changing participant handles, viewing copyright grants, and more. The controller makes use of helper functions, associations, and delegate methods to streamline participant operations.

Meanwhile, the course_participants.rb file extends the functionality of the base participant class, focusing on operations specific to course participants. This includes copying participants to assignments, importing course participants, and defining paths for course participants within the project.

The base participant.rb file defines the fundamental structure and behavior for all participants in the system, including shared associations, delegate methods, and validations. The file incorporates methods related to participant handling, user information retrieval, email functionalities, authorization, sorting, and export functionality.

Design Decisions

participants_controller.rb:

We have reimplemented participants_controller.rb by making following changes:

1) Changed function name: The function name 'copy_participants_from_source_to_target' has been renamed to 'copy_participants' as original name was too long.

2) Improved Code Comments: The code has detailed comments for each action method, the purpose of the method and the expected parameters. The parameters for each action method are explicitly defined in comments, making it clear which parameters are expected.

3) Improved Error Handling: Exceptions are caught more specifically (e.g., StandardError) to provide better error messages.

4) Refactored delete Method: The destroy method has been refactored to use participant.delete(false) to avoid accidental deletion and provides better error handling.

5) Consistent Status Codes: The code uses consistent HTTP status codes for responses, for example, using status: :not_found for a resource not found.

6) Consistent JSON Response Format: The JSON responses are structured consistently, with keys like "model_object" and "participants," making it easier for clients to consume the API.

assignment_participant.rb:

This is the reimplemented AssignmentParticipant class. It is a subclass of the Participant class and includes additional functionalities and methods specific to participants assigned to an assignment in the system.

In the `assignment_participant.rb` class, several changes and improvements have been made to enhance the readability and maintainability of the code. Here are the specific modifications made:

1. Removed certain comments and obsolete code for better readability and clarity.

2. Introduced the safe navigation operator (`&.`) in several places to avoid nil errors, particularly in cases where object references may be nil.

3. Simplified certain methods, such as `reviewers` and `feedback`, for cleaner and more readable code.

4. Improved string formatting for directory paths and file paths to enhance readability.

5. Enhanced error handling in the `import` method to provide more informative error messages and handle exceptional cases more gracefully.

These changes aim to make the code more maintainable and concise while ensuring that the functionality and integrity of the `AssignmentParticipant` class remain intact.

course_participant.rb:

The following changes were reimplemented in the course_participant.rb

In the CourseParticipant class, several changes and improvements have been made to enhance the readability and maintainability of the code. Here are the specific modifications made:

1] The copy method has been simplified using the find_or_create_by method, which helps to find an existing record or create a new one if it doesn't exist.

2] In the import method, the find_or_create_by method has been used to both find or create a user and find or create a course participant. This helps to streamline the process and handle the cases where the records may or may not exist.

3] The path method has been refactored to use the safe navigation operator (&.) to avoid potential nil errors during the construction of the path. This ensures that the code is more robust and handles potential null references gracefully.

These changes aim to make the code more concise and readable, without compromising the functionality or integrity of the CourseParticipant class.

Testing Plan

course_participant_spec.rb:

Tests

Test No.	Description
1	Tests if a copy of the participant is created
2	Tests if copy exists then return nil
3	Tests if the record is empty then raise an error
4	Tests if the record does not have enough items then raises error
5	Tests if course with id not found
6	Tests to create course participant form record
7	Tests if csv file is created
8	Tests if option is empty if fields is empty
9	Tests if option is not empty if fields is not empty

Test Environment:

1] Ruby on Rails environment.

2] RSpec for testing.

3] Factory Bot for test data creation.

Objective:

Ensure that the new methods (copy, import, export, export_fields) in the CourseParticipant class are functioning correctly.

Test Cases:

Testing #copy method

Test Case 1: Creating a Copy

Assertion:

Calling the copy method on a CourseParticipant object should create a new instance of AssignmentParticipant.

Steps:

1] Mock the AssignmentParticipant.create method to return a new participant.

2] Mock the set_handle method.

3] Call copy with a valid assignment ID.

4] Assert that the returned value is an instance of AssignmentParticipant.

Explanation:

This test case verifies that the copy method successfully creates a new AssignmentParticipant when called on a CourseParticipant object.

Test Case 2: Returning Nil if Copy Exists

Assertion:

The copy method should return nil if a copy already exists, simulating a scenario where the participant has already been copied.

Steps:

1] Mock the AssignmentParticipant.where and AssignmentParticipant.first methods to simulate an existing participant.

2] Call copy with an assignment ID.

3] Assert that the returned value is nil.

Explanation:

This test case ensures that the copy method correctly handles the case where a copy of the participant already exists, returning nil in such situations.

Testing #import method: =

Test Case 1: Handling Empty Record

Assertion:

An error should be raised when trying to import a course participant with an empty record.

Steps:

1] Call import with an empty record.

2] Assert that an error is raised with the message "No user id has been specified."

Explanation:

This test case checks that the import method correctly identifies and handles attempts to import a course participant with insufficient data.

Test Case 2: Raises error if record does not have enough items

Assertion:

An error should be raised if the record doesn't have enough items for importing a course participant.

Steps:

1] Prepare a record with insufficient items (e.g., missing required attributes).

2] Call the import method with the prepared record.

3] Assert that an error is raised with the message "The record containing #{row[:name]} does not have enough items."

Explanation:

This test case ensures that the system correctly identifies and handles records that lack the necessary information to create a course participant.

Test Case 3: Raises error if course with id not found

Assertion:

An error should be raised when attempting to import a course participant with a non-existing course ID.

Steps:

1] Set up a scenario where the Course.find method returns nil to simulate a non-existing course.

2] Call the import method with a valid record and a non-existing course ID.

3] Assert that an error is raised with the message "The course with the id "2" was not found."

Explanation:

This test case ensures that the system handles cases where an attempt is made to import a course participant into a non-existing course.

Test Case 4: Creating Course Participant from Record

Assertion:

The import method should create a new CourseParticipant from the provided record.

Steps:

1] Mock the necessary methods for finding a course and getting the user ID.

2] Call import with a valid record.

3] Assert that the returned value is an instance of CourseParticipant.

Explanation: This test case verifies that the import method successfully creates a new CourseParticipant from the provided record.

Testing #export method:

Test Case: Checking CSV File Creation

Assertion:

Calling the export method on a CourseParticipant instance should generate a CSV file.

Steps:

1] Create a mock CSV file.

2] Call export with options and the mock CSV file.

3] Assert that the CSV file is created and contains the expected data.

Explanation:

This test case ensures that the export method functions correctly by generating a CSV file as expected.

Testing #export_fields method:

Test Case 1: Handling Empty Options

Assertion:

If options are empty, the export_fields method should return an empty array.

Steps:

1] Call export_fields with an empty options hash.

2] Assert that the returned value is an empty array.

Explanation:

This test case checks that the export_fields method behaves as expected when no options are provided.

Test Case 2: Returning Non-empty Fields for Provided Options

Assertion:

If options are provided, the export_fields method should return a non-empty array of export fields.

Steps:

1] Call export_fields with a hash of options.

2] Assert that the returned array is not empty.

Explanation: This test case validates that the export_fields method correctly generates non-empty export fields when specific options are provided.

Conclusion:

1] Ensure that all test cases pass successfully.

2] Verify that the assertions in the code are met during the testing process.

assignment_participant_spec.rb:

Tests

Test No.	Description
1	Tests if it returns the directory path of the assignment
2	Tests if it returns nil if assignment does not have a directory path
3	Tests if it returns Team as Reviewer when the Assignment is Reviewed by the Team
4	Tests if it returns Path Name of Associated Assignment Submission for the Team
5	Tests if it returns Corresponding Author Feedback Responses Given by the Current Participant
6	Tests if it returns Corresponding Peer Review Responses Given by the Current Team
7	Tests if it returns Corresponding Quiz Responses Given by the Current Participant
8	Tests if it returns Corresponding Metareview Responses Given by the Current Participant
9	Tests if it returns Corresponding Teammate Review Responses Given by the Current Participant
10	Tests if it returns Corresponding Bookmark Review Responses Given by the Current Participant

TestCase 1: #dir_path

Test Case 1: Returns the directory path of the assignment

Assertion:

The dir_path method should return the correct directory path when the assignment has a directory path.

Steps:

1] Create a test double for the assignment object.

2] Set up the test double to return a known directory path.

3] Call the dir_path method on the test double.

4] Assert that the returned value is equal to the expected directory path.

Explanation: This test case verifies that the dir_path method correctly retrieves and returns the directory path of the assignment when it exists.

Test Case 2: Returns nil if assignment does not have a directory path

Assertion: The dir_path method should return nil when the assignment does not have a directory path.

Steps:

1] Create a test double for the assignment object.

2] Set up the test double to return nil for the directory path.

3] Call the dir_path method on the test double.

4] Assert that the returned value is nil.

Explanation:

This test case ensures that the dir_path method gracefully handles the scenario where the assignment does not have a directory path, returning nil as expected.

Test Case 2: #get_reviewer

Assertion:

The get_reviewer method should return the team when the associated assignment has team reviewing enabled.

Steps:

1] Mock the team_reviewing_enabled method of the assignment to return true.

2] Mock the team method of the participant to return a specific team.

3] Call get_reviewer on the participant.

4] Assert that the returned value is equal to the expected team.

Explanation:

This test case ensures that the get_reviewer method correctly returns the team when the assignment has team reviewing enabled.

Test Case 3: #path

Assertion:

The path method should return the path name of the associated assignment submission for the team.

Steps:

1] Stub the path method of the assignment to return 'assignment780'.

2] Stub the team method of the participant to return a specific team.

3] Stub the directory_num method of the team to return 780.

4] Call path on the participant.

5] Assert that the returned value is equal to 'assignment780/780'.

Explanation: This test case ensures that the path method correctly generates the path name for the associated assignment submission for the team.

Test Case 4: #feedback

Assertion:

The feedback method should return corresponding author feedback responses given by the current participant.

Steps:

1] Stub the assessments_for method of FeedbackResponseMap to return a single response for the participant.

2] Call feedback on the participant.

3] Assert that the returned value is an array containing the response.

Explanation:

This test case verifies that the feedback method correctly retrieves and returns author feedback responses given by the current participant.

Test Case 5: #reviews

Assertion:

The reviews method should return corresponding peer review responses given by the current team.

Steps:

1] Stub the team method of the participant to return a specific team.

2] Stub the assessments_for method of ReviewResponseMap to return a specific response associated with the team.

3] Call reviews on the participant.

4] Assert that the returned value is an array containing the specified response.

Explanation:

This test case ensures that the reviews method correctly retrieves and returns peer review responses given by the current team.

Test Case 6: #quizzes_taken

Assertion:

The quizzes_taken method should return corresponding quiz responses given by the current participant.

Steps:

1] Stub the assessments_for method of QuizResponseMap to return an array containing a mock response for the participant.

2] Call quizzes_taken on the participant.

3] Assert that the returned value is an array containing the mock response.

Explanation:

This test case ensures that the quizzes_taken method correctly retrieves and returns quiz responses given by the current participant.

Test Case 7: #metareviews

Assertion:

The metareviews method should return corresponding metareview responses given by the current participant.

Steps:

1] Stub the assessments_for method of MetareviewResponseMap with a participant and return a mocked response.

2] Call metareviews on the participant.

3] Assert that the returned value is an array containing the mocked response.

Explanation:

This test case ensures that the metareviews method correctly retrieves and returns metareview responses given by the current participant.

Test Case 8: #teammate_reviews

Assertion:

The teammate_reviews method should return corresponding teammate review responses given by the current participant.

Steps:

1] Stub the assessments_for method of TeammateReviewResponseMap to return a specific response for the participant.

2] Call teammate_reviews on the participant.

3] Assert that the returned value is an array containing the specified response.

Explanation:

This test case ensures that the teammate_reviews method correctly retrieves and returns teammate review responses given by the current participant.

Test Case 9: #bookmark_reviews

Assertion:

The bookmark_reviews method should return corresponding bookmark review responses given by the current participant.

Steps:

1] Stub/mock the behavior of BookmarkRatingResponseMap.assessments_for to return a specific response for a participant.

2] Call bookmark_reviews on the participant.

3] Assert that the returned value is an array containing the mocked response.

Explanation:

This test case ensures that the bookmark_reviews method correctly retrieves and returns bookmark review responses given by the current participant.

Overall, the changes introduce more explicit control over the test environment using test doubles and provide detailed scenarios for the #assign_quiz method. These changes can improve the clarity of the tests and make them more robust by isolating them from the actual implementations and focusing on specific behaviors. In summary, the new code enhances the test coverage for the AssignmentParticipant class by introducing tests for additional methods. The detailed scenarios cover various aspects of the methods, ensuring their correctness and robustness under different conditions.

Relevant Links

Github repository: https://github.com/krishna5701/reimplementation-back-end

Pull request: https://github.com/expertiza/reimplementation-back-end/pull/49

Team

Mentor

Devashish Vachhani

Student Team

1] Krishna Patel (kpatel43@ncsu.edu)

2] Janhavi Pendse (jspendse@ncsu.edu)

3] Payal Mehta (pmehta5@ncsu.edu)