msoe.edu > OP > Instructions

Contents

• Setting Up Your Laptop
• Using Intellij for Java Projects
• Using BlueJ for Java Projects
• Using Java from the Command Line
• Using Microsoft Visual Studio for C++ Projects
• Using Spyder for Python Projects
• Using Anaconda for Python Projects
• Finding Data Files
• Submitting Programs

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Setting Up Your Laptop

MSOE Laptops

1. Click on the "Sign in" button on the welcome screen. No password is needed.
2. Laptops have been configured to access wireless network "MSOE-Guest". Ensure you are connected to this network.

Note: Occasionally, the laptop may ask if you want to download and install various updates. You should always decline these prompts.

Team-Supplied Laptops

Connect to the Wi-Fi network "MSOE-Guest." No password is needed. Teams in the ITC will connect to DirectSupplyGuest with password bettywhite.

Note: All file locations discussed in these instructions are recommendations, not requirements. You may set up the projects and files in any fashion you choose. The contents of the laptop are not visible to the judges. Only the source files that you submit via the scoring website will be used for evaluation.

Using Intellij for Java Projects

1. Double-click the IntelliJ icon on the desktop.
2. In the Welcome panel, click on New Project in the upper right.
3. Ensure Java is selected, change the Name to practice, and click Create. When working on problems, you will use names like Problem1, Problem2, etc. For the project location, browse to a convenient folder such as your Documents folder.
4. You will see an initial program. You can run this if you like, but you will want to change its name as discussed in the next step. If IntelliJ asks about excluding folders from Microsoft Defender, you can answer yes, but either answer works fine.
5. Important: the class and file will be named Main.java. You must change this so judges know what problem is being solved. Right click on the class name (right after public class), select Refactor and then Rename..., and rename the Main class to Practice. For solutions to problems, use the names Problem1, Problem2, etc. Doing this will also change the filename, which is good since the judge will use that to know which problem is being solved.
6. Click on any of the green arrows to run your program. You will see a console output window with your text on it. If prompted, select Run 'Main'.
7. Modify and re-run the program until it is adequately tested and works on all cases.
8. Select Save All from the File menu.
9. Follow the instructions at Submitting Programs for Judging to submit your solution.

IntelliJ Notes

• Red squiggles mark source code errors. You can hover your mouse over the text to get an error message or click on the Problems tab at the bottom of the screen to see a full list of issues.
• You can use the same project for all of your solutions, just naming them Problem1, Problem2, and so on. Each will have its own main, and you can use the drop-down next to the green arrow in the upper right to control which solution is being run.
• When a problem will be opening a data file, be sure the data file is in the "top level" project directory; this is a directory that will contain src as a subdirectory

Using BlueJ for Java Projects

BlueJ is provided for teams that prefer it.

1. Double-click the BlueJ icon on the desktop.
2. Project | New Project...
3. Enter "C:\BlueJProjects\" in the Location name field.
4. Enter probN (e.g., "prob3") in the Name field.
5. Click "OK"
6. Click New Class...
7. Enter "ProbN" for the name.
8. Click "OK".
9. Double-click the "probN" block icon. This will open an edit window for your program.
10. Add the declaration for main():

        public static void main(String[] args) {
        }
    

    It is important to add this since it is required for judges running your program.
11. Write your program. For practice, greet the user:

           System.out.println("Hello from MSOE!");
    

12. Click "Compile". If there are errors, fix them and recompile.
13. To run program, right-click on the block icon in the project screen. Select void main(String[] args) from the menu. Click "Ok" to specify no arguments. A console window will appear with your program's output and will accept your keyboard input.
14. When you are satisfied, select Project | Close
15. Follow the instructions at Submitting Programs for Judging to submit your solution. Note, if you followed these instructions, your source file will be located at C:\BlueJProjects\[project name]\[class name].java. This is the file to submit for judging.

Using Java from the Command Line

The Java command line compiler and JVM are available for those who prefer that environment.

1. Double-click the Notepad++ icon on the desktop. This is a good, light-weight text editor for Java code. It will start with a new blank file. Select File | Save As and navigate to C:\JavaCode and save the file with a name such as ProbN.java where N is the problem you are working on.
2. Enter your Java program. Make sure there is a main method, since that is where the judge will start your program. See Hello.java for an example.
3. When you are ready to test your program, save the file. You may close Notepad++ or leave it open.
4. Use the Windows Start button to open a Command Prompt.
5. Change directory to C:\JavaCode:

           cd C:\JavaCode
   

6. Compile the program by running the compiler: javac ProbN.java
   If errors are found, fix them by editing the source file.
7. Run the program: java ProbN
8. Follow the instructions at Submitting Programs for Judging to submit your solution. Your source file will be located at C:\JavaCode\[class name].java. This is the file to submit for judging.

Using Microsoft Visual Studio Code for C++

1. Click on the Visual Studio Code icon on the taskbar.
2. Select File | New File... and enter a file name such as "prob1.cpp". VSCode will prompt you for a location, select C:\cpp. Other problems will be "prob2.cpp", etc.
3. Create a main and write your code. See hello.cpp for an example.
4. Find the open triangle ▷ in the upper right corner and downarrow just to its right. Select Run C/C++ File. There will be a prompt at the top of the screen saying "Select a debug configuration". Pick the option "C/C++: g++.exe build and debug active file". If there are any errors, click on the PROBLEMS tab to review them. Recompile after fixing them.
5. The program will run in the TERMINAL tab. Correct any errors and run until it is working.
6. When you are ready for your program to be judged, follow the instructions at Submitting Programs for Judging to submit your solution. If you followed these instructions, the file you should submit will be located at C:\cpp\[name].cpp.

Using Spyder for Python Projects

1. Click on the Spyder icon on the desk top.
2. Click on File|Save As..., browse to C:\PythonCode, and save the file with the name of the problem such as "prob1.py" or "prob2.py".
3. Enter the program.
4. Click on the green arrow at the top to run your program. The output will show up in the Console window in the lower right.
5. Follow the instructions at Submitting Programs for Judging to submit your solution.

Using Anaconda for Python Projects

1. Use Notepad++ or another text editor to edit your Python source code. Save it in C:\PythonCode\. It is recommended that you use filenames like prob5.py.
2. Run "Anaconda Prompt" from the desktop.
3. Change to the python code directory:

           cd \PythonCode
   

4. Run your code; for example, python prob5.py
5. If your leading whitespace is a mixture of tabs and spaces, you may violate Python formatting rules. In Notepad++, select Edit|Blank Operations|Tab to Space (or "Space to Tab (Leading)") to clean up the formatting.
6. Follow the instructions at Submitting Programs for Judging to submit your solution.

Finding Data Files

Some of the programming problems in this competition require data files. These files should be present in the folder specified below in order to be found when the program runs. All required files will be available from this link. When you click a particular file on this page, if your browser displays the file rather than opening the download dialog, then go Back to the data page, right-click the file name and select the Save link [or target] as... option. Complete the Save as dialog box to save the file in the project folder and click Save to save the file. Data files must be used exactly as they are provided and/or described in the problem statement. You may not add or remove lines or reformat the contest. The same format will be used when scoring. DO NOT cut and paste the files from the browser window; use the Save link feature to ensure that you get the entire file in its proper form.

Where to store your data files

• Java with IntelliJ: in the top directory of your project, the directory that contains your src directory.
• Java with BlueJ: in the project subdirectory, C:\BlueJProjects\prob7\data.txt
• C++: in the source subdirectory, C:\cpp\data.txt
• Java from the Command Line: in the source subdirectory, C:\JavaCode\data.txt
• Python using Spyder or Anaconda: in the source subdirectory, C:\PythonCode\data.txt

Note: All file locations discussed in these instructions are recommendations, not requirements. You may set up the projects and files in any fashion you choose. The contents of the laptop are not visible to the judges. Only the source files that you submit via the scoring website will be used for evaluation.

Take care with file extensions

When saving a data file, Windows sometimes adds an extra extension. For example, input.txt actually gets saved as input.txt.txt, making it hard for your program to find the file it needs. If your computer isn't configured to show these extensions, do the following if you have a Windows11 laptop:

1. Open File Explorer
2. Select View | Show > | File name extensions

For Windows 10 laptops:

1. Search for "Folder Options" on the start menu and select the resulting shortcut.
2. Select the "View" tab.
3. Clear the box for the option Hide extensions for known file types. This will be about half-way down the list.
4. Click Ok.

Submitting Programs for Judging

Using the competition management website

NOTE: You will not be able to submit solutions until the contest starts. But read through these directions so that you can submit when the time comes.

1. Visit msoeopcomp.org.
2. Click on New User.
3. Enter the Username you received when you registered. Note this is different than your school name. Pick a reasonably good password: two randomly chosen words work well. Click Set Password Make sure you write the password somewhere safe! It can be reset, but it will take time.
   
4. You can click on the Standings tab to view standings across all teams. However, the standings should be displayed from a public computer where you can see them. A good hint is to look at solving problems many other teams have already solved!
5. To submit, click on the Home tab and click on the small error at the right end of the box for the problem you wish to submit.
   Practice: there is a practice tool built into the submittal system. Click on the Hello World problem and submit a trivial source file. The language is not important - judges will not see these solutions. Click on the Submit button; the system will respond with an "incorrect solution" message. This is to show you the appearance of an incorrect solution message. Resubmit, and this time the system will automatically mark your solution as correct. NOTE: this is the only place where the system responds automatically. The real solutions are judged by hand and any response is entered manually.
6. During the contest, when you have a solution to a problem you will repeat the above for that problem, clicking on choose File to select the source code file (e.g., prob1.java) to submit from your C:\ drive.
7. Click on the green Submit button.
8. Once it is scored, you will see a small red circle if it failed or a green checkbox if it passed. You can click on the arrow to view the feedback.
9. You may see a small white box at the top of the screen next to the Announcements tab. This indicates a new announcement; browse to the Announcements tab to view it.

You can resubmit solutions, but note that you lose points for each incorrect solution you submit. Let a student worker know if you have additional questions about why a submission was incorrect.