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Frequently Asked Questions

Tech Specs & FAQs

Find answers to common questions about Codio's technical infrastructure, IDE features, grading and auto-graded assessments, LMS integration, authoring tools, templating capabilities, and download specs.

Configuration

Technical Infrastructure

What are Codio's server specifications?

Codio offers unlimited Ubuntu servers that start in a couple of seconds and can scale to fit your requirements. 

Each user gets a full working Ubuntu server with 756MB through 16GB RAM. The default memory allocation is suitable for 99% of use cases.

Do I have sudo privileges on Codio servers?

Yes, just like a regular machine, you can install any programming language, database, or component on a Codio server (what we call a "box"). 

What are the storage and memory specifications?

Our default memory allocation is adequate for 99% of use cases. However, if you need more for memory-hungry applications, you've got it. Additionally, each project can have up to 5GB of storage space with more available on request.

 
Can I run GUI applications?

Yes, teaching GUI based application development works perfectly with the Virtual Desktop.

What about GPU instances?

You can create GPU Nvidia Tesla accelerated instances for computer visualization and big data use cases.

Can I host Jupyter notebooks?

You can easily host and distribute your existing Jupyter notebooks and auto-grade student assignments with nbgrader.

Can Codio support large numbers of users? The Codio infrastructure serves students in every state and country, so we are constantly dealing with very large numbers of users and adding more every day.
Do Codio servers shut down? Codio servers automatically shut down when they are not in use and start on demand in a couple of seconds. If you don't want your server to shut down when not in use, you can use our optional Always On Box allocation.
Integrated Development Environment

Online IDE

Which browsers are supported?

Codio runs on all modern browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge, Safari, and more.

Can I create multiple code panels?

Like most powerful IDEs, you can create and destroy panels for code editing, terminal access and web page previews.

Is command line access available?

Yes, a terminal window provides access to the command line with sudo level privileges.

 
Are debugger tools available?

Yes, we have a full visual debugger with support for Java, C, C++, and NodeJS. Support for other languages can be added upon request.

What can I do with virtual desktop?

You can create GUI based applications.

 
Can I upload and download files?

The file tree is fully functional and supports drag and drop, uploading and downloading of files.

Can I still use manual grading? Yes, access manual grading features, including grading rubric and grading moderation within the IDE while reviewing student code.
Can I configure remote deployment targets? You can configure remote deployment targets and deploy your code via FTP, SFTP, SSH, or rsync.
Can I SSH in and out my Codio Box? Yes, you can SSH into your Box from your local PC and configure remote SSH servers for easy access from the command line.
Are search and replace functionalities available? Yes, full search and replace functionality including regex support is available.
Does Codio have a code beautifier?

Yes, Codio can automatically format and indent your code (some languages only).

 
How does the command bar work? Using the command bar you can access any IDE feature by typing in a search string rather than locating through menus.
Can I share access to my server?

Yes, you can give read/write/admin access to your server to other users.

Can I fork projects? Yes, you can fork another user's project, including the server stack, into your own account.
Can I restart the server?

You can reboot the server from within the IDE, which takes only about 10 seconds.

Can I export code? Yes, you can download a single file or the entire project to your local PC.
Can I upload files? Files can be uploaded from your desktop directly into the file tree.
Are QR codes available?

Yes. For web applications, generate a QR code so students can try their project out on a smartphone without typing in long URLs.

Is GIT integrated? Git is preinstalled on every Codio server. We also offer some menu shortcuts for simple operations as well as displaying the current branch name in the file tree. Your user SSH public key can also be uploaded to your Git remote using a menu.
Is syntax highlighting available? Syntax highlighting is supported for almost every language. Additional languages can be easily added.
Is Code Complete available for every language? Code Complete is language dependent.
Is intellisense supported? Javascript has full intellisense but limited support currently for other languages.
Is there emmet support? Codio offers powerful support for HTML, CSS and Javascript keyboard shortcuts.
Can I customize the look of my IDE?  Yes, we offer a number of light and dark themes to suit your preferences.
 
Can I install software shortcuts? We have a dialog driven approach to installing commonly used components with a single click without having to install yourself from the command line. We take requests for additional items.
How can I customize menus?

To prevent students from having to use the command line, add commands to a dropdown menu.

 
Can I customize settings?

Yes, there is a list of over 70 settings that customize the code editing experience.

 
How do I contact Codio support? You can contact Codio support directly from within the IDE. You can also track all support conversations, current and past.
Assessments

Grading & Auto-Grading

How do standard auto graded code tests work?

The dialog driven approach lets you create tests based on argument and stdin inputs to match expected output. You can create several tests cases for each assessment to ensure full code coverage. This caters for at least 80% of cases.

Are auto-grade code tests available?

Yes, advanced auto-grade code tests give you complete control over how your tests execute. You can use any language to script the tests and use any framework or library such as JUnit to help.

Can I use multiple choice questions in assessments?

Yes, single and multiple response MCQs are available. Codio supports negative points for incorrect answers.

Can I use fill in the blank questions with auto-grading?

Yes, fill in the blank auto-graded assessments require students to complete words or phrases in a sentence by entering text or selecting from a dropdown list, and they can be auto-graded.

 
How do free text answers work?

Free text answers are a manually graded assessment type that requires a student to enter a free text answer to a question. Grading is done from the teacher dashboard.

What is manual grading?

Manual grading allows a teacher to review a project assignment and assign a manual grade. See below for additional related features.

 
Can I use a grading rubric? Yes, Codio supports a user-definable two-dimensional matrix with grading criteria on the side and scores across the top. Weighting can be applied to both axes. This can be displayed during the manual grading process as a reference or can be clicked in to automatically calculate the grade.
Does Codio support grading moderation?

Secondary faculty members can review the grading and assign a parallel grade. These grades can be reviewed to ensure grading consistency.

Can Codio transfer codes to my LMS gradebook?

Yes, if a class is LMS enabled, grades (auto-graded and manual) can be transferred back to the LMS gradebook for the matching unit.

 
How are grades released? By default, grades are not shown to students or passed to an LMS platform. Releasing grades ensures that all grades are shown only when the teacher is ready.
When is auto-grading triggered?

Auto-grading will occur when the student has completed the assignment unit and an auto grading script is run. It can also be triggered manually by the teacher to process an entire class.

 
Integration

LMS

Can I create and manage classes?

Yes, you can create classes of students and assign content and projects.

Is LMS integration possible?

Although Codio is a superb LMS for coding in its own right, we appreciate the need to integrate with LMS platforms. Our LTI integration gives your LMS full control and covers account creation, single sign on, LMS unit mapping and grade passthrough.

How do I add my students?

You can add students to your class using either an invitation URL or using your LMS. No need to deal with complex exports and imports.

How do I add content?

You can assign any server, project or piece of tutorial content to your class with just a couple of clicks. Each student will instantly have their own cloned copy to work with exactly as you configured it.

 
Can my teaching assistants also gain access?

You can add any number of teaching assistants to a class so they can help reviewing student code, grading and other tasks.

How can I monitor student progress?

Our dashboard allows you to monitor all aspects of student progress. You can see time spent, unit scores and scores for individual assessments.

 
Can I CSV export? You are able to export all class data to a CSV file.
Can I access my students' code? This is one of Codio’s most beloved features. With a single click, you can instantly access any student’s code. You have full access to the project, so you can review, compile, run and grade the students work. It spells an end to emailing or painful aggregation of student code.
Is using plagiarism detection easy?

Our plagiarism detection capability was specially developed at Princeton University to ensure the best possible results for student programming assignments. Detection is launched across all students with a single click. No need to painstakingly aggregate code to upload it for processing.

 
What is a pin unit?

A pin unit allows you to pin a unit of teaching content to the top of the student dashboard for easy location.

 
 
What are controlled assessments?

Controlled assessments allow you to specify a start and end date and time for a teaching unit. The unit will not be accessible outside these times. Auto grading scripts can be automatically triggered upon completion.

 
Can I use a grading rubric?

Yes, you can map a grading rubric to a teaching unit to support manual grading.

 
What if I want to use a Gigabox assignment?

You will need to specify that a Gigabox (larger memory allocation) should be used for a given unit.

 
What are release grades? Release grades allow a teacher to release grades to the students and to an LMS platform.
Authoring

Curriculum Authoring

What is the Guides feature?

Codio Guides is a content and curriculum authoring tool that controls the IDE as a student navigates through the content.

 
How do I create an assessment?

All assessment types are authored in Guides. See above section for a complete list of assessment types.

 
How is curriculum organized for course management? A course is comprised of teaching assignment units that are organized into a simple hierarchy. Course materials can be assigned to a class.
Course Materials

Templating

What is a stack?

A stack is a template library that allows a snapshot to be taken of an underlying server configuration for any project. The snapshot can then be applied to new projects or replace the stack on an existing one.

 
 
What are starter packs?

Starter packs are a combination of a Stack (see above) and code. Most often used as a way of providing students instant access to a working project as a suitable starting point for the remainder of a coding exercise.

 

See how Codio helps you achieve better learning outcomes

Experience the Codio difference for yourself with a free proof-of-concept demo using your existing assignments or labs.

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