Simple python module to download iPython Notebooks and supporting files for my students in Comp116

comp116.py

'''Comp116 support module with tools for downloading assignments, lecture notes, and exams'''

import urllib
import os
import os.path as osp
import urlparse
import json
import time

ATTEMPTS = 10

def fetchFile(url, filename):
    '''Download files to the student's working directory'''
    # make sure the destination folder (if any) exists
    dirname = osp.dirname(filename)
    if dirname and not osp.exists(dirname):
        try:
            os.makedirs(dirname)
        except:
            print 'making folder for %s failed', filename
            return False

    for i in range(ATTEMPTS):
        try:
            filename, headers = urllib.urlretrieve(url, filename)
        except IOError:
            if i < ATTEMPTS:
                print 'Cannot connect to the server, retrying'
                time.sleep(0.1 * i)
            else:
                print 'Too many attempts to contact server, failing'
                return False
        else:
            break

    return True

def fetchAllFiles(siteURL, listname):
    '''Make sure the student has all the files listed'''
    listURL = urlparse.urljoin(siteURL, listname)
    try:
        fp = urllib.urlopen(listURL)
    except:
        print 'Fetching the file list failed, are you connected to a network?'
        return False

    if fp.getcode() != 200:
        print 'The url for the file list is not valid'
        print 'code is', fp.getcode()
        print 'url is', listURL
        return False

    data = json.load(fp)

    count = 0
    for filename in data['files']:
        if not osp.exists(filename):
            fileURL = urlparse.urljoin(siteURL, filename)
            print 'fetching', filename
            if not fetchFile(fileURL, filename):
                print 'fetching files failed'
                return False
            else:
                count += 1

    if count > 0:
        print count, 'files fetched'
    else:
        print 'You have all the files that have been released'
    return True

def fetch():
    #print fetchAllFiles('http://gb.cs.unc.edu:8000/media', 'downloads.json')
    print fetchAllFiles('http://www.cs.unc.edu/Courses/comp116-s14/media/', 'downloads.json')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    fetch()

setup.py

from distutils.core import setup

setup(name="comp116",
      version='1.03',
      description='Support tools for UNC Comp 116 Spring 2014',
      author='Gary Bishop',
      author_email='[email protected]',
      url='https://www.cs.unc.edu/Courses/comp116-s14/',
      py_modules=['comp116'],
      )

To run it, paste the following lines into an empty notebook and run them.

!pip -q install http://www.cs.unc.edu/Courses/comp116-s14/media/comp116.zip
import comp116
comp116.fetch()

I think you might be able to install it directly from this gist too, if it helps.

pip install git+https://gist.github.com/8444177.git#comp116