Using get_timetable()

get_timetable() returns a tree of Python objects, defined in objects.py. The root of the tree is a Sentral object.

Sentral {Custom}

This is simply a container for the other objects.

Download

Github

1. Download the latest source code.
2. Unzip the file.

Github CLI

1. Open a new terminal window/tab.
2. Change into the Downloads directory with cd Downloads
3. Run gh repo clone J-J-B-J/get-sentral to download the files.

Github Desktop

1. Open GitHub Desktop.
2. In the menu bar, click on File > Clone Repository
3. Click on the URL tab.
4. Enter J-J-B-J/get-sentral into the URL or username/repository box.
5. Click Choose... to choose where to save the repo.
6. Set the clone name to get-sentral and the path to your Downloads folder.
7. Click select.
8. Click clone.

Build & Install

1. Open a new terminal window/tab.
2. Run cd Downloads/get-sentral to enter the get-sentral directory.
3. Run python3 setup.py sdist bdist_wheel to install the package.
   N.B. If you use Python 2, use python instead of python3 above.
4. Run cd dist to enter the package directory.
5. Run find . -type f -name "*.tar.gz" to find the name of the package.
6. Run pip3 install [FILE_NAME] to install the package.
   N.B. FILE_NAME should be the result of the previous step's command. So, if you got ./SentralTimetable-0.2.tar.gz, then run pip3 install SentralTimetable-0.2.tar.gz
   N.B. If you use Python 2, use pip instead of pip3 above.

Standalone

This mode makes the program get your timetable and print out all the details, neatly formatted. This method is NOT RECOMMENDED if you plan to use this program as a library or in a project. Really the only time you should be using this mode is for testing.

Code editor

1. Open the get-sentral directory in your favourite code editor, like PyCharm.
   N.B. If you use a JetBrains product, the project is already set up for you.
2. Run one of the files in the /examples directory

Terminal

1. Open a new terminal tab/window.
2. Run cd Downloads/get-sentral/examples
3. Run python3 Print\ Data.py or python3 Set\ Journal.py to run the program.
   N.B. If you use Python 2, use python instead of python3 above.

In an external Python program

To use this mode, use:

import SentralTimetable
SentralTimetable.get_timetable()

Using get_timetable() returns the data as a Sentral() object. See the top of this page for details on this object, or see objects.py.

You can also use the following code to set the daily journal:

import SentralTimetable
SentralTimetable.set_journal("Hello! this is my daily journal entry for   ")

Parameters

This is the simplest way of setting the variables. Simply pass them into the function, like so:

Environment Variables

Set environment variables using one of the following:

• Terminal
• JetBrains apps
• os.putenv()

The environment variables are as follows:

• "USER_NAME"
• "PASSWORD"
• "URL"
• "DEBUG" - Set to "True" or "False"
• "TIMEOUT" - Set to an integer that has been formatted as a string, e.g. "15"

For example, use the following code before calling get_timetable():

os.putenv("USER_NAME", "andy.griffiths1")
os.putenv("PASSWORD", "TerryIsAnIdiot")
os.putenv("URL", "https://yarravalleygrammar.sentral.com.au/portal/dashboard")
os.putenv("DEBUG", "False")
os.putenv("TIMEOUT", "15")

.json file

This method uses a .json file to store a dictionary of credentials.

1. Create a new file in the project directory called Sentral_Details.json
2. Create a ditionary in the file using {}
3. Fill the dictionary with the following keys and values:
   • "USERNAME" - Your school username
   • "PASSWORD" - Your school password
   • "URL" - Your school's sentral url
   • "DEBUG" - Weather or not to debug the program - set to true or false
   • "TIMEOUT" - Time to give the page to load before raising an error - set to an integer such as 15
   For example, set the contents of the .json file to:
   
   

   {
       "USERNAME": "andy.griffiths1",
       "PASSWORD": "TerryIsAnIdiot",
       "URL": "https://yarravalleygrammar.sentral.com.au/portal/dashboard",
       "DEBUG": false,
       "TIMEOUT": 15
   }

input()

If you do not enter the credentials in one of the above methods, the program will automatically ask for the credentials using the input() function.

Advantages & Disadvantages