Code Against the Clock: Creating the class hunter

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Hey there! Welcome to “Code Against the Clock,” blog series where I’ll reveal how I turned my most boring tasks into streamlined, time-saving machines. I’ll share the exact steps I took to automate these chores and the cool tricks I discovered along the way. Ready to see how you can save time and make life a bit more exciting? Let’s dive in and get your tasks on autopilot!

The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Turning Point

Who can forget the sudden halt in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill? Schools and colleges closed, and virtual classes became the new norm. As a college student, I was expected to attend online classes, but I had other commitments that couldn’t be ignored. My family needed my assistance during the lockdown, and spending hours staring at a computer screen wasn’t an option.

That’s when I decided to take matters into my own hands. I had recently started learning Node.js, and I saw an opportunity to use my newfound skills to automate my virtual classes. Why not, right? I was already spending hours writing code, so why not write it in a way that would do all the class attendance for me?

Discovering Puppeteer

During my research, I stumbled upon Puppeteer, a powerful tool that can be used with Node.js to automate browser functions. It was the perfect solution for my problem, as I could create a script that would launch a browser, log into my online classroom portal, and attend classes on my behalf.

Breaking Down the Problem

Before I started coding, I needed to break down the problem into smaller, manageable tasks. I came up with an algorithm that would guide my script’s logic:

The Algorithm

  1. Find Present Class: Identify the current class schedule and find the next class to attend.
  2. Start Browser: Launch a new browser instance using Puppeteer.
  3. Login: Determine the login method: use stored cookies to authenticate or sign in with Google.
  4. Open Class: Navigate to the online class platform and join the class.
  5. Check Number of Students: Verify the number of students in the class. If the student count is greater than a configured count, join the class.
  6. Leave Class (if necessary): If there are no students in the class, leave the class.
  7. Find Next Class Time and Join: Schedule the next class attendance based on the class schedule.
  8. Restart: Repeat the process for the next class.

The Result

It took me just a day to complete the project, and I started using it for my online classes. The feeling of automating a tedious task was incredibly empowering!

You can find the code here