• any bugfixes or project updates will be posted here

To continue to cultivate your problem solving skills, and to demonstrate your basic scripting skills for task automation.

We're now onto our third glorious puzzlebox of the semester; each one commanding the respect of more and more of your observational, critical thinking, and abstraction skills.

Be sure you stop and reflect upon the particular actions you go through, as well as realizations you have while accomplishing the puzzle: it is insights like these that lead to explosive growth in your abilities.

I've gotten a few more questions directed my way. Still perhaps a bit on the timid side. Please: I love questions- the more you ask and explore and realize, the happier that makes me. Even if you think it is an obvious or stupid question. What's the worst that can happen? I don't reply? Seriously- don't struggle thinking you have to figure it out on your own. I mean, you are to do all your own work, but please include asking me questions or consulting with a tutor as baseline aspects of helping you to figure this stuff out.

NOT doing that is actually quite limiting for your progress.

This week's project is located in the pbx2/ sub-directory of the UNIX Public Directory, under a directory by the name of your username, in a file called (unoriginally): pbx2.zip

Make a copy into your home directory somewhere and set to work.

NOTE: Hopefully it has been standard practice to locate project files in their own unique subdirectory, such as under src/unix/, where you can then add/commit/push the results to your repository (you ARE regularly putting stuff in your repository, aren't you?)

As with the first puzzle box, you are on your own. Use your skills, your observations, and your experiences gained to unravel this new puzzle.

Be observant, explore ideas, read about and learn how to use various tools (both familiar, but in potentially new/different ways, as well as entirely new tools).

Your pbx2steps file is expected to be an operational script that will fully automate the project (from initial copy/creation of local project data directories right up until, but not including, the final submit line).

As such, you are expected to make use of various shell features, such as:

• absolute, relative paths
• wildcards
• variables
• I/O redirection
• any applicable pipes
• comments

These features will also serve to simplify your script, allowing it to be cleaner and less error-prone.

The final file, when correctly unscrambled and assembled, can be verified by generating its md5sum hash.

This hash should match the hash stored inside the MANIFEST file located in the project directory (in the public directory).

In addition to the file produced during the completion of this project, I would also like for you to create a detailed step-by-step text file called pbx2steps which includes the valid command-lines that will document for me the steps you took from project commencement through completion. You will submit this file at the end in accordance with the instructions.

When you see an ordered english-readable file with ASCII art in it, you have reached the conclusion of the unraveling.

To successfully complete this project, the following criteria must be met:

• Submit your pbx2.results file
• Submit your pbx2steps file

To submit this program to me using the submit tool, run the following command at your lab46 prompt:

$ submit unix pbx2 pbx2.results pbx2steps
Submitting unix project "pbx2":
    -> pbx2.results(OK)
    -> pbx2steps(OK)

SUCCESSFULLY SUBMITTED

You should get some sort of confirmation indicating successful submission if all went according to plan. If not, check for typos and or locational mismatches.

I'll be evaluating the project based on the following criteria:

52:pbx2:final tally of results (52/52)
*:pbx2:submitted pbx2.results file via submit tool [4/4]
*:pbx2:submitted pbx2steps file via submit tool [4/4]
*:pbx2:pbx2.results and pbx2steps pushed to lab46 repository [4/4]
*:pbx2:pbx2.results is correctly unscrambled and assembled [4/4]
*:pbx2:pbx2.results md5sum matches project MANIFEST [4/4]
*:pbx2:pbx2steps has valid list of non-interactive instructions [4/4]
*:pbx2:pbx2steps uses shell features like wildcards, IO redir [4/4]
*:pbx2:pbx2steps contains comments explaining process [4/4]
*:pbx2:pbx2steps sets up local project directories [4/4]
*:pbx2:pbx2steps copy data files with with absolute path [4/4]
*:pbx2:pbx2steps all other paths are relative [4/4]
*:pbx2:pbx2steps automates the project when executed [4/4]
*:pbx2:pbx2steps only outputs user-generated messages [4/4]