What is the nobundles feature?
Recently a new mode of handling data was added to the SDS. This mode is referred to as the "nobundles" mode, referring to the fact that it returns no session data bundles to the client when the client starts up.
A normal session flow goes as follows:
- The client launches via the jnlp
- The client requests a SAIL Config file
- The client requests the previous session data
- The user interacts with the client in a new session
- At the end of the session, the clients posts the data back to the SDS.
In nobundles mode, the flow is the same, however in step 3, the SDS purposely returns no prior session data to the client. This basically starts the user from a clean slate every time, without sacrificing the ability to save their data to the server for later analysis. One of the main needs which drove creation of this mode was the concept of an assessment – a user should have no prior work available when starting an assessment, but their data should still be saved to the server for later grading.
How do I use the nobundles mode?
The nobundles mode is accessible on any Offering in the SDS by simply changing the URL with which you run the offering. The typical url to run an offering is something like:
save data - http://rails.dev.concord.org/sds/3/offering/18360/jnlp/18176
discard data - http://rails.dev.concord.org/sds/3/offering/18360/jnlp/18176/view
These 2 modes are, respectively:
load prior sail session data, save current sail session data
load prior sail session data, don't save current sail session data
nobundles mode is a way to toggle the loading of prior sail session data. Simply append "/nobundles" to the normal jnlp url. 2 additional modes are thus:
save data - http://rails.dev.concord.org/sds/3/offering/18360/jnlp/18176/nobundles
discard data - http://rails.dev.concord.org/sds/3/offering/18360/jnlp/18176/view/nobundles
This yields 2 more modes, respectively:
don't load prior sail session data, save current sail session data
don't load prior sail session data, don't save current sail session data
No other configuration to the jnlp, curnit, offering or workgroups is necessary when using the nobundles mode.