INFO 5001 Application Modeling and Design - Instructions & Guides

Development Environment Setup (Step-by-Step Guide)

This guide will help you set up your local development environment to complete coding assignments successfully.

Please follow each step carefully.

1. Create a GitHub Account

Steps:

  1. Open your web browser and go to https://github.com/.
  2. Click Sign Up.
  3. Enter your:
    • Email address
    • Create a username
    • Create a password
  4. Verify your email address.
  5. Your GitHub account is ready.

Tip: Use your Northeastern University email for easier access to student benefits.

2. Apply for GitHub 🎓 Student Developer Pack

The GitHub Student Developer Pack gives you free access to many developer tools, including GitHub Copilot.

Steps:

  1. Open https://education.github.com/pack.
  2. Click Get Student Benefits.
  3. Log into GitHub if needed.
  4. Choose Student as your role.
  5. Submit proof of student status:
    • Use your @northeastern.edu email address when possible.
    • Important: If documentation is requested, upload a current transcript showing:
      • Your full name
      • The current semester
    • Note: Student ID cards alone may not work — they often do not show proof of current enrollment.
  6. Wait for approval (usually within a day or two).

Tip: You can continue setting up your environment while waiting for approval.

3. Install Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

Steps:

  1. Visit https://code.visualstudio.com/.
  2. Download and install the version for your operating system.
  3. Accept default installation options.
  4. Open VS Code to confirm it installed correctly.

4. Install Java (Amazon Corretto) ☕

We will use Amazon Corretto 17 — a free, reliable distribution of Java.

Steps:

  1. Visit https://docs.aws.amazon.com/corretto/latest/corretto-17-ug/downloads-list.html.
  2. Download and install the version for your operating system.
  3. Accept the license agreement.

  4. Verify the installation by opening Terminal (Mac/Linux) or Command Prompt (Windows) and typing:

    java -version

    You should see output similar to:

    openjdk version "17.0.9" 2023-10-17
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Corretto-17.0.9.8.1 (build 17.0.9+8-LTS)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Corretto-17.0.9.8.1 (build 17.0.9+8-LTS, mixed mode, sharing)

5. Install Git 🔄

Git is essential for version control and submitting your assignments.

Steps:

  1. Windows:

  2. macOS:

  3. Verify installation by opening Terminal/Command Prompt and typing:

    git --version
  4. Configure your Git identity: 
    git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@northeastern.edu"

6. Configure VS Code for Java Development 🛠️

Required Extensions:

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Click on the Extensions icon in the sidebar (or press Ctrl+Shift+X)
  3. Install these essential extensions:
    • Extension Pack for Java by Microsoft
    • GitHub Classroom by GitHub
    • Project Manager for Java by Microsoft
    • Maven for Java by Microsoft
    • Test Runner for Java by Microsoft

Configure Java Path:

  1. Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+, or Cmd+, on Mac)
  2. Search for “java home”
  3. Set the path to your Amazon Corretto JDK installation:
    • Windows: C:\Program Files\Amazon Corretto\jdk17.x.x_x (adjust version as needed)
    • Mac: /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/amazon-corretto-17.jdk/Contents/Home
    • Linux: /usr/lib/jvm/amazon-corretto-17 (may vary)

7. Set Up GitHub Copilot and GitHub Classroom 🤖🏫

For detailed instructions on setting up and using these tools:

8. Basic Git Workflow for Assignments 📝

Submit Your Work:

  1. Make changes to your code ✏️
  2. Stage your changes: 
    git add .
  3. Commit your changes: 
    git commit -m "Meaningful description of your changes"
  4. Push your changes to GitHub: 
    git push origin main

Note: Always push your work before the ⏰ deadline!

9. Troubleshooting

Java Not Found:

GitHub Authentication Issues:

VS Code Extensions Not Working:

Need Help?

If you encounter any issues not covered here, please:

  1. Post in the course Teams channel
  2. Check with classmates who may have solved the same issue
  3. Attend office hours for personalized assistance

10. Additional Resources 📚