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Get started in 5 minutes

Five steps from a fresh download to a graded student submission, each about a minute. No course build-out required - you will use the bundled example.

1. Download the instructor application

Head to the download page and grab the instructor application for your operating system. The page auto-detects Windows, macOS, or Linux. Install it the way you install any other desktop application.

2. Download the example course

On the same download page, scroll to “See What an Assignment Looks Like” and download PyAutoGrader-Example.zip. Extract it anywhere on your machine. Inside you will find a course file and a folder of student submissions.

3. Open the .agrx course in the instructor app

Launch the instructor application and open the extracted .agrx file. The course loads with its assignments already built - tests, rubrics, solution files, and preview output. Nothing has to be configured; the example is ready to grade.

4. Batch grade the included student submissions

From the loaded course, point batch grading at the student submissions folder that came in the ZIP. The instructor app runs every submission through the configured tests and gives you per-student scores, pass/fail output, and the graded code. This is the same workflow you will use at the end of a real assignment.

5. Export an .agr file for distribution

With the course open, export the assignment as an .agr file. This encrypted file is what students actually receive. It contains the tests, rubric, and student-facing view - nothing else.

6. Try it from the student’s side

Download the student application, open the .agr file you just exported, and run the grader against the sample code in the example ZIP (or write your own solution). You will see exactly what a student sees when they run their submission.

How distribution works

In real courses, you email or post the .agr file through your LMS. Point students at the student download page for the grader application - they download it once and reuse it for every assignment. When they run the grader on their submission, results go wherever you configured: PDF, email, Google Sheets, or your self-hosted server.

What’s next