Link the course to a GitHub organization

Oct 13, 2025 by pinkandtrash.com 87 views

Introduction

As an instructor, creating a course and linking it to a GitHub organization is a crucial step in the learning process. However, implementing a course creation workflow can be challenging due to the need to pass information to GitHub to allow the instructor to install the app into a GitHub organization. Fortunately, GitHub provides a parameter called state that can be attached as a parameter to the redirect, allowing us to keep track of which course the organization is being attached to. In this article, we will explore the implementation of a course creation workflow, including the basic layout for a new incoming installation and the necessary steps to ensure the installation URL is correct.

User Story

As an instructor, I should be able to create a course and link it to a GitHub organization.

Acceptance Criteria

The instructor can create a new course
The instructor can link the course to a GitHub organization
The instructor can install the app into the GitHub organization
The instructor can verify that the installation was successful

Details

Implementing a course creation workflow may be difficult because we need to pass to GitHub to allow the instructor to install the app into a GitHub organization. Fortunately, GitHub has a parameter that will be passed back to the application when you send a user to install it: state. This can be attached as a parameter to the redirect, and will allow us to keep the information of which course the organization is being attached to.

Basic Layout for a New Incoming Installation

The basic layout for a new incoming installation is visible in the GitHub documentation. The code that should be exchanged with GitHub to ensure the installation URL is correct, and an installation ID that should be saved as part of the course. A possible basic flow diagram is below:

Implementation Steps

To implement the course creation workflow, we need to follow these steps:

Create a new course: The instructor creates a new course and provides the necessary information, such as the course name and description.
Link the course to a GitHub organization: The instructor links the course to a GitHub organization by providing the organization's name and URL.
Install the app into the GitHub organization: The instructor installs the app into the GitHub organization by following the instructions provided by GitHub.
Verify the installation: The instructor verifies that the installation was successful by checking the installation ID and the installation URL.

Code Implementation

The code implementation for the course creation workflow involves the following steps:

Create a new course: We create a new course entity and save it to the database.
Link the course to a GitHub organization: We link the course to a GitHub organization by creating a new installation entity and saving it to the database.
Install the app into the GitHub organization: We install the app into the GitHub organization by sending a request to GitHub with the necessary parameters.
Verify the installation: We verify the installation by checking the installation ID and the installation URL.

Example Code

Here is an example of the code implementation for the course creation workflow:

// Create a new course
Course course = new Course();
course.setName("New Course");
course.setDescription("This is a new course");
courseRepository.save(course);

// Link the course to a GitHub organization
Installation installation = new Installation();
installation.setCourse(course);
installation.setOrganization("github-organization");
installationRepository.save(installation);

// Install the app into the GitHub organization
String installationUrl = "https://github.com/installations/1234567890";
String installationId = "1234567890";
String state = "course-1234567890";

// Send a request to GitHub to install the app
String redirectUrl = "https://github.com/apps/installation-url?state=" + state;
response.sendRedirect(redirectUrl);

// Verify the installation
Installation verifiedInstallation = installationRepository.findById(installationId);
if (verifiedInstallation != null) {
    System.out.println("Installation successful!");
} else {
    System.out.println("Installation failed!");
}

Conclusion

Implementing a course creation workflow can be challenging due to the need to pass information to GitHub to allow the instructor to install the app into a GitHub organization. However, by using the state parameter and following the necessary steps, we can ensure that the installation URL is correct and the installation ID is saved as part of the course. In this article, we explored the implementation of a course creation workflow, including the basic layout for a new incoming installation and the necessary steps to ensure the installation URL is correct.

References

https://docs.github.com/en/apps/creating-github-apps/registering-a-github-app/about-the-setup-url : references the setup URL, but still holds for this implementation

Future Work

In the future, we can improve the course creation workflow by adding more features, such as:

Course templates: We can provide course templates that instructors can use to create new courses.
Course analytics: We can provide course analytics that instructors can use to track student progress and engagement.
Course collaboration: We can provide course collaboration features that allow instructors to collaborate with other instructors on course development.

Introduction

In our previous article, we explored the implementation of a course creation workflow, including the basic layout for a new incoming installation and the necessary steps to ensure the installation URL is correct. In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the course creation workflow.

Q&A

Q: What is the purpose of the `state` parameter?

A: The state parameter is used to keep track of which course the organization is being attached to. It is passed as a parameter to the redirect URL and is used to verify the installation.

Q: How do I create a new course?

A: To create a new course, you need to create a new course entity and save it to the database. You can use the following code to create a new course:

Course course = new Course();
course.setName("New Course");
course.setDescription("This is a new course");
courseRepository.save(course);

Q: How do I link a course to a GitHub organization?

A: To link a course to a GitHub organization, you need to create a new installation entity and save it to the database. You can use the following code to link a course to a GitHub organization:

Installation installation = new Installation();
installation.setCourse(course);
installation.setOrganization("github-organization");
installationRepository.save(installation);

Q: How do I install the app into a GitHub organization?

A: To install the app into a GitHub organization, you need to send a request to GitHub with the necessary parameters. You can use the following code to install the app into a GitHub organization:

String installationUrl = "https://github.com/installations/1234567890";
String installationId = "1234567890";
String state = "course-1234567890";

// Send a request to GitHub to install the app
String redirectUrl = "https://github.com/apps/installation-url?state=" + state;
response.sendRedirect(redirectUrl);

Q: How do I verify the installation?

A: To verify the installation, you need to check the installation ID and the installation URL. You can use the following code to verify the installation:

Installation verifiedInstallation = installationRepository.findById(installationId);
if (verifiedInstallation != null) {
    System.out.println("Installation successful!");
} else {
    System.out.println("Installation failed!");
}

Q: What are the benefits of using the course creation workflow?

A: The course creation workflow provides several benefits, including:

Easy course creation: The course creation workflow makes it easy for instructors to create new courses.
Improved course management: The course creation workflow provides a centralized location for course management, making it easier to track student progress and engagement.
Enhanced collaboration: The course creation workflow provides features for collaboration, making it easier for instructors to work together on course development.

Q: What are the challenges of implementing the course creation workflow?

A: The course creation workflow can be challenging to implement due to the need to pass information to GitHub to allow the instructor to install the app into a GitHub organization. However, by using the state parameter and following the necessary steps, we can ensure that the installation URL is correct and the installation ID is saved as part of the course.

Conclusion

In this article, we answered some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the course creation workflow. We hope that this article has provided you with a better understanding of the course creation workflow and how to implement it in your application.

References

https://docs.github.com/en/apps/creating-github-apps/registering-a-github-app/about-the-setup-url : references the setup URL, but still holds for this implementation

Future Work

In the future, we can improve the course creation workflow by adding more features, such as:

Course templates: We can provide course templates that instructors can use to create new courses.
Course analytics: We can provide course analytics that instructors can use to track student progress and engagement.
Course collaboration: We can provide course collaboration features that allow instructors to collaborate with other instructors on course development.

By improving the course creation workflow, we can make it easier for instructors to create and manage courses, and provide a better learning experience for students.