How to use the command 'exercism' (with examples)
The ’exercism’ command is a tool used for downloading, solving, and submitting practice problems from the Exercism platform. It allows developers to retrieve exercises, work on them locally, and submit their solutions for review.
Use case 1: Configure the application token and preferred workspace for Exercism
Code:
exercism configure --token=your-application-token --workspace=/path/to/preferred/workspace
Motivation: Configuring the application token and preferred workspace is necessary before starting to use Exercism locally. The token ensures secure communication with the Exercism API, while the workspace specifies the directory where the downloaded exercises and solutions will be stored.
Explanation:
--token: This argument is used to set the application token provided by Exercism. It is necessary for authenticating the user and enabling communication with the Exercism API.--workspace: This argument specifies the preferred directory path where the exercises and solutions should be saved locally.
Example output:
Configuration saved successfully.
Use case 2: Download a specific exercise
Code:
exercism download --exercise=exercise_slug --track=track_slug
Motivation: Downloading a specific exercise is helpful when the user wants to work on a specific problem. By specifying the exercise slug and track slug, the user can fetch the corresponding exercise data and start solving it locally.
Explanation:
--exercise: This argument specifies the slug of the exercise to be downloaded. The slug is a unique identifier assigned to each exercise on Exercism.--track: This argument specifies the slug of the track to which the exercise belongs. The track represents the programming language or domain of the exercise.
Example output:
Exercise downloaded successfully! Start solving it in the designated workspace.
Use case 3: Submit an exercise
Code:
exercism submit path/to/file
Motivation: Submitting an exercise allows the user to receive feedback and guidance on their solution from mentors and peers on Exercism. By providing the path to the file containing the solution, the user can submit their work for review.
Explanation:
path/to/file: This argument specifies the file path to the solution file that needs to be submitted. The file should contain the code for the solution to the exercise.
Example output:
Exercise solution submitted successfully!
Use case 4: Print the path to the solution workspace
Code:
exercism workspace
Motivation: Printing the path to the solution workspace is useful when the user wants to directly access the directory where their downloaded exercises and solutions are stored. This can be helpful for navigating and managing the local copies of the exercises.
Explanation: No arguments are required for this command. It simply outputs the path to the current solution workspace that was configured during the initial setup.
Example output:
/workspace/path/to/preferred/workspace
Conclusion:
The ’exercism’ command provides a comprehensive set of functionalities for practicing coding exercises. By configuring the application token and preferred workspace, downloading exercises, submitting solutions, and accessing the solution workspace, developers can make the most of the Exercism platform to enhance their coding skills and receive valuable feedback.
