Automated Job Posting

1
Automated Job Posting

• CS395
• Kevin Foote

2
System Overview

• Goal
• - create a system that automatically rotates
  internship/job notifications for UAA CS
  department
• Why?
• - time sensitive lack of rotation results in
  outdated information
• - make this information accessible to students
  24/7
• - To enhance the look of lab door ? digitize
  this data

3
Job Notification Data

• Submitted by local businesses with IT/programming
  needs
• Text based
• - wanted to store as text within system
• All notifications that arrive are not identical
• - creates uniformity in all notifications
• - limits to the main information

4
Former Method

• Notifications placed in a folder on CS-Lab door
• Not very appealing to the eye
• Notifications get lost in the clutter of other
  student announcements
• Time for a change / clean up

5
Former Method (cont)
Can you spot Notifications
6
New Method

• Jump to System Created
• Web Forms
• PHP

7
How this was developed

• System Design
• - Notification data stored as separate text
  files
• - Web Forms used to create and manipulate data
• - Time sensitivity considerations
• - date written to first line of file
• - filename contains date
• Avoided using DB
• - not critical for this system
• - easily store / manipulate data via files

8
System Architecture
9
Addressing Security

• Why try to reinvent?
• Apache already implements per directory
  restriction capabilities
• - caveats ? pass word sent as plain text
• Restriction for the job_adm directory
• - Apaches .htaccess provides enough security
  for the traffic of this site

10
Proto./Mockup / Process

• Combination of prototyping and a mockup design
  strategy was used
• - getting product to visual state (initial page)
• - very helpful when working on WWW projects
• Initial system written in Perl (no good reason)
• - relying on other modules ? less portable
• Schedule
• - tried to limit work to weekly dedicated slot
  of time
• - mostly remained within time frame
• - initial wasted time on Perl code quickly made
  up using PHP

11
Conclusion

• Delivery of a working automated job notification
  system
• Project proved to be fun and hopefully useful in
  future
• Learned
• - PHP scripting
• - more about Perl