Learn Bash By Building a Boilerplate Setup Help

[chuqingyan123]

Hello, I am trying to start learning the Relational Database Course (archived), and I was trying to follow the steps to set up my Docker environment. I was following the instructions here :

3. Open the command palette in VS Code by expanding the “View” menu and clicking “Command Palette…” and enter Dev Containers: Rebuild and Reopen in Container in the input.
4. A new VS Code window will open and begin building the Docker image. It will take several minutes the first time.
5. Once it is finished building, open the command palette again and enter CodeRoad: Start to open CodeRoad.

However, when I try to enter the command Dev Containers: Rebuild and Reopen in Container, the alert that Docker Version 17.12.0 or later required keeps appearing, even though I have run that command multiple times and Docker keeps reinstalling on my system. A new VSCode window doesn’t open as well for the Docker environment. I don’t understand what is happening with the set up. Could anyone help me?

Thanks very much.

[chuqingyan123]

Okay I somehow fixed it by going into Docker settings an changing how Docker’s installation is configured from system to user and back to system again. Now the command to Rebuild and Reopen Container works. However, now I am stuck inside the container and I cannot see any CodeRoad commands in the command palette to start the course. Is there anything wrong going on?

Much help would be appreciated, thanks.

[chuqingyan123]

Update : Okay I fixed it by manually installing the CodeRoad VSCode extension into the Container that opens when I rebuild the container inside the FCC repo. Then I used CodeRoad: Start and it seems to work as expected. I guess I will just have to see if it works. Is this how it should work? As in is there anything wrong with the method that I just did and will my coursework still be saved and recognised by FCC? Thanks for any clarification.

[hbar1st]

You do not need to install coderoad manually if you use the latest version of rdb-alpha
(When did you clone your copy?)

[hbar1st]

Learn Bash by Building a Boilerplate - Build a Boilerplate

note that since writing this post I have discovered that there is an additional manual step needed after running rebuild & reopen. You have to manually install CodeRoad extension into vs code as it seems it no longer self installs. You can double check if this is needed or not by running Rebuild & Reopen when you are on a new course, then check if CodeRoad Start option is in the command palette menu. If it is, then you don’t need to manually install. Otherwise, this manual install is needed to c…

please note the above

[chuqingyan123]

Yes I realised that you do need to manually install the CodeRoad extension into the environment whenever you Rebuild and Reopen a new course. However upon finishing a challenge and trying to start a new one, after I Rebuild and Reopen the container, the CodeRoad seems to save my progress at the end of the previous challenge, and it says “You need to run CodeRoad in a new VSCode window” or something like that (i forgot what it exactly says) and then after trying a new window or quitting + restarting VSCode it still doesn’t work, i needed to clear prune docker’s files and volumes to get it to be able to run like “new”, following the steps you replied to a previous forum post.

So far it is working with a new challenge that I am about to do, and if there are any problems I will highlight it by replying to this forum post.

"Rebuild and Reopen in Container" does not show up in DevContainers

i came up with something that may or may not work for you. If you want to try it is this: After exiting vs code: 1- copied rdb-alpha to a new directory like rdb-alpha1 from the command line, (eg. cp -r rdb-alpha rdb-alpha1) 2- then cd to this new rdb-alpha1 dir and pruned all unused docker images: docker image prune -a . Make sure the rdb image is gone by running docker images. If still there, remove it with docker rmi <image-id>. If that doesn’t work because there is a container using it, th…

Thanks for the reply and hope this helps in understanding the problem.

[chuqingyan123]

Err okay there is an issue now when trying to start a new challenge. After completing

Learn Relational Databases by Building a Database of Video Game Characters

when I try to start the next challenge, despite following all of the steps from the other forum post, as well as

1. rm -rf rdb-alpha
2. git clone GitHub - freeCodeCamp/rdb-alpha
3. cd rdb-alpha code .
4. Enter my user token to save my progress
5. Enter Dev Containers: Rebuild and Reopen in Container
6. Manually install the CodeRoad extension
7. Enter CodeRoad:Start

my progress goes back to the first challenge Learn Bash by Building a Boilerplate.

I did reset the challenge itself and tried to restart vscode and the process again, but it still puts me inside the first challenge. I am thinking whether this is a problem with the user token and “saving progress” ? However my completion of the second challenge is reflected in the FCC website itself with a checkmark.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks very much.

[hbar1st]

So the steps say to copy rdb-alpha to a new directory (a different name like rdb-alpha1).

Have you tried that?

[chuqingyan123]

Yes I just tried it and performing all the commands inside the new directory (rdb-alpha1), started up VSCode and installed CodeRoad, now it puts me at where I had previously reset my progress inside CodeRoad in the Build a Database of Video Game Characters. I have already completed this challenge and it reflects in my FCC website, just that this is where my most recent CodeRoad reset was.

Thanks for the help so far

[hbar1st]

did you create a brand new directory with a brand new name that you never used before?
(if you’ve used rdb-alpha1 before, use a new name that you haven’t used)

[chuqingyan123]

After creating a brand new directory with a brand new name (eg. rdb-alpha2) it has worked. I will now do the next challenge and follow all the previous instructions after completion and update if there are any further problems. Thanks very much for your help.

[chuqingyan123]

Hi, I have an update which is that after finish a challenge, there is no need to prune all docker images/volumes, just simply:

1. Make sure your progress is saved in freeCodeCamp’s website as the checkmark, download a local copy of your work if you want to
2. Exit the current VSCode window
3. Copy your original rdb-alpha clone (have not done any work on it) to another directory of a new name (e.g. cp -r rdb-alpha rdb-alpha1 if you have not used the name rdb-alpha1 before)
4. Go to the new directory (e.g. cd rdb-alpha1 )
5. Open VSCode from your new directory ( code . )
6. Make sure your user token is written and saved in the Dockerfile
7. Use the command palette to enter Dev Containers: Rebuild and Reopen in Container
8. In the new container, go to Extensions and download CodeRoad if it is not downloaded automatically
9. Enter CodeRoad: Start
10. Enter the course URL

and you are good to go!

This is just for after finishing projects in a used rdb-alpha container. I just found this out after completing the Five Programs challenge. Thanks to all the forum mods who helped in resolving this issue.

Hope this helps anyone that is facing a similar issue as I did previously.