EUCLID and DRPS notes

Workarounds I have used with the University of Edinburgh’s Euclid system, and related webpages.

This page needs an overhaul, it’s all out of date.
Some more up-to-date tools are here.

Contents: Course catalogue links — Compact DPTs — Browser Looping

Course catalogue links

Please see my DRPS Arrows tool instead. The userscript in this section is buggy and too far-reaching in what pages it affects.

I have written a Userscript (or greasemonkey script): fix_star_euclid_links.user.js, which augments course catalogue links on ed.ac.uk webpages with two parenthetical links to the DRPS. Old-style (broken) star.euclid links get new-style links to the 11-12 and 12-13 sessions; new-style drps links get links to the adjacent two sessions.

Example: Information Theory, is replaced by: Information Theory (11-12, 13-14).

To use the script with many popular web browsers install tampermonkey (or in Firefox, the original greasemonkey), then install my script.

Compact DPTs

The DRPS has changed quite a bit and this userscript doesn’t do much any more.

It can be hard to scan over the DPT regulations for a degree, because often not much of them fits on a monitor at once.

I have written another greasemonkey script, squish_dpt.user.js, which aggressively reduces the amount of vertical space on Degree Programme Tables (DPTs).

Users of small monitors can also use the built in browser shortcut “Ctrl -” to reduce the font size (use “Ctrl-0” to reset).

The “your browser is looping” problem

Euclid hasn't suffered from the problem in this section for years now.

Update 2012-08-07: SACS has sent an email saying that the browser-looping issue has finally been fixed! Hopefully no one will need the notes below any more. Sadly I did see the looping problem again on 2012-08-14. I think these notes can also help if the database server associated with your login session is broken/overloaded. So, I’m leaving these notes up for reference.

After getting logged out of EUCLID automatically I usually can’t get back in. The browser loops between EUCLID and the EASE authentication page, rapidly leading to an error message.

Google Chrome: launch a new incognito window, and load EUCLID from there.

Firefox (version ≥7.0): Install my addon: fix-euclid.xpi, which creates an icon on the addon bar, and the shortcut Ctrl-Alt-e. Either the icon or shortcut will open a new working Euclid session in a new tab. Tabs with old sessions won’t work, and trying to use them might log you out again.

For Firefox without the addon, bookmark these links: ZAP Cookies, EUCLID.
Right-click and select “bookmark this link”, or drag to the bookmarks toolbar. I’ve organized my bookmarks to put them at the top of my bookmarks menu.

Then, whenever you get the looping problem:

  1. Go to a tab/window with a previously-opened EUCLID page from www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk.
  2. Select the “ZAP Cookies” bookmark.
  3. Select the EUCLID bookmark. (Or go back in via MyEd).

Any browser windows showing old EUCLID sessions won’t work. Although always try to leave one open so that you can do steps 1 and 2.

If none of the above apply: Manually remove the cosign-eucsCosign-www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk cookie for www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd/run/ through your browser settings. Or restart your browser.

Source for zap cookies bookmarklet.