getattached.perl - the easy way to automate the retrieval of homework assignments sent by email

What this page is about:

This is the homepage of getattached.perl, a simple Perl script which will

• connect to your POP3 account
• download all files attached to messages with a certain subject line (e.g., "1st-assignment")
• delete those messages with a matching subject line and which contain at least one attachment
• email you a single zip archive containing all attachments
• (optionally) send an acknowledgement email to the senders, letting them know that you received their file(s)

Before using it you only need to instruct your students to:

• send their paper in an email with the specified subject line (e.g., "Subject: 1st-assignment")
• identify their work either in the file name or inside the file itself (not in the body of the email)

Besides those two simple rules, you only need to warn them against trying to contact you in emails which are used to deliver homework: given that emails containing assignments are processed automatically, students should send you a separate email when they need to reach you.

After downloading, just open the script in a text editor and edit the "Configuration" section at the top of the file.

getattached.perl was written by Manuel Arriaga. Feel free to do whatever you want with it. Use it at your own risk; although I haven't experienced any problems, I cannot guarantee that this program won't make you lose important information.