tCF-data

This repository stores UVA course listings for theCourseForum. It calls SIS. The website does not.

fetch_page.py requests every class-search page for one term and writes data/<year>_<season>.csv. The term is the SIS code: 1, the two-digit year, then a season digit (8 fall, 6 summer, 2 spring, 1 january). Fall 2026 is 1268, and that file is data/2026_fall.csv.

python fetch_page.py
python fetch_page.py 1268

With no argument, the term is whichever semester has started by today's date. Fall, January, and spring starts through Spring 2030 come from the registrar academic calendar. Summers after 2027, and every season after Spring 2030, use January 2, January 15, May 18, and August 25. Pass a term to fetch a different one.

The file uses the same columns as load_semester (mnemonic, number, instructors, meeting times, enrollment, description, disciplines, cost). Known attribute codes fill Disciplines and Cost. An unknown code is read from ClassDetails, one section at a time. The daily run does not fetch descriptions, and a blank description does not replace one already in the file. Pass --descriptions to update every course from SIS. A blank result is not written, so the stored description stays. Class-search pages are requested one at a time. The script writes the file only after every request succeeds. A blank description, discipline, or cost leaves the previous value in the file.

GitHub Action

Update course data runs on the schedule in .github/workflows/update-data.yml, and when someone starts it from the Actions tab. The cron line runs once a day at 07:30 UTC. Edit that line to change the time. A scheduled run fetches the term for today's date and does not fetch descriptions. A manual run can pass a different term, and can turn on descriptions to refresh every catalog description. A blank result is left unchanged. The job commits data/<year>_<season>.csv only if the file changed.

What the website does with this file

fetch_data in theCourseForum2 downloads data/<year>_<season>.csv from this repository. It does not call SIS. load_semester can import that CSV, including the description, discipline, and cost columns.