RateMyGaucho

RateMyGaucho (Chrome Extension)

RateMyGaucho enhances UCSB GOLD by showing professor ratings inline on course result pages. It reads a packaged CSV dataset locally (no scraping, no external API calls) and links to UCSB Plat for profiles and curriculum browsing.

Demo Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bIbBjEgG5T8S7LqekHbqtfktfHyuWeSi/view?usp=sharing

Features

Enhanced Rating Display

• Precise Gaucho Star Ratings: Uses custom gaucho.png images with tenths-based partial fills
• Dramatic Visual Contrast: Bright, vibrant filled stars vs. dark, muted empty portions
• Large 32px Star Images: Prominent, easy-to-read rating indicators
• Inline Rating Cards: Compact cards showing rating badge, stars, review count, and UCSB Plat link

Smart Professor Matching

• Advanced Name Recognition: Handles multiple name formats (LAST F, First Last, LAST, F, etc.)
• Flexible Matching Algorithm: Matches page names like “CHILDRESS A” with CSV entries like “James,Childress”
• Comprehensive Detection: Finds instructor names across various page layouts
• Debug Logging: Console logs for troubleshooting matching issues

Data Integration

• Single CSV Source: Uses scores.csv for both ratings and UCSB Plat profile links
• Local Data Processing: Fast, privacy-preserving local CSV lookup (no network requests)
• UCSB Plat Integration: Direct links to professor profiles and curriculum pages
• Real-time Updates: Automatically detects and processes new course listings

User Interface

• UCSB-Themed Design: Clean, modern cards with UCSB color scheme
• Responsive Layout: Cards adapt to different screen sizes and content
• Compact Display: Shows essential information without cluttering the page
• Row-Aligned Cards: Cards align perfectly with course information rows

Installation

For Users

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
2. Extract the ZIP file
3. Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://extensions
4. Enable “Developer mode” in the top right
5. Click “Load unpacked” and select the extracted folder
6. Visit UCSB GOLD course search pages to see the extension in action

For Developers

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/itsloganmann/RateMyGaucho.git
   cd RateMyGaucho
   

2. Load the extension in Chrome:
   • Navigate to chrome://extensions
   • Enable Developer Mode
   • Click “Load Unpacked” and select the repo root

3. Make changes to files in content/ and update scores.csv as needed

4. Refresh the extension after making changes

Building Distribution Package

The repository includes scripts to create a distributable ZIP file:

Windows (PowerShell)

./scripts/package.ps1

macOS/Linux

bash ./scripts/package.sh

The archive will be created at dist/RateMyGaucho.zip, excluding development files.

File Structure

RateMyGaucho/
├── manifest.json              # MV3 extension manifest
├── content/
│   ├── content.js            # Main content script with matching logic
│   └── styles.css            # Card styling and star animations
├── scores.csv                # Professor ratings and UCSB Plat links
├── gaucho.png                # Gaucho image for star ratings
├── icons/                    # Extension icons (16px, 48px, 128px)
├── scripts/                  # Build and packaging scripts
└── README.md                 # This file

Data Format

The scores.csv file contains professor data with the following columns:

• department: Professor’s department
• first_name: Professor’s first name
• last_name: Professor’s last name
• rmp_score: Rate My Professor score (0.0-5.0)
• num_reviews: Number of reviews
• profile_url: UCSB Plat profile URL

Star Rating System

The extension uses a sophisticated star rating system:

• 5 Gaucho Images: Each star is a 32px gaucho.png image
• Precise Partial Fills: Shows exact tenths of the score (e.g., 3.7 = 3 full stars + 70% of 4th star)
• High Contrast: Filled portions are bright and vibrant, empty portions are dark and muted
• Visual Clarity: Easy to distinguish between filled and empty portions

Troubleshooting

Stars Not Showing

• Check browser console for errors
• Verify gaucho.png is accessible
• Ensure extension is loaded and enabled

Professors Not Matching

• Check console logs for matching attempts
• Verify professor names in CSV match page format
• Look for debug output showing candidate names and keys

Cards Not Appearing

• Ensure you’re on a UCSB GOLD course search page
• Check that the page contains course listings with instructor names
• Verify the extension is active and has proper permissions

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly on UCSB GOLD pages
5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT © 2025

Acknowledgments

• UCSB Plat for providing professor profile data
• UCSB community for feedback and testing

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