Setting Up Password-Protected Course Notes

Quick Start

1. Upload Your HTML Files

Place all your HTML course notes in this directory:

files/mat-534-machine-learning-notes/
├── lecture-01.html
├── lecture-02.html
├── lecture-03.html
└── ...

2. Configure the Password

Edit /files/protected-notes.html and find this line (around line 187):

const PASSWORD_HASH = btoa('changeme'); // Default: "changeme"

To set a new password:

Open your browser’s developer console (F12 or Cmd+Option+I)
Run this command with your desired password:
```
btoa('your-new-password-here')
```
Copy the output and replace changeme in the code
Example: If your password is ML2026, run btoa('ML2026') and you’ll get TUwyMjAyNg==
Update the line to:
```
const PASSWORD_HASH = 'TUwyMjAyNg==';
```

3. Add Your Course Notes to the List

In the same file, find the COURSE_NOTES section (around line 167):

const COURSE_NOTES = {
    'mat-534': {
        title: 'MAT 534: Mathematics for Machine Learning',
        notes: [
            { name: 'Lecture 1: Linear Algebra', file: 'lecture-01.html' },
            { name: 'Lecture 2: Calculus for ML', file: 'lecture-02.html' },
            { name: 'Lecture 3: Probability', file: 'lecture-03.html' },
        ]
    }
};

Add an entry for each lecture/note file you have.

4. Link from Your Teaching Page

Update _teaching/mat-534-mathematics-machine-learning.md:

---
title: "MAT 534 Mathematics for Machine Learning"
collection: teaching
type: "Course"
permalink: /teaching/mat-534-mathematics-machine-learning
venue: "SRM University AP"
date: 2026-01-01
location: "Andhra Pradesh, India"
status: "Ongoing"
external_url: "/files/protected-notes.html"
---

This is a course on mathematics fundamentals for machine learning applications.

Students can access course notes [here](/files/protected-notes.html) with credentials provided in class.

5. Access Your Notes

Share the link: https://your-domain.com/files/protected-notes.html
Students enter the password to access all course materials
Session is maintained during browser session (logs out when browser closes)

Security Notes

⚠️ Important: This method provides:

✅ Basic privacy protection against casual access
✅ Works on GitHub Pages (no server required)
✅ Session-based (logs out when browser closes)

⚠️ Limitations:

❌ Not suitable for highly sensitive data
❌ Password is visible in page source (client-side verification)
❌ For production/sensitive content, use server-side authentication

For a more secure solution, consider:

Using GitHub’s private pages feature
Setting up authentication via Netlify or Vercel
Using a dedicated LMS platform

File Structure

files/
├── protected-notes.html          ← Main access page (edit password & note list here)
└── mat-534-machine-learning-notes/
    ├── lecture-01.html
    ├── lecture-02.html
    └── lecture-03-example.html   ← Template example

Tips

Test your password before sharing with students
Use memorable but non-obvious passwords (avoid common patterns)
Distribute password securely (during first class, email, etc.)
Keep notes organized with clear naming conventions
Include back links in your HTML files to return to the main notes page

Questions?

Refer to:

Suraj Singh Khurana