Paw Forum (Your Lively Pet Community)

Welcome to the Paw Forum, the premier online destination for pet lovers and pet onwers! This web application is designed to foster a vibrant community where users can share their beloved pets, discuss various pet-related topics, and access a wealth of information on pet adoption. Whether you're looking to show off your furry friend, seek advice, or find a new family member through adoption, Paw Forum is your go-to hub for all things pets.

Features

• Community Discussions: Engage in daily discussions on a wide range of pet-related topics.
• Pet Sitting Information: Post and browse Pet sitting informations, helping pets taken good care of when owners away.
• Pet Adoption Information: Post and browse adoption informations, helping pets find loving homes.
• Interactive Posts: Share updates, ask questions, and interact with fellow pet owners.

Paw Forum aims to connect pet enthusiasts, provide valuable information, and help ensure that every pet finds a loving home. Join us today and be a part of our growing community!

Group Members

Student ID	Name	Github Username
23843181	Bella Bao	bellabaohaha
23929804	Xinwei Chen	Misoto22
21938264	Xudong Ying	sheldonyxd
23737625	Siting Xiang	elefantat

Architecture

File Structure

app
├── README.md                       # Project description and instructions.
├── app
│   ├── __init__.py                 # Initialize the Flask app.
│   ├── config.py                   # Configuration settings.
│   ├── app.db                      # SQLite database file.
│   ├── models.py                   # Database models.
│   ├── requirements.txt            # Dependencies.
│   ├── routes.py                   # Application routes.
│   ├── static                      # Static files.
│   │   ├── css
│   │   │   └── style.css           # Main CSS file.
│   │   ├── image                   # Image files directory.
│   │   │   ├── avatars             # User avatar library.
│   │   │   └── uploads             # Post images.
│   │   └── js
│   │       ├── script.js           # Main JavaScript file.
│   │       └── user_info_popup.js  # Task User Information pop up functionality.
│   └── templates                   # HTML templates.
│       ├── Profile.html            # User profile page.
│       ├── base.html               # Base template.
│       ├── components              # UI components.
│       │   ├── footer.html         # Footer component.
│       │   ├── nav_logged_in.html  # Navigation bar for logged-in users.
│       │   ├── nav_logged_out.html # Navigation bar for logged-out users.
│       │   └── post_reply.html     # Post task form.
│       │   └── reply.html          # Post reply form.
│       ├── index.html              # Homepage.
│       ├── login.html              # Login page.
│       ├── post_create.html        # Create uploads page.
│       ├── post_detail.html        # Post content page.
│       ├── search_results.html     # Search results page.
│       ├── signup.html             # Signup page.
│       ├── users.html              # Users list page.
│       ├── notification.html       # Users notification history page.
│       ├── activity.html           # Users activity history page.
│       └── error_pages             # Error pages.
│           ├── 404.html            # 404 error page.
│           └── 500.html            # 500 error page.
├── deliverables
│   └── v1.0.mov                    # Deliverable v1.0 - User signup and login demo.
│   └── v2.0.mov                    # Deliverable v2.0 - Post create demo.
│   └── v3.0.mov                    # Deliverable v3.0 - Reply, task, search, notification and history demo.
├── run.py                          # Script to run the application.
├── run.sh                          # Shell script to run the application.
└── tests                           # Directory for test cases.
    ├── __init__.py                 # Initialize the Testing.
    ├── test_routes.py              # Unit Test cases.  
    └── test_models.py              # Unit Test cases.    

Database Design

Instructions for Running the Application

Simply run the following command in the terminal:

./run.sh

But in some case, you may need to run the script few more times to get the application running.

Typically, the first two times failed, but the third time will work.

Flags

• -p or --port: Define the port number. Example usage: ./run.sh -p 8080
• -d or --development: Enable development mode. Example usage: ./run.sh -d

Script Details

The run.sh script automates the setup and execution of a Flask web application. Here are the detailed steps it performs:

1. Initialize Log File: Starts by initializing the run.log file to log the script operations.
2. Argument Parsing: Parses command-line arguments to set the port number (-p or --port) and enable development mode (-d or --development). If no port is specified, it defaults to 5000.
3. Check Python Installation: Verifies if Python3 is installed on the system.
4. Check Flask Installation: Checks if Flask is installed globally and, if absent, attempts to install it.
5. Virtual Environment Management: If a virtual environment (venv) does not exist, it creates one using Python3.
6. Activate Virtual Environment: Activates the virtual environment. Logs an error and exits if activation fails.
7. Set Flask Environment Variables: Sets the FLASK_APP variable. If development mode is enabled, it also sets FLASK_ENV to development and FLASK_DEBUG to 1.
8. Dependency Installation: Ensures a requirements.txt file is present and installs all dependencies listed.
9. Check Port Availability: Checks if the specified port is available. Logs an error and exits if the port is occupied.
10. Run Flask Application: Starts the Flask application in the background with the specified port and captures the process ID.
11. Open Web Application in Browser: Automatically opens the web application in the default web browser based on the operating system.
12. Graceful Shutdown: Implements a trap to capture INT (Ctrl-C) signals, allowing for the graceful shutdown of the Flask application.
13. Logging: Logs all operations to run.log, with critical errors causing the script to terminate and log an error message.

This script is designed to ensure a seamless setup and launch process for the Flask application, managing dependencies, environment setup, and server operation in a streamlined manner.

Shutdown the Application

Ctrl + C

Instructions for Running the Tests

Simply run:

python -m unittest discover tests

Documentation

Documentation for the project can be found in the Github Wiki. The documentation is divided into the following sections:

1. Meeting Logs
2. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)