CampusLink

CampusLink is a unified college communication and classroom management platform, consisting of a web admin portal and a cross-platform mobile app.

This README explains how to run the project locally (backend, web, and mobile) and how to configure Supabase for the project.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (18+) and npm
• Flutter SDK (for the mobile/ app) and Android/iOS toolchains
• Supabase Account (for a hosted project)
• Supabase CLI (for local development and database migrations)

Repository Layout (Relevant Folders)

• backend/ — Express backend scaffold using supabase-js (JWT verification, booking endpoints, service-level operations).
• web/ — Next.js / React web admin front-end.
• mobile/ — Flutter mobile app.

---

Backend (Local Express Server)

1. Set Environment Variables: The backend requires the Supabase Project URL and the service_role key to perform admin-level operations.

   You can copy the example file:

   cp backend/.env.example backend/.env

   Then edit backend/.env with your credentials:

   # Get from your Supabase project settings (API)
   SUPABASE_URL="[https://your-project-id.supabase.co](https://your-project-id.supabase.co)"
   SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY="your-service-role-key"

2. Install Dependencies and Start:

   cd backend
   npm install
   npm run dev   # nodemon (development)
   # or: npm start

3. Endpoints Available (Examples):

   • GET /health — Health check
   • POST /bookings — Create a booking (requires Supabase JWT in Authorization: Bearer <jwt>)
   • GET /bookings — List bookings

Notes:

• The backend expects clients to authenticate with Supabase Auth and send their user's JWT. The backend can verify this token or use the service_role key for trusted operations.
• For file uploads (images, PDFs), prefer direct client uploads to Supabase Storage using the client SDKs. You can then store the file metadata in your Supabase (Postgres) Database.

---

Web (Admin) — Local

1. Set Environment Variables: The web client needs the public Supabase keys. Create a .env.local file in the web/ directory.

   cp web/.env.example web/.env.local

   Then edit web/.env.local with your public credentials:

   # Get from your Supabase project settings (API)
   NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL="[https://your-project-id.supabase.co](https://your-project-id.supabase.co)"
   NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY="your-public-anon-key"

2. Install Dependencies and Run:

   cd web
   npm install
   npm run dev

3. The admin UI is a Next.js app. It will be available at http://localhost:3000.

---

Mobile (Flutter)

1. Install Flutter SDK and ensure your device or emulator is available.

2. Configure Supabase Client: The mobile app must be initialized with your public Supabase keys. Find the initialization code (likely in mobile/lib/main.dart or a services file) and provide your URL and anon key.

   // Example (mobile/lib/main.dart)
   await Supabase.initialize(
     url: '[https://your-project-id.supabase.co](https://your-project-id.supabase.co)',
     anonKey: 'your-public-anon-key',
   );

3. Get Dependencies and Run:

   cd mobile
   flutter pub get
   flutter run   # or use your IDE (Android Studio / VS Code)

---

Supabase Setup Notes

1. Create a Supabase Project: This will provide you with a dedicated Postgres database, Auth, and Storage.

2. Local Development (Recommended): Use the Supabase CLI to run the entire Supabase stack locally.

   # Run once to link your project
   supabase login
   supabase link --project-ref <your-project-id>
   
   # Start the local services
   supabase start

   This provides local URLs and keys, preventing you from using production data during development.

3. Database & Security:

   • Define your database schema (e.g., in supabase/migrations).
   • Crucially, enable Row Level Security (RLS) on your tables (e.g., bookings, documents) to protect data.

• Set up Storage Policies to control who can upload or access files.
• Do not commit your SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY to git.

---

Common Commands

• Run Backend (Dev): cd backend && npm run dev
• Run Web (Dev): cd web && npm run dev
• Run Mobile: cd mobile && flutter run
• Run Local Supabase Stack: supabase start

Cleaning Up Tracked Build Files (If Needed)

If you have accidentally committed node_modules/, .next/, or other build artifacts, run from the repo root:

git rm -r --cached node_modules || true
git rm -r --cached web/node_modules || true
git rm -r --cached web/.next || true
git rm -r --cached mobile/.dart_tool || true
git rm -r --cached mobile/build || true
git add .gitignore
git commit -m "chore: remove ignored build and dependency artifacts"