Book Tracker

A full-stack web application for tracking your reading journey. Built with Express.js, PostgreSQL, and EJS templates.

Features

• 📚 Book Management: Add, view, edit, and delete books from your reading list
• ⭐ Rating System: Rate books from 1 to 5 stars
• 📝 Notes: Add personal notes for each book
• 🖼️ Book Covers: Automatically fetches book covers from the Open Library API
• 🔍 Sorting: Sort books by title, rating, or date read
• 📅 Date Tracking: Track when you read each book

Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: PostgreSQL with pg library
• Frontend: EJS templates, vanilla CSS/JavaScript
• API Integration: Open Library API for book covers

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• PostgreSQL (v12 or higher)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

bash
   git clone <repository-url>
   cd book-tracker
   

2. Install dependencies:

bash
   npm install
   

3. Set up the database:
   • Create a PostgreSQL database named book_tracker (or your preferred name)
   • Run the SQL schema:

bash
     psql -U postgres -d book_tracker -f database.sql
     

4. Configure environment variables: Create a .env file in the root directory with the following:

env
   PORT=3000
   DB_USER=postgres
   DB_HOST=localhost
   DB_NAME=book_tracker
   DB_PASSWORD=your_password
   DB_PORT=5432
   

Running the Application

Development Mode (with auto-reload)

bash
npm run dev

Production Mode

bash
npm start

The server will start on http://localhost:3000

Project Structure

book-tracker/
├── public/
│   ├── css/
│   │   └── style.css        # Custom styles
│   └── js/
│       └── script.js        # Client-side JavaScript
├── views/
│   ├── partials/
│   │   ├── header.ejs       # Header template
│   │   └── footer.ejs       # Footer template
│   └── books/
│       ├── index.ejs        # Book list (home page)
│       ├── new.ejs          # Add new book form
│       ├── edit.ejs         # Edit book form
│       └── show.ejs         # Book details page
├── database.sql             # Database schema and sample data
├── package.json             # Project dependencies
├── server.js                # Main server file
└── .env                     # Environment variables (create this)

Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/	Home page - list all books
GET	/books/new	Show form to add a new book
POST	/books	Create a new book
GET	/books/:id	View book details
GET	/:id/edit	Show form to edit a book
POST	/books/:id	Update a book
POST	/books/:id/delete	Delete a book
GET	/api/covers/:cover_id	Proxy for Open Library covers

Database Schema

CREATE TABLE books (
    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    title VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    author VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    rating INTEGER CHECK (rating >= 1 AND rating <= 5),
    notes TEXT,
    date_read DATE,
    cover_id VARCHAR(50),
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

Usage

1. Add a Book: Click "Add Book" and fill in the details (title, author, rating, notes, date read, and Open Library cover ID)
2. View Books: Browse all books on the homepage, sorted by title by default
3. Sort Books: Use the sort options to view by title, rating, or date read
4. Edit/Delete: Click on any book to view details, edit, or delete

Finding Book Cover IDs

To add book covers, use the Open Library ID from URLs like: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL12345W/

The cover ID would be OL12345W.

License

ISC

Author

Your Name Here