Postcode Health Data Lookup Tool

🛠️ Project Overview

The Postcode Health Data Lookup Tool is a Laravel-based application designed to fetch and display health-related statistics for parliamentary constituencies based on postcode input. This tool integrates with external APIs, Postcodes.io API database storage SQLite, and showcases dynamic frontend functionality to provide users with meaningful insights into health data.

🎯 Project Goals

• Fetch Constituency Data: Retrieve parliamentary constituency information for a given postcode using the Postcodes.io API.
• Display Health Data: Provide health-related statistics for the queried constituency, such as the prevalence of conditions like asthma, diabetes, and depression.
• Interactive UI: Offer users a seamless experience with a responsive interface styled using Tailwind CSS.
• Showcase Skills: Highlight proficiency in Laravel, Livewire, Tailwind CSS, AlpineJS, and database operations while reflecting the C6 Digital tech stack.

📌 Features

• Postcode-based constituency lookup via the Postcodes.io API.
• Retrieval and display of health data stored in an SQLite database.
• Responsive design styled with Tailwind CSS.
• Real-time dynamic UI updates powered by AlpineJS.
• Comprehensive error handling for invalid postcodes or unavailable data.
• Adherence to industry best practices for clean and maintainable code.

🚀 Technologies Used

This project aligns with the preferred tech stack and tools used by C6 Digital:

Backend

• PHP (Laravel Framework): The core framework for building the application.
• SQLite: Lightweight database for storing health data.
• Livewire: Simplifies the creation of dynamic interfaces directly in Blade templates.

Frontend

• Tailwind CSS: Used for designing a clean and responsive user interface.
• AlpineJS: Enables lightweight and reactive frontend interactions.

Tools

• GitHub: Version control and project repository hosting.
• SQLite CLI: For direct database inspection and debugging.

The project was inspired by the requirements of a Laravel developer role at C6 Digital, incorporating their preferred tech stack and development practices. It demonstrates my ability to build full-stack applications, integrating external APIs with robust database operations, and implementing clean and responsive user interfaces.

🧑‍💻 Development Process

1. Setting Up the Environment

   • Configured a Laravel project with SQLite as the database in the .env file, for example:

     DB_CONNECTION=sqlite DB_DATABASE=/path/to/health_database.sqlite

2. Database Design and Seeding

   • Created a health_data table to store health statistics with columns for constituency name, condition type, prevalence, and description.
   • Seeded the database using a CSV file containing health data.

3. API Integration

   • Integrated the Postcodes.io API to retrieve constituency data based on user-entered postcodes.
   • Implemented error handling for invalid or unavailable postcodes.

4. Querying Health Data

   • Used Laravel’s Query Builder to fetch constituency-specific health data, for example:

     $healthData = DB::table('health_data') ->whereRaw('LOWER(TRIM(pcon_name)) = ?', [strtolower(trim($constituency))]) ->get();

5. Frontend Implementation

   • Designed a responsive UI with Tailwind CSS to match the style of C6 Digital’s job portal.
   • Built dynamic table updates using AlpineJS.

6. Logging and Debugging

   • Utilised Laravel’s logging system to track API responses and database queries for troubleshooting.

7. Testing

   • Tested the application extensively using Postman, browser developer tools, and the SQLite CLI.

💻 How to Run the Project Locally

Prerequisites

• PHP (>=8.1)
• Composer
• SQLite
• Node.js & npm

Steps

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/postcode-health-tool.git
   cd postcode-health-tool
   

2. Install Dependencies:

   composer install
   npm install
   

3. Set Up Environment Variables

   • Copy .env.example to .env.

   • Update the DB_DATABASE path to your SQLite file:

     DB_DATABASE=/path/to/health_database.sqlite
     

4. Run Database Migrations and Seeders:

   php artisan migrate
   php artisan db:seed --class=HealthDataSeeder
   

5. Compile Frontend Assets:

   npm run dev
   

6. Start the Development Server:

   php artisan serve
   

7. Access the Application
   Open your browser and navigate to:

   http://127.0.0.1:8000
   

📝 Example Usage

1. Enter a valid UK postcode (e.g., SS13 3EB) in the input field.
2. View the constituency name and related health statistics.
3. If no data is available for the constituency, a fallback message will be displayed.

🤝 Contributions

Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome! Feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.

🏆 Acknowledgements

• Postcodes.io API for constituency data.
• Laravel, Tailwind CSS, and AlpineJS for providing the tools to create this project.
• C6 Digital for inspiring this project idea through their Laravel Developer role requirements.

📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for more details.