www.averylawfirm.com

Local site configuration notes.

Dependencies

• git

• node.js

• SASS

• Grunt

• Redis Server

• Optional (convenience) development tools

  • nodemon
  • pow
  • LiveReload app

Site Environment Configuration

I use the dotenv node module for keeping up with the site environments.

Available environment variables:

• NODE_DB_HOST
• NODE_DB_PORT
• NODE_DB_PASS
• SESSION_SECRET
• NODE_ENV
• PORT
• SENDGRID_USERNAME
• SENDGRID_PASSWORD

You can create .env files specific to the environment, i.e.: .env.development, .env.testing, etc. The defaults can be found in .env.

See also: app.js, Heroku build config vars

Authorization Keys

.env.keys

Local Development Site Setup

Windows

1. Buy a MacBook.
2. Refer to the local site setup section for Mac OS X.
3. Profit!

Linux

See the local site setup section for Mac OS X.

Mac OS X

Install software dependencies via Homebrew:

brew install -vd git 
brew install -vd node 
brew install -vd redis

# Be sure to read the caveats here to finish setup
brew install -vd pow

gem install sass
npm install -g grunt-cli

git clone git@github.com:i8degrees/averylawfirm.git averylawfirm.git
cd averylawfirm.git/

# Install deps required for running site
npm install

redis-server /usr/local/etc/redis.conf &

# Run a local web server in the background on a local port number that is free.
PORT=<LOCAL_PORT_NUMBER> NODE_ENV=development npm start &

You should now be able to access the local site at the http://localhost:<LOCAL_PORT_NUMBER> when everything is setup properly.

nodemon

This optional package restarts the web server anytime the configuration files -- i.e.: app.js, routes/index.js -- are modified.

Simply swap out the use of npm start with:

# averylawfirm.git
 NODE_ENV=development nodemon app.js &

Pow

Create a symbolic link from the project's root directory to your user's .pow directory:

ln -s ~/Projects/averylawfirm ~/.pow/averylawfirm

You should now be able to access the local site at the following URL if everything was setup properly (NOTE: Replace the private LAN address [1] according to your site network):

1. Pow host via LAN

Troubleshooting

• See the project's config.ru in the project root directory.

Testing Site Setup

Testing Site Dependencies

• Defaults to the listening port 5000.

• All site pages generated from Jade templates:

  • Exclude LiveReload script.
  • Minified Modernizr script is used.

• Error page:

  • Error status number is not shown.

• Contact page:

  • Email will be sent out upon successful form submission.

redis-server /usr/local/etc/redis.conf &
 NODE_ENV=testing nodemon app.js &

NOTE: The database connection environment variables NODE_DB_HOST, NODE_DB_PORT and NODE_DB_PASS should be set to the Redis URL used by Heroku deployments.

Note: You should ensure that you include the space as the first character of the command when running from the shell (assuming BASH), so that your password is not accidentally committed to your BASH history file.

Production Site Setup

• Defaults to the listening port 5000.

• All site pages generated from Jade templates:

  • Exclude LiveReload script.
  • Minified Modernizr script is used.

• Error page:

  • Error status number is not shown.
  • Error stack traces are disabled.

• Contact page:

  • Email will be sent out upon successful form submission.
  • No dumping of form submission input on successful form submission.

redis-server /usr/local/etc/redis.conf &
 NODE_ENV=production nodemon app.js &

NOTE: The database connection environment variables NODE_DB_HOST, NODE_DB_PORT and NODE_DB_PASS should be set to the Redis URL used by Heroku deployments.

Note: You should ensure that you include the space as the first character of the command when running from the shell (assuming BASH), so that your password is not accidentally committed to your BASH history file.

Miscellaneous Notes

Heroku Staging Deployment URL

averylawfirm-staging.herokuapp.com

# Local 'dev' branch to Heroku staging app's 'master' branch
git push staging dev:master

# Local 'master' branch to Heroku staging app's 'master' branch
git push staging master

heroku logs --app averylawfirm-staging

Heroku Production Deployment URL

averylawfirm.herokuapp.com

# Local 'dev' branch to Heroku app's 'master' branch
git push heroku dev:master

# Local 'master' branch to Heroku app's 'master' branch
git push heroku master

heroku logs --app averylawfirm

Alert Notifications for Log Levels >= 'WARNING'

The format in which logs are output must follow a particular style in order to work automatically with an automated notification system (powered by LogEntries).

• The following logging output formats have been configured for email alert notifications:
  • app [ERROR]: ...message...
  • app [CRITICAL]: ...message...
  • app [WARNING]: ...message...
  • app [DEBUG]: ...message...

NOTE: Log output formatting that begins with app-subname where subname is any alphanumeric combination is also matched for alert notifications.

References

• http://cwbuecheler.com/web/tutorials/2013/node-express-mongo/
• https://www.npmjs.org/package/nodemon
• http://ryanchristiani.com/getting-started-with-grunt-and-sass/
• http://gruntjs.com/getting-started
• https://www.codefellows.org/blog/create-a-node-js-project-from-scratch-with-node-sass

Further Reading

• Official Express guide
• Node.js & Express Tutorial
• Pow User's Manual
• Heroku: Deploying with Git
• Redis: Quick Start