OdinBook

Introduction

This project is a significant milestone where I showcase my proficiency in building Rails applications, modeling data, and working with forms. The goal is to create a social media site clone, such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, or Threads. While the styling and front-end are optional, I focus mostly on implementing the core backend features like users, profiles, posts, following, and liking.

Assignment

Build a functional social media site with the following features:

• User authentication with Devise
• User profiles with profile pictures
• Ability to follow other users
• Create, like, and comment on posts
• Display posts with content, author, comments, and likes
• Index pages for posts and users
• Welcome emails for new users

Extra Credit:

• Image uploads for posts
• Use Active Storage for profile pictures
• Polymorphic associations for posts
• Enhanced styling

Features

Core Features

1. User Authentication:

   • Use Devise for user authentication.
   • Users must sign in to access the site.

2. User Profiles:

   • Users can create profiles with a profile picture.
   • Display profile information, profile photo, and user posts on the profile page.

3. Posts:

   • Users can create text posts.
   • Users can like and comment on posts.
   • Display post content, author, comments, and likes.
   • Index page for posts showing recent posts from the user and their followed users.

4. Following:

   • Users can send follow requests to other users.
   • Index page for users with buttons to follow/unfollow users.

5. Mailers:

   • Send a welcome email to new users using the letter_opener gem for development.

Extra Credit Features

• Image Posts: Allow posts to include images via URL or upload.
• Active Storage: Enable users to upload profile photos.
• Polymorphic Associations: Allow posts to be either text or photos while maintaining likes and comments.
• Styling: Enhance the visual appeal with CSS and HTML.

Getting Started

Data Architecture

1. Plan Your Models and Associations:

   • Users, Profiles, Posts, Likes, Comments, Follow Requests, etc.

2. Set Up the Rails App:

   • Create a new PostgreSQL Rails app:

     rails new odinbook --database=postgresql

   • Initialize the Git repository and update the README with a link to this page.

Development Steps

1. User Authentication:

   • Add Devise to your Gemfile and set up Devise for user authentication.
   • Configure routes and views for user sign-up, login, and profile management.

2. User Profiles:

   • Generate a Profile model and associate it with the User model.
   • Implement profile picture upload using Active Storage.

3. Posts and Comments:

   • Generate Post and Comment models.
   • Set up associations between Users, Posts, and Comments.
   • Implement CRUD actions for posts and comments.

4. Following System:

   • Generate a FollowRequest model.
   • Implement functionality for sending, accepting, and declining follow requests.
   • Display follower/following lists on user profiles.

5. Mailers:

   • Set up Action Mailer for sending welcome emails.
   • Use letter_opener gem to test emails in development.