A Rails backend app for sending a picgram using React frontend. The frontend repo can be found at https://github.com/RakshyaKC/picture-message-client . A user is able to sign up, sign in and send webcam pictures to other users on app. The app can be found at https://rakshyakc.github.io/picture-message-client/#/

Technology used

Ruby on Rails Heroku Github CarrierWave CarrierWave-aws

Entity relationship diagram

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1VACfnEU23khM0Z7ZF7TfGq-0h-Y8rkbUwP-yPMuIVHw/edit?usp=sharing

• Created message scaffold, belongs to user
• Updated message scaffold
• Add sender_id as a reference (manually in migration)
• Add receiver_id as a reference (manually in migration)
• Add ‘Seen’ column as a boolean
• Add Picture_id as a reference
• Updated users, picture and message models
• Tested the relationship works in psql
• Created a message.create and picture.create and sent it to User.first from User.first

For image upload in Rails using Carrierwave

https://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/rails-image-upload-using-carrierwave-in-a-rails-app--cms-25183

• Added Carrierwave gemfile using above resource
• Created new scaffold ‘Picture’ has_many: messages, ImageUploader
• Created Image_uploader.rb

To store in Amazon S3

Carrierwave-aws (follow instructions on https://github.com/sorentwo/carrierwave-aws)

• In uploader, switched storage to :aws
• Installed gem 'carrierwave-aws'
• Added bin/initializers/carrierwave.rb
• In .env, changed S3_BUCKET to S3_BUCKET_NAME
• In .env, added AWS_REGIONOn front end, use formData (event.target) -> for click pic
• Added custom options for AWS url in uploader/image_uploader.rb
• Adding s3:PutObjectAcl permission in AWS https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam/home?region=us-east-1#/policies
• Checked in localhost
• Refreshed bucket

To get list of all users

• Deleted initializers/aws.rb
• Set up GET users route
• Allow get users before authentication

Send a message

• Messages_controller.rb
• Added picture_id, receiver_id and sender.id in message_params
• Made this a protected controller

Routes expected by API

• /sign-up (create)
• /sign-in (post)
• /sign-out (delete)
• /change-password (update)
• /create-pic-message (create)
• /inbox (get and update)
• /examples (get)
• /users (get)

Future issues to be solved

• Make the app more secure
• Ensure threading of conversations
• Enable users to have profile pictures
• Use websocket or action cable instead of making api calls frequently.

Heroku Deployment

https://git.generalassemb.ly/ga-wdi-boston/rails-heroku-setup-guide https://stackoverflow.com/questions/32677478/rails-missing-region-error-aws-heroku-paperclip