Paw-sibilities Rescue 🐾

Description

Paw-sibilities Rescue is a heartwarming web application designed for a local animal rescue, fostering meaningful connections between rescue pets and compassionate volunteers. Our interactive platform serves as a hub for scheduling volunteer events, discovering adorable adoptable pets, and creating a paw-sitive impact in the lives of these lovable animals. Join us in making a difference, one paw at a time!

Prerequisites

This application combines a React frontend with a Flask-SQLAlchemy backend. Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed on your local machine:

• Node.js
• Python

If you would like to test email functionality, you will also need to sign up for a Mailtrap (or other email server) account.

• Feel free to follow the instructions on my blog as well!

How to Install

1. Fork and clone this repository into your local environment. Open the directory into your chosen code editor, such as VS Code.

• Open Explorer on the top left of the window, and a terminal window - we will need to do a little setup before we get the app running.

2. App secret setup

• In the main directory in Explorer, right click and create a new file named .env.
• In your terminal window, run pipenv install && pipenv shell to install necessary dependencies and enter the Python virtual environment.
• Run flask shell to enter the Flask shell, then run import secrets; secrets.token_hex(32) to generate a secret key.
• Copy the code; open the .env file and insert APP_SECRET = <paste code here>. Exit the shell with Ctrl-D

3. Flask-Mail configuration

• This is where the blog post will come in handy! After you've signed up for Mailtrap, navigate to Email Testing > Inboxes > My Inbox > Show Credentials.
• Copy your username; in the .env file, insert MAIL_USERNAME = <paste username here>.
• Copy your password; in the .env file, insert MAIL_PASSWORD = <paste password here>.
• This should connect the app to your email server!

4. Backend:

• Run cd server in the backend terminal window to navigate to the backend directory.
• Run flask db init, flask db migrate -m "initial migration", and flask db upgrade to create the database.
• Run python seed.py. It may take a moment to seed the database!
  • Note: you may encounter an error in the terminal Username must be between 5-50 characters. Sometimes the seed file does not create long enough usernames! Run python seed.py again, it should populate the database appropriately.
• Run flask run or python app.py to start the server. Ensure it is running on port 5555.
  • If for any reason it is not, exit with Ctrl-C, run FLASK_RUN_PORT = 5555, then flask run again.

5. Frontend:

• Open a second terminal window to be in charge of the frontend. Ensure you are in the main directory; if not, run cd ...
• Run cd client in the frontend terminal window to navigate to the frontend directory.
• Run npm i && npm start to install necessary dependencies and start the application.

6. Enjoy using the application!

Using the App

• Explore Volunteer or View Pets pages to view volunteer events or adoptable pets.
• Utilize search, sort, and filter options for targeted results.
• Click See Details for in-depth information on a specific pet or event.
• Sign up for an account, and be sure to check your Mailtrap account for the confirmation email!
  • Open the email, and follow the link provided to confirm your account.
• Now you'll be able to register for volunteer events. You'll receive another confirmation email once signed up!
• Visit your Profile page to manage your events, edit, or delete your account.
• Experience admin capabilities by logging in with credentials admin, and password.
  • The admin's account won't be confirmed by default, be sure to click the button to resend the confirmation email on the profile page and follow the steps.
• Note the admin has buttons to create new events and pets on their profile. Try it out!
• There are also additional buttons on each individual pet's and event's page to edit and delete them.
• Resize the window at any point to see the responsiveness of the page!

Future Features

• You may have noticed two buttons I have not mentioned - Foster on a pet's page, and View Fosters on the admin's profile page. In the future, a user will be able to click Foster which will send an email to admins, and mark the foster as pending. The admins can view pending fosters via the button on their profile, and approve or deny them.
• Password reset emails/ links will also be incorporated in the future.
• JWT will provide additional security to the application.
• Email blasts to users when new events or pets are added to increase visibility and interaction.
• If you have any suggestions for features you would like to see, please let me know!

Why I Made This App

As someone deeply passionate about animals and armed with nearly a decade of experience in the veterinary industry, I embarked on the journey of combining my lifelong love for animals with my newfound proficiency in programming. Before venturing into the world of coding, my family had always been active contributors to the rescue community—volunteering, fostering, and adopting. This application is a culmination of my personal experiences, reflecting not only my dedication to creating a positive impact in the lives of rescue pets but also showcasing the skills and knowledge gained throughout my programming journey. It's a heartfelt endeavor to merge my professional background with my love for animals, creating a meaningful and impactful tool that resonates with the values I hold dear. This project is not just a showcase of technical skills but a testament to the profound connection between personal passion and the transformative power of technology.

Reflection

The past fifteen weeks at Flatiron School have been a whirlwind – a transformative journey that has not only expanded my knowledge but also shaped me into a more confident and capable programmer. I couldn't have imagined how much I would learn prior to entering this program. From the early days of grappling with JavaScript basics to navigating the intricacies of React, Python, SQL, and Flask, this experience has been challenging, rewarding, frustrating, exhilarating.

I am immensely proud of the collective accomplishments of our class; a group of more supportive, good-humored, and brilliant individuals I could not hope for. Special gratitude goes to my teammates for their collaboration on various projects and to our instructor, a bottomless well of knowledge and an inspiring mentor.

As I approach this milestone, armed with a solid foundation in software engineering, I look forward to the challenges and triumphs that await. Each late-night coding session has instilled in me the confidence to tackle new obstacles with determination. Ready to embrace the journey ahead, I am poised to ascend to new heights as a Software Engineer.

Thank you for an incredible journey, though it's just the beginning. We did it!