Placeholders and future updates
Our Spot is a mobile-first developed photo sharing platform created for people who love to share photos of their favourite spots around the world. By sharing individually we collectively build a resource of wonderful spaces to enjoy at a local and global level.
Currently the site being presented is a minimum viable product (mvp) - Phase One of Two phases. It is not the final platform but includes enough functionality and business logic to meet the CI project 4 purpose.
The fully deployed project can be accessed here. Use Ctrl (or Cmd) + click to open in new window
This project has been built to fit into the Code Institute project 4 criteria, the aim of which is to build a Full-Stack web application that controls a centrally-owned dataset. An authentication mechanism should be used to provide role-based access to the site's data or other activities.
This is the first working prototype of the final project and I will complete this platform once my course has finished. The project includes placeholders in some areas, but all aspects of the project criteria have been covered including implementing a data model, application features and business logic to manage, query and manipulate data.
The platform has been created with a strong emphasis on user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) ensuring that usability, accessibility and information architecture have not only been considered but implemented to guarantee an enjoyable user experience.
When talking about access for superusers and members the term users will be used, otherwise the term members will be used. Of course some superusers are also members!
Our Spot is a web application made using Django. It's main aim is to provide a space where people can go to share their favourite places around the world. As well as sharing photos, the site will also provide an opportunity to connect with other members and foster friendships.
The key objectives of the project include:
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Focusing on user centered design and providing an experience that encourages sharing and interaction through an intuitive easy to use interface.
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Offering a dedicated space for anyone looking to contribute photos of their favourite spot including local parks, open spaces and hangouts, with an opportunity to share what there is to do and why they love it.
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An opportunity for people to engage and interact with each other through likes and comments, fostering connection and opening dialogue. Profiles are provided for each member.
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Building a database-backed model-view-template (MVT) web application that lets users store and manipulate data records including the ability to create, read, edit and delete.
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Giving users the ability to initiate and control their actions while providing immediate and complete feedback on data processes.
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A place where administrators of the project have a panel that allows them to monitor members and the information they share as well as the comments they make, to ensure the community is kept safe and the environment is not abused.
The end result has been a user-friendly photo sharing network that has been encouraged and informed through user engagement.
The Our Spot platform has been designed for:
| Enthusiastic | People |
|---|---|
| Nature lovers who enjoy being outside and who appreciate the health benefits of spending time in nature. | Photographers and travellers who love to share some of their favourite spots around the world. |
| Adults looking to share the places they love to visit. | Adults looking for places to visit with friends/family or alone. |
The network is for adults looking to share and/or find places to visit.
I used MVT to help define the project's requirements, features, and structure by considering the following questions
Model :
- What data do we need to store in the database for this network? E.g. username, password, photo etc
- What are the attributes of a User profile for the members?
- What information should be associated with a location (or spot) shared by members.
- What profile is needed to represent members and their attributes?
- How do we ensure that user experience is developed in a way that will enhance the effectiveness and enjoyment of the platform?
View :
- What should members and non-members see when they first visit the website (homepage)?
- How do we display the latest locations shared by all members and by an individual member.
- What views or pages are needed for members to register and log in?
- How should the process to add new locations be structured in terms of member interactions and views?
- What information should be displayed on a members profile page?
Template :
- What should the HTML structure of the site look like? What is the layout for the pages?
- What should the structure and design of the member registration and login forms look like?
- What does the users template to view, add, edit and delete locations look like? How should they be structured?
- What should these templates include?
- What should the format and style of a users profile page look like?
- How do we ensure that both load time and responsiveness are taken into consideration when building the project?
Authorization :
- How will users authentication and authorization be handled to ensure that only authorised users can add photos?
- Do we need to integrate any third-party services for features like email notifications?
- How will errors and validation on user input be handled?
- What testing strategies will be employed to ensure the system functions correctly?
- How will user acceptance testing (UAT) be handled?
These questions lay the groundwork for creating user stories, developing the database schema, designing templates, and implementing the necessary views and functionality within Django.
My aim throughout this project was to focus my working time using agile terminologies:
- Create backlog
- Divide work into sprints
- Create subset sprints
- Review work - completed yesterday, to do today, any challenges
- Testing - developer tool, (print) command, keep an eye on terminal/console area.
- Obtain feedback.
- Maintain product backlog and prioritise items/adapt to change
- Future implementations/scalability and performance optimisation.
The GitHub project area was used to manage this process.
The site contains a usable database that stores data in a consistent and well-organised manner. Postresql was used to create the data structure which is hosted at ElephantSQL.
This database schema defines the structure and relationships for this application. I used business logic in the design of the database by ensuring there are clear relationships between each model - e.g. User, Locations, Comment, Like, User Profile. There is a method to count likes, to add users, to allow users to edit and update their profile etc.
Once users register a file is created that stores their username and password plus any additional information provided. Users are then allocated a profile and have the ability to upload photos based on a location. These locations can be liked and commented upon by other users.
Below is the entity relationship diagram for Our Spot.
User includes username, first and last name, email and password. The username is a one-to-one field, while the other fields are textFields.
User Profile extends the details provided in the user section and also includes a date of birth dateField and a photo imageField.
Locations includes a charField title, slugField slug for the url, a charfield for description & image alt, cloudinary for image and a tuple for the location types. The posted date uses the datetime field.
Like. A Many-To-Many field is used for a user to like a location.
Comment. as the user is already logged-in, only the comment box text field is needed along with a datetime field for created and updated. The user and location are both foreign keys.
When designing the structure of the site I kept my focus on the need to create a mobile first web-based application that has both a user interface (front end) and server-side logic database (back end) stored in a central location. My focus influenced my prototypes which are shown as wireframes below:
Home/Index Page
In order to log-in users must add a username and password. Email is optional in Phase One, although it helps to add an email - even a fake one - so you can login using username or email.
As long as the minimum requirements are met users are informed of their registration success and invited to immediately login.
Once logged-in users are met with their dashboard. The visual hierarcy of the platform has been set up so that users naturally flow from one area to another, starting with the dashboard where all visitors are taken to when they first log-in.
Once inside, other options available are to see images added by other uses (locations tab) and to add their own images (new spot tab).
Important features to include was the ability for users to interact with this interface and manipulate the data through CRUD capabilities, while providing clear updates on any changes made.
Users can update their passwords, edit and delete their locations and comments (see images below for actual screenshots) as well as editing their profile information.
Messages are used to ensure that any changes to the data are notified to the user.
As a member of the platform users will enjoy:
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The opportunity for users to share their experiences and activities through photographs.
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An opportunity to interact with other members through comments.
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A user-friendly dashboard that provides access to all parts of the platform easily.
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A user-friendly system/user journey for adding, commenting on and liking photos.
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A user-friendly design that works across all devices.
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Simplicity in registering, using and interacting were the main priorities to ensure user enjoyment.
These ideas fed into the user stories.
Based on the MVT model above, the following EPICS and user stories were created to support project development.
A total of five EPICS were created to complete the first phase and organised into sprints.
User Authentication and Registration: Covering network setup up, role allocation, user registration, login, and logout functionality.
User Profiles: This epic covers user profiles, creating, editing and deleting.
Photo Management: How users will add, edit and delete photos and any additional information added with the photo, e.g. description.
Location Detail Page: This focuses on the detailed view of a specific location and what will be shown.
User Connections: The structure for liking locations and adding, editing and deleting comments.
Manage Accounts: As an administrator, I want to be able to manage user accounts, including creating, editing, and deactivating them if necessary so that my records are kept up to date.
Register to add photos: As Admin, I want users to register before being able to look at or add a new photo.
Password Change: As admin I want to set up a system so users can change their password when they are logged in and to be able to contact Admin to change it if they are not logged in.
Create, Read, Update and Delete As admin I want to be able to create, read, update and delete photos, comments and profiles so that the admin area is kept up to date.
Registration and Log-In As a user, I want to be able to register an account, so I can participate in Our Spot and immediately log-in.
log-In/Log Out As a user, I want to log in and out of my account so that I can access the platform securely.
Create, Edit, Cancel and Delete Photos: As a user I want to be able to create, edit, and delete my photos and any other information added so that I can stay in control of the information I share.
View User Photos: As a user, I want to be able to view the photos of other users so I can decided whether I want to like and/or leave a comment.
View Photo Information As a user, I want to view detailed information about a spot when I click on it so that I can see all the information provided.
Create, Edit, cancel and delete profile: As a user I want to be able to create, edit, and delete my profile so that I have an accurate record of all my personal information and activity.
View User Profile: As a user, I want to be able to view my profile and my latest activity/uploads so that I can keep my information up to date.
View Other Profiles: As a user I want to be able to view the profiles of other users so that I can look through their activity.
Search Facilities: As a user I want to be able to search for different photos available based on their location so that I can find a location or specific image.
Authorisation is only available to registered users so the site is hidden away and register details available on the homepage with a login link in the navigation bar.
In Phase One, email requirement is not necessary to become a member. Only user name and password are essential items, making registration quick and easy. As per the "I Think Therefore I Blog" instructions - ACCOUNT_EMAIL_VERIFICATION = "none" - has been added to the settings file.
Business logic was used in the creation of the registation and log-in forms by ensuring that incoming data is validated against my business rules. e.g. users can create usernames using lowercase or uppercase text, they can log in with an email address or user name, an email address can only be used once to create an account etc
If a new user tries to register using an email address already in the system an error message will appear.
Once registered a new user is invited to log-in. If they included their name when registering it will appear with the welcome message.
Users can log-in using an email address or username.
New members are then taken to the dashboard area where they can update their profile and/or add a new location photo.
The dashboard area will show a first name if one was provided during the registration process (image above), otherwise it will be left blank.
Once inside users who want to add information to their profile will only be able to do so if they include an email address. The Admin area has been setup to make email a requirement of members, however madeup email addresses can be used as authentication via email will not take place until Stage Two.
Password Management
In the first phase of this project the ability to change a users password is available inside the members area.
In the next phase the ability to use a password reset email will be included.
A simple navigation was created using Bootstrap Navbar. Only logged-in users can see the pages available.
Unregistered and logged out users only see the ability to register and log in.
The search facility is available to unregistered and logged out users, however, if they click on a link to view a profile they are invited to log-in. Whilst unregistered members can read any comments made they are unable to leave a comment.
I wanted a way for unregistered users to see what is available on the platform. Depending on user feedback in Stage Two this may change and a blog added instead.
A footer has been included on the homepage in line with project requirements, however as this is a social network platform and a footer is not usually visable, it has been added to the homepage only.
After logging in users are taken to their dashboard where they are presented with a list of their recent uploads. They also have the ability to view and edit their profile
This page contains the photos of all users added to the site. Users can click on the photo to view it.
When a user clicks on a photo they are taken to a display page. If they are the owner of the photo they have the ability to edit and delete the photo. If they are not users can comment and like the photo.
This area has been kept fairly simple. Users can add a title, description (up to 500 words), photo and to ensure the alt feature is added users are encouraged to describe their photo.
The ability to edit or delete any photo uploaded by a user is available on their dashboard and also shows up on locations they have added.
Edit Location
Delete Location
The ability to like and comment on a photo is available to all users. The ability to edit and delete a comment has also been included
There is a link back to the profile of any user who leaves a comment (see user profile information below for image)
There is a link available for users who want to report a profile or photo. In Stage Two a pop up box will appear inviting them to submit their report to Admin.
Message box that appears - this is currently a placeholder only function
This page contains a list of profile photos with the name of the user. This can be clicked and a full profile appears.
Each user is provided with a profile however adding a photo is optional. When you visit a profile you will see any locations that have been added by that user.
The user profile is linked to any location they add or comment they make so users can click the link to visit their profile
While members can edit their profile they cannot delete it. There is a message shown that let's them know they can contact admin to delete their account.
The font used for the site is a Google Font called Mulish and the background colour is #FCFCFC.
The ability to create, read, update and delete data has been added. The site provides role-based access to admin who are superusers and have full access to all data and members who are limited to access made available by admin.
REMINDER: When talking about access for superusers and members the term users will be used otherwise the term members is used. Of course some superusers are also members!
Users are able to manipulate the data model using the following:
Members:
A dashboard where members can view a list of their latest uploads as well as gain access to view, edit and delete them.
A page dedicated to creating new uploads with a simple interface. Members can add their description and photo as well as selecting the region of their location. When using the search function users are then able to search by country as well as other keywords.
Pages where users can edit/change their information
The members ability to delete and close their account has not been included in phase one. However, a message is shown to inform them that they can contact Admin if they want their details removed.
The ability to like the photos of other members and add a comment.
The ability for users to edit and delete comments.
Admin:
A central location where the site can be managed including the ability to create, read, edit and delete:
- members
- locations/photos added by members
- profiles
- comments
Included in the Github Project Board are user stories under the column "Stage Two" which represents upcoming iterations. This backlog includes user stories created for an upcoming development phase.
The second phase provides an opportunity for me to respond to member feedback. It also allows for ongoing refinements and improvements that will evolve based on user input and needs. This highlights the adatability and scalability of the project.
As this is not the final project, the platform includes a couple of placeholders that were adding to highlight some of these additional features. These are:
Report a photo or profile - The button under photos and profiles is shown for example purposes only but will become a working facility in the next phase.
Email password - If a member is unable to log-in because they have forgotten their password the ability to complete the "forgotten password" form is not available and members are presented with a message to contact Admin.
Additional features to be included are:
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Email authentication - the ability to sign up using email to verify your account and receive notifications via email.
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The ability to search for images based on tags and a stronger search facility overall.
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Album creation so photos can be saved into specific albums, e.g. parks, holiday etc.
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Personalised recommendations - members receive recommendations for new spots based on previous uploads.
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A feed that shows member activity and trending images.
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Infinite scroll added to the dashboard, locations and members pages.
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The ability to follow members and get updated when they post.
Please see my separate Testing MD page HERE that includes information on testing, viability and bugs.
Deployment took place immediately after installing Django.
The following steps outline all libraries needed for successful deployment on Railway. All neccessary-requirements and settings updates will not be discussed in this section as they are assumed as logical follow-up steps to installments. For a full explanation of how to install these libraries, refer to the links provided in Technologies Used.
- Install Gunicorn (server used to run Django on Railway):
pip3 install django gunicorn - Install pyscopg2 (connects to PostgreSQL):
pip 3 install dj_database_url pyscopg2 - Install Cloudinary (host static files and images):
pip3 install dj3-Cloudinary-storage
This is necessary to create a database that can be accessed by Railway. The database provided by Django can not be accessed by the deployed Railway app.
- Log into ElephantSQL and go to Dashboard
- Click Create New Instance
- Set up a plan by providing a Name (project name) and select a Plan (for this project the free plan "Tiny Turtle" was chosen). Tags are optional.
- Click Select Region and choose appropriate Datacenter
- Click Review, check all details and click Create Instance
- Return to Dashboard on click on the name of the newly created instance
- Copy the database URL from the details section
- Create
env.pyfile and ensure it is included in the.gitignorefile - Add
import osto env.py file and set environment variable DATABASE_URL to the URL copied from ElephantSQL (os.environ["DATABASE_URL"]="<copiedURL>") - Below, set SECRET_KEY variable (
os.environ["SECRET_KEY"]="mysecretkey", but create a more secure password.)
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Add the following code at the top of
settings.pyto connect the Django project to env.py:import os import dj_database_url if os.path.isfile('env.py'): import env -
Remove the insecure secret key provided by Django in settings.py and refer to a variable in env.py instead (
SECRET_KEY = os.environ.get('SECRET_KEY')) -
To connect to the new database, replace the provided DATABASE variable with
DATABASES = { 'default': dj_database_url.parse(os.environ.get("DATABASE_URL")) } -
Save and migrate all changes made
- In the Cloudinary dashboard, copy API Environment variable
- In
env.pyfile, add new variableos.environ["CLOUDINARY_URL"] = "<copied_variable"and removeCLOUDINARY_URL=from the variable string - Add same variable value as new Railway config var named CLOUDINARY_URL
- In
settings.py, inINSTALLED_APPSlist, abovedjango.contrib.staticfilesaddcloudinary_storage, below addcloudinary - To define Cloudinary as static file storage add the following to settings.py
STATICFILES_STORAGE = 'cloudinary_storage.storage.StaticHashedCloudinaryStorage' DEFAULT_FILE_STORAGE = 'cloudinary_storage.storage.MediaCloudinaryStorage'
- In
settings.pyaddALLOWED_HOSTS = ['app-name.up.railway.app', 'localhost']
Deploy To Railway
First create A Pipfile in your project terminal.
In the terminal enter the command pip3 freeze > requirements.txt, and a file with all requirements will be created.
Setting up Railway
- Go to the Railway website (https://www.Railway.com/)
- Login to Railway and choose Create App.
- Click New and Create a new app.
- Choose a name and select your location.
- Navigate to the Deploy tab.
- Click on Connect to Github and search for your repository.
- Navigate to the Settings tab.
- Reveal Config Vars and add your Cloudinary, Database URL (from ElephantSQL) and Secret key, plus PORT 8000.
Deployment on Railway
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Go to the Deploy tab.
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For the very first deployment select manual deploy and wait as Railway builds the logs. Once complete click on the button to view the app.
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After the initial deployment you can then enable automatic deployment.
DEBUG Status
- For the final deployment to Railway once the project is complete and before submission of the project to Code Institute, ensure DEBUG is changed from True to False.
Fork the repository
For creating a copy of the repository on your account and change it without affecting the original project, useFork directly from GitHub:
On My Repository Page, press Fork in the top right of the page. A forked version of my project will appear in your repository.
Clone the repository
For creating a clone of the repository on your local machine, useClone:
On My Repository Page, click the Code green button, right above the code window Chose from HTTPS, SSH and GitClub CLI format and copy (preferably HTTPS) In your IDE open Git Bash Enter the command git clone followed by the copied URL Your clone was created
Use Ctrl (or Cmd) + click to open in new window
Core Resources:
- Django - Framework
- Python
- HTML5 and CSS
- Bootstrap 5 - predefined responsive styles and NavBar
- GitHub
- GitHub projects - managing and monitoring progress
- JavaScript & JQuery
- Postgresql (via ElephantSQL)
Project Resources
- ElephantSQL
- Railway
- Cloudinary
- CodeAnywhere
- GitPod
- Visual Studio Code
- Google Developer Tools
- Google Fonts
- Black
Libraries and Requirements
The following libaries are included in my requirements.txt file:
- asgiref==3.7.2
- cloudinary==1.36.0
- dj-database-url==0.5.0
- dj3-cloudinary-storage==0.0.6
- Django==3.2.22
- django-crispy-forms==1.14.0
- django-resized==1.0.2
- django-richtextfield==1.6.1
- easy-thumbnails==2.8.5
- gunicorn==21.2.0
- lazy-object-proxy==1.9.0
- Pillow==10.1.0
- psycopg2==2.9.9
- pytz==2023.3.post1
- sqlparse==0.4.4
- urllib3==1.26.15
Additional Resources
- Images - Although member profile names and photos are made up and not real many of the images have been supplied by actual members. I have also supplied my own images and additional images were sourced via Pexel.com
- Favicon Generator
- Canva
- Font Awesome - for icons used
- PNG to WEBP converter - Changing images to webp
- Balsamiq for wireframes
- Miro - for database schema
- Diffchecker to check code
- Django Auto Slug - to change default django url from numerical into a more SEO friendly title based url.
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Slackoverflow forum for answers when stuck.
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Django Packages to find answers from the official Django documentation.
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Idea for footer styling and Bootstrap. Used sticky footer instructions from Philip Walton.
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Two Scoops of Django 3 - helped with layout of views.py file
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Code Institute Walk Through Project The project I Think Therefore I blog was used to help with setting up Django, adding the Like button and comments plus other parts of this project.
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Mozilla mdn web docs - for support with testing
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Users who answered questions, provided images and tested the site by registering and adding images.
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Forum over at DjangoProject - especially Ken
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Daisy Mc - thanks to her YouTube videos that helped me create the CRUD functionality of this site and who also for her personal help.
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Slack community and Tutor support who played their part in helping me find answers.
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My Mentor Andre - who continually pushes me to be a better developer and in this project pulled me back from biting off more than I could chew!
A retrospective review is an important part of Agile to ensure continuous progress. We are often encouraged to add a retrospective review in our hackathon presentation, so I thought I would add one here for this project.
What worked well for me?
- I enjoyed using Django and can see the potential in including it as part of my developer stack.
- The fact that I was determined to complete it! This is not the first version of this project. I actually started and abandoned one project and then started and deleted a social network, before finally sticking with this version.
What did not work well for me?
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There were a few challenges with the database which meant I had to reset it and start again. After the second data crash I moved over from Codeanywhere to GitPod after a recommendation from tutor support. The main cause of the crash happened when I changed my location app model and tried to migrate the changes. Spending more time planning my models will avoid the need to make changes in the future.
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I struggled to add some components to the site like the comments section. Looking through my commits there are times when I added comments and then completely removed them before finally trying again, this time successfully. I also struggled to include a follow system for members. My lack of exerience using Django made this difficult.
What actions can I take to improve my process going forward?
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Stick to the plan! It is very easy to forget the plan that is in place and to start adding extras functionalities that cause more work. For example I spent a whole day adding infinite scroll to the network. When I went to tick it off my todo list at the end of the day I realised it wasn't even on my list of things to do. To make matters worse I eventually decided to remove infinite scroll when it stopped working and include it in Stage Two.
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The main reason I included a Stage Two into this project was to give me an opportunity to build upon my knowledge and skillset. I don't have all the knowledge and/or skills I need to complete this platform but I am keen to learn how to implement them as I learn more about Django.
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While I was tempted to continually add things or try to fix things that weren't quite right, I had to conintually bring myself back to the main focus of Project 4, the dataset and the ability for members to use and query the dataset.
Now that my course is complete (March 2024) I have decided to update this site and include some of the features listed in the Placeholders and future updates section.
4 April 2024 - I closed the registration page. This will reopen once authentication has been included.
5 April 2024 - I updated Django, Python and other resources plus dependencies being used.
Developer: Diane Corriette - [GitHub](https://github.com/todiane) & [Website](https://djangify.up.railway.app/)