I spent a good amount of time in the last week planning and fine-tuning what would be best for the models (database tables) and how they need to be able to interact with each other. I also have been working on getting the project set up on the server and the web app moved over onto the server.
Below shows one of my diagrams of keys (primary and foreign) that I will be using in the models- this took a couple of re-dos in order for me to consider it efficient, but I learned some really important lessons about relations between tables and had to seriously think through how I will want to be accessing and changing these databases through the web app.
Having never worked with a database before, let alone a framework like Django, I really have had to dedicate a great deal of time to understanding how different elements work with one another, and how to configure the whole set-up so it actually works. Not that I have completely mastered anything, or that I’ve done every Django and SQL tutorial out there (just... most of them), but I really am feeling more confident about using Django and creating a back-end for the web app that I ever anticipated.
A couple successes & updates in the last week:
Dr. Pless suggested an addition to the web app (for right now, as the database is not up yet) - storing the photo that was last taken on the app as the overlay for the next photo. I used the LocalStorage JavaScript API, which I had already used to display the photo after it was taken on the next page, to make this happen and while it will only show the last photo you took using the web app, it’s still a pretty cool thing until we can get the database up and running!
The photo on the left shows the overlay in action- the blurriness is due to my shaking hand in trying to take the screenshot, but it was really great to see a sneak peek of what the web app will eventually become. The photo on the left shows the page after the photo is taken, displaying the photo with the choice to hold down to save to your camera roll along with sharing on social media and other options that I haven’t worked on yet.
I’ve been working on the plans for the flow as well as appearance of the site and have been drawing out my ideas, so there is a plan for the front-end! I’m currently more focused on the back-end, but when the time comes, I’m really excited to start working on giving Project rePhoto the eye-catching, modern look it deserves!
We’re still trying to come up with a Project rePhoto tagline- a couple of strong ones so far have been “chronicle change in your world” and “track what you care about”, and I’d love to hear more! There’s sticky notes by my desk if you ever think of an idea!
I would really appreciate any feedback that anyone has on what I’ve done so far; thanks for reading and happy Thursday!