Instagram Challenge

Challenge:

Build Instagram: Simple huh!

Your challenge is to build Instagram using Rails. You'll need users who can post pictures, write comments on pictures and like a picture. Style it like Instagram's website (or more awesome).

Bonus if you can add filters!

User stories:

As an avid photographer
I want to be able to post my pictures on the internet
So that I can share them with the world

As a follower of photography
I want to be able to comment on other users' photos
So that I can let the photographer know my thoughts

As a pedantic follower of photography
I want to be able to edit/delete my comments on other users' photos
So that I can rectify what I originally write

As a photography enthusiast with little time
I want to be able to quickly 'like' other users' photos
So that I can register my appreciation of the photo

As a user who has an account
I want permission to add/edit/delete my photos only when logged into my account
So that I can control my collection

As a forgetful visitor of the site
I want to only be able to 'like' photos once
So that I don't mistakenly tally up the 'likes' of a photo

Technologies Used:

Ruby On Rails (full stack, Web application framework)
Tested using RSpec (provides a behaviour driven development framework for the language, allowing to write application scenarios and test them.)
Shoulda (Ruby gem for testing)
Devise (Ruby gem which handles building a user model, routes for your users controller, and also OmniAuth (which handles those 'Log in with Facebook'-type buttons))
OmniAuth (OmniAuth is a flexible Ruby authentication framework utilizing Rack middleware aimed to abstract away the difficulties of working with various types of authentication providers)
Poltergeist (headless browser for Capybara based on PhantomJS (scripted, headless browser used for automating web page interaction; provides a JavaScript API enabling automated navigation, screenshots, user behavior and assertions making it a common tool used to run browser-based unit tests in a headless system like a continuous integration environment))

Set-up Steps:

Install Rails and start server

$ gem install rails
$ rails --help (provides menu)
$ rails new . -d postgresql -T or $ rails new instagram-challenge -d postgresql -T (instagram-challenge - name of app (use the former method with period if already located in chosen directory, else a new directory with given name will be created); -d - preconfigures app for particular type of database (being overridden to use PostgreSQL); -T turns off built-inRails test suite to allow RSpec)
Start server: $ bin/rails server or (shortcut) $ rails s

Create database

Create databases: $ bin/rake db:create (or $ bin/rake db:create RAILS_ENV=test and $ bin/rake db:create RAILS_ENV=development)

Set up testing suite

Add to test group in Gemfile: gem 'rspec-rails' and gem 'capybara' and $ bundle to install
Initiate RSpec: $ bin/rails generate rspec:install (creates spec directory with spec_helper.rb and rails_helper.rb and .rspec file)
.rspec file should include: --color --format documentation --require spec_helper
spec/rails_helper.rb: add below other require statements: require 'capybara/rails
Add first feature test in spec/features

Set route

config/routes.rb add: root to: 'photos#index' (or root 'photos#index') and resources :photos ($ bin/rake routes to display different CRUD (create-read-update-delete) routes created)

Generate controller

bin/rails g controller photos - generates a photos_controller.rb in app/controllers and rspec test in spec/controllers (delete latter) (g = generate)
app/controllers/photos_controller.rb -> define index method

Create view

touch app/views/photos/index.html.erb -> creates index file for controller to reference

Generate model

Generate model: $ bin/rails g model photo descr:string (migration files stored in db/migrate/ - version control system that compiles database upon migration)

Run migration

Run migration generated by preceding command: bin/rake db:migrate (or poss. bin/rake db:migrate RAILS_ENV=test and bin/rake db:migrate RAILS_ENV=development)

Add additional attributes to models

Generate migration: $ bin/rails g migration AddRatingToPhotos rating:integer
Run migration: $ bin/rake db:migrate

Add shoulda and devise gems

Add shoulda gem to Gemfile and run bundle install
Add devise gem to Gemfile and run bundle install; run Devise generator $ bin/rails g devise:install; tell Devise to make user model $ bin/rails g devise User; then $ rake db:migrate to add user table to database.

Omniauth

Add omniauth-facebook gem to Gemfile and run bundle install
Add columns 'provider' (string) and 'uid' (string) to your user model: rails g migration AddColumnsToUsers provider uid; then rake db:migrate to effect changes
Declare provider in config/initializers/devise.rb: config.omniauth :facebook, "APP_ID", "APP_SECRET"
Make model (app/models/user.rb) omniauthable: devise :omniauthable, :omniauth_providers => [:facebook]
See Github - OmniAuth: Overview link below for remaining steps required

Poltergeist / PhantomJS

Poltergeist requires PhantomJS - install using Homebrew: brew install phantomjs
Add poltergeist gem to Gemfile; run bundle install; require in spec/rails_helper.rb: require 'capybara/poltergeist' Capybara.javascript_driver = :poltergeist

Database Cleaner

Add database_cleaner gem to Gemfile; run bundle install; require in spec/rails_helper.rb: require 'support/database_cleaner'
In spec/rails_helper.rb switch following line from true to false: config.use_transactional_fixtures = false
Add directory and file: spec/support/database_cleaner.rb; add to file code from Virtuous Code - Configuring database_cleaner with Rails, RSpec, Capybara, and Selenium or as included in this repo: spec/support/database_cleaner.rb.

ImageMagick

Install ImageMagick (code library that deals with image compression) with Homebrew: $ brew install imagemagick

Paperclip

Add paperclip gem to Gemfile and run bundle install (Paperclip is a gem that makes file uploads to Ruby apps a bit simpler)

Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3 (Simple Storage Service)

AWS S3 is a cloud server to save image files: add Amazon Web Services (AWS) 'aws-sdk', '< 2.0' gem to Gemfile; run bundle install

Next Steps:

Try alternate method of RSpec test for successful upload and display of image: expect(page).to have_css('img[alt="Iceland"]')
Rectify tests after adding <%= photo.user.email %> to views/photos/index.html.erb (all test images must have attributed user else error thrown)
Check pluralize method is working (in both localhost and testing environment)
Validation: image file must be uploaded if photo is being added/updated
When editing photo, image file should be included as existing file for given photo
Attribute users to comments and likes
Add image to photo's profile page
Functionality and testing to prevent user from liking same photo more than once
Functionality and testing to prevent user from liking their own photo
Tests to cover all facets of authentication as per app/controllers/photos_controller.rb and app/controllers/comments_controller.rb
Use partials for: app/views/photos/new.html.erb and app/views/photos/edit.html.erb (@photos.errors.any? block is duplicated; possible to use partial for entire form except minor differences of button labels (add / update)?)
Ability to edit comments w/requisite validation and testing (currently only able to add comments)
Apply Ruby 'Time Ago In Words' gem:-