Chehalis

Overview

This application provides a front-end interface to WDFWs SG (Spawning Ground) database. The application is in an early developmental state. It is intended to serve as a temporary bridge to enable WDFW biologists working in the Chehalis Basin to enter and edit data until a permanent solution can be built using our standard NodeJS Angular framework. This application will only work for those who have been granted appropriate permissions to the database…a tightly restricted group. No credentials are stored in the R code.

If you are not an employee of WDFW, but want to explore the functionality of the interface, you will need to create and host your own database separately. A create script for the database can be found in the database folder. The same folder includes generic SQL code to define views and database roles, and also R code that can be used to upload stream geometry to the database. A local instance of the database is quick and easy to set up. For an overview of the SG database, you can find the most recent version of the SG data dictionary at: https://arestrom.github.io/sgsdd/

Installation

Although the application code above can be run directly from an RStudio session, the final application is designed to be compiled and distributed as a standalone Windows installer. It does not require admin rights to install. The installer will create a new directory called Apps\Chehalis under the users Documents folder. It will also place an icon on the users desktop for launching. The application comes bundled with a portable version of R and includes all package dependencies. No separate install of R is needed. This also means that the application should continue to work well into the future, even as the underlying technology and web of dependencies change. For details on how to package up a standalone installer for Shiny framework applicatons see: https://github.com/arestrom/refreeze

Start and stop the application

Before launching the application you are strongly advised to make sure your default browser is set to something like Chrome or Firefox. The interface is unlikely to work correctly using a Microsoft browser. After double-clicking the desktop icon, it may take a few seconds to open. Please do not use the refresh icon in your browser when running the application. If you do you will need to close and reopen.

Permissions

In order to use this application you must first be granted permissions to the database. For WDFW employees, please contact the database administrator to be whitelisted and granted the appropriate permissions. When you run the application the user name is set by default to be the same as the user name of the person that logged into the computer. This is by design. It allows recording the user name to the database created_by or modified_by fields anytime new entries, updates, or edits are committed.

The first time you use the application you will be automatically routed to an entry form to enable storing your database credentials and required connection information. Afterwards you will only see the credentials screen if changes are made to the server, or your password lapses. If that happens please contact the database administrator to verify that your password is current, and that you have entered the correct values for the server host and port. Database connection credentials are secured as encrypted values in the Windows Credential Manager.

In case of a crash

If after installing the standalone application, it crashes, or fails to load, navigate to the out.txt folder in the App directory: C:\Documents\Apps\Chehalis\out.txt. The out.txt file will log the first fatal error encountered. Please include this information when reporting the error.