Product Management System

This README provides a comprehensive guide to the setup, configuration, and usage of the Product Management System project. This application is designed to facilitate product management for suppliers and buyers, with features that allow users to add, edit, and delete products. It also includes user authentication for better security and access control.

Prerequisites
Setup Instructions
Database Configuration
Project Structure
CRUD Operations
Testing
Running the Application
Using Docker
Assignment Requirements

Prerequisites

Before starting the setup, ensure that you have the following installed:

Python 3.11 or higher
```
python --version
```
If Python is not installed, use the following command to install:
```
sudo apt update && sudo apt install python3 python3-virtualenv
```
PostgreSQL 3.11 or higher
```
psql --version
```
If PostgreSQL is not installed, use the following command to install:
```
sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib
```

Setup Instructions

Set up PostgreSQL Database
Follow the instructions in the db file to set up your PostgreSQL database.
Install Virtual Environment
Install the virtual environment package:
```
pip install virtualenv
```
Create a Virtual Environment
Create a virtual environment for the project:
```
python -m venv venv
```
Activate the Virtual Environment
Activate the virtual environment:
- For Windows:
```
venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
```
- For macOS/Linux:
```
source venv/bin/activate
```
Install Required Libraries
Install the necessary Python libraries:
```
pip install Django psycopg2-binary pillow python-decouple
```

Create Django Project
Create a new Django project:

django-admin startproject product_management
cd product_management

Connect the Database
Update the settings.py file to configure the default database settings.
Create Django Apps
Create two Django apps for this project:
```
python manage.py startapp products
python manage.py startapp users
```
Add both apps to the INSTALLED_APPS section in settings.py.
Create Models
Define the models for products and users:
- Set AUTH_USER_MODEL = 'users.User' in settings.py.
Run Migrations
Apply the migrations:
```
python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate
```
After each migration, permissions will be created as defined in signals.py. You can also run:
```
python manage.py create_groups
```
Add a Superuser
Create a superuser to test the functionality:
```
python manage.py createsuperuser
```

Project Structure

The project structure is organized to enhance clarity and maintainability. Here is a brief overview of the folder structure:

product_management/
 ┣ products/                   # App for product management
 ┃ ┣ migrations/               # Database migrations
 ┃ ┣ tests/                    # Test cases
 ┃ ┣ admin.py                  # Admin interface configuration
 ┃ ┣ forms.py                  # Product forms
 ┃ ┣ models.py                 # Product models
 ┃ ┣ urls.py                   # URL configurations for products
 ┃ ┣ views.py                  # View functions for products
 ┣ users/                      # App for user management
 ┃ ┣ migrations/               # Database migrations
 ┃ ┣ tests/                    # Test cases
 ┃ ┣ admin.py                  # Admin interface configuration
 ┃ ┣ forms.py                  # User forms
 ┃ ┣ models.py                 # User models
 ┃ ┣ urls.py                   # URL configurations for users
 ┃ ┣ views.py                  # View functions for users
 ┣ templates/                  # HTML templates
 ┃ ┣ buyer/                    # Templates for buyers
 ┃ ┣ supplier/                 # Templates for suppliers
 ┣ .env                        # Environment variables
 ┣ manage.py                   # Django management script
 ┣ product_management/         # Project settings
 ┃ ┣ settings.py               # Project settings
 ┃ ┣ urls.py                   # Project URLs
 ┃ ┣ wsgi.py                   # WSGI application

CRUD Operations

The application provides Create, Read, Update, and Delete (CRUD) operations for product management:

Create: Suppliers can add new products using the add_product.html form.
Read: Both buyers and suppliers can view products on the product listing page.
Update: Suppliers can edit existing products using the edit_product.html form.
Delete: Suppliers can delete products using the delete_product.html confirmation page.

There are additional features as well:

Cheaper Analogues: Suppliers can see list of products which are provided at a cheaper price by other suppliers. Note - The product code should be same for the products to appear in the list.

API Endpoints

The application includes several key API endpoints to facilitate interaction between the frontend and backend. Here are some of the important endpoints:

User Authentication

POST /account/signup/: Sign up page to create buyers and suppliers. Note - Only Admins can access this page. POST /account/login/: Log in as either buyer, supplier or admin. On successful login, different users will be redirected to different pages. POST /account/logout/: Log out the user, invalidating their authentication token.

Product Management

GET /products/: List of all products. The view differs for different types of users POST /api/products/: Add a new product (suppliers only). PUT /api/products//: Update a product (suppliers only). DELETE /api/products//: Delete a product (suppliers only). GET /api/products/cheaper_analogues/: Retrieve cheaper analogue products for comparison. (suppliers only).

These endpoints are designed to enable seamless communication between the frontend and backend, ensuring a smooth user experience.

Testing

The project follows a Test-Driven Development (TDD) approach. Test cases are created in the tests directory within each app. To run the tests, use the following command:

python manage.py test

Running the Application

To start the Django development server, use:

python manage.py runserver

Access the application by navigating to http://127.0.0.1:8000/ in your web browser.

Using Docker

If you prefer to use a Docker image for deployment, you can pull my pre-built Docker image:

docker pull ritikasharma24/django-app

Assignment Requirements

This project has been developed in alignment with the assignment requirements present in the folder Project Requirements.md Please feel free to reach out in case of any questions - sharmari@tcd.ie

ritika24-s/Product-Management-System