Flask Blog Project

Introduction

This is a simple blog application built using Flask, a lightweight WSGI web application framework in Python. The application allows users to register, log in, create posts, edit posts, delete posts, and comment on posts.

Features

User registration and login
Post creation, editing, and deletion
Post commenting

Tech Stack

Python: The programming language used for the backend logic.
Flask: The web framework used to build the application.
Flask-SQLAlchemy: An extension for Flask that adds support for SQLAlchemy, an ORM (Object Relational Mapper).
Flask-Bcrypt: An extension for Flask that provides bcrypt hashing utilities for password hashing.
Flask-Login: An extension for Flask that provides user session management.
Flask-WTF: An extension for Flask that integrates WTForms, which provides form rendering, validation, and CSRF protection.

Project Structure

flask_blog/
    ├── app.py            # Entry point for running the application
    ├── create_db.py      # New file for initializing the database
    ├── __init__.py       # Initializes the Flask application and its extensions
    ├── routes.py         # Contains the route definitions and view functions
    ├── models.py         # Defines the database models
    ├── forms.py          # Defines the WTForms forms used in the application
    ├── templates/        # Contains HTML templates
    │   ├── layout.html
    │   ├── home.html
    │   ├── login.html
    │   ├── register.html
    │   ├── post.html
    │   └── single_post.html
    ├── static/           # Contains static files (e.g., CSS)
    │   └── style.css
    └── venv/             # Virtual environment directory (should be in .gitignore)

Running the Project in VS Code on Windows

Prerequisites

Ensure you have Python installed on your system. You can download it from python.org.
Ensure you have VS Code installed. You can download it from code.visualstudio.com.

Steps to Run

Clone the Repository: If you haven't cloned the repository yet, clone it using:
```
git clone <repository_url>
```
Open the Project in VS Code: Open VS Code and use File -> Open Folder... to open the flask_blog project folder.
Create and Activate the Virtual Environment: Open the integrated terminal in VS Code (View -> Terminal) and run the following commands:
```
python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate
```
Install Dependencies: With the virtual environment activated, install the necessary dependencies:
```
pip install flask flask_sqlalchemy flask_bcrypt flask_login flask_wtf wtforms
```
Initialize the Database: Initialize the database by running the following commands in the terminal:
```
set PYTHONPATH=.
python
```
In the Python interactive shell, run:
```
from __init__ import db
db.create_all()
exit()
```
Run the Flask Application: Run the application using:
```
python app.py
```
Open the App in a Browser: Open your web browser and go to http://127.0.0.1:5000/ to see your Flask app in action.

Additional Notes

Ensure your PYTHONPATH is set correctly to recognize the package structure.
If you encounter any issues, check the terminal output for error messages and resolve any missing dependencies or incorrect paths.

zhangshi0512/flask_blog