Getting Started with the SacState Room Reservation Project

Welcome to the SacState Room Reservation project! This guide will help you set up the project on your local machine, even if you're new to web development.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following tools installed:

• Git: Used for version control. You can download it from https://git-scm.com/.
• Node.js: A JavaScript runtime environment. Download the LTS version from https://nodejs.org/en/download. This also installs npm (Node Package Manager).

Verifying Installation

Open your terminal or command prompt and run the following commands to check if Git, Node.js, and npm are installed correctly:

git -v
node -v
npm -v

You should see version numbers for each tool. If you get an error message, double-check that you've installed them correctly and that they're added to your system's PATH.

Example output:

git -v
git version 2.39.5 (Apple Git-154)

node -v
v22.14.0

npm -v
10.9.2

If you followed all the steps above and you are getting errors, ask Chad Geppetti for help.

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Project Setup

1. Clone the Repository:

First, clone the project repository to your local machine using Git. Open your terminal, navigate to the directory where you want to store the project, and run:

git clone https://github.com/BrayanCSUS/LowkeyVital

or

Use my prefered method. GitHub Copilot.

2. Install Dependencies:

Navigate to the project directory:

cd SacStateRoomReservation

Install the project dependencies using npm:

npm install --force

The --force flag is used to resolve potential dependency conflicts. It ensures that all necessary packages are installed correctly. This step might take a few minutes.

3. Start the Development Server:

Once the dependencies are installed, start the development server:

npm run dev

This command will start the application and make it accessible in your web browser. The terminal output will usually tell you the exact address (e.g., localhost:3000).

4. Access the Application:

Open your web browser and go to the address provided in the terminal output (usually http://localhost:3000). You should now see the SacState Room Reservation application running!

5. Turn on the Email Server (optional)

Check the General text channel of the group Discord and checked the pinned messages for the API key and domain.

Navigate to LowkeyVital/SacStateRoomReservation/app/backend/.env

Copy and paste the text value of the API key and domain into the .env file

Save and exit

Create a new terminal/command prompt instance, navigate to the project repository

cd LowkeyVital/SacStateRoomReservation/app/backend

Run the following command

node email_server.js

The email verification server will now be running

Contributing

• Commit Frequently: Commit your changes regularly with clear and concise messages.
• Branching: Create a new branch for each feature or bug fix you're working on.
• Push Your Changes: Once you're done with a feature or bug fix, push your branch to the remote repository.
• Pull Requests: Submit a pull request to merge your changes into the main branch.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues during the setup process, here are a few things to try:

• Check the Terminal Output: Carefully read the error messages in the terminal for clues about what went wrong.
• Google the Error Message: Search the web for the error message to find potential solutions.
• Ask for Help: Don't hesitate to ask for help from other team members or experienced developers.

Good luck, and happy coding!