Fest Backend

Integrated system that supports the website, registration and runtime processes.

Uses Laravel 4.2. Please refer the official docs to better understand the code.

Features

API that provides data for the website front-end. Backend web app for various managers.

How to setup for Development (local)

1. Clone the repository.

2. Run composer install. If you don't have composer yet, get it here. It will install all the required dependencies.

3. Fill in configuration details inside the folderapp/config/local. All the configuration files you need to edit are in this folder.

4. Enter your hostname to detect the local environment in bootstrap/start.php. (Under Windows, use the command hostname in command prompt to get it. The value is case-sensitive.) To make sure Laravel has detected the correct environment, run the command php artisan env from the root folder. It should show the current environment as local.

5. To set up database automatically, run the command php artisan migrate:refresh --seed. It will automatically fill up the database with seed values. Check the app/database/migrations and app/database/seeds folder to change the database fields.

6. This should set up the installation, and should work locally.

How to deploy on server

1. Fill up configuration details for the production environment under app/config/production.

2. Export the database from phpMyAdmin and import it into the database on the server.

3. Copy only the public folder to the path on the web server inside public_html. The rest of the files will be stored outside the public_html folder.

4. Copy the app, bootstrap and vendor folders into a directory outside public_html, say backend_files.

5. Update the paths in public/index.php with the full file paths to the bootstrap folder. Example, /home/user_name/backend_files/bootstrap/....

6. Update the public path in bootstrap/paths.php to point to the index.php inside public_html.

7. You should be ready to go, and the app will be live.

Suggestions for improvements

If you're working on improving this, here are a few suggestions.

1. Modify the Edit Homepage section so that all content in the homepage can be managed from the backend.
2. When signing up managers, change to username instead of email. (This will be easier for them)
3. The registration software is included in the system. You may hide it initially by editing the side menu in layouts (user.blade.php).
4. Hospitality section can be improved a lot - it was done in a very short timeframe.
5. There were a few additional features/fixes added on run-time to the Registration Software which are not documented. Look at the commits, and contact the last year's registration coordinators for details.
6. Results are not yet implemented.
7. Insert the colleges list from last year to database before you make the site live.
8. Basic details of user roles are in ManageController.php under the function getRoleName.