Capstone Freelancer Profiling App

Tags: #django #python #freelancer-platform #capstone-project

Capstone Freelancer Profiling App is a full-stack Django platform used to curate freelancer profiles, promote events, and coordinate support interactions between talent and administrators.

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Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Key Features
3. Architecture & Tech Stack
4. Project Structure
5. Prerequisites
6. Quick Start
7. Configuration
8. Managing Data
9. Running & Developer Tasks
10. Usage
11. User-Generated Media
12. Social Login Setup
13. Troubleshooting & Support

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Overview

The application centralizes portfolio content and program communications for freelancers. Students or alumni can maintain a living résumé, upload project artifacts, RSVP for events, and receive announcements, while administrators gain tools for analytics, ticket triage, and content management.

Key Features

• Freelancer Profiles – Capture affiliations, experiences, skills, and language proficiencies with rich profile pages.
• Resume & Project Management – Upload résumés, certificates, and portfolio projects directly within the platform.
• Event Management & RSVP – Explore upcoming events, respond with RSVP statuses, and check in with QR codes.
• Announcements Feed – Publish timely news and updates to the entire community.
• Support Ticketing – Submit issues or questions and receive notifications when staff respond.
• Administrative Dashboard – Visualize analytics, oversee content, and moderate community activity.

Architecture & Tech Stack

• Backend: Django 4.x, Django REST Framework, PostgreSQL (SQLite supported for local development).
• Frontend: Django templates with Tailwind CSS utilities.
• Authentication: Django Allauth with optional Google OAuth integration.
• Asynchronous tasks: Celery + Redis (optional for background processing).
• Containerization: Docker support via render.yaml deployment recipe.

Project Structure

capstone-app-profile/
├── profileapp/           # Django project source
├── profileapp/fixtures/  # Seed data for local testing
├── statics/              # Global static assets (collected at build time)
├── requirements.txt      # Python dependencies
├── render.yaml           # Render deployment configuration
└── README.md             # This document

The repository ships with a .env.example template and excludes generated media, compiled artifacts, and environment-specific files from version control.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11 (use python3.11 or py depending on your OS).
• Pip package manager (paired with the selected Python interpreter).
• PostgreSQL 14+ (recommended) or SQLite for local experimentation.
• Node.js & npm (optional) when extending Tailwind or frontend build tooling.

Quick Start

💡 Tip: Substitute python/pip for py/pip3.11 if those commands are unavailable on your system.

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/Seanneskie/capstone-app-profile-public.git
   cd capstone-app-profile

2. Create and activate a virtual environment

   python -m venv env
   # Windows (Command Prompt)
   env\Scripts\activate.bat
   # Windows (PowerShell)
   env\Scripts\activate.ps1
   # macOS / Linux
   source env/bin/activate

3. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Enter the Django project directory

   cd profileapp

5. Bootstrap environment variables

   cp .env.example .env

6. Run migrations

   python manage.py migrate

   Load sample content (optional):

   bash load_data.sh       # from the profileapp/ directory
   # or run individual fixtures:
   python manage.py loaddata fixtures/profiling_data.json
   python manage.py loaddata fixtures/events_data.json
   python manage.py loaddata fixtures/geolocations_data.json

7. Create an admin user

   python manage.py createsuperuser

8. Start the development server

   python manage.py runserver

9. Explore the app
   • User portal: http://127.0.0.1:8000/
   • Admin portal: http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin

Configuration

Populate the .env file with secure values:

• SECRET_KEY – Django cryptographic key.
• Database: DB_ENGINE, DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, DB_HOST, DB_PORT.
• Email: EMAIL_BACKEND, EMAIL_HOST, EMAIL_PORT, EMAIL_USE_TLS, EMAIL_HOST_USER, EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD.

The example file targets PostgreSQL. To use SQLite locally, set DB_ENGINE=django.db.backends.sqlite3 and point DB_NAME to a writable path such as BASE_DIR / "db.sqlite3".

Managing Data

• Migrations – python manage.py migrate
• Fixtures – bash load_data.sh (from profileapp/) or run the individual fixture files noted above.
• Createsuperuser – python manage.py createsuperuser

The profileapp/fixtures/ directory contains curated sample data to quickly populate a demo environment. Avoid committing real user data to Git history.

Running & Developer Tasks

Task	Command
Start development server	python manage.py runserver
Collect static files	python manage.py collectstatic
Run unit tests	python manage.py test
Lint with Ruff (if enabled)	ruff check .
Format with Black (if enabled)	black .

Configure pre-commit hooks or CI workflows to keep code quality consistent across contributions.

Usage

1. Launch the development server

   python manage.py runserver

2. Sign in or create a freelancer account from the landing page at http://127.0.0.1:8000/. Administrators can authenticate via the admin portal at http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin.
3. Complete your profile by adding background information, skills, and uploading résumés, certificates, or portfolio projects.
4. Explore events and announcements to RSVP for upcoming sessions and stay informed about community updates.
5. Submit support tickets whenever you have questions or encounter issues; you will receive notifications as staff members respond.

User-Generated Media

Create directories for uploaded assets before launching the server:

mkdir -p profileapp/media/{profile,projects,resumes}

• profileapp/media/ stays untracked (.gitignore) so user uploads do not leak into source control.
• If historical commits contain media, scrub them with git filter-repo --path profileapp/media --invert-paths or an equivalent rewrite.
• For demos, rely on fixtures (profileapp/fixtures/) or scripted generators rather than bundling binary assets.

Social Login Setup

OAuth client IDs and secrets must never be stored in fixtures or committed to version control. Provision credentials via your OAuth provider (e.g., Google Cloud Console) and expose them as environment variables.

1. Export credentials so they are available when Django starts:

   GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your-google-client-id
   GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your-google-client-secret

   Align the redirect URI with your deployment, e.g. https://<your-domain>/accounts/google/login/callback/.
2. Register the social application in Django:
   • Admin UI – Navigate to /admin, open Social applications, create a Google entry, paste the client ID and secret, and attach the desired Site.
   • Management shell – With environment variables exported, run:

     python manage.py shell <<'PY'
     from allauth.socialaccount.models import SocialApp
     from django.contrib.sites.models import Site
     import os
     
     site = Site.objects.get_current()
     app, _ = SocialApp.objects.get_or_create(provider='google', name='Google OAuth')
     app.client_id = os.environ['GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID']
     app.secret = os.environ['GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET']
     app.save()
     app.sites.set([site])
     PY

   Adjust provider names and redirect URIs for any additional OAuth providers.

Keep secrets in a managed vault or environment configuration service and rotate them whenever exposure is suspected.

Troubleshooting & Support

• Virtual environment issues – Delete the env/ folder and recreate it to clear conflicting dependencies.
• Database connection errors – Confirm credentials and network access, or fallback to SQLite during development.
• Static files missing – Run python manage.py collectstatic when deploying to production-like environments.
• Need help? – Open a GitHub issue or reach out to the project maintainer with reproduction steps and logs.

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Happy building! 🎉