Everything About Sufism

Everything About Sufism is a dynamic platform where users can share content and engage in discussions about various topics related to Sufism. The platform focuses on areas such as the history of Sufism, its literature, concepts, prominent Sufi figures, Sufi orders, and popular topics. Users can exchange ideas freely and connect with others who are interested in these subjects.

This project allows users to browse content without registration; however, actions like adding content, commenting, following others, and messaging require membership.

The project is divided into three main Django applications:

• Pages: This app handles static and publicly accessible pages such as the home page, about page, and other similar pages. It also enables users to perform actions like searching, filtering content, and interacting with other publicly available features.

• User: This app manages user-related features such as profile creation, authentication, notification management, and similar functionalities. It also handles user interactions, including following others, messaging, sending notifications, and other related tasks.

• Content: This app deals with operations related to content creation, editing, deletion, commenting, liking, content filtering, and other content management activities.

The technical features of the project include custom authentication, middleware for unread messages and notifications, a rich text editor tool called CKEditor 5, and similar functionalities. On the frontend, Bootstrap 5 is used for responsive design, while the backend is powered by Django.

Purpose of the Project

The primary goal of the Everything About Sufism platform is to bring together individuals who wish to gain deeper knowledge about Sufism and engage in meaningful discussions.

Features for Non-Members: Non-members can access the following features: - Browse and read all available content. - Filter content by topic and type. - Use the site's search functionality. - Contact the site administration through the contact section.

Features for Members: In addition to the features available to non-members, registered members can: - Create and share content under various Sufi-related topics. - Comment on content, leave likes, and interact with other members. - Create a profile and upload a profile picture (handled via Cloudinary). - Explore and follow other members’ profiles, and send private messages. - Receive instant notifications for interactions related to their activities. - Filter content based on members they follow. - Change or reset their password via email.

Development vs. Production Environments

• Development Environment:
  • The project is configured with DEBUG=True, using Django’s default settings for easier debugging during development.
  • Media storage is handled through Cloudinary.
• Production Environment:
  • Cloudinary is used for all media file storage, eliminating the need for a local media/ folder.
  • PostgreSQL is recommended as the database.
  • Environment variables manage sensitive settings.

Technologies and Tools

Core Frameworks and Libraries

• Django (5.0.6): Backend framework for building robust web applications.
• asgiref (3.8.1): Provides support for Django's asynchronous capabilities, enabling efficient handling of asynchronous requests and background tasks.

Frontend Tools and Libraries

• Bootstrap 5: Frontend framework for responsive and mobile-first design, used for form rendering and styling.
• django-crispy-forms (2.2): Simplifies form management and rendering in Django, providing Bootstrap-compatible form styling.
• Crispy-Bootstrap5 (0.7): Provides Bootstrap 5-compatible form styling for Django and is used together with django-crispy-forms.

Text and Content Management

• django-ckeditor-5 (0.2.13): A rich text editor with extensive customization options, including a custom toolbar, color palette, and image upload support.

Environment and Configuration

• django-environ (0.11.2): Used for handling environment variables in a secure and convenient way.
• dotenv: Loads environment variables from the .env file securely using the python-dotenv package. It is used in integration with django-environ in the project.

Data and Storage

• PostgreSQL: Recommended database for production.
• sqlite3: Default database used for development.
• Cloudinary: Used for handling media files (images, videos) in both development and production environments.
• django-cloudinary-storage (0.3.0): Manages media file storage in Cloudinary for the Django project.

Custom Features and Middleware

• Custom Middleware: Includes:
  • UnreadMessagesMiddleware: Tracks unread messages for users.
  • UnreadNotificationsMiddleware: Manages unread notifications.
  • VerificationRequiredMiddleware: Ensures users are verified before performing certain actions.
• Custom Authentication Backend: Implements email-based authentication through the user.auth_backends.EmailBackend to manage user login.

Cloudinary Integration

• All media files (profile pictures, content images) are stored in Cloudinary.
• No media/ folder is required in the project directory.
• The .env file must include CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME, CLOUDINARY_API_KEY and CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET for Cloudinary integration.

Features

• User Interactions:
  • Users can comment on and like content.
  • Users can follow other users and send private messages.
• Notification System:
  • Users receive instant notifications for interactions involving them (e.g., comments, likes, follows).
• Content Filtering:
  • Content can be filtered by topic, type, or users they follow.
• Search Functionality:
  • Users can quickly search for content across the platform.
• Profile Management:
  • Users can create their profiles, upload profile pictures, follow other users, and view others' profiles.

Setup and Running

To run your project in the development environment, follow the steps below:

1. Clone the Repository:

First, clone the project to your local machine:

git clone https://github.com/mahmutulucan/everything_about_sufism.git
cd everything_about_sufism

2. Create and Activate a Virtual Environment:

Then, create and activate a virtual environment:

python -m venv env
source env/bin/activate  # For Windows: env\Scripts\activate

3. Install Required Dependencies:

To install the dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Configure the .env File:

The project uses environment variables stored in a .env file for sensitive settings like email configurations, security keys, and database details. To set this up:

1. Copy the .env.example file to create your own .env file:

cp .env.example .env

2. Modify the .env file for your preferred database configuration:

   • SQLite (default configuration for local development):

   DATABASE_ENGINE=django.db.backends.sqlite3
   DATABASE_NAME=db.sqlite3  # SQLite database file (default name)

   • PostgreSQL (uncomment to use):

   # DATABASE_URL=postgresql://<DB_USER>:<DB_PASSWORD>@<DB_HOST>:<DB_PORT>/<DB_NAME>

   If you prefer using PostgreSQL, uncomment the line above and replace it with your database credentials.

   • Cloudinary Configuration (for both production and development environments):
     • If you want to use Cloudinary for media storage, provide the following settings in your .env file:

     CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name_here
     CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
     CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret_here

     • By default, Cloudinary will be used for media storage. If you wish to use local media storage instead, you will need to adjust your MEDIA_ROOT and related configurations manually.

5. Database Migrations:

Apply the necessary migrations to set up your database schema:

1. Create Migration Files:

python manage.py makemigrations

2. Apply Migrations:

python manage.py migrate

6. Create a Superuser:

Create a superuser (administrator) for the project:

python manage.py createsuperuser

7. Collect Static Files:

Run the following command to collect static files for your project:

python manage.py collectstatic

This will gather all static files, including those from third-party apps like django-ckeditor-5 and Django's admin interface, into the STATIC_ROOT directory.

Note: This step is required, especially in the production environment, to properly serve static files.

Note: The staticfiles/ folder is excluded from version control via .gitignore to reduce repository size.

8. Start the Server:

Start the development server:

python manage.py runserver

You can now access the project at http://127.0.0.1:8000.

Special Settings

To ensure the project functions correctly, you need to configure several settings in the .env file. The following information is essential:

• Email server settings: These are required for functionalities like email verification, password reset, and notification services.
• Security keys and secrets: Used to enable Django's security features, such as signing cookies, sessions, and CSRF protection. These should be securely stored in the .env file.
• Set DEBUG=False in the production environment: This is crucial for security purposes. Having DEBUG=True in production can expose sensitive information, which is a significant security risk. Make sure to set it to False when deploying the application in a production environment.

Additionally, make sure you configure your database settings (either SQLite for development or PostgreSQL for production) and Cloudinary media settings based on your environment (development or production).

Static Folder

The static/ folder contains essential files required for the project, organized into subdirectories for better structure and maintenance:

• Images (img/): This folder includes static images used throughout the project, including assets like the default profile picture (default_profile_pic.jpg) and other images used in the frontend.
• CSS (css/) and JS (js/): This folder contains CSS and JavaScript files, including:
  • Bootstrap files for styling and layout.
  • Custom stylesheets and scripts that are tailored to the project’s design and functionality.
• Favicon (favicon.ico): This file is the small icon displayed in the browser tab for the site, giving it a recognizable branding element.

These static files are essential for the frontend and are managed using Django’s static file handling system. When running the project in production, the collectstatic command is used to gather all static files into a single directory, making them ready to serve efficiently.

Note on .gitignore

The project’s .gitignore file is designed to exclude certain files and directories from version control, keeping the repository clean, secure, and free of sensitive or unnecessary data. Here's why the following are excluded:

• venv/, env/: Virtual environments are specific to each developer's local environment and should be recreated locally. These folders contain installed dependencies that vary by system.
• db.sqlite3: The SQLite database file is excluded to prevent the inclusion of local database data and encourage the use of a production-ready or local database setup.
• staticfiles/: The staticfiles/ folder contains files generated via the collectstatic command. These files are specific to the environment (e.g., development, production) and should not be included in the repository to avoid redundancy.

Contributing

If you would like to contribute to the project, please refer to the CONTRIBUTING file for detailed guidelines on how to contribute and the software standards to follow.

While contributing, please ensure to adhere to the security requirements of the software and review any updates to the .gitignore or configuration files that may affect contributions.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. For detailed terms and conditions, please refer to the LICENSE file.

Contact

If you have any questions or need further information about the project, please don't hesitate to contact me at: everythingaboutsufism@gmail.com