# Development setup: from clone to first change

The goal of this page: a new developer clones the repo and has a working dev
site plus a change they can see in the browser, in one sitting. Reference
material lives elsewhere - naming rules in `CONTRIBUTING.md`, every config
variable in the CONFIG guide, plugin authoring in the PLUGIN docs - this is
just the on-ramp.

**Most developers here are on Windows in VS Code** - commands below are
PowerShell first, with the bash equivalent in a comment where they differ.
Install **Git for Windows** (it ships Git Bash, which VS Code and the git
hooks use to run the shell-based naming check) and **VS Code** with the
extensions this repo recommends (you'll be prompted - section 2c).

Two ways to run it. **Docker** (Docker Desktop on Windows) is the fastest to a
working site. **Manual (venv + Node)** is the daily driver - frontend
hot-reloads, backend restarts on save. Do Docker once to confirm the box is
sane, then use manual for day-to-day work.

---

## 0. Prerequisites

| Need | Version | Check |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Python | 3.14 (64-bit) - matches CI, the container image and the Windows installer wheelhouse | `python --version` |
| Node.js | 18+ | `node --version` |
| MySQL | 8.0 (or Docker, below) | `mysql --version` |
| Git | any recent | `git --version` |

On Windows, install all of them with winget (accept each license, then
reopen the terminal so PATH updates):

```powershell
winget install Git.Git                    # includes Git Bash (naming hook needs it)
winget install Python.Python.3.14
winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS          # LTS; may install v24, fine for this SPA
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode
winget install Oracle.MySQL               # or Docker.DockerDesktop for the DB
```

CI runs Node 20; the LTS package may be newer. This Vite/Vue frontend builds
identically across 20-24, so it does not matter. To pin exactly:
`winget install CoreyButler.NVMforWindows` then `nvm install 20; nvm use 20`.

---

## 0b. Corp network (SSL cert) - if you are behind a GE/Zscaler proxy

A proxy that inspects HTTPS (Zscaler on GE PCs) re-signs every connection
with a corporate root CA. `git`, `npm`, `pip`, and Node each keep their own
trust store and do not trust that CA by default, so downloads fail:

| Tool | Symptom |
| --- | --- |
| npm | `UNABLE_TO_GET_ISSUER_CERT_LOCALLY` |
| git | `SSL certificate problem: unable to get local issuer certificate` |
| pip | `SSLError` / `CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED` |

Fix once - export the corp root CA, point every tool at it. PowerShell
mangles multi-line pastes, so each step below is **one physical line**: paste
it, press Enter, then the next. Do not paste both at once.

```powershell
# 1) Bundle EVERY trusted root into one PEM (one line). Guessing which single cert is the proxy's is fragile; bundling all always includes it.
$sb = New-Object System.Text.StringBuilder; Get-ChildItem Cert:\LocalMachine\Root | ForEach-Object { [void]$sb.AppendLine("-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----"); [void]$sb.AppendLine([Convert]::ToBase64String($_.RawData,'InsertLineBreaks')); [void]$sb.AppendLine("-----END CERTIFICATE-----") }; [IO.File]::WriteAllText("$HOME\corp-root-ca.pem", $sb.ToString())
```

Confirm it has many certs (dozens, not 1):
`(Select-String "BEGIN CERTIFICATE" $HOME\corp-root-ca.pem).Count`

```powershell
# 2) Point every tool at it (one line, persistent). NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS also fixes Vite / npm run dev.
git config --global http.sslCAInfo "$HOME\corp-root-ca.pem"; npm config set cafile "$HOME\corp-root-ca.pem"; setx NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS "$HOME\corp-root-ca.pem"; setx PIP_CERT "$HOME\corp-root-ca.pem"
```

Reopen the terminal so `setx` takes effect. Quick unblock if you cannot
export right now (skips verification - use briefly, then set back):
`npm config set strict-ssl false`, `git config --global http.sslVerify false`.

---

## 1. Get the code

```powershell
git clone https://github.com/ge-aero/shopdb-flask.git
cd shopdb-flask
```

Never work on `main`. Branch for your change:

```powershell
git checkout -b feat/<short-description>
```

---

## 2a. Fast path - Docker (a working site in one command)

```powershell
copy .env.example .env
# Edit .env: set SECRET_KEY, JWT_SECRET_KEY, and the MYSQL_* passwords.
# Generate a secret: python -c "import secrets;print(secrets.token_urlsafe(64))"

docker compose up -d --build          # MySQL + the app (frontend built in-image)

# Schema + platform data (idempotent, safe to re-run):
docker compose exec api flask db upgrade
docker compose exec api flask plugin upgrade-all
docker compose exec api flask seed permissions
docker compose exec api flask seed settings
docker compose exec api flask seed reference-data
docker compose exec api flask seed admin --username admin --email you@example.com
docker compose exec api flask seed demo    # OPTIONAL: sample data (undo: flask seed demo-clear)
```

The app is on the port the compose file maps (see `docker-compose.yml`). Good
for a smoke test; for active development use the manual path so the frontend
hot-reloads.

---

## 2b. Manual path - venv + Node (the daily driver)

### Database

Either point at an existing MySQL 8, or bring one up with just the db service
from compose:

```powershell
docker compose up -d db                # MySQL on 127.0.0.1:3306
```

Create the database + app user (skip if compose already did via env):

```sql
CREATE DATABASE shopdb_flask CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'shopdb'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'devpassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON shopdb_flask.* TO 'shopdb'@'%';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
```

### Backend

```powershell
python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1             # bash/mac: source venv/bin/activate
# If PowerShell blocks the activate script (execution policy), run once:
#   Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser RemoteSigned
pip install -r requirements-dev.txt

copy .env.example .env                 # bash/mac: cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env - set SECRET_KEY, JWT_SECRET_KEY, and
#   DATABASE_URL=mysql+pymysql://shopdb:devpassword@127.0.0.1:3306/shopdb_flask?charset=utf8mb4
#   CORS_ORIGINS=http://localhost:5173

$env:FLASK_APP = "shopdb"              # bash/mac: export FLASK_APP=shopdb
flask db upgrade                       # core schema
flask plugin upgrade-all               # per-plugin schema (ADR-008)
flask seed permissions
flask seed settings
flask seed reference-data
flask seed admin --username admin --email you@example.com   # password printed once
flask seed demo            # OPTIONAL: ~25 sample assets across plugins + printed parts (undo: flask seed demo-clear)
```

Enable the plugins you want visible (they install on a fresh box; some ship
disabled). To turn on everything for development:

PowerShell:

```powershell
foreach ($p in "computers","employees","machines","measuringtools","network",
               "notifications","printers","slides","usb","warranty",
               "knowledgebase","geenforce","printedparts") {
  flask plugin install $p; flask plugin enable $p
}
```

(bash/mac: a `for p in ...; do flask plugin install "$p"; ...; done` loop.)

Run the backend ON PORT 5001 - the frontend dev server proxies `/api` and
`/static` there (a bare `flask run` uses 5000 and nothing will load):

```powershell
flask run --port 5001
```

**Leave this running.** `flask run` does not return to a prompt - that is
correct, not a hang. The server holds this terminal until you stop it. Do
NOT press Ctrl+C to move on; that kills the backend. Open the frontend in a
separate terminal (next section) and leave this one alone. Ctrl+C only when
you are done for the day.

### Frontend (a second terminal - leave the backend running)

```powershell
cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev                            # http://localhost:5173
```

Open http://localhost:5173, log in as `admin` with the printed password.

> Convenience: instead of two terminals you can run both under a process
> manager (pm2, honcho, foreman). Keep the backend on 5001.

---

## 2c. VS Code (turnkey)

The repo ships shared VS Code config in `.vscode/` (personal `settings.json`
stays git-ignored):

- **Recommended extensions** - on first open VS Code offers to install them
  (Python + Pylance, Vue Volar, ESLint, Docker). Accept.
- **Run the dev site** - Command Palette > "Tasks: Run Task" >
  **Dev site (backend + frontend)** starts both servers in parallel (backend
  on 5001, frontend on 5173). Individual tasks exist too.
- **Debug the backend** - the Run panel's **Flask API (:5001)** config runs
  the app under the debugger (breakpoints in routes/services, full
  stepping); **Pytest (current file)** debugs the open test file.
- **The CI gate** - task **Check: naming + tests + build** runs the same
  three checks CI runs, before you commit.

Prerequisite: the venv and `npm install` from 2b must be done first (the
tasks call `venv/` and `frontend/node_modules`).

---

## 3. The development loop

1. Make a change. Backend: `flask run` auto-reloads. Frontend: Vite hot-reloads.
2. Before committing, run the three gates. Easiest: in VS Code, Command
   Palette > "Tasks: Run Task" > **Check: naming + tests + build**. By hand
   in PowerShell:
   ```powershell
   venv\Scripts\python -m pytest tests/ -q     # backend
   cd frontend; npx vitest run; npm run build; cd ..
   bash scripts/check-naming-and-style.sh      # naming - runs via Git Bash
   ```
   There is NO auto-installed git hook - you run these yourself (or the
   VS Code task). CI runs all three on every push and pull request
   (`.github/workflows/ci.yml` on GitHub Actions; the same gate runs on the
   internal server) and fails the build on a bad name, so nothing bad
   reaches `main` - running them locally just saves the round trip. The
   naming check is a shell script, so that one line needs Git Bash
   (installed with Git for Windows).

   Want it automatic? The repo ships a hook; enable it once per clone:
   ```powershell
   git config core.hooksPath .githooks
   ```
   Now every `git commit` runs the naming check first (Git for Windows
   executes the hook under its bundled bash) and blocks the commit if a name
   is wrong. Purely local convenience; CI is the real backstop.
3. Commit in small, working steps. Subject: short, present tense, plain
   English; body says WHY. Read `CONTRIBUTING.md` before naming anything - the
   naming hook will reject snake_case DB columns, banned shorthand, and
   non-ASCII.

Seeing a change in the real app (not just tests) is the bar for "done" -
drive the actual flow in the browser.

---

## 4. Your first change (suggested)

Add a field to an existing list page, or better, build a plugin end to end:
`docs/PLUGIN-LAB-PRINTEDPARTS.md` is a literal type-along that constructs the
3D-printed-parts plugin from scratch, with the finished code on branch
`feat/printedparts-plugin` (tags `lab-stage-01`..`lab-stage-17`) as the
answer key. It touches every hook the framework has.

---

## 5. Contributing back

```powershell
git push -u origin feat/<short-description>
```

Open a Pull Request against `main` on GitHub. Describe what changed, any
plugin hooks implemented, and any contract additions (those need a version
bump + `docs/PLUGIN-HOOKS.md` update in the same PR). See the contributor
section of the plugin lab for the full review checklist.

---

## Common setup problems

| Symptom | Cause / fix |
| --- | --- |
| Frontend loads but every API call fails / CORS error | backend not on 5001 (`flask run --port 5001`), or `CORS_ORIGINS` missing `http://localhost:5173`. |
| App refuses to boot in production config | a required `.env` var (`SECRET_KEY`, `JWT_SECRET_KEY`, `DATABASE_URL`, `CORS_ORIGINS`) missing or a dev default. |
| `flask db upgrade` error 1071 (key too long) | MySQL 5.6 without the `innodb_large_prefix`/Barracuda flags; use MySQL 8 for dev. |
| Nav missing Machines/PCs/... | plugins not installed/enabled (step 2b), or the backend not restarted after enabling. |
| "No time zone found with key America/New_York" | `tzdata` not installed - `pip install -r requirements.txt` includes it. |
| npm/git/pip SSL error (`UNABLE_TO_GET_ISSUER_CERT_LOCALLY`, `unable to get local issuer certificate`) | corp proxy (Zscaler) intercepts HTTPS - point each tool at the corp root CA. See section 0b. |
| Naming hook rejects a commit | you used snake_case on a DB-mirrored field or a banned acronym - see `CONTRIBUTING.md`. |
| Plugin toggle throws an internal error | app cannot write `instance/` (the plugin registry lives there) - fix directory permissions. |