shopdb-flask/docs/DEVELOPMENT-SETUP.md

# 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.

Two ways to run it. **Docker** is the fastest to a working site (one command
brings up MySQL + the app). **Manual (venv + Node)** is what most people
iterate with, because the frontend hot-reloads and the backend restarts on
save. Do Docker first to confirm the box is sane, then switch to manual for
day-to-day work - or go straight to manual if you already have a MySQL.

---

## 0. Prerequisites

| Need | Version | Check |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Python | 3.12 (64-bit) | `python --version` |
| Node.js | 18+ | `node --version` |
| MySQL | 8.0 (or Docker, below) | `mysql --version` |
| Git | any recent | `git --version` |

---

## 1. Get the code

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

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

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

---

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

```bash
cp .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
```

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:

```bash
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

```bash
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate               # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

cp .env.example .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

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
```

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

```bash
for p in computers employees machines measuringtools network notifications \
         printers slides usb warranty knowledgebase geenforce printedparts; do
  flask plugin install "$p"; flask plugin enable "$p"
done
```

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):

```bash
flask run --port 5001
```

### Frontend (a second terminal)

```bash
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 same three gates CI runs:
   ```bash
   bash scripts/check-naming-and-style.sh      # the LOCKED naming convention
   venv/bin/python -m pytest tests/ -q         # backend
   cd frontend && npx vitest run && npm run build
   ```
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

```bash
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. |
| 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. |