Notes Application

A Flask-based web application that allows users to create, view, and delete notes using MongoDB as the database backend.

Features

• Create notes with CWID and full name
• View all notes in a responsive grid layout
• Delete notes
• Input validation
• Responsive design
• Flash messages for user feedback
• MongoDB integration

Example Usage

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• MongoDB (local installation or MongoDB Atlas account)
• pip (Python package manager)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/spicy/mongo-notes-flask-app
   cd mongo-notes-flask-app

2. Create and activate a virtual environment:

   python -m venv venv
   venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install required packages:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Create a .env file in the project root:

   MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/mongo-notes-flask-app
   SECRET_KEY=your-secure-secret-key-here
   FLASK_DEBUG=False
   

Configuration

MongoDB Setup

1. Local MongoDB:

   • Install MongoDB on your system
   • Start the MongoDB service
   • Use the default connection string: mongodb://localhost:27017/mongo-notes-flask-app

2. MongoDB Atlas:

   • Create a MongoDB Atlas account
   • Create a new cluster
   • Get your connection string
   • Replace the MONGODB_URI in .env with your Atlas connection string

Environment Variables

• MONGODB_URI: MongoDB connection string
• SECRET_KEY: Secret key for Flask sessions
• FLASK_DEBUG: Set to "True" for development, "False" for production

Project Structure

mongo-notes-flask-app/
├── app.py # Main Flask application
├── templates/ # HTML templates
│ └── home.html # Main template file
├── .env # Environment variables
├── requirements.txt # Project dependencies
└── README.md # Project documentation

Running the Application

1. Ensure MongoDB is running (if using local installation)

2. Start the Flask application:

   python app.py

3. Access the application at http://localhost:5000

Usage

Adding a Note

1. Fill in the required fields:
   • CWID (8 digits)
   • Full Name
   • Note Content
2. Click "Add Note"

Viewing Notes

• All notes are displayed on the homepage
• Notes are sorted by creation date (newest first)

Deleting a Note

1. Find the note you want to delete
2. Click the "Delete" button
3. Confirm the deletions

Input Validation

• CWID must be 9 digits
• All fields are required
• Input is sanitized before storage

API Endpoints

GET /api/notes

Returns all notes in JSON format

Response format:

{
    "notes": [
        {
            "id": "note_id",
            "cwid": "123456789",
            "full_name": "John Doe",
            "content": "Note content",
            "created_at": "timestamp",
            "updated_at": "timestamp"
        }
    ]
}

Error Handling

• Invalid input validation
• Database connection errors
• Note not found errors
• Server errors

Security Features

• Input validation and sanitization
• CSRF protection
• Secure session handling
• Environment variable configuration

Development

Running in Debug Mode

Set FLASK_DEBUG=True in .env file