My Rails Portfolio Project
Here we are! This would be the culmination of all I have learned so far on this journey I began back in November at Flatiron. It’s time to put all the things I have been learning into an actual working, living application.
Like the previous projects, I struggled to come up with an idea for the app. I wanted to build something I would enjoy using as well as other people too. At the beginning of this journey I decided to make a vision board to hopefully draw some motivation and inspiration from if I ever found myself questioning or doubting the path I chose. As I was looking at the board, it hit me like a smack in the face! I’ll make an online version of my vision board! I would give people an outlet to be able to get inspired or inspire other people with images and quotes. Now, I know a vision board isn't for everyone but I also know that they do help when you are looking for that extra kick to move forward with whatever it is that you're trying to accomplish. It’s also helpful to set goals and strive towards something. The app would hopefully make this possible!
The idea for the app was pretty simple. A user would sign up for an account and begin uploading images that inspire and motivate them. They could also draw inspiration from other users who have also posted images. Users would also be able to comment on the images and communicate with other users through the comment thread. It would be a cross between a vision board, Pintrest and Instagram.
My biggest challenge and most time consuming issues while creating this application was simply getting images to upload correctly and the styling of the pages. Whoever said CSS was easy lied to you! Its a dirty dirty lie! Things would not line up correctly or items would just pop up where they shouldn't have been. I once hear Donald Trump say the press was the enemy of the people. Im here to tell you though, It was another lie, DIV’s are the enemy of the people!!
After lots of googling and tissue to dry the tears, I finally got the application to look presentable and most importantly functional. I felt at that point like I was David after giving Goliath the business! I had conquered my biggest challenge to date!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed creating this application and I’m proud of the finished product. To take a vision (no pun intended) and actually create a functional application was extremely rewarding in every sense. Im looking forward to continuing this journey and obtaining the knowledge and tools to go back to this application in the future and make it better!
Here is the GitHub repo for Visionz, enjoy! https://github.com/jstone18/visionz_app
