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Last updated by: samin, Last updated on: 28/09/2024

Smartbike backend readme

Prerequisites​

  • Git
  • Python 3
  • Virtual Environment (venv)
  • Visual Studio Code or any preferred IDE
  • Django and other Python libraries

Installation Steps​

1. Fork the Repository​

First, fork the repository to your own GitHub account:

  1. Visit the repository at Redback SmartBike Mobile GitHub.
  2. Click on the Fork button at the top right corner of the page. This will create a copy of the repository in your GitHub account.

2. Clone the Forked Repository​

After forking, clone the repository to your local machine by opening a terminal and running the following commands:

git clone https://github.com/<Your_GitHub_Username>/redback-smartbike-mobile.git
cd redback-smartbike-mobile

Replace <Your_GitHub_Username> with your actual GitHub username.

This will download the repository files to your local system and change your directory to the repository's root.

3. Open the Project in Visual Studio Code​

You can open the project directory in VS Code by typing:

code .

Alternatively, use the source control option in VS Code to clone and open the repository directly.

4. Set Up Python Virtual Environment​

Navigate to the backend_server directory:

cd backend_server

Create and activate the virtual environment:

For Windows

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate

For MacOS/Linux

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

5. Install Dependencies​

Install Django and other necessary Python libraries:

pip install django djangorestframework
pip install python-dotenv
pip install numpy matplotlib scikit-learn
pip install redis celery Django-celery-results
pip install Pillow

6. Configure Environment Variables​

Create a .env file at the project root and specify the following values:

SECURITY WARNING: keep the secret key used in production secret!​

SECRET_KEY = "your_secret_key_here"

Email functionality

EMAIL_BACKEND = "django.core.mail.backends.console.EmailBackend"
DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL = "your_email@example.com"

7. Database Setup​

From the backend_server directory, run the following commands to set up the database:

python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

8. Run the Server​

Start the backend server:

python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000

Troubleshooting Common Errors​

Error 1: Pillow Installation Issue​

Description: You may encounter an error related to the ImageField if Pillow is not installed.

backend_server.acc_details.image: (fields.E210) Cannot use ImageField because Pillow is not installed. HINT: Get Pillow at https://pypi.org/project/Pillow/ or run command "python -m pip install Pillow".

Solution:​

Check your Python version and install Pillow:

python -m pip install Pillow

or​

python3 -m pip install Pillow

Error 2: Dotenv Module Not Found​

Description: If the system cannot find the dotenv module, you might see a ModuleNotFoundError.

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'dotenv'

Solution:​

Check if python-dotenv is already installed:

pip list

If found, uninstall and reinstall python-dotenv:

pip uninstall python-dotenv
pip install python-dotenv

If not found, simply install the module:

pip install python-dotenv

Restart Visual Studio Code or your IDE to ensure the environment is refreshed.