Book Worm MVC

Quickstart | GitHub

Simple manager for handling a list of books

Status: Project completed

Technologies and tools:

Table of Contents

• Description
• Quickstart
• Functionality
• Database Schema (BookWormMVC)
• Feature List
• Technologies, Tools, Strategies and Programming Techniques
• Dependencies
• Workflow
• Summary
• Known Issues
• Contribution Guidelines
• License
• About Me

Description

BookWormMVC is an educational project created using ASP.NET Core 6 MVC, C# 10 and Entity Framework 7.0.x. The main goal of the project was to understand and practically use the handling of one-to-many and many-to-many relationships in the database.

In the project, a seeding approach was employed, which involves populating the database with sample data. As a result, upon installation of the application, the user immediately has access to data that facilitates understanding of its functions and operation mechanisms.

Extensive documentation helps to understand the project and draw your own conclusions for further learning.

Quickstart

1. Open a terminal on your computer and navigate to the location where you want to download the application.
2. Run the command git clone https://github.com/chrisonoo/BookWormMVC.git and clone the application repository to the chosen folder on your disk.
3. Open the solution in Visual Studio 2022 and run Build > Build Solution.
4. Set the project BookWorm.MVC as the Startup Project.
5. Open Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console.
6. In the Package Manager Console, set Default project: BookWorm.MVC.
7. Type the command add-migration Initial in the Package Manager Console and execute it. This command will create a database migration file and perform seeding.
8. Type the command update-database in the Package Manager Console and execute it. This command will create a database and upload sample data into the local database.
9. Demo data will be uploaded to the database after the first launch of the application.

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Functionality

BookWormMVC is a simple book registration management system that allows for CRUD operations on a database created using the code-first approach. The application generates a database with appropriate relationships, and then through forms allows interaction with this database. Each table has dedicated controllers and views: Index, Edit, Details, Create, Delete.

In the application, a soft delete approach is used for deleting data in the Publishers, Contributor Roles, and Contributors tables. Thanks to this, no records are cascade deleted from the database. The application comes with a set of data that is added to the database during the first migration. This allows to test the application immediately after launch.

The main emphasis was placed on backend development, the frontend is the default ASP.NET template with minor CSS improvements and the implementation of bolding the active tab (controller) in the menu.

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Database Schema (BookWormMVC)

In this project, due to ease of implementation and the fact that the project is not intended for deployment, a local MSSQL database [(localdb)\MSSQLLocalDB] was used.

A localdb version of MSSQL provides all the important capabilities of the SQL Server database engine but runs in user mode for easy setup and minimal resource usage. Visual Studio 2022 comes with SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), which includes localdb, so there is no need to install any additional SQL Server software.

Table: Books

Description:

The Books table stores information about books available in the system. Each record represents one book.

Fields:

• Id (int): This is the primary key of the table. Each book has a unique identifier.
• Title (string): This field stores the title of the book.
• PublicationYear (int): This field stores the publication year of the book.
• PublisherId (int): This field stores the book's publisher identifier (foreign key).

Relations:

• The Books table is related to the Publishers table by a many-to-one relationship. Many books can have the same publisher.
• The Books table is related to the BookContributors table by a many-to-many relationship. A book can have many contributors with roles, and a contributor with role can contribute to many books.

Table: Publishers

Description:

The Publishers table stores information about publishers who contributed to the creation of books. Each record represents one publisher.

Fields:

• Id (int): This is the primary key of the table.
• Name (string): This field stores the name of the publisher.
• IsActive (bool): This field stores information about whether the publisher is deleted (soft delete).

Relations:

• The Publishers table is related to the Books table by a one-to-many relationship. A Publisher can contribute to many Books, and a Book can have only one Publisher.

Table: Contributors

Description:

The Contributors table stores information about Contributors who contributed to the creation of Books. Each record represents one contributor.

Fields:

• Id (int): This is the primary key of the table.
• Name (string): This field stores the name of the contributor.
• IsActive (bool): This field stores information about whether the contributor is deleted (soft delete).

Relations:

• The Contributors table is related to the BookContributors table by a many-to-many relationship. A Contributor can contribute to many books, and a book can have many contributors.

Table: Roles

Description:

The Roles table stores various roles that a contributor can take in the creation of a book. Each record represents one role.

Fields:

• Id (int): This is the primary key of the table.
• Name (string): This field stores the name of the role.

Relations:

The Roles table is related to the BookContributors table by a many-to-many relationship. Each role can be assigned to many contributors, and a contributor can have many roles.

Table: BookContributors

Description:

The BookContributors table is a junction (intermediate/associative) table between the Books, Contributors, Roles tables. Each record represents a relationship between a book and a contributor in a specific role.

Fields:

• Primary key is composed of three foreign keys: BookId, ContributorId, RoleId (composite primary key).
• BookId (int): This field is a foreign key referring to the Books table.
• ContributorId (int): This field is a foreign key referring to the Contributors table.
• RoleId (int): This field is a foreign key referring to the Roles table. It determines the role the contributor took in creating the book.

Relations:

• The BookContributors table is related to the Books, Contributors and Roles tables. Each relationship is defined by a unique set of three keys.

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Feature List

Features for books:

• Displaying a list of books
• Creating, editing, displaying details, deleting a single book

Features for publishers:

• Displaying a list of publishers
• Creating, editing, displaying details, deleting a single publisher
• Preview of the list of books published by the publisher

Features for contributors:

• Displaying a list of contributors
• Creating, editing, displaying details, deleting a single contributor

Features for contributor roles:

• Displaying a list of contributor roles
• Creating, editing, displaying details, deleting a single contributor role

Features for book contributors:

• Displaying a list of contributors and their roles in creating a book
• Creating, editing, displaying details, deleting a single book contributor

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Technologies, Tools, Strategies and Programming Techniques

• ASP.NET Core 6 MVC
• C# 10
• Entity Framework (utilizing both Annotations and Fluent API)
• Code First database and Seeding
• Automatic Resource Management with the using statement (during seeding)
• Soft Delete (tables: Contributors, Contributor Roles, Publishers)
• Hard Delete (tables: Books, Book Contributor)

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Dependencies

The project uses standard dependencies for ASP.NET Core 6 MVC:

• ASP.NET Core 6.0
• Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer 7.0.9
• Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Tools 7.0.9
• Microsoft.VisualStudio.Web.CodeGeneration.Design 6.0.15

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Workflow

⬜   - Task pending
⬜⏳ - Task in progress
✅   - Task completed

• Plan the application project
  • Define the goals of the application
  • Define the features of the application
  • Choose the technology and architecture of the application
  • Design the database
  • Design the UI/UX
  • Plan the work and create a Workflow
• Create solution in Visual Studio 2022
• Add project ASP.NET Core 6 MVC to solution
• Database, code-first approach
  • Plan the Entity classes, incorporate the soft-delete strategy
  • Adď the Entity classes
  • Add Annotations and Fluent API configuration to the Entity classes
  • Add Database configuration
  • Add migration
  • Update database
• Add Controllers and Views
• Add links to all controllers to the main menu
• Adjust the Index and Privacy pages
• Highlight active link in the menu
• Correct CSS file with margin-top for primary button
• Adjust the Publishers
  • Change the description of the page from Index to Publishers in the Publishers > Index view.
  • Add the display of the number of books published by the Publisher to the Publishers > Index view. Create class PublisherViewModel.
  • Add the display of active and inactive Publishers in separate sections to the Publishers > Index view.
  • Add editing of the IsActive field in the Publisher > Edit view.
  • Add the display of the IsActive field in the Publisher > Details view.
  • Add the display of books published by the Publisher to the Publisher > Details view.
  • Adjust the PublishersController.Delete so that clicking Delete changes the IsActive field to false.
• Adjust the Contributor Roles
  • Change the description of the page from Index to Contributor Roles in the Contributor Roles > Index view.
  • Add a column to display information from the IsActive field in the Contributor Roles > Index view.
  • Add editing of the IsActive field in the Contributor Roles > Edit view.
  • Add the display of the IsActive field in the Contributor Roles > Details view.
  • Adjust the ContributorRolesController.Delete so that clicking Delete changes the IsActive field to false.
• Adjust the Contributors
  • Change the description of the page from Index to Contributors in the Contributors > Index view.
  • Add a column to display information from the IsActive field in the Contributors > Index view.
  • Add editing of the IsActive field in the Contributors > Edit view.
  • Add the display of the IsActive field in the Contributors > Details view.
  • Adjust the ContributorsController.Delete so that clicking Delete changes the IsActive field to false.
• Adjust the Books
  • Change the description of the page from Index to Books in the Books > Index view.
  • Add the display of Publisher (foreign key) to the Books > Index view.
  • Add the display of contributors in Books > Details view, with a division into Authors and other Contributors (many-to-many relationship).
• Adjust the Book Contributors
  • Change the description of the page from Index to Book Contributors in the Book Contributors > Index view.
• Add demonstration data to the application (seeding).
• Completion of project documentation
  • Description
  • Quickstart or/and Live Demo
  • Functionality
  • Database Schema
  • Feature List
  • Technologies, Tools, Strategies and Programming Techniques
  • Dependencies
  • Workflow
  • Summary
  • Known Issues
  • Contribution Guidelines
  • License

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Summary

The BookWormMVC project was not only a practical programming task, but also a valuable learning process in many areas. First and foremost, developing this project allowed for the adoption of the methodology of dividing tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces. This approach to task management contributed to improving efficiency and understanding the entire process of creating an application.

During the creation of the project, I also learned how important it is to develop documentation. Documentation is not only a necessary tool for other developers, but also a way to organize thoughts and better understand this project. Moreover, through the process of creating documentation, I learned to better predict the consequences of my design decisions, especially in the context of database architecture and ways of presenting this data in specific views.

Another important element of learning was understanding the process of planning an application. Planning is not just choosing technologies and tools, but also predicting potential problems, setting priorities, and making decisions that will shape the entire project.

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Known Issues

During the creation and testing of the BookWormMVC project, I noticed several issues that need to be addressed:

• Several warnings about a possible null value

  While coding and testing the project, I encountered CS8602: Dereference of a possibly null reference warnings. This is a potential source of errors during the application's operation, especially when this value is used in calculations or operations that are not prepared for null values.

• Improperly designed table BookContributors connecting Books, Contributors, and their Roles

  The table intended to link Books, Contributors, and their Roles was designed improperly. The primary key was set on three fields without any Id field, which greatly complicates editing, displaying details, and removing data. The search for the right position in the database occurs by giving an Id. As a result, handling these elements was not implemented.

• Correct implementation of the BookContributors table

  • To implement this functionality correctly, you need to add the Id field to the table.
  • In order to be able to add only one Contributor with a given Role to one Book, it is necessary to create appropriate business classes that verify this condition.

• Correct visibility and filter inactive Contributors and Contributor Roles

  • Create a filter in the BookContributorsController that filters out inactive Contributors in the Book Contributors > Create view.
  • Create a filter in the BookContributorsController that filters out inactive Contributor Roles in the Book Contributors > Create view.

These issues need attention and fixing to ensure that the application can operate smoothly.

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Contribution Guidelines

The project has been completed and will not be further developed, but any suggestions are welcome. Please open issues to share your feedback.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT license.

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About Me

Hello, I'm Krzysztof, but feel free to call me Chris. I'm a budding full-stack programmer with a special focus on .NET and SQL. Passionate about problem-solving, I enjoy crafting efficient backend and frontend solutions.

As an emerging software developer, I'm keen to apply my knowledge and skills in a professional setting. I'm excited to bring my life and professional experience, providing a unique perspective to software development tasks. Eager to commence my journey in the industry, I am actively seeking employment opportunities where I can continue to grow and create.

Check out my Portfolio or connect with me on LinkedIn.

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