Orientation

Orientation for COMP 353/453

Below are installation and setup instructions for each module of the course:

General course orientation

Syllabus

Here is the syllabus

Video walkthrough of the syllabus and tour of the course
Please submit a screenshot on Sakai, for the assignment named Orientation: Syllabus Video Screenshot, when instructed to do so on the video

Database design and SQL

All students may skip installation entirely and simply use the Virtual Machine that is available. You still have to submit Orientation Screenshots, to demonstrate that you are able to login, to access your database, to build a basic application using Flask, and so forth, but you may do these activities using the Virtual Machine. Further, it is not an "either/or" choice. You may install the environment on your own computer, and you may also use a Virtual Machine when it is convenient for you to do so, or in case you have any database connection issues.
Instructions to install XAMPP (If you are using a Mac, skip to the bullet point "What about Mac users?")

Why XAMPP? We're not using PHP!!!

XAMPP is a convenient way to install MySQL (or its clone, MariaDB) and Apache, without having to install each component separately and getting them to work together.
PHPMyAdmin widely used as a convenient GUI that comes with XAMPP. It is used to manage/view/test MySQL databases, regardless of the application language.
You could certainly use the localhost setup by XAMPP together with your python programs. In our case, we will not, since it's easier to use flask for that. But you certainly could, and many do.

Do you have to use XAMPP?

NO! If you want to use WAMP-Server, or AMPS, or even install each component separately, you may do so.

Do you have to use PHPMYAdmin to see and work on my database? What about IDLE for editing my Python code?

NO! I will demonstrate many of our queries on PHPMyAdmin, and use it for "quick-and-dirty" database checks, even when using Python. You may use WorkBench, or HeidiSQL, or pyMySQL, of Raspberry Pi, or PyCharm, or any type of database connection and any IDE you want to use. If you use an alternative setup, please make sure you can access and view your database, and send similar screenshots to the ones required in this orientation. On the Mac, since we'll be installing Anaconda, you might want to use Sypder, especially on the Mac, if you don't have a separate Python 3 installation beyond Anaconda's. (Sypder comes with your Anaconda installation.)

possible configuration issues

What about Mac users?

I suggest that Mac users install MAMP. Occasionally on the Mac, there may be a problem with XAMPP, with some of the the icons showing up properly in Safari. Although I have not encountered any issues using XAMPP on the Mac, some students have reported some problems when trying to connect to their localhost database from Python, when using XAMPP. They reported that the problem disappeared when they used MAMP.
https://www.mamp.info/en/
MAMP stack installation

This is an installation video of the another MampStack, prepared by a wonderful former student, Harrison Mbugi.

using MAMP (also prepared by Harrison!)
using the terminal with MAMP installation The original instructions didn't include how to use the terminal window when you are using MAMP. this link should help with that.
If you are using XAMPP, Mac users may find the following links helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glafmFhd0Ds&vl=en

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmklVBO89MM

Please submit a screenshot on Sakai, for the assignment named Orientation: XAMPP/MAMP Installation screenshot , as per the instructions in the assignment.

Configure PHPMyAdmin and set up a root user and a new user username and password
Instructions to test your XAMPP/MAMP installation Please take a screenshot (as per instructions) and submit on Sakai to the assginment named Orientation: Test MySQL/PHP Installation
Instructions to test your command-line (Terminal) installation Please take a screenshot (as per instructions) and submit on Sakai to the assginment named Orientation: Test Terminal (Command Line) Installation
If you have difficulty with the installation, or for some reason you feel that you cannot install it, or if you do not a laptop available for this installation, you can request from me a Virtual Machine that has a WAMP stack already installed. Please let me know as soon as possible, as I have to request this VM from our tech support staff!!

If you are installing on the VM, you may see a pop up warning about the activated User Account Control, etc. Ignore it. It should install in C:\ instead of in the Programs(86) folder.

You may also want to install SublimeText, atom, TextWrangler (or any good text editor) on the mac, or Notepad++ on Windows. (You can even install Notepadd++ on the Mac, using Winebottler, but that's really out of scope for this course.)
For modeling your ER diagrams, use any modeling tool you want. As a fallback position, you may use even Word or PPT. MUCH BETTER: try ER Assistant (Windows only); Gliffy;something like Draw.io (I don't prefer their EER notation, but no biggie); StarUML; ErDraw (ok EER notation) Dia (Windows or mac); Lucid (You can keep renewing the free trial); ERDPlus (seems cool and very clear!) has been a student favorite in past semesters;

Python, Flask, flask-sqlAlchemy

Python: https://www.python.org/ There is a checkbox in the installation box to add Python to the Windows path. Check that box!!
If you want to use PyCharm or any other IDE, feel free to do so, but you are responsible for making sure that you can run flask, install all packages, and connect to the database both through flask_sqlalchemy and through the other database connectors that we use in class.
Anaconda: https://www.anaconda.com/download/ For the Mac, be very careful to install the Anaconda version for Python 3.x!!

Mac users: https://www.datacamp.com/community/tutorials/installing-anaconda-mac-os-x

On Windows: I already had Python installed, and installing Anaconda over my existing Python installation works just fine.
On Mac: Python 2 comes installed with a Mac OS. However, you want Python 3. You do not have to install it separately (although you certainly may). When you install Anaconda 3, Python 3.x will be installed, if you are careful to select the Python 3.x version when you download/install.
Windows: Anaconda installation will give you an option to add python to the path. Say "Yes"!!!
Mac: Anaconda will automatically add python and anaconda to the $PATH. You can always check: https://www.datacamp.com/community/tutorials/installing-anaconda-mac-os-x
It is recommended to create a new “virtual environment” in Anaconda for each project. For this course, I will only use one environment; therefore I will be using the (base) environment. Feel free to setup multiple environments, but it is not required for this course, nor will I demonstrate it.
Flask installation: from within your Anaconda environment:
(This means, on Windows, Start-->Anaconda-->Anaconda prompt). On Mac, start the Anaconda Navigator, and open a terminal window. In both cases, you should see the prompt with your acanconda environment, for instance (base), as part of the prompt.)

pip install flask
pip install flask-sqlalchemy
pip install flask-login
pip install flask-bcrypt
Then go into Python (type python at the command prompt, from within anaconda)
type import flask. There should be no error.
type import flask_sqlalchemy
type exit()
Take a screenshot from within Anaconda terminal/command, showing import flask with no error.

Flask test HelloWorld

Download the zip file which contains the sample code that you will need for the Python ORM part of the course. Unzip. There will be a few (very few) changes in the Mac version, so here is the Mac zip file. The Virtual Machine already has everything downloaded onto the Desktop.

Review the setup instructions, and the HelloWorld video.

Watch the first three minutes of the video, and duplicate the HelloWorld app.
Take a screenshot of "Hello, World!" on your web browser .
Submit the import Flask screenshot and the Flask HelloWorld screenshot for the assignment named Orientation: Screenshot of Fask Installation and HelloWorld.
***Please note: The folder structure in the video is slightly different from the one that I give you in the zip file that you downloaded. In the video, the flaskHelloWorld.py program is in the folder FlaskDemoLectures. However, I changed it slightly after making the video. Your flaskHelloWorld.py program is in Flask-Demo/Lectures/1-GettingStarted of your unzipped folder structure. When I navigate to the folder containing the flaskHelloDemo.py program, be sure that you navigate to the folder where your program is located.

Installation of database packages: (There are no specific orientation assignments for this part, since Lab-4a-connect covers this material. However, I am including it here, so that all installation instructions are in one place, and also because you may want to get things up and running earlier than required. Recommended. Strongly.)
BTW, Mac users. Sometimes, there are just too many configuration issues or conflicts to make this local installation worth your while. You may want to seriously consider using the VM.

MySQL connector: From within your Anaconda environment:

pip install mysql-connector-python (or this link)

MySQL Client and MySQLdb:

From within your Anaconda environment, attempt:

pip install mysqlclient
Windows: You may get an error that you don't have the VB Build Tools installed (I have not experienced that error on the Mac, nor have I found others who have encountered it.)

Go to: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/visual-cpp-build-tools/

install as per instructions

Close Anaconda terminal
Run the Anaconda prompt as administrator
right-click the prompt icon and select run as administrator

Windows and Mac:

type: conda install -c bioconda mysqlclient (Ignore any warnings about conda packages being deprecated. It is a bug in conda and is being fixed as of this writing.)
pip install Flask-mysqldb

WTF Forms: From within your environment (Anaconda):

pip install flask-wtf

Text editor of your choice
As we build our applications, we may be required to install additional components

MongoDB