Fitness Activity Tracking Application

Usage

Installation

• Clone the repository
• Add the .env file from .env.example
• Change the database configuration in the .env file
• Run the composer install command
• Run the php artisan test command (for testing and migration) or php artisan migrate (only migration)
• (optional) Run the php artisan db:seed --class=ActivitySeeder command
• Configure a web server with Apache or Nginx or run php artisan serve

Calling the Routes

There is a JSON file to import into Postman and call the routes below:

Postman_Collection.

Implementation Facts and Details

Table Design: First, I want to say that I do not agree with declaring fields like distance and distance_unit separately. In this implementation, we create a dependency between the two fields and it also violates consistency within the distance field. At one time, there is data in meters and at another time, there is data in kilometers in the same field. A better approach would be to remove distance_unit from the table and keep distance in a unified unit like meters, and handle unit conversion only during reading and creation. However, in respect of the assignment, I followed the initial approach.

Requested Functions: There was no request for adding CRUD functionality for activities, but I added a store method to showcase my skills in handling user requests.

Framework: This project uses the latest versions of the Laravel framework (v10) and the PHP language (v8.2).

PHP Features: I have utilized the latest PHP features such as Enumeration, Readonly, Nullsafe operator, Constructor Property Promotion, Union Types, and more.

Error Handling: For error handling, I believe it is better to handle errors in specific scenarios where it is necessary, such as working with I/O or making API calls. In other situations, it is better to handle logical errors with code, for example, when a requested data does not exist. For this project, I have added appropriate exception throwing for invalid user input.

DocBlocks: I did not extensively use DocBlocks due to the power of type declaration in PHP. DocBlocks are not necessary in such cases.

Tests: There are 8 tests that include both unit tests and feature tests, covering all the functionality.

Function Description: I have tried to take a comprehensive approach in this small project and have paid attention to important factors in software development such as extensibility, maintainability, modularity, etc. For example, this approach ensures that future development on this project will be of higher quality and based on software standards.

Folders/Files	Description
ActivityRequest	Use this file to handle requests before sending them to the controller
AbstractDTO ActivityDTO	Use this file to create an appropriate object for a request and send it to the request with this approach. This allows for better request management in the service layer
IDataTransferObject IService	These are empty interfaces for possible future use
ActivityService	The services layer is the best place to implement the main logic of the project. It helps maintain Single Responsibility for models and controllers
ActivityException	Custom exception class for handling activity-related exceptions

Other files and classes such as Migration, Seeder, Model, and Controller are based on Laravel documentation and are self-explanatory.

What Did I Learn?

With this small project, I made an effort to focus on designing an extensive and modular system, and I believe I have improved in this area compared to my past projects. Additionally, in the past, I had only read about using Mocks, but during this project, I had the opportunity to apply them in practice.

Future Works

• Complete CRUD functions
• Add a frontend project to consume this API
• Add repository or resource files
• Add a user section
• Consider adding another database connection for testing purposes if the project is used in a real-world scenario

Contact

I'm open to receiving any feedback about the project: [email protected]