Personal Project: International Caribbeans
Here are some things I got done this week:
- Found a creative commons logo (www.vecteezy.com)
- Implemented the Add Entry button
- Figured out which map to use since Google’s price hike and generosity of only 1 map load per day
- Implemented a JavaScript library to validate addresses in the entry form
- Send entry form information to a Firebase database (with some help from this gist)
- Redirect the form to the homepage
- Implemented a search bar for searching the world and showing the surrounding area for locations in the database using the same js library from above
- Deploy/added to my portfolio site
Here are some things I did not get done this week:
- Show a success or error message based on the form info given by the user
- Admin Console for the data (incl. auth)
Here’s what I learned:
It is okay to branch out of the norm or the comfortable. I used to use Google Maps API a lot until this year’s pricing blindside. As a college student, who just wants to create applications that aren’t going to be getting a ton of traffic, but want it to work with actual industry comparable technologies, I don’t have the budget to pay for a possible pricing overage of one map load per day ( Google 😒). I used Mapfit as an alternative.
What I can do to make it better:
I know I can scale it back into a 1-page web app using a modal for the add entry form. Nothing robust, because it isn’t robust.
What’s next:
Another web app, possibly progressive. Something more robust to flex my tiny React muscles. Finishing this project in a week and a half shows me that once I have a plan and stick to it, I can make all of my project designs into a reality.
