RIT-nexus/COLLABORATION.md

🤝 RIT Freshers Hub Collaboration Guide

Welcome to the team! This guide explains how to get set up, which Git branch you should work on, and which database tables you are responsible for.

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🚀 Step 1: Getting Started

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <your-repository-url>
   cd "Freshers Hub"
   

2. Select your module's branch: Find your assigned module below, and check out your branch:

   git checkout feature/<your-branch-name>
   

3. Install frontend dependencies:

   npm install
   npm run dev
   

   (The frontend dev server will run on http://localhost:5173)

4. Connect your Spring Boot backend to PostgreSQL: Configure your local src/main/resources/application.properties:

   spring.datasource.url=jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5432/rit_freshers_hub
   spring.datasource.username=your_postgres_username
   spring.datasource.password=your_postgres_password
   spring.jpa.hibernate.ddl-auto=validate
   

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📋 Step 2: Workload & Branch Assignments (5-Member Team)

Since we have a 5-member team (You + 4 friends) to manage the 9 modules, the workload is grouped logically below. Write your names next to your assigned roles:

Team Member	Assigned Modules	Git Branch Name(s)	Database Table(s) to Use
You (Lead)	🤖 AI Assistant & Core APIs	feature/ai-assistant	ai_chat_messages
Friend 1	📚 Notes & PYQs & 🧰 Toolkit	feature/notes-pyqs, feature/student-toolkit	notes_pyqs, toolkit_items
Friend 2	💬 Q&A Forum & 🤫 Confessions	feature/freshers-qa, feature/anonymous-confessions	community_questions, community_answers, confessions
Friend 3	🗺️ Campus Map & 🚌 Bus Routes	feature/campus-map, feature/bus-routes	campus_locations, bus_routes, bus_stops
Friend 4	👩‍🏫 Faculty Directory & 🎉 Events	feature/faculty-directory, feature/clubs-events	faculty, clubs, events

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🛠️ Step 3: Git Workflow Guidelines

To ensure smooth merging into main later without conflicts, please follow these rules:

1. Keep commits focused: Only commit changes relating to your assigned module.
2. Sync with Main regularly: Before committing or pushing, merge the latest main into your branch to stay up to date:

   git fetch origin
   git merge origin/main
   

3. Pushing code:

   git push origin feature/<your-branch-name>
   

4. Merge to Main: When your module is fully tested and complete, create a Pull Request on GitHub to merge your feature branch into main.