Python Flask full-stack application, persistence with PostgreSQL.
PROJECT BRIEF
Designed a complete working site that would allow users to manage their MOOC time in conjunction with a Google Chrome Plugin of the same name. The plugin would automatically notice whenever the user was inside their course and would log the time associated with that course. The sites main focus was:
- Finding and adding new courses
- Displaying the users time spent on each course
- Prompting the user to keep with their personal set schedule for learning.
The site was relatively complete in a very short time, and the plug-in was actually a heck of a lot more work than expected. The main problem was with the authentication of the plugin with the site. Many different mechanisms were attempted, but finally, it was just easier to not share authentication sessions between the site and the plug-in. Both would ask the user to log in independently, and then save to the same back-end. This worked out well.
The other issue was simply that the plug-in needed constant maintenance, every time the site would change the URLs, the plugin would need to adapt in order to be able to determine what class was in progress. Some attempts at scraping the page looking for Course keys were made, but it was not more successful than pulling keys from URLs when they were there.
2019 UPDATE
The plugin and site are now down for good. The concept was fun, but the site never had more than a handful of users using it at any given time. Registration was removed in 2018, and the site was removed in 2018.
CREDITS
Technical Lead: Mike Lynch