swaraj54/pcd-1-todo-frontend

Plan: Building a Feature-Rich To-Do Application with MERN Stack

1. Introduction

In this video series, we'll be building a comprehensive to-do application using the MERN Stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js). This project will provide a solid foundation for beginners to learn full-stack web development with MERN.

2. Functionality and Features

Our to-do application will offer the following functionalities:

• Adding New Tasks: Users can create new tasks by entering a description in an input field and submitting it.
• Viewing Tasks: A list will display all existing tasks retrieved from the database.
• Editing Tasks: Users can edit the description of existing tasks to modify their content.
• Deleting Tasks: Users can remove unwanted tasks from the list.

3. Tech Stack

We'll be utilising the MERN Stack for building this application:

• MongoDB: A NoSQL database that efficiently stores our task data, including completion status and potentially edit timestamps (for future reference).
• Express.js: A web framework built on Node.js that simplifies building the server-side logic for handling user requests (adding, marking complete, editing, deleting tasks), as well as interacting with the MongoDB database.
• React.js: A JavaScript library for building the user interface. We'll use React to create an interactive frontend that allows users to add, view, mark complete, edit, and delete tasks.
• Node.js: A JavaScript runtime environment that allows us to run our server-side code written in JavaScript (with Express.js) on the server.

4. User Flow

Here's a breakdown of how users will interact with the to-do application, incorporating complete, edit, and delete functionalities:

• Adding a Task:

  • Users will see an input field where they can type in the task description.
  • Once they enter the description, they will click a "Submit" button or press Enter.
  • The application will send the new task data (including description) to the server.

• Viewing Tasks:

  • The application will display a list of all existing tasks retrieved from the database.
  • Each task might be visually differentiated based on its completion status (e.g., strikethrough text for completed).

• Editing Tasks:

  • Users will have an option to edit a task's description. This could involve clicking an "Edit" button next to the task.
  • Clicking "Edit" might open a modal window allowing users to modify the description.
  • Upon saving the changes, the application will send a request to the server with the updated task information.
  • The server will update the task data in the database and send a confirmation to the frontend.
  • The application will then update the task list to reflect the edited description.

• Deleting Tasks:

  • Users will have an option to delete unwanted tasks. This could involve a "Delete" button next to each task.
  • Clicking "Delete" will send a confirmation prompt to ensure the user's intent.
  • Upon confirmation, the application will send a request to the server with the task's identifier for deletion.
  • The server will remove the task from the database and send a confirmation to the frontend.
  • The application will then update the task list to remove the deleted task.

5. Development Process Overview

We'll break down the development process into smaller stages to build this feature-rich to-do application with complete, edit, and delete functionalities:

Setting Up the Development Environment

We'll install the necessary tools and libraries on our computer to work with MERN Stack development. This might include Node.js, MongoDB, a code editor, and potentially version control software (Git).

Building the Server-Side Logic

We'll use Express.js and Node.js to create the server-side code that can handle user requests for various functionalities:

• Adding Tasks: The server will receive new task data from the frontend and store it in the MongoDB database.
• Viewing Tasks: The server will retrieve all task data from the MongoDB database and send it to the frontend for display.
• Editing Tasks: The server will receive updated task information (edited description) from the frontend, update the corresponding task data in the database, and send confirmation back to the frontend. The frontend will then reflect the changes in the task list.
• Deleting Tasks: The server will remove the specified task from the MongoDB database upon receiving a deletion request from the frontend. It will then send confirmation to the frontend, prompting the application to remove the task from the displayed list.

Building the User Interface

We'll use React.js to build the user interface for our to-do application. This will involve creating interactive components:

• Input Field: Users can enter new task descriptions here.
• Task List: This component will display a list of all tasks retrieved from the database, potentially with visual differentiation for completed tasks.
• Edit Functionality: This might involve a button next to each task that opens a modal window allowing users to modify the description. Upon saving changes, a request is sent to the server to update the database.
• Delete Button: Clicking this button next to a task will trigger a confirmation prompt. Upon confirmation, a request is sent to the server for deletion, and the frontend reflects the change by removing the task from the list.

Connecting Server and Frontend

We'll establish communication between the server-side (Express.js and Node.js) and the frontend (React.js) to allow the application to function seamlessly. This will involve sending and receiving data between them for various functionalities (adding, viewing, marking complete, editing, deleting tasks).

Deployment (Optional)

In this video series, we might focus on development. In future videos, we can explore deploying the application to a live server environment to make it accessible online.

6. Next Steps

This revised plan tailors the development process to your single video, focusing on the server-side logic with Express.js and Node.js. It provides a clear roadmap for this first step and sets the stage for future videos exploring the frontend and complete application functionality.