README.md

Potluck Prototype

This is an MVP (minimum viable product) for running Math Trades. The hope is that it can facilitate a math trade for things other than boardgames, which was the intention of the original TradeMaximizer.

Demo: https://nextjs-potluck.netlify.app/

Rough deploy instructions: https://cryptpad.fr/pad/#/2/pad/view/Sbm+8JbQnOvRhN5yHpyD+-1Fbn1rpWAEY77IzuJ-Bp0/

How to install

1. Set up a MongoDB database

Either locally or with MongoDB Atlas for free.

• How to install mongodb locally
  • To start mongodb, start from command line: brew services start [email protected]
  • To stop: brew services stop [email protected]
  • Connect with cli: mongosh --port 27017 --authenticationDatabase "admin" -u "myUserAdmin" -p
  • Enable access control with SCRAM: Authenticate with SCRAM
  • Export and import data using scripts in /local-scripts
• Reference articles
  • Connection string parameters

2. Set up environment variables

Copy the env.local.example file in this directory to .env.local (which will be ignored by Git):

cp .env.local.example .env.local

Set these variables in .env.local:

• LOCAL_MONGOOSE_URI - URI with local db in connection string

• ATLAS_MONGOOSE_URI - URI with cloud db in connection string

• SEED_PREFIX - Starting seed prefix. TODO: Have the app set automatically from this config, instead of manually by the developer

• These were for the native nodejs mongodb driver, but are no longer used. Keeping around just in case.

  • ATLAS_URI - Cloud connection string
  • LOCAL_URI - Local DB connection string
  • LOCAL_MONGODB_DB - Local DB Name
  • ATLAS_MONGODB_DB - Cloud DB Name

3. Run Next.js in development mode

npm install
npm run dev

# or

yarn install
yarn dev

Your app should be up and running on http://localhost:3001!

4. Set up seed. IMPORTANT!

You only have to do this once, before using the application for the first time. Hit the api endpoint: "http:/localhost:3001/api/seeds" with a POST request with an object of form:

{
  prefix: YOUR_CHOICE_STRING,
  counter: 0
}

This will create a seed that is used to create the official names for offerings.

Deploy Your Local Project

• Follow these directions to deploy to heroku: https://mariestarck.com/deploy-your-next-js-app-to-heroku-in-5-minutes/
• Make sure next dependency in package.json is explicityly set: https://www.reddit.com/r/nextjs/comments/hdkkps/sh_1_next_not_found_when_deploying_on_heroku/

Innovation

To create the wantlists instead of using a grid like the OLWLG and Abecorn, or setting individual values, instead we simply sort a list. This means that the process of evaluating trades for the user decreases from O(n^2) to O(n) complexity.

!Warning - Still need to implement duplicate protection though!

Credits and Prior Art

• Used https://github.com/beaucarnes/mern-exercise-tracker-mongodb as foundation (Mongoose may have been unnecessary).
• Inspiration from: https://github.com/abecorn/abecornlite
  • Also the commercial site: abecorn.com
• The BoardGameGeek community and everything they've done and shared about Math Trades - https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Math_Trades
• The original TradeMaximizer: https://github.com/chrisokasaki/TradeMaximizer
• Online Wantlist Generator: https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/OLWLG#toc12
• TradeMaximizer wiki: https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/TradeMaximizer
• Javascript Implementation of TradeMaximizer: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2818260/javascript-implementation-trademaximizer

Links to useful things

• Setting up mongo locally: https://zellwk.com/blog/local-mongodb/
• https://zendeskgarden.github.io/react-components/tables/ for the sorting table and how to use it with https://github.com/atlassian/react-beautiful-dnd
• Inspiration that this can work in real-life during COVID as well: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2459102/9th-annual-pacific-northwest-game-swap/page/14