I just decided to call my Sinatra app done even though I have a million more ideas to make it better. That’s the hard thing about these portfolio projects - I see amazing web applications every day, and I’m so excited to build something useful that I can share with others, but I’m not there yet! Yes, I could spend many more days adding new features and styling to my project, but it is probably time better spent moving forward.
With that said, I’m still excited to have my first glimpse into the world of web applications. I feel like I have a better appreciation for the intense work it takes to build something useful. I created a web app that can crowdsource data for boulder problems around the U.S. Users can log into their accounts to add climbing locations and boulder problems to those locations. They can also comment on problems entered by other users. Viewers without an account can see all of the data, but cannot add content until they log in. In theory, with thousands of users, you would have a large database of climbs you can find at locations all around the country.
I’m happy with the results, and it meets the project requirements, but there are so many other features it needs to be useful. I checked out some other similar climbing sites while doing the project, and they have wayyyy more information. Turns out, I need Javascript! (and probably to return to HTML and CSS with new eyes). But instead of feeling frustrated with how far I have to go, I’m feeling excited to learn each new piece, which is a great place to be in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I had some annoying hours during the project when I was running into confusing errors from dumb mistakes, but I figured it out and I am moving forward with a great sense of accomplishment.
Me right now:
Please check out the app! https://github.com/liahwallace1/boulder-buddies-sinatra-app
OR check out my demo video: https://youtu.be/1Jolb1kO7mQ