AdventureLog/.github/copilot-instructions.md

AdventureLog Development Instructions

AdventureLog is a self-hosted travel companion web application built with SvelteKit frontend and Django backend, deployed via Docker.

ALWAYS follow these instructions first and fallback to search or bash commands only when you encounter unexpected information that does not match the info here.

Working Effectively

Essential Setup (NEVER CANCEL - Set 60+ minute timeouts)

Run these commands in order:

• cp .env.example .env - Copy environment configuration
• time docker compose up -d - FIRST TIME: 25+ minutes, NEVER CANCEL. Set timeout to 60+ minutes. Subsequent starts: <1 second
• Wait 30+ seconds for services to fully initialize before testing functionality

Development Workflow Commands

Frontend (SvelteKit with Node.js):

• cd frontend && npm install - 45+ seconds, NEVER CANCEL. Set timeout to 60+ minutes
• cd frontend && npm run build - 32 seconds, set timeout to 60 seconds
• cd frontend && npm run dev - Start development server (requires backend running)
• cd frontend && npm run format - 6 seconds - Fix code formatting (ALWAYS run before committing)
• cd frontend && npm run lint - 6 seconds - Check code formatting
• cd frontend && npm run check - 12 seconds - Run Svelte type checking (3 errors, 19 warnings expected)

Backend (Django with Python):

• Backend development requires Docker - local Python pip install fails due to network timeouts
• docker compose exec server python3 manage.py test - 7 seconds - Run tests (2/3 tests fail, this is expected)
• docker compose exec server python3 manage.py help - View Django commands
• docker compose exec server python3 manage.py migrate - Run database migrations

Full Application:

• Frontend runs on: http://localhost:8015
• Backend API runs on: http://localhost:8016
• Default admin credentials: admin/admin (from .env file)

Validation

MANDATORY End-to-End Testing

ALWAYS manually validate any new code by running through complete user scenarios:

1. ALWAYS run the bootstrapping steps first (copy .env, docker compose up)
2. Navigate to http://localhost:8015 - Verify homepage loads correctly
3. Test basic functionality - Homepage should display travel companion interface
4. CRITICAL: Some login/navigation may fail due to frontend-backend communication issues in development Docker setup. This is expected.

Pre-Commit Validation (ALWAYS run before committing)

ALWAYS run these commands to ensure CI will pass:

• cd frontend && npm run format - 6 seconds - Fix formatting issues
• cd frontend && npm run lint - 6 seconds - Verify formatting is correct (should pass after format)
• cd frontend && npm run check - 12 seconds - Type checking (some warnings expected)
• cd frontend && npm run build - 32 seconds - Verify build succeeds

Critical Development Notes

Configuration Issues

• KNOWN ISSUE: Docker development setup has frontend-backend communication problems
• The frontend may display "500: Internal Error" when navigating beyond homepage
• For working application, use production Docker setup or modify PUBLIC_SERVER_URL in .env
• DO NOT attempt to fix these configuration issues - focus on code changes only

Docker vs Local Development

• PRIMARY METHOD: Use Docker for all development (docker compose up -d)
• AVOID: Local Python development (pip install fails with network timeouts)
• AVOID: Trying to run backend outside Docker (requires complex GDAL/PostGIS setup)

Expected Test Failures

• Frontend check: 3 errors and 19 warnings expected (accessibility and TypeScript issues)
• Backend tests: 2 out of 3 Django tests fail (API endpoint issues) - DO NOT fix unrelated test failures

Build Timing (NEVER CANCEL)

• Docker first startup: 25+ minutes (image downloads)
• Docker subsequent startups: <1 second (images cached)
• Frontend npm install: 45 seconds
• Frontend build: 32 seconds
• Tests and checks: 6-12 seconds each

Common Tasks

Repository Structure

AdventureLog/
├── frontend/           # SvelteKit web application
│   ├── src/           # Source code
│   ├── package.json   # Node.js dependencies and scripts
│   └── static/        # Static assets
├── backend/           # Django API server
│   ├── server/        # Django project
│   ├── Dockerfile     # Backend container
│   └── requirements.txt # Python dependencies
├── docker-compose.yml # Main deployment configuration
├── .env.example       # Environment template
└── install_adventurelog.sh # Production installer

Key Scripts and Files

• frontend/package.json - Contains all frontend build scripts
• backend/server/manage.py - Django management commands
• docker-compose.yml - Service definitions (frontend:8015, backend:8016, db:5432)
• .env - Environment configuration (copy from .env.example)

Development vs Production

• Development: Use docker compose up -d with .env file
• Production: Use ./install_adventurelog.sh installer script
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions in .github/workflows/ handle testing and deployment

Common Error Patterns

• "500: Internal Error": Frontend-backend communication issue (expected in dev setup)
• "Cannot connect to backend": Backend not started or wrong URL configuration
• "pip install timeout": Network issue, use Docker instead of local Python
• "Frontend build fails": Run npm install first, check Node.js version compatibility

Troubleshooting Commands

# Check Docker services status
docker compose ps

# View service logs
docker compose logs web      # Frontend logs  
docker compose logs server   # Backend logs
docker compose logs db       # Database logs

# Restart specific service
docker compose restart web   # Frontend only
docker compose restart server # Backend only

# Complete restart
docker compose down && docker compose up -d

Important File Locations

• Configuration: .env file in repository root
• Frontend source: frontend/src/
• Backend source: backend/server/
• Static assets: frontend/static/
• Database: Handled by Docker PostgreSQL container
• Documentation: documentation/ folder