When setting up a new project, it's essential to have well-defined database models in place. For this, I would recommend creating separate models for the User and the Question. Thankfully, the MEAN.JS boilerplate simplifies this process by offering a pre-built User module with essential authentication functionalities like sign-up, login, and logout. This feature saves a significant amount of time during project deployment.
After setting up the User module, the next step would be to generate a CRUD module for managing Questions using the Yo Generator. This tool streamlines the process by automatically creating and placing the necessary files in the correct directories, along with sample code to guide you through the setup. For detailed instructions on using the Yo Generator, refer to the Yo Generator Section in the MEAN.JS documentation.
To create the Question module, simply run the command yo meanjs:crud-module Question from the root directory of your application. This command generates all the essential files for the database model and adds a new module to both the front and back ends, complete with CRUD functionalities for handling questions.
When defining the database model for questions, navigate to
app/controllers/models/question.server.model.js
and create a Mongoose schema based on your data requirements. An example schema could include fields for title, question content, associated user, answers, likes, and saves.
var QuestionSchema = new Schema({
created: {
type: Date,
default: Date.now
},
title: {
type: String,
default: '',
trim: true,
required: 'Title cannot be blank'
},
question: {
type: String,
default: '',
trim: true
},
user: {
type: Schema.ObjectId,
ref: 'User'
},
answers: {
type: Array,
default: []
},
likes: {
type: Array,
default: []
},
saves: {
type: Array,
default: []
}
});
To enhance the data model further, consider creating separate schemas for related entities like likes, saves, and reports. This allows for storing additional details such as user IDs, dates, and reasons for actions. For more guidance on creating complex Mongoose schemas, refer to the Mongoose Schemas documentation on mongoosejs.com.
For tracking a user's actions, consider implementing separate schemas for each type of action (e.g., comments, likes, saves) and storing relevant details in these schemas. This approach enables efficient querying to retrieve a user's activity history.
By following these steps and customizing the database models to suit your project's requirements, you can effectively manage and organize data within your MEAN.JS application.