IndieVanGogo

Check it out here.

IndieVanGogo is a web application built with Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, Backbone.js, Twitter Bootstrap and jQuery, and is modeled on IndieGogo's feel and functionality.

Main Functionality

• Dynamically search for artists and artwork by name and title
• Filter artists and artwork by category of work
• Upload artwork using Cloudinary API
• View artists galleries through a carousel modal
• Fund artists and view and artists funders

Additional Features

• Server-side infinite scroll
• Backbone Search collection comprised of multiple rails models using jbuilder
• Backbone.js communicating with a RESTful json API
• Search implements jQuery's animate event to scroll to a particular item on a page
• Hand-rolled authentication via Rails
• Polymorphic 'Categorizable' associations

Minimum Viable Product

IndieVanGoGo is a clone of IndieGogo built on Rails and Backbone. Users can:

• Create accounts
• Create sessions (log in)
• Create profiles
• Create artworks
• Support artists
• View artist profiles/galleries
• Search for artists by category
• Search for artists by name
• Search for artwork by category
• Search for artwork by title

Design Docs

• DB schema

Implementation Timeline

Phase 1: User Authentication, Project Creation (~1 day)

I will implement user authentication in Rails based on the practices learned at App Academy. By the end of this phase, users will be able to add artwork using a simple text form in a Rails view. The most important part of this phase will be pushing the app to Heroku and ensuring that everything works before moving on to phase 2.

Details

Phase 2: Viewing Artist Profiles and Artworks (~2 days)

I will add API routes to serve artist and artwork data as JSON, then add Backbone models and collections that fetch data from those routes. By the end of this phase, users will be able to add information their profiles and artwork and view both artist profiles and artwork, all inside a single Backbone app. An artists artwork will be displayed on their artist profile page in a gallery.

Details

Phase 3: Editing and Displaying Artists/Artworks (~1 day)

I plan to use a third-party library to add functionality to the ArtworkForm and ArtistForm views in this phase. I am going to integrate the Paperclip gem so users can easily upload images from their computer/facebook/instagram. I will also add this same functionality so users can upload an avatar to their profiles.

Details

Phase 4: Artist Exploration and Supporting Artists (~2 days)

I'll start by adding an artists route that shows all artist's. Artists will be organized into categories by their art form. On the Backbone side, I'll make an 'ArtistIndex' view which will be the page users see after logging in. Users will be able to become patrons of artists on an Artist's profile page.

Details

Phase 5: Searching for Artists by category and popularity (~2 days)

I'll need to add search routes to the artists controller. On the Backbone side, there will be a SearchResults composite view that has an artistIndex subview. These views will use artists collections, but they will fetch from the new search routes.

Details

Bonus Features (TBD)

• Users can explore artwork as well as artists
• Users can comment on artists profiles
• Users can comment on individual artworks
• Infinite scroll on artists/artworks explore page
• Add additional categories that involve video (acting/singing)
• Multiple sessions/session management