LectureLink

LectureLink is a platform designed to improve student engagement in synchronous online classes. It allows instructors to upload lecture materials and students to access them using unique session codes, where they can post questions and comments on specific slides/pages.

Features

For Instructors:

• Upload lecture files (PDF only)
• Each uploaded file automatically receives a unique 6-character access code
• View all uploaded lectures with their access codes on the dashboard
• Preview lectures with the integrated PDF viewer
• See student questions and comments per slide in real-time
• Acknowledge student questions to mark them as answered
• Delete lectures when needed

For Students:

• Enter a 6-character session code to access a specific lecture
• View lecture slides/pages with thumbnail navigation
• Post questions and comments on specific slides
• All interactions are organized by slide number

Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js installed

Installation

Install dependencies for both frontend and backend:

npm install
cd backend
npm install
cd ..

Running the Application

To start both frontend and backend simultaneously:

npm run dev

Or run them separately:

• Frontend only: npm start (runs on http://localhost:3000)
• Backend only: npm run server (runs on http://localhost:8080)

To close the development servers, press Ctrl + C.

Database Configuration (Required)

MongoDB Setup Required:

This application requires a MongoDB database for authentication and data storage. You have two options:

Option 1: MongoDB Atlas (Recommended)

1. Go to mongodb.com/cloud/atlas
2. Create a free account and cluster
3. Create a database user
4. Get your connection string

Option 2: Local MongoDB

1. Install MongoDB locally
2. Start MongoDB service
3. Use connection string: mongodb://localhost:27017/lecturelink

Configure the Application:

1. Create a file backend/.env in the backend directory
2. Add your MongoDB connection string:

   MONGO_URL=mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/lecturelink
   

Note: The .env file is not included in the repository for security reasons.

Quick Start Guide

As an Instructor:

1. Click "Instructor Login" button
2. Create a username and password and login to your dashboard.
3. Click "Upload" to add lecture files
4. Each file will display with a unique 6-character code (e.g., "A7X2K9")
5. Share this code with your students
6. Click on any lecture to preview it and see student questions/comments

As a Student:

1. On the homepage, enter the 6-character code provided by your instructor
2. Click "Join Session" to access the lecture
3. Navigate through slides using the thumbnails on the left
4. View other students' questions and comments in the right sidebar
5. See which questions have been answered by the professor (marked as "Answered")
6. Type your question or comment in the input field at the bottom
7. Click "Post Question" or "Post Comment" to submit
8. Your posts will appear in real-time for other students and the professor

Backend API Outline

:text in url mean that the value is to be put in the url, ex: /posts/:id would be /posts/12345

Auth

POST /auth/register Registers a new instructor

Request Body: username: String password: String

POST /auth/login Logs the instructor in

Request Body: username: String password: String

Instructors

todo

Posts

POST /posts/upload Uploads pdf file to db as a new post for the logged in instructor. Must be signed into an instructor account

Request Body: pdf : [file.pdf]

Response: HTTP 201 file: { id, filename, originalName, size, uploadDate, code, instructor { id, username } }

GET /posts/my-files Returns all posts for the currently logged in instructor. Must be signed into an instructor account

Response (array): HTTP 200 { id, filename, originalName, size, uploadDate, code, instructor { id, username } }

GET /posts/code/:code Gets a post by the 6-digit code

Response: HTTP 200 { _id, filename, originalName, size, data { data[...] } }

GET /posts/download/:id Downloads the pdf for the post

Response: HTTP 200

GET /posts/view/:id Opens a preview of the pdf for the post

Response: HTTP 200

GET /posts/get-comments/:id Gets all the comments for the post

Response (array): HTTP 200 { _id, isQuestion, content, page, viewed, votes, postId, createdAt }

DELETE /posts/:id Deletes posts. Must be signed in

Response: HTTP 200

Comments

PUT /comments/post Uploads a comment

Request Body: postId: String page: int content: String isQuestion: boolean

Response HTTP 201 comment: { id, isQuestion, content, page, createdAt, viewed, votes, postId }

GET /comments/:id Gets a comment

Response: HTTP 200 { _id, isQuestion, content, page, viewed, votes, postId, createdAt }

POST /comments/vote/:id Increments the vote count for the comment by 1

Response: HTTP 200 { votes }

POST /comments/toggle-viewed/:id Toggled the viewed field

Response: HTTP 200 { viewed }