ClickNotes - Educational Note Sharing Platform

A full-stack web application for sharing educational notes and study materials among students.

Features

• User Authentication: Register, login, and manage user accounts
• Note Upload: Upload study materials in various formats (PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, PPT, PPTX)
• Note Download: Download notes uploaded by other users
• Search Functionality: Search notes by title, subject, content, or tags
• Like System: Like notes to show appreciation
• View Tracking: Track how many times a note has been viewed
• Related Notes: Suggest related notes based on subject and class
• User Dashboard: View uploaded and downloaded notes
• Responsive Design: Works on desktop and mobile devices

Tech Stack

• Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: MongoDB
• Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
• File Upload: Multer

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• MongoDB (v4.4 or higher)
• npm or yarn

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/clicknotes.git
   cd clicknotes

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables

   • Copy .env.example to .env
   • Update the following variables:

     MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/clicknotes
     JWT_SECRET=your_super_secret_key_here
     PORT=5000
     CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:3000
     

4. Create necessary directories

   mkdir -p backend/uploads

5. Start MongoDB

   # On Windows
   mongod
   
   # On macOS/Linux
   sudo mongod

6. Run the application

   # Development mode
   npm run dev
   
   # Production mode
   npm start

7. Access the application

   • Open your browser and go to http://localhost:5000

Project Structure

ClickNotes/
├── backend/
│   ├── models/
│   │   ├── User.js
│   │   └── Note.js
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── auth.js
│   │   ├── notes.js
│   │   └── users.js
│   ├── middleware/
│   │   └── auth.js
│   ├── config/
│   │   └── db.js
│   ├── uploads/
│   └── server.js
├── frontend/
│   ├── css/
│   ├── js/
│   │   ├── auth.js
│   │   ├── notes.js
│   │   └── main.js
│   ├── img/
│   └── [HTML files]
├── package.json
├── .env
└── README.md

Usage

For Students

1. Register: Create an account with your details
2. Login: Use your username and password to login
3. Browse Notes: View latest uploads on the home page
4. Search: Use the search bar to find specific notes
5. Download: Click on any note to view details and download
6. Upload: Share your own notes with the community

For Uploaders

1. Login Required: You must be logged in to upload notes
2. Upload Process:
   • Click on "Upload" in the navigation
   • Fill in the topic name, class, and other details
   • Select your file (PDF, DOC, etc.)
   • Submit the form

API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register - Register new user
• POST /api/auth/login - Login user
• POST /api/auth/logout - Logout user
• GET /api/auth/me - Get current user

Notes

• GET /api/notes - Get all notes (with pagination)
• GET /api/notes/:id - Get single note
• POST /api/notes/upload - Upload new note (auth required)
• GET /api/notes/:id/download - Download note (auth required)
• POST /api/notes/:id/like - Like/unlike note (auth required)
• GET /api/notes/search - Search notes

Users

• GET /api/users/profile/:username - Get user profile
• GET /api/users/notes - Get user's uploaded notes (auth required)
• GET /api/users/downloads - Get user's downloaded notes (auth required)
• PUT /api/users/profile - Update user profile (auth required)

Security Features

• Password hashing with bcrypt
• JWT authentication
• HTTP-only cookies for token storage
• Input validation and sanitization
• File type validation for uploads
• Protected routes requiring authentication

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Credits

Created by Nikita Saini - B.Tech student at NIT Kurukshetra

Support

For support, email [email protected] or raise an issue in the GitHub repository.

Future Enhancements

• Email verification for new users
• SMS OTP verification
• Admin panel for content moderation
• Rating system for notes
• Comments and discussions on notes
• Categories and advanced filtering
• Real-time notifications
• Mobile app development