Merchandise

Project Overview:

Merchandise is a mini e-commerce website developed using PHP8 and integrated with the Fake Store API. The site is designed with a mobile-first approach and utilizes the Bootstrap framework for a responsive and visually appealing layout. The project aims to showcase basic e-commerce functionalities including product listing and detail pages.

Constraints

• PHP Version: The project is developed using PHP8.
• CSS Framework: Bootstrap (with integrated theme) is used for layout and design. Minimal additional CSS was added.
• API Integration: The Fake Store API is accessed through a PHP layer to ensure the API is not exposed directly.
• Source Control: The project's source code is hosted on a public GitHub repository with feature-based commits.
• Mobile-First: The design and development follow a mobile-first approach.
• Time Limit: The total time spent on the project was approximately 20 hours.

Features

1. Homepage

   • Description: The homepage features a slider of products , and the list of categories. Users can browse through different product categories and view the respective products. Users can click on a product to view more details.
   • Time Spent: Approximately 4 hours

2. Category Page

   • Description: A dedicated page to display a specific category. Users can browse through different product categories and view the respective products.
   • Time Spent: Approximately 6 hours

3. Product Page

   • Description: A detailed page for each product that includes information such as the product description, price, and image.
   • Time Spent: Approximately 2 hours

4. Additional Features

   • User Session Management: Basic user session management for enhanced user experience (on footer).
   • 404 Error Page: Custom 404 error page to handle invalid URLs.
   • Time Spent: Approximately 3 hours

Development Approach

• Agile Methodology: An agile approach was used for project management and development. The work was broken down into manageable tasks and completed iteratively.
• Local Development Environment: Developed on a local server setup using Nginx.
• API Testing: Insomnia was used to test API requests and responses.
• Testing: PHPUnit tests were added; however, due to configuration issues, they were not fully operational.
• CSS Optimization: Attempts were made to purge unused CSS using PurgeCSS, but were not fully successful.

My Tools

• Operating System: Linux Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS
• IDE: PHPStorm
• Web Server: Nginx

Future Improvements

• Visual Enhancements: Further improvements to the visual design and user interface.
• Framework Upgrade: Consider using a framework like Laravel or Symfony for a more structured MVC architecture.
• Testing: Implement more robust testing and quality assurance practices.
• SEO: Enhance SEO practices for better search engine visibility.
• Database Integration: Connect to a database for dynamic content management.
• Additional Features:
  • User login and registration
  • Shopping cart functionality
  • Payment processing
  • Contact form

Time Spent

Approximately 18 hours were spent on the project, including development, testing, and documentation.

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Copyright

© 2024 Hélène Finot. All rights reserved.