Recent changes

• Ship request flow and SVG conversion: Added support for processing ship requests, handling SVG conversions, and validating devlog images before submission 8ca9b5d9.
• Nil safety for Hackatime projects: Wrapped the @hackatime_projects variable in an Array structure to prevent nil errors when retrieving project data a29691ff.
• CI environment and test ordering: Set RAILS_ENV=test for the CI setup process and reordered the sequence of test steps to improve execution reliability 2968d162.
• Authorization consolidation: Refactored authorization guards and consolidated the linking logic for Hackatime projects 4c2b1836.

Recent changes

• Fixed a failure in the CI/CD pipeline commit
• Implemented status tracking for balance events and refined the underlying thread logic associated with them commit
• Refactored the token rendering component for render_encoded to allow {{design: design.id}} making a pill, to improve display fidelity and added an edit functionality for devlog entries commit
• Integrated support for uploading images directly within the devlog interface and established links to corresponding Hackatime projects commit

Added Devlogs and changed hackatime projects to be multi model per design.

Move hackatime project linkage from a single designs.hackatime_project column to a has_many hackatime_projects model, syncing each project’s time and aggregating totals on designs. Add devlogs, ship_requests, ships, and comments models/routes/views for design logging and shipping, and make balance_events polymorphic.Update designs controller, helpers, and views to render multiple project pills, allow adding/removing linked projects, and show a combined hackatime/image/devlog layout. Add redcarpet for Markdown rendering and adjust CSS for dark mode, responsive galleries, and pill controls.

Added Devlogs and the prep for adding the shipping flow
I added devlogs to the project in prep for the shipping flow

Recent changes

• Added support for balance events and thread adjustments to improve financial tracking accuracy. This also included an update to the notification rendering system to safely handle these new data types without breaking existing templates (commit: (faed39b57619)).
• Fixed the positioning of the design box within the product editor. This specifically addresses display issues occurring when editing products via /admin/products/<id>/edit (commit: (aa4e314b5dcd)).

I’ve focused on refining the shop page styling, header positioning, and cost handling logic (d10a9c51). The recent batch of work involved schema adjustments for a product enabled flag, adding support for cost and thread costs (82f9f2d1), applying a schema fix (3f8bcb8a), fixing CI pipeline issues (71e98a), and pushing updates to production (ca19da29).

Recent changes

• Added an image variants system and updated views to utilize thumb and display variants specifically (a2e4eb28).
• Implemented cost handling updates, including a specific support for thread costs alongside general product cost tracking (82f9f2d1).
• Added an auto annotaterb script executed within the Rails migration process (7d07d278).
• Applied schema fixes to ensure data integrity during the recent updates (3f8bcb8a).
• Updated the RSVP page styles and refreshed the thanks template (217945eb).
• Refined header positioning and shop page styling across the frontend (d10a9c51).
• Added a product enabled flag to control product visibility and state in the system (82f9f2d1).

Whats next:

Umm, so whats next I think would be adding balance_events so you can trace changes in balances(spending/earning)

Since the last update, I’ve focused on enhancing the order preview system to support complex design workflows and improving image navigation for multi-image configurations.

Recent changes

• Added multi-image preview navigation with left/right arrow buttons and an index display (e.g., “Image 2 of 5”) to streamline design review workflows (b269fe5). This change directly addresses the need to review multiple design iterations in a single view without page reloads.
• Refactored the order preview component to support multiple print areas with independently configurable design images. This involved restructuring the preview logic to handle dynamic print area definitions while maintaining consistent state across design selections (0545118). The refactor enables customers to visualize different designs on separate print areas (e.g., front/back/ sleeves) within the same order preview.

1. Print area management UI & backend (a42a00d):

   • Built a full stack for managing print areas (think “where the design goes” on a shirt front or back). This includes models to store print area dimensions, controllers to handle CRUD ops, and RESTful routes to tie it all together.
   • The frontend now lets users drag/drop to define print zones with responsive positioning (position: absolute + transform: scale to handle dynamic sizing).
   • Edge case: Products with multiple print areas (e.g., front + back) now render distinct configurations without clobbering state.

2. Printful service & stock syncing (7b5d817):

   • Added printful_id to product models to map Issued products to Printful’s inventory.
   • UI updates to display Printful sync status (green checkmarks for success, red alerts for failures).

Technical tangents

The print area system was a slow make. For example:

• To ensure designs stay within printable bounds, I had to calculate dynamic margins based on product type (e.g., a hoodie’s print area ≠ a mug’s). This involved hacking some trigonometry into the frontend to snap selections to “safe zones.”
• On the backend, I’m using ActiveRecord callbacks to validate print area dimensions against product specs. If a user tries to set a print area wider than the product allows It raises a PrintAreaOutOfBounds error

Future features

The actual ship flow and being able to edit multiple print areas instead of just the one

Added Variants for size and colors with stock for each printful region facility.
Stimulus target which groups the variants by colour and deletes empty groups

Created Printful API Integration and improved order screen to allow better customisations

Add Printful import endpoint and order preview UI improvementsImplemented Printful product import, added order preview generation, UI styles, and controller changes for drag‑resize‑rotate preview.

Improved the New Order Page to be neater, and better themed along the colour scheme

Rename admin-product to products and refactor CSS, controller, and views.

Updated class names and CSS variables, added .no-product-grid and .dashed-break styles.

Simplified image loading logic in the product preview controller, and replaced large inline layout styles with external stylesheet includes.

Add brand colors, badge styles, and redesign pagesAdd brand color variables, badge styles, and a full redesign of design pages with responsive layouts, fixed redirect stuff, optimised by using one erb engine call for designs

Dropdown Styling & Component Replacement
The design form’s dropdown interface was overhauled to improve visual consistency and user experience. A native <select> element was replaced with a custom-styled solution using 3ab7405, allowing for greater flexibility in aligning with the project’s aesthetic goals. This change ensures smoother integration with the overall theme and avoids browser-specific styling quirks.

CSS Refactoring & Theme Variables
Design form styling was fully refactored in 928b7b0, introducing global theme variables to streamline color, spacing, and typography management. This move simplifies future theme adjustments and promotes code reuse. Model defaults were also standardized to reduce redundancy in form initialization logic, making the codebase more maintainable.

Admin Test Redirects
In 2af0071, the admin test workflow was updated to automatically redirect to the products list URL after test submissions. This improves user navigation by providing immediate feedback and next steps, ensuring a cohesive backend experience.

Current Status
The frontend is now more thematically consistent, with design forms serving as a primary focus area. Admin workflows are being optimized for clarity and efficiency, though backend test processing logic remains pending integration. The codebase is gradually adopting a modular structure, particularly for UI components and configuration.

Things Learnt

• Custom dropdowns using CSS and JavaScript offer better cross-browser compatibility than styling native <select> elements.
• Theme variables significantly reduce the effort required for UI adjustments, especially as the project scales.
• Redirects in admin flows should be designed with user context in mind to avoid confusion.

Project Summary: Admin & Infrastructure Progress

Key Milestones & Features Built

• 🛠️ Admin Product Management UI: Added a full admin interface for product management, including preview capabilities, environment variable integration, and updated order flow logic. This enables admins to efficiently manage product listings and track orders.
• 🆓 Privacy Enhancements: Implemented a “hide PII” controller to anonymize user data in the UI, ensuring sensitive information is protected in user-facing tables.
• 🧪 Product Cost Handling: Validated GBP pricing logic for products, ensuring accurate cost handling in the British Pounds currency.
• 🛠️ CI/CD & Dependency Updates: Configured PostgreSQL in CI pipelines, updated database URLs, and bumped Ruby gem versions to ensure a stable, up-to-date environment.
• 🎨 Styling Cleanup: Replaced inline styles in admin views with stylesheet_link_tag imports, improving maintainability and separation of concerns.

Current Status
The project now has a functional admin dashboard for product and order management, with privacy features baked into user data displays. Infrastructure is PostgreSQL-ready in CI, and styling practices align with modern Rails conventions. Core e-commerce logic (pricing, currency) is under testing, with environment variables streamlining configuration.

Lessons Learned

• Privacy by Design: Integrating PII protection early simplifies compliance and reduces technical debt.
• Infrastructure as Code: Automating PostgreSQL setup in CI saves manual effort and reduces environment inconsistencies.
• Maintainable Styles: Moving to external stylesheets improves collaboration and long-term code hygiene.

Order Page Started

• Created a functional order page
• Currency Handling: Explicit GBP validation highlights the need for clear financial logic in order systems.

Replace admin view inline styles with stylesheet_link_tag importsRemoved large embedded CSS from multiple admin templates and switched to external stylesheet links for consistency and maintainability.

Add CurrencyConvertible include and cost conversion helpersInclude CurrencyConvertible in ApplicationHelper and Product, add cost_usd and cost_gbp methods, remove obsolete gbp_to_usd, usd_per_gbp and fetch_usd_conversion_rates, rename cost column comment, and adjust product inheritance.

Update README, moved CSS files, fixed issues between pages (styling)Include planning file entry, revise README wording, and remove dashboard and notifications stylesheet files.

feat(database): migrate from SQLite to PostgreSQL and switch to Redis infrastructure- replace sqlite3 with PostgreSQL database adapter in Gemfile and config

• configure Redis for caching, Action Cable, and Active Job instead of Solid adapters
• add guide attribute to User model for onboarding flow control
• implement user existence validation in ApplicationController
• refactor CSS architecture by moving stylesheets to components directory
• create shared designs.css stylesheet for design pages with responsive styling
• update todo partial to check guide flag before displaying onboarding prompts
• add migration for guide column on users table

Key Milestones & Features
The project has made solid strides in building out core admin functionality and refining user interactions:

• Admin Controller Tests: Comprehensive tests for the dashboard, orders, and products controllers were added, ensuring reliability and laying groundwork for future expansions.
• Form Submission Control: A disable button feature was implemented in the design-form component to prevent multiple submissions, improving UX and reducing backend load.
• Dashboard Updates: The dashboard_controller.rb received updates (specifics pending documentation), likely enhancing core admin workflows.

Current Status
The admin interface is shaping up with test-covered controllers and polished frontend interactions. Testing prioritization suggests a focus on stability, while form improvements reflect attention to user-centric details. The project appears in an active development phase, with July 2026 commits indicating recent momentum.

Things Learnt

• Test-Driven Practices: Adding controller tests early highlights the team’s emphasis on maintainable, scalable code.
• Form UX Nuances: Disabling submission buttons during processing is a small but impactful tweak to prevent errors and improve responsiveness.
• Documentation Gaps: The vague “Update dashboard_controller.rb” commit underscores the importance of descriptive commit messages for clarity in collaborative projects.

fix(auth): update product params to include thread_cost instead of cost_gbp - replace deprecated cost_gbp parameter with thread_cost in product creation/update - adjust database migration to add thread_cost column to products table, added shop, added notification page

Used claude to brainstorm colour schemes and layouts. Created this new dashboard design and transitioned the rest of the site to follow the colour scheme

Add design image gallery with viewer page- Add image route, controller action, and full-size viewer template

• Add gallery grid on show page with hover overlays and timestamps
• Fix partial render syntax (collection with as: :image)

Summary
Major update: background removal, UI improvements, model fixes, and CI stability.
Changes

• Added RemoveBackgroundJob with rembg CLI for automatic background removal
• Created Image and DesignEditSession models; updated schema comments
• Added brand.css and regulated form partial for new/edit designs
• Added dark mode support and image preview scaling
• Enabled PostgreSQL extensions; switched dev DB to SQLite
• Removed stale migrations (verified, trust columns from users)
• Cleaned up model validations and associations
• Fixed CI test suite with updated fixtures
• Removed node_modules from git; added to .gitignore
• Removed unused editor and dashboard views
• Updated Gemfile/Gemfile.lock dependencies