Connect-Ed 📚

A comprehensive student companion app that streamlines daily school life

Connect-Ed is a mobile application designed to enhance the daily experience of students by providing a centralized hub for all essential school-related information. The app integrates schedules, meal menus, sports events, and academic assessments into one beautiful, easy-to-use interface.

✨ Features

📅 Personalized Schedules

• Daily and weekly class schedules synced with school webcal feeds
• Special events and holiday integration
• Filter by day, week, or custom date ranges

🍽️ Meal Menus

• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus updated daily
• Dietary options and allergen information
• Clean, easy-to-read interface

🏆 Sports Events & Scores

• Upcoming games and sports events
• Live scores and results
• Team standings and statistics
• Detailed game information with times and locations

📝 Assessment Tracker

• Track upcoming assignments and exams
• Integration with calendar system
• Push notifications for deadlines

📱 Unified Calendar View

• All events in one color-coded calendar
• Classes, meals, sports, and assessments combined
• Intuitive navigation and filtering

🔔 Smart Notifications

• Schedule changes and updates
• New menu items and sports results
• Assessment deadline reminders
• Customizable notification preferences

🏗️ Architecture

• Frontend: Flutter (Dart)
• Backend: Firebase
• Database: Cloud Firestore
• Authentication: Firebase Auth
• Push Notifications: Firebase Cloud Messaging
• Analytics: Firebase Analytics

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Flutter SDK (>=3.7.0)
• Firebase CLI
• Xcode (for iOS development)
• Android Studio (for Android development)

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/connect-ed-2.git
   cd connect-ed-2

2. Install dependencies

   flutter pub get

3. Set up Firebase (See Firebase Setup below)

4. Configure school-specific settings (See School Configuration below)

5. Run the app

   flutter run

🔥 Firebase Setup

Important: This app requires Firebase configuration to function properly. The Firebase configuration file has been excluded from version control for security reasons.

Step 1: Create Firebase Project

1. Go to the Firebase Console
2. Click "Create a project" or "Add project"
3. Enter your project name (e.g., "connect-ed-your-school")
4. Follow the setup wizard

Step 2: Enable Required Services

In your Firebase project, enable:

• Authentication (for user login)
• Cloud Firestore (for data storage)
• Cloud Messaging (for push notifications)
• Analytics (for app insights)
• Crashlytics (for error reporting)

Step 3: Add Apps to Firebase Project

1. Add Android App:

   • Package name: com.example.connect_ed_2 (or your custom package)
   • Download google-services.json → place in android/app/

2. Add iOS App:

   • Bundle ID: com.example.connectEd2 (or your custom bundle ID)
   • Download GoogleService-Info.plist → place in ios/Runner/

3. Add Web App:

   • App nickname: "Connect-Ed Web"
   • Copy the configuration object

Step 4: Configure Firebase Options

1. Copy the template file:

   cp lib/firebase/firebase_options.dart.template lib/firebase/firebase_options.dart

2. Fill in your Firebase configuration: Open lib/firebase/firebase_options.dart and replace all placeholder values:

   static const FirebaseOptions web = FirebaseOptions(
     apiKey: 'your-web-api-key-here',
     appId: 'your-web-app-id-here',
     messagingSenderId: 'your-sender-id-here',
     projectId: 'your-project-id-here',
     authDomain: 'your-project-id.firebaseapp.com',
     storageBucket: 'your-project-id.firebasestorage.app',
     measurementId: 'your-measurement-id-here',
   );

   Where to find these values:

   • Go to Firebase Console → Project Settings → General tab
   • Scroll down to "Your apps" section
   • Click on each app (Web, Android, iOS) to see the configuration

Step 5: FlutterFire CLI (Alternative Method)

You can also use the FlutterFire CLI to automatically configure Firebase:

# Install FlutterFire CLI
dart pub global activate flutterfire_cli

# Configure Firebase for your project
flutterfire configure

This will automatically generate the firebase_options.dart file with your configuration.

🏫 School Configuration

To customize the app for your school:

1. Update School Portal URL

In lib/frontend/onboarding/setup_link.dart, line 474:

..loadRequest(Uri.parse('https://your-school.myschoolapp.com/app/'));

Replace your-school with your school's portal subdomain.

2. Customize Branding

• Replace school logos in the assets/ folder
• Update app icons in android/app/src/main/res/ and ios/Runner/Assets.xcassets/
• Modify the app name in android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml and ios/Runner/Info.plist

3. Configure Calendar Integration

The app supports webcal feed integration. Configure your school's calendar URL in the appropriate service files.

📱 Platform Support

• ✅ iOS (iPhone & iPad)
• ✅ Android (Phone & Tablet)
• 🚧 Web (In development)
• 🚧 macOS (Planned)
• 🚧 Windows (Planned)

🛠️ Development

Project Structure

lib/
├── classes/           # Data models
├── firebase/          # Firebase configuration
├── frontend/          # UI components and screens
│   ├── calendar/      # Calendar-related screens
│   ├── home/          # Home screen and widgets
│   ├── onboarding/    # Setup and welcome screens
│   ├── settings/      # App settings
│   ├── sports/        # Sports events and scores
│   └── setup/         # UI setup and styling
├── requests/          # API and data fetching
└── main.dart          # App entry point

Key Dependencies

• firebase_core - Firebase SDK core
• cloud_firestore - Database
• firebase_auth - Authentication
• firebase_messaging - Push notifications
• cached_network_image - Image caching
• shared_preferences - Local storage
• http - HTTP requests
• intl - Internationalization

Building for Release

Android:

flutter build apk --release
# or
flutter build appbundle --release

iOS:

flutter build ios --release

🔒 Security Notes

• Firebase configuration files are excluded from version control
• API keys should never be committed to the repository
• Use Firebase Security Rules to protect your data
• Enable App Check for additional security

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add 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.

🆘 Support

If you encounter any issues:

1. Check the Firebase documentation
2. Review the Flutter documentation
3. Search existing GitHub issues
4. Create a new issue with detailed information

🚀 Roadmap

• Widget Integration - Home screen widgets for quick access
• Live Sports Streaming - Integration with live sports streams
• Enhanced Analytics - Detailed usage and performance metrics
• Social Features - Student groups and messaging
• Parent Portal - Parent access to student information
• Multi-language Support - Internationalization
• Dark Mode - Enhanced dark theme support
• Offline Mode - Cached data access without internet

---

Made with ❤️ for students everywhere