Create a Python Script

[wdreames]

Since I have already completed most of this logic in a jupyter notebook already, it should be fairly simple to convert to a Python script that the webpage can access. This should include a command-line API with two functions:

1. Outputting entries from a date a. Input: A date b. Output: All entries from that date. If the date does not exist, a message is returned stating that.
2. Outputting a random journal entry a. Input: [keywords...] [start_date] [end_date] b. Output: A random entry that meets the input requirements. If no entries exist that meet the requirements, a message is returned stating that.

Additional Steps to Improve Performance:

• Store the Pandas dataframe into a Pickle file so that it does not need to process the text files every time a request is made
• The program should not output random entries that the user has already seen. This should be reset if there is no activity on the webpage for 30 minutes.

[wdreames]

Files I will need to make:

• Script to load data into a pandas df and store it into a pickle file. This script will only need to be called when I add new entries from my journal.
• Script to open pickle file, and process a request

Primary challenge: How can my program remember which entries it has randomly outputted recently? Possible solution:

• After processing a randomize request, drop the entry that was found from the df, then store the df into a new_journal_df.pkl file with a different name. When a randomize request is made, it will first check if the new_journal_df.pkl file exists, and if it does it will open that one. If it does not, it will open the original. This way, the original file is unchanged and can still be used properly by the date request.
• However, this idea would require a way to delete the new_journal_df.pkl file if the website does not have any activity for 30 minutes

[wdreames]

A possible way of doing this could be to store a timestamp to a text file when the random entry script ends. Then when the random entry script is run again, it checks the text file. If the difference is more than 30 minutes, it deletes new_journal_df.pkl, if it exists.

[wdreames]

I have completed the Python logic for both the randomized entry and specific date outputs. The only task left for this is to refresh the randomized output if it is not used for 30 minutes

[wdreames]

Successfully implemented a method of refreshing the randomized output. The Python script should be complete now!