🎓 CollabSphere - XYZ College Community Platform

A modern, feature-rich community platform designed specifically for college students, alumni, and professors. Built with Django and featuring a beautiful dark-themed UI with real-time messaging and notification systems.

Working Video

CollabSphere.-.compressed.mp4

🖼️ Screenshots

🔍 Screenshots

🛠️ Tech Stack

🌟 Features

🔐 Authentication & User Management

• Custom User Model with email-based login
• Role-based System: Students, Alumni, Professors
• Profile Management with profile pictures and batch information
• Password Reset functionality with email integration

📝 Community Posts

• Multiple Post Types: Jobs, Projects, Internships, General
• Rich Text Content with modern formatting
• Comment System with real-time updates
• User Role Badges and profile information display

💬 Direct Messaging

• Private Conversations between users
• Real-time Message Updates with auto-refresh
• Read Receipts and delivery status
• Message Inbox with unread message counts
• Easy Access via "Send Message" buttons on posts

🔔 Smart Notifications

• Real-time Notification Bell in navigation
• Automatic Notifications for:
  • New comments on your posts
  • Direct messages received
  • Replies to your comments
• Mark as Read functionality (individual or bulk)
• Notification Center with full history

🎨 Modern UI/UX

• Dark Theme with glassmorphism effects
• Responsive Design for all devices
• Animated Elements with smooth transitions
• Gradient Backgrounds and modern typography
• Bootstrap 5 with custom styling

🚀 Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• PostgreSQL (recommended) or SQLite
• pip (Python package installer)

Setup Instructions

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/SouravUpadhyay7/Collab_Sphere
   cd collabsphere

2. Create and activate virtual environment

   python -m venv venv
   
   # On Windows
   venv\Scripts\activate
   
   # On macOS/Linux
   source venv/bin/activate

3. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Configure database

   # For PostgreSQL (recommended)
   # Update settings.py with your database credentials
   
   # For SQLite (default)
   # No additional configuration needed

5. Run migrations

   python manage.py makemigrations
   python manage.py migrate

6. Create superuser

   python manage.py createsuperuser

7. Run the development server

   python manage.py runserver

8. Access the application

   • Open your browser and go to http://127.0.0.1:8000/
   • Admin panel: http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin/

📁 Project Structure

CollabSphere/
├── accounts/                 # User authentication & profiles
│   ├── models.py            # Custom user model
│   ├── views.py             # Authentication views
│   ├── forms.py             # User forms
│   └── templates/           # User templates
├── community/               # Posts & messaging
│   ├── models.py            # Post, Comment, DirectMessage models
│   ├── views.py             # Community views
│   ├── forms.py             # Post & message forms
│   └── templates/           # Community templates
├── collabsphere/            # Main project settings
│   ├── settings.py          # Django settings
│   ├── urls.py              # Main URL configuration
│   └── wsgi.py              # WSGI configuration
├── templates/               # Base templates
├── static/                  # Static files (CSS, JS, images)
├── media/                   # User uploaded files
└── manage.py               # Django management script

🎯 Usage Guide

For Students

1. Sign up with your college email
2. Complete your profile with batch information
3. Browse posts for jobs, internships, and projects
4. Comment on posts to engage with the community
5. Send direct messages to connect with other users
6. Stay updated with notifications for new activity

For Alumni

1. Create posts to share job opportunities
2. Mentor students through comments and messages
3. Network with other alumni and current students
4. Share experiences and career advice

For Professors

1. Post project opportunities for students
2. Share academic resources and announcements
3. Connect with students and alumni
4. Build research collaborations

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root:

SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
DEBUG=True
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost/collabsphere
EMAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
EMAIL_PORT=587
EMAIL_HOST_USER=your-email@gmail.com
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=your-app-password

Email Configuration

For password reset functionality, configure your email settings in settings.py:

EMAIL_BACKEND = 'django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend'
EMAIL_HOST = 'smtp.gmail.com'
EMAIL_PORT = 587
EMAIL_USE_TLS = True
EMAIL_HOST_USER = 'your-email@gmail.com'
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD = 'your-app-password'

🛠️ Customization

Adding New Post Types

1. Update POST_TYPE_CHOICES in community/models.py
2. Add corresponding templates if needed
3. Update forms and views as necessary

Customizing the Theme

1. Modify CSS variables in templates/base.html
2. Update color schemes and gradients
3. Customize animations and transitions

Adding New Features

1. Create new Django apps for major features
2. Follow the existing code structure
3. Update URL configurations
4. Add appropriate templates

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Database Connection Error

• Ensure PostgreSQL is running
• Check database credentials in settings.py
• Verify database exists

Static Files Not Loading

• Run python manage.py collectstatic
• Check STATIC_URL and STATIC_ROOT settings

Email Not Working

• Verify SMTP settings
• Check firewall settings
• Use Gmail App Passwords for 2FA accounts

Migration Errors

• Delete migration files and recreate them
• Ensure database is in sync with models

🤝 Contributing

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

📝 License

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

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Django - The web framework for perfectionists with deadlines
• Bootstrap - The most popular CSS framework
• Font Awesome - The iconic font and CSS toolkit
• XYZ College - For inspiring this community platform

📞 Support

For support and questions:

• Create an issue on GitHub

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Made with ❤️ for the XYZ College Community

Building connections, fostering collaboration, and empowering the next generation of innovators.