What is the website for?

This website represents NIAEFEUP (Núcleo de Informática da Associação de Estudantes da Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto), which serves as the student branch for informatics and computing engineering students at the Faculty of Engineering in Porto. All the developers on our team are members of this branch, but we welcome contributions from anyone through pull requests.

The website serves two main purposes: it showcases our portfolio to the public and provides an internal area with content management and auxiliary tools.

Contents

• Public Content
• Member Area
• Learning Goals

Public Content

One of our main motivations was to create a fresh and modern online platform that effectively showcases our current and past members, highlights our notable projects, and provides insight into our engaging events. We recognized the need to move away from our outdated website and sought to develop a more aesthetically pleasing and contemporary design. This section serves as a public portfolio, allowing visitors to explore our journey and stay up to date with our latest activities.

In its current state, the project aims to incorporate several new elements that were not present on the previous website. These additions include:

• A comprehensive history showcasing all members who have been part of NIAEFEUP over the years, spanning multiple generations.
• Detailed pages dedicated to highlighting our various projects and events, providing visitors with in-depth information and insights.
• The inclusion of dedicated sections for project and event teams, allowing visitors to gain a better understanding of the individuals involved and their contributions.
• Integration of event registration capabilities directly on the website, making it more convenient for participants and organizers.

Member Area

The previous iteration of our website relied on a Content Management System (CMS) to manage the content and provide limited permissions and a user interface. However, we encountered certain limitations within this system that would impede our ability to meet certain functional requirements besides requiring an unwanted dependency. As a result, we made a conscious decision to allocate significant effort into developing our own internal member area. This area would encompass various features, including:

• Customized roles with permissions, similar to Discord. Given the dynamic nature of our branch with multiple roles that change annually, this feature becomes essential for effective management.
• Storage of all role and member information within their respective generation once the school year concludes. This organization allows for better tracking and referencing of historical data.
• An independent way to manage content tailored specifically to our members' needs. This customization grants us more control and flexibility in managing and updating website content.
• Integration of practical tools to support our activities, such as a recruitment area, logistics automation for tasks related to onboarding new members, and the creation of a repository of Erasmus experiences (mostly for future work after the MVP is released).

Learning Goals

In addition to meeting the functional requirements, one of the primary objectives of this project is to provide an opportunity for members to learn and explore web technologies that they may not have previously encountered. It serves as a valuable learning experience, allowing them to gain practical knowledge and firsthand exposure to the entire process of developing a project from its inception to its release.

Furthermore, the project is designed to be maintained and expanded upon by future members, who will assume the responsibility of managing the website and implementing new features. This emphasizes the significance of the work done on this wiki, as it serves as a crucial resource for ensuring seamless knowledge transfer and continuity within the team.