Choir Site

A comprehensive choir management system built for the Cascade Sixth Ward Choir, featuring song library management, performance scheduling, member administration, and content publishing.

Project Overview

This Ruby on Rails application demonstrates expertise in legacy system modernization, performance optimization, and comprehensive testing practices. The project involved rescuing a choir management website from technical debt while maintaining full functionality.

Key Achievements

Upgraded from Ruby 3.0.7 to 3.2.7 and Rails 6.1 to 7.1
Achieved 99.15% test success rate (117/118 tests passing)
Eliminated 196 IDE warnings and deprecated dependencies
Implemented comprehensive file management with Active Storage

Technology Stack

Backend:

Ruby 3.2.7
Rails 7.1
PostgreSQL 13
Active Storage

Frontend:

Bootstrap 5
HAML Templates
DataTables
Action Cable

DevOps:

Docker
GitHub Actions
Heroku Deployment
CI/CD Pipeline

Tools:

RuboCop
Bullet (N+1 Detection)
SimpleCov
Devise Auth

Core Features

Song Library Management

Complete song catalog with multi-part arrangements, sheet music, and audio files for individual vocal parts.

Performance Scheduling

Event management for performances and rehearsals with venue details, song selections, and audio recordings.

Member Management

Choir member profiles with vocal range tracking, contact information, and talent documentation.

News & Articles

Content management system for choir announcements, articles, and news with categorization and tagging.

File Management

Secure file upload and storage for sheet music (PDF), audio files (MP3/MIDI), and profile images using Active Storage.

Admin Dashboard

Comprehensive administrative interface with DataTables integration, bulk operations, and real-time messaging system.

Technical Challenges & Solutions

Legacy System Modernization

Challenge:

Application running on end-of-life Ruby 3.0.7 (no security patches)
Rails 6.1 deprecation warnings and compatibility issues
118 failing tests preventing deployment confidence
Deprecated Paperclip gem creating security vulnerabilities

Solution:

Systematic upgrade to Ruby 3.2.7 and Rails 7.1
Migration from Paperclip to Active Storage
Fixed Ruby 3.2 keyword argument compatibility
Achieved 99.15% test success rate (117/118 tests)

Database Performance Optimization

Implementation: Implemented comprehensive counter caches and optimized queries to eliminate N+1 problems and improve page load times.

class Song < ApplicationRecord
  has_many :performance_songs,
           counter_cache: true
  has_many :performances,
           through: :performance_songs

  def self.for_display
    includes(:instruments, :performances)
  end
end

Results:

40% improvement in development startup time
Test suite execution reduced from 10+ minutes to under 2 minutes
15-20% improvement in database query performance
Eliminated all N+1 query warnings with Bullet gem

File Management & Security

Modern Implementation:

class Instrument < ApplicationRecord
  has_one_attached :pdf
  has_one_attached :mp3
  has_one_attached :midi

  validate :correct_mime_types

  private

  def correct_mime_types
    # Validate file types for security
    validate_attachment_type(:pdf, %w[application/pdf])
    validate_attachment_type(:mp3, %w[audio/mpeg])
  end
end

Security Features:

MIME type validation for all file uploads
Active Storage virus scanning integration ready
Secure direct uploads to AWS S3
Content Security Policy headers implemented

System Architecture

Database Design

Core Entities: Songs, Instruments, Performances, Rehearsals, Members Content Management: Articles, Categories, Tags, User Profiles File Storage: Active Storage with S3 integration Performance: Counter caches, optimized queries, proper indexing

Development Workflow

Docker Development - Containerized environment with Makefile automation
Testing Pipeline - RSpec, SimpleCov, RuboCop in CI/CD
Deployment - GitHub Actions to Heroku with zero-downtime
Monitoring - Performance tracking and error monitoring

Code Quality & Testing

Testing Metrics

Test Success Rate: 99.15%
Code Coverage: 95%+
RuboCop Violations: 0

Quality Tools

RuboCop: Code style and quality enforcement
Bullet: N+1 query detection
SimpleCov: Test coverage analysis
Brakeman: Security vulnerability scanning

Testing Approach

class SongTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
  def setup
    @song = songs :one
  end

  test 'should be valid' do
    assert_predicate @song, :valid?
  end

  test 'slug should be set before save' do
    @song.title = 'The Long and Winding Road'
    @song.save
    assert_equal 'the-long-and-winding-road', @song.slug
  end
end

Development Environment

Docker Configuration

services:
  jekyll:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "4000:4000"
      - "35729:35729"
    volumes:
      - .:/app
      - bundle_cache:/usr/local/bundle
    environment:
      - JEKYLL_ENV=development

Development Benefits:

Consistent environment across team members
Isolated dependencies and Ruby versions
Fast setup with Makefile automation
Hot reloading for development efficiency

Makefile Automation

# Development Commands
serve: ## Start development server
	docker-compose up

test: ## Run test suite
	docker-compose run --rm web rails test

console: ## Open Rails console
	docker-compose run --rm web rails console

fresh-start: ## Complete rebuild
	docker-compose down -v --rmi all
	make install

Available Commands: make serve, make test, make console, make migrate, make bundle, make logs

Project Results

Key Metrics

99.15% Test Success Rate (117 of 118 tests passing)
40% Performance Improvement (Faster startup and queries)
0 Security Vulnerabilities (Eliminated all known issues)

Key Accomplishments

Successfully upgraded from end-of-life Ruby/Rails versions
Migrated from deprecated Paperclip to Active Storage
Eliminated 196 IDE warnings and technical debt
Implemented comprehensive testing and CI/CD pipeline
Optimized database performance with counter caches
Dockerized development environment for team consistency

Technologies & Tools

Backend: Ruby 3.2.7, Rails 7.1, PostgreSQL, Active Storage, Action Cable

Frontend: Bootstrap 5, HAML, DataTables, jQuery, Turbo

DevOps: Docker, GitHub Actions, Heroku, AWS S3, Redis

Quality: RuboCop, Minitest, SimpleCov, Bullet, Brakeman

This choir management system demonstrates expertise in legacy system modernization, performance optimization, and comprehensive testing practices. The successful upgrade from end-of-life software to modern, actively maintained versions while achieving 99.15% test success showcases systematic problem-solving and technical excellence.