ZhiXue Lite

With this backend update, I completed a key task: fixing string scores in exam data by converting them to numeric types for accurate sorting and processing.
Initially, I considered broader changes to data ingestion, but for consistency, I added a try_numeric() function in the exam routes to handle conversions directly in sorting and export logic, avoiding database modifications.
I also improved teacher route error handling with specific login error catching and Loguru logging, providing clearer user feedback and better debugging. These updates enhanced data integrity and maintainability without migrations.

I added a new feature to the user account binding function, enabling users to now bind parent accounts.
This completes our support for all three account types on zhixue.com.

During implementation, I encountered some challenges. The authentication mechanism on zhixue.com proved quite confusing. One API endpoint persistently reported that the token had expired. Ultimately, I resorted to using the re library to parse HTML and retrieve the data.

I made a security update.

My backend now uses AES symmetric encryption to store users’ Zhixue (third-party) passwords. This significantly enhances user data security while boosting the project’s credibility.

Unfortunately, since this is a low-level update, I can only demonstrate the new changes by taking screenshots of the development environment database.

With this backend update, I completed one task from my to-do list: automatically selecting the appropriate login method for teacher and student accounts.

Initially, I planned to add a new database entry. However, for consistency and maintainability, I opted to directly add a login_method field to the stored cookie. I then maintained this cookie value within relevant methods and functions like update_login_status(). This approach eliminated the need for database migration operations, making the program easier to maintain.

For this update, I started with the frontend:

I added clearer disclaimers when users bind/unbind third-party accounts, helping them better understand how the system works.

For the grade list from the last update, I tweaked the frontend to automatically hide grades for subjects the user hasn’t taken and added a button to restore their display.

I tweaked the column widths for some tables in the admin panel to make them more visually consistent.

When it came to the backend, I mostly worked on making improvements to security and performance. I replaced in-memory pagination with SQL LIMIT/OFFSET to improve processing efficiency. I also made sure that user-submitted email formats were valid by using regular expressions.

I’ve come to think that Golang is a better fit for this backend, and I’m planning to rewrite it in Go at some point.

I’ve finished my final exams, and I’m so excited to see what the future holds!

This time, I added a feature displaying the total number of students for both the overall score and subject rankings, allowing users to better gauge their standing.

I’m thrilled to share that I’ve revamped the frontend pages, making them more modern and easy to read than ever before!

This update opened my eyes to the unique regular expression usage (~) specific to PostgreSQL databases.

Unit tests saved my life during testing when they flagged a backend bug I hadn’t noticed.

While helping a user with an issue, I suddenly realized I couldn’t view or set the email verification status for a particular user. I added a badge display for the email verification status in the admin panel. I also added a button that lets you change the email verification status in the user edit dialog.
Also, for logging, I turned on enqueue logging for the main app, which makes sure the threads are safe and prevents fragmented log files.
I also fixed a minor bug in the UI. When you clicked save in a dialog, it would immediately disappear and reappear. I figured out that I had the dialog inside a component.

It’s a major update!

I finally added Redis support for the long-dormant rate limiting feature on the backend, making it truly functional!

I also turned on the option to disable the limiter or use in-memory storage in the development environment, since my Windows doesn’t support Redis.

Just a few minor tweaks: I went ahead and formatted all the actual code in the project and got rid of the deprecated version parameter from the Docker Compose file.

The old log naming scheme was a bit of a mess, and I often found myself struggling to quickly find log files when users reported an issue.

So, I submitted a commit to make log naming more consistent and readable (maybe), while also getting rid of the automatic retention feature.

I also changed the storage method for flask-session in tests from filesystem to cachelib, which enabled in-memory session storage. The tests showed that this cut the average test execution time by about 3 seconds and significantly reduced disk I/O operations.

Made minor adjustments to the backend API’s authentication and regional restrictions.
Now everyone can enjoy a better browsing experience!

I learned how to configure caching and access rules within the CDN and adjust them as needed to deliver the best user experience and fastest speeds.

Add browser checker banner
Add close button to answer sheet dialog components
Add current school id toggle in exam fetch dialog
Remove duplicate scrollbars in dialog components

Update footer to include ICP link.
Clean up commit hash display.

Fix two tests in backend.
Add a prompt in login page to prevent potential confusion

Initial build.
Update corresponding backend files.
Refactor minor portions of code for improved readability.