AccessMap Web App

This is the web app for AccessMapSeattle.com.

Our web app is based on NodeJS and can be set up using a standard npm install. It's currently running on Azure, but the only Azure-specific file is web.config, which shouldn't get in the way of any other deployments.

Installation

Just run npm install

Setup

For the map to work correctly, these environment variables need to be set:

ENV variable	Description
MAPBOX_TOKEN	The Mapbox user token
TILES_URL	The vector tiles endpoint for serving sidewalk and crossing vector tiles. AccessMap uses the tilesplash server (see the accessmap-vt repo).

For the production website, these need to be set:

ENV variable	Description
API_URL	The JSON endpoint (URL) that sends GeoJSON for sidewalks, curb ramps, etc - the AccessMap API
DATABASE_URL	A database connection string for storing user accounts/sessions - not required for development

There is a set_envs.sh_example included.

Running the website

Make sure the npm modules are installed and environment variables are set (note: the environment variables may need to be set again if you start a new terminal).

Running in development mode

This is the mode you probably want to use - it will automatically rebuild the web app JavaScript code when the source files are changed.

npm run dev

This command just calls two other npm run: runs

• npm run build-dev: runs webpack -w)
• npm run app: runs node server.js

Running in production mode

This mode is meant for running the main website, and only really differs from development mode in that it minifies the client-size JavaScript and expects a production-level database (DATABASE_URL environment variable). Any database compatible with sequelize should work.

There is an npm run shortcut that builds the client-side JavaScript and runs the server:

NODE_ENV=production npm run prod

This command just calls two other npm run: runs

• npm run build-prod: runs webpack -p)
• npm run app: runs node server.js

Using the systemd service file

We recommend using a systemd service if you're running on a VM

This repo includes a systemd service file so that the accessmap server can run as a daemon (so it's always running, even if the app crashes occasionally).

To use the service file:

1. Copy to the systemd system services directory:

sudo cp accessmap.service /etc/systemd/system/

2. Edit placeholder fields

• Edit all of the Environment fields
• Edit ExecStart to point to your node binary of choice
• Edit WorkingDirectory to point to the location of the clone of this repo
• Set User to the user you want to run this service. Do not use root.

3. Register, enable, and run the service

• Register: sudo systemctl daemon-reload
• Enable: sudo systemctl enable accessmap.service
• Run: sudo systemctl start accessmap.service

To check the status of the server, run sudo systemctl status accessmap.

The client-side JavaScript will not be rebuilt when the daemon restarts, so if you need to pull an update, you need to first rebuild the JavaScript (using npm run build-prod), then restart the service (sudo systemctl restart accessmap).