Holz Log

A lightweight micro-blog built with the Phoenix Framework, inspired by Joplin's note-taking organization. Create, categorize and share markdown notes in a clean, organized interface.

Live Demo: https://holzlog.duckdns.org/

Table of Contents

• For Users
  • Features
  • Using Holz Log
• For Developers
  • Tech Stack
  • Architecture
  • Database Schema
  • Setup and Installation
  • Development
• Roadmap

For Users

Features

• Simple Note Management: Create, edit, view, and organize notes with ease
• Category Organization: Assign notes to multiple categories for flexible organization
• Quick Search: Find notes by title or content with the built-in search feature
• Clean Interface: Minimalist design focused on content readability

Using Holz Log

1. Creating Notes: Click the "Create Note" button in the header to create a new note
2. Organizing Notes: Assign categories when creating or editing notes
3. Finding Notes: Browse by category using the sidebar, or use the search function
4. Editing Notes: Each note has an "Edit" button for quick modifications

For Developers

Tech Stack

• Backend:

  • Elixir (v1.14+)
  • Phoenix Framework (v1.7+)
  • Ecto - Database abstraction layer
  • SQLite - Database (via ecto_sqlite3)

• Frontend:

  • Phoenix LiveView - For interactive UI components
  • Tailwind CSS - For styling

Architecture

The application follows Phoenix's standard MVC architecture with LiveView components:

• Contexts: Business logic organized into domain-specific modules
• Schema: Ecto schemas representing database tables with validations
• Controllers/LiveViews: Handle incoming requests and manage state
• Templates: Render HTML responses using HEEx templates

UI Layout

• Header: Site title, create button, search bar
• Sidebar: Category navigation
• Main Content: Note listing or individual note view

Database Schema

The application uses a SQLite database with the following structure:

notes

CREATE TABLE notes (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
    title TEXT NOT NULL,
    content TEXT NOT NULL,
    inserted_at DATETIME,
    updated_at DATETIME
);

categories

CREATE TABLE categories (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
    name TEXT NOT NULL
);

note_categories (Join Table)

CREATE TABLE note_categories (
    note_id INTEGER REFERENCES notes(id),
    category_id INTEGER REFERENCES categories(id),
    PRIMARY KEY (note_id, category_id)
);

Setup and Installation

1. Prerequisites:

   • Elixir and Erlang installed (installation guide)
   • Phoenix Framework installed: mix archive.install hex phx_new

2. Clone and Setup:

   # Clone the repository
   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/holz_log.git
   cd holz_log
   
   # Get dependencies
   mix deps.get
   
   # Setup database
   mix ecto.setup

3. Run the Application:

   # Start Phoenix server
   mix phx.server

4. Visit localhost:4000 in your browser

Development

• Code Format: mix format
• Start Interactive Console: iex -S mix

Roadmap

• Basic note creation and management
• Category organization
• Make sure docker compose deployments persist db through new containers (fix docker compose)
• Add Earmark dependency for note body
• Do not list category IDs in frontend
• Implement database backups (download or email)
• Change after create & update redirects to go back to main page
• Increase note preview character limit