quantum-ai/docs/DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md

Development Guide

Quick Start

Option 1: Use the Development Script (Recommended)

./run_dev.sh

Option 2: Manual Startup

# Clear any interfering environment variables
unset DATABASE_URL

# Activate virtual environment
source venv/bin/activate

# Start server
python manage.py runserver

Common Issues

Issue: "Connection refused" Error with PostgreSQL

Cause: You have DATABASE_URL set as an environment variable pointing to PostgreSQL.

Solution:

# Check if DATABASE_URL is set
echo $DATABASE_URL

# Temporarily unset it
unset DATABASE_URL

# Start server
python manage.py runserver

Permanent Fix: If DATABASE_URL keeps getting set, check these files:

• ~/.bashrc
• ~/.bash_profile
• ~/.profile
• ~/.zshrc
• ~/.env (global)

Remove any lines containing DATABASE_URL= unless you specifically need them.

Issue: Database Tables Don't Exist

# Run migrations
python manage.py migrate

# Create admin user and populate data
python manage.py populate_agents --create-admin

Issue: Admin Login Not Working

# Check if admin user exists
python manage.py backup_users --action info

# Create admin user
python manage.py create_user admin@example.com password123 --superuser

Database Configuration

Local Development (Default)

• Engine: SQLite
• Location: db.sqlite3
• Setup: None required

Local Development with PostgreSQL (Optional)

1. Set up PostgreSQL:

   # Using Docker (easiest)
   docker run --name netcop-postgres \\
     -e POSTGRES_DB=netcop_hub \\
     -e POSTGRES_USER=netcop_user \\
     -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=netcop_pass \\
     -p 5432:5432 -d postgres:15
   

2. Enable in .env:

   USE_POSTGRESQL=True
   

3. Run migrations:

   python manage.py migrate
   python manage.py populate_agents --create-admin
   

Railway Production

• Engine: PostgreSQL (automatic)
• Configuration: Via Railway's DATABASE_URL
• Setup: None required

Environment Variables

Required for Development

SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
DEBUG=True
ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1
CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:8000,http://127.0.0.1:8000

Optional for Development

# Force PostgreSQL (requires PostgreSQL setup)
USE_POSTGRESQL=True

# Or specify exact database URL
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://netcop_user:netcop_pass@localhost:5432/netcop_hub

# API Keys (for full functionality)
OPENWEATHER_API_KEY=your-key-here
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_...

Development Workflow

Daily Development

# Start development server
./run_dev.sh

# In another terminal - run commands
source venv/bin/activate
python manage.py check_db          # Check database status
python manage.py makemigrations    # Create migrations
python manage.py migrate           # Apply migrations

Testing Changes

# Check for issues
python manage.py check

# Test migrations
python manage.py migrate --plan

# Create test data
python manage.py populate_agents --create-admin

Debugging

# Check database configuration
python manage.py check_db

# Check migration status
python manage.py showmigrations

# Django shell
python manage.py shell

File Structure

netcop_django/
├── run_dev.sh              # Development startup script
├── manage.py               # Django management
├── requirements.txt        # Python dependencies
├── .env                   # Local environment variables
├── db.sqlite3             # SQLite database (local)
├── docs/                  # Documentation
├── static/                # Static files
├── templates/             # Global templates
├── netcop_hub/            # Django project settings
├── core/                  # Main app (homepage, marketplace)
├── authentication/       # User management
├── wallet/               # Payment system
├── agent_base/           # Agent framework
├── weather_reporter/     # Weather agent
├── data_analyzer/        # Data analysis agent
├── job_posting_generator/ # Job posting agent
└── social_ads_generator/ # Social ads agent

Useful Commands

# Development
./run_dev.sh                                    # Start dev server
python manage.py check_db                       # Check database
python manage.py migrate                        # Run migrations
python manage.py populate_agents --create-admin # Setup data

# User Management
python manage.py create_user email@example.com password123 --superuser
python manage.py backup_users --action info

# Database Management
python manage.py reset_database --action full --confirm
python manage.py fix_migrations --app data_analyzer

# Debugging
python manage.py check                          # System check
python manage.py showmigrations                 # Migration status
python manage.py shell                          # Django shell

Troubleshooting

Server Won't Start

1. Check if DATABASE_URL is set: echo $DATABASE_URL
2. Unset it: unset DATABASE_URL
3. Use the development script: ./run_dev.sh

Database Issues

1. Check configuration: python manage.py check_db
2. Run migrations: python manage.py migrate
3. Reset if needed: python manage.py reset_database --action full --confirm

Import Errors

1. Activate virtual environment: source venv/bin/activate
2. Install requirements: pip install -r requirements.txt

Permission Errors

1. Make script executable: chmod +x run_dev.sh
2. Check file permissions: ls -la

Happy coding! 🎉