Weather Forecast Application

A Ruby on Rails application that accepts an address as input and retrieves weather forecast data for the given location. Built with Rails best practices - thin controllers, fat models, and minimal dependencies.

Features

• Accept address input from users
• Convert addresses to zip codes using geocoding
• Retrieve current weather data (temperature, humidity, pressure, etc.)
• Display 5-day extended forecast with high/low temperatures
• Cache weather data for 30 minutes
• Display cache indicator when data is retrieved from cache
• Modern, responsive UI design
• Error handling for invalid addresses and API failures

Requirements

• Ruby 3.4.6+
• Rails 8.0.3+
• OpenWeatherMap API key (free tier available)

Setup

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <your-repo-url>
   cd weather_forecast_app

2. Install dependencies

   bundle install

3. Set up environment variables

   Create a .env file in the root directory:

   OPENWEATHER_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

   To get a free API key:

   • Go to OpenWeatherMap
   • Sign up for a free account
   • Generate an API key
   • Add it to your .env file

4. Set up the database

   rails db:create
   rails db:migrate

5. Start the server

   rails server

6. Visit the application Open your browser and go to http://localhost:3000

Usage

1. Enter a zip code in the input field (e.g., "10001", "90210")
   • Also accepts full addresses (e.g., "San Francisco, CA")
2. Click "Get Weather" to retrieve current weather and 5-day forecast
3. The application will:
   • Convert the address to a zip code (if needed)
   • Fetch weather data from OpenWeatherMap API
   • Display current temperature, conditions, and extended forecast
   • Cache the results for 30 minutes
   • Show a cache indicator if data is retrieved from cache

Architecture

Built following Rails conventions:

• Thin Controllers: Controllers only handle HTTP concerns
• Fat Models: All business logic lives in the Forecast model
• No Comments: Code is self-documenting (except where complexity requires explanation)
• Standard Library: Uses Net::HTTP instead of external HTTP gems

app/
├── controllers/
│   └── forecasts_controller.rb    # Thin controller - orchestration only
├── models/
│   └── forecast.rb                # Fat model - all business logic
├── views/
│   └── forecasts/
│       └── index.html.erb         # Main view
└── assets/
    └── stylesheets/
        └── application.css        # Custom CSS

API Integration

• OpenWeatherMap API for weather data
• Geocoder gem for address-to-zip-code conversion
• Net::HTTP for API requests (built-in Ruby library)

Caching

• Weather data cached for 30 minutes using Rails.cache
• Cache keys based on zip code
• Cache status displayed to users
• Subsequent requests for the same location within 30 minutes use cached data

Technical Details

• Framework: Ruby on Rails 8.0.3
• Database: SQLite3 (development)
• Caching: Solid Cache (Rails 8 default)
• Styling: Custom CSS with responsive design
• API: OpenWeatherMap (free tier)

Error Handling

The application handles:

• Invalid or non-existent addresses
• API failures or rate limits
• Network connectivity issues
• Missing API keys

Bonus Features

• Extended 5-day forecast with high/low temperatures
• Modern, responsive UI design
• Detailed weather information (humidity, pressure, feels-like temperature)
• Location information display
• Comprehensive error handling
• Mobile-responsive design

This project is created for assessment purposes.

weather-test