Quick Start Guide

This guide will walk you through the basic user flow of the FriendZone application, from logging in to sending your first message.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have successfully completed the Installation guide and the application is running locally via npm run dev.

Step 1: Create Two User Accounts

To test the chat functionality, you will need two separate user accounts.

  1. Open your primary web browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000. You will be automatically redirected to the login page.
  2. Click the "Google" button to sign in with your first Google account.

  3. After successful login, you will be redirected to your dashboard at /dashboard.

  4. Now, open a second browser (or an incognito/private window) and navigate to http://localhost:3000 again.

  5. Sign in with a different Google account.

You now have two active user sessions.

Step 2: Send a Friend Request

From your first browser window (User A):

  1. In the sidebar, click on "Add friend".
  2. In the input field, type the email address of the second Google account (User B) and click "Add".
  3. You should see a confirmation message: "Friend request sent!".

Step 3: Accept the Friend Request

Switch to your second browser window (User B):

  1. Look at the sidebar. A notification bubble should appear next to "Friend requests".
  2. Click on "Friend requests". You will be taken to the /dashboard/requests page.
  3. You will see the incoming request from User A's email address.
  4. Click the checkmark button (✓) to accept the request.

Step 4: Start a Chat

Once the friend request is accepted, both users are now friends.

  1. In either browser, you will see the other user's name appear under "Your chats" in the sidebar.
  2. Click on the user's name to open the chat room.
  3. Type a message in the input box at the bottom and press Enter or click "Post".

Your message will appear instantly in both browser windows. Congratulations, you are now chatting in real-time!