Task Manager RESTful API

Overview

This RESTful API, built using Flask, manages a to-do list. It allows creating, retrieving, updating, and deleting tasks. Each task includes a unique identifier, name, description, completion status, and an optional due date in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD). The API uses a dictionary to store tasks. This approach allows for efficient retrieval, updating, and deletion of tasks by their unique identifiers, compared to a list where each element might need to be iterated over to find a specific task.

Endpoints

GET /tasks

Retrieves a list of all tasks, with optional parameters to limit the number of tasks and sort by due date.

Aspect	Details
URL Params	limit=[integer]: Limits the number of tasks returned. `sort_by_date=[asc
Success Response	Code: 200 OK Content: List of tasks
Error Response	Code: 400 Bad Request Content: {'message': 'Invalid limit value. It must be a positive integer.'}

GET /tasks/:id

Retrieves a specific task by its unique identifier.

Aspect	Details
URL Params	task_id=[string]: Unique identifier of the task.
Success Response	Code: 200 OK Content: Task details
Error Response	Code: 404 Not Found Content: {'message': 'Task not found'}

POST /tasks

Creates a new task with provided details.

Aspect	Details
Data Params	name=[string] description=[string] due_date=[string] (Optional, must be in ISO format)
Success Response	Code: 201 Created Content: Created task details
Error Responses	Missing Required Fields: - Code: 400 Bad Request - Content: {'message': 'Missing required fields (name, description).'} Invalid Due Date Format: - Code: 400 Bad Request - Content: {'message': 'Invalid due date format. Please use YYYY-MM-DD.'}

PUT /tasks/:id

Updates an existing task identified by its unique identifier.

Aspect	Details
URL Params	task_id=[string]: Unique identifier of the task.
Data Params	Same as POST /tasks.
Success Response	Code: 200 OK Content: Updated task details
Error Responses	Task Not Found: - Code: 404 Not Found - Content: {'message': 'Task not found'} Invalid Due Date Format: - Code: 400 Bad Request - Content: {'message': 'Invalid due date format. Please use YYYY-MM-DD.'}

DELETE /tasks/:id

Deletes a task by its unique identifier.

Aspect	Details
URL Params	task_id=[string]: Unique identifier of the task.
Success Response	Code: 200 OK Content: {'message': 'Task deleted'}
Error Response	Code: 404 Not Found Content: {'message': 'Task not found'}

Additional Features

• Due Date in ISO Format: To maintain a standard and internationally recognized date format.
• Sorting by Due Date: Enhances usability by allowing users to view tasks in order of their deadlines.
• Limiting Task Retrieval: Provides control over data load, useful in scenarios with many tasks.

Running and Testing the To-Do List API

Setting Up and Running the API

1. Make sure you have Python and Flask installed on your system.
2. Navigate to the directory containing your Flask application file, app.py, and run the application via python app.py. This will start the Flask server on http://localhost:5000.

Running Unit Tests

The app_test.py script contains unit tests for the Flask To-Do List API. To run these tests, execute the test script using Python's unittest module via the command python -m unittest app_test or python3 -m unittest app_test depending on your version.

Test Script Details

• app_test.py includes tests for creating tasks (both valid and invalid due dates), retrieving tasks, updating tasks, and deleting tasks.
• The script utilizes the Flask testing client to simulate requests to the API and assert the responses.

Testing the API with curl Commands

1. Get a List of All Tasks:

curl -X GET http://localhost:5000/tasks

2. Get a Specific Task by Its Unique Identifier:

Replace <task_id> with the actual ID of the task:

curl -X GET http://localhost:5000/tasks/<task_id>

3. Create a New Task:

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/tasks \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"name": "New Task", "description": "New Task Description", "due_date": "2023-01-01"}'

4. Update an Existing Task:

Replace <task_id> with the ID of the task:

curl -X PUT http://localhost:5000/tasks/<task_id> \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"name": "Updated Task", "description": "Updated Description", "completion_status": true, "due_date": "2023-01-05"}'

5. Delete a Task by Its Unique Identifier:

Replace <task_id> with the ID of the task:

curl -X DELETE http://localhost:5000/tasks/<task_id>

6. Get Tasks with Sorting by Due Date (Ascending/Descending):

For ascending order:

curl -X GET "http://localhost:5000/tasks?sort_by_date=asc"

For descending order:

curl -X GET "http://localhost:5000/tasks?sort_by_date=desc"

7. Get Tasks with a Limit on the Number of Results: Replace with the number of tasks you want to retrieve:

curl -X GET "http://localhost:5000/tasks?limit=<number>"

Areas for Improvement

The To-Do List API works well for basic operations but can be enhanced in several ways:

Database Integration

• Current State: Tasks are stored in a Python dictionary.
• Improvement: Implement a database like SQLite or PostgreSQL for persistent and scalable data storage.

User Authentication and Authorization

• Need: To secure the API and allow user-specific task management.
• Solution: Implement authentication mechanisms and access controls.