VLab Project

Virtual Labs is an interactive platform designed to provide students with hands-on learning experiences in a virtual environment. The platform is built with a modern UI, providing an intuitive and engaging interface. It includes features like a responsive design, a chatbot for support, and integrations with Google Maps and OpenAI APIs for enhanced functionality.

Features

• Responsive Design: The website is fully responsive, ensuring optimal user experience across a variety of devices including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
• Chatbot Integration: A real-time chatbot powered by OpenAI provides users with instant support, answering questions and assisting with navigating the platform.
• Modern User Interface: The platform features a sleek, user-friendly UI with smooth animations and intuitive navigation for a seamless experience.
• Google Maps Integration: Users can interact with a Google Map to find locations or resources easily.
• MongoDB Database: The app is powered by a MongoDB database to store user data, lab information, and more.

Installation

Follow these steps to set up and run this project on your local machine.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v16.0.0 or higher)
• MongoDB (local setup or a MongoDB Atlas cluster)
• Git

Steps

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Kausheya2006/vlab_project_pickles.git

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd virtuallabs
   

3. Install dependencies: Run the following command to install the required packages:

   npm install
   

4. Set up environment variables: Create a .env.local file in the root directory of the project and add the following variables:

   NEXT_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=your-google-maps-api-key
   OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-api-key
   MONGODB_URI=your-mongodb-connection-string
   

5. Run the development server: After setting up the environment variables, you can start the app by running:

   npm run dev
   

   The app should now be running at http://localhost:3000.

Frameworks and Libraries Used

1. Next.js: A React-based framework used for server-side rendering and building modern web applications.
2. Tailwind CSS: A utility-first CSS framework for building responsive and customizable user interfaces.
3. MongoDB: A NoSQL database used for storing data.
4. Google Maps API: Used for embedding Google Maps and providing location-based services.
5. OpenAI API: Used for integrating a chatbot to provide instant assistance to users.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! If you have suggestions, improvements, or fixes, feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature-name).
3. Commit your changes (git commit -am 'Add new feature').
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature-name).
5. Open a pull request.

Thank you for checking out Virtual Labs! If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to reach out.