Art-gallery/Documentation/setup.md

Art Gallery — setup and operations

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+
• PostgreSQL reachable from the app host
• Network access to Wikipedia / Wikimedia (for biographies, seeding, and on-demand image fetch)

Environment

Copy the example file and fill in credentials:

cp .env.example .env

Variable	Description
DB_HOST	PostgreSQL host
DB_PORT	Port (default 5432)
DB_USER	Database user
DB_PASSWORD	Database password
DB_NAME	Database name (Gallery)
PORT	API listen port (default 3001)
IMAGE_DIR	Root for cached images (default ./data/images)

Optional script tuning:

Variable	Used by	Description
MIN_PAINTINGS	expand-catalog	Minimum paintings per artist (default 6)

.env is git-ignored; never commit passwords.

Install

npm install
cd client && npm install && cd ..

Database bootstrap

One-shot setup (migrate + seed):

npm run setup

Or step by step:

npm run migrate    # apply db/schema.sql
npm run seed       # eras, movements, artists, paintings, influences

If migration fails with permission errors, grant schema rights to the app user first (see DB_structure.md).

Recommended post-seed steps

After a fresh seed, run these to match a fully populated local install:

npm run fetch-artist-bios          # bio_short / bio_full from Wikipedia
npm run expand-catalog             # famous works for artists below MIN_PAINTINGS
npm run update-influences          # painting influence graph for detail view + hall exits
npm run fetch-images -- --artist="Gustav Klimt"   # repeat per artist or omit --artist for all
cd client && npm run build && cd ..

Image fetch is rate-limited (~3.5 s between external requests) and can take hours for the full catalog. Fetch per artist, or rely on on-demand resolution when viewing a painting in the detail view.

Run

Command	Purpose
npm run server	API + static SPA on PORT
npm run dev:server	API with nodemon reload
npm run dev:client	Vite dev server on :5173
npm run dev	Alias for server

Production frontend: build the client, then start the server:

cd client && npm run build && cd ..
npm run server

Open http://localhost:3001 (or your configured PORT).

Maintenance scripts

Command	Script	Purpose
npm run seed	scripts/seed-wikipedia.js	Reload curated Wikipedia data
npm run fetch-artist-bios	scripts/fetch-artist-bios.js	Wikipedia lead sections → bio_short / bio_full
npm run fetch-artist-bios -- --force	↑	Refresh bios even when already set
npm run expand-catalog	scripts/expand-paintings.js	Insert famous works from famous-paintings-data.js
npm run expand-catalog -- --fetch-images	↑	Also download images for new rows (slow)
npm run fetch-images	scripts/fetch-missing-images.js	Search Wikipedia, Commons, museums for missing files
npm run search-missing-paintings	↑ (alias)	Same as fetch-images
npm run fetch-images -- --artist="Name"	↑	Limit to one artist
npm run fetch-images -- --limit=50	↑	Process at most N paintings
npm run fetch-images -- --discover-only --limit=20	↑	Fix wikipedia_title via search only
npm run regenerate-thumbnails	scripts/regenerate-thumbnails.js	Rebuild all thumbs from full local files
npm run audit-painting-images	scripts/audit-painting-images.js	List thumb/full aspect-ratio mismatches
npm run migrate:thumbnails	db/migrate-thumbnails.sql	Add thumbnail columns
npm run fetch-artist-images	scripts/fetch-artist-images.js	Backfill portrait files (if present)
npm run sync-image-paths	scripts/sync-image-paths.js	Align DB paths with disk (if present)
npm run update-influences	scripts/update-influences.js	Insert influence edges from art-influences-data.js
npm run update-influences -- --fetch-images	↑	Also download images for newly created works

Scripts in the repository

These are checked in and maintained:

• image-fetcher.js — Wikimedia / museum image resolution
• fetch-artist-bios.js — artist biographies
• expand-paintings.js + famous-paintings-data.js — catalog expansion
• update-influences.js + art-influences-data.js — painting influence graph
• fetch-missing-images.js — batch image backfill
• regenerate-thumbnails.js, audit-painting-images.js

These are referenced in package.json but may need to be restored from git history if missing locally: seed-wikipedia.js, fetch-artist-images.js, sync-image-paths.js.

See data-and-images.md for pipeline details and override maps.

Remote repository

Gitea: Danilka/Art-gallery

git clone https://gitea.mysuperlab.netcraze.pro/Danilka/Art-gallery.git

After clone: copy .env.example → .env, install dependencies, run npm run setup against your Postgres instance, then the post-seed steps above.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Empty timeline	DB not seeded	npm run seed
500 on all /api/*	Wrong .env or Postgres down	Check connection, logs
“Biographical information not yet available”	Bios not fetched	npm run fetch-artist-bios
Artist hall has only 1–2 paintings	Catalog not expanded	npm run expand-catalog; extend famous-paintings-data.js
Black frames / canvas covers in 3D gallery	No local image for painting	npm run fetch-images -- --artist="…" or POST …/preload-images after fetch
White/grey flicker on frames	Texture loading or z-fighting with wall	Rebuild client (cd client && npm run build); ensure latest VirtualGallery.tsx
Wrong painting in 3D gallery frame	Stale or mismatched thumbnail file	npm run regenerate-thumbnails; gallery prefers full image_path
Wrong painting image (fetch)	Bad museum / search match on first download	Add entry to DIRECT_IMAGE_OVERRIDES in scripts/image-fetcher.js, re-fetch file
Empty exit navigation lists	No painting_influences edges for artist	npm run update-influences
Empty Influenced By / Influenced on painting detail	No edges for that work	npm run update-influences; extend art-influences-data.js
No golden lamps above frames in 3D hall	Stale API process or no influence edges	Restart server after API changes; run npm run update-influences
Default Vite page instead of gallery	client/dist missing or stale	cd client && npm run build
Permission denied creating tables	gallery user lacks CREATE	Run admin grants, then migrate
Wikipedia API rate limit during fetch	Too many requests in a row	Wait and re-run; scripts retry with backoff