clone the repository

create your database.yml file using the supplied example

cp config/database.yml.example config/database.yml

run the rake tasks to create the database

rake db:create:all rake db:migrate:reset RAILS_ENV=xxx

restore the data from a recent database dump or use the rake tasks to load the data from files (not included as part of the repository - to big, would infringe copyright, would be a job in its own right keeping this updated.)

rake fymp:constituencies RAILS_ENV=xxx

expects a TSV formatted file consisting of ID, constituency name as data/new_constituencies.txt

rake fymp:members RAILS_ENV=xxx

expects a TSV formatted file consisting of consituency name, mp name (party) as data/FYMP_all.txt (unless another file name is specified using file= on the command line)

Creates postcodes.txt. If you already have a data/postcodes.txt that looks promising DO NOT RUN THIS STEP, otherwise go make a cup of tea; this bit isn't quick.

rake fymp:parse RAILS_ENV=xxx source_file=xxx

expects the sort of file one would expect to pay ONS a recurring subscription fee to receive (plaintext version)

Definitely cup of tea time, consider renting a movie, maybe 2. Takes the simplified postcode data from data/postcodes.txt - still millions of records but just the bits we actually want from the massive file - and loads them into the database. Takes hours (on my MacBook Pro, I'm getting a 4 hour estimate).

rake fymp:populate RAILS_ENV=xx

Runs some SQL against the postcodes table in order to populate the postcode districts information. Reasonably fast.

rake fymp:load_postcode_districts RAILS_ENV=xx

Invoke the power of the friendly_id gem to create nice url slugs for the constituencies

rake friendly_id:make_slugs MODEL=Constituency RAILS_ENV=xx

To get the emergency server shutdown to work, you need to run the following...

sudo visudo

...and add in the next 2 lines, substituting [SITE_CONTEXT_USER] with the actual user or group the site runs as

Cmnd_Alias APACHE = /etc/init.d/apache2 start, /etc/init.d/apache2 stop, /etc/init.d/apache2 restart, /etc/init.d/apache2 reload` [SITE_CONTEXT_USER] ALL=NOPASSWD: APACHE