Lesson 4: Creating Custom Blueprints and Database Schemas

Creating a Custom Database Schema

Project Example: Atlanta Braves Bullpen

In this lesson, we create a new database table for tracking Atlanta Braves bullpen pitchers for 2025.

Claude AI Prompt for Schema Creation:

"I want a single database table based on Atlanta Braves bullpen\npitchers for 2025. I want to track the pitchers names, jersey numbers,\nand college team they played for. Replace the schema.SQL and\nseed_data.SQL with this new database structure."

What Claude Does:

• Goes to the web to find actual Braves bullpen roster information
• Creates new table structure with first_name, last_name, jersey_number, college_team
• Drops existing tables and creates new ones
• Generates realistic seed data (may create fictional data if real data is limited)
• Automatically deploys the new schema to your database

Verifying Database Changes

Using MySQL Workbench to Confirm Changes:

• Open MySQL Workbench and connect to your database
• Refresh the schema view to see the new "braves_bullpen" table
• Click the table view icons to see your data:

MySQL Workbench Icons:

• Info Icon (i): Shows table structure and metadata
• Tool Icon: Edit table structure and properties
• Excel-like Icon: View data in spreadsheet format

Verifying Seed Data:

• Click the spreadsheet icon to view your pitcher data
• Confirm all fields are populated correctly
• Verify the data matches your schema requirements

Creating New Blueprints with Claude

Step 1: Create Blueprint and Template

"Create a new blueprint called pitchers based on the examples.py\nblueprint formatting and the schema.SQL in the database folder.\n\nThen create a new template file called pitchers.html and base it\non the examples.html file."

What Claude Does:

• Creates the new pitchers.py blueprint file
• Uses the existing examples blueprint as a template
• Adapts the code to work with the new database schema
• Creates corresponding pitchers.html template file
• Ensures all modals (add, edit, delete) are included

Why Use the Examples Blueprint as Base:

• Contains pre-built modal functionality
• Has add, edit, and delete operations already working
• Prevents Claude from creating unnecessary additional pages
• Maintains consistent site structure and functionality

Updating Navigation and Registering Blueprints

Step 2: Complete the Blueprint Integration

"Go ahead and update the navigation, register the blueprints,\nand remove the example blueprint and template."

What This Command Does:

• Update Navigation: Modifies base.html to include new "Pitchers" link
• Register Blueprints: Updates __init__.py to register the new blueprint
• Remove Old Files: Deletes examples.py and examples.html
• Clean Up References: Removes any remaining references to the old blueprint

File Changes Made:

• __init__.py: Blueprint registration (just 2 lines of code)
• base.html: Navigation update (changes "Examples" to "Pitchers")
• Deleted: examples.py and examples.html files

Testing and Production Deployment

Testing the Complete Application:

• Navigate to the new "Pitchers" section
• Verify all pitcher data displays correctly
• Test delete functionality (e.g., remove Pierce Johnson)
• Test add functionality for new pitchers
• Confirm all CRUD operations work locally

Deployment to GitHub and Heroku:

Step 3: Deploy to Production

"Send all the changes to GitHub."

What Claude Does for GitHub Deployment:

• Stages all the changes you've made
• Creates descriptive commit messages
• Pushes all changes to the master branch
• May ask for permission since GitHub requires bash operations

Automatic Heroku Deployment:

• Since auto-deploy is enabled, Heroku starts building immediately
• Check Heroku → Activity to see the build process
• Subsequent builds are faster because dependencies are cached
• Once complete, click "Open App" to test production version

Production Testing:

• Test all CRUD operations on the live site
• Verify data persistence across operations
• Confirm the cloud database is working correctly