> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/makriman/inspir/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Social Features

> Connect with students, join study groups, share resources, and participate in the student forum

inspir provides powerful social features to help you connect with other students, collaborate on learning, and share knowledge.

## Student Forum

A Stack Overflow-style Q\&A forum where students can ask questions, provide answers, and build their reputation.

### Asking Questions

Post questions about any subject and get help from the community.

```javascript theme={null}
// Create a new question
POST /api/forum/questions
{
  title: "How do I solve quadratic equations?",
  details: "I'm struggling with understanding the quadratic formula...",
  tags: ["mathematics", "algebra", "equations"]
}
```

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Rich Formatting" icon="text">
    Use markdown to format questions with code, formulas, and lists
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tag System" icon="tags">
    Categorize questions with relevant tags for easy discovery
  </Card>

  <Card title="Edit & Update" icon="pen">
    Update your questions anytime to add clarity or context
  </Card>

  <Card title="Public Viewing" icon="eye">
    All questions are publicly viewable by the community
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Database Schema

```sql theme={null}
CREATE TABLE forum_questions (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
  user_id UUID REFERENCES users(id),
  title TEXT NOT NULL,
  details TEXT NOT NULL,
  tags TEXT[] DEFAULT '{}',
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);
```

### Browsing Questions

```javascript theme={null}
// Get all questions
GET /api/forum/questions

// Get specific question with answers
GET /api/forum/questions/:id
```

## Answering Questions

Help other students by providing detailed answers to their questions.

### Posting Answers

```javascript theme={null}
POST /api/forum/questions/:questionId/answers
{
  text: "The quadratic formula is: x = (-b ± √(b²-4ac)) / 2a..."
}
```

<Note>
  You earn **+2 reputation points** for every answer you post!
</Note>

### Answer Schema

```sql theme={null}
CREATE TABLE forum_answers (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
  question_id UUID REFERENCES forum_questions(id),
  user_id UUID REFERENCES users(id),
  text TEXT NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);
```

## Upvoting System

Recognize helpful answers by upvoting them. The best answers rise to the top!

### How Upvoting Works

```javascript theme={null}
// Upvote an answer
POST /api/forum/answers/:answerId/upvote

// Remove upvote
DELETE /api/forum/answers/:answerId/upvote
```

**Reputation System:**

* Author receives **+10 reputation** when their answer is upvoted
* Author loses **-10 reputation** when upvote is removed
* One vote per user per answer (enforced by database constraint)

### Votes Schema

```sql theme={null}
CREATE TABLE forum_votes (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
  answer_id UUID REFERENCES forum_answers(id),
  user_id UUID REFERENCES users(id),
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW(),
  UNIQUE(answer_id, user_id)
);
```

### Automatic Reputation Updates

Reputation is automatically calculated using database triggers:

```sql theme={null}
-- Triggered when answer gets upvoted
CREATE FUNCTION update_reputation_on_vote() RETURNS TRIGGER AS $$
BEGIN
  INSERT INTO user_reputation (user_id, reputation)
  SELECT user_id, 10
  FROM forum_answers WHERE id = NEW.answer_id
  ON CONFLICT (user_id)
  DO UPDATE SET reputation = user_reputation.reputation + 10;
  RETURN NEW;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
```

## Reputation & Leaderboard

Build your reputation by contributing quality answers and earning upvotes.

### Viewing Reputation

```javascript theme={null}
// Get your reputation
GET /api/forum/reputation

// View forum leaderboard
GET /api/forum/leaderboard

// Get forum statistics
GET /api/forum/stats
```

### Reputation Schema

```sql theme={null}
CREATE TABLE user_reputation (
  user_id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
  reputation INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);
```

<Tip>
  High reputation unlocks additional privileges and showcases your expertise to the community!
</Tip>

## Study Groups

Create or join study groups to collaborate with classmates and study together.

### Creating a Study Group

```javascript theme={null}
POST /api/social/groups
{
  name: "AP Physics Study Group",
  description: "Preparing for the AP Physics exam together",
  is_private: false
}
```

**Features:**

* **Join Codes**: Unique 6-character codes for easy joining
* **Private Groups**: Restrict access to invited members only
* **Member Roles**: Owner and member roles with different permissions
* **Group Resources**: Share materials within the group

### Joining Groups

```javascript theme={null}
// Join using a join code
POST /api/social/groups/join/:joinCode

// Example: POST /api/social/groups/join/ABC123
```

### Group Schema

```sql theme={null}
CREATE TABLE study_groups (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
  owner_user_id UUID NOT NULL,
  join_code VARCHAR(6) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
  name TEXT NOT NULL,
  description TEXT,
  is_private BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);

CREATE TABLE study_group_memberships (
  group_id UUID,
  user_id UUID,
  role TEXT DEFAULT 'member',  -- 'owner' or 'member'
  joined_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW(),
  PRIMARY KEY (group_id, user_id)
);
```

### Managing Groups

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="View Your Groups" icon="users">
    See all groups you've created or joined
  </Card>

  <Card title="Group Details" icon="info">
    View members, resources, and group information
  </Card>

  <Card title="Member Management" icon="user-plus">
    Invite members via join code
  </Card>

  <Card title="Resource Sharing" icon="share">
    Share study materials with group members
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

```javascript theme={null}
// List your groups
GET /api/social/groups

// Get group details
GET /api/social/groups/:id
```

## Resource Sharing

Share helpful study materials, websites, and documents with the community or specific study groups.

### Sharing Resources

```javascript theme={null}
POST /api/social/resources
{
  title: "Khan Academy - Calculus",
  url: "https://www.khanacademy.org/math/calculus",
  description: "Excellent video tutorials on calculus fundamentals",
  tags: ["calculus", "mathematics", "videos"],
  group_id: "optional-group-id"  // Share with specific group
}
```

### Resource Features

* **Public or Group-Specific**: Share globally or within a study group
* **Tagging**: Organize resources with tags
* **URL Validation**: Must be valid HTTP/HTTPS links
* **User Attribution**: See who shared each resource

### Resource Schema

```sql theme={null}
CREATE TABLE shared_resources (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
  user_id UUID NOT NULL,
  group_id UUID,  -- NULL for public resources
  title TEXT NOT NULL,
  url TEXT NOT NULL,
  description TEXT,
  tags TEXT[],
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);
```

### Browsing Resources

```javascript theme={null}
// View all public resources
GET /api/social/resources?limit=50

// Filter by study group
GET /api/social/resources?group_id=abc-123
```

<Note>
  Resources shared within private study groups are only visible to group members.
</Note>

## Community Guidelines

### Forum Etiquette

<Card title="Be Respectful" icon="heart">
  Treat all community members with respect. No harassment, bullying, or discriminatory language.
</Card>

<Card title="Stay On Topic" icon="bullseye">
  Keep questions and answers focused on educational content and study-related topics.
</Card>

<Card title="Provide Quality Answers" icon="star">
  Take time to write clear, helpful answers. Include explanations, not just solutions.
</Card>

<Card title="Give Credit" icon="quote">
  When sharing resources or solutions from other sources, provide proper attribution.
</Card>

<Card title="No Plagiarism" icon="shield">
  Don't copy homework or exam answers. Focus on understanding concepts.
</Card>

### Content Moderation

* Users can edit or delete their own questions and answers
* Inappropriate content should be reported
* Maintain academic integrity
* Help create a positive learning environment

## Privacy & Permissions

### Row Level Security (RLS)

All social features use database-level security:

```sql theme={null}
-- Users can view all questions (public)
CREATE POLICY "Anyone can view questions"
  ON forum_questions FOR SELECT
  USING (true);

-- Users can only edit their own content
CREATE POLICY "Users can update their own questions"
  ON forum_questions FOR UPDATE
  USING (auth.uid() = user_id);

-- Group members can view group resources
CREATE POLICY "Members can view group resources"
  ON shared_resources FOR SELECT
  USING (
    group_id IS NULL OR
    EXISTS (
      SELECT 1 FROM study_group_memberships
      WHERE group_id = shared_resources.group_id
      AND user_id = auth.uid()
    )
  );
```

<Tip>
  All your forum posts, answers, and shared resources are associated with your username. Choose a username you're comfortable sharing publicly!
</Tip>

## Integration with Other Features

Social features work seamlessly with inspir's other tools:

* **Share Quiz Links**: Post quizzes in study groups
* **Share Doubt Solutions**: Link to solved problems in forum answers
* **Group Challenges**: Create challenges for study group members
* **Reputation & XP**: Forum activity contributes to your overall XP

## API Reference

### Forum Endpoints

```javascript theme={null}
GET    /api/forum/questions           // List all questions
GET    /api/forum/questions/:id       // Get question details
POST   /api/forum/questions           // Create question (auth required)
POST   /api/forum/questions/:id/answers  // Answer question (auth required)
POST   /api/forum/answers/:id/upvote     // Upvote answer (auth required)
DELETE /api/forum/answers/:id/upvote     // Remove upvote (auth required)
GET    /api/forum/leaderboard            // View reputation leaderboard
GET    /api/forum/reputation              // Get your reputation (auth required)
```

### Study Group Endpoints

```javascript theme={null}
GET  /api/social/groups              // List your groups (auth required)
POST /api/social/groups              // Create group (auth required)
POST /api/social/groups/join/:code  // Join group (auth required)
GET  /api/social/groups/:id          // Get group details (auth required)
```

### Resource Endpoints

```javascript theme={null}
GET  /api/social/resources           // List resources
POST /api/social/resources           // Share resource (auth required)
```