gsoc 25 week 07 update by Nikhil

src/constants/MarkdownFiles/posts/2025-07-20-gsoc-25-Nikhil-Bhatt-week07.md

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+---
+title: "GSoC '25 Week 07 Update by Nikhil Bhatt"
+excerpt: "Implemented forking of projects in the frontend, backend route for returning project data only, and student descriptions for projects"
+category: "DEVELOPER NEWS"
+date: "2025-07-20"
+slug: "2025-07-20-gsoc-25-nikhilbhatt-week07"
+author: "@/constants/MarkdownFiles/authors/nikhil-bhatt.md"
+tags: "gsoc25,sugarlabs,week07,nikhilbhatt"
+image: "assets/Images/GSOC.png"
+---
+
+<!-- markdownlint-disable -->
+
+# Week 07 Progress Report by Nikhil Bhatt
+
+**Project:** [Git backend for MusicBlocks](https://github.com/benikk/musicblocks-backend)  
+**Mentors:** [Walter Bender](https://github.com/walterbender), [Sumit Srivastava](https://github.com/sum2it)  
+**Reporting Period:** 2025-07-13 – 2025-07-20 
+
+---
+
+## This Week's Achievements
+
+### Backend: Project data end point
+
+- Created a new backend route that returns project data of projects without forking them `GET/api/github/getProjectData`.   
+Earlier, when we used to click "Open in Music blocks" in the projects page, a shallow fork of the project (without all the project history) 
+used to get created, the route helps in only returning the projectData which is loaded to musicblocks allowing students to see first and then 
+decide whether to fork or not. 
+
+- Custom description for the project - This change allows student to add descriptions to their projects, similar to what they did in the planet page.  
+
+---
+
+###  Frontend: Forking projects & Student written Description for Projects
+
+- Fork Button in UI: Users now see a "Fork This Project" button while inside any project.
+- It also retains all commit history from the original repository in the fork.
+- Allows student to edit the forked projects in their own repo to work further on others projects.
+- Students can also enter the description for their projects when creating their projects, also visible in the projects page.
+---
+
+## Challenges & How I Solved Them
+
+- **Challenge:** Handling local saved states for identifying projects with their keys.  
+  **Solution:** We are replacing the repoName and its key when a project is forked, discussion on this approach is still in progress. 
+
+- **Challenge:** Managing clear separation between forking and opening a project in Music Blocks.  
+  **Solution:** Created a separate end point which only returns the projectData, no forking initially, will save loading time as well as un-necessary repository creation.
+
+---
+
+## Key Learnings
+- Understanding the importance of UX clarity when introducing forking systems.
+- How forks inherit full Git commit histories and the implications for educational use-cases, reflective journey in particular.
+- Value of allowing students to describe their projects for documentation and self-reflection.
+
+---
+
+## Next Week's Roadmap
+- Begin work on downloading and sharing of projects.
+- Conceptualise creating pull requests and an option to see them Music Blocks.  
+- Discuss on working on multiple projects simultaneously.  
+
+
+---
+
+## Resources & References
+
+- [MusicBlocks Frontend Repo](https://github.com/sugarlabs/musicblocks)
+- [musicblocks-backend](https://github.com/benikk/musicblocks-backend)
+- [Octokit REST.js Library](https://github.com/octokit/rest.js)
+
+---
+
+## Acknowledgments
+
+Thanks again to my mentors and the Sugar Labs community for feedback and support!  
+Looking forward to next week’s frontend PR features. 
+