Happy4Walls Student Ecosystem Happy4Walls Student Ecosystem is a prototype web application for international students arriving in Canada. It helps students verify their identity, access a settlement dashboard, find roommate or study mate matches, follow a guided checklist, ask an AI assistant questions, and search local survival places such as cultural grocery stores and restaurants.
Current Status This is a local Node.js prototype running at:
http://127.0.0.1:8000/ The app currently uses:
Plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the frontend Node.js built-in HTTP server for the backend SQLite for local database storage Gemini API for the AI assistant Google Maps JavaScript API and Places API for local map search Project Location C:\Users\Naitik\Documents\Codex\2026-04-29\so-i-want-to-build-a Main Features
- Verified Student Signup and Login Students can create an account using:
Full name College email Password Verification method: college email only Login/signup data is stored in the local SQLite database. Passwords are stored as PBKDF2 password hashes, not as plain text.
- Student Dashboard After login, the user is redirected to the dashboard. The dashboard includes:
Roommate / Study Mate matching Checklist progress Gemini AI Assistant Local Maps Alerts placeholder
- Roommate / Study Mate Matching Students can filter matches by:
City University or college type Specific university/college Monthly housing budget The Mate Match page starts with two paths:
Need a Roommate? opens the preference filters and match list. Looking for Place? opens the Add My Details flow. Students can also add their own matching profile. The profile is saved in the database and appears in live match results. Compatibility is not shown on the main list; users open View Fit to see shared and differing profile details.
Stored roommate profile fields include:
City Institution type Institution name Budget Program Lifestyle Commute Country/community Bio Uploaded photo or descriptive image Courses Fit tags Students can open a chat popup from View Fit. Messages are stored in the backend.
- Checklist Progress The checklist helps students track important first-month settlement tasks:
Apply for SIN number Open student bank account Choose a phone plan Confirm health insurance Plan GIC withdrawal Set up transit and student discounts
- Gemini AI Assistant The assistant answers international student settlement questions about:
SIN Banking Phone plans Health insurance Housing and rental scams GIC budgeting Jobs and campus life If the Gemini API key is missing or the API request fails, the app returns local fallback answers for common student questions.
- Local Maps The maps feature helps students search for nearby places by city, community, and place type.
Examples:
Indian grocery stores in Kitchener Punjabi restaurants in Brampton Filipino convenience stores in Toronto Clinics, banks, and phone stores The feature uses Google Maps JavaScript API and Google Places API.
- Scam Alerts The Alerts page includes a working scam-risk checker. Students can paste a rental post, job offer, message, or link and receive a risk score, detected warning signals, and recommended next steps.
Current alert checks include:
Gift card, crypto, wire transfer, or other unsafe payment requests Pressure language and urgent deadlines Requests for deposits before viewing Requests for sensitive identity or banking information Suspicious job offer patterns
