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Get up and running with MyDiary in just a few minutes. This guide walks you through creating your account, writing your first diary entry, and connecting with friends.

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Create your account

1

Visit the registration page

Navigate to /SingIn in your MyDiary instance to access the registration form.
2

Fill in your details

Provide the following information:
  • Name - Your display name (will be capitalized automatically)
  • Email - A valid email address (must be unique)
  • Password - At least 6 characters
  • Confirm password - Must match your password
All fields are required. Your email must be unique - you’ll get an error if it’s already registered.
3

Submit the form

Click the registration button. Upon successful registration, you’ll be automatically logged in and redirected to your home feed.
The registration process uses this validation (from UserController.php:40-45): 
$req->validate([
    'password' => 'required|min:6',
    'passwordConfirm' => 'required|same:password',
    'email' => 'required|email',
    'name' => 'required'
]);

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Write your first entry

1

Access the entry form

After logging in, you’ll see the main diary interface with a text area at the top labeled “¿Como te sientes hoy?” (How are you feeling today?).
2

Compose your entry

Click on the text area and write your thoughts. The entry body is required - you cannot publish an empty entry.
Be authentic! Your diary is a space for your genuine thoughts and experiences.
3

Add an image (optional)

Click the camera icon or “Añadir imagen” area to upload a photo:
  • Click to browse your files
  • Or drag and drop an image directly
The image will be stored securely in Laravel’s storage system.
4

Set visibility

Choose who can see your entry using the visibility dropdown:
  • Public - All your friends can see this entry
  • Private - Only you can see this entry
  • Friends only - Select specific friends to share with
When selecting “Friends only”, a modal opens where you can choose which friends can view the entry.
5

Publish

Click Publicar entrada (Publish entry). You’ll see a success message and your new entry will appear at the top of your feed.
Here’s how entries are created (from EntryController.php:21-52): 
$entry = new Entry();
$entry->body = $req->body;
$entry->visibility = $req->visibilityValue;
$entry->creator_id = Auth::user()->id;
$entry->save();

// Handle image upload
if($req->hasFile('file')) {
    $file = $req->file('file');
    $path = $file->store('uploads', 'public');
    
    $imageEntry = new ImageEntry();
    $imageEntry->name = $file->getClientOriginalName();
    $imageEntry->path = $path;
    $imageEntry->entry_id = $entry->id;
    $imageEntry->save();
}

// Share with specific friends
$friends = $req->input('friend');
if($friends) {
    $entry->users()->attach($friends);
}

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Connect with friends

1

Find users

Navigate to /Friends to see all users. You’ll see three tabs:
  • Profiles - All users who aren’t your friends yet
  • Friends - Your accepted friend connections (type=1)
  • Requests - Pending friend requests sent to you (type=2)
2

Search for someone

Use the search bar to find users by name or email. The search filters users in real-time.
3

Send a friend request

Click the Add Friend or similar button next to a user’s profile. The request status will change to “Pending”.
If someone already sent you a request, clicking this button will automatically accept their request instead!
4

Accept or reject requests

Switch to the Requests tab to see pending friend requests. You can:
  • Accept - Click the accept button to become friends
  • Reject - Click the reject button to decline the request
The friend request logic handles multiple scenarios (from FriendRequestsController.php:66-135): 
// If they sent you a request, auto-accept it
$friendRequest = $user->friendsS()
    ->where('recived_id', Auth::user()->id)
    ->wherePivot('status', 'pending')
    ->exists();

if($friendRequest) {
    $user->friendsS()->updateExistingPivot(Auth::user()->id, [
        'response_at' => Carbon::now(),
        'status' => 'accepted'
    ]);
}

// Otherwise, send a new request
Auth::user()->friendsS()->attach($id, [
    'status' => 'pending',
    'send_at' => Carbon::now()
]);

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View and engage with content

Once you have friends and entries:
  • View your feed - See your entries and your friends’ public entries in chronological order
  • Like entries - Click the heart icon to like entries from friends
  • Edit your entries - Click the edit button on your own entries to modify them
  • Delete entries - Click the delete button to remove entries you created

Share selectively

Learn how to control who sees your entries

Manage privacy

Understand all privacy settings

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What’s next

Now that you’re up and running, explore more features:
For developers looking to deploy or customize MyDiary, check out the installation guide.

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