Hostel Complaint Management System

C++ Console Application | OODP Mini Project | 21CSC101T

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Project Overview

A fully menu-driven C++ application for managing hostel maintenance complaints. Students can raise, track, and review complaints. The admin can view, search, filter, update status, assign staff, add remarks, and resolve or reject complaints. All data is stored in plain-text files so it persists across runs.

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Folder Structure

hostel-cms-cpp/
│
├── Makefile
├── README.md
│
├── include/                       ← Header files (.h)
│   ├── User.h                     ← Abstract base class
│   ├── Student.h                  ← Inherits from User
│   ├── Admin.h                    ← Inherits from User
│   ├── Complaint.h                ← Entity: inline getters, friend fn,
│   │                                constructor overloading,
│   │                                operator overloading
│   ├── ComplaintManager.h         ← CRUD + file I/O
│   ├── AuthManager.h              ← Login/session + custom exceptions
│   └── UI.h                       ← Display helpers + inline functions
│
├── src/                           ← Source files (.cpp)
│   ├── main.cpp                   ← Entry point + all menu flows
│   ├── User.cpp
│   ├── Student.cpp
│   ├── Admin.cpp
│   ├── Complaint.cpp              ← All operator overloads + friend fn
│   ├── ComplaintManager.cpp       ← File I/O + CRUD
│   ├── AuthManager.cpp            ← Exception handling in login()
│   └── UI.cpp                     ← Terminal output + input helpers
│
├── data/
│   ├── users.txt                  ← User accounts
│   └── complaints.txt             ← All complaints (auto-updated)
│
└── build/                         ← Auto-created during compilation

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Compile and Run (macOS / Linux)

# Step 1 — go to project folder
cd hostel-cms-cpp

# Step 2 — compile
make

# Step 3 — run
./hostel_cms

# One command
make run

# Clean build files
make clean

# Manual compile (macOS without make)
clang++ -std=c++17 -I include src/*.cpp -o hostel_cms

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Login Credentials

Role	Username	Password
Student	priya	priya123
Student	rahul	rahul123
Admin	admin	admin123

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OOP Concepts — Complete List

Concept	File	How it is used
Class & Object	All .h / .cpp files	User, Student, Admin, Complaint, ComplaintManager, AuthManager
Encapsulation	All classes	All data members are private; accessed via public methods
Inheritance	Student.h, Admin.h	Student and Admin inherit from User
Polymorphism (runtime)	AuthManager.h, main.cpp	User* pointer holds Student or Admin at runtime
Abstraction	User.h	getRoleLabel() is pure virtual (= 0)
Constructor Overloading	Complaint.h / Complaint.cpp	3 constructors: default, partial (id+title), full
Operator Overloading	Complaint.h / Complaint.cpp	==, !=, <, and << overloaded
Friend Function	Complaint.h / Complaint.cpp	printComplaintCard() accesses private members directly
Inline Functions	Complaint.h, UI.h	All 14 getters inline; clearScreen, pressEnter, printLine
Exception Handling	AuthManager.h / .cpp, main	EmptyCredentialsException, InvalidLoginException, FileLoadException
File Handling	ComplaintManager.cpp	ifstream / ofstream for complaints.txt and users.txt

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Exception Classes (in AuthManager.h)

Exception	When thrown
EmptyCredentialsException	Username or password field left blank
InvalidLoginException	Credentials do not match any user in file
FileLoadException	data/users.txt cannot be opened on startup

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Operator Overloads (in Complaint.h / Complaint.cpp)

Operator	Meaning
==	Two complaints are equal if their IDs match
!=	Opposite of ==
<	Earlier dateSubmitted = smaller
<<	Prints one-line summary to any ostream

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Constructor Overloads (in Complaint.h / Complaint.cpp)

Constructor	Parameters	Used when
Default	none	Loading complaint from file
Partial	id, title	Quick lookup or display only
Full	all 10 fields	Student raises a new complaint