Library Booking System

Overview

The Library Booking System is a C++ application that allows users to interact with a catalog of books stored in an external file. The system provides functionality to view the catalog, search for specific books by title, and add selected books to a waitlist. The program ensures that the waitlist capacity is respected and prevents duplicate entries. Additionally, users can load their own book catalog file of any size, as long as the constant NUM_BOOKS is adjusted accordingly to match the number of books in the file.

Features

• View Entire Catalog: Display the entire list of books in increments of 10, allowing for easy navigation.
• Search by Title: Allows users to search the catalog for a specific book or partial title using a linear search algorithm.
• Manage Waitlist: Add books to a waitlist (up to 5 books), with checks to ensure no duplicate entries.
• Display Waitlist: View the books currently on the waitlist.
• Customizable Catalog: Users can load their own library book catalog input file of any size by updating the NUM_BOOKS constant to reflect the correct number of entries in the file.

Technical Overview

• Branching Structures: This project uses extensive if-else and switch statements to manage the user input and program flow, ensuring the application can handle different user commands, such as displaying books, searching the catalog, and managing the waitlist.
• Program Abstraction: The project follows object-oriented principles by separating functionality into two fundamental classes: Book and Library. This abstraction improves code modularity and makes the system easier to maintain and extend.
• File Parsing Algorithm: The library catalog is loaded from an external file (library_books.txt) using a file parsing algorithm. Each file line is tokenized using a | delimiter, converting strings into their appropriate data types (year, title, author, and score).
• Linear Search Algorithm: The linear search algorithm searches for book titles within the catalog. The algorithm iterates through the catalog, comparing each book's title to the user’s query, allowing for partial matches.
• Menu-Driven Interface: The system utilizes a loop-driven menu with switch statements to guide user interactions, providing options such as viewing the catalog, searching, and adding books to the waitlist.

Files

1. Library.h / Library.cpp: These files define and implement the Library class, which manages the catalog, waitlist, and user interaction. It also includes the main menu logic and functions like SearchCatalog and AddBook.
2. Book.h / Book.cpp: These files define and implement the Book class, which encapsulates the details of each book, such as title, author, year, and score.
3. driver.cpp: The main driver that starts the application and runs the Library system.
4. library_books.txt: This is the default input file containing the book data, with each book's details (year, title, author(s), and score) separated by the | delimiter. Users can substitute this with their own catalog file and adjust the NUM_BOOKS constant to match the size of the new file.

How to Use

1. Adjust the NUM_BOOKS Constant: If you want to load your own book catalog, adjust the NUM_BOOKS constant in Library.h to match the number of books in your input file.

   const int NUM_BOOKS = [number of books in your catalog file];

2. Compile the project using the following command:

   g++ driver.cpp Library.cpp Book.cpp -o library_system

3. Run the Program:

   ./library_system [your_catalog_file.txt]

4. Main Menu:

   • 1. Display All Books: View the full catalog of books in increments of 10.
   • 2. Search Catalog for Book Title: Search for a book by entering its title or a portion of it using the linear search algorithm.
   • 3. Add Book to Waitlist: Add a book from the catalog (up to 5 books) to your waitlist.
   • 4. Display Waitlist: View the books currently on the waitlist.
   • 5. Quit: Exit the program.

Sample Input Format (library_books.txt)

1987|Batman: Year One|Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli, Richmond Lewis, Dennis O'Neil|4.23
2015|Go Set a Watchman|Harper Lee|3.31
2008|When You Are Engulfed in Flames|David Sedaris|4.04
...

Each line in the input file contains the Year, Title, Author(s), and Score, separated by the | delimiter.

Example Output

1. Batman: Year One (1987) by Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli, Richmond Lewis, Dennis O'Neil with a score of 4.23
2. Go Set a Watchman (2015) by Harper Lee with a score of 3.31
...

What I Learned

Through building the Library Booking System, I gained experience with:

• Program Abstraction: By separating functionality into distinct classes (Book and Library), I improved my understanding of object-oriented design, making the program more modular and maintainable.
• Branching Structures: I used a variety of branching structures (if-else and switch statements) to manage user input and program flow efficiently.
• File Parsing Algorithm: Implementing a file parsing algorithm to read and process data from an external file allowed me to strengthen my skills in handling file I/O operations and converting string data into usable formats.
• Linear Search Algorithm: I implemented a linear search algorithm to efficiently search the catalog for book titles, which improved my understanding of basic search techniques in arrays.
• Menu-Driven Interface: I developed a user-friendly menu system that handles multiple inputs and guides the user through the application's various features.
• Custom Input Handling: I learned how to make the system flexible, allowing users to input their own book catalog files, and ensuring the system adjusts accordingly by changing the NUM_BOOKS constant.