LMS (Learning Management System) Project

Overview

A comprehensive Java-based Learning Management System allowing students to take courses and quizzes while enabling authors to create and manage educational content.

Features

For Students

• Create and manage accounts
• Browse and enroll in courses
• Complete lessons and take quizzes
• Review courses and provide ratings
• Track progress and view grades

For Authors

• Create and manage educational courses
• Organize content into modules and lessons
• Create quizzes with multiple-choice questions
• View student progress and grades
• Manage course reviews

System Features

• Secure user authentication
• JSON-based data persistence
• Template-based initialization system
• Type-safe data handling

System Requirements

• Java Development Kit (JDK) 8 or higher
• Windows, macOS, or Linux operating system

Installation

Quick Start (Windows)

1. Clone or download this repository
2. Double-click the run-windows.bat file
3. The system will automatically:
   • Create necessary directories
   • Check for template files
   • Compile the code
   • Run the application

Manual Setup

1. Ensure the json directory exists (create it if necessary)
2. Compile the Java files:

   javac -d out -cp "./lib/json-simple-1.1.1.jar;./lib/junit-platform-console-standalone-1.9.2.jar" src/*.java
   

3. Run the application:

   java -cp "out;./lib/json-simple-1.1.1.jar;./lib/junit-platform-console-standalone-1.9.2.jar" src.CourseUI
   

   (Use colons instead of semicolons for Unix-based systems)

Project Structure

Key Directories

• src/ - Java source files
• lib/ - Required libraries (JSON parser and testing framework)
• json/ - Data directory (created automatically)
• out/ - Compiled classes (created during build)

Key Source Files

• CourseUI.java - Main user interface
• DataLoader.java - Handles loading data from JSON files
• DataWriter.java - Manages writing data to JSON files
• DataConstants.java - Defines constants and manages file templates
• Review.java - Handles course reviews and ratings
• Various model classes (Course, Module, Lesson, Quiz, etc.)

JSON Template System

The system uses template files for initial setup:

• usersExample.json - Template for user data
• coursesExample.json - Template for course data

These templates are automatically copied to working files (json/users.json and json/course.json) on first run.

Usage

Navigation

After starting the application, you'll see a menu-based interface. Use the number keys to select options.

User Types

• Student: Can browse, enroll in, and take courses
• Author: Can create and manage courses and content

Sample Accounts

The template includes sample accounts:

• Author: username example_author, password password123
• Student: username example_student, password password123

Data Files

• User data: json/users.json
• Course data: json/course.json

These files are automatically created from templates if they don't exist.

Testing

Run the included JUnit tests with:

java -jar lib/junit-platform-console-standalone-1.9.2.jar --class-path out --scan-class-path

Development Notes

• The system uses JSON Simple for data persistence
• Data type handling has been improved to safely handle different numeric formats
• Reviews support both string and numeric ratings for flexibility