Train Booking System

Description

A C++ based train booking system that implements object-oriented programming concepts and file I/O operations for persistent data storage. The system manages train schedules, passenger bookings, and seat reservations using modern C++17 features and template-based generic programming.

Features

• Book Tickets: Create bookings for trains and vehicles
• View Bookings: Display detailed booking information
• Cancel Bookings: Remove bookings and free up seats
• Generic Templates: Works with both Train and Vehicle types
• Persistent Storage: JSON-based file storage for all bookings
• Multiple Passengers: Support for multiple passengers per booking

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• C++ compiler with C++17 support (g++)
• Make build system
• Linux, Mac, or Windows with WSL

Build the Project

make

Run the Application

./booking_system

Run Tests

cd tests
make run

See tests/README.md for detailed testing instructions.

Project Structure

train-booking-cpp/
├── entities/              # Data models
│   ├── user.hpp          # User/Passenger struct
│   ├── train.hpp         # Train struct
│   └── vehicle.hpp       # Vehicle struct
├── services/             # Business logic
│   ├── bookingService.hpp # Booking service (header)
│   ├── bookingService.cpp # Booking service (implementation)
│   ├── fileIO.hpp        # File I/O service (header)
│   └── fileIO.cpp        # File I/O service (implementation)
├── external/             # Third-party libraries
│   └── json.hpp          # nlohmann/json library
├── tests/                # Test suite
│   ├── test_booking.cpp  # Test file
│   ├── Makefile          # Test build configuration
│   └── README.md         # Testing guide
├── main.cpp              # Application entry point
├── Makefile              # Build configuration
└── README.MD             # This file

Technical Implementation

Core C++ Concepts Used

• Templates & Generics: Template specialization for Vehicle and Train types
• File I/O: Reading and writing booking data to JSON files
• Standard Template Library (STL): Vectors for dynamic arrays, time_t for timestamps
• Structs: Lightweight data structures for entities
• External Libraries: nlohmann/json for JSON serialization/deserialization
• Modern C++17: Standard compliance for robust code

Key Components

1. Entity Classes (Structs)

User (entities/user.hpp)

struct User {
    string userId;
    string name;
    string aadharCard;
    vector<Vehicle*> vehicles;
};

Train (entities/train.hpp)

struct Train {
    string trainId;
    string name;
    string source;
    string destination;
    time_t time;
    vector<vector<User>> seats;  // 2D seat matrix
};

Vehicle (entities/vehicle.hpp)

struct Vehicle {
    string vehicleId;
    string name;
    string source;
    string destination;
    time_t time;
    vector<vector<User>> seats;  // 2D seat matrix
};

2. BookingService (Template Class)

Location: services/bookingService.hpp and services/bookingService.cpp

Public Methods:

• book(string entityId, User user, string name, string source, string destination) - Creates a new booking
• cancelBooking(string entityId, string userId) - Cancels an existing booking
• printBooking(string entityId, string userId) - Displays booking details

Template Specializations:

• BookingService<Vehicle> - For vehicle bookings
• BookingService<Train> - For train bookings

Example Usage:

// Create user
User user;
user.userId = "U001";
user.name = "John Doe";
user.aadharCard = "1234-5678-9012";

// Book a vehicle
BookingService<Vehicle> bookingService;
bookingService.book("V001", user, "Express Train", "Mumbai", "Delhi");

// Print booking
bookingService.printBooking("V001", "U001");

// Cancel booking
bookingService.cancelBooking("V001", "U001");

3. FileIO (Template Class)

Location: services/fileIO.hpp and services/fileIO.cpp

Public Methods:

• saveToFile(T entity) - Appends an entity to the JSON file
• readFromFile() - Reads all entities of type T from the JSON file
• updateFile(vector<T> entities) - Overwrites the JSON file with provided entities

Features:

• Automatic JSON serialization/deserialization
• Separate handling for Vehicle and Train types
• Persistent storage in db.json

API Reference

BookingService Methods

book()

Creates a new booking and saves it to the database.

Parameters:

• entityId - Unique identifier for the vehicle/train
• user - User object with passenger details
• name - Name of the vehicle/train
• source - Starting station
• destination - Ending station

Returns: void

---

cancelBooking()

Cancels a booking by removing the user from the seat allocation.

Parameters:

• entityId - ID of the vehicle/train
• userId - ID of the user to remove

Returns: void

Output: Prints confirmation message or error if booking not found

---

printBooking()

Displays detailed information about a booking.

Parameters:

• entityId - ID of the vehicle/train
• userId - ID of the user

Returns: void

Output: Formatted booking details including route, time, and passenger info

Database Schema

Bookings are stored in db.json as a JSON array. Each booking contains:

Vehicle Booking:

{
    "vehicleId": "V001",
    "name": "Express Train",
    "source": "Mumbai",
    "destination": "Delhi",
    "time": 1699363200,
    "seats": [
        [
            {
                "userId": "U001",
                "name": "John Doe",
                "aadharCard": "1234-5678-9012"
            }
        ]
    ]
}

Train Booking:

{
    "trainId": "T001",
    "name": "Rajdhani Express",
    "source": "Chennai",
    "destination": "Kolkata",
    "time": 1699363200,
    "seats": [
        [
            {
                "userId": "U002",
                "name": "Jane Smith",
                "aadharCard": "9876-5432-1098"
            }
        ]
    ]
}

Building and Compilation

Main Application

# Clean previous builds
make clean

# Build the project
make

# Run the application
./booking_system

Tests

# Navigate to tests directory
cd tests

# Build and run tests
make run

# Or build separately
make
./test_booking

# Clean test artifacts
make clean

Usage Example

Interactive Console Usage

Enter User ID: U001
Enter Name: John Doe
Enter Aadhar Card Number: 123456789012
Enter the option:
Enter 1 to book the train
1
Enter Train ID: T001
Enter Train Name: Rajdhani Express
Enter Source Station: Mumbai
Enter Destination Station: Delhi
Train booked successfully!

Testing

The project includes a comprehensive test suite that validates all booking operations.

Tests Include:

1. Vehicle booking creation
2. Booking retrieval and display
3. Multiple concurrent bookings
4. Booking cancellation
5. Cancellation verification
6. Train booking (template verification)
7. Invalid booking lookups

Run Tests:

cd tests
make run

For detailed testing instructions, see tests/README.md.

Error Handling

The system handles various error conditions:

• File Not Found: Returns empty list when db.json doesn't exist
• Invalid Entity: Skips incompatible records (e.g., Vehicle records when reading Trains)
• Booking Not Found: Displays appropriate error message
• User Not Found: Notifies when attempting to cancel non-existent booking

Future Enhancements

Potential improvements for the system:

• User authentication and login system
• Seat selection interface (row/column selection)
• Search functionality for available trains
• Date/time based booking validation
• Booking history per user
• Multiple seat booking in single transaction
• Payment integration
• Email/SMS notifications