CampusFind - University Lost and Found Management System

CampusFind is a Java web application for managing lost and found items in a university. Students can report lost items, post found items with optional images, search item listings, bookmark items, submit claims, and manage their own posts. Admins can approve users, manage items, manage claims, manage categories, and view system reports.

Technologies Used

• Java
• Jakarta Servlets
• Jakarta JSP
• Jakarta JSTL / EL
• JDBC
• MySQL / MariaDB
• Apache Tomcat 10.0.x
• Maven
• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript for small user interface effects only

Main Features

Student Features

• Register account
• Wait for admin approval
• Login and logout
• Student dashboard
• Report lost item
• Report found item with optional image upload
• Search found items
• View item details
• Bookmark items
• Submit claims
• View and delete own posts
• Update profile
• Change password

Admin Features

• Admin dashboard
• Approve or reject student users
• Manage items
• Update item status
• Delete items
• Manage claims
• Approve or reject claims
• Manage categories
• View reports
• Download CSV report summary

Project Structure

src/main/java/com/lostfound/controller
src/main/java/com/lostfound/dao
src/main/java/com/lostfound/filter
src/main/java/com/lostfound/model
src/main/java/com/lostfound/service
src/main/java/com/lostfound/util
src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/views
src/main/webapp/css
src/main/webapp/images
src/main/webapp/js
src/main/webapp/uploads/items
database/schema.sql
database/database_with_sample_data.sql
pom.xml
README.md

Database Setup

Database name:

lostfound_db

The database files are located in the database folder:

database/schema.sql
database/database_with_sample_data.sql

Use database/schema.sql for a clean fresh setup with the main database structure and default admin account.

Use database/database_with_sample_data.sql for a ready demo setup with sample users, categories, items, claims, bookmarks, and item records. This is recommended when downloading the project from GitHub because the homepage and item pages will show sample data immediately after importing the database.

Warning: running the SQL scripts may drop and recreate the lostfound_db database. Use them only for fresh setup or testing.

Database Configuration

CampusFind uses MySQL/MariaDB through XAMPP. The default database connection settings are:

Database name: lostfound_db
Host: localhost
Port: 3306
Username: root
Password: empty

The database connection file is:

src/main/java/com/lostfound/util/DBConnection.java

If the project is tested on another computer, update the database URL, username, or password in DBConnection.java if needed.

Default Admin Login

Email: admin@campus.com
Password: admin123

The default admin account is inserted by the database SQL scripts.

Sample Item Images

Sample item images are included in the project here:

src/main/webapp/uploads/items

The sample database stores image paths like this:

uploads/items/filename.png

For example, if the database stores:

uploads/items/found_38_1779008112245.png

then the matching file is stored in the project as:

src/main/webapp/uploads/items/found_38_1779008112245.png

After importing database/database_with_sample_data.sql, the sample item records and their images should display correctly when the project is deployed.

Image Upload Notes

Found-item images are saved under:

src/main/webapp/uploads/items

The database stores only the image path, not the image file itself. If images do not appear after deployment, check that:

• The image file exists in src/main/webapp/uploads/items.
• The database image_path value matches the image file path.
• The project was refreshed and redeployed after adding image files.

How to Run

1. Import the Maven project into Eclipse.
2. Configure Apache Tomcat 10.0.x.
3. Start MySQL using XAMPP.
4. Import one of the SQL files from the database folder into phpMyAdmin or MySQL.

For clean setup:

database/schema.sql

For demo setup with sample users, sample items, and sample images:

database/database_with_sample_data.sql

5. Check database settings in:

src/main/java/com/lostfound/util/DBConnection.java

6. Right-click the project in Eclipse.
7. Select:

Run As -> Run on Server

8. Open the project in the browser.

Example URL when deployed using the Maven WAR final name:

http://localhost:8080/campusfind/home

The URL may be different depending on the Eclipse context root.

Jakarta and Tomcat 10 Note

This project uses the Jakarta EE package structure required by Tomcat 10.0.x.

Servlets use Jakarta imports such as:

import jakarta.servlet.*;
import jakarta.servlet.http.*;
import jakarta.servlet.annotation.*;

JSP pages use JSTL/EL tag libraries, for example:

<%@ taglib prefix="c" uri="http://java.sun.com/jsp/jstl/core" %>

The project should be deployed on Tomcat 10.0.x, not Tomcat 9.

Important Notes

• Student accounts are created with pending status.
• Admin must approve student accounts before students can log in.
• Students cannot access admin pages.
• Admins cannot access student pages.
• Logged-out users are redirected to the login page.
• Search displays open found items.
• Found items can have uploaded images.
• Lost items do not require images.
• A student cannot claim their own found item.
• Duplicate claims are prevented by Java validation and a database unique constraint.
• Duplicate bookmarks are prevented by a database unique constraint.
• The homepage displays recent item records from the database.
• If the database has no item records, the homepage may appear empty.

Security and Validation

The project includes:

• Session-based login
• Role-based access control using AuthFilter
• Password hashing using PasswordUtil
• PreparedStatement in DAO classes
• JSTL <c:out> for safer output
• Server-side validation for registration, login, item posting, image upload, profile update, and password update
• File extension and content-type validation for image uploads
• Transaction handling when approving claims

Reports

The admin report page shows summary data for:

• Users
• Items
• Claims
• Top lost item categories

Admins can download the report summary as a CSV file from the admin reports page.

Backup and Recovery

The database can be backed up by exporting the database from phpMyAdmin or MySQL.

The database/schema.sql file can recreate the database structure and insert the default admin account for fresh setup.

The database/database_with_sample_data.sql file can recreate the database with sample users, categories, items, claims, bookmarks, and item records for demo/testing.

This project does not include an automated internal backup system.

Coursework Restrictions Followed

The project does not use:

• React
• Node.js
• Bootstrap
• Apache POI
• External APIs

JavaScript is used only for small user interface effects such as animations, counters, and the About page team modal. Core system features such as authentication, database access, item posting, claims, bookmarks, and admin actions are handled using Java, JSP, Servlets, JDBC, and MySQL.

Project Name

CampusFind - University Lost and Found Management System