User Availability Management System

Overview

This project is a web-based application that allows users to manage their availability slots and for admins to schedule meetings based on those slots. It consists of a React frontend and an Express.js backend, with MongoDB used for data storage.

System Architecture

• Frontend: Developed using React, responsible for user interactions and displaying availability slots.
• Backend: Developed using Express.js, responsible for API endpoints and business logic.
• Database: MongoDB, used to store user data, availability slots, and scheduled meetings.

Design Choices

1. Frontend (React):

   • The UserPanel component allows users to add, view, and delete their availability slots.
   • The user’s availability is fetched from the backend and displayed in a list.
   • A modal (currently commented out) is used for editing slots.

2. Backend (Express.js):

   • API endpoints are provided for managing availability and scheduling meetings.
   • Middleware is not used for user identification; the userId is included directly in the URL.

3. Database (MongoDB):

   • User Schema:

     import mongoose from "mongoose";
     
     const availabilitySchema = new mongoose.Schema({
       date: { type: Date, required: true },
       slots: [
         {
           _id: { type: mongoose.Schema.Types.ObjectId, auto: true },
           start: { type: Date, required: true },
           end: { type: Date, required: true },
           duration: { type: Number, required: true }, // in minutes
         },
       ],
     });
     
     const userSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
       email: { type: String, required: true, unique: true },
       role: { type: String, enum: ["admin", "user"], required: true },
       availability: [availabilitySchema],
       sessions: [{ type: mongoose.Schema.Types.ObjectId, ref: "Session" }],
     });
     
     const User = mongoose.model("User", userSchema);
     export default User;

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or later)
• MongoDB

Installation

1. Install Node.js:

   • Download and install Node.js from the Node.js official website.

2. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/your-repository.git
   cd your-repository
   
   

Project Setup

Backend Setup

1. Navigate to the backend directory:

   cd backend

2. Install backend dependencies:

   npm install

   Backend Dependencies:

   • express: Web framework for Node.js
   • mongoose: MongoDB object modeling tool
   • cors: Middleware for handling CORS
   • dotenv: Loads environment variables from a .env file
   • body-parser: Middleware for parsing incoming requests

3. Create a .env file:

   Inside the backend directory, create a .env file and add the following variables:

   MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/your-database
   PORT=5000

   Replace mongodb://localhost:27017/your-database with your MongoDB connection string.

4. Run the backend server:

   npm start

   The backend will run on http://localhost:5000.

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the frontend directory:

   cd ../frontend

2. Install frontend dependencies:

   npm install

   Frontend Dependencies:

   • react: JavaScript library for building user interfaces
   • axios: Promise-based HTTP client for making HTTP requests
   • react-dom: Provides DOM-specific methods for React
   • react-scripts: Scripts and configuration used by Create React App

3. Run the frontend:

   npm run dev

   The frontend will be available at http://localhost:3000.

Running the Application

To run the full stack:

1. Start the backend (if not already running):

   cd backend
   npm start

2. Start the frontend:

   cd ../frontend
   npm run dev

   You can access the application at:

   • http://localhost:3000 for the frontend
   • http://localhost:5000 for the backend API.

Features

• Users: Can manage their availability by adding, viewing, and deleting slots.
• Admins: Can schedule meetings for users based on their availability.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.