Architecture

The data structure diagram provided illustrates the interactions between different entities in the system designed to manage course schedules, wishlists, and calendars for users by accessing the University of Waterloo's OpenAPI. Here's an explanation of the key elements and their interactions:

1. User Interaction with UW OpenAPI: The core of this system is the interaction between the user and the University of Waterloo's OpenAPI. The user can request course schedules and information about courses offered through the API. This interaction is central to all other functionalities of the system.

2. Calendar and Course Management: Once the user retrieves course information from the OpenAPI, they can utilize this data in various ways:

   • Calendar: The user can add courses to their calendar, creating a personalized schedule of the courses they are taking or interested in.
   • Custom Calendar: For more tailored needs, the user can create a custom calendar. This involves first accessing the OpenAPI for course information, then processing this data according to the user's specific requirements, and finally adding it to a custom calendar.
   • Wishlist: Users can also add courses to a Wishlist. This is achieved by first requesting course data from the OpenAPI and then storing the desired courses in the Wishlist for future reference or enrollment.
   • Optimized Schedule: Users can send selected courses to this module, which then processes these courses to return an optimized schedule and thereby providing a more efficient and personalized academic schedule.

3. Social Features - Friends and Shared Calendars:

   • Friend Requests and Shared Schedules: The system allows users to connect with friends. A user can send a friend request to another user. Once accepted, they can view each other's schedules. This feature enhances the collaborative aspect of the system, allowing students to coordinate or plan their schedules together.
   • Visibility of Friend's Calendar: After a friend request is accepted, a user can access their friend's calendar data, providing an opportunity for shared planning.

4. Course-Related Data Entities: The diagram includes entities like 'User Course', 'User Custom Calendar', and 'Current Calendar Courses'. These represent different categories of course data processed and stored in the system. For instance, 'User Course' may represent the courses a user is currently enrolled in or interested in, while 'User Custom Calendar' could represent a user's uniquely created calendar based on specific criteria or preferences for future or current enrolment.

Overall, the data structure diagram outlines a comprehensive system for managing academic schedules and courses, integrating the University of Waterloo's OpenAPI for real-time course data, and enabling social interactions through shared calendars and friend functionalities. This system has been designed for ease of use, flexibility, and collaborative planning, tailored specifically for students at the University of Waterloo.