Central Computing Facility Automation Tool (CCFAT)

About the Project

CCFAT replaces manual, Excel-based lab reservations with a ⚡ MERN portal.

Table of Contents

• Problem--Solution
• User-Roles--Permissions
• Features
• Tech-Stack
• Getting-Started
• Usage
• Screenshots
• Roadmap--Future-Work
• Contributing
• License
• Contact--Acknowledgements

Problem & Solution 🚧➡️🛠️

Booking a CCF lab at MAHE currently means endless back-and-forth calls, emails and Excel updates. Every request must hop from staff → CCF staff → lab in-charge, risking clashes, omissions and zero visibility for other users.

CCFAT replaces this tangle with a single MERN-stack portal:

• anyone with campus credentials logs in, sees a live timetable and requests a slot in seconds;
• the in-charge reviews requests from an approval queue;
• confirmations (or rejections) are emailed automatically;
• bookings, users and recurring PSUC class blocks are stored centrally, powering usage analytics.

The same pattern can be extended to any lab or shared resource on campus.

User Roles & Permissions 🔒

Role	Capabilities	Typical Screen
MAHE Staff / Student	View timetable; request & cancel own bookings	User Booking UI
CCF Staff	Approve / decline requests; manage recurring PSUC slots; see upcoming reservations	Admin Dashboard
Administrator	CRUD on users, departments & institutes; generate usage reports; full audit trail	Admin Records UI

Features

• Login/signup
• Weekly timetable grid
• One-click booking
• Admin approval
• Email notifications 📧
• Recurring slots
• Analytics
• CRUD for users/departments/institutes

Tech Stack

MongoDB · Express.js · React · Node.js + Nodemailer, JWT, Moment.js 🗓️

Getting Started

Prerequisites: Node.js, npm and MongoDB.

git clone https://github.com/example/CCFAT.git
cd CCFAT

Create .env:

SECRET_KEY=your-secret

Run clients and server in parallel:

cd client/ && npm start &
cd server/ && npm start

Usage

1. Make a booking.
2. Admin approves.
3. Confirmation email sent 📧.

Screenshots

Wireframes

Login (lo-fi)	Booking page (lo-fi)

Live Application

Login (prod)	Check Availability (prod)

Roadmap / Future Work

• Multi-lab support
• Google Calendar sync
• Richer analytics
• Customizable email templates

Contributing

Fork the repo, clone, create a branch, commit, and open a PR. Follow ESLint/Prettier rules.

License

MIT