🎓 Sanrakshan - Student Storage Management System

Sanrakshan is a Django-based web application designed for educational institutions to manage student belongings storage efficiently. Students can register their items for temporary storage and receive QR codes for easy retrieval, while staff can scan codes to process claims seamlessly.

Perfect for hostels, libraries, and campus facilities managing student belongings during breaks, events, or relocations.

✨ Key Features

• Unique Code System for secure, specialized item retrieval (Validation Codes)
• Staff Dashboard for processing claims and verification
• Secure Verification via admin interface
• Student Registration & Authentication with college email validation
• Item Storage Management with detailed tracking
• Password Reset via email verification
• Responsive Design with Bootstrap 5
• Privacy-Focused with proper data protection

🎯 Use Cases

• Hostel Storage during semester breaks
• Library Item Management for temporary holds
• Event Storage for student belongings during functions
• Campus Relocations and room changes
• Emergency Storage during maintenance

🚀 Quick Start

1. Clone & Setup

git clone <repository-url>
cd sanrakshan
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Environment Configuration

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your settings (see Configuration section)

3. Database Setup

python manage.py migrate
python manage.py createsuperuser

4. Run Development Server

python manage.py runserver

5. Access the System

5. Access the System

• Student Interface: http://127.0.0.1:8000/storage/dashboard/
• Staff Dashboard: http://127.0.0.1:8000/storage/staff/dashboard/
• Admin Interface: http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin/

⚙️ Configuration

Environment Variables (.env)

# Security
SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
DEBUG=True

# Database
DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///db.sqlite3

# Email (for password reset)
EMAIL_BACKEND=django.core.mail.backends.console.EmailBackend

# College Settings
COLLEGE_EMAIL_DOMAIN=@yourcollege.edu
TIME_ZONE=Asia/Kolkata

Visual Guide

Initial Screen to Login

Main Dashboard

• Store Items : Store the items
• Claim Items : Claim the items

Store Items

• Enter all the item details that are to be kept

Staff Dashboard

• Central hub for verification and claims
• Live statistics and recent activity feed
• Manual code verification input

(Screenshot placeholder for Staff Dashboard)

Unique Code Display

• Shows secure 8-character code
• Status indicators (Active/Claimed/Inactive)
• Printer-friendly format

Dashboard after claiming items

Profile

College Customization

1. Email Domain: Update COLLEGE_EMAIL_DOMAIN in .env
2. Roll Number Format: Modify regex in accounts/models.py
3. Departments: Update choices in accounts/models.py

📱 Usage

For Students

1. Register with college email and roll number
2. Login with username/email and password
3. Create Storage Entry with item details
4. Get Unique Code: A secure 8-character code (e.g., A7B2-9XY1) is generated.
5. View History of all storage activities

For Staff

1. Login with staff credentials (or admin)
2. Access Staff Dashboard: /storage/staff/dashboard/
3. Verify Codes: Enter student's unique code to view items and owner details.
4. Process Claims: Mark items as returned with a single click.
5. Manage Storage through admin interface as needed.

🗄️ Database Schema

Core Models

• User: Authentication and basic info
• StudentProfile: College-specific student data
• StorageEntry: Individual storage sessions
• StoredItem: Items within each storage entry
• UniqueCode: Generated unique validation codes
• PasswordResetCode: Email-based password reset

🔒 Security Features

• Email Domain Validation for student registration
• Password Hashing with Django's PBKDF2
• CSRF Protection on all forms
• Permission-Based Access (student vs staff views)
• Environment Variables for sensitive configuration
• Privacy Protection via .gitignore exclusions

🛠️ Production Deployment

Database Configuration

# PostgreSQL (Recommended)
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/storage_db

# MySQL (Alternative)
DATABASE_URL=mysql://user:pass@localhost:3306/storage_db

Email Configuration

EMAIL_BACKEND=django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend
EMAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
EMAIL_HOST_USER=your-email@gmail.com
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=your-app-password

Security Settings

DEBUG=False
ALLOWED_HOSTS=yourdomain.com,www.yourdomain.com
SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT=True

📁 Project Structure

sanrakshan/
├── accounts/              # User management
├── storage/              # Storage functionality  
├── qr_codes/            # QR code system
├── templates/           # HTML templates
├── static/             # CSS, JS, images
├── requirements.txt    # Python dependencies
├── .env.example       # Environment template
└── README.md         # This file

🔧 Development

Running Tests

python manage.py test

Creating Migrations

python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

Collecting Static Files

python manage.py collectstatic

📋 Requirements

• Python 3.8+
• Django 4.2+
• SQLite (development) / PostgreSQL (production)
• Modern web browser with JavaScript enabled

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Run tests
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

🆘 Support

For issues and questions:

1. Check the documentation
2. Review existing issues
3. Create a new issue with detailed information

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Sanrakshan - Smart Storage Management for Educational Institutions

🚨 Troubleshooting Guide

Common Issues and Solutions

1. Server Won't Start / Hangs

Problem: Django server hangs during startup Solution:

# Create required directories
mkdir -p logs static

# Run with specific flags to avoid hanging
python manage.py runserver --noreload --nothreading

2. Database Errors (OperationalError)

Problem: "no such table" or "OperationalError" when accessing pages Solution:

# Run migrations to create database tables
python manage.py migrate

# If issues persist, reset database
rm db.sqlite3
python manage.py migrate
python manage.py createsuperuser

3. Missing StudentProfile Error

Problem: "No StudentProfile matches the given query" Solution:

# Create student profiles for existing users
python manage.py shell -c "
from accounts.models import User, StudentProfile
for user in User.objects.all():
    if not hasattr(user, 'student_profile'):
        StudentProfile.objects.create(
            user=user,
            roll_number=f'2024BCS{user.id:04d}',
            department='BCS',
            year=2,
            phone_number='9876543210'
        )
        print(f'Created profile for {user.username}')
"

4. Module Import Errors

Problem: "ModuleNotFoundError" for packages like dj_database_url Solution:

# Ensure virtual environment is activated
source venv/bin/activate

# Install all requirements
pip install -r requirements.txt

# If specific package missing
pip install dj-database-url python-decouple

5. Permission Denied Errors

Problem: Cannot access certain pages or features Solution:

# Create superuser account
python manage.py createsuperuser

# Or create via shell with profile
python manage.py shell -c "
from accounts.models import User, StudentProfile
user = User.objects.create_superuser('admin', 'admin@example.com', 'admin123')
StudentProfile.objects.create(
    user=user,
    roll_number='2024BCS0001',
    department='BCS',
    year=1,
    phone_number='9876543210'
)
"

6. Static Files Not Loading

Problem: CSS/JS files not loading properly Solution:

# Create static directory
mkdir -p static

# Collect static files (for production)
python manage.py collectstatic

# For development, ensure DEBUG=True in .env

🔧 Advanced Setup

Complete First-Time Setup Script

#!/bin/bash
# Complete setup script for Sanrakshan

# 1. Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

# 2. Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# 3. Create required directories
mkdir -p logs static media

# 4. Setup environment
cp .env.example .env
echo "Please edit .env file with your settings"

# 5. Database setup
python manage.py migrate

# 6. Create superuser
python manage.py shell -c "
from accounts.models import User, StudentProfile
if not User.objects.filter(username='admin').exists():
    user = User.objects.create_superuser('admin', 'admin@example.com', 'admin123')
    StudentProfile.objects.create(
        user=user,
        roll_number='2024BCS0001',
        department='BCS',
        year=1,
        phone_number='9876543210'
    )
    print('Superuser created: admin/admin123')
"

# 7. Start server
python manage.py runserver

Environment Variables Explained

Variable	Description	Example
SECRET_KEY	Django secret key for security	django-insecure-xyz...
DEBUG	Enable debug mode (True/False)	True
ALLOWED_HOSTS	Comma-separated allowed hosts	localhost,127.0.0.1
DATABASE_URL	Database connection string	sqlite:///db.sqlite3
EMAIL_HOST	SMTP server for emails	smtp.gmail.com
EMAIL_HOST_USER	Email username	your-email@gmail.com
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD	Email password/app password	your-app-password

Production Checklist

• Set DEBUG=False in production
• Configure proper ALLOWED_HOSTS
• Use PostgreSQL/MySQL instead of SQLite
• Set up proper email backend (SMTP)
• Configure static file serving (nginx/Apache)
• Set up SSL certificates
• Configure backup strategy
• Set up monitoring and logging
• Use environment variables for all secrets
• Enable security middleware

Testing the Installation

# Test basic functionality
python manage.py check

# Test database connection
python manage.py shell -c "from django.db import connection; connection.ensure_connection(); print('DB OK')"

# Test user creation
python manage.py shell -c "from accounts.models import User; print('Users:', User.objects.count())"

# Test server startup
timeout 5s python manage.py runserver --noreload || echo "Server test complete"

📊 System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• OS: Linux, macOS, or Windows
• Python: 3.8 or higher
• RAM: 512MB minimum, 1GB recommended
• Storage: 100MB for application, additional for database
• Browser: Modern browser with JavaScript enabled

Recommended Production Setup

• OS: Ubuntu 20.04+ or CentOS 8+
• Python: 3.9+
• RAM: 2GB+
• Storage: 10GB+ with SSD
• Database: PostgreSQL 12+
• Web Server: nginx + gunicorn
• SSL: Let's Encrypt certificates

🔍 Monitoring and Maintenance

Log Files

• Django Logs: logs/django.log
• Error Logs: Check Django admin for error reports
• Access Logs: Web server logs (nginx/Apache)

Regular Maintenance

# Database cleanup (monthly)
python manage.py shell -c "
from storage.models import StorageEntry
from django.utils import timezone
from datetime import timedelta

# Clean up old expired entries (older than 6 months)
cutoff = timezone.now() - timedelta(days=180)
old_entries = StorageEntry.objects.filter(
    status='expired',
    updated_at__lt=cutoff
)
print(f'Cleaning up {old_entries.count()} old entries')
old_entries.delete()
"

# Update dependencies (quarterly)
pip list --outdated
pip install -r requirements.txt --upgrade

# Database backup (weekly)
python manage.py dumpdata > backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).json

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Need Help?

• Check the troubleshooting section above
• Review Django documentation: https://docs.djangoproject.com/
• Create an issue with detailed error messages and system information