EventFlow - Role-Based Event Management System

📌 Project Info

Project Name: EventFlow
Description: A professional, role-based event management system built with Java. It handles comprehensive event operations including user roles, registration, task management, notifications, and schedule adjustments. It provides a robust backend with session management, role-based access control, and a clean, responsive UI.
Features:

• Role-Based Access Control: Secure portal for Admins, Organizers, Volunteers, and Students.
• Event Management: Create, update, and monitor live event operations.
• Task Orchestration: Assign and track tasks with dependencies and real-time updates.
• Attendance & Registration: Seamless student registration and check-in flow.
• Dashboard Analytics: Live metrics, operations pulse, and assignment momentum.
• Dark/Light Mode: Integrated theme toggle for an enhanced user experience.

⚙️ Tech Stack

• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3 (Custom Design System / Tokens), JavaScript, JSP (JavaServer Pages)
• Backend: Java 17, Jakarta Servlet API, MVC Architecture
• Database: MySQL 8.x
• Build Tool: Maven (Wrapper)
• Server: Apache Tomcat 10.x

🚀 Setup Instructions

Note: This project is a monolithic Java Web Application, meaning the frontend and backend run together on the Apache Tomcat server rather than as separate Node.js/React applications.

1. Clone Repo

git clone <repo-link>
cd eventflow

2. Database Setup

Ensure you have MySQL installed and running.

• MySQL username: root

• Password: 2592

• Execute the database creation script or run manually:

  CREATE DATABASE eventflow CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

• Seed the database using the provided PowerShell script (Windows) or Bash script (Mac/Linux):

  .\scripts\seed-local-db.ps1

3. Backend & Frontend Setup (Build & Deploy)

Since this is a unified Java project, you package the backend and frontend together into a .war file using Maven.

# Build the application using Maven Wrapper
.\mvnw.cmd -q -DskipTests package

Deploy the generated target/event-flow.war to your local Apache Tomcat 10.x server's webapps directory.

You can also use the automated bootstrap script which seeds the DB, builds the WAR, and deploys it automatically:

.\scripts\bootstrap-local.ps1

🌐 Run Project

• Application URL: http://localhost:8080/event-flow/login.jsp (Runs combined on port 8080 via Tomcat)

Seeded Accounts for Testing

Role	Email	Password
Admin	admin@eventflow.local	Admin123!
Organizer	organizer@eventflow.local	Organizer123!
Volunteer	volunteer@eventflow.local	Volunteer123!
Student	student@eventflow.local	Student123!

🛠 Common Errors + Fix

• Module not found / Build failures: Ensure you are using Java 17. Run java -version to verify. Use .\mvnw.cmd clean package to clear cache and rebuild.
• DB connection error: Verify your MySQL credentials. By default, the app connects using root and 2592. Ensure the eventflow database was created and seeded correctly. If you get connection refused, make sure the MySQL service is running on port 3306.
• Port issues: If port 8080 is already in use, you can change the Tomcat server port in conf/server.xml within your Tomcat installation directory. Find <Connector port="8080" ... /> and change 8080 to another port like 8081.
• Blank pages or 404s after deploy: Clear your Tomcat cache by deleting the contents of work/Catalina/localhost and temp/ directories inside your Tomcat folder, then restart Tomcat.

?? Cloud Deployment Guide

To get a live link for your GitHub portfolio, you can deploy this application for free using Render (for the Java app) and TiDB Serverless (for the MySQL database).

1. Provision a Free MySQL Database

1. Go to TiDB Cloud and create a free account.
2. Create a new Serverless Tier cluster (this provides a generous free MySQL-compatible database without region limits).
3. Click "Connect" and get your connection details: Host, Port, User, and Password.

2. Deploy the Application

We have included a Dockerfile that packages the application into an executable Tomcat container.

1. Create a free account on Render.
2. Click New + and select Web Service.
3. Connect your GitHub repository.
4. Render will automatically detect the Dockerfile.
5. Scroll down to Environment Variables and add these so the app can connect to your database:
   • EVENTFLOW_APP_ENVIRONMENT = production
   • EVENTFLOW_DB_URL = jdbc:mysql://<your-tidb-host>:<port>/test?useSSL=true
   • EVENTFLOW_DB_USERNAME = <your-tidb-user>
   • EVENTFLOW_DB_PASSWORD = <your-tidb-password>
6. Click Create Web Service. Render will build the image and give you a live .onrender.com URL!