Tablet Lending and Return Management System

A simple SQLite-based system for managing tablet lending and returns.

Features

• Tablet Management: Add, track, and manage tablets in inventory
• User Management: Register users who can borrow tablets
• Loan Tracking: Track which tablets are loaned to which users
• Return Management: Record when tablets are returned
• History Tracking: Complete history of all loans and returns
• User Loans View: See all tablets loaned to each user (demonstrates one-to-many relationship)
• Non-Loanable Devices: Track inventory devices that cannot be loaned (e.g., projectors, monitors)
• Project Notes: Markdown editor for development documentation

Files

• minimal_app.py - Interactive command-line application (includes non-loanable device management)
• test_app.py - Test script that demonstrates functionality
• tablets.db - SQLite database (created automatically, includes non_loanable_devices table)
• simple_app.py - Web-based version (requires Flask, includes non-loanable device management)
• app.py - Alternative web version (requires Flask, includes non-loanable device management)

Quick Start

1. Run the test to see it in action

python3 test_app.py

This will:

• Create the database
• Add sample tablets and users
• Demonstrate loan and return operations
• Show the complete workflow

2. Run the interactive application

python3 minimal_app.py

This provides a menu-driven interface for:

• Adding tablets
• Adding users
• Loaning tablets
• Returning tablets
• Viewing inventory and loan status

3. Database Structure

The system uses three main tables with a many-to-many relationship between users and tablets:

tablets

• id: Primary key
• brand: Tablet brand
• model: Tablet model
• serial_number: Unique serial number
• status: 'available' or 'loaned'

users

• id: Primary key
• name: User's name
• identification: Unique identification

loans (junction table)

• id: Primary key
• tablet_id: Foreign key to tablets
• user_id: Foreign key to users
• loan_date: When the tablet was loaned
• return_date: When the tablet was returned (NULL if still active)
• status: 'active' or 'returned'

Note

: The loans table enables a many-to-many relationship. One user can loan multiple tablets (one-to-many from user to loans), and each tablet can be loaned to different users over time. The status field on tablets ensures a device can only be loaned to one user at a time.

Requirements

• Python 3.x (built-in sqlite3 module)
• No additional dependencies needed for the command-line version
• Flask required for web versions (optional)

Usage Examples

Adding a tablet

python3 -c "
import sqlite3
conn = sqlite3.connect('tablets.db')
cursor = conn.cursor()
cursor.execute('INSERT INTO tablets (brand, model, serial_number, status) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)', 
               ('Microsoft', 'Surface Pro', 'SN004', 'available'))
conn.commit()
conn.close()
print('Tablet added!')
"

Adding a user

python3 -c "
import sqlite3
conn = sqlite3.connect('tablets.db')
cursor = conn.cursor()
cursor.execute('INSERT INTO users (name, identification) VALUES (?, ?)', 
               ('Alice Brown', 'ID004'))
conn.commit()
conn.close()
print('User added!')
"

Querying available tablets

python3 -c "
import sqlite3
conn = sqlite3.connect('tablets.db')
cursor = conn.cursor()
cursor.execute('SELECT brand, model, serial_number FROM tablets WHERE status = ?', ('available',))
for row in cursor.fetchall():
    print(f'{row[0]} {row[1]} ({row[2]})')
conn.close()
"

Web Version (Optional)

If you want to use the web interface:

1. Install Flask:

pip install flask

2. Run the web application:

python3 app.py

3. Open your browser to: http://localhost:5000

Web Features

• Home: View available tablets and active loans
• Loan Tablet: Loan a tablet to a user (with search for large datasets)
• User Loans: View all tablets loaned to each user - demonstrates the one-to-many relationship (one user, multiple tablets)
• Loan History: Complete history of all loan and return transactions
• Non-Loanable Devices: Manage inventory of devices that cannot be loaned (add, edit, delete, view)
• Project Management: Markdown editor for development notes (saved to notes_development/project_notes.md)

Database Backup

To backup your data:

cp tablets.db tablets_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).db

Version Control

This project uses Git for version control with the following structure:

• master - Production-ready releases
• develop - Integration branch for features
• feature/* - Individual feature branches
• hotfix/* - Urgent bug fixes

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed workflow and commit conventions.

License

This is a simple educational project. Feel free to use and modify it as needed.