HostelAid

A sustainable hostel management Android application designed to help students manage food waste, donate clothes, report water cooler issues, and learn about eco-friendly practices.

Features

🍽️ Food Waste Management

• Report food waste from different hostels
• Track food items and quantities
• Submit reports to NGOs
• View previous food waste reports

👕 Clothes Donation

• Donate unused clothes with detailed information
• Specify cloth type, size, and quantity
• Submit donations to NGOs
• Track donation history

💧 Water Cooler Complaint System

• Report water cooler issues
• Select hostel, floor, and cooler number
• Choose problem type (leaking, not working, etc.)
• View complaint history

📚 Eco Blogs

• Read educational blogs about sustainable living
• Learn about reducing carbon footprint
• Get tips on zero-waste lifestyle
• Understand the importance of sustainable living

🔐 User Authentication

• Secure login with college email (@iiitm.ac.in)
• Google Apps Script backend integration
• Password validation

Tech Stack

• Language: Java
• Platform: Android (API 24+)
• UI: Material Design Components
• Networking: OkHttp
• Storage: SharedPreferences with Gson
• Backend: Google Apps Script (for login and data submission)

Prerequisites

• Android Studio (latest version recommended)
• JDK 11 or higher
• Android SDK (API 24+)
• Internet connection for backend services

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/princexpoddar/HostelAid.git
   cd HostelAid

2. Open in Android Studio

   • Open Android Studio
   • Select "Open an existing project"
   • Navigate to the cloned repository folder
   • Click "OK"

3. Configure Backend URLs

   • Open LoginActivity.java and update the scriptUrl with your Google Apps Script URL
   • Open FoodWasteActivity.java and update the scriptUrl for food waste submissions
   • Open ClothesDonationActivity.java and update the scriptUrl for clothes donation
   • Open CoolerComplaintActivity.java and update the scriptUrl for cooler complaints

4. Sync Gradle

   • Android Studio will automatically sync Gradle files
   • If not, go to File > Sync Project with Gradle Files

5. Build and Run

   • Connect an Android device or start an emulator
   • Click the "Run" button or press Shift + F10

Project Structure

HostelAid/
├── app/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── main/
│   │   │   ├── java/com/example/hostelaid/
│   │   │   │   ├── Activities/
│   │   │   │   │   ├── SplashActivity.java
│   │   │   │   │   ├── LoginActivity.java
│   │   │   │   │   ├── MainActivity.java
│   │   │   │   │   ├── FoodWasteActivity.java
│   │   │   │   │   ├── ClothesDonationActivity.java
│   │   │   │   │   ├── CoolerComplaintActivity.java
│   │   │   │   │   ├── BlogListActivity.java
│   │   │   │   │   ├── BlogDetailActivity.java
│   │   │   │   │   └── Previous*Activity.java
│   │   │   │   ├── Adapters/
│   │   │   │   ├── Models/
│   │   │   │   └── DataStorageHelper.java
│   │   │   ├── res/
│   │   │   │   ├── layout/
│   │   │   │   ├── values/
│   │   │   │   └── drawable/
│   │   │   └── AndroidManifest.xml
│   └── build.gradle.kts
├── gradle/
└── README.md

Backend Setup

This app uses Google Apps Script for backend services. To set up:

1. Create a Google Apps Script project
2. Deploy as a web app
3. Update the script URLs in the respective activity files
4. Configure the script to handle POST requests and store data in Google Sheets

Example Apps Script structure:

function doPost(e) {
  const data = JSON.parse(e.postData.contents);
  // Process data and save to Google Sheets
  return ContentService.createTextOutput("success");
}

Configuration

Update Backend URLs

Replace the placeholder URLs in these files:

• LoginActivity.java - Line 33
• FoodWasteActivity.java - Line 25
• ClothesDonationActivity.java - Line 25
• CoolerComplaintActivity.java - Line 18

Hostel Names

Update hostel names in:

• FoodWasteActivity.java - Line 41
• ClothesDonationActivity.java - Line 41
• CoolerComplaintActivity.java - Line 32

Features in Detail

Local Storage

• All submissions are saved locally using SharedPreferences
• Data persists even if backend sync fails
• View previous submissions anytime

Sync Across Devices

• Background sync every 30 minutes (WorkManager) pulls latest data from backend
• On app open, a one-time foreground sync runs to refresh local cache
• Backend must support GET ?action=list&type=<food_waste|clothes_donation|cooler_complaint>&email=<user>
• Replace placeholder URLs in BackendConfig.java with your Apps Script endpoints

Offline Support

• App works offline for viewing previous submissions
• Backend sync happens when online
• Failed syncs are handled gracefully

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Known Issues

• Backend URLs need to be configured before use
• Some features may require additional backend setup

Future Enhancements

• Quiz feature for eco-awareness
• Eco game for engagement
• Push notifications for complaint status
• Statistics dashboard
• Multi-language support
• Dark mode