ScienceFiction Library 🚀📚

A comprehensive digital library management system for science fiction content, developed as an Object-Oriented Programming university project at the Department of Mathematics, University of Padova.

👥 Authors

• Lorenzo Soligo - 2101057
• Antonio Tang - 2111017

Report by Lorenzo Soligo

📖 Project Overview

The ScienceFiction Library is a specialized digital content management system designed for science fiction enthusiasts. Users can manage a diverse collection of sci-fi content including books, comics, films, TV series, and video games with an intuitive and flexible interface.

🎯 Key Features

• Multi-format Content Management: Books, Comics, Films, TV Series, Video Games
• Import/Export: Support for XML and JSON formats
• Advanced Filtering: Granular search with multiple parameter combinations
• Visual Status Indicators: Color-coded frames for watched/starred content
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Complete keyboard navigation support
• Persistent Data: Automatic save state management

🌟 Visual Design

The interface uses a color-coding system for instant content recognition:

• 🟢 Neon Green: Watched content
• 🟡 Fluorescent Yellow: Starred/Favorite content
• 🟣 Neon Purple: Both watched AND starred content \

Here what the main window looks like:

🏗️ Architecture & Design Patterns

Class Hierarchy

Content (Abstract Base Class)
├── Paper (Abstract)
│   ├── Book
│   └── Comic
└── Multimedia (Abstract)
    ├── Video (Abstract)
    │   ├── Film
    │   └── Serie
    └── VideoGame

Design Patterns Implemented

• Visitor Pattern: Dynamic GUI rendering and data persistence
• Singleton Pattern: Single library instance management
• Bitmask Pattern: Efficient subgenre representation

🧬 Core Components

Content Management

Every content item includes:

• Unique ID: For relationship tracking (inspiration, prequel/sequel)
• Subgenres: Bitmask implementation for multiple sci-fi subgenres
• Metadata: Title, publication year, status flags
• Relationships: Inspiration links, prequel/sequel chains

Subgenre System

Advanced bitmask implementation allowing:

• Multiple subgenre assignment per content
• Efficient storage and retrieval
• Granular filtering capabilities
• String representation for display

🖥️ User Interface

Main Features

• Content Cards: Visual grid with cover images and status indicators
• Detail View: Comprehensive information display using Visitor pattern
• Edit Mode: Type-specific editing forms
• Advanced Filtering: Multi-parameter search with live results
• Responsive Layout: Automatic adaptation to screen size

Navigation

Complete keyboard shortcut support for power users:

Shortcut	Action
Main Window
Ctrl+N	Create new content
Ctrl+I	Import library
Ctrl+S	Save as JSON
Ctrl+Shift+S	Save as XML
Ctrl+F	Toggle filters
Ctrl+Shift+F	Clear all filters
Ctrl+K	Focus search bar
F5	Refresh view
Ctrl+D	Change sort direction
Detail/Edit Windows
Esc	Close window
Ctrl+S	Save changes
Ctrl+Z	Undo changes

💾 Data Persistence

Supported Formats

• XML: Qt-based serialization with type tags
• JSON: Structured export with error handling and content grouping

Auto-Save Features

• Unsaved Changes Detection: Warns before closing with unsaved data
• Import/Export Safety: Prevents data loss during operations
• File Validation: Error handling for corrupted files

🔧 Technical Implementation

Polymorphism Usage

The Visitor pattern enables:

• Dynamic UI Generation: Type-specific detail and edit views
• Serialization: Format-specific export (XML/JSON)
• Extensibility: Easy addition of new content types

Memory Management

• Smart Pointers: unique_ptr usage for safety
• Singleton Library: Single instance with controlled access
• Relationship Integrity: Automatic cleanup of broken references

📊 Development Statistics

Time Investment (Lorenzo Soligo)

Activity	Planned Hours	Actual Hours
Design & Planning	15	15
Model Development	20	20
GUI Development	10	25
Filter & Search	10	15
UX & Styling	0	5-10
Testing & Debug	10	15
Code Review	5	5
Total	70	95-100

Task Distribution

👥 Lorenzo Soligo

• Logic Model: Content hierarchy (excluding VideoGame)
• XML Persistence: Complete serialization system
• Main Interface: Primary window and functionality
• Search System: Advanced filtering and search
• UI/UX: Icons, graphics, keyboard shortcuts

👥 Antonio Tang

• Logic Model: Video hierarchy including VideoGame
• JSON Persistence: Complete serialization system
• Detail Views: Dynamic content-specific interfaces
• Edit System: Type-aware editing functionality

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Qt Framework
• C++ Compiler with C++11+ support
• CMake (recommended)

Installation

git clone https://github.com/Solgio/OOProject
cd OOProject
qmake
make
./OOProject

Usage

1. Launch Application: Run the compiled executable
2. Create Content: Use Ctrl+N or the + button
3. Import Library: Load existing XML/JSON files
4. Filter & Search: Use the advanced filtering system
5. Export: Save your library in preferred format

📈 Quality Assurance

• Static Analysis: SonarQube integration for code quality
• GitHub Integration: Version control and collaboration
• Modular Design: Easy testing and maintenance
• Error Handling: Comprehensive validation and recovery

🔮 Future Enhancements

Planned Features

• Direct Deletion: Remove content from main view
• Library Merging: Combine multiple libraries
• Content Type Conversion: Change content types dynamically
• Theme Support: Light/Dark mode toggle
• Batch Operations: Multi-select actions

❗Minor Corrections

• Visitors Hierarchy: Add a parent class to unify the Visitor calls with a single polymorphic call accept() instead of the specific ones.

Extensibility

The modular architecture supports:

• New content types without modifying existing code
• Additional export formats
• Custom filtering parameters
• Enhanced relationship types

📱 System Requirements

Recommended

• Resolution: 1920x1080 for optimal experience
• OS: Cross-platform Qt support
• Memory: Adequate for large libraries
• Storage: Variable based on content collection

🏆 Academic Context

Developed for the Object-Oriented Programming course at the University of Padova, this project demonstrates:

• OOP Principles: Inheritance, polymorphism, encapsulation
• Design Patterns: Visitor, Singleton, proper abstraction
• GUI Development: Qt framework mastery
• Software Engineering: Version control, code quality, documentation Graded by prof. Zanella with almost full points (30/31)

📄 Documentation

Complete project documentation available in Italian, including:

• UML class diagrams
• Design pattern explanations
• Implementation details
• Time tracking and task distribution

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This project showcases advanced object-oriented design principles applied to a real-world content management scenario, with emphasis on extensibility, user experience, and code quality.