StudentHub

StudentHub is an Android application designed for IIIT Lucknow students to facilitate academic collaboration, document sharing, and campus communication.

Features

🔐 Authentication

• Email/Password authentication (restricted to @iiitl.ac.in domain)
• Google Sign-In integration
• Password reset functionality
• User profile management

📄 Paper Management

• Upload academic papers and documents
• Browse and view shared papers
• Admin approval system for paper submissions
• Offline support with Room database for cached papers

💬 Real-time Chat

• One-on-one messaging between users
• Group chat functionality
• Online/offline status indicators
• Media sharing support

🤖 AI Chatbot

• Gemini-powered AI assistant
• Campus-specific information queries
• Academic schedules, events, and notices
• Natural language conversation interface

🔔 Push Notifications

• Firebase Cloud Messaging integration
• Real-time notifications for messages and updates
• Topic-based subscriptions

👤 User Management

• User profiles with photo, name, and contact information
• Group memberships
• Contact list management

Tech Stack

Core Technologies

• Language: Kotlin
• Minimum SDK: 28 (Android 9.0)
• Target SDK: 35 (Android 15)
• Build System: Gradle with Kotlin DSL

Architecture & UI

• UI Framework: Jetpack Compose + ViewBinding
• Architecture Components: ViewModel, LiveData
• Navigation: Custom navigation utilities

Backend Services

• Firebase Authentication: User authentication
• Firebase Realtime Database: Real-time data synchronization
• Firebase Cloud Messaging: Push notifications
• Firebase Crashlytics: Crash reporting
• Firebase Functions: Serverless functions
• Cloudinary: Media storage and management

Local Storage

• Room Database: Local caching and offline support
• Data Binding: View binding enabled

Networking

• Retrofit: REST API client
• OkHttp: HTTP client
• Gson: JSON serialization

Image Loading

• Glide: Image loading and caching

AI Integration

• Google Generative AI: Gemini 2.5 Flash model for chatbot

Other Libraries

• Material Design Components: UI components
• Splash Screen API: App launch experience
• Credentials API: Google Sign-In integration

Project Structure

app/src/main/java/com/namangulati/studenthub/
├── adapters/          # RecyclerView adapters
├── admin/             # Admin-specific features
├── API/               # API interfaces and utilities
├── controllers/       # ViewModels and app controllers
├── Dao/               # Room database DAOs
├── Database/          # Room database and repositories
├── fragments/         # UI fragments
├── models/            # Data models
├── modelsRoom/        # Room database entities
├── uiutils/           # UI utility classes
├── userPages/         # Main user-facing activities
└── utils/             # Utility classes

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Android Studio Hedgehog or later
• JDK 8 or higher
• Android SDK with API level 28+
• Firebase project with the following services enabled:
  • Authentication
  • Firestore
  • Realtime Database
  • Cloud Messaging
  • Crashlytics

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd StudentHub

2. Configure Firebase

   • Create a Firebase project at Firebase Console
   • Download google-services.json and place it in:
     • app/google-services.json
   • Enable the required Firebase services mentioned above

3. Add SHA Keys:

• In the Firebase Console, go to Project settings > General > Your apps.
• Click on Add fingerprint and add your SHA-1 and SHA-256 keys. You can find these keys in Android Studio:
  • Go to the terminal in android studio and run this command:

    ./gradlew signingreport
    

• If it shows any error it means that your jdk is not properly set up.
  • Copy the SHA-1 and SHA-256 keys from the report and add them to Firebase.
  • After adding SHA-1 and SHA-256 keys and then download the google-services.json file provided and place it in the app directory of your project.

4. Configure API Keys

   • Add your Gemini API key in app/src/main/java/com/namangulati/studenthub/API/Constants.kt
   • Add your Google Sign-In Web Client ID in app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml as default_web_client_id

5. Build the project

   ./gradlew build
   

6. Run the app

   • Connect an Android device or start an emulator
   • Run the app from Android Studio or use:

     ./gradlew installDebug
     

Configuration

Firebase Setup

1. Enable Email/Password authentication in Firebase Console
2. Configure OAuth consent screen for Google Sign-In
3. Set up Firestore database with appropriate security rules
4. Configure Realtime Database rules
5. Set up Cloud Messaging and generate server key

Permissions

The app requires the following permissions:

• INTERNET: Network access
• ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE: Check network connectivity
• POST_NOTIFICATIONS: Push notifications (Android 13+)
• WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE: File operations
• ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION: Location services (if needed)
• ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION: Location services (if needed)

Building

Debug Build

./gradlew assembleDebug

Release Build

./gradlew assembleRelease

The APK will be generated in app/build/outputs/apk/

Dependencies

Key dependencies are managed in gradle/libs.versions.toml. Major dependencies include:

• AndroidX Core KTX
• Material Design Components
• Firebase BOM (33.5.1)
• Jetpack Compose
• Room Database
• Retrofit & OkHttp
• Glide
• Google Generative AI

Version

• Version Code: 1
• Version Name: 1.0

Authors

• Naman Gulati

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Note: This app is specifically designed for IIIT Lucknow students and requires a valid @iiitl.ac.in email address for authentication.