📌 Campus Lost & Found Portal

A modern web-based platform to report, search, and recover lost items on campus

Features • Installation • Usage • Documentation • Contributing

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📖 Table of Contents

• About
• Problem Statement
• Features
• Technology Stack
• Screenshots
• Installation
• Configuration
• Usage
• Project Structure
• Database Schema
• API Endpoints
• Troubleshooting
• Contributing
• License
• Contact

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🎯 About

Campus Lost & Found Portal is a full-stack web application designed to help students and staff efficiently report and recover lost items on campus. It replaces inefficient manual tracking methods (notice boards, WhatsApp groups) with a centralized, organized digital platform.

Why This Project?

In educational institutions, lost items are typically managed through:

• ❌ Physical notice boards (limited reach)
• ❌ WhatsApp groups (unorganized, hard to search)
• ❌ Word-of-mouth (unreliable)

Our Solution:

• ✅ Centralized digital platform
• ✅ Image-based item identification
• ✅ Advanced search and filtering
• ✅ Real-time updates
• ✅ Direct contact between finders and owners

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🔍 Problem Statement

In many colleges, offices, hostels, and public places, students and staff frequently lose personal belongings such as:

• ID cards
• Wallets
• Mobile phones
• Keys
• Water bottles
• Laptops

Current Challenges:

• Difficulty tracking lost items
• No centralized record system
• Time wastage for students and administrators
• Low recovery chances

Our Solution Provides:

• User-friendly interface
• Secure data storage in MySQL
• CRUD operations using Java Servlets, JSP, and JDBC
• Search and filtering options
• Image upload for better identification
• Improved transparency and organization

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✨ Features

👤 User Features

Feature	Description
🔐 User Authentication	Secure registration and login system
📝 Report Lost Items	Report lost items with detailed descriptions and images
✅ Report Found Items	Help others by reporting found items
🔍 Advanced Search	Filter items by name, location, date
🖼️ Image Upload	Upload photos for better item identification
📱 Responsive Design	Works seamlessly on mobile, tablet, and desktop
🔔 Status Updates	Mark items as resolved when recovered
📊 Personal Dashboard	View and manage your reported items

🔧 Admin Features

Feature	Description
👥 User Management	View and manage all registered users
📋 Item Management	Access all lost and found items
🗑️ Spam Control	Delete fake or inappropriate posts
📈 Statistics Dashboard	View platform usage statistics
🖼️ Image Preview	View item images in full screen

💻 Technical Features

• MVC Architecture - Clean separation of concerns
• DAO Pattern - Organized database operations
• Session Management - Secure user sessions
• File Upload - Servlet 3.0+ multipart support
• Responsive UI - Bootstrap 5 with modern design
• Image Gallery - Grid layout with hover effects
• Modal Previews - Full-screen image viewing

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🛠️ Technology Stack

Frontend

• HTML5 - Semantic markup
• CSS3 - Modern styling with gradients and animations
• JavaScript - Dynamic interactions
• Bootstrap 5.3 - Responsive framework
• Bootstrap Icons - Icon library

Backend

• Java (JDK 8+) - Core programming language
• Servlets - Request handling
• JSP - Dynamic page generation
• JDBC - Database connectivity

Database

• MySQL 8.x - Relational database

Server

• Apache Tomcat 9.x/10.x - Servlet container

Architecture

• MVC Pattern - Model-View-Controller
• DAO Pattern - Data Access Object

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📸 Screenshots

Landing Page

Modern hero section with gradient background and feature showcase

User Dashboard

Card-based dashboard with quick action buttons

Report Lost Item

Clean form with drag-and-drop image upload and live preview

Lost Items Gallery

Responsive grid layout with hover zoom effects

Admin Dashboard

Statistics overview with tabbed interface for managing users and items

Search Results

Unified search with separated sections for lost and found items

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📥 Installation

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• ✅ JDK 8 or higher - Download
• ✅ Apache Tomcat 9.x or 10.x - Download
• ✅ MySQL Server 8.x - Download
• ✅ MySQL JDBC Driver - Download
• ✅ IDE (Optional) - Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, or NetBeans

Step-by-Step Setup

1️⃣ Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/samarthhitnalli/CampusLostFound.git
cd CampusLostFound

2️⃣ Database Setup

Start MySQL and create the database:

mysql -u root -p

Run the SQL script:

source database_schema.sql

Or manually execute:

CREATE DATABASE campus_lost_found;
USE campus_lost_found;

-- Create tables
CREATE TABLE users (
    user_id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    email VARCHAR(100) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
    phone VARCHAR(15) NOT NULL,
    password VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    role ENUM('user', 'admin') DEFAULT 'user',
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

CREATE TABLE lost_items (
    lost_id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    user_id INT NOT NULL,
    item_name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    description TEXT,
    location VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    lost_date DATE NOT NULL,
    contact VARCHAR(15) NOT NULL,
    image_path VARCHAR(255),
    status ENUM('lost', 'resolved') DEFAULT 'lost',
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(user_id) ON DELETE CASCADE
);

CREATE TABLE found_items (
    found_id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    user_id INT NOT NULL,
    item_name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    description TEXT,
    location VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    found_date DATE NOT NULL,
    contact VARCHAR(15) NOT NULL,
    image_path VARCHAR(255),
    status ENUM('found', 'resolved') DEFAULT 'found',
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(user_id) ON DELETE CASCADE
);

-- Insert default admin
INSERT INTO users (name, email, phone, password, role) 
VALUES ('Admin', 'admin@campus.com', '9999999999', 'admin123', 'admin');

3️⃣ Configure Database Connection

Edit src/com/campus/util/DatabaseConnection.java:

private static final String URL = "jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/campus_lost_found";
private static final String USERNAME = "root";
private static final String PASSWORD = "your_mysql_password"; // Update this

4️⃣ Add Dependencies

Place mysql-connector-java-8.x.x.jar in:

WebContent/WEB-INF/lib/

5️⃣ Create Upload Directory

Create the uploads folder:

WebContent/uploads/

6️⃣ IDE Setup (Eclipse)

1. Import Project

   • File → Import → Existing Projects into Workspace
   • Select project directory

2. Configure Build Path

   • Right-click project → Build Path → Configure Build Path
   • Add MySQL connector JAR to Libraries

3. Configure Tomcat

   • Window → Preferences → Server → Runtime Environments
   • Add Apache Tomcat 9.x
   • Browse to installation directory

4. Deploy

   • Right-click project → Run As → Run on Server
   • Select Tomcat server

7️⃣ Manual Deployment

If not using an IDE:

1. Export project as WAR file
2. Copy WAR to tomcat/webapps/
3. Start Tomcat:

# Windows
cd C:\apache-tomcat-9.0.x\bin
startup.bat

# Linux/Mac
cd /path/to/tomcat/bin
./startup.sh

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⚙️ Configuration

Database Configuration

File: src/com/campus/util/DatabaseConnection.java

private static final String URL = "jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/campus_lost_found";
private static final String USERNAME = "root";
private static final String PASSWORD = "your_password";

Server Configuration

• Default Port: 8080
• Context Path: /CampusLostFound
• Session Timeout: 30 minutes

Application Settings

File: WebContent/WEB-INF/web.xml

<session-config>
    <session-timeout>30</session-timeout>
</session-config>

File Upload Settings

• Max File Size: 5 MB
• Allowed Formats: JPG, PNG, GIF
• Upload Directory: WebContent/uploads/

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🚀 Usage

Accessing the Application

Open your browser and navigate to:

http://localhost:8080/CampusLostFound/

Demo Credentials

Admin Account

Email: admin@campus.com
Password: admin123

User Account

Email: john@campus.com
Password: pass123

User Workflow

1. Register/Login

• Click "Create Account" or "Sign In"
• Fill in your details
• Submit the form

2. Report a Lost Item

• Navigate to Dashboard
• Click "Report Lost Item"
• Fill in item details:
  • Item name
  • Description
  • Location where lost
  • Date lost
  • Contact number
  • Upload image (optional)
• Submit

3. Report a Found Item

• Click "Report Found Item"
• Provide item details with image
• Submit

4. Search for Items

• Go to "View Lost Items" or "View Found Items"
• Use search filters:
  • Search by item name
  • Filter by location
  • Filter by date
• Click item images for full-screen preview

5. Contact & Resolve

• View contact information
• Call/message the finder/owner
• Mark item as "Resolved" after recovery

Admin Workflow

1. Access Admin Panel

• Login with admin credentials
• View dashboard statistics

2. Manage Users

• Click "Users" tab
• View all registered users
• Monitor user activity

3. Manage Items

• Click "Lost Items" or "Found Items" tab
• View all reported items with images
• Delete spam/fake posts

4. Monitor Statistics

• View total users count
• Check lost items count
• Check found items count

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📁 Project Structure

CampusLostFound/
│
├── src/
│   └── com/
│       └── campus/
│           ├── model/                    # Data Models (POJOs)
│           │   ├── User.java            # User entity
│           │   ├── LostItem.java        # Lost item entity
│           │   └── FoundItem.java       # Found item entity
│           │
│           ├── dao/                      # Data Access Objects
│           │   ├── UserDAO.java         # User database operations
│           │   ├── LostDAO.java         # Lost items operations
│           │   └── FoundDAO.java        # Found items operations
│           │
│           ├── servlet/                  # Controllers
│           │   ├── RegisterServlet.java # User registration
│           │   ├── LoginServlet.java    # User authentication
│           │   ├── LogoutServlet.java   # Session management
│           │   ├── LostItemServlet.java # Lost item operations
│           │   ├── FoundItemServlet.java# Found item operations
│           │   └── SearchServlet.java   # Search functionality
│           │
│           └── util/                     # Utilities
│               └── DatabaseConnection.java # DB connection manager
│
├── WebContent/                           # Web Resources
│   ├── uploads/                         # Uploaded images
│   │
│   ├── WEB-INF/
│   │   ├── lib/
│   │   │   └── mysql-connector-java-8.x.x.jar
│   │   └── web.xml                      # Deployment descriptor
│   │
│   ├── index.jsp                        # Landing page
│   ├── login.jsp                        # Login page
│   ├── register.jsp                     # Registration page
│   ├── user-dashboard.jsp               # User home
│   ├── admin-dashboard.jsp              # Admin panel
│   ├── report-lost.jsp                  # Report lost form
│   ├── report-found.jsp                 # Report found form
│   ├── view-lost.jsp                    # Lost items gallery
│   ├── view-found.jsp                   # Found items gallery
│   └── search-results.jsp               # Search results
│
├── database_schema.sql                   # Database setup script
├── README.md                            # This file
└── LICENSE                              # License file

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🗄️ Database Schema

Table Details

users

Column	Type	Constraints	Description
user_id	INT	PRIMARY KEY, AUTO_INCREMENT	Unique user identifier
name	VARCHAR(100)	NOT NULL	Full name
email	VARCHAR(100)	UNIQUE, NOT NULL	Email address
phone	VARCHAR(15)	NOT NULL	Contact number
password	VARCHAR(255)	NOT NULL	User password
role	ENUM('user','admin')	DEFAULT 'user'	User role
created_at	TIMESTAMP	DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP	Registration date

lost_items

Column	Type	Constraints	Description
lost_id	INT	PRIMARY KEY, AUTO_INCREMENT	Unique item identifier
user_id	INT	FOREIGN KEY → users	Reporter user ID
item_name	VARCHAR(100)	NOT NULL	Name of item
description	TEXT	-	Detailed description
location	VARCHAR(255)	NOT NULL	Location where lost
lost_date	DATE	NOT NULL	Date when lost
contact	VARCHAR(15)	NOT NULL	Contact number
image_path	VARCHAR(255)	-	Path to uploaded image
status	ENUM('lost','resolved')	DEFAULT 'lost'	Item status
created_at	TIMESTAMP	DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP	Report date

found_items

Column	Type	Constraints	Description
found_id	INT	PRIMARY KEY, AUTO_INCREMENT	Unique item identifier
user_id	INT	FOREIGN KEY → users	Reporter user ID
item_name	VARCHAR(100)	NOT NULL	Name of item
description	TEXT	-	Detailed description
location	VARCHAR(255)	NOT NULL	Location where found
found_date	DATE	NOT NULL	Date when found
contact	VARCHAR(15)	NOT NULL	Contact number
image_path	VARCHAR(255)	-	Path to uploaded image
status	ENUM('found','resolved')	DEFAULT 'found'	Item status
created_at	TIMESTAMP	DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP	Report date

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🔌 API Endpoints

Authentication

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/register	Register new user
POST	/login	User login
GET	/logout	User logout

Lost Items

Method	Endpoint	Parameters	Description
POST	/lost-item	action=add	Report lost item
POST	/lost-item	action=updateStatus	Mark as resolved
POST	/lost-item	action=delete	Delete item (admin)

Found Items

Method	Endpoint	Parameters	Description
POST	/found-item	action=add	Report found item
POST	/found-item	action=updateStatus	Mark as resolved
POST	/found-item	action=delete	Delete item (admin)

Search

Method	Endpoint	Parameters	Description
GET	/search	keyword, location, date, type	Search items

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🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

❌ Issue: ClassNotFoundException: com.mysql.cj.jdbc.Driver

Solution:

1. Verify MySQL connector JAR is in WebContent/WEB-INF/lib/
2. Clean and rebuild project
3. Check Build Path configuration

❌ Issue: Unable to connect to database

Solution:

1. Check if MySQL service is running:
   # Windows
   net start MySQL80
   
   # Linux
   sudo systemctl start mysql

2. Verify credentials in DatabaseConnection.java
3. Test connection string: jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/campus_lost_found
4. Ensure database exists: SHOW DATABASES;

❌ Issue: 404 Error - Page Not Found

Solution:

1. Check URL context path: /CampusLostFound/
2. Verify Tomcat deployment
3. Ensure JSP files are in WebContent/ directory
4. Check Tomcat logs in tomcat/logs/catalina.out

❌ Issue: Images not uploading

Solution:

1. Create WebContent/uploads/ folder
2. Check folder permissions (read/write)
3. Verify file size (max 5MB)
4. Check file extension (jpg, png, gif)

❌ Issue: Images not displaying

Solution:

1. Check image_path in database
2. Verify uploads folder exists and is accessible
3. Clear browser cache
4. Check browser DevTools console for 404 errors

❌ Issue: Servlet not found

Solution:

1. Ensure @WebServlet annotations are present
2. Clean and rebuild project
3. Check web.xml configuration
4. Restart Tomcat server

❌ Issue: Session timeout

Solution:

<!-- Increase timeout in web.xml -->
<session-config>
    <session-timeout>60</session-timeout> <!-- 60 minutes -->
</session-config>

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🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! Here's how you can help:

How to Contribute

1. Fork the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/samarthhitnalli/CampusLostFound.git

2. Create a Feature Branch

   git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature

3. Make Your Changes

   • Write clean, documented code
   • Follow existing code style
   • Add comments where necessary

4. Commit Your Changes

   git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature'

5. Push to Branch

   git push origin feature/AmazingFeature

6. Open a Pull Request

   • Provide a clear description
   • Reference any related issues

Coding Standards

• Java:

  • Follow Java naming conventions
  • Use meaningful variable names
  • Add JavaDoc comments for classes and methods

• JSP:

  • Proper HTML5 semantic structure
  • Consistent indentation (4 spaces)
  • Separate concerns (logic vs presentation)

• SQL:

  • Use uppercase for SQL keywords
  • Proper indexing for performance

Areas for Contribution

• 🐛 Bug fixes
• ✨ New features
• 📝 Documentation improvements
• 🎨 UI/UX enhancements
• ⚡ Performance optimizations
• 🔒 Security improvements

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📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 Samarth Hitnalli

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.

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👥 Authors & Credits

Development Team

• SAMARTH HITNALLI - Lead Developer - GitHub

Acknowledgments

• Bootstrap - UI Framework
• Bootstrap Icons - Icon Library
• Apache Tomcat - Servlet Container
• MySQL - Database System
• Stack Overflow community for troubleshooting help
• All contributors who helped improve this project

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Report Issues

Found a bug or have a feature request?

• 🐛 Report Bug
• 💡 Request Feature

Project Links

• 📂 Repository: https://github.com/samarthhitnalli/CampusLostFound
• 📖 Documentation: Wiki
• 🎥 Demo Video: YouTube to be Uploaded

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🔮 Future Enhancements

Planned Features

• Email notifications when matching items are found
• SMS alerts for item recovery
• Mobile application (Android/iOS)
• Advanced AI-based image matching
• Multi-language support
• Chat system between users
• Password recovery functionality
• User rating and review system
• Analytics dashboard with charts
• Export reports to PDF
• Integration with campus ID system
• QR code generation for items
• Geolocation-based search
• Push notifications
• Social media integration

Security Enhancements

• Password hashing (BCrypt/Argon2)
• CSRF token protection
• SQL injection prevention
• XSS attack prevention
• Rate limiting
• Two-factor authentication
• Session encryption
• Input sanitization

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📊 Project Statistics

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🙏 Support

If you found this project helpful, please consider:

• ⭐ Starring the repository
• 🐛 Reporting bugs
• 💡 Suggesting new features
• 📖 Improving documentation
• 🔀 Submitting pull requests

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Made with ❤️ by Samarth

Helping students reunite with their belongings, one item at a time

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