Attendance Monitoring System

A comprehensive web-based attendance monitoring system for colleges and universities built with PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Features

• User Authentication: Secure login system with role-based access (Admin, Teacher, Student)
• Student Management: Add, edit, delete, and view student information
• Course Management: Manage courses with teacher assignments
• Attendance Tracking: Mark and track student attendance with different statuses (Present, Absent, Late)
• Reports & Analytics: Generate detailed attendance reports with statistics
• Dashboard: Overview of key metrics and recent activity
• Responsive Design: Works on desktop and mobile devices

Prerequisites

• PHP 7.4 or higher
• MySQL 5.7 or higher
• Apache web server (recommended with XAMPP for local development)
• Web browser

Installation

1. Clone or Download the Project

Place all files in your web server's document root directory (e.g., htdocs for XAMPP).

2. Database Setup

1. Create a new MySQL database named attendance_system

2. Import the database schema by running the SQL commands in database_schema.sql

   Using phpMyAdmin:

   • Open phpMyAdmin
   • Select your database
   • Go to the "SQL" tab
   • Copy and paste the contents of database_schema.sql
   • Click "Go"

   Using MySQL Command Line:

   mysql -u username -p attendance_system < database_schema.sql

3. Database Configuration

Update the database connection settings in includes/db_connect.php if needed:

define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');
define('DB_USER', 'your_username');
define('DB_PASS', 'your_password');
define('DB_NAME', 'attendance_system');

4. Web Server Configuration

Make sure your web server is configured to serve PHP files. For XAMPP:

• Start Apache and MySQL services
• Place the project files in C:\xampp\htdocs\attendance_system\
• Access the application at http://localhost/attendance_system/

Default Login Credentials

• Username: admin
• Password: admin123
• Role: Administrator

Usage

First Time Setup

1. Access the application in your web browser
2. Log in with the default admin credentials
3. Add teachers, students, and courses through the admin panel
4. Start marking attendance

User Roles

• Administrator: Full access to all features including user management
• Teacher: Can manage their assigned courses and mark attendance
• Student: Can view their own attendance records

Key Functions

1. Dashboard: View system statistics and recent attendance
2. Students: Manage student information and enrollment
3. Courses: Create and manage courses with teacher assignments
4. Attendance: Mark daily attendance for students
5. Reports: Generate attendance reports with filtering options

File Structure

attendance_system/
├── index.php                 # Main entry point
├── login.php                 # Login page
├── logout.php                # Logout handler
├── dashboard.php             # Main dashboard
├── students.php              # Student management
├── courses.php               # Course management
├── attendance.php            # Attendance marking
├── reports.php               # Attendance reports
├── database_schema.sql       # Database schema
├── README.md                 # This file
├── includes/
│   ├── db_connect.php        # Database connection
│   ├── session_check.php     # Session validation
│   └── header.php            # Navigation header
├── css/
│   └── style.css             # Main stylesheet
└── js/
    └── main.js               # JavaScript functionality

Security Features

• Password hashing using PHP's password_hash()
• Prepared statements to prevent SQL injection
• Session-based authentication
• Input validation and sanitization
• Role-based access control

Browser Support

• Chrome 70+
• Firefox 65+
• Safari 12+
• Edge 79+

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Database Connection Error

   • Check database credentials in includes/db_connect.php
   • Ensure MySQL service is running
   • Verify database name exists

2. Page Not Loading

   • Check PHP installation and version
   • Ensure Apache is running
   • Verify file permissions

3. Login Issues

   • Confirm default admin user exists in database
   • Check password (default: admin123)
   • Clear browser cache and cookies

Error Logs

Check your web server's error logs for detailed error information:

• XAMPP: xampp\apache\logs\error.log
• Apache: /var/log/apache2/error.log

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

Support

For support or questions, please check the troubleshooting section or create an issue in the repository.

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Note: This system is designed for educational purposes. For production use, additional security measures and testing should be implemented.