🎒 University Lost & Found Platform

A community-driven web platform that helps university students report lost items, post found belongings, and reconnect owners with their valuables.

Built as a Web Engineering course project using PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

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🚀 Features

Authentication & User Management

• User Registration
• Secure Login System
• Password Hashing
• Session-Based Authentication
• Logout Functionality
• Profile Management
• Profile Picture Upload

Lost & Found System

• Create Lost/Found Posts
• Upload Item Images
• Browse Community Posts
• View Poster Information
• Contact Information Display
• Edit Own Posts
• Delete Own Posts

Security Features

• Password Hashing using password_hash()
• Password Verification using password_verify()
• Session-Based Access Control
• Ownership Verification for Editing/Deleting Posts

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🛠️ Tech Stack

Frontend

• HTML5
• CSS3
• JavaScript

Backend

• PHP

Database

• MySQL

Development Environment

• XAMPP

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🗄️ Database Structure

student_data

Stores user information:

Field	Description
id	User ID
name	Full Name
email	Email Address
phone	Contact Number
dept	Department
password	Hashed Password
profile_pic	Profile Image Path

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lost_found

Stores lost/found item posts:

Field	Description
id	Post ID
user_id	Owner of Post
title	Item Title
description	Item Description
category	Item Category
location	Last Seen/Found Location
image	Item Image
status	Lost or Found
created_at	Post Creation Time

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🔗 Database Relationship

One user can create multiple posts.

student_data.id
        │
        ▼
lost_found.user_id

The project uses SQL JOIN queries to combine user information with post information.

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📂 Project Structure

lost_found/
│
├── index.php
├── register.php
├── login.php
├── logout.php
├── dashboard.php
│
├── create_post.php
├── posts.php
├── my_posts.php
├── edit_post.php
├── delete_post.php
│
├── edit_profile.php
├── db.php
│
├── uploads/
│   ├── default.png
│   └── items/
│
├── style.css
│
└── README.md

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⚙️ Installation

1. Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/Naf66/lost_found.git

2. Move Project

Place the project folder inside:

xampp/htdocs/

3. Start XAMPP

Start:

• Apache
• MySQL

4. Create Database

Create a database:

lost_found

5. Import Tables

Import the provided SQL file from db.txt or create the required tables manually.

6. Configure Database

Update db.php:

$conn = mysqli_connect(
    "localhost",
    "root",
    "",
    "lost_found"
);

7.Create an upload and item folder

In the main directory create an uploads folder

And also create /uploads/items

8.Run Project

Open:

http://localhost/lost_found

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📚 Concepts Practiced

This project helped me learn:

• CRUD Operations
• Authentication Systems
• Session Management
• Password Hashing
• Relational Databases
• SQL JOIN Queries
• File Upload Handling
• Dynamic Content Rendering
• User Authorization
• Responsive UI Design

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🔮 Future Improvements

• Search Functionality
• Post Filtering
• Mark Item as Resolved
• Email Notifications
• Admin Dashboard
• Responsive Mobile Design
• Prepared Statements for Improved Security

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👨‍💻 Author

Md. Mohaimin-ul-Mohsin

Web Engineering Course Project

GitHub: https://github.com/Naf66

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📄 License

This project was developed for educational purposes.

📸 Screenshots

🏠 Landing Page

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📋 Browse Posts

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➕ Create Post

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👤 User Dashboard