Lab 04 Report - Pine Valley Furniture System

Website Pages & Their Purpose

• main.aspx - The main homepage that provides navigation to all other pages such as search, register, and help.
• Register.aspx - Allows customers to create an account by entering their personal information.
• EmployeeLogin.aspx - Login page for employees. Currently uses hardcoded credentials for authentication.
• LoginChoice.aspx - Gives users the option to log in either as a customer or as an employee.
• employee_dashboard.aspx - A dashboard for employees where they can manage system-related tasks.
• Cart.aspx - Displays the products selected by the user for purchase.
• payment.aspx - Handles the payment process for completing orders.
• Help.aspx - Provides instructions to users on how to use the system.
• search.aspx - Enables users to search for products stored in the database.
• update_catalog.aspx - Allows updating of product details in the catalog (admin functionality).
• task1.aspx - Demonstrates the ASP.NET page lifecycle events.

Search Functionality (Database Integration)

The search page is one of the key dynamic features of the system. It is connected to a SQL database and allows users to find products easily based on their input.

• The system takes input from the user through a search textbox.
• When the search button is clicked, the system queries the database and looks for matching product descriptions.
• A flexible matching technique is used, which means users do not need to type the exact product name. Partial matches are also supported.
• The results are fetched from the database and displayed dynamically on the same page.
• Each product is shown with its description, finish, and price in a structured format.
• If no products match the search, a message is displayed to inform the user.
• A "Show All" option is also available to display the complete list of products.

CSS Styling (style.css)

An external stylesheet is used across all pages to maintain consistency in design.

• Background color: Light cream (#FFF2E0) for a soft look.
• Header: Purple (#898AC4) with centered text.
• Navigation bar: Styled with soft purple tones and hover effects.
• Buttons: Rounded with hover color transitions.
• Product cards: Structured layout with spacing and soft background colors.
• Footer: Consistent design across all pages.
• Authentication box: Centered layout with shadow for login/register forms.

Authentication System

• The system provides a login choice between customer and employee.
• Employee login currently uses hardcoded credentials (admin / 1234).
• Customer authentication is not connected to the database yet.
• Database usage is currently implemented only in the search functionality.

Task 1 - Page Lifecycle Demonstration

The task1 page is used to demonstrate how ASP.NET processes a page through different stages.

• Initialization stage when the page is first created.
• Loading stage when the page content is prepared.
• Event handling when a button is clicked.
• Pre-render stage before displaying the page.
• Unload stage when the page is closed.