This project is an online car rental system, built using PHP, CSS, JavaScript (vanilla), and MySQL for data management. The system incorporates AJAX to create a dynamic, interactive experience without relying on any front-end frameworks. It was developed as part of a university assignment in the course 32516 Internet Programming during the 2024 Autumn Session at the University of Technology Sydney.
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Search and Browse:
- Users can search for cars by model, brand, or type using a search bar with real-time suggestions.
- Cars are categorised by type (e.g., Sedan, Ute) and brand (e.g., Ford, Tesla), and users can browse cars in each category.
- Both search results and categories are displayed in a grid format, showing car details such as model, price per day, availability, and an option to rent the car.
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Reservation:
- Users can select a car and proceed to the reservation page, where they can specify rental dates and adjust the quantity (if multiple cars are available).
- The total rental cost is calculated in real time based on the rental period and car price.
- Users must provide their name, phone number, email, and confirm they have a valid driver’s license before placing an order.
- Users can confirm or cancel their reservation, and the system stores incomplete reservations for later retrieval via sessions or cookies.
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Order Confirmation:
- Once an order is placed, the system prompts users to confirm their booking by clicking a confirmation link, secured with a randomly generated verification code.
- After confirmation, the system updates the car availability in the MySQL database and updates the number of bookings on that car in the JSON file (as per course requirement).
- Users can cancel their confirmed booking if needed, and the system will update the car's availability accordingly.
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Interactive Design:
- Visual feedback is provided for categories, search results, and buttons when hovered or clicked.
- Disabled buttons (e.g., when a car is unavailable) appear in a different style to improve clarity for the user.
- The system features a responsive layout for different desktop display sizes.
- Responsive Design: Allow accessible usage on mobile devices.
- Payment Integration: Implement a payment gateway to allow users to complete their rental booking with an online payment.
- Multi-car Rentals: Expand the system to support multiple (different) car rentals in a single reservation.
- User Authentication: Introduce account creation and login functionality to provide a personalised booking experience.