Inventory Management System

A database-driven desktop application for managing product inventory, built with JavaFX and MySQL.

Link to Video Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_5dNkJDp24

How It's Made:

Tech used: Java, JavaFX, MySQL, Maven

This application was built from the ground up as a real-world example of a Java desktop application. It follows a classic 3-tier architecture, separating the UI (built programmatically with JavaFX) from the core application logic and the data access layer. A dedicated Database.java class manages all CRUD operations with the MySQL server. Project dependencies are handled by Maven.

Optimizations

• Search and Filter: Implement a search bar to quickly find products by name or ID.
• Reporting: Add a feature to generate and export inventory reports.
• Low-Stock Alerts: Automatically highlight products in the UI when their quantity falls below a certain threshold.
• User Authentication: Add a login system to differentiate between user roles.

Lessons Learned:

• The Importance of Separation of Concerns: Creating a dedicated Database class instead of mixing SQL queries with UI code in Main.java made the project significantly easier to debug, maintain and understand.
• Data Binding with JavaFX Properties: Using JavaFX's SimpleStringProperty, SimpleIntegerProperty, etc in the Product class was a powerful lesson. It allows the TableView to automatically update when the underlying data changes.
• Dependency Management with Maven: Understanding how to use a pom.xml file to manage project dependencies like the MySQL driver and to resolve security vulnerabilities is a critical skill for any professional Java developer.
• Database Integration Challenges: Successfully connecting a Java application to an external MySQL server, handling credentials securely and troubleshooting connection errors provided practical, real-world experience.