Library Management System in C#

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through the process of creating a Library Management System using C#. It is designed for beginner to intermediate programmers who want to learn how to build a comprehensive system that includes functionalities such as user login, book management, and student tracking. Each step corresponds to specific sections of the video series by BTech Days.

Step 1: Setting Up the Project

1. Open Visual Studio and create a new Windows Forms Application project.
2. Name your project "LibraryManagementSystem".
3. Set up the necessary libraries by right-clicking on the project in the Solution Explorer and selecting "Manage NuGet Packages". Install any required packages for data handling if needed.

Step 2: Designing the Login Form

1. Create a new form called LoginForm.
2. Design the layout:
   • Add TextBox controls for username and password.
   • Add a Button control for the login action.
3. Write the code to handle user authentication when the button is clicked.

   private void btnLogin_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
   {
       // Example login validation
       if (txtUsername.Text == "admin" && txtPassword.Text == "password")
       {
           // Open the main dashboard
           DashboardForm dashboard = new DashboardForm();
           dashboard.Show();
           this.Hide();
       }
       else
       {
           MessageBox.Show("Invalid credentials. Please try again.");
       }
   }
   

Step 3: Creating the Dashboard

1. Create a new form called DashboardForm.
2. Layout the dashboard with buttons for different functionalities:
   • Add Book
   • View Books
   • Add Student
   • View Students
   • Issue Book
   • Return Book
3. Write event handlers for these buttons to navigate to their respective forms.

Step 4: Implementing Book Management

Step 4.1: Add Book Functionality

1. Create a form called AddBookForm.
2. Design the form with TextBox controls for book details (title, author, ISBN).
3. Add a button to save book information:

   private void btnAddBook_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
   {
       // Code to add book to database
   }
   

Step 4.2: View Books Functionality

1. Create a ViewBooksForm.
2. Use a DataGridView to display the list of books.
3. Fetch and display data from the database.

Step 5: Managing Students

Step 5.1: Add Student Functionality

1. Create a form called AddStudentForm.
2. Design with fields for student information (name, ID, course).
3. Write code to save student data similarly to the book addition.

Step 5.2: View Students Functionality

1. Create a ViewStudentsForm.
2. Implement a DataGridView to show student records, fetching data from the database.

Step 6: Issue and Return Books

Step 6.1: Issue Book Functionality

1. Create an IssueBookForm.
2. Design the form with fields for selecting a student and a book.
3. Write code to handle the issuing process and update the database.

Step 6.2: Return Book Functionality

1. Create a ReturnBookForm.
2. Implement similar functionality to track returned books and update statuses.

Step 7: Complete Book Details

1. Create a BookDetailsForm.
2. Display detailed information about a selected book, fetching data from the database.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you have learned how to build a Library Management System in C# with features for managing books and students. Each step corresponds to a specific function of the system and covers both design and coding aspects. To further enhance your application, consider adding features like searching for books, implementing user roles, or generating reports. For additional resources, refer to the linked videos in the description to dive deeper into each component of the project.