ITS66704 (Sept 2024)
Advanced Programming
Part A – Analysis and Design
2. Concepts
Our guiding principles include ongoing motivation, scientific advice, and the user's health experience. Everybody has a distinct body, lifestyle, and set of goals, and our production team is in agreement that fitness is a personal journey. Personalization "for each person" must be the main emphasis of our software design. Our goal is to provide customers with a personalized and distinctive sports experience.
Core features
The software is divided into three modules: User Management, Fitness Program and Tracking, Data Analysis and Feedback.
The user management module includes Sign Up (new users enter their name and password to complete the registration), Log In (registered users enter their name and password to verify the identity of the login), User Profile (management of the user's basic information such as name, weight,dateofbirth, gender, body fat percentage, etc.).
Fitness program and tracking module contains the following functions: Workout Tracking (responsible for recording the user's workout data. It is responsible for recording the user's workout data, such as title, date, duration, workout area, and calculating the total calorie consumption), Workout Plan (which can assist the user in determining their weekly exercise goals and body weight target), Diet Tracking (which keeps track of the user's daily calorie intake as well as the meals and drinks they consume), and Online Coach (which provides the links to a variety of exercise instructional videos: HIIT, Yoga, Stretching, Cardio, etc.).
The Data Analysis and Feedback module includes Fitness Trends (which generates different images, such as a bar graph that shows more clearly the number of hours the user has trained in the month, a pie chart that shows the distribution of body parts the user has worked out in the month, as well as a graph that shows changes in users'body weight and a bar chart that shows the trend in calorie consumption). It also has Customer Support, which makes it easy for users to give feedback and contact the developers.
Targeted audience
The software covers running, yoga, meditation, cycling and other sports, as well as user-recorded sports progress, diet and other aspects, generating exclusive user's own body and health trends. Daily fitness training courses are diversified, and users can divide them according to usage scenarios, intensity, training needs, equipment, etc., which can basically cover all the needs of daily training. Quantitative recording and analysis of sports data and visualization of effects can help improve users'enthusiasm for exercise.
The software provides online coaches, customized intelligent training plans according to personal needs,and voice guidance training throughout the process, which is very friendly to novice fitness enthusiasts. The software is suitable for people who value appearance, love health, pursue quality of life, have the need to lose weight, want to record life, and pursue self-discipline.
Technology
Tools and technologies used:
1. IntelliJ IDEA: Chosen for its robust Java development environment and excellent JavaFX support. Its code completion and debugging tools significantly improved our development efficiency.
2. JavaFX: Selected as the primary framework due to its powerful UI capabilities and cross-platform. compatibility. It allowed us to create a visually appealing game with smooth animations.
3. Scene Builder: Utilized to design the game's UI layouts visually. This tool accelerated our UI development process and ensured consistency across different screens.
4. JDK 21: The latest stable version at the time of development, offering performance improvements and new language features that enhanced our code quality and efficiency.
5. Libraries:It is an external plug-in that can realize the function of making charts. It processes, maps, and renders user data, and finally outputs it into a visual chart to provide users with changes in body movement in recent months or weeks, as well as the trend of changes in exercise volume. It allows users to compare and analyze their real-time physical status, which helps to improve users'enthusiasm for exercise.
6. Multithreading: Multithreading is a programming technique that allows a program to run multiple threads at the same time. Threads are the smallest units that the operating system can independently schedule and execute. They share the memory space and resources of the same process, but can execute code independently. The most important thing is that when one of the threads is damaged, the others can still run normally.
7. API: (Application Programming Interface)It is an interface between one system and another, defining a set of rules and protocols to allow communication and interaction between different software or services. It can generate a link for users to copy and paste and send to other friends.
3. Design
3.1 OO concepts
Abstraction: In Java, abstraction simplifies system complexity by hiding complex implementation details and showing only the functions required by users (Rahul bangari, 2024a).
The developer can define a User abstract class in the software. The User abstract class contains two basic attributes: name and password, which represent the basic identity of the user.
There are two behavior. methods: login() : provides the login function to verify whether the name and password entered by the user match. updateProfile() : Allows users to modify their personal information (such as updating user names or passwords). To increase the flexibility of the system and ensure that the interface logic is separated from the data processing. The developer chooses to implement the abstraction with an interface, hiding the methods and basic properties in the abstraction and displaying only the necessary functionality: signUp(), login(),updateProfile().
Interface:In the Java programming language, an interface is an abstract type that is used to define a class's behavior. Java interfaces provide abstract methods and static variables(Kumar and Nitsdheerendra, 2016).
The developer declares three methods by defining a UserActions interface: signUp(), logIn(), and updateProfile(). These methods are marked as abstract methods, meaning that any class that inherits the interface needs to implement them, otherwise an error will be thrown.
The developer can then create an Abstract Class User and have it implement the UserActions interface. In the User class, the implementation method is provided: signUp() : responsible for user registration, set the name and password of the user. logIn() : Responsible for user login. Check whether the name and password entered by the user are correct. If correct, the login succeeds. updateProfile() : Allows users to update personal information, such as changing their name or password.
All classes that implement the UserActions interface have the same basic behavior and methods, ensuring code consistency and maintainability. And if you need to add new user types or new features in the future, you don't need to modify the existing code, you just need to extend the interface or implementation class
Encapsulation: Encapsulation in java is to provide data protection to avoid the disclosure of sensitive user information.(geeksforgeeks, 2017).
To protect the user's personal information and data records, sensitive information (such as the user's password) and data records (such as daily calorie intake and water intake) can be made private fields in an encapsulation manner that allows secure access or modification only through public methods such as setPassword() and getPassword(). This design effectively avoids direct manipulation of data, reduces the risk of data leakage or tampering, and ensures consistent access control.
Inheritance:An essential component of Java OOPs is inheritance, the function is avoid duplicate code and achieve extensible interface functionality.(Rahul bangari, 2024).
Inheritance applications in this software can be reflected in:
The developer can define a base class called 'User' that represents properties and functionality common to all users. Each 'User' object contains' name '(username) and'password '(password) properties, in addition to two methods:'signUp() 'for registering the user, and' logIn() 'for logging in. These methods are fundamental features that are shared by all users.
Then define the RegularUser class, which inherits from the User class. The RegularUser class is a subclass tailored to ordinary users, such as fitness enthusiasts. Not only does it inherit all the attributes and methods of the User class, but it also adds some functionality specific to ordinary users. For example, the RegularUser class adds attributes such as diet_tracking (diet plan) and Workout_Plan (exercise plan), workout_Tracking (exercise tracking), etc. These attributes enable Regularusers to better track and customize an individual's fitness progress and diet plan.
In addition, the RegularUser class provides additional methods, dietData_() for recording diet information and exerciseData() for recording exercise information. These features are required by ordinary users when using the system.
Through this inheritance structure, the code realizes the function reuse and extension. As a superclass,the User class provides basic user management functionality, while the RegularUser class further enhances the functionality of specific users. If we need to provide coach users ('coachusers') with the ability to manage other users in the future, we can continue to inherit the User class and add specific functions to CoachUser, so as to achieve the extensibility of the code.
This design allows users in different roles to share common functions, while also providing specific customization functions for different roles.
Composition is an object-oriented design principle that refers to building more complex objects by combining objects together instead of using inheritance. It is necessary to create a basic interface that can be implemented by different training actions, such as PushUp, Plank, Squat. In Composition, the relationship between different classes is inseparable, and you have me and I have you. (Rahulbangari, 2024a)
It can divide the software into different categories (such as Workout PLans, Workout Tracking, etc.). Provide different and personalized training plans, each of which may contain multiple training modes (such as aerobic exercise, strength training, etc.),which are combined to create a complete training plan.
Benefit: Composition can improve code reusability and maintainability, meet the diverse needs in fitness scenarios, and facilitate the rapid update of system functions according to business needs. It can not only better support user needs, but also maintain high development efficiency and quality.
Aggregation is a design pattern that represents the loose relationship between the whole and the part. It is used to represent the "whole-part" relationship, and the lifecycle between the whole and the part is independent. Aggregation is different from Composition. Although the classes in Aggregation are related, they can exist separately even if they are separated.
However, they are also very important to each other. (Rahulbangari, 2024a)
A training plan can include multiple fitness movements, and users can manage their own fitness data records. Multiple coaches can teach the same course, and the lifecycle of the course and the coach is independent, allowing for arbitrary combinations.
Aggregation can improve the modularity, reusability and flexibility of the software. Because it can be used as an independent module, it is easy to count and display, and the user data is separated from the achievement module, making the system more flexible, so it can more efficiently manage the relationship between objects, reduce coupling, and improve the flexibility and maintainability of the system.
Association represents an interactive or cooperative relationship between two or more objects, without lifecycle dependency and ownership relationship. Association, Composition, and Aggregation are completely different concepts. In Association, although the classes of the relationship exist with each other, they are completely independent, and one class is dispensable to other classes.(Rahulbangari, 2024a)
For example, the many-to-many association relationship between courses and users, coaches and users, and users and exercise records. This relationship is not strongly dependent, usually manifested as "related but not part of the whole", which is different from the nature of Aggregation.
Association can provide flexible interaction between objects, enhancing the scalability, maintainability and understandability of the system. Choosing different design methods can more clearly express the relationship between classes and enhance the flexibility and maintainability of the code.
3.2 Patterns
Introduction to Patterns
Design patterns are reusable solutions to common software design problems. By applying design patterns, the system can achieve modularity, maintainability, and scalability. In this section, the patterns used in our application are explained in detail.
1. Model-View-Controller (MVC)
Purpose:
The MVC pattern is implemented to separate concerns in the application, ensuring a clear distinction between the presentation layer, the business logic, and user interactions.(New York (2011))
Application in the System:
Model: Encapsulates the application's data and business logic. For instance, the Diet Model handles the user's diet tracking data, such as meals, calories, and total water intake.
View: Represents the user interface, displaying the input forms and results for modules like Diet Tracking and Workout Tracking.
Controller: Manages user interactions (e.g., submitting diet data) and updates both the Model and View accordingly.
Justification:Keeps the user interface separate from the business logic, allowing independent modifications.
Promotes testability as Model and Controller can be tested independently from the View.
2. Data Access Object (DAO)
Purpose:
DAO is used to abstract and encapsulate all database interactions, such as saving user diet and workout data. This isolates persistence logic from business logic.(2021.UKEssays. )
Application in the System:
DAO is used to manage user records in modules like Diet Tracking and Workout Tracking.
For example, a Diet DAO class handles database operations for storing and retrieving diet data.( Feyza Nur. 2018)
Justification:
Separates the persistence logic from the application's business logic, ensuring cleaner code. Makes it easier to switch database implementations if needed.
3. Data Transfer Object (DTO)
Purpose:
DTO is used to transfer data between the different layers of the application in a structured manner.((WODA 07). IEEE, 2007: 5-5.)
Application in the System:
DTOs are used in the application to pass data between Controllers and Views, such as transferring user diet details or work out details.
Example classes: Diet DTO, Workout DTO. Justification:
Reduces the complexity of data transfer between layers.
Improves code readability by grouping related attributes into one object.
4. Singleton
Purpose:
The Singleton pattern ensures that a particular class has only one instance and provides a global point of access to it. This is commonly used for managing shared resources like database connections.(John Wiley & Sons, 2013.) Application in the System:
The Database Manager class is implemented as a Singleton to manage database connections across the entire application.
Justification:
Prevents the creation of multiple database connections, ensuring efficient resource usage. Provides a centralized control point for database operations.
5. Dependency Injection
Purpose: Dependency Injection is used to decouple object creation and usage. It allows objects to be injected into a class instead of being created within the class.
Application in the System:
Controllers like Diet Controller and Workout Controller receive dependencies such as Diet Service and Workout Service through dependency injection.(training[J]. 2022.)
Justification:
Enhances modularity by allowing the injection of mock objects for testing purposes. Simplifies maintenance by decoupling classes and their dependencies.