Setting Up and Running the Business Management System

Let's walk through the complete process of setting up the database and running the application to see its full functionality.

Step 1: Set Up the Database

The application uses Entity Framework Core with SQL Server. Here's how to set it up:

Using Visual Studio:

1. Open the project in Visual Studio

   • Open the solution file (.sln) in Visual Studio

2. Verify Database Connection String

   • Open appsettings.json and check that the connection string is correct:
   "ConnectionStrings": { "DefaultConnection": "Server=(localdb)\\mssqllocaldb;Database=BusinessManagement;Trusted_Connection=True;MultipleActiveResultSets=true" }
   • This uses SQL Server LocalDB, which comes with Visual Studio

3. Open Package Manager Console

   • Go to Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console

4. Run EF Core Migrations

   • In the Package Manager Console, run:
   Add-Migration InitialCreate
   • This creates a migration based on your model classes
   • Then run:
   Update-Database
   • This applies the migration to create the database schema and seed initial data

Using .NET CLI (Command Line):

If you prefer using the command line or are using Visual Studio Code:

1. Install EF Core Tools (if not already installed)

   dotnet tool install --global dotnet-ef
2. Navigate to the project directory in your terminal/command prompt

3. Create and apply migrations

   dotnet ef migrations add InitialCreate dotnet ef database update

Step 2: Run the Application

Using Visual Studio:

1. Set the startup project

   • Right-click on the project in Solution Explorer
   • Select "Set as Startup Project"

2. Run the application

   • Press F5 or click the "Start" button (green play icon)
   • Visual Studio will build the project, start the web server, and open the application in your default browser

Using .NET CLI:

1. Navigate to the project directory in your terminal/command prompt

2. Run the application

   dotnet run

3. Open the application in your browser

   • Navigate to https://localhost:5001 or http://localhost:5000
   • The exact URL will be shown in the terminal output

Step 3: Explore the Application

Once the application is running, you can explore its functionality using the test accounts provided:

Test Accounts:

• Admin: admin@example.com / Admin123!
• Business Owner: john@example.com / Password123!
• Customer: jane@example.com / Password123!

Key Features to Test:

1. Home Page

   • Browse featured businesses
   • Explore business categories
   • Use the search functionality

2. Business Listings

   • View all businesses
   • Filter by category or location
   • View detailed business information

3. User Authentication

   • Login with the provided test accounts
   • Register a new account
   • Update your profile information

4. Business Owner Features (login as john@example.com)

   • View your business dashboard
   • Manage services
   • Handle appointments
   • View analytics
   • Update business information

5. Customer Features (login as jane@example.com)

   • Browse businesses
   • Book appointments
   • Leave reviews
   • Manage your appointments

6. Admin Features (login as admin@example.com)

   • Access the admin dashboard
   • Manage users, businesses, and reviews
   • Create and manage business categories

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Database Connection Issues:

• Ensure SQL Server LocalDB is installed and running
• Verify the connection string in appsettings.json
• Try running sqllocaldb info in command prompt to check available instances

Migration Errors:

• If you get errors during migration, try:

  Add-Migration InitialCreate -Verbose

  to see more detailed error information

Application Won't Start:

• Check if another application is using the same port

• Ensure all required packages are installed:

  dotnet restore

Login Issues:

• The application uses a simplified authentication system for demonstration
• Passwords are stored in plain text in the seed data (not recommended for production)
• If you can't login with the test accounts, try registering a new account

Next Steps

After exploring the basic functionality, you might want to:

1. Create your own business and set up services
2. Book appointments between different user accounts
3. Leave reviews for businesses
4. Explore the admin panel to manage system data

The application demonstrates a complete business management system with user authentication, business profiles, appointment booking, reviews, and administrative features, all integrated with a SQL Server database through Entity Framework Core.

Using the Frontend Files to Run and Preview the Application

I understand you want to use the frontend files I provided to run and preview the application. Let's go through how to properly set up and run the application with these frontend views.

Step 1: Ensure All Files Are in the Correct Locations

The frontend files I provided need to be in the correct folders in your ASP.NET Core MVC project:

1. View Files should be in their respective folders:

   • Views/Home/Index.cshtml → in the Views/Home folder
   • Views/Account/Login.cshtml → in the Views/Account folder
   • Views/Businesses/Details.cshtml → in the Views/Businesses folder
   • Views/BusinessDashboard/Index.cshtml → in the Views/BusinessDashboard folder
   • Views/Shared/_Layout.cshtml → in the Views/Shared folder

2. CSS Files should be in:

   • wwwroot/css/site.css

Step 2: Create Missing View Files

You'll need to create a few additional essential view files for the application to work properly:

Step 3: Create Required Folders

Make sure you have these folders in your project structure:

• wwwroot/images - For storing images
• wwwroot/lib - For libraries like Bootstrap and jQuery

Step 4: Run the Application

1. Build the project to make sure all files are compiled correctly

   • In Visual Studio: Build > Build Solution
   • Or using CLI: dotnet build

2. Run the application

   • In Visual Studio: Press F5 or click the "Start" button
   • Or using CLI: dotnet run

3. Access the application in your browser

   • The application should open automatically in your default browser
   • If not, navigate to https://localhost:5001 or http://localhost:5000

Preview of Key Pages

Here's what you should see when you run the application:

Home Page

• Featured businesses section with ratings
• Popular categories section with icons
• Search functionality for businesses

Business Listings

• List of businesses with filtering options
• Business cards showing ratings and basic info

Business Details

• Business profile with services, reviews, and contact info
• Booking functionality for services
• Review submission form

Business Dashboard

• Overview of business metrics
• Recent reviews and upcoming appointments
• Navigation to manage services, appointments, etc.

Troubleshooting Frontend Issues

If you encounter issues with the frontend:

1. Check browser console for JavaScript errors

2. Verify CSS and JavaScript files are being loaded correctly

   • Look for 404 errors in the browser's network tab

3. Check for missing images

   • Create placeholder images in the wwwroot/images folder
   • Or update image paths in the views to use available images

4. Bootstrap and jQuery

   • Make sure these libraries are available in your project
   • You can add them via LibMan in Visual Studio or manually download them

5. Layout issues

   • Ensure the _Layout.cshtml file is correctly referenced
   • Check that _ViewStart.cshtml and _ViewImports.cshtml are present

Sample Data for Preview

The application is seeded with sample data including:

• Business categories (Restaurants, Health & Medical, etc.)
• Sample businesses with services and reviews
• Test user accounts for different roles

This allows you to immediately see how the application works with realistic data without having to create everything from scratch.

Would you like me to provide any specific view files that might be missing, or do you need help with a particular aspect of running the application?