Restaurant Billing System in C

The Restaurant Billing System is a command-line application designed to manage billing and invoicing for a restaurant. This system enables restaurant staff to take orders, calculate bills, generate receipts, and maintain a record of daily transactions. Built in C, the project emphasizes performance, accuracy, and an easy-to-use interface, making it an ideal solution for small to medium-sized restaurants.

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Features

• Menu Management: Display a customizable menu with item names, quantities, and prices.
• Order Handling: Take multiple orders and calculate the total bill with taxes.
• Receipt Generation: Generate printable invoices for customers.
• Daily Summary: Track total earnings and the number of orders processed during the day.
• Error Handling: Prevent invalid inputs for item selection and quantity.

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Technologies Used

Programming Language

• C: The entire application is developed in C, offering efficient computation and straightforward file handling.

Core Features & Libraries

• File Handling: Stores daily transaction records for auditing purposes.
• Standard C Libraries:
  • <stdio.h> for input/output operations.
  • <stdlib.h> for dynamic memory management.
  • <string.h> for string manipulation and menu management.

Utilities

• Data Structures: Arrays for menu storage and dynamic memory allocation for order processing.
• Modular Design: Functions for key features such as order creation, bill calculation, and transaction summary.

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Installation Guide

To set up and run the Restaurant Billing System, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Muhdal-Amin/restaurant-billing-system.git
   cd restaurant-billing-system

2. Compile the source code:

   gcc -o billing_system billing_system.c

3. Run the application:

   ./billing_system

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Challenges Encountered

1. Menu Customization:

   • Allowing flexible menu updates during runtime was complex.
   • Solution: Designed a menu system with easy-to-edit code and dynamic item pricing.

2. Accurate Billing:

   • Calculating totals with taxes and handling floating-point precision was a challenge.
   • Solution: Used float data types carefully and tested multiple rounding algorithms.

3. Data Persistence:

   • Ensuring daily transactions were logged without errors required robust file handling.
   • Solution: Implemented structured file storage with readable formatting.

4. Error Handling:

   • Managing invalid inputs such as selecting unavailable items or entering negative quantities.
   • Solution: Included thorough validation checks and user-friendly error messages.

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Lessons Learned

1. File Handling Proficiency: Enhanced understanding of file operations, especially appending and reading structured data.
2. Modular Programming Skills: Developed reusable functions for critical operations like order creation and receipt printing.
3. Error Handling Best Practices: Learned the importance of anticipating and addressing user errors effectively.
4. Optimized Memory Usage: Gained practical experience with memory allocation and deallocation in C.

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Future Plans

1. Enhanced User Interface: Add color-coded output for better CLI experience.
2. Item Search Feature: Implement search functionality for quick item lookup.
3. Database Integration: Transition to using a database for transaction storage and analysis.
4. Multi-language Support: Expand to support multilingual menus and receipts.

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Contribution Guidelines

We welcome contributions to improve the Restaurant Billing System! Please follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch for your feature.
3. Commit your changes with clear messages.
4. Create a pull request to the main repository.

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Acknowledgments

• C Programming Community: For insights on modular programming and error handling.
• ADV Learning: For libraries and guides that helped in developing this project.

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