MarketLink — Farm Fresh Just a Click Away

TechWiz 7 World Tech Championship
Theme: eGreen Basket
Category: End-to-End Web Solutions
SRS Reference: Software Requirements Specification Version 1.0

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1. Project Overview & Problem Definition

Local farmers markets connect communities with fresh, seasonal, and locally grown produce. However, shoppers often do not know in advance which farmers will attend, what inventory they will bring, or what prices will be charged. Farmers, in turn, have had no structured way to publicize weekly stock, gauge demand, or take reservations ahead of market morning.

MarketLink bridges this gap as an end-to-end web platform providing:

• Real-time weekly stock visibility for local growers.
• Location discovery via interactive OpenStreetMap with markers and pickup directions.
• Pre-order produce reservations for convenient in-person stall collection.
• Zero online transaction fees and no courier logistics — fully adhering to the local market ethos.

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2. Mandatory User Credentials (SRS Section 1.9)

Pre-seeded accounts are configured for immediate evaluation:

Role	Username	Email	Password	Access Level & Description
System Admin	admin	admin@marketlink.local	Admin@123	Full administrative oversight, farmer approval gate, customer moderation, market management.
Approved Farmer	greenvalley	farmer@marketlink.local	Farmer@123	Active stall vendor (Green Valley Organic Produce) with weekly stock, incoming orders, and reviews.
Approved Farmer 2	sunshineorchard	orchard@marketlink.local	Farmer@123	Active stall vendor (Sunshine Orchards & Apiary) at Riverside Market.
Pending Farmer	newharvest	newharvest@marketlink.local	Farmer@123	Newly registered vendor awaiting Admin approval (products hidden from public catalog).
Customer	sarah_shopper	customer@marketlink.local	Customer@123	Pre-loaded customer with active and completed pre-orders, saved favorites, and review history.
Customer 2	david_miller	david@marketlink.local	Customer@123	Secondary test customer account for multi-user reservation testing.

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3. Mandatory Installation & Setup Instructions (SRS §1.9)

Prerequisites:

• PHP: 8.2 or higher (with pdo_sqlite, pdo_mysql, curl, mbstring, fileinfo, gd, openssl extensions enabled).
• Composer: Dependency manager for PHP.
• MySQL / XAMPP (Optional for MySQL testing): ApacheFriends XAMPP 8.2+ or standalone MySQL.

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Step-by-Step Installation:

1. Clone / Extract Project:

Extract the submitted zip file or clone the repository to your local web directory:

cd MarketLink

2. Install PHP Dependencies:

composer install

3. Environment Configuration:

Copy .env.example to .env (if not already present):

copy .env.example .env
php artisan key:generate

4. Database Setup (Two Supported Modes):

Mode A: Instant SQLite (Zero-Configuration — Recommended for Fast Evaluation)

MarketLink comes configured with a self-contained SQLite database that runs immediately without configuring MySQL services:

php artisan migrate:fresh --seed

Mode B: MySQL / phpMyAdmin (XAMPP Standard)

1. Open XAMPP Control Panel and start Apache and MySQL.
2. Open phpMyAdmin (http://localhost/phpmyadmin).
3. Create a new database named marketlink.
4. Click Import and select the provided marketlink.sql file in the project root directory.
5. In your .env file, update:

   DB_CONNECTION=mysql
   DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
   DB_PORT=3306
   DB_DATABASE=marketlink
   DB_USERNAME=root
   DB_PASSWORD=

5. Launch the Application:

Start the local development server:

php artisan serve

Open your browser and visit: http://localhost:8000

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4. Key Architectural Assumptions (SRS Section 1.9)

1. Pay at Pickup (No Online Payment Gateways): Strictly per SRS Section 1.5, pre-orders reserve inventory online, and payment is settled in person with the grower at the stall.
2. In-Person Pickup Only (No Couriers): Customers select a pickup date and time-slot from the farmer's operating windows.
3. Map Provider: OpenStreetMap (via Leaflet.js) is utilized to ensure 100% reliable, zero-cost geolocation markers without API billing restrictions.
4. Approval Gate: Newly registered farmers cannot publish weekly inventory until an administrator grants approval from the Admin Dashboard.