Building a Theater Reservation System with C

This C program orchestrates theater reservations, allowing users to purchase seats and inquire about seat ownership. Structured with Reservation, Row, Theater, and TheaterData, it dynamically manages memory allocation. The main loop reads user commands, executing functions like makePurchase and lookup. The code ensures efficient row handling, allocates memory dynamically, and safeguards against memory allocation failures. It facilitates a user-friendly theater reservation system, freeing allocated memory upon program termination. This C implementation stands as an organized and functional solution for theater reservation management.

Dynamic Theater Reservation System in C

The C Theater Reservation Management code provides a comprehensive solution for handling theater reservations through dynamic memory allocation and structured data management. Users can interact with the system, purchase seats, and look up ownership details efficiently. The code's modular design enhances readability and maintainability, while the main loop processes user commands seamlessly. With error-handling mechanisms, the program ensures robustness by addressing memory allocation failures. Whether you're learning C programming or need help with your C assignment, this implementation serves as a practical example of effective memory management and program organization in the context of a theater reservation system.

Block 1: Structures

struct Reservation { int start, end; char * name; }; struct Row { struct Reservation * array; int max_reservations; int num_reservations; }; struct Theater { struct Row * row; }; struct TheaterData { struct Theater theater; int *row_names; int num_rows; };

Discussion:

• Reservation structure represents a reserved range with start and end indices and the name of the person who reserved it. Row structure represents a row in the theater with an array of reservations, the maximum capacity, and the current number of reservations.
• Theater structure contains an array of rows.
• TheaterData structure combines information about the theater, including the theater structure itself, an array of row names, and the number of rows.

Block 2: Function Prototypes

void initializeRow(struct Row *row); int makePurchase(int row, int start, int end, char *name, struct TheaterData *data); void lookup(int row, int seat, struct TheaterData *data); void freeTheaterData(struct TheaterData data);

Discussion:

• initializeRow: Initializes a row with memory allocation for a single reservation.
• makePurchase: Makes a reservation. Returns 1 if successful, 0 if failure.
• lookup: Looks up the owner of a seat and prints the result.
• freeTheaterData: Frees all dynamically allocated memory for the theater.

Block 3: Main Function

int main() { // ... (variable declarations and initialization) while (quit == 0) { scanf("%s", buffer); // Command processing based on user input // ... } freeTheaterData(data); return 0; }

Discussion:

• The main function reads user commands in a loop until the user decides to quit.
• Commands include "BUY," "LOOKUP," and "QUIT."
• Depending on the command, it calls corresponding functions (makePurchase, lookup) and prints the result.

Block 4: initializeRow Function

void initializeRow(struct Row *row) { // Memory allocation for a single reservation in the row // ... }

Discussion:

• Initializes a row by allocating memory for a single reservation.
• Checks for memory allocation failure.

Block 5: makePurchase Function

<code ignore--minify class="code-view">int makePurchase(int row, int start, int end, char *name, struct TheaterData *data) { // ... (variable declarations) // Searches for the row and handles memory allocation for new rows. // Checks if the requested range is available and adds a new reservation. // ... return 0; // Failure } </code>

Discussion:

• Handles the process of making a purchase (reservation).
• Dynamically allocates memory for new rows and reservations as needed.
• Checks if the requested range is available and adds a new reservation.

Block 6: lookup Function

void lookup(int row, int seat, struct TheaterData *data) { // ... (variable declarations) // Searches for the row and checks if the seat is reserved. // Prints the owner's name or "No one" based on the result. // ... }

Discussion:

• Looks up the owner of a seat in the specified row.
• Searches for the row and checks if the seat is reserved.
• Prints the owner's name or "No one" based on the result.

Block 7: freeTheaterData Function

void freeTheaterData(struct TheaterData data) { // ... (memory deallocation for rows, reservations, and row names) }

Discussion:

• Frees all dynamically allocated memory for the theater, including rows and reservations.
• Checks if the theater is not empty before freeing memory.

Block 8: main Function

int main() { // ... (variable declarations and initialization) while (quit == 0) { scanf("%s", buffer); // Command processing based on user input if (strcmp(buffer, "QUIT") == 0) quit = 1; else if (strcmp(buffer, "BUY") == 0) { scanf("%d %d %d %s", &row, &start, &end, buffer); if (makePurchase(row, start, end, buffer, &data) == 1) printf("SUCCESS\n"); else printf("FAILURE\n"); } else if (strcmp(buffer, "LOOKUP") == 0) { scanf("%d %d", &row, &seat); lookup(row, seat, &data); } } freeTheaterData(data); return 0; }

Discussion:

• The main function's loop processes user input commands.
• If the command is "QUIT," the loop exits, terminating the program.
• If the command is "BUY," it reads additional parameters and calls makePurchase.
• If the command is "LOOKUP," it reads row and seat parameters and calls the lookup function.

Block 9: makePurchase Function

<code ignore--minify class="code-view">int makePurchase(int row, int start, int end, char *name, struct TheaterData *data) { // ... (variable declarations) for (int num_row = 0; num_row &lt; data-&gt;num_rows &amp;&amp; th_row == -1; num_row++) { // Searches for the given row // ... } // ... (allocation of new rows, reservations, and updating data) return 0; // Failure } </code>

Discussion:

• Continuation of the makePurchase function.
• Searches for the given row in the theater.
• Handles the allocation of new rows and reservations if needed.
• Checks if the requested range is available and adds a new reservation.

Block 10: lookup Function

void lookup(int row, int seat, struct TheaterData *data) { // ... (variable declarations) for (int num_row = 0; num_row < data->num_rows && th_row == -1; num_row++) { // Searches for the given row // ... } // ... (checking if the seat is reserved and printing the result) }

Discussion:

• Continuation of the lookup function.
• Searches for the given row in the theater.
• Searches for the given row in the theater.

Block 11: freeTheaterData Function

void freeTheaterData(struct TheaterData data) { // ... (memory deallocation for rows, reservations, and row names) // Frees allocated memory for the theater. }

Discussion:

• Continuation of the freeTheaterData function.
• Frees allocated memory for the theater, including rows, reservations, and row names.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this C Theater Reservation Management code exemplifies the power of dynamic memory allocation and structured programming to create an efficient and user-friendly reservation system. Whether you are a C programming enthusiast seeking to enhance your skills or a student grappling with a C assignment, this implementation offers insights into best practices, code organization, and error handling. By navigating through the modular design and thoughtful implementation of functionalities, users can gain a deeper understanding of memory management and program flow. This code stands not just as a practical solution for theater reservations but also as a valuable educational resource to sharpen one's proficiency in C programming.