My Experience @KWoC'22

Sapt-pal KWoC by KOSS Kharagpur Winter of Code 2022KWoC by KOSS IITKGP is a 5-week online event to encourage first-timers (both contributors and mentors) to get real world experience in the thrills and challenges in a contained and conductive environment.

I got to know about KWoC from a blog post from a contributor who while recalling the events and their experiences which contributed him back to make the professional he is today(he’s well established in the Computer Science sector), mentioned KWoC as leaving an invaluable trail of unique experiences in his student life where he also took part as a mentor to other beginners. I make no claims about my future, but KWoC was my first step in open-source and in-fact the first real and open world programming experience for me, and I will remember it forever for quenching the pangs of thirst (of participating in any real world programming event) I felt just after entering college. While I was fortunate to get such an opportunity so early, I was not so lucky to have my mid-sems taken within 1-month of my college life 😅, so though initially I had chosen to work on a number of projects, but due to time constrains and to concentrate my full effort, I took up a single project to dedicate my efforts to. (I had even made a list to be sent to the mentor co-ordinator: Hi! I am Saptarshi Pal, a 1st year ECE student at NIT Durgapur. I am interested in the following projects... ApnaBharat Bus Booking/Reservation Code Runner gsync JavaScript Projects Codestreak DevEmpire Sleepometer Go Space It seems too long a list, but I am quite curious about almost all of the listed projects. Hoping an awesome learning and exploring time with mentors ahead!) )

I have contributed to the project ApnaBharat Bus which was hosted open-source in github, mentored by Pranjal Agarwal My list of PRs (till 09th Jan 2023): 1. #45 Mainstream integration with ABUS GUI #45 Addressing issues: #44 #41. Refactored individual modules and once again post integration. Deleting used individual pre-integration modules --> Replaced by a GUI + SQL focused file: ==> ABus_GUI.py 2. #43 Ravamp #43 Addressing issues #41 #44. Modules readied and integration with mainstream flow pending. 3. #25 Fixed an error in Final.py #25 4. #17 Updating Final.py :: reviewing possible Security issues (SQL string injection) and custom Refactoring && Updating ContributorsList.js #17 Updates to Massive scope of refactoring and improving security standards in Final.py #16 Issue #16 Update to ContributorsList.js #5 My Stats: Lines of code:

• Added: 1252

• Deleted: 486

A quick summary of the project and my contribution in it: ApnaBharat Bus aims to simplify the process of booking a bus to enable mass usage by commuters across all age-groups and throughout all demographics. For this, it uses an intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI) which guides the user through the entire work flow as below <flowchart to be added here> The user I supposed to enter a username. If the user name is found in our directory, it next asks for the user to put in their password for logging in. On the other hand if the username is not found in our directory, the user is taken to a register page which takes the password as set by the user and securely stores the password associating it with the username provided. I re-developed the preexisting GUI and along with adding new features, I made the UX process-flow more intuitive to the unacquainted layman and the general public. Feature additions: Added MySQL/replaced file system by MySQL Relational DataBase Management System (RDBMS). Added Python MySQL conectivity Added a multi-step and multi-window flow to the GUI. Improvements: Added security packaged with the MySQL integration. Made a classic looking yet modernistic and minimalist UI layout and design. My Learnings: Even the difficult oftasks can be donequickly and pleasantly if moved in the right direction by a guidance, and most simplest of tasks can prove time-taking if not having the proper focus and dedication. I was never afraid to ask for help, and I think this is why I could move so far credits once again to the project mentor Pranjal Agarwal and to KOSS itself. My hats off to open sourcers and thanks for the opportunity to work as the part of an open-source community actively, (in fact I am now quite attracted to the world of open-source! )