Smart Appointment Scheduler

This case study demonstrates how Ascoos OS can be used to validate and schedule appointments with intelligent conflict detection. The example validates the request data, checks time slot availability, and logs the result as an event.

Purpose

This example uses the following Ascoos OS classes: - TDatesHandler: Manages date and time operations. - TXValidationHandler: Validates appointment request using rules. - TEventHandler: Logs events (conflict or confirmation).

Structure

The case study is implemented in a single PHP file: - appointment_scheduler.php: Includes validation, availability check, and event logging.

Prerequisites

1. Install Ascoos OS (main repository). If you're using Ascoos Web Extended Studio 26, it's already preinstalled.
2. Write permissions for the `$AOS_LOGS_PATH` directory.
3. Global variables (`$conf`, `$AOS_TMP_DATA_PATH`, `$AOS_LOGS_PATH`) are automatically set by Ascoos OS.
4. The phpBCL8 library is preinstalled and auto-loaded.

Getting Started

1. Run the script via a web server:
   https://localhost/aos/examples/case-studies/health/appointments/appointment_scheduler.php
   

Example Usage

// Validation rules
$rules = [
    'patient_id' => 'required|string|min:5|max:10',
    'name' => 'required|string|max:100',
    'requested_date' => 'required|date',
    'requested_time' => 'required|string|regex:/^\d{2}:\d{2}$/'
];
if (!$validator->validate($request, $rules)) {
    $eventHandler->trigger('appointments', 'conflict', ['errors' => $validator->getErrors()]);
    exit("Validation failed.");
}

// Availability check
$requestedSlot = $request['requested_date'] . ' ' . $request['requested_time'];
if (in_array($requestedSlot, $existingAppointments)) {
    $eventHandler->trigger('appointments', 'conflict', ['slot' => $requestedSlot]);
    exit("Time slot unavailable.");
}

Expected Output

The script returns a JSON object with the confirmed appointment details. Example output:

{
    "patient_id": "P1001",
    "name": "Maria Papadopoulou",
    "requested_date": "2025-09-01",
    "requested_time": "10:00",
    "confirmed": true,
    "scheduled_at": "2025-08-28 22:22:00"
}

Resources

• Ascoos OS Documentation
• GitHub Repository
• AWES
• BootLib
• phpBCL8

Contributing

Want to contribute to this case study? Fork the repository, modify or extend appointment_scheduler.php, and submit a pull request. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

This case study is licensed under the Ascoos General License (AGL). See LICENSE.