🏇 Horse Race Program

Welcome to the Horse Race Program — a Java application built for Semester 2 coursework! This project showcases the power of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and JavaFX in creating a feature-rich and visually appealing application for managing and simulating horse races.

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📋 Overview

The Horse Race Program allows users to:

• Register Horses: Add, update, and view horse details effortlessly.
• Simulate Races: Automatically rank horses and display race results visually.
• Data Persistence: Save user inputs to a text file and retrieve them when needed.

Built with maintainability and scalability in mind, this project uses industry best practices, such as error handling, unit testing, and modular design.

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🎨 Features

• JavaFX GUI: A sleek and intuitive interface designed for an engaging user experience, enhanced with CSS styling.
• OOP Concepts: Full utilization of Encapsulation, Inheritance, Abstraction, and Polymorphism for robust and maintainable code.
• Sorting Algorithm: Bubble sort implementation to arrange horse IDs in ascending order.
• Error Handling: User input validation with comprehensive error handling using try-catch blocks.
• Unit Testing: Rigorous testing of classes and methods to ensure expected functionality.

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🛠️ Key Functionalities

1. Horse Registration:

   • Add new horses with unique IDs.
   • Update or delete existing horse details.

2. Race Simulation:

   • Select top horses based on category.
   • Automatically rank and position horses based on race results.
   • Display results visually using JavaFX.

3. Data Persistence:

   • Save horse details and race data in a text file.
   • Retrieve saved data as needed.

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🚀 How It Works

1. Start the Program: Launch the GUI via the JavaFX interface.
2. Manage Horses: Use intuitive forms to register, update, or view horse details.
3. Simulate Races: Select horses and see their rankings based on race outcomes.
4. Visual Display: Enjoy a clean and interactive visualization of race results.

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🧪 Testing

• Unit Tests: Each class and method is rigorously tested to ensure accurate functionality.
• Error Handling: Comprehensive validation and exception handling for user inputs.
• Expected vs. Actual Outputs: Verifications ensure alignment between desired and actual outcomes.

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🔍 Assumptions

• All horse IDs are unique.
• Bubble sorting is sufficient for sorting horse IDs due to limited data size.

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🌟 Future Improvements

• Implement advanced race algorithms for realistic simulations.
• Integrate a database for better scalability and data management.
• Enhance GUI design with richer animations and themes.
• Introduce multiplayer functionality for a competitive experience.

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📂 Technologies Used

• Programming Language: Java
• GUI Framework: JavaFX
• Styling: CSS
• Data Storage: Text Files

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📈 Why You'll Love It

• Clean, modular code with detailed comments for easy understanding.
• Fully functional GUI with smooth performance.
• Designed with extensibility in mind, making future updates seamless.

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🏆 Acknowledgements

This project demonstrates the culmination of advanced Java concepts and practical implementation skills gained during Semester 2 coursework.

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Start exploring the Horse Race Program and experience the thrill of race simulation firsthand! 🎉