RecipeBox - .NET MAUI Recipe Management Application

A comprehensive cross-platform recipe management application built with .NET MAUI, featuring local SQLite storage, external API integration, and modern MVVM architecture.

📱 Features

Core Functionality

Full CRUD Operations - Create, Read, Update, and Delete recipes
Local Database - SQLite database with persistent storage
External API Integration - Browse and import recipes from TheMealDB API
Search & Filter - Search recipes by name and filter by category
Favorites System - Mark recipes as favorites and view them in a dedicated page
Category Browsing - Browse recipes by Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Dessert

User Interface

7 fully functional pages with Shell navigation
4-tab bottom navigation (Home, Recipes, Favorites, Search)
Dynamic forms for adding and editing recipes
Real-time UI updates with ObservableCollections
Confirmation dialogs for destructive actions
Loading indicators for API operations

🏗️ Architecture

MVVM Pattern

8 ViewModels implementing MVVM architecture
Models - Recipe with JSON serialization for complex data types
Views - XAML pages with data binding
Services - Repository and API service layers

Design Patterns (6 Implemented)

MVVM - Model-View-ViewModel separation
Repository Pattern - DatabaseContext abstracts data access
Dependency Injection - Constructor injection throughout
Observer Pattern - ObservableCollection and INotifyPropertyChanged
Command Pattern - RelayCommand for user actions
Singleton Pattern - Single DatabaseContext instance

See DESIGN_PATTERNS.md for detailed documentation.

🛠️ Technology Stack

.NET MAUI - Cross-platform framework
SQLite-net-pcl - Local database
CommunityToolkit.Mvvm - MVVM helpers and source generators
System.Text.Json - JSON serialization/deserialization
HttpClient - REST API consumption
C# 12 - Modern C# features

📂 Project Structure

RecipeApp/
├── Models/
│   └── Recipe.cs                    # Recipe data model
├── ViewModels/
│   ├── BaseViewModel.cs             # Base class for all ViewModels
│   ├── HomeViewModel.cs             # Home page logic
│   ├── RecipeListViewModel.cs       # Recipe list and category filtering
│   ├── RecipeDetailViewModel.cs     # Recipe details with edit/delete
│   ├── AddRecipeViewModel.cs        # Add new recipe
│   ├── EditRecipeViewModel.cs       # Edit existing recipe
│   ├── FavoritesViewModel.cs        # Favorites management
│   ├── SearchViewModel.cs           # Search functionality
│   └── BrowseApiViewModel.cs        # API browsing and import
├── Views/
│   ├── HomePage.xaml                # Landing page with categories
│   ├── RecipeListPage.xaml          # Recipe list display
│   ├── RecipeDetailPage.xaml        # Recipe details view
│   ├── AddRecipePage.xaml           # Add recipe form
│   ├── EditRecipePage.xaml          # Edit recipe form
│   ├── FavoritesPage.xaml           # Favorites list
│   ├── SearchPage.xaml              # Search interface
│   └── BrowseApiPage.xaml           # API recipe browser
├── Services/
│   ├── DatabaseContext.cs           # SQLite repository
│   └── MealDbService.cs             # TheMealDB API service
├── ApiModels/
│   └── MealDbResponse.cs            # API response models
├── Converters/
│   └── InvertedBoolConverter.cs     # UI state converter
└── DESIGN_PATTERNS.md               # Design patterns documentation

🗄️ Database Schema

Recipe Model

public class Recipe
{
    [PrimaryKey, AutoIncrement]
    public int Id { get; set; }
    
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Category { get; set; }
    public int PrepTime { get; set; }
    public bool IsFavorite { get; set; }
    
    // Serialized as JSON
    public List<string> Ingredients { get; set; }
    public List<string> Instructions { get; set; }
}

🌐 External API Integration

TheMealDB API

Endpoint: https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1
Features:
- Search recipes by name
- Get random recipes
- Recipe details with images
- Import to local database

API Operations

// Search recipes
await _apiService.SearchRecipesByNameAsync("chicken");

// Get random recipes
await _apiService.GetRandomRecipesAsync(10);

// Import to local database
await _database.SaveRecipeAsync(convertedRecipe);

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

Visual Studio 2022 (17.8 or later)
.NET 8.0 SDK
Windows 10 SDK (10.0.17763.0 or later)

Installation

Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.coventry.ac.uk/6004CMD-25-26/6004CMD_Elufowoju_David.git

Open RecipeApp.sln in Visual Studio 2022
Restore NuGet packages

   Tools → NuGet Package Manager → Restore NuGet Packages

Build and run

   Press F5 or click "Windows Machine" in the toolbar

📦 NuGet Packages

<PackageReference Include="CommunityToolkit.Mvvm" Version="8.2.2" />
<PackageReference Include="sqlite-net-pcl" Version="1.9.172" />
<PackageReference Include="SQLitePCLRaw.bundle_green" Version="2.1.8" />

💾 Data Persistence

Local Storage

SQLite database stored in app data directory
Automatic initialization with 5 seed recipes
JSON serialization for complex data types (lists)

Seed Data

Fluffy Pancakes (Breakfast)
Caesar Salad (Lunch)
Spaghetti Carbonara (Dinner)
Chocolate Cake (Dessert)
French Toast (Breakfast)

🎨 User Interface Features

Dynamic Forms

Add/Edit recipes with real-time validation
Dynamic ingredient and instruction lists
Add/Remove buttons for list management
Category picker with 5 categories
Numeric keyboard for prep time

Navigation

Shell-based navigation with routes
Bottom tab bar (Home, Recipes, Favorites, Search)
Forward/back navigation stack
Deep linking support

🔧 Key Implementation Details

CRUD Operations

// Create
await _database.SaveRecipeAsync(newRecipe);

// Read
var recipe = await _database.GetRecipeAsync(id);
var recipes = await _database.GetRecipesByCategoryAsync("Dinner");

// Update
recipe.Name = "Updated Name";
await _database.SaveRecipeAsync(recipe);

// Delete
await _database.DeleteRecipeAsync(recipe);

Dependency Injection

// MauiProgram.cs
builder.Services.AddSingleton<DatabaseContext>();
builder.Services.AddSingleton<MealDbService>();
builder.Services.AddTransient<RecipeListViewModel>();

Data Binding

<Label Text="{Binding Recipe.Name}" />
<Button Command="{Binding DeleteRecipeCommand}" />
<ListView ItemsSource="{Binding Recipes}" />

📊 Application Flow

Home Page → Select category or browse online recipes
Recipe List → View recipes by category
Recipe Details → View full recipe with edit/delete options
Add/Edit → Create or modify recipes
Favorites → View favorited recipes
Search → Find recipes by name
Browse API → Search and import online recipes

🧪 Testing

Manual Testing Performed

✅ All CRUD operations
✅ Category filtering
✅ Search functionality
✅ Favorites toggle
✅ API search and import
✅ Form validation
✅ Navigation flows
✅ Data persistence

Requirements Met

✅ Project structure with 7+ folders
✅ 7 pages with navigation
✅ 9+ UI controls
✅ MVVM architecture with 8 ViewModels
✅ Dependency injection
✅ SQLite database with full CRUD
✅ Data persistence
✅ 6 design patterns (exceeds requirement of 4)
✅ External API integration
✅ Git repository with commits
✅ Professional documentation

🐛 Known Issues

Windows Text Rendering

Some text elements may appear with reduced visibility on Windows dark mode due to a known .NET MAUI rendering issue. Workaround implemented: explicit color values and manual UI rendering.

🔮 Future Enhancements

📄 License

This is an academic project for Coventry University.

👤 Author

David Elufowoju

Student ID: 13122803
Module: 6004CMD - Advanced Mobile App Development
Academic Year: 2025-2026

🙏 Acknowledgments

TheMealDB API for providing free recipe data
.NET MAUI team for the cross-platform framework
CommunityToolkit.Mvvm for MVVM helpers
Coventry University for project guidance

elufowojud/6005CMD-Recipe-App

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