Filter Based on Substring Matches

Oct 13, 2025 by thesweetdesigns.com 87 views

Enhancing User Experience: Adding Search/Filter Functionality to Ingredient Selection

Description

In today's fast-paced digital world, user experience plays a crucial role in determining the success of any application. As the ingredient database grows, it becomes increasingly difficult for users to find specific ingredients by visually scanning through the entire list. This is where the implementation of a search or filter feature in the Add Ingredient Dialog comes into play. By allowing users to quickly find specific ingredients by typing part of the ingredient name, this feature will significantly improve the user experience by making ingredient selection faster and more efficient.

Current Behavior

Currently, users are forced to visually scan through the entire ingredient list to find a specific ingredient. This can be a time-consuming and frustrating process, especially when dealing with large ingredient collections. Furthermore, there is no way to filter the list or search for specific ingredients, making the selection process even more challenging. As more ingredients are added to the database, the selection process becomes increasingly difficult, leading to a poor user experience.

Proposed Behavior

To address the current limitations, we propose the implementation of a search/filter feature in the Add Ingredient Dialog. This feature will consist of the following components:

Text Field: A text field will be added at the top of the ingredient selection dropdown, allowing users to type part of the ingredient name.
Real-time Filtering: The ingredient list will be filtered in real-time as the user types, ensuring that the list is updated instantly.
Substring Matching: The filtering logic will match ingredients that contain the typed text, not just starting with it. This will provide a more accurate and efficient search experience.
Visual Feedback: Appropriate visual feedback will be provided when filtering is active, ensuring that users are aware of the filtering process.
New Ingredient Creation: The ability to create new ingredients will be maintained, even when no matches are found.

Acceptance Criteria

To ensure that the search/filter feature is implemented correctly, the following acceptance criteria must be met:

Add Search/Filter Text Field: A text field must be added to the Add Ingredient Dialog.
Implement Real-time Filtering: The ingredient list must be filtered in real-time as the user types.
Ensure Case-Insensitive Matching: The filtering logic must be case-insensitive, providing a better user experience.
Filter Based on Substring Matches: The filtering logic must match ingredients that contain the typed text, not just starting with it.
Show Visual Feedback: Appropriate visual feedback must be provided when no ingredients match the filter.
Maintain New Ingredient Creation: The ability to create new ingredients must be maintained, even when no matches are found.
Ensure Keyboard Focus Management: Keyboard focus management must work well for efficient workflow.
Test with Large Ingredient Collections: The feature must be tested with large ingredient collections (100+ ingredients).

Technical Notes

To implement the search/filter feature efficiently, the following technical notes must be considered:

Use TextEditingController with Listener: The TextEditingController with listener can be used for real-time filtering.
Maintain Complete List Separately: A complete list must be maintained separately from the filtered display list.
Ensure Filtering Logic Efficiency: The filtering logic must be efficient for large ingredient collections.
Highlight Matching Text Portions: Matching text portions can be highlighted for better visibility.
Coordinate with Alphabetical Sorting: The alphabetical sorting implementation (Issue #48) must be coordinated with the search/filter feature.
Handle Edge Cases: Edge cases like empty filter text and no matching ingredients must be handled.

Priority

The priority of this feature is medium, indicating that it is an important feature that requires attention but can be implemented in a reasonable timeframe.

Labels

This feature is labeled as an enhancement, UI, and is marked as completed (✓✓).

Implementation Plan

To implement the search/filter feature, the following steps must be taken:

Design the Search/Filter Feature: The search/filter feature must be designed, including the text field, real-time filtering, and visual feedback.
Implement Real-time Filtering: The real-time filtering logic must be implemented, ensuring that the ingredient list is updated instantly.
Test the Feature: The feature must be tested with large ingredient collections (100+ ingredients) to ensure that it works efficiently.
Coordinate with Alphabetical Sorting: The alphabetical sorting implementation (Issue #48) must be coordinated with the search/filter feature.
Handle Edge Cases: Edge cases like empty filter text and no matching ingredients must be handled.

By following this implementation plan, the search/filter feature can be successfully implemented, improving the user experience and making ingredient selection faster and more efficient.
Frequently Asked Questions: Adding Search/Filter Functionality to Ingredient Selection

Q: What is the purpose of adding a search/filter feature to the Add Ingredient Dialog?

A: The purpose of adding a search/filter feature is to improve the user experience by making ingredient selection faster and more efficient. With a large ingredient database, users can quickly find specific ingredients by typing part of the ingredient name, reducing the time and effort required to select ingredients.

Q: How will the search/filter feature work?

A: The search/filter feature will consist of a text field at the top of the ingredient selection dropdown. As the user types, the ingredient list will be filtered in real-time, matching ingredients that contain the typed text. The feature will also provide visual feedback when filtering is active and maintain the ability to create new ingredients when no matches are found.

Q: What are the benefits of implementing a search/filter feature?

A: The benefits of implementing a search/filter feature include:

Improved user experience: Users can quickly find specific ingredients, reducing the time and effort required to select ingredients.
Increased efficiency: The search/filter feature will make ingredient selection faster and more efficient, especially with large ingredient collections.
Enhanced user satisfaction: Users will be able to find the ingredients they need quickly and easily, leading to increased user satisfaction.

Q: How will the search/filter feature be implemented?

A: The search/filter feature will be implemented using the following steps:

Design the Search/Filter Feature: The search/filter feature must be designed, including the text field, real-time filtering, and visual feedback.
Implement Real-time Filtering: The real-time filtering logic must be implemented, ensuring that the ingredient list is updated instantly.
Test the Feature: The feature must be tested with large ingredient collections (100+ ingredients) to ensure that it works efficiently.
Coordinate with Alphabetical Sorting: The alphabetical sorting implementation (Issue #48) must be coordinated with the search/filter feature.
Handle Edge Cases: Edge cases like empty filter text and no matching ingredients must be handled.

Q: What are the technical requirements for implementing the search/filter feature?

A: The technical requirements for implementing the search/filter feature include:

Use TextEditingController with Listener: The TextEditingController with listener can be used for real-time filtering.
Maintain Complete List Separately: A complete list must be maintained separately from the filtered display list.
Ensure Filtering Logic Efficiency: The filtering logic must be efficient for large ingredient collections.
Highlight Matching Text Portions: Matching text portions can be highlighted for better visibility.
Coordinate with Alphabetical Sorting: The alphabetical sorting implementation (Issue #48) must be coordinated with the search/filter feature.
Handle Edge Cases: Edge cases like empty filter text and no matching ingredients must be handled.

Q: What is the priority of implementing the search/filter feature?

A: The priority of implementing the search/filter feature is medium, indicating that it is an important feature that requires attention but can be implemented in a reasonable timeframe.

Q: What are the labels associated with the search/filter feature?

A: The search/filter feature is labeled as an enhancement, UI, and is marked as completed (✓✓).

Q: What is the implementation plan for the search/filter feature?

A: The implementation plan for the search/filter feature includes the following steps:

Design the Search/Filter Feature: The search/filter feature must be designed, including the text field, real-time filtering, and visual feedback.
Implement Real-time Filtering: The real-time filtering logic must be implemented, ensuring that the ingredient list is updated instantly.
Test the Feature: The feature must be tested with large ingredient collections (100+ ingredients) to ensure that it works efficiently.
Coordinate with Alphabetical Sorting: The alphabetical sorting implementation (Issue #48) must be coordinated with the search/filter feature.
Handle Edge Cases: Edge cases like empty filter text and no matching ingredients must be handled.

By following this implementation plan, the search/filter feature can be successfully implemented, improving the user experience and making ingredient selection faster and more efficient.