The Baker's Archive is the Odoo module I'm most proud of. It gave me a place to build and manage a growing collection of baking recipes directly alongside the rest of my software projects. Once the web version was working, there was a fairly obvious problem:
I don't have my computer in the kitchen. (yet).
so, naturally, the next step was to work on a mobile version.
That project has now become The Baker's Archive Mobile Companion, and although it is still very much a work in progress, early versions are now available on both Android through the Google Play store, as well as Windows through the Microsoft Store.
A mobile companion, rather than another recipe website
The goal of the mobile app isn't to replace The Baker's Archive itself.
The main Baker's Archive remains the place where recipes and their associated data are managed. The mobile app is intended to sit on top of that system, and provide a much more convenient way of actually using those recipes both online, and off.
The basic idea is simple. You open the app, browse the available recipes, pick something to make, and have the instructions with you while you're in the kitchen.
The current version connects to the API provided with The Baker's Archive backend and can retrieve the recipes from it. That is the foundation on which I will be building upon next. So rather than creating an entirely separate recipe database, everything can be maintained in one place.
Kotlin Multiplatform
The application is being developed in Kotlin, with Kotlin MultiPlatform and Compose Multiplatform. The original goal for this was to make an Android app, but by using the multiplatform architecture, it was also possible to make a Windows version using basically the exact same codebase.
This has allowed this app to be available on both Android devices, as well as Windows which can be useful when wanting the app on laptops for a possible ease of use.
This is definitely not finished
It is important to put a fairly large "Work in Progress" label on this one.
The application is published, you can find it on the Google Play Store, download it from the Microsoft Store, or even download or build it from GitHub Releases, but in no way do I consider it finished.
At the moment, the mobile companion is primarily about proving that the architecture works and establishing the basic recipe browsing experience. There are plenty of things that I want to improve, both in the looks, and workings of the app.
A baking companion instead of a database
There is a lot planned for The Baker's Archive Mobile Companion, the eventual goal for it is to feel less like a mobile front end for my Odoo module and more like its own dedicated application that instead only benefits from the central Baker's Archive backend.
This will help open the door to things such as better recipe discovery, more useful presentations, improved handling of new features, and far more experimental tweaks that I have planned.
Where you can find it
The Baker's Archive Mobile Companion is currently available on Google Play for Android, with a Windows version available through the Microsoft Store.
The source code is also public on GitHub, so you can follow the project as it develops.