Inclusive Baker App

A React Native application designed to make baking accessible through smart kitchen scale integration and intuitive recipe management.

Overview

The Inclusive Baker App is a cross-platform mobile application that connects with Bluetooth-enabled kitchen scales to provide precise measurements and step-by-step guidance for baking recipes. Built with React Native and Expo, it offers a seamless experience across both Android and Web platforms.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Platforms
• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Running the Application
• Project Structure
• Technology Stack
• Configuration
• Development Notes

Platforms

• Android (Native)
• Web (Progressive Web App)

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• npm (v9 or higher) or Yarn
• Expo CLI (npm install -g expo-cli)
• Expo Account (sign up at https://expo.dev)
• EAS CLI (npm install -g eas-cli)

For Android development:

• Android Studio
• Android SDK (minimum SDK version 21)
• Java Development Kit (JDK)
• Physical Android device (for testing Bluetooth features)

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/InclusiveBakerApp.git

# Navigate to project directory
cd InclusiveBakerApp

# Install dependencies
npm install

Running the Application

Web Platform

# Start the web version
npm run web

The application will be available at http://localhost:19006

Android Platform

Expo Go - to run in Emulator, limited Bluetooth functionality

# Start the Expo development server
npm start

# Press 'a' to run on Android

Development Build (Full Native Functionality)

To run the app with native code, you'll need to create a development build.

# Login to your Expo account
eas login

# Configure EAS Build
eas build:configure

# Create development build
eas build --profile development --platform android

# Install the development build on your device
eas build:run --platform android

# Start the development server
npm start

# Scan the QR code with your device to connect

For subsequent development builds:

# Update the development build
eas update --branch development --message "update description"

Alternatively, you can prebuild the app to generate the native android and ios directories for local development.

Prebuilding the App

If you prefer to work with the native projects directly, you can prebuild the app:

# Generate the native project files
npx expo prebuild

This command will create the android and ios directories in your project, allowing you to build and run the app using Android Studio or Xcode.

Note: Development builds require a physical Android device for testing. The Expo Go client does not support native Bluetooth features.

Project Structure

InclusiveBakerApp/
├── src/
│   ├── components/     # Reusable UI components
│   ├── screens/        # Screen components
│   └── services/       # Business logic and services
├── modules/            # Native modules
├── assets/             # Images, fonts, and other static files
├── App.js              # Application entry point
└── package.json        # Project dependencies and scripts

Technology Stack

• React Native - Core framework
• Expo - Development platform
• react-native-ble-plx - Bluetooth Low Energy support
• React Native Paper - Material Design components
• React Navigation - Navigation library

Configuration

To connect with Lefu scales, you need to provide API credentials. Copy .env.template into .env file in the root of the project and add the following variables:

LEFU_API_KEY=your_lefu_api_key
LEFU_API_SECRET=your_lefu_api_secret

These variables are loaded into the application via app.config.js.

Bluetooth Service Configuration

The BluetoothService includes:

• Mock implementation for Expo Go, returns a mock weight. Testing in Expo Go uses a mock implementation
• Native BLE implementation for development builds
• Automatic platform detection and service switching