This app was developed according to the project requirements described in the challenge.
It's an app about cat facts, which displays a random cat fact, taken from the https://catfact.ninja API.
The user can get a new fact and save it to favorites. The fact will appear on a list which can be viewed even when connection isn't available.
The user can also remove the fact from the list.
I also added the sharing functionality, which allows the user to share a fact with other people through other apps.
Below there are sections that talk about important topics such as architecture, libraries used and additional details about the development.
It is a summary, the rest of the information is available in the project.
This app was developed using Android Studio Chimpunk | 2021.1.Beta 4 in a Mac M1 computer. The JDK version is 11.0.12. Other details can be found in the code.
Clone the repository to your computer and open it with Android Studio.
Run the project in either master or develop branch, they are identical at this moment.
The project should run and check if you have all the tools required to run it.
You may be required to download the project Build Tools or SDK version so that you can run it.
After you have downloaded everything required to run the project, click "Run", which will open an emulator or run into a connected device. If you are having problems running the app, try executing "Clean Project" and "Invalidate Caches" and trying to run it again.
If you can't run the project, please, let me know so I can help you.
I used the MVVM architecture, for separation of concerns between layers (decreasing code coupling), code reusability and better readability, and also due to the ViewModel from Android Architecture Components being lifecycle aware, which is important to prevent crashes and leaks. I also used LiveData to make the code reactive and also lifecycle aware.
Here is a list of the most important libraries in the project and the reason why they were used:
Implement default and custom views in the app
Build screens layout and custom views
Make the ViewModel layer lifecycle aware and responsive, data manipulation and to store data from the facts fragment after it was destroyed.
Navigation with fragments implementation made simpler
Local persistence storage which enables the user to access the favorites screen even when the device is offline
Create a HTTP client to communicate with the catfact.ninja API
Make the code reactive and make it easier to work with threads
Implement dependency injection to make the code less coupled and more reusable
Run the loading animation with the cat
Make XML views interact with code in an easier way
I decided for a simple, minimalistic design which does not distract the user from the fact.
I also wanted the app to be playful, that's why I included the cat face in the main screen and as the app icon and also the cat loading.
I chose dark pink as the primary color for the app because I felt it also gave the app a feeling of playfulness, of fun.
In the favorites screen, a dialog shows when the user tries to remove the fact, because if the user accidentally deleted the fact, then he/she would have to find it again.
The dialog is not present in the fact screen, after the user presses the heart button, because the user can easily favorite the fact in display again. I thought the dialog would be intrusive in this screen.
I implemented a share functionality because I believe users would enjoy showing the information to their friends. The message says "Download it in the Play Store", but I have not uploaded it there, it was just as an example.