Homemanager Progress Update
manage a home with a web application that stores data locally
Introduction
Homemanager is a family-focused web application that I’m writing to succeed Homechart and Grocy. Homemanager’s distinguishing feature is that it uses local files to retrieve and store data; this method of data storage provides personal control over your own data and long-term resiliency against any flaws in the application. Should Homemanager or web browsers fail, data will still be available and can readily be synced and backed up.
| Homechart | Grocy | Homemanager | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business model | Freemium | FOSS | FOSS |
| Data storage | Database | Database | Local files |
| Collaborative | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Calendar, tasks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Budget | ✓ | 𐄂 | 𐄂 |
| Rewards | ✓ | 𐄂 | 𐄂 |
| Ledger | 𐄂 | 𐄂 | planned |
| Maintenance | 𐄂 | ✓ | planned |
| Inventory | ✓ | ✓ | planned |
| Shopping List | ✓ | ✓ | planned |
| Meal Plans | ✓ | ✓ | planned |
| Recipes | ✓ | ✓ | planned |
| Files | ✓ | ✓ | planned |
Homemanager is designed with a simple but full-featured UX. Ideally, both children and adults in the family will be able to navigate the application with ease.
Current State
Homemanager is currently able to retrieve, change, and update data in a local file called “events.org” which supplies the calendar and agenda modules.
Events can last a whole day or span over a specified timeframe, but cannot yet repeat or span multiple days.
Next Steps
- Complete event management by adding multiple day, repeating, and category functionaliy. Events that are added to a certain category will have a different color.
- Add task management with the same logic used for the calendar (repeating, time-based tasks, categorical tasks, etc.).
Future plans for the other components:
- The ledger page is special; it shows transactions, owed items, and earned items between family members. In this way it is similar to the ‘Rewards’ component of Homechart, but rewards are traded instead of arbitrarily earned through tasks.
- Maintenance will contain all tasks that are related to replacing batteries, changing oil, and other household up-keep. This replaces Grocy’s ‘Maintenance’ component. Maintenance will essentially be a filter of Tasks.
- Stock, shopping, meal plans, and recipes will all be related. Shopping lists are generated from meal plans which are created with recipes. Stock is updated with items bought from shopping lists and used in recipes.
- Files will host documents that the family wishes to share such as manuals, guides, references, and textbooks.