Inspiration
Quarantine has had me exploring baking recipes from around the world, thanks to ample time spent indoors. However, living in the United States and attempting foreign recipes generally means the baking tools I have (Imperial units) do not match what the recipes are written in (Metric units). This clash of systems was particularly annoying when I would browse for a new recipe: I had no idea what 100g of flour is, and Googling for the proper Imperial conversion for every ingredient listed soon became tiresome. So, why not make an app that can quickly and easily convert Metric baking units into their Imperial counterparts, and vice versa?
What it does
As the title implies, the Baking Converter converts Imperial or Metric units into their alternate counterparts. Users select which system of units they wish to convert to, before selecting which ingredient + unit to convert. The app also allows for Imperial-to-Imperial unit conversions, so users can more easily convert between cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons.
How I built it
This app was built entirely using Android Studio, with Java for the back-end and XML for the front-end.
Challenges I ran into
- Converting from Metric into Imperial
Different ingredients have different weights, and thus all had different Imperial measurements. For instance, 120g of white sugar (1 half cup + 2 teaspoons + 1 quarter teaspoon) was a different conversion process from 120g of flour (1 half cup + 1 third cup + 2 tablespoons). Different calculations had to occur for each of the individual ingredients.
- Unfamiliarity with Android Studio
I had barely touched Android Studio before tackling this project, and the field of app development was very new to me. Doing simple things, like adjusting available options for users depending on the current screen, was more difficult than anticipated.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
I am proud of how much I learned about Android Studio in such a short time frame. In particular, I'm very proud of implementing the feature where the app auto-selects your units depending on your ingredients (ie, liquid units will be in mL while dry units will be in grams). This sounds like a small thing to implement, but it was a detail in the app I was determined to get, as I have always been frustrated with existing converters that do not do this.
What I learned
- Working with Android Studio
- Working with XML files
- Jumping between different display screens, depending on the conversion
- Adjusting the available unit options, depending on the ingredient
- How to build a UI
- How to create a minimum viable product in only 3 days
- Connecting to GitHub through Android Studio
What's next for Baking Converter
In the short term, I would like to accommodate for more ingredients and their weights, so this app could potentially be used for most common bakery goods.
In the long term, I would like to include a feature where the user simply takes a picture of the recipe they would like to convert. The app would find the text and numbers within the image taken, and automatically convert the recipe to the desired measurement system.
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