iCite

The Automated Bibliography Scanner

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Inspiration

Walking back to Dirac Library from the Dodd Building on Saturday, I got to thinking about papers and the research they inherently need, and also about a scanner app that I was shown that reads in any food label, finds it online, and puts it into a shopping list. Then it hit me: an automated, convenient scanner that saves the user trouble from having to type in anything at all.

What it does

The app opens with a library to be populated by their own scans, if it's the first time, then the library will be blank. A tab bar takes them to the barcode reader, read into and implemented by way of the BarcodeScanner API found here. The code (in the future) then reads in the ISBN number from the book's barcode, looks it up, extracts relevant data and stores them in no particular form, but are all stored in the library until the user decides to export them, at which point they could choose which format they would like (MLA, APA, or Chicago) and then export it to a PDF, copy to the clipboard, or email. I admittedly haven't had enough time to research docx compatibility, but it was one of my first priorities for the export options.

How I built it

I claim absolutely no credit for the camera or barcode reading, or even finding it. I developed this app over the course of about 12 hours, and unfortunately did not get to finalize it as much as I would have liked to. There is virtually no back-end processing, as the technicalities of the Swift language I have yet to learn (this is my first hackathon and first anything I produced by way of coding, in a language I don't know). A frantic mix of Googling, YouTube videos, and an ungodly number of Safari tabs with online forums both well known and obscure. I promise this isn't to toot my own horn, but rather show extreme gratitude for everyone who helped me over this weekend.

Challenges I ran into

I came to the Hackathon literally not knowing anything on how to even begin making anything resembling a computed or programmed solution to any problem. Jide Opeola, founder of a company who's website can be found here, hosted a workshop the first night on developing iOS apps with Swift on Xcode, later personally (and patiently; bless him) helping me finish the project after the workshop ran a bit long, showed me what would be the inspiration for the purpose of the app, and last but not least, sent a link to the same API he used on his app; super grateful for every way he's helped me. In addition, various HackFSU staff members worked completely out of goodwill and a love for what they do, walking me through some of the technicalities of Swift and the linking and syntax structure. I quite literally could not have gotten as far as I have without them.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Despite my complete lack of knowledge, I actually managed to create even something, albeit small in scope, but born of perseverance and a willingness to ask for help and guidance. This helped me realize that learning code and being proficient at it will be a long and arduous road, but one I will be glad I started. A collaboration of people that helped me to create what I had envisioned in my mind is an experience I will never forget, and cherish for probably the rest of my life. This was awesome.

What I learned

Aside from a truly minuscule amount of technical knowledge of Swift and Xcode, I learned that sometimes, immersing yourself and diving into a world completely unfamiliar doesn't always mean you'll fail, and indeed, the true failure lies in not even trying. I also learned that I know absolutely nothing about coding, which only motivates me more to become as good as the people I looked up to during the event.

What's next for iCite

In my studies of coding, I will continue to develop the back-end functional part of the app, and endeavor to have a completely functional app (at the absolute very latest) by the end of Spring Semester, which is around May or so. I probably won't be able to put it on the App Store, but having a completely functional app under my belt is my goal. I will have to balance out my actual programming class, my other classes, as well as my job, but truly think that I can do it if I put my mind to it. It's gonna be sweet.

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