Food Guide: Recipe, Price Book, Shopping list maker

[BigDaddyO]

What My food guide does.

1st off this program probably won't make you life easier, but it should save you a bunch of money in your Grocery bill.

This will allow you to track how much money you are spending on every product that you buy. You can then go through the weekly grocery adds and cross reference your Price Book to see if a deal, really is a deal. If you find certain items that are a great value you can add them to your shopping list. You can then generate a weekly Meal plan using those items in your shopping list.

Recipes:

• Add/Modify/View recipes
• Search for recipes using % of ingredients, Any with a specific ingredient, or by name of recipe.
• Add a recipe ingredient to the shopping list

Price Book:

• Maintain a list of grocery items with cost, type, where you got it, The unit price, size.
• Allow you to add an item to the shopping list.
• Allows you to Display and print the price book using .RTF files
• Display price book by alphabetic or category

Shopping List:

• Displays the current shopping list along with the running total $
• Allows you to increase/decrease the item count.
• Allows you to print and display the shopping list using .RTF files

Meal Plan:

• This will allow you to generate a weeks worth of meals and a shopping list required to make them.
• Allow you to manually select a recipe for each meal you want
• Or- will automatically populate the recipes for each meal you want
• Or- will automatically populate the recipes for each meal you want by using your current shopping list.
• Allow you to customize the meals you want for this week without modifying the standard meals selected in the Options window.

I have included everything in the Zip file. Also, if you just launch the .au3 file, it won't display the icons correctly because I used the Add Additional resources options on Compile and reference them that way in the script.

To-Do:

1. I plan on updating the xSkin.au3 file to also use .bmp files that are added on Compile so I don't have to extract any files at runtime.

2. Complete the Database. There are still quite a few items in the Price book that don't have all the data filled out yet.

3. Add an option to add a Price Book item directly from the Add New Recipe window so if a new recipe requires a new item you won't have to close out, go into the price book, add, then go back and restart adding the recipe.

4. Figure out how to set a xSkinButton as a default button on a screen.

5. Figure out why I have lost a certain section of the xSkin boarder in all but 1 screen... Thanks Valuater

6. Get the calculate recipe cost functions to work properly and enable them

7. Lastly, I want to add the Metric system but that will take a long time to implement due to all of the calculations required.

8. When building the Meal Plan, read the Servings of each recipe and multiply/split the recipe acording to how many people you want to cook for.

9. Printing the Meal Plan. This will be done shortly, forgot to add a way to do this...

10. Make a Help/Instruction manual

11. Make the Meal Plan days of week fully customizable with starting day, ending day and number of days to populate. (requested by: jctenney)

A note on conversions: right now everything is converted to ounces in order to convert between cups, pounds, and teaspoons. I realize that there are no exact conversions between weight and volume but this is as close as I could come. For example. Flour is purchased in 5lb packages but is always measured by volume "Cup, tablespoon, etc" so the conversion are not exact.

v. 1.0.0.7 released

Fix: old version was set to overwrite the database every time it's executed

Update: Now when adding a recipe ingredient, if you manually type in an ingredient not in the Price book it will prompt you to add it.

Mike

See Post #6 for screenshots

Food_Guide.exe

Food_Guide.zip

Edited September 28, 2007 by MikeOsdx

[martin]

Nobody has any comments or suggestions?

Is anybody gonna make any use out of this?

Mike

I am afraid I am not likely to use it for cooking etc, but I think it is an excellent application and I am surprised you haven't had any feedback.

The main interest for me is to keep your script so I can learn how you did all that stuff. You must have put a lot of work into it.

The main problem I found was that when you choose to see the prices (forget which option I chose) you get a series of message boxes which you can't stop. I would have preferred to have the prices displayed in the listview.

Another minor problem, but I'm having to work hard now, is that you've made it very restricted. It's only for American cooks. It would be nice if you had some way of letting people set the currency sign, and the units they measure things with. In Europe and most of the world outside the states I suppose, volumes are in cc and litres, and weights are in grams and Kg. But maybe that's what your Options menu item is intended for.

I suppose the problem is that not many cooks read these forums, but it's the sort of program that I would think, if you made it look a bit prettier somehow, you could sell on ebay for a few dollars. I bet a lot more cooks use ebay than AutoIt. At $1 a time you've only got to sell two or three million and it will start to get interesting.

[BigDaddyO]

I am afraid I am not likely to use it for cooking etc, but I think it is an excellent application and I am surprised you haven't had any feedback.

The main interest for me is to keep your script so I can learn how you did all that stuff. You must have put a lot of work into it.

The main problem I found was that when you choose to see the prices (forget which option I chose) you get a series of message boxes which you can't stop. I would have preferred to have the prices displayed in the listview.

Another minor problem, but I'm having to work hard now, is that you've made it very restricted. It's only for American cooks. It would be nice if you had some way of letting people set the currency sign, and the units they measure things with. In Europe and most of the world outside the states I suppose, volumes are in cc and litres, and weights are in grams and Kg. But maybe that's what your Options menu item is intended for.

I suppose the problem is that not many cooks read these forums, but it's the sort of program that I would think, if you made it look a bit prettier somehow, you could sell on ebay for a few dollars. I bet a lot more cooks use ebay than AutoIt. At $1 a time you've only got to sell two or three million and it will start to get interesting.

I was using the msgbox for debugging and I guess I forgot to disable them before posting.

The Measurements thing is exactly the type of feed back I was hoping for. I knew there would be a difference which is why all of the conversion data is stored in the database but I forgot about the $ sign. I think I will make a separate table in the database, one for American, one for Metric, and simply use the options to specify which one should be used.

Thank you very much.

Mike

[Uten]

Hi Mike,

I have not tested this yet (lack of time) but it sound promising..

When you get the steam back, may I suggest a meals of the week planer?

Say, you have collected a fare (hmm, is that the word I intend to use?) amount of recipes. The planer suggests a dinner plan for the next week and supplies a shopping list covering all recipes? The setup should probably ask how many person to expect in the household and add an optional "dinner party" feature in the weekend?

Looking forward to test out your application

Happy scripting..

[BigDaddyO]

OK, I have just released a new version. This is almost a complete re-write and now used xSkin to make it look pretty. I have made a lot of changes so make sure you read the 1st post.

If you run the script instead of the .exe make sure you allow the script to use the xSkin.au3 file in the FoodGuide sub folder because I have customized it to handle the tool tips for the icon bar on top of the main window.

Mike

Edited September 24, 2007 by MikeOsdx

[grham]

Very good!!!

Now I can try to translate it and create my own recipe and ("actualized") shopping list....

Thanks .........

[BigDaddyO]

Attached are screenshots of the Food Guide.

This is the Recipes list and a view of one of the recipes.

Here is the Price Book which allows you to view every item that you purchase. Also is a view of the Edit/Add window.

This is the shopping list. Note: it keeps the running total in the top title bar

Search for Recipes. Allows you to search for a recipe in several different methods

Meal Plan: Newest addition to the Food guide allows you to specify what days, meals you want to make for the week. You can manually select each meal, or allow it to automatically generate a weekly meal plan. Or if you have found some great deals in the ads this week, you can have it use the items in your current shopping list to find and select meals that contain those ingredients.

Mike

[mattfaust]

I'll get this for my wife to beta test

[BigDaddyO]

Again... impressive, alot of effort was put into this!!

I wish more people would build to this level!!

8)

Thanks,

Hey Valuater, you are the one who made the Xskin right? any idea why I am loosing a section of the border on most of my screens? I initially thought it was a control that was to long and covering it up, but I have looked and looked and can't find it. You can see it in the screenshots.

Mike

[BigDaddyO]

why beat'em, just join'em..

Valuater,

It makes me feel better that I am not the only one who couldn't figure out the reason. 3700 lines is a lot to go through to look for 1 missing pic huh.

Your workaround if fine with me. I have updated the code and .exe in the first post.

Thanks,

Mike

[jctenney]

So far, I am very impressed with the Food Guide. My only suggestion is being able to change the week setup. We get paid every other Friday. Because of this, I plan my meals from Friday to Thursday instead of Sunday to Saturday. Maybe have a two week view option besides the one week view. Other than that, it seems pretty cool to me. I will keep messing with it. Thanks again for your great efforts.

[TonyDAndrea]

First, great job, and nice look.

I have a question. Does anyone else notice if the tooltips balloons work?

I see in the code they should, but when I place my mouse over any of the icons in the toolbar nothing happens.

Thank you,

Tony D.

[BigDaddyO]

Does anyone else notice if the tooltips balloons work?

I see in the code they should, but when I place my mouse over any of the icons in the toolbar nothing happens.

Are you using the .exe or the .au3 file? If you are using the .au3 file in the Zip make sure when you extracted the Zip file it created a foodguide folder. Only the Food Guide.au3 and Foodguide.mdb should be in the main folder, everything else should be under \FoodGuide

Mike

[TonyDAndrea]

Are you using the .exe or the .au3 file? If you are using the .au3 file in the Zip make sure when you extracted the Zip file it created a foodguide folder. Only the Food Guide.au3 and Foodguide.mdb should be in the main folder, everything else should be under \FoodGuide

Mike

I downloaded the zip file and unzipped the file into a folder. I've complied the .au3 file and the exe file runs. All the controls seem to work, it's just that for some reason (earlier versions of your au3 file the tooltips worked for me) this version is not showing the tooltips. I'm looking for another au3 on the forum that uses the tip balloons so I can make sure it works on my XP system.

My other programs (Microsoft and others) seem to work with the tip balloons.

Thank you for the reply...

Tony D.

[jctenney]

Mike:

I have experienced a few problems. Whatever changes I make to the guide, it goes back to the original form once I close and reopen it again. Also, some of the recipes are labeled for breakfast, but when you go to plan the menu they only show up in desserts. I just thought you would like to know. I can't wait to use the guide.

[BigDaddyO]

jctenney,

I just put a new version out there that resolves the issue where you can't save any changes.

I was not able to re-produce the issue you reported where Breakfast foods were being shown in the Meal Plan deserts.

TonyDAndrea,

I have tried on several different computers and they all have the balloon tips. Is anybody else having this problem?

Mike

[jctenney]

jctenney,

I just put a new version out there that resolves the issue where you can't save any changes.

I was not able to re-produce the issue you reported where Breakfast foods were being shown in the Meal Plan deserts.

TonyDAndrea,

I have tried on several different computers and they all have the balloon tips. Is anybody else having this problem?

Mike

Thanks Mike for the saving fix. I think it is just a problem with the Marachino muffins. In the recipe list it is a breakfast, but in the menu planning you find it in the dessert pull down.

I do have one more question. What happens when you enter all your info into the food guide and there is a updated version, will it overwrite all your efforts, or is there a way to keep all your info? Thanks

[BigDaddyO]

Thanks Mike for the saving fix. I think it is just a problem with the Marachino muffins. In the recipe list it is a breakfast, but in the menu planning you find it in the dessert pull down.

I do have one more question. What happens when you enter all your info into the food guide and there is a updated version, will it overwrite all your efforts, or is there a way to keep all your info? Thanks

jctenney,

Starting with the last released version, any new .exe that I put out will not overwrite the database that you are currently using. So, any changes that you make to your database will not be overwritten by a new .exe release.

I figured out the Muffin issue. The Meal Plan does not identify the type of meal by the Category, instead it uses checkboxes when you create/modify a recipe. If you Right click on the Maraschino Muffins and click on Modify. There are 4 checkboxes. Those are what the Meal Plan goes by. I incorrectly coded the muffins as Desert. Check Breakfast, Uncheck Deserts, then Update/Replace the recipe and you should be all good.

Mike

[jctenney]

jctenney,

Starting with the last released version, any new .exe that I put out will not overwrite the database that you are currently using. So, any changes that you make to your database will not be overwritten by a new .exe release.

I figured out the Muffin issue. The Meal Plan does not identify the type of meal by the Category, instead it uses checkboxes when you create/modify a recipe. If you Right click on the Maraschino Muffins and click on Modify. There are 4 checkboxes. Those are what the Meal Plan goes by. I incorrectly coded the muffins as Desert. Check Breakfast, Uncheck Deserts, then Update/Replace the recipe and you should be all good.

Mike

Thanks Mike for everything. I am loving this food guide. I have not used it to set up a meal plan yet, but I am busy plugging in recipes and prices for items. I can't wait until I have a little database to go ahead and run. I am very excited.

[jctenney]

Mike:

I was wondering if it is possible to add slots for each meal in the meal planner. That way if someone wants to pick a main dish and a few side dishes, that is possible.

Thanks