Welcome to DotNetIdeas. We specialize in making mobile applications for Android, iPhone/iPad and Windows platforms. Our products include: Chore Checklist, Packing List, Grocery Helper, My Party Planner and etc.
Chore Checklist, Packing List and Grocery Helper are cloud enabled apps. When you use these apps along with cloud connector/sync provider, you can sync/share lists between users and devices using our cloud services. We also provide FREE online editor for easy list editing.
To start using our cloud service today, sign up from the app or here online. Just a few clicks away, you will be ready to go.
You can get our apps at the following places. Please note not all the apps are available on all platforms.
Check out DotNetIdeas' Blog for latest update on User Guide, Release Notes, FAQ, Tips and Tricks.
(Image courtesy of nokhoog_buchachon/FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
Meal Planner is an intuitive meal planning app designed to simplify your kitchen routines and nourish your body and mind. With its thoughtful features, Meal Planner integrates meal planning, inventory tracking, and shopping list generation. It empowers you to effortlessly plan, organize, and optimize your meals like never before.
Please note: this app is not a recipe app. You are responsible to enter your dishes to be used in the meal planning.
Meal Planner invites you to embrace a mindful and nourishing approach to meal planning. Let it be your gentle guide, helping you reduce waste, maximize ingredients, and bring harmony to your kitchen. Download Meal Planner today and embark on a humble journey towards nourishment, one meal at a time.
You will need to register a new account in Meal Planner. If you have the original "Grocery Helper - full" installed on your current device, the Ads in this app will be automatically removed after account registration. You can also migrate your lists from the old app to the new app. Please see “Backup and Restore” section below for more detail.
To login/Sign up, click “LOGIN/SIGN UP” button the top right of the home screen. You can sign in with Google/Apple or sign up using email/password.
Once you signed up, the app will create some sample data for you.
The home screen has 3 tabs: Meal Planner, Inventory List and Shopping List. The default tab is “"Inventory List”. However, you can change it in “Account” view.
To add a new item to the inventory List, click on “+” icon on the top right. You can also click on the “+” on the right of the category name to add an item to that category.
"Name" and "Category" are required fields. You can select a category from the drop down or add a new one by clicking on the “+” icon on the right.
To import items from preloaded templates, click on the 3 dots icon on the top right. Then select "Import from templates" from the popup menu. It will open the import view. Select a language, pick the items you want and click on the save icon on the top right corner.
To edit an existing item, swipe the item name to the left. There are options to edit the item, make the item active/inactive, and delete the item.
The item detail view allows to enter notes, edit quantities, units, location, stores, expiration date and price history.
To edit the inventory level, click on the inventory level icon on the right of an item. You can then select the level by press one of the icon. From left to right, the icons represent full, near full, half full, near empty or empty. To select the icon for shopping list, press the shopping cart icon. To close the view, click anywhere outside the popup or click on the “X” icon on the right.
To make changes on multiple items, click on the 3 dots menu icon and then “Mass Change” from the popup menu. It will display items you are able to edit. You will select the items you want to change, then click on the icon on the top right to enter the values. You can also delete multiple items here by clicking on the trash bin icon on the top right.
There are several ways to add an item to the shopping list. You can check the “On Shopping List” checkbox in the item detail view. You can also click on the shopping cart icon when edit the inventory level of an item. Or you can click on the “+” icon in the shopping list view. As you start typing in the “Search Inventory” box, matching items from the inventory list will show up. You can then add them to the shopping list. You can also add brand new item by click on “NEW ITEM” on the left.
To edit an existing item, swipe the item name to the left. There are options to edit the item and delete the item.
When check off an item in the shopping list view, you can choose to “Show Price Popup” or not. You can temporarily turn it on by click on the 3 dot menu on the top right and then click on “Show Price Popup” or go to Account view and change the switch there.
The price popup view will allow you to enter price for an item. The app will store latest 5 prices you entered. Once it is entered. a price tag icon will show up on the item. You can see the price history popup when you click on the price tag icon. To edit or delete a price, swipe the price to the left and click on the edit or delete icon.
As you check off items in the shopping list, you can click on the 3 dot icon on the top right and click on “Update Inventory” from the popup menu. It will update the inventory level for that item in the inventory list and remove the item from the shopping list.
To email, text or share the shopping list with other people, click on the 3 dot icon on the top right and click on “Export List” from the popup menu. You can then select from the share-enabled apps(i.e. message or email) to share the shopping list.
By default, the meal planner shows the read-only view. Click on the red floating edit icon at the bottom right of the screen to start planning the meals.
The edit view will display the current week, ingredients in stock and recommended dishes based on the ingredients in stock. You can drag-drop the recommended dishes to the planner. You can also move the dishes between meals and days. It is the best to use the edit view on a tablet or PC so you can easily drag/drop dishes.
You will need to establish a dish list first in order to plan the meals. To edit dishes, click on the menu icon on the top left and choose “Dishes” from the menu.
To add a new dish, click on the “+” icon on the top right of the dish list view. You can enter name and notes; add tags and ingredients; or add the URL of your favorite recipe.
To add/edit ingredients, click on the icon. It will load all the inventory items with “Is For Meal Planner” checked. You can then select the ingredients for this dish. We recommend that you only select the main ingredients for the dishes because the selected ingredients will be used in the meal planning. When the ingredient is in stock, the dishes containing that ingredient will be displayed under the “Recommended Dishes”.
When click on the icon, the app will open the recipe in the default web browser.
To plan the meal for current week, you click on the icon on the right of each meal and then select the dishes from the meal detail view. You can also drag a dish from the recommended dishes panel and drop it on top of a meal. In the meal detail view, you may add new dishes or enter notes.
If a ingredient is not in stock, it will be showed in the “Ingredients Not In Stock” section. Click on will add those items to the shopping list.
To switch current week you are editing, click the “<” and “>” icon on the top right of the view
To edit metadata such as the categories, units, location and stores, click on the menu icon on the top left and then select “Metadata” from the menu. Then you can choose the metadata type from the drop down and start editing them. If you delete a metadata, the value will be cleared from all the items associated with that metadata. To change the order of categories, click on the icon on the top right. It will enter reorder mode. You can then press the icon on the right and drag them around.
To share your list set with another user, click on the menu icon on the top left and click on “Account” to go to the account view. Then click on the “+” icon on the left of “Share List With”. Enter the email address you want to share the list with. An invitation will be sent to that user.
The user should see “Pending Invitations” in his/her account view. Once the user accepts the invitation, the list set name will show up under the “Default List Set” section. The user can then switch between the list sets.
You can stop list sharing by delete the user from the “Share List With” section.
Note: There is a bug in data migration in Meal Planner v0.0.1. Please get the latest version 0.0.2+ if you need to migrate your data from the Grocery Helper.
To backup and restore a list, click on the menu on the top left and then select “Backup & Restore” from the menu. It will save the lists to the local storage on your browser or device.
On an Android device, if you have the previous Grocery Helper app(lite or full) installed, the new app will display the button “Migrate From Grocery Helper” to allow you to migrate your lists from those apps.
You will need to first use the “Backup and Restore” feature in the old Grocery Helper app to backup your lists to a folder which can be accessed by the new Meal Planner app. It is recommended to save your lists to the “Documents” or “Download” folder. When you click on the “Migrate From Grocery Helper” button, it will open the file picker which should look like the screenshot below. You can then navigate to the folder containing the backup and select the list file you want to migrate.
Please note: it will only migrate your inventory lists, not the shopping lists. You don’t need to migrate any system lists.
After selecting the file, you will be prompted to check the content and then click on the “Confirm” button to complete the migration.
Sometimes if you don’t see your list after the migration, you might need to kill and restart the app.
To edit user preferences, sign out or delete the account, click on the menu on the top left and then select “Account” from the menu. In the preferences section, you can enable dark theme, select default tab, show price popup and etc..
Please note, if you want to delete your account, you will be prompt to sign out and sign in again to refresh the credential.
Web Site:
http://mealplanner.dotnetideas.com
Google Play Store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dotnetideas.mealplanner
Apple App Store:
coming soon
Please feel free to contact us at support@dotnetideas.com if you have any questions or feedback. Thank you!
Opus - Task Helper is an intuitive task management app that aims to streamline your chore management experience at home or any other location. With its user-friendly features and enhanced functionality, Opus simplifies task tracking and helps you stay on schedule.
Key Features:
You will need to register a new account in Opus – Task Helper. If you have the original "Chore Checklist" installed on your current device, the Ads in this app will be automatically removed after account registration. You can migrate your chores from the Chore Checklist app to the new app. Please see the “Backup and Restore” section below for more detail.
Key differences between the old Chore Checklist and Opus
Routines: Routines are no longer available in Opus. Instead, you can assign recurrence intervals at the task level. When migrating existing data, the routine intervals will automatically be moved to the tasks. If you used Routines to group or hide chores, consider reorganizing them into different lists before migrating to Opus.
Editing and Deleting: Opus doesn't have a long-press feature. To edit, delete, or access other options for an item, swipe it to the left and click on one of the icons. For more details, refer to the "Edit/Delete/Skip Task" section below.
To login/Sign up, click “LOGIN/SIGN UP” button the top right of the home screen. You can sign in with Google or sign up using email/password.
Once you are registered, it will automatically create a sample task list for you and take you to the Home screen which is the “Due Date View”.
Once you logged in, the app will open the Home screen which sort the tasks by their due date. Depending on the settings, it may not show all the tasks. For example, it doesn’t show completed daily tasks or one time tasks. This app allows you to create multiple lists. You can choose which lists should be displayed on the home screen. To edit the lists or see all the tasks, click on the edit icon on the top right.
New in v0.0.13, when you check off a task, a “Undo” toast will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. When you undo the change, it will reverse the due date and finish date back to what they were before. If you missed the popup, you can go to the “Edit Tasks” view to uncheck the task.
In “Edit Tasks” view, you can create a new task list, set default list, change the visibility of a list on the home view, rename or delete a list. You can also share the list with other users.
Daily task will be reset everyday. That is if you checked some items today, they will be unchecked automatically after midnight and advance the due date.
You can change the auto reset time to any hour other than midnight in "Settings". For example, you can set the "Auto-Reset" time to 3am if you don't want the chores to be reset until 3am
By default, non-daily recurring tasks will not auto advance their due date if they are overdue. But you can check the “Reset progress automatically” checkbox if you don’t want them to stay in overdue status.
Finished non-daily recurring tasks will be automatically unchecked based on the following two options
1) Due date is calculated from previous due date
If you finish a task before its due date, then it will be unchecked when the due date is passed;
If you finish a task on its due date, then it will be unchecked when it is half way towards the next due date;
If you finish a task after its due date but choose "Yes" when prompted "If you complete it for previous cycle", then the task also will be unchecked when it is half way towards the next due date.
2) Due date is calculated from completion date
A task will be unchecked when it is half way towards the next due date.
To add a new task, click the icon on top right of the Home screen.
It will open the task editor and prompt you to enter name and notes. You can configure the reoccurrence for repeating tasks.
Notes to the old Chore Checklist users:
The day patterns used to be on the daily chores. Now they have been moved to be under weekly tasks(see the screenshot above)
To edit an existing task, swipe the task name to the left. There are options to edit the task, skip the next due date, make the task active/inactive and delete the task.
When skipping a one time task, the system will automatically add one day to the current due date. For example, if it is due today, when you click on the skip icon, it will change the due date to tomorrow.
If you have more than one lists, you can click on to move the item to another list.
Click on the 3 dot icon on the top right and select “Edit Vacation” from the popup menu. It will open the vacation detail view. Enter your vacation start and end dates, and the app will automatically skip your daily tasks during that time.
You can export tasks from the Home view or the “Edit Task” view. The tasks exported from the Home view will be sorted by the due date. The tasks exported from the “Edit Task” view will be grouped by their recurrence interval. Click on the 3 dot icon on the top right and select “Export List” from the popup menu. It will allow you to text, email or save the tasks in plain text format using preferred apps.
On Android phone, you can add widget to the home screen. It will ask you to sign in the first time when you add it. Once you are signed in, click “Continue”. If you have more than one list, it will prompt you to select a list. Otherwise, it will load the default list and add the widget.
New in v0.0.13, you can now enable dark theme for widgets by check the “Dark Theme” checkbox above the “Continue” button.
To share a list with another user, click “Menu”->”Edit/Share List”. Then click the “+” on the right of “List Sharing” label(see the screenshot above). Enter the email address of another registered user.
An invitation will be sent to the other user. He/She will receive a notification on the “Account” tab in the app. They can choose to accept or delete the invitation. Once the user accepts the invitation, he/she will be able to see your list under his/her login. You can stop list sharing by delete the user from the “List Sharing” under “Edit/Share List”.
To edit user preferences, sign out or delete the account, click on the icon on the top left and then select “Account” from the menu. Please note, if you want to delete your account, you will be prompt to sign out and sign in again to refresh the credential.
To backup and restore a list, click on the on the top left and then select “Backup & Restore” from the menu. It will save the lists to the local storage on your browser or device.
On an Android device, if you have the previous Chore Checklist app(lite or full) installed, the new app will display the button “Migrate From Chore Checklist” to allow you to migrate your lists from those apps.
For Android 10 and below, the app will try to navigate to the list folder the Chore Checklist(lite or full) is using. You should see the following screen after clicking on “Migrate From Chore Checklist” button. You can then click on the list you want to migrate and click on “Select” button on the top right to select the list.
For Android 11 and above, you will have to first use the “Backup and Restore” feature in the old Chore Checklist app to backup your lists to a folder which can be accessed by the new Opus app. It is recommended to save your lists to the “Documents” or “Download” folder. When you click on the “Migrate From Chore Checklist” button, it will open the file picker which should look like the screenshot below. You can then navigate to the folder containing the backup and select the list file you want to migrate.
After selecting the file, you will be prompted to check the content and then click on the “Confirm” button to complete the migration. You can also select multiple files and migrate them all at one time.
Sometimes if you don’t see your list after the migration, you might need to kill and restart the app.
Web Site:
Google Play Store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dotnetideas.opus
Apple App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/opus-task-helper/id6450875277
Please feel free to contact us at support@dotnetideas.com if you have any questions or feedback. Thank you!
Introducing Packing List 2, the revamped edition of the Packing List. Just like the original Packing List, you can easily create and customize packing lists for any trip, whether you're heading to the beach, hitting the slopes, or jetting off on a business trip.
With a simple and intuitive interface, Packing List 2 allows you to quickly add and remove items from your list, and easily organize them into categories such as clothing, toiletries, and electronics. You can also create multiple lists for different types of trips, and save them for future use.
But that's not all! Packing List 2 also offers helpful features such as group items by luggage or locations, and the ability to share your lists with friends and family. And with automatic syncing across all your devices, you can access your packing lists anytime, anywhere.
Whether you're a frequent flyer or a first-time traveler, Packing List 2 is the perfect tool to help you stay organized and stress-free.
Features:
• Pre-loaded master templates
• Create new list from scratch or generate from templates or existing one
• Support Multiple lists
• Mass change for easy editing
• Group by luggage/locations for easy packing
• Data are automatically synced to the cloud so it can be accessed from multiple devices
• Share lists between users
Notes for the old Packing List - full app users:
You will need to register a new account in Packing List 2. If you have the original "Packing List - full" installed on your current device, the Ads in this app will be automatically removed after account registration. You can also migrate your lists from the old app to the new app. Please see “Backup and Restore” section below for more detail.
To login/Sign up, click “LOGIN/SIGN UP” button the top right of the home screen. You can sign in with Google/Apple or sign up using email/password.
To create a new list, click the icon on top right of the Home screen.
It will open the list editor and prompt you to enter name, notes, departure/return dates, destinations and flight information. You can also change the list status to be “Active” or not. In the home screen, you can then choose to display active lists only.
To see the options for a list, swipe the list name to the left. There are options for editing the list header, checking the flight information or weather, changing the list status, deleting the list or sharing the list. We will explain the list sharing feature later in this guide.
Once a list is created, it will automatically send you to the detailed view of the list. You can start adding items by clicking on floating “+” icon at the bottom of the screen or the 3 dots menu icon and then clicking “New Item” from the popup menu. You can also click on the “+” on the right of the category name to add an item to that category.
"Name" and "Category" are required fields. You can select a category from the drop down or add a new one by clicking on the “+” icon on the right.
To import items from preloaded templates or any of your lists, open the list you are currently working on, click on the 3 dots icon on the top right. Then select "Import from templates" or “Import from my other lists” from the popup menu. It will open the import view. Select a template or list, pick the items you want and click on the save icon on the top right corner.
To edit an existing item, swipe the item name to the left. There are options to edit the item, make the item active/inactive, mark/unmark the item as important and delete the item.
A new feature introduced in this new app is now allowing nested luggage. You can add luggage containing other luggage. You will have a master list of your luggage. Then each packing list will have its own set of luggage. To edit the master luggage list, see the “Edit Metadata” section.
To assign luggage to a list, click on the 3 dots menu icon and then click “Edit Luggage” from the popup menu. You can add a listed piece of luggage from the master list, rename a luggage, add a nested luggage, delete luggage, or swap luggage. You can move nested luggage from one parent to another or add one luggage to another by dragging/dropping the luggage from its original location to its new parent.
Once you have luggage assigned for a list, a little green luggage icon will be displayed next to all the items. You can simply click on the icon and assign luggage for each item.
The items can be group by luggage. To open the group by luggage view, click on the icon on the top right. Any items with no luggage assigned will be displayed at the bottom under “No Luggage Assigned”. If items has weight assigned, the total weight of a luggage will be calculated when you check off items and displayed under the luggage. If a luggage has weight, it will be added to the total weight as well.
The items can also be grouped by locations. Click on the 3 dots menu icon and then click “Group by Location” from the popup menu. Any items with no location assigned will be grouped together at the bottom of the list. You can simply click on each item and pick the location from the popup list.
To edit metadata such as the categories, luggage and locations, click on the icon on the top left and then select “Metadata” from the menu. Then you can choose the metadata type from the drop down and start editing them. If you delete a metadata, the value will be cleared from all the items associated with that metadata.
New changes in v1.0.4, you can now assign weight to a luggage. It will be added to the total weight in the group by luggage view.
To make changes on multiple items, click on the 3 dots menu icon and then “Mass Change” from the popup menu. It will display items you are able to edit. You will select the items you want to change, then click on the icon on the top right to enter the values. You can also delete multiple items here by clicking on the trash bin icon on the top right.
To export the items in a list, click on the 3 dots menu icon and then “Export List” from the popup menu. You can then choose to text, email or save the items in plain text format using preferred apps.
To share a list with another user, swipe the list name to the left and click on the icon.
Then click on the “+” icon on the top right to enter the email address of another registered user.
An invitation will be sent to the other user. He/She will receive a notification on the “Account” tab in the app. They can choose to accept or delete the invitation. Once the user accepts the invitation, he/she will be able to see your list under his/her login. You can stop list sharing by delete the user from the “Share List With” view.
To backup and restore a list, click on the on the top left and then select “Backup & Restore” from the menu. It will save the lists to the local storage on your browser or device.
On an Android device, if you have the previous Packing List app(lite or full) installed, the new app will display the button “Migrate From Packing List” to allow you to migrate your lists from those apps.
Here is a video tutorial on how to migrate your lists.
For Android 10 and below, the app will try to navigate to the list folder the Packing List(lite or full) is using. You should see the following screen after clicking on “Migrate From Packing List” button. You can then click on the list you want to migrate and click on “Select” button on the top right to select the list.
For Android 11 and above, you will have to first use the “Backup and Restore” feature in the old Packing List app to backup your lists to a folder which can be accessed by the new Packing List 2 app. It is recommended to save your lists to the “Documents” or “Download” folder. When you click on the “Migrate From Packing List” button, it will open the file picker which should look like the screenshot below. You can then navigate to the folder containing the backup and select the list file you want to migrate.
After selecting the file, you will be prompted to check the content and then click on the “Confirm” button to complete the migration.
Sometimes if you don’t see your list after the migration, you might need to kill and restart the app.
To edit user preferences, sign out or delete the account, click on the on the top left and then select “Account” from the menu. In the preferences section, you can enable dark theme, switch the weight unit and etc.
Please note, if you want to delete your account, you will be prompt to sign out and sign in again to refresh the credential.
Web Site:
http://packinglist.dotnetideas.com
Google Play Store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dotnetideas.packinglist2
Apple App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/packing-list-2/id1671080832
Please feel free to contact us at support@dotnetideas.com if you have any questions or feedback. Thank you!