BoringNotes

A retro-styled iOS Notes app with a nostalgic 90s/2000s aesthetic. Built with SwiftUI, MVVM architecture, and Core Data.

Requirements

• Xcode 15+
• iOS 17.0+
• Swift 5.9+

Setup

Option A: Using XcodeGen (Recommended)

1. Install XcodeGen if you don't have it:

   brew install xcodegen

2. Generate the Xcode project:

   cd BoringNotes
   xcodegen generate

3. Open the generated project:

   open BoringNotes.xcodeproj

4. Select your development team in Signing & Capabilities, then build and run.

Option B: Manual Xcode Setup

1. Open Xcode and create a new project:

   • iOS > App
   • Product Name: BoringNotes
   • Interface: SwiftUI
   • Language: Swift
   • Storage: None (we use programmatic Core Data)
   • Uncheck "Include Tests" (we add them manually)

2. Delete the auto-generated ContentView.swift and BoringNotesApp.swift.

3. Drag the BoringNotes/ source folder into the Xcode project navigator.

   • Make sure "Copy items if needed" is checked.
   • Add to target: BoringNotes.

4. Add a Unit Test target:

   • File > New > Target > Unit Testing Bundle
   • Name: BoringNotesTests
   • Drag the test files from BoringNotesTests/ into this target.

5. Configure the project:

   • Set deployment target to iOS 17.0
   • Add NSFaceIDUsageDescription to Info.plist (already included)
   • Set the asset catalog in Build Settings

6. Build and run.

Architecture

BoringNotes/
├── App/                     # App entry point, ContentView
├── Models/                  # Core Data entities, SortOption
├── Persistence/             # PersistenceController, NoteRepository
├── ViewModels/              # MVVM view models
├── Views/
│   ├── Notes/               # Notes list, editor, formatting toolbar
│   ├── Tags/                # Tag management
│   ├── Settings/            # Settings screen
│   └── Components/          # Reusable UI components
├── Theme/                   # RetroTheme, ThemeManager
├── Services/                # Haptics, Sound, Biometric, Spotlight, Import/Export
├── Utilities/               # Debouncer
└── Resources/               # Asset catalog

Key Patterns

• MVVM: Views observe @Observable view models.
• Repository Pattern: NoteRepository abstracts all Core Data operations.
• Programmatic Core Data Model: No .xcdatamodeld file needed - the model is built in code with full migration support.
• Debounced Autosave: Notes auto-save 1.5 seconds after the user stops typing, using background context writes.
• Theme System: Three selectable retro themes with consistent styling applied via SwiftUI Environment.

Features

Core

• Create, read, edit, and delete notes
• Auto-save with debounce and "Saved" indicator
• Tags with color coding and quick filters
• Full-text search with highlighted matches
• Pin and favorite notes
• Sort by date, title, or pinned status
• Markdown-style formatting with preview mode
• Checklist support

Retro Themes

• CRT Green: Dark background, green phosphor text, scanline overlay
• Classic Paper: Warm paper background, blue ink text, grain texture
• Terminal Amber: Black background, amber text, chunky borders

Security

• Face ID / Touch ID lock for individual notes
• Locked notes hide preview content in the list

Safety

• Soft delete with 30-day "Recently Deleted" recovery
• Auto-purge of old deleted notes

Import / Export

• Import .txt and .md files
• Export notes as plain text or Markdown
• Share sheet integration

Accessibility

• Dynamic Type support
• VoiceOver labels on all interactive elements
• Reduce Motion toggle disables scanlines and grain effects
• High contrast maintained across all themes

Device Support

• iPhone: Tab bar navigation (Notes, Tags, Settings)
• iPad: NavigationSplitView with sidebar

Testing

Unit tests cover:

• CRUDTests: Note and tag create, read, update, delete operations
• AutosaveTests: Debouncer timing, cancellation, background save
• TagFilterTests: Search, tag filtering, sorting, favorites, pinned
• LockFlowTests: Lock/unlock state, authentication logic, edge cases

Run tests with Cmd+U in Xcode or:

xcodebuild test -scheme BoringNotes -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 16'

Configuration

All settings persist via UserDefaults:

• Theme selection
• Default sort order
• Sound and haptic toggles
• Face ID lock toggle
• iCloud sync toggle (experimental)
• Reduce motion preference