OpenFoodJournal UI/UX Design System

Living reference for every visual and interaction pattern in the app. Consult before creating or modifying any SwiftUI view. Update whenever a new pattern is established or an existing one changes.

Quick Reference

Token	Value	Where Used
Card corner radius	20 pt	MacroSummaryBar, glass cards
Button/chip radius	12 pt	Remaining calorie pill, macro chips
Badge radius	8 pt	Status badges, small pills
List row insets	(8, 16, 8, 16)	All List rows
Section gap	12–20 pt	Between major sections
Min hit target	44 pt	All tappable elements
Glass availability	iOS 26+ (no guards)	Entire codebase

Color System

Macro Colors (Canonical)

Macro	Color	Usage
Calories	.orange	Calorie countdown, energy metrics
Protein	.blue	Protein goals, progress rings
Carbs	.green	Carbohydrate goals, progress
Fat	.yellow	Fat goals, progress

Progress Status Colors

Status	Color	Threshold
Met	.green	95–105% of goal
Near	.yellow	50–80% of goal
Slightly over	.orange	105–120% of goal
Way over	.purple	>120% of goal
Under	.red	<50% of goal

Opacity Conventions

Element	Opacity
Glass tint	0.35
Background highlight	0.12
Disabled state	0.5
Separator lines	.secondary.opacity(0.4)
Secondary text	.foregroundStyle(.secondary) (system)
Tertiary text	.foregroundStyle(.tertiary) (system)

Typography

Role	Font	Weight	Size
Display macro total	.system(size: 32, weight: .bold, design: .rounded)	bold	32
Section headline	.headline	default	~17
Row title	.body	.fontWeight(.medium)	~17
Row subtitle	.caption	default	~12
Form label	.subheadline	default	~15
Numeric alignment	.monospacedDigit()	—	inherited

Convention: All numeric displays use .system(design: .rounded). Precise alignment uses .monospacedDigit().

Glassmorphism (iOS 26+)

The app targets iOS 26+ exclusively — no #available guards needed.

Standard Patterns

// Card surface
.glassEffect(in: .rect(cornerRadius: 20))

// Circular element (macro rings)
.glassEffect(in: .circle)

// Tinted interactive element
.glassEffect(
    .regular.tint(color.opacity(0.35)),
    in: .circle
)

// Multiple glass elements in proximity
GlassEffectContainer(spacing: 20) {
    HStack { /* glass children */ }
}

// Buttons
.buttonStyle(.glass)           // Standard
.buttonStyle(.glassProminent)  // Primary action

Glass Rules

1. Apply .glassEffect() after layout and appearance modifiers
2. Wrap multiple glass siblings in GlassEffectContainer
3. Use .interactive() only on tappable/focusable elements
4. Use .glassEffectID(_:in:) + @Namespace for morphing transitions
5. Prefer .glassEffect() over .background(.ultraThinMaterial) for new UI

See the swiftui-liquid-glass skill for the complete Liquid Glass API reference.

Navigation Architecture

Tab Structure

4-tab TabView at root with .tabBarMinimizeBehavior(.never):

Tab	View	Icon
Journal	DailyLogView	book.pages
Food Bank	FoodBankView	refrigerator
History	HistoryView	chart.xyaxis.line
Settings	SettingsView	gearshape

Each tab wraps its content in NavigationStack.

Sheet Management (Enum-Driven)

Always use a single enum for all sheets within a page:

enum DailyLogSheet: Identifiable {
    case scan, manualEntry, editEntry(NutritionEntry)
    case foodBank, containers
    
    var id: String { /* unique per case */ }
}

@State private var presentedSheet: DailyLogSheet?

// In body:
.sheet(item: $presentedSheet) { sheet in
    switch sheet {
    case .scan: ScanCaptureView(logDate: selectedDate)
    case .manualEntry: ManualEntryView(defaultDate: selectedDate)
    // ...
    }
}

Never use multiple @State booleans for sheet presentation.

Sheet Configuration

Every sheet must include:

• NavigationStack wrapper for internal nav
• .navigationTitle() + .navigationBarTitleDisplayMode(.inline)
• Cancel button: ToolbarItem(placement: .cancellationAction)
• Save button: ToolbarItem(placement: .confirmationAction) with .fontWeight(.semibold) and .disabled() guard
• @Environment(\.dismiss) private var dismiss

Component Catalog

Shared Components (Views/Shared/)

Component	Purpose	Size/Shape
MacroRingView	Circular progress for one macro	56×56 pt, circle
MacroSummaryBar	3-column macro cards + calorie headline	Full width, glass card
RadialMenuButton	Floating "+" FAB with radial menu	Circular, bottom-aligned
MicronutrientSummaryView	Progress bars for all micros	Full width section
NutrientBreakdownView	Donut chart + per-food bars	NavigationDestination
NutritionDetailView	Period picker + glass macro card + glass vitamin/mineral sections	ScrollView on JournalCalorieBackground
ServingMappingSection	Reusable Form section for unit maps	Form section
CursorEndModifier	UITextField cursor fix	Applied at app root

Row Components

Component	Context	Key Elements
EntryRowView	List row in DailyLog	Name + brand + calories + macro chips + swipe
SavedFoodRowView	List row in FoodBank	Source icon + name + serving + calories
MealSectionView	Section wrapper in List	Header with meal icon + calorie total

Inline Component Pattern

Extract reusable card builders as private @ViewBuilder functions:

@ViewBuilder
private func macroCard(_ macro: NutrientKind.MacroType, value: Double, 
                       goal: Double, color: Color) -> some View {
    Button { selectedMacro = macro } label: {
        VStack(spacing: 4) { /* content */ }
    }
    .buttonStyle(.plain)
}

Layout Patterns

List (Preferred for Swipeable Content)

List {
    MealSectionView(...)  // Returns Section{}
}
.listStyle(.plain)
.scrollContentBackground(.hidden)

Gotcha: .swipeActions is silently ignored outside List. Never use ScrollView + LazyVStack for rows that need swipe actions.

LazyVGrid (2-Column Cards)

LazyVGrid(columns: [GridItem(.flexible()), GridItem(.flexible())], spacing: 10) {
    macroCard(...)  // 4 cards in 2×2
}

List Row Customization

.listRowSeparator(.hidden)
.listRowBackground(Color.clear)
.listRowInsets(EdgeInsets(top: 8, leading: 16, bottom: 8, trailing: 16))

Empty States

ContentUnavailableView {
    Label("No Saved Foods", systemImage: "refrigerator")
} description: {
    Text("Save a food from a scan first...")
}

Animation Conventions

Context	Animation	Value
Menu open/close	.spring(duration: 0.4, bounce: 0.3)	RadialMenuButton
Micro-interaction	.spring(duration: 0.2)	Option highlight
Disclosure toggle	.spring(duration: 0.3)	Section expand
Progress rings	.easeInOut	Value transitions
View transitions	.opacity.combined(with: .move(edge: .top))	Expanding sections
Glass morphing	.glassEffectTransition(.matchedGeometry)	RadialMenu items
Haptic feedback	.sensoryFeedback(.impact(flexibility: .soft))	Menu open/close
Sheet chain delay	asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 0.15)	Before next sheet

Convention: Use withAnimation(.spring(...)) for user-initiated actions. Use .animation(.easeInOut, value:) for data-driven transitions.

Form/Input Patterns

Numeric Text Fields

// Always use text-backed fields to avoid cursor-jump artifacts
@State private var quantityText: String
let quantity = Double(quantityText) ?? 0

TextField("Weight", text: $quantityText)
    .keyboardType(.decimalPad)

Focus Chain

fileprivate enum FormField: Hashable {
    case name, calories, protein, carbs, fat
    case micronutrient(String)
}
@FocusState private var focusedField: FormField?

// Chain fields:
TextField("Calories", text: $caloriesText)
    .focused($focusedField, equals: .calories)
    .submitLabel(.next)
    .onSubmit { focusedField = .protein }

Picker Styles

Style	Use Case
.pickerStyle(.menu)	Compact inline (meal type in cards)
.pickerStyle(.segmented)	3–4 options (period picker)
Default wheel	In-form selection

History Micronutrient Pins

Long-press a History micronutrient chip to open a Pin / Unpin menu. Pins persist in UserDefaults (history.pinnedMicronutrientIDs) via PinnedMicronutrientSettings and appear in a dedicated row above the full chip scroller. Macros are not pinnable. Pinnable chips use Menu with primaryAction (tap selects, hold opens the menu) rather than Button + contextMenu, which does not present inside a horizontal ScrollView with interactive Liquid Glass.

Confirmation Dialogs

.confirmationDialog(
    "Delete \(food.name)?",
    isPresented: $showDeleteConfirm,
    titleVisibility: .visible
) {
    Button("Delete", role: .destructive) { /* action */ }
}

State Management Patterns

Service Injection

// App creates @Observable services, injects via .environment()
@Environment(NutritionStore.self) private var store
@Environment(UserGoals.self) private var goals

SwiftData Bindings

@Bindable var entry: NutritionEntry  // Two-way binding to @Model
TextField("Name", text: $entry.name)  // Auto-persists

Derived State

// Compute from primary sources — never duplicate as @State
private var filteredFoods: [SavedFood] {
    searchText.isEmpty ? allFoods : allFoods.filter { ... }
}

Persistence

// UserGoals uses AppStorage with @ObservationIgnored to avoid conflicts
@ObservationIgnored @AppStorage("goals.calories")
var dailyCalories: Double = 2000

SF Symbols Reference

Action	Symbol
Scan	camera.fill
Manual entry	pencil
Food Bank	refrigerator
Containers	scalemass
History	chart.xyaxis.line
Settings	gearshape
Delete	trash
Add	plus / plus.circle
Breakfast	sunrise
Lunch	sun.max
Dinner	moon.stars
Snack	leaf
Estimate mode	wand.and.sparkles
Label mode	barcode.viewfinder

Checklist for New Views

Before merging any new view:

• Uses glass effects (not .background(.ultraThinMaterial))
• Card corners use 20 pt radius
• Colors match macro color table above
• Sheets use enum-driven presentation
• Sheets have Cancel/Save toolbar + dismiss
• List rows use standard insets (8, 16, 8, 16)
• Animations use spring for user actions, easeInOut for data
• Numeric inputs use text-backed fields
• Tappable elements have 44+ pt hit targets
• Empty states use ContentUnavailableView
• Progress indicators use the status color thresholds

UI Roadmap

Food Bank Improvements

• Remove source icons (barcode/fork/pencil) from SavedFoodRowView — they add visual noise without value
• Shift calorie count from right edge to where source icons were (left-center area)
• Add macro chips (P/C/F) to the right of each food row — same MacroChip pattern as EntryRowView
• Add "Last Used" sort option and make it the default — newly added foods count as "last used" even before being logged, so recently saved foods surface to the top for better glanceability
• Search should match brand field in addition to name

Keyboard UX

• Every keyboard popup must have a "Done" button to dismiss — use .toolbar { ToolbarItemGroup(placement: .keyboard) { Spacer(); Button("Done") { focusedField = nil } } }

Calendar Strip → Continuous Scrollable Calendar

• Replace fixed Sun–Sat WeeklyCalendarStrip with a continuously scrollable calendar
• Interaction design modeled after iOS Calendar monthly view: vertical continuous scroll with smooth momentum snapping to month boundaries
• Sticky month/year header that transitions smoothly as user scrolls between months
• Days show the same progress ring colors as current day cells
• Tapping a day selects it and scrolls the journal to that date