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Creating Wishlists

Wishlists are the heart of BookWish. They help you organize books you want to read, track your reading progress, and share your literary interests with others.

Your First Wishlist​

When you first join BookWish, you'll want to create your first wishlist to start building your reading collection.

Creating Your First Wishlist​

  1. Open the Wish Tab:

    • Tap the "Wish" icon in the bottom navigation
    • You'll see an empty state with Browser the cat

  2. Tap "Create Wishlist":

    • Either tap the "+" icon in the top right
    • Or tap the "Create Wishlist" button in the empty state

  3. Name Your Wishlist:

    • Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "To Read", "Summer 2024", "Mysteries")
    • Keep it concise but meaningful

  4. Set Privacy (Optional):

    • Toggle "Private" if you want only you to see this list
    • Leave it off for a public list others can view

  5. Tap "Create":

    • Your wishlist is created instantly
    • You're ready to start adding books!
First Visit Hint

Browser the cat will greet you on your first visit to the Wish tab with a helpful message: "This is your Wish tab! Add books you'd love to read. I'll help you find them at indie stores."

Code Reference: Wishlist creation dialog in /app/lib/ui/pages/wish/wish_page.dart (lines 42-117).

Creating Additional Wishlists​

Free vs Premium Limits​

  • Free Accounts: Up to 3 wishlists
  • Premium Accounts: Unlimited wishlists

If you hit the free limit, you'll see an upgrade prompt explaining Premium benefits.

Implementation: Limit checking in /app/lib/ui/pages/wish/wish_page.dart (lines 43-50).

Organization Strategies​

By Genre​

Create separate lists for different genres:

  • Fiction
  • Non-Fiction
  • Mystery & Thriller
  • Science Fiction & Fantasy
  • Romance
  • Biography & Memoir

By Status​

Track books at different stages:

  • To Read
  • Currently Reading
  • Finished (use as a reading log)

By Time Period​

Organize by when you want to read:

  • 2024 Reading Goals
  • Summer Beach Reads
  • Winter Comfort Reads
  • Monthly Book Club Picks

By Theme or Mood​

Group by the reading experience:

  • Quick Reads
  • Challenging Books
  • Comfort Reads
  • Books That Changed Me
  • Recommendations from Friends

By Purpose​

Organize by why you're reading:

  • Gift Ideas
  • Research for Project
  • Teaching Materials
  • Book Club Nominations

Wishlist Details​

Each wishlist tracks:

Basic Information​

  • Name: The title of your wishlist
  • Item Count: Number of books in the list
  • Privacy Status: Private (locked icon) or Public (list icon)
  • Creation Date: When you created the list

Wishlist Items​

Each book in a wishlist includes:

  • Book details: Title, author, cover image
  • Reading status: Want to Read, Currently Reading, or Finished
  • Priority: High, Normal, or Low
  • Notes: Personal thoughts and reminders (scribbles)
  • Date added: When you added it to this list

Data Model: See /app/lib/api/models/wishlist.dart for the complete structure.

Managing Wishlists​

Editing a Wishlist​

To change a wishlist's name or privacy:

  1. Find the wishlist on the Wish tab
  2. Tap the pencil icon next to the wishlist name
  3. Make your changes:
    • Update the name
    • Toggle privacy setting
  4. Tap "Save"

Code Reference: Edit dialog in /app/lib/ui/pages/wish/wish_page.dart (lines 119-197).

Privacy Settings​

Public Wishlists​

  • Visible to all BookWish users
  • Appear in your profile
  • Can be shared via link
  • Indexed in search (if profile is public)
  • Show up in community feeds

Private Wishlists​

  • Only visible to you
  • Don't appear in search
  • Can't be shared with links
  • Marked with a lock icon
  • Perfect for gift planning or personal goals
Profile Privacy

Even if your overall profile is public, individual wishlists can be private. This gives you fine-grained control over what others see.

Deleting a Wishlist​

To remove a wishlist permanently:

  1. Swipe left on the wishlist (or long-press)
  2. The delete background appears in red
  3. Continue swiping to reveal the delete option
  4. Confirm deletion in the dialog
  5. The wishlist is permanently removed
Deletion is Permanent

Deleting a wishlist removes all items in it. This action cannot be undone. Consider making the wishlist private instead if you want to hide it temporarily.

Code Reference: Swipe-to-delete in /app/lib/ui/pages/wish/wish_page.dart (lines 315-373).

Wishlist Best Practices​

Naming Conventions​

Be Descriptive​

  • ✅ "Mystery & Thriller To-Read"
  • ❌ "List 1"

Use Keywords​

  • ✅ "Book Club Nominations 2024"
  • ❌ "BC"

Keep It Concise​

  • ✅ "Summer Beach Reads"
  • ❌ "Books I Want to Read While on Vacation at the Beach This Summer"

Organization Tips​

Start Simple​

Begin with just 2-3 wishlists:

  1. To Read (general)
  2. Currently Reading
  3. Gift Ideas or Recommendations

Expand Gradually​

Add new lists as you discover organization needs:

  • Create genre lists when one list gets too long
  • Add time-based lists for reading challenges
  • Create themed lists for special interests

Prune Regularly​

Every few months:

  • Review each wishlist
  • Remove books you've lost interest in
  • Move books between lists as priorities change
  • Archive completed wishlists

Privacy Strategy​

Keep Some Lists Private​

Good candidates for private wishlists:

  • Gift ideas for family/friends
  • Books on sensitive topics
  • Professional development reading
  • Personal goal tracking

Make Discovery Lists Public​

Share these with the community:

  • Favorite books by genre
  • Thematic reading lists
  • Reading challenge progress
  • Book club selections

Viewing Wishlist Details​

To see all books in a wishlist:

  1. Tap the wishlist from the Wish tab
  2. See the full list of books
  3. Each book shows:
    • Cover image
    • Title and author
    • Reading status icon
    • Priority indicator (if set)
    • Notes indicator (if you have notes)

Code Reference: Wishlist detail page in /app/lib/ui/pages/wish/wishlist_detail_page.dart.

Empty Wishlists​

If a wishlist has no books yet:

  • You'll see a friendly empty state
  • Browser the cat offers encouragement
  • "Search Books" button to find your first addition
  • Tap to go directly to book search

Technical Details​

Data Persistence​

Wishlists are:

  • Synced to the cloud (for full accounts)
  • Backed up automatically
  • Accessible across devices
  • Preserved during account upgrades (guest to full)

Performance​

  • Wishlists load efficiently even with hundreds of books
  • Cover images are cached for faster display
  • Changes sync in real-time across devices

Code Reference: Wishlist state management in /app/lib/state/wishlist_provider.dart.

Next Steps​

Now that you've created wishlists, learn how to: