TaskWare

A local-first iOS task manager built with SwiftUI. Sign up / log in, then create, edit, complete, duplicate, delete, search, filter, and sort tasks — with insights, local notifications, and a polished UX. All data lives on-device (Core Data); there is no backend.

Project setup

Requirements:

• Xcode 26 or 27 (uses an iOS 26 deployment target).
• An iOS 26 simulator (e.g. iPhone 16).

Run the app:

1. Open TaskWare.xcodeproj in Xcode.
2. Select the TaskWare scheme and an iOS 26 simulator (iPhone 16).
3. Press Run (⌘R). The app launches to the Login screen; create an account to reach the dashboard.

Run the tests:

xcodebuild test -project TaskWare.xcodeproj -scheme TaskWare \
  -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 16'

If two iOS runtimes are installed, name=iPhone 16 is ambiguous — use the simulator UDID instead: -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,id=<UDID>' (find it with xcrun simctl list devices).

There are no dependencies to install — no CocoaPods, SPM packages, or Carthage.

Testable build

This project was built without a paid Apple Developer account, so TestFlight, Firebase App Distribution, and ad-hoc .ipa distribution (all of which require the $99/yr program to install a signed build on someone else's device) are not available. Use one of these zero-cost paths to run it:

1. From source on the simulator (recommended). Open TaskWare.xcodeproj, pick an iOS 26 simulator, and Run. Always works, nothing to sign.

2. Prebuilt simulator app — TaskWare-simulator-app.zip. Unzip and drag onto a booted iOS 26 simulator, or:

   xcrun simctl install booted TaskWare.app
   xcrun simctl launch booted com.nikhilKumar.TaskWare

   (Apple-silicon Mac + iOS 26 simulator required.)

3. On a physical iPhone via free personal signing — set the Team to your Personal Team in Signing & Capabilities, connect your iPhone, and Run (not Archive). The build installs for 7 days (re-run to renew) and only on devices signed into your Apple ID.

4. Unsigned .ipa — TaskWare-unsigned.ipa. Not directly installable; a reviewer sideloads it with their own free Apple ID via AltStore or Sideloadly, which re-signs it to their account.

Paths 1 and 2 are the least-friction ways to verify the app.

Architecture overview

MVVM + Repository + Dependency Injection, with strictly inward-pointing layers:

SwiftUI Views  →  @MainActor ViewModels  →  TaskRepository (protocol)  →  Core Data
                                          →  AuthService (protocol)     →  UserDefaults

• Views (Views/) are pure SwiftUI and hold no business logic.
• ViewModels (ViewModels/) are @MainActor and drive views via @Published state; they talk to protocols only.
• Repositories (Repositories/) hide persistence behind the TaskRepository protocol. CoreDataTaskRepository is the app impl; InMemoryTaskRepository backs tests and previews.
• Domain models (Models/) are pure Sendable value types. Core Data and SwiftUI never leak past their layers.
• AppContainer (App/) is the composition root that wires concrete dependencies.

Async work uses Swift Concurrency (async/await); Core Data runs on background contexts, view models on the main actor. See ARCHITECTURE.md for the full breakdown and trade-offs.

Assumptions

• Single-user, on-device only; no backend or real network. "Mock" auth means credentials live locally.
• Categories are a fixed enum (Work, Personal, Shopping, Health, Other), not user-defined.
• "Persistent login" is not real security — passwords are stored as a local SHA256-with-salt hash. This is a documented limitation, not a production-grade scheme.
• iOS-only (iPhone). iPad/Vision layouts are not specially designed, though the target permits them.

Libraries used

None third-party. Only Apple system frameworks:

• SwiftUI — UI
• Core Data — persistence (programmatic model, no .xcdatamodeld)
• CryptoKit — password hashing (SHA256)
• UserNotifications — local due-date reminders
• Combine — @Published view-model state
• XCTest — tests

Bonus features implemented

• Undo delete — deleting a task shows an undo snackbar that restores it.
• Custom animations — list diff animations, numeric-text transitions on insight counters, symbol-replace on the complete toggle, and a snackbar move/opacity transition.
• Accessibility — VoiceOver labels on rows, badges, and the add button; Dynamic Type via semantic fonts.
• Local notifications — due-date reminders scheduled via UserNotifications.

Future improvements

• Cloud sync across devices
• User-defined categories
• Recurring tasks
• Biometric (Face ID / Touch ID) auth
• Home-screen widgets and deep linking
• Real password-reset email flow
• Richer search (details, tags, full-text)