Recipe Card System

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📋 System Overview

The Recipe Card system allows users to create multiple customizable cards for each recipe, suitable for different purposes like printing, sharing, manufacturing specs, or social media. Cards can be recipe-specific or global (reusable across all recipes).

Key Capabilities

• Multiple cards per recipe – Create unlimited variations for different purposes
• Global card templates – Create reusable card layouts for all your recipes
• Rich customization – 8 configurable sections with detailed options
• Public sharing – Generate shareable links with view tracking
• Professional layouts – Print-ready formatting with multiple style options
• Real-time preview – See changes instantly as you design

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🎯 Core Concepts

Recipe-Specific vs Global Cards

Recipe-Specific Cards

Cards tied to ONE specific recipe, containing recipe-unique information.

Best Used For:

• Recipe cards with custom descriptions or stories
• Cards with recipe-specific images (photos of the final product)
• Detailed instruction sets for complex recipes
• Recipe-specific notes or variations

Example: “Vanilla Bean Ice Cream – Home Recipe” card with:

• Beautiful product photo
• Custom description about Madagascar vanilla beans used
• Step-by-step instructions specific to this recipe
• Personal notes about texture preferences

Global Cards

Cards NOT tied to any specific recipe – reusable templates that work with ANY recipe.

Best Used For:

• Technical specification sheets – Standard layout showing PAC, POD, mix volume, etc.
• Quick print cards – Simple ingredients + basic info, no descriptions
• Manufacturing cards – Consistent format for production floor use
• Nutritional labels – Standard nutrition facts + allergen info
• Minimalist cards – Just ingredients and calculated data, no fluff

Example: “Technical Spec Sheet” global card with:

• No image section
• No custom descriptions
• Info chips: PAC, POD, Serving temp, Mix volume, Ice cream volume
• Ingredients with percentages
• No instructions (assumes trained staff)

Why Global Cards Are Powerful:

• Create once, use with ALL recipes
• Ensures consistent formatting across your recipe collection
• Perfect for business/professional use cases
• Saves time – no need to recreate layout for each recipe

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🏗️ Card Structure – 8 Configurable Sections

Every recipe card consists of up to 8 sections that can be toggled on/off:

1. Comment Text Section

Purpose: Recipe description, introduction, or marketing copy

When to Use:

• Public recipe sharing (tell the story)
• Social media posts (engaging description)
• Recipe books/collections (context and inspiration)

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2. Image Section

Purpose: Visual representation of the recipe

Features:

• Upload images (JPG, PNG, WebP)
• Crop and position tool (800x300px display area)
• Alt text for accessibility
• Automatic compression

When to Use:

• Social media cards (visual impact)
• Menu displays (show the product)
• Recipe collections (appetizing photos)

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3. Info Chips Section

Purpose: Display key recipe metrics in visual chip format

Two Types of Info Chips:

Calculated Chips (from recipe data)

Pull real-time values from recipe calculations:

• PAC (freezing point) – Shows scoopability
• POD (sweetness) – Relative sweetness value
• Serving temp – Optimal serving temperature
• Mix volume – Volume before churning
• Ice cream volume – Final volume after overrun
• Energy/100g – Calories per 100 grams
• Butter fat – Milk fat percentage
• Cost/Kg – Recipe cost per kilogram
• Plus ALL other calculated recipe data

Manual Chips (custom user values)

User-defined static values:

• Prep Time – “20 minutes”
• Difficulty – “Easy”, “Medium”, “Hard”
• Yield – “8 servings”
• Churn Time – “30 minutes”
• Aging Time – “4-8 hours”
• Storage – “2 weeks frozen”

User Data Card Settings Integration: Users can configure their preferred calculated chips in their global settings (e.g., “Always show PAC, POD, Serving temp”).

When creating a card, enable “Include my data card settings” to automatically prepend these default chips before any custom chips you add to the card.

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4. Ingredients Section

Purpose: Display recipe ingredient list

Features:

• Ingredient name and weight (grams)
• Optional percentages (% of total mix weight)
• Visual icons:
  • 🔹 Regular ingredients (blue diamond)
  • 🔸 Add-ins/inclusions (orange diamond)
• Automatic sorting by weight (heaviest first)

Configuration Options:

• Show percentages – Display ingredient % next to weights
• Useful for: Professional recipes, recipe scaling, formulation work

5. Instructions Section

Purpose: Step-by-step process guide

Features:

• Instruction Groups – Multiple titled groups (e.g., “Prepare Base”, “Add Vanilla”)
• Numbered Steps – Auto-numbered within each group

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6. Nutrition Section

Purpose: Nutritional facts and legal compliance information

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7. Notes Section

Purpose: Additional information, tips, variations, storage instructions

When to Use:

• Recipe variations (“Try adding 100g chocolate for chocolate vanilla”)
• Storage instructions (“Stores well for 2 weeks frozen”)
• Serving suggestions (“Pairs beautifully with warm apple pie”)
• Technical notes (“Reducing sugar will increase hardness”)
• Troubleshooting tips (“If too hard, increase PAC by 10”)

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8. Info Chips Comment Section

Purpose: Explanatory text that appears below the info chips

When to Use:

• Explain unusual metrics (“High PAC for soft-scoop texture”)
• Provide context (“Optimized for -18°C freezer storage”)
• Add disclaimers (“Nutritional values approximate”)
• Highlight special features (“Extended aging improves flavor”)

Example:

“This recipe is optimized for professional soft-serve machines. Home users may need to adjust serving temperature up by 2-3°C for easier scooping.”

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🔄 Workflow – Creating a Recipe Card

Step 1: Access Card Manager

1. Open your recipe in the Recipe Editor
2. Click “Cards” button in header (or navigate to /recipe/{id}/cards)
3. See all cards for this recipe (recipe-specific + available global cards)

Step 2: Create New Card

1. Click “Add Card” button
2. Enter card name (e.g., “Social Media Version”, “Tech Spec Sheet”)
3. Card created as recipe-specific by default
4. Opens Card Designer immediately

Step 3: Design Your Card

Set Card Scope

• Recipe-Specific (default) – Tied to this recipe only
• Global Template – Toggle “Available to all recipes” checkbox

Configure Sections (Edit Mode)

1. Click “Edit” button to enter design mode
2. Use section chips in sidebar to toggle sections ON/OFF:
   • Click chip → section enabled (blue filled chip)
   • Click again → section disabled (gray outlined chip)
3. When section enabled, expand panel below to configure:
   • Edit content (text, images, instructions)
   • Configure options (show percentages, formats, etc.)
   • Add/manage info chips

Edit Section Content

• Comment Text: Click “Edit Comment Text” → opens text editor dialog
• Image: Upload image → crop/position → add alt text
• Info Chips: Click “Manage Info Chips” → add calculated/manual chips
• Instructions: Click “Edit Instructions” → manage groups and steps
• Notes: Click “Edit Notes” → opens text editor dialog
• Nutrition: Configure format (EU/US), serving size, toggle allergens

Real-Time Preview

• Left side shows live preview as you make changes
• Exactly how card will appear when printed/shared
• No save needed between edits (auto-saves in background)

Step 4: Save & Use Card

1. Card auto-saves as you work (see success messages)
2. Click “View” button to exit edit mode
3. Click “Back” to return to Card Manager
4. Your card is now available for:
   • Printing (Print button in designer)
   • Sharing (Share button → public link)
   • Quick access from Recipe View page

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🖨️ Printing Recipe Cards

From Recipe View Page

1. Open recipe in view mode
2. Click Print button in header
3. Dialog shows available cards:
   • Default Print – Quick basic card (auto-generated)
   • Global Cards – All your global template cards
   • Recipe-Specific Cards – Cards for this recipe
4. Click card to print immediately
5. Browser print dialog opens → configure printer settings

From Card Designer

1. Open any card in designer mode
2. Click Print icon in header
3. Card automatically switches to view mode (hides edit UI)
4. Browser print dialog opens
5. Print-optimized CSS ensures clean output

Print Optimization Features:

• No navigation elements or edit controls
• Clean white background
• Proper page breaks
• High-quality rendering
• Optimized for standard paper sizes

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🔗 Sharing Recipe Cards

Create Public Share Link

1. Open card in designer mode
2. Click Share button (icon in header)
3. Share dialog opens with:
   • Unique public URL: icecreamcalc.app/share/recipe-card/{shareId}
   • “Copy Link” button (one-click copy to clipboard)
   • View count tracking
4. Click “Copy Link” → link copied
5. Share URL anywhere:
   • Social media (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp)
   • Email
   • QR codes
   • Embedded in websites

Public Shared Page Features

• Clean, app-free presentation (no navigation bars)
• Mobile-responsive design
• Floating badge: “Made with Ice Cream Calc” (links back to app)
• View count tracking (auto-increments on each view)
• Professional presentation perfect for public sharing

Share Management

• Share status visible in Card Manager (green “Public Link” badge)
• View count displayed next to shared cards
• One-click copy share link from manager
• Can deactivate shares from Share dialog

Pro Tip: Share links are permanent and secure (GUID-based). Even if you edit the card, the share link stays the same and shows updated content.