Star Wars iOS Client App, People Search

The App searches and displays characters. The App is designed to easily add a search for any type of objects and load details for any type of object (details in architecture).

The focus was made on the Core of the App to expand easily, not only UI. UI is primitive but complete for Character search and display.

Architecture

Model

Currently only Character from /api/people is supported, all other types of objects are decoded to Object, which has only name property. Responses for search and load an object APIs are stored in a cache.

Add New Object Type

If you need more properties to display for any objects, similar to Character:

1. Create a new class, inherit it from Object. Character is an example.
2. Add the object parser call to Object.decodeToObjectWith. The object will be parsed automatically when loaded.

Add New Search Type

If you need to add a search for a new object type, similar to Character in people:

1. Add New Object Type.
2. Create a new Search class and define searchURL. CharacterSearch is an example.

Endpoint

If swapi.dev unavailable, you can use another server, for example binxhealth/swapi. To change the server endpoint, update server_url in Info.plist.

App Transport Security Settings => Allow Arbitrary Loads=YES was added to Info.plist to support HTTP. Remove it for a release version.

UI

All UI is implemented using storyboard, xib, and autolayouts without diving into presentation details on specific devices in different rotations.

CharactersTableViewController

• Initially loads results for "" empty string;
• Displays all cells at once, and load new pages as user scrolls down;
• Opens CharacterDetailsViewController on a cell touch.

CharacterDetailsViewController

• Displays details info for Character;
• Loads all objects by url to display their names (in current version, names only).

Unit Tests

Ony Core of the App, Data Model and Api Requests, is covered with essential basic tests for successful scenarios.

CMD + U to run.

TODO

• Search Api loads complete objects. Each object can be stored right to ObjectLoader cache, to prevent redundant requests to get them.
• Remove App Transport Security Settings => Allow Arbitrary Loads=YES for a release version. See Endpoint section for details.
• Verify Dark Mode support.
• Verify UI with different system font sizes, layouts, and devices.
• Show error in case of network or other issues; ability to re-search in case of error.
• Detailed view for each type of object: Planet, Vehicle, etc.
• Clickable names for Planet, Vehicle, etc.
• Search for any type of objects, not only Characters.
• Let users copy all texts.
• Collection View instead of Table View with adjusted layouts for different devices and orientations.
• Unit Tests to cover all code base, not just main use cases with successful paths.
• UI Unit Tests.
• UI functional tests.
• App automation for build and release.
• Integrate App Crash reporting tool.
• Integrate App Usage analytics tool.
• Cache on disk for search & objects.
• Cancel Search and load objects request if they are not needed anymore.
• Localization.
• Show last search result or suggestion on app launch.
• Search history.