BookCatalog

BookCatalog is a native Android application designed for managing a personal library of books. It features a modern, high-tech aesthetic with smooth animations, dark mode default, and a robust local database.

Overview

The app is built as a learning project to demonstrate Android architecture best practices, local data persistence, and modern UI/UX design using Material 3. Everything runs locally on the device with no backend dependency required.

Core Features

Book Management (CRUD)

• Add new books with detailed metadata (Title, Author, Year, Genre, Pages, Rating).
• Read and browse the entire collection in a scrollable list.
• Update existing book details easily.
• Delete (Purge) books from the database with confirmation.

Search, Sort & Filter

• Real-time search bar to instantly find books by Title or Author.
• Sort the library by Title (A-Z), Publication Year (Newest first), or Evaluation Score (Rating).
• Toggle "Favorite" status for quick visual identification.

High-Tech UI & Aesthetics

• Forced dark mode with deep space backgrounds and neon cyan/purple accents.
• Glassmorphism effects on cards (translucent backgrounds with thin neon borders).
• Smooth SlideInUp entry animations for the book list.
• Dynamic statistics dashboard showing total entities and volume pages.
• Thematic vector illustrations for empty database states.

Main Screen

Statistics

Settings

Technology Stack

• Language: Java
• Minimum SDK: 26 (Android 8.0)
• Target SDK: 36
• UI Framework: Android View System + Material 3 Components
• Local Database: Room (androidx.room)
• Lists & Animations: RecyclerView + recyclerview-animators (jp.wasabeef)
• Build System: Gradle (Kotlin DSL)

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Android Studio (Ladybug or newer recommended)
• Java Development Kit 11 or higher (bundled with Android Studio)
• Android SDK Platform 36

Install & Run

1. Clone or download the repository.
2. Open the project folder BookCatalog in Android Studio.
3. Click Sync Project with Gradle Files (the elephant icon) to download Room and Animator dependencies.
4. Select an emulator or physical device.
5. Click Run (Shift + F10).

Test Data

To quickly populate the app and test the UI, tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner of the main screen and select "Fill Test Data".