Deployment Documentation

Running the Meal Planner

This document describes how to download and run the pre-compiled application for end-users or semi-technical maintainers.

Download the Executable

1. Go to the Latest Release page on GitHub: https://github.com/georgehyde-dot/CS690-FinalProject/releases/latest (This link should take you directly to the newest release).

2. Look under the "Assets" section for that release and download the file named MealPlanner.zip if you have the .NET Runtime.

Running the Application

Prerequisite for running the app from MealPlanner.zip :

• You must have the .NET Runtime (Version 8 or later recommended) installed on your system. This is different from the SDK needed for development.
  • If you don't have it, download and install the Runtime from the official .NET website: .NET 8.0 Runtime Download
  • Make sure to download the ASP.NET Core Runtime installer suitable for your Operating System (Windows, macOS, or Linux).

Steps:

1. Open your terminal or command prompt.

   • On Windows: Search for cmd or PowerShell.
   • On macOS: Open the Terminal application (usually in Applications > Utilities).
   • On Linux: Use your distribution's default terminal emulator.

2. Use the cd (change directory) command to navigate inside the folder where you downloaded the MealPlanner.zip file.

   # Example - Replace with the actual path on YOUR computer:
   cd C:\Users\YourName\Downloads\MealPlan
   # Or on Mac/Linux:
   # cd /Users/yourname/Downloads/MealPlan

3. Once in the correct directory run unzip ./MealPlanner.zip which will extract the files.

4. Now you can run the application using the following command:

   cd ./MealPlan/bin/Release/net8.0
   dotnet MealPlan.dll

After you run the file there will be three json files for storage pantry-data.json, recipes-data.json, and shopping-list-data.json which will persist your storage between sessions. You can also bring your files over from a previous release and they will be loaded into your new session.

4. To stop the application, go back to the terminal window where it's running and press Ctrl + C or navigate down to Quit on the Main Menu, with your arrow keys and press enter/return.