Shopping list templates / duplicate list

[nriel]

Hi,

I would love to see a way to duplicate an existing shopping list or use a shopping list as a reusable template.

Use case:

We use recurring shopping lists for specific stores, for example REWE.

Over time, the list contains products we buy regularly. These products already have the correct category assigned, and the category order reflects the way we walk through the store, e.g.:

Drinks
→ Fruit & Vegetables
→ Dairy
→ Meat & Cold Cuts
→ Cheese
→ Canned Food
→ Rice & Pasta
→ Household / Bathroom

Currently, when creating a new shopping list, previously used item names can be selected again, but their category assignment is not preserved.

Because of that, maintaining a reusable store-specific list would be very useful.

Possible workflow:

1. Create a shopping list called "REWE Template"
2. Add all regularly purchased products and assign the correct categories
3. Duplicate the list before the next shopping trip
4. Select which products are currently needed
5. Use the duplicated list for shopping
6. Delete/archive it afterwards while keeping the template unchanged

Possible options when duplicating a list:

• Copy all items
• Preserve categories
• Preserve manual item order
• Optionally preserve quantities
• Optionally preserve notes
• Choose whether copied items start as checked or unchecked

An alternative or additional feature could be:

"Save shopping list as template"

This would avoid using completed/checked items as a permanent product database just to retain their category assignment.

Thanks!

[mclgoerg]

I will have a look on this one and will send you a proposal.

[mclgoerg]

Thanks for the detailed writeup — the REWE-template workflow makes a lot of sense, and the walk-through-order categorization is a good example of information that's genuinely worth preserving.

Good news: multiple named shopping lists already exist (the tabs at the top of the Shopping page), and each item already carries its own category + a manual per-category sort order. So "duplicate a list" mostly reduces to copying that structure into a new list rather than a new concept.

Proposed shape:

1. "Duplicate" action on any list (next to rename/delete in the list menu)
Opens a small dialog:

• New list name (prefilled, e.g. "REWE Template – Copy", editable)
• "Reset checked state" (on by default — a fresh trip starts unchecked)
• Keep quantities / keep notes (on by default, per your "optionally preserve" note — off strips them back to bare item+category)

Category assignment and manual item order are always carried over as-is — that's the actual point of duplicating, not something to make optional.

2. Optional "Template" flag on a list
A plain on/off flag on any list (not a new kind of object) that:

• Marks it visually in the tab bar (small badge)
• Makes "Duplicate to start shopping" the primary action on that tab instead of the normal add-item flow
• Keeps it out of the way of day-to-day lists

This covers your alternative "save as template" idea directly, without introducing a second, parallel list type alongside regular lists — a template is just a regular list with one flag set, so it stays fully editable (add/remove/re-categorize your REWE staples) the same way any list is.

The duplicate action itself isn't template-specific — it works the same on any list, e.g. "shopping went well last week, duplicate it and reuse most of it" — so it's useful even for people who never set up a dedicated template.

@ulsklyc @nriel curious to hear your thoughts on this approach before I start building it — does the split between a simple duplicate action and an optional template flag make sense, or would you rather see it done differently?

[ulsklyc]

@mclgoerg @nriel Thanks both - the write-up is precise and the proposal is well aimed.

Duplicate: yes. One server call that copies the list in a single transaction, so a half-copied list cannot happen. Categories, manual order, quantities and notes come along; the checked state resets. Two things should not travel: the CalDAV identity of the items - a copy carrying it would be synced as the original's reminders - and price and shop, because a price records one purchase (#1003) and a copy would claim a purchase that never happened. Please build it on top of #1109, which touches the same files and should land first.

Template flag: not in the first cut. A flag that switches a list's primary action is a second kind of list held together by one bit, and every other list feature then has to decide how to treat it. Duplicate alone covers the REWE case: a list called "REWE template" that you duplicate before each trip. If that turns out clumsy in use, the flag is easy to add later; taking it away once people rely on it is not.

The smaller fix underneath: @nriel, a template feels necessary mostly because picking a previous item name does not bring its category along - the suggestion carries only the name. Having it remember the category the item was last filed under helps every list, not just templates. That is now #1113.