Mess Menu

Purpose and Scope

This document describes the Mess Menu feature of the JIIT Time Table website, which provides students with access to dining hall meal schedules. The mess menu displays daily meal information organized by time slots (breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner), helping students plan their meals throughout the week.

This page covers the mess menu component implementation, data structure, and user interface. For information about other timetable-related features, see Schedule Generation and Timeline View. For the academic calendar feature, which shares similar display patterns, see Academic Calendar.

Sources: README.md27 README.md107

Feature Overview

The mess menu feature serves as a dedicated page accessible via the application's navigation system. It displays weekly meal schedules for JIIT campus dining halls, allowing students to quickly check what meals are being served on any given day.

Key Capabilities

Sources: README.md27 README.md18-33

Component Architecture

The mess menu follows the application's component-based architecture pattern, integrating with the navigation system and leveraging the PWA capabilities for offline access.

Component Location and Integration

Diagram: Mess Menu Component Integration

The mess menu integrates into the application's routing structure as a standalone page, accessible through both desktop and mobile navigation components.

Sources: README.md107 README.md108-109

Component Structure

The mess-menu.tsx component serves as the primary implementation for the mess menu feature. Based on the application's architectural patterns, it follows a structured approach to displaying meal information.

Mess Menu Component Organization

Diagram: MessMenu Component Internal Structure

The component manages state for day selection and menu data, rendering a responsive grid of meal cards organized by time slots.

Sources: README.md107

Data Model

The mess menu data follows a structured format that organizes meals by day of the week and meal type. The data structure aligns with the application's pattern of storing static JSON data in the /public/data/ directory.

Expected Data Structure

interface MealItem {
  name: string;           // Name of the dish
  category: string;       // meal type: breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner
  vegetarian?: boolean;   // dietary information
  description?: string;   // additional details
}

interface DayMenu {
  day: string;           // Day of week (Monday, Tuesday, etc.)
  date?: string;         // Optional date information
  breakfast: MealItem[];
  lunch: MealItem[];
  snacks: MealItem[];
  dinner: MealItem[];
}

interface MessMenuData {
  campus: string;        // "62" or "128"
  week: number;          // Week number or identifier
  effectiveFrom: string; // Start date for this menu
  effectiveTo: string;   // End date for this menu
  menu: DayMenu[];
}

Data Organization

Sources: README.md73-87 README.md52-64

Data Flow and Fetching

The mess menu follows the application's established pattern for fetching and caching static JSON data, similar to how timetable and academic calendar data are handled.

Data Flow Sequence

Diagram: Mess Menu Data Flow

The data fetching leverages the service worker's caching strategy to enable offline access, consistent with the application's PWA architecture.

Sources: README.md21 README.md96

User Interface Layout

The mess menu interface provides an intuitive, card-based layout that displays meal information in an organized, scannable format.

Layout Structure

The component likely uses a responsive grid system with the following structure:

Responsive Behavior

• Desktop: 2x2 grid showing all four meal categories simultaneously
• Tablet: 1x2 grid with scrollable meal sections
• Mobile: Single column stack with swipe navigation between meal types

Sources: README.md32 README.md204-213

Integration with Navigation System

The mess menu integrates with the application's navigation system, appearing as a route accessible from both desktop sidebar and mobile bottom navigation.

Navigation Integration

Diagram: Navigation Integration for Mess Menu

The mess menu appears alongside other primary features in the navigation hierarchy, providing equal visibility and accessibility.

Sources: README.md108 README.md204-206

PWA and Offline Capabilities

Following the application's PWA architecture, the mess menu feature supports offline access through service worker caching strategies.

Caching Strategy

Service Worker Configuration

The mess menu resources are likely included in the service worker's precache manifest, generated during the build process by the PWA plugin:

• Component chunks: /_next/static/chunks/*mess-menu*.js
• Data files: /public/data/mess-menu/*.json
• Related assets: Any images or icons specific to the mess menu

Sources: README.md21 README.md96 README.md213

State Management

The mess menu component manages its own local state for day selection and menu display, following React best practices.

Local State Structure

// Within MessMenu component
const [selectedDay, setSelectedDay] = useState<string>('Monday');
const [menuData, setMenuData] = useState<MessMenuData | null>(null);
const [loading, setLoading] = useState<boolean>(true);
const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);

State Flow

1. Initial Load: Component mounts and sets loading state
2. Data Fetch: Retrieves menu data from JSON endpoint
3. Default Selection: Sets current day of week as default
4. User Interaction: Updates selectedDay when user clicks different day
5. UI Update: React re-renders meal grid with filtered data

Sources: README.md118-120

Typical User Workflow

The mess menu provides a straightforward user experience for checking meal schedules.

User Journey

Diagram: Mess Menu User Interaction Flow

The workflow emphasizes simplicity and quick access to meal information without requiring additional configuration or authentication.

Sources: README.md188-206

Styling and Visual Design

The mess menu component follows the application's design system, utilizing glassmorphic UI elements and the established color scheme.

Design Elements

Color Coding

While the mess menu may not use extensive color coding like the timetable feature, it can employ:

• Vegetarian indicators (green icon)
• Meal type headers (distinct colors per category)
• Current day highlighting (accent color)

Sources: README.md40 README.md103 README.md116

Mobile Optimization

The mess menu is optimized for mobile viewing, consistent with the application's mobile-first design philosophy.

Mobile Features

Touch Gesture Support

Similar to other pages in the application, the mess menu likely supports:

• Swipe Left: Navigate to next day
• Swipe Right: Navigate to previous day
• Tap: Expand meal details if truncated

Sources: README.md32-33 README.md43 README.md204-213

Data Update Mechanism

The mess menu data requires periodic updates to reflect changing weekly menus. The update mechanism follows the application's static data update pattern.

Update Process

Diagram: Mess Menu Data Update Pipeline

Updates are deployed as static file changes, with the service worker handling cache invalidation and refresh.

Sources: README.md71-87 README.md148-186

Error Handling

The mess menu component implements error handling for common failure scenarios.

Error Scenarios

Loading States

The component manages loading states during data fetching:

• Initial Load: Skeleton or spinner while fetching
• Day Switch: Optional transition animation
• Data Refresh: Background update without blocking UI

Sources: README.md216-222

Extension Points

The mess menu feature can be extended with additional functionality in future iterations.

Potential Enhancements

Sources: README.md248-256 README.md129

Relationship to Other Features

The mess menu feature exists alongside other informational pages in the application ecosystem.

Feature Comparison

The mess menu is the simplest of these features, requiring no configuration or personalization—it's purely informational content.

Sources: README.md18-31 README.md101-114

Summary

The Mess Menu feature provides JIIT students with quick access to dining hall meal schedules through a dedicated, mobile-optimized interface. Implemented in src/components/mess-menu.tsx the component follows the application's established patterns for:

• Data Management: Static JSON files cached by the service worker
• Navigation: Integrated into both desktop and mobile navigation systems
• UI/UX: Glassmorphic design with responsive layout
• Offline Support: Full PWA capabilities for offline viewing
• Mobile Optimization: Touch gestures and responsive design

The feature requires minimal user interaction—simply navigate to the page and browse meal schedules by day of the week. The implementation aligns with the application's serverless, browser-based architecture, requiring no backend infrastructure or user authentication.

Sources: README.md27 README.md107 README.md18-33