# Interaction (January 4, 2025)

[garotm]

Implementation Start (January 4, 2025)

Proposal

1. The UI is clean and functional, showing a search interface for running events
2. The location search is working ("Lockport NY" in the search bar)
3. The search results are displaying properly, showing:
   • "BuffaloRunners.com Race Calendar 2025"
   • Location details
   • Event dates and times
   • Distance information
   • Multiple event listings in the results

A significant milestone

1. Successful integration between the iOS frontend and [local] Python backend
2. Working Google Sign-In
3. Proper API communication
4. Clean data formatting and display
5. Real-world usability

Next Steps

1. I want to be able to, by default, show running events based on the current location of the user logged into Google.
2. Go to Google and search "running events in my area." That should be the default that comes up right when you open the app, so you only would need to use the actual search if you wanted to search for a running event other than in your current location.

Google's presentation of running events is a perfect model for our default view. Looking at the screenshot:

Approach

1. Initial View Features:

   • Events automatically shown for the current location
   • Clean timeline view with dates prominently displayed (like the Feb 8 Lockport 10 and Oct 15 Niagara Falls Marathon)
   • Key event details at a glance:
     • Event name
     • Date and time
     • Venue/location
     • Small map/image preview

2. Smart Filters (like Google's top bar):

   • "Next month"
   • "Free"
   • Nearby locations (like "Near buffalo, ny", "Near lockport, ny")
   • Could add distance filters (5K, 10K, Marathon)

3. Event Details:

   • Time and date
   • Exact location/address
   • Visual indicators/logos
   • Direct links to registration

So we could modify the current app to:

1. Open directly to this view based on device location
2. Keep the search bar minimized/hidden until needed
3. Show the calendar overlay when viewing specific events
4. Add smart filters at the top for quick refinement

---

A Further Approach

1. Initial Load:

   • When user logs in with Google, get their current location
   • Immediately populate the calendar view with local running events
   • Use a reasonable default radius (e.g., 50 miles)

2. Implementation Steps:

   • Use iOS CoreLocation for device location
   • Fall back to Google account location if device location isn't available
   • Add location parameters to our existing search API
   • Cache results locally for better performance

3. User Experience:

   • Calendar opens pre-populated with local events
   • No manual search needed for initial view
   • Option to change location/radius in settings
   • Pull-to-refresh to update with current location

4. Additional Features:

   • Show distance to each event from user's location
   • Filter options for race distance/type
   • Sort by proximity

Would you like me to:

1. Add location services to the current implementation
2. Modify the backend API to handle location-based queries
3. Update the UI to show location-relevant information
4. Implement any specific part of this functionality?

Further Thoughts

What I am also considering for the UI, and perhaps this is premature, would be to not really have a search bar, but open the Google claendar overlay in them month view and have the search results show up on in the action boxes of the calendar, which can then be clicked to go the actual running site URL for the race, then if they end up signing up, it will populate on the actual Google calendar

Approach

1. Initial View:

   • Open directly to a calendar month view (similar to Google Calendar's interface)
   • No separate search bar needed
   • Location could be determined by device location or set in preferences

2. Event Display:

   • Running events would appear as action boxes/dots on their respective dates
   • Different colors or icons could indicate race distances (5K, 10K, marathon)
   • Quick preview of event details on tap/hover

3. Interaction Flow:

   • Tap on a date/event to see full details
   • Direct link to race registration website
   • "Add to Calendar" button would only appear after they've visited the registration URL
   • Automatic calendar sync once they've registered

4. Benefits:

   • More visual representation of race scheduling
   • Easier to plan around existing commitments
   • Natural calendar-first approach
   • Cleaner, more focused UI

Next Steps

1. Create a prototype of this calendar-centric UI
2. Modify the backend to support calendar-based queries
3. Implement URL visit tracking for registration status

Originally posted by @garotm in #55 (comment)

[garotm]

Implementation Update - MVP Simplification

Core Changes Made

1. Event Model (iOS & Backend)

• Simplified to match Google's event presentation
• Core fields only:

  - id: String
  - name: String
  - date: Date
  - location: String
  - description: String
  - url: String
  - distance: Double (in kilometers)
  - coordinates: Optional[Coordinates]

• Removed unnecessary fields:
  • price
  • registration_deadline
  • is_registered
  • registration status

2. Search Functionality

• Enhanced location-based search:
  • Support for coordinate-based queries (near:lat,lon)
  • Support for location name queries (near:Lockport, NY)
  • Default fallback to "running events" when no location
• Improved date extraction:
  • Added support for multiple date formats
  • Skip events without clear dates
  • ISO8601 format handling
• Enhanced distance extraction:
  • Common race distances (5K, 10K, etc.)
  • Numeric distance parsing with unit conversion
  • All distances standardized to kilometers

3. UI Simplification

• Calendar-centric interface
• Location-based filters:
  • "Next month"
  • "Near lockport, ny"
  • "San Antonio"
  • "Austin"
• Event card display:
  • Event name
  • Date and time
  • Location
  • Distance (when available)
  • Map preview

4. Backend Optimizations

• Reduced cache time to 1 hour for fresher results
• Better query enhancement based on content
• Improved location handling and geocoding
• Cleaner title parsing and formatting

Testing Framework Updates

1. Event Model Tests:

   • Focused on core field validation
   • Date and coordinate handling
   • Distance calculations

2. View Model Tests:

   • Location-based event loading
   • Search functionality
   • Error handling
   • Location permission flow

3. UI Tests:

   • Calendar navigation
   • Location filter interaction
   • Event card display
   • Location services integration

Next Steps

1. Location Services:

   • Default to user's current location on app launch
   • Fallback to Google account location
   • Configurable search radius

2. Calendar Integration:

   • Month view as default interface
   • Event preview on date selection
   • Direct links to event registration

3. Performance:

   • Local caching for faster loading
   • Background location updates
   • Optimized search results

Alignment with Issue #58

These changes directly address the requirements outlined in the issue:

1. ✅ Simplified UI matching Google's presentation
2. ✅ Location-based default view
3. ✅ Calendar-centric interface
4. ✅ Essential event details only
5. ✅ Improved search functionality

Reference: Issue #58