I like the Pomodoro Technique, although it generates an awful lot of paperwork if done properly. On my first iPad, I have a lovely app installed, but that iPad has become too clunky to use. The app is no longer available on the App Store, which is such a shame. Most Pomodoro apps available nowadays either are just fancy timers that time pomodoros interspersed with breaks or are fancy timers with a to-do list. The Pomodoro technique is so much more than that, and these apps don’t reflect that. So I thought I’d write my own.
At first, it’s going to be a web app, then I hope to port it to macOS and iOS apps. I’m not sure about Windows and Android as yet.
I decided I’d use the JavaScript runtime environment Node.js. I’d forgotten I’d already installed Node.js some time ago, so I could model an Enigma machine and a Bombe to crack the Enigma’s code. In practice, I didn’t get further than Hello World.
This time, I’ve found a tutorial that models a library catalogue. It uses the Express framework and explains how to use it, and how to set up routes, controllers and views. It also explains how to connect to a database (MongoDB, hosted on mLab, via Mongoose) and how to use forms to add, delete and update objects. These are all the sorts of things I need for my app, so I am busily adapting the library catalogue to a list of activities and all the things a decent Pomodoro Technique app needs.
Sometimes, the part I change works straight away, but often, it doesn’t. Then I have to sift through the errors and work out what’s gone wrong. All part of the learning process, and I’m enjoying it.
