Meals on Wheels - existing meal ordering app?

[Philip Rhoades]

People,

I have offered to volunteer IT advice to the local Meals on Wheels group
- they have an existing informational web site and as a first step I
have created an interactive PDF form for them so that clients can fill
in a form on their computer and email it back to MoW. The next step is
an on-line ordering setup and I could knock up a quick Rails system but
before reinventing wheels, I went searching for something that is
already working but couldn't find anything on GitHub or GitLab - is
anyone aware of a simple system that is already in use?

In this case we are talking about people ordering frozen meals - so
someone might choose a dozen meals from a selection of a 100+.

Thanks,

Phil.
--
Philip Rhoades

PO Box 896
Cowra NSW 2794
Australia
E-mail: ph...@pricom.com.au

[Joe Guerra]

I've already have an ecommerce site that you can fork an modify.  It's a group purchasing ( or funding  ) site. You'd only need to modify the cart and maybe checkout procedure. 

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[Joe Guerra]

here it is up on heroku...

https://cryptic-inlet-13518.herokuapp.com/

if you want the code 

https://github.com/merlin2049er/MD-APP

If you need any questions answered ask me.  If you'd like for me to contribute to the MOW, let me know.  I'd be happy to help.

Thanks,

Joe

[Philip Rhoades]

Joe,

On 2019-02-19 05:17, Joe Guerra wrote:
> here it is up on heroku...
> https://cryptic-inlet-13518.herokuapp.com/
>
> if you want the code
>
> https://github.com/merlin2049er/MD-APP
>
> If you need any questions answered ask me. If you'd like for me to
> contribute to the MOW, let me know. I'd be happy to help.

That was a fast response! - thanks.

It looks from the demo that the app would be more suited to a café
rather than this situation but it still might work - we wouldn't need
pictures - I attach the PDF I have just done for reference. Really all
we need to do is reproduce that interactive PDF in a web page plus
backend login and DB stuff etc.

Thanks for the offer to help - I am still a Rails novice really but I
have a pretty good idea of how to help this group so advice from someone
who is more of a Rails guru would be useful.

Regards,

Phil.

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[Phil Edelbrock]

That looks like a really nice cause. Are you thinking a simple form that submits and sends the order via an email?

A few other questions:

- Is this open to the public, or only registered customers?

- Related, how does the order get associated to the person placing the order (sign-in, or some other means of identifying the customer, address, phone, payment methods, etc.)

- Do you need to accept credit cards at checkout in the web app? (i.e. security considerations, and tie-ins to other gateways and such)

- Any reason why this can't be done through, say, Grubhub or Uber-eats? (I am noticing now you are in Australia... not sure what's there)

- Does this site need some on-line means to adjust items, availability and costs and such? (i.e. how comfortable is the person maintaining this with maintaining the data directly with a, say, tab delimited file, YAML, or database vs. needing a full-on CMS-style management system?)

- What technology is the existing site using? I.e., would you be putting the existing site inside a Rails app, or doing something else to merge the two technologies, if they are different?

Interesting little project. I could see that you could create something for your local MoW and then providing it to any other MoWs out there... could scale up. For that matter, have you checked with the main MoW to see if they have some solution already that could save you a lot of time? ...checking my local MoW, they don't seem to have much at all in the form of online ordering and such...


Phil

PS- Nice to meet another Philip with one L. ;')

Oh, and PPS- Thanks Joe for sharing your code! I enjoy poking around at other's code.

[Philip Rhoades]

Phil,

On 2019-02-19 10:42, Phil Edelbrock wrote:
>> On Feb 18, 2019, at 9:53 AM, Philip Rhoades <ph...@pricom.com.au>
>> wrote:
>>
>> People,
>>
>> I have offered to volunteer IT advice to the local Meals on Wheels
>> group - they have an existing informational web site and as a first
>> step I have created an interactive PDF form for them so that clients
>> can fill in a form on their computer and email it back to MoW. The
>> next step is an on-line ordering setup and I could knock up a quick
>> Rails system but before reinventing wheels, I went searching for
>> something that is already working but couldn't find anything on GitHub
>> or GitLab - is anyone aware of a simple system that is already in use?
>>
>> In this case we are talking about people ordering frozen meals - so
>> someone might choose a dozen meals from a selection of a 100+.

> That looks like a really nice cause. Are you thinking a simple form
> that submits and sends the order via an email?

I have just done that with an interactive PDF - see attached form. The
next step is a web page doing much the same thing.

> A few other questions:
>
> - Is this open to the public, or only registered customers?

Registered customers.

> - Related, how does the order get associated to the person placing the
> order (sign-in, or some other means of identifying the customer,
> address, phone, payment methods, etc.)

All to be determined - it might be by the person logging in themselves
or by a MoW volunteer.

> - Do you need to accept credit cards at checkout in the web app? (i.e.
> security considerations, and tie-ins to other gateways and such)

No on-line transactions for the first web step.

> - Any reason why this can't be done through, say, Grubhub or
> Uber-eats? (I am noticing now you are in Australia... not sure what's
> there)

They are already setup with doing the own meal preparations, they just
need more efficiency in the orders.

> - Does this site need some on-line means to adjust items, availability
> and costs and such? (i.e. how comfortable is the person maintaining
> this with maintaining the data directly with a, say, tab delimited
> file, YAML, or database vs. needing a full-on CMS-style management
> system?)

The meals and prices don't change much apparently but a mechanism for
doing that will need to be added in due course I think.

> - What technology is the existing site using?

Paper.

> I.e., would you be
> putting the existing site inside a Rails app, or doing something else
> to merge the two technologies, if they are different?

I am getting more details at the end of the week - the quickest
mechanism would be to just add the Rails app as a link from their
existing static site.

> Interesting little project. I could see that you could create
> something for your local MoW and then providing it to any other MoWs
> out there...

I am surprised something like this hasn't already been already done
centrally somehow.

> could scale up. For that matter, have you checked with
> the main MoW to see if they have some solution already that could save
> you a lot of time? ...checking my local MoW, they don't seem to have
> much at all in the form of online ordering and such...

I will find out more at the first meeting but it does seem there is room
for wider use within the organisation but maybe these groups only
operate locally?

Thanks,

Phil.

> Phil
>
> PS- Nice to meet another Philip with one L. ;')

Ha! You mean with the correct spelling . .

> Oh, and PPS- Thanks Joe for sharing your code! I enjoy poking around
> at other's code.

[Hassan Schroeder]

On Mon, Feb 18, 2019 at 4:11 PM Philip Rhoades <ph...@pricom.com.au> wrote:

> > Interesting little project. I could see that you could create
> > something for your local MoW and then providing it to any other MoWs
> > out there...
>
> I am surprised something like this hasn't already been already done
> centrally somehow.

LOL I'm not surprised -- organizations like this tend to be way behind
the tech curve, and have few resources to address that.

Doing a one-off app is one thing, doing a "universal" configurable app
for multiple deployments is another, potentially more valuable in the
long run but of course more work.

You might want to see if there are Australian civic tech groups with
experience in this area.

Good luck, and have fun!

P.S. Don't forget about accessibility issues for an aging audience.

--
Hassan Schroeder ------------------------ hassan.s...@gmail.com
twitter: @hassan
Consulting Availability : Silicon Valley or remote

[Phil Edelbrock]

> On Feb 18, 2019, at 4:10 PM, Philip Rhoades <ph...@pricom.com.au> wrote:
>
> Phil,
>
>
> On 2019-02-19 10:42, Phil Edelbrock wrote:
>>> On Feb 18, 2019, at 9:53 AM, Philip Rhoades <ph...@pricom.com.au> wrote:
>>> People,
>>> I have offered to volunteer IT advice to the local Meals on Wheels group - they have an existing informational web site and as a first step I have created an interactive PDF form for them so that clients can fill in a form on their computer and email it back to MoW. The next step is an on-line ordering setup and I could knock up a quick Rails system but before reinventing wheels, I went searching for something that is already working but couldn't find anything on GitHub or GitLab - is anyone aware of a simple system that is already in use?
>>> In this case we are talking about people ordering frozen meals - so someone might choose a dozen meals from a selection of a 100+.
>
>
>> That looks like a really nice cause. Are you thinking a simple form
>> that submits and sends the order via an email?
>
>
> I have just done that with an interactive PDF - see attached form. The next step is a web page doing much the same thing.

Yes, I saw that and played with it. Nice.

>
>
>> A few other questions:
>> - Is this open to the public, or only registered customers?
>
>
> Registered customers.

OK, so that could be another table of data.

>
>
>> - Related, how does the order get associated to the person placing the
>> order (sign-in, or some other means of identifying the customer,
>> address, phone, payment methods, etc.)
>
>
> All to be determined - it might be by the person logging in themselves or by a MoW volunteer.

I could imagine some two element thing... (not the usual user/pass, but something simpler?) Like phone # and last name?

>
>
>> - Do you need to accept credit cards at checkout in the web app? (i.e.
>> security considerations, and tie-ins to other gateways and such)
>
>
> No on-line transactions for the first web step.

OK, that helps simplify a lot.

>
>
>> - Any reason why this can't be done through, say, Grubhub or
>> Uber-eats? (I am noticing now you are in Australia... not sure what's
>> there)
>
>
> They are already setup with doing the own meal preparations, they just need more efficiency in the orders.
>

Oh, I meant they would be on Grubhub or something as a food provider/restaurant. (Sounds like not a great match, though? Just was thinking.)

>
>> - Does this site need some on-line means to adjust items, availability
>> and costs and such? (i.e. how comfortable is the person maintaining
>> this with maintaining the data directly with a, say, tab delimited
>> file, YAML, or database vs. needing a full-on CMS-style management
>> system?)
>
>
> The meals and prices don't change much apparently but a mechanism for doing that will need to be added in due course I think.
>

OK, so perhaps make it a proper DB table to begin with and add a CMS/interface in an admin section later.

>
>> - What technology is the existing site using?
>
>
> Paper.

Oh, OK. I meant what web tech.. ;') Rails, PHP, etc.?

>
>
>> I.e., would you be
>> putting the existing site inside a Rails app, or doing something else
>> to merge the two technologies, if they are different?
>
>
> I am getting more details at the end of the week - the quickest mechanism would be to just add the Rails app as a link from their existing static site.

Makes sense. BTW- A static site (just HTML files and such) can happily be integrated by throwing them into the public directory. PHP or something else could get more complicated.

>
>
>> Interesting little project. I could see that you could create
>> something for your local MoW and then providing it to any other MoWs
>> out there...
>
>
> I am surprised something like this hasn't already been already done centrally somehow.

It certainly has, but I'm not sure for quite this sort of philanthropic purpose? Perhaps some more digging might come up with something.

>
>
>> could scale up. For that matter, have you checked with
>> the main MoW to see if they have some solution already that could save
>> you a lot of time? ...checking my local MoW, they don't seem to have
>> much at all in the form of online ordering and such...
>
>
> I will find out more at the first meeting but it does seem there is room for wider use within the organisation but maybe these groups only operate locally?

OK. Let me know if I can help. Some of my background, I've spent several years working with Oregon Food Bank doing their web site (online donations and such), I've written rails app for various online ordering including for restaurants. I've donated time driving to deliver food to those in need as well.

Oh, and I'm not looking to get paid for anything, just perhaps to give a little advice to help you help people in need.

>
> Thanks,
>
> Phil.
>
>
>> Phil
>> PS- Nice to meet another Philip with one L. ;')
>
>
> Ha! You mean with the correct spelling . .

EXACTLY. ;')


Take care,


Phil