Dependency Management

RideEase uses Gradle Version Catalogs to centralize and manage dependencies. This approach provides a single source of truth for library versions and plugin configurations, ensuring consistency across all modules in the project.

All dependency definitions are located in the gradle/libs.versions.toml file.

Usage Overview

To manage or add a dependency in the RideEase project, you interact with the Version Catalog instead of hardcoding version strings in individual build.gradle files.

1. Catalog Structure

The libs.versions.toml file is divided into three primary sections:

• [versions]: Defines the version numbers for libraries and plugins.
• [libraries]: Defines the alias and the specific library coordinates (group:name).
• [plugins]: Defines the Gradle plugins used in the build process.

2. Implementation in Build Scripts

To use a dependency defined in the catalog within your module's build.gradle file, use the generated libs accessors:

dependencies {
    // Standard AndroidX & UI
    implementation libs.androidx.appcompat
    implementation libs.androidx.lifecycle.viewmodel
    implementation libs.androidx.lifecycle.livedata
    implementation libs.material
    
    // Firebase Services
    implementation libs.firebase.auth
    implementation libs.firebase.firestore

    // UI/Animations
    implementation libs.lottie
}

Core Dependencies

The following table summarizes the primary libraries currently utilized by RideEase as seen in the codebase:

| Category | Library Alias (Reference) | Description | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Authentication | libs.firebase.auth | Manages user login, signup, and phone verification. | | Database | libs.firebase.firestore | Cloud NoSQL database for storing user profiles and ride data. | | Lifecycle | libs.androidx.lifecycle.* | Implements the ViewModel and LiveData patterns for reactive UI. | | UI Components | libs.androidx.appcompat | Provides backward-compatible versions of Android UI components. | | Animations | libs.lottie | Handles loading and success animations via Lottie JSON files. | | Splash Screen | libs.androidx.core.splashscreen | Manages the brand splash screen experience (Android 12+ compatibility). |

Adding or Updating Dependencies

To Update a Version

Modify the version value in the [versions] block. This change will automatically propagate to all libraries referencing that version alias.

[versions]
firebaseAuth = "22.3.0" # Update this value to upgrade

To Add a New Library

1. Add the version to [versions].
2. Define the library mapping in [libraries].
3. Sync the project with Gradle files.
4. Reference it in the relevant build.gradle file using implementation libs.your.alias.

View Binding

While not a standalone library dependency in the catalog, View Binding is enabled project-wide to facilitate safe interactions with UI elements (e.g., ActivityLoginBinding). It is configured in the android block of the module's build.gradle:

android {
    buildFeatures {
        viewBinding true
    }
}

Testing Dependencies

RideEase includes standard Android testing libraries for instrumented and unit tests:

• JUnit: libs.junit
• AndroidX Test: libs.androidx.test.ext.junit and libs.androidx.test.espresso.core

These are referenced using testImplementation and androidTestImplementation respectively.