Weather Application

Project Description

A weather application built with Kotlin and Jetpack Compose that fetches current weather and a 7-day forecast for the user's location or a searched city using the OpenWeatherMap API. It supports offline mode by caching weather data locally.

Project Screensort

Project Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

1. Android Studio installed (latest stable version recommended).
2. A working internet connection.
3. Basic knowledge of Kotlin and Android development.

Steps to Set Up

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository_url>
   cd <repository_name>

2. Open the project in Android Studio:

   • File > Open > Select the cloned folder.

3. Sync the Gradle files:

   • Click Sync Now in the notification bar or go to File > Sync Project with Gradle Files.

4. Ensure the required dependencies are installed in your build.gradle files:

   • Jetpack Compose
   • Volley for networking
   • Location Services

5. Update the package name if necessary:

   • Refactor > Rename > Update package name throughout the project.

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API Key Setup Instructions

OpenWeatherMap API

1. Sign up for an account at OpenWeatherMap.
2. Generate an API key:
   • Go to your account dashboard.
   • Click on API Keys.
   • Create a new API key.
3. Add your API key to the project:
   • Open the file where the fetchWeatherData and fetchWeatherDataFromGeoLoc functions are implemented.
   • Replace <your_api_key> with your generated API key:

     val apiKey = "<your_api_key>"

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How to Run the Project

1. Open the project in Android Studio.
2. Connect your Android device or start an emulator.
3. Build and run the project:
   • Click the green "Run" button or press Shift + F10.
4. Allow location permissions on the device/emulator when prompted.
5. Use the search bar to find weather data for specific cities or wait for the app to fetch data for your current location.

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Limitations or Known Issues

1. Offline Mode:

   • If there is no cached data, the app cannot display weather information.
   • Cached data does not auto-update when coming back online.

2. API Rate Limiting:

   • The OpenWeatherMap API has rate limits for free accounts. Upgrade your plan if the app exceeds these limits.

3. Location Permissions:

   • The app requires location permissions to fetch weather for the current location. If permissions are denied, the feature will not work.

4. Error Handling:

   • Limited error messages are displayed for API errors and connection issues. Enhance error feedback for better UX.

5. UI Scaling:

   • Some UI elements may not scale properly on very small or large devices. Additional optimization is needed.

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Contributing

Feel free to fork this repository and submit pull requests for enhancements or bug fixes.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.