[FEATURE] Item Sharing Functionality in VoucherVault

[l4rm4nd]

Overview

VoucherVault currently restricts item management and inspection to the user who created the item. This architecture, designed with security and privacy in mind, has no provisions for sharing items. However, there are valid scenarios where item sharing could significantly enhance user experience, such as sharing multi-redeemable vouchers/coupons with family members or sharing loyalty cards among users with a common store account.

Proposal

Implement a feature that allows users to share items with other VoucherVault user accounts while maintaining security and privacy. This feature may be developed with the following specifications:

Key Features

1. Separate Data Room for Shared Items:

   • Establish a distinct section within VoucherVault where shared items are stored.
   • This will prevent shared items from getting mixed up with private items and ensure a clear separation in the user interface.

2. Exclusion from Individual Dashboard:

   • Shared items will not appear on the user's individual dashboard.
   • This will help maintain the integrity of the user's personal space and prevent clutter.

3. Permission Management:

   • The owner of an item will have full permissions (read, write, delete).
   • Users with whom the item is shared will have restricted permissions (inspect only, no editing, deleting, or marking as used).
   • Consider allowing shared users to add to the transaction history of an item.

4. Server-Side Tracking:

   • Implement new model fields in the database to track shared items.
   • These fields may list comma-separated users and groups with whom the item is shared.
   • The exact design of these fields and how they are managed is to be determined.

Benefits

• Enhances usability by allowing item sharing among family members or within groups.
• Maintains security and privacy by segregating shared items from private items and managing permissions.
• Provides a clear and organized user interface.

Considerations

• Ensure robust security measures to prevent unauthorized access or sharing.
• Design the database schema to efficiently handle shared items and permissions.
• Thoroughly test the feature to ensure a seamless user experience.

Conclusion

Implementing item sharing in VoucherVault will address user needs for collaborative usage while maintaining the application's commitment to security and privacy. This feature will provide significant value to users who wish to share vouchers, coupons, or loyalty cards with others.

[l4rm4nd]

First draft implemented in https://github.com/l4rm4nd/VoucherVault/commit/da5dfca0209a9bdf33cd91d3b94132312b07a552