{'heading': 'How to save and filter favorite practices in the app', 'summary': 'You can star or unstar any of the 60 guided practices either directly from the right edge of its card in the `Practices` tab or from the top-right corner of the `Practice Details` screen (`PracticeFavoriteButton`). Tapping the `Favorites` chip at the top of the library filters the list to your starred sessions and displays your live favorites count.', 'bullets': ['Two ways to star: Tap the star icon on any `PracticeLibraryRow` card in the main list, or tap the star in the top-right header of `Practice Details`.', 'Instant chip counter: The `Favorites` filter chip updates its monospaced count immediately whenever you star or unstar a practice.', 'Search inside Favorites: With the `Favorites` chip selected, typing into the search bar searches only within your starred practices.', 'Update-safe storage: `CatalogPreferenceStore` stores your favorite flags keyed by stable catalog identity outside the read-only catalog SQLite file so app updates never erase your list.']}
You can star or unstar any of the 60 guided practices either directly from the right edge of its card in the `Practices` tab or from the top-right corner of the `Practice Details` screen (`PracticeFavoriteButton`). Tapping the `Favorites` chip at the top of the library filters the list to your starred sessions and displays your live favorites count.
Two ways to star: Tap the star icon on any `PracticeLibraryRow` card in the main list, or tap the star in the top-right header of `Practice Details`.
Instant chip counter: The `Favorites` filter chip updates its monospaced count immediately whenever you star or unstar a practice.
Search inside Favorites: With the `Favorites` chip selected, typing into the search bar searches only within your starred practices.
Update-safe storage: `CatalogPreferenceStore` stores your favorite flags keyed by stable catalog identity outside the read-only catalog SQLite file so app updates never erase your list.
Where to Star Practices and How the Favorites Chip Works
When building a daily breathwork or meditation habit, scrolling through 60 practices every morning or evening adds unnecessary decision friction. Most practitioners rely on a small rotation of three to five trusted sessions: for example, a 5-minute morning pranayama, a 10-minute midday reset, and a 20-minute evening Yoga Nidra or body scan.
In `PracticesView`, every practice card in the list includes a dedicated `PracticeFavoriteButton` in its top-right corner—separate from the navigation link that opens the practice—so you can add or remove items with a single tap. Inside `PracticeEntryView` (`Practice Details`), the same star button sits in the top-right header opposite the `Back` button, allowing you to star a session right after previewing its script description or completing a run.
- One-tap access: Tap the `Favorites` chip (with the filled yellow star icon) in the horizontal filter bar to view only your starred sessions.
- Live count badge: The number next to `Favorites` (`eligiblePractices.count(where: \.effectiveIsFavorite)`) updates immediately when you toggle a star.
- Empty-state guidance: If you tap `Favorites` when no practices are starred, the view displays *"No favorite practices — Tap the star on a practice to add it to Favorites."*
Organizing a Small, Repeatable Favorites Rotation
A Favorites list works best when it stays curated to the sessions you actually use each week rather than becoming a second copy of the full catalog. Keeping 3 to 6 practices starred means the entire list fits on a single screen without scrolling.
If you do maintain a larger Favorites list across multiple seasons or modalities, you can combine the `Favorites` chip with the global search bar. Because `visiblePractices` in `PracticesView` applies the `showsFavoritesOnly` filter first and then runs `matchesSearch` on that subset, typing `evening`, `supine`, or `breath` while `Favorites` is selected narrows your starred list to the exact session you need.
- The 3-slot core rotation: Star one short morning practice (5–10 min), one midday stress-reset breath practice (5 min), and one evening relaxation practice (15–30 min).
- Seasonal pruning: At the change of season, unstar practices you no longer use and star 1 or 2 seasonal sessions that match current weather and energy.
- Check contraindications once: Reviewing a practice's metadata before starring it means you can open your Favorites list on busy days with confidence.
Why App Updates Never Erase Your Favorites
Under the hood, `Ayurveda & Asana Yoga` mounts its bundled reference library (`AyurvedaAsanaYogaCatalog.store`) as a read-only SwiftData configuration so that new app releases can swap in updated nutrition, pose, and practice catalogs cleanly with SHA-256 integrity checks (`CatalogStoreManager`).
If a user's favorite flag were written only inside the read-only catalog SQLite file, installing an app update with a new catalog version would overwrite those flags. To prevent that, `CatalogPreferenceStore.shared` persists user favorite states separately by stable catalog identity and resolves `effectiveIsFavorite` at runtime—ensuring your starred practices remain untouched across every app update.
- Read-only catalog safety: The bundled 60-practice catalog stays cryptographically verified and read-only.
- Persistent preference layer: `CatalogPreferenceStore` overlays your starred choices onto the catalog records automatically.
- Immediate UI sync: Toggling `PracticeFavoriteButton` increments `favoriteRevision` so both the card star and the chip counter update in place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does starring a practice change what appears in the RIGHT NOW suggested card?
No. The `RIGHT NOW` card selects from all age-eligible practices matching the current time-of-day window (`Dawn`, `Morning`, `Midday`, `Afternoon`, `Evening`, `Night`) sorted by your Ayurvedic constitution fit; your starred sessions are always one tap away under the `Favorites` chip.
Can I search by keyword inside my Favorites list?
Yes. Select the `Favorites` chip first, then type any keyword (such as `evening`, `relaxation`, or a Sanskrit term) into the search bar to filter within your starred practices.
Will my starred practices disappear if the app updates its catalog database?
No. Favorite selections are managed by `CatalogPreferenceStore` outside the replaceable read-only catalog store, so they carry forward automatically when a new catalog revision is installed.
