Organizing with Collections

Got dozens of recipes saved and losing track of what's what? Collections are ClipDish's answer to recipe organization. Think of them as custom folders that let you group recipes however makes sense to you.

What Are Collections?

Collections are groups of recipes organized by whatever criteria you choose. You might create collections for:

• Meal types (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Desserts)
• Cuisine (Italian, Thai, Mexican)
• Occasions (Holiday Baking, Summer BBQ, Meal Prep)
• Dietary needs (Vegetarian, Gluten-Free)
• Cooking style (Slow Cooker, One-Pot, Quick Weeknight)

Important: Collections are just labels. Adding a recipe to a collection doesn't create a copy—it's still the same recipe. You can put one recipe in multiple collections without creating duplicates.

The Favorites Collection

ClipDish comes with one built-in collection: Favorites. This is a special collection that you can't rename or delete.

How to favorite a recipe:

• From the recipe list: Swipe right on a recipe and tap the heart button
• From the recipe detail view: Tap the ellipsis menu and select "Add to Collections," then select Favorites

Favorited recipes show up in your Favorites collection, accessible from the sidebar.

Creating a Collection

From the Sidebar

1. Open the sidebar (tap the back arrow in the top-left)
2. Scroll to the Collections section
3. Tap "Create Collection" (the plus button)
4. Enter a collection name
5. Tap "Create"

Your new collection appears in the Collections section, sorted alphabetically below Favorites.

From the Add to Collection Sheet

You can also create a collection on-the-fly while adding a recipe to one:

1. Open a recipe's detail view
2. Tap the ellipsis menu in the top-right
3. Select "Add to Collections"
4. Tap "Create New Collection" at the bottom
5. Enter a name and tap "Create"
6. Select your newly created collection
7. Tap "Done"

The recipe is now in that collection.

Adding Recipes to a Collection

There are several ways to add recipes to collections:

Method 1: From the Recipe Detail View

1. Open the recipe
2. Tap the ellipsis menu (top-right corner)
3. Select "Add to Collections"
4. Tap the collections you want to add the recipe to (you can select multiple)
5. Tap "Done"

Tip: Already-selected collections show a checkmark. Tap to toggle them on or off.

Method 2: Swipe Left on a Recipe

1. From your recipe list, swipe left on a recipe
2. Tap "Add to Collection"
3. Select the collection(s)
4. Tap "Done"

Method 3: Drag and Drop (iPad Only)

If you're using ClipDish on an iPad with the sidebar visible:

1. Tap and hold a recipe in the list
2. Drag it over to a collection in the sidebar
3. Drop it to add

This is the fastest way to organize recipes if you're on a larger screen.

Viewing a Collection

To see recipes in a specific collection:

1. Open the sidebar
2. Tap the collection you want to view

The recipe list updates to show only recipes in that collection.

Note: The title at the top changes to match the collection name (e.g., "Breakfast" or "Italian"). This helps you know which collection you're viewing.

Removing Recipes from a Collection

From the Collection View

1. Open the sidebar and select the collection
2. Swipe left on the recipe you want to remove
3. Tap "Remove from Collection"

Important: This removes the recipe from the collection but does NOT delete it from your library. It's still in your All Recipes view.

From the Add to Collection Sheet

1. Open the recipe detail view
2. Tap the ellipsis menu
3. Select "Add to Collections"
4. Deselect the collection (tap to remove the checkmark)
5. Tap "Done"

The recipe is removed from that collection.

Renaming a Collection

From the Sidebar

1. Open the sidebar
2. Long-press (or right-click on iPad) the collection you want to rename
3. Select "Rename" from the context menu
4. Enter the new name
5. Tap "Rename"

From the Collection View

1. Open the collection you want to rename
2. Tap the collection filter menu (three horizontal lines icon) in the toolbar
3. Select "Rename Collection"
4. Enter the new name
5. Tap "Rename"

Note: You can't rename the Favorites collection.

Deleting a Collection

When you delete a collection, the collection is removed but the recipes inside it are NOT deleted. Recipes remain in your All Recipes view.

From the Sidebar

1. Open the sidebar
2. Long-press (or right-click on iPad) the collection you want to delete
3. Select "Delete Collection" from the context menu
4. Confirm deletion

From the Collection View

1. Open the collection you want to delete
2. Tap the collection filter menu in the toolbar
3. Select "Delete Collection"
4. Confirm deletion

Note: You can't delete the Favorites collection.

Filtering by Collection

When you're viewing your recipe list, you can quickly switch between All Recipes and specific collections using the collection filter menu:

1. Tap the three horizontal lines button (filter icon) in the toolbar
2. Select a collection to view (or select "All Recipes" to see everything)

The recipe list updates instantly.

Why use this instead of the sidebar? It's faster if you're already viewing recipes and just want to switch collections without opening the sidebar.

Common Collection Workflows

Meal Planning Collection

Create a "This Week" collection for recipes you plan to cook soon:

1. Create a collection named "This Week"
2. Add recipes you want to cook this week
3. When you finish cooking one, remove it from the collection (swipe left, tap "Remove from Collection")
4. Add new recipes as your plans change

Occasion-Based Collections

Planning a holiday dinner or special event? Group recipes by occasion:

1. Create a collection like "Thanksgiving 2025"
2. Add all the recipes you plan to make
3. View the collection to see your full menu
4. After the event, keep the collection for next year or delete it

Cuisine Exploration

Trying out a new cuisine? Create a collection to track what you've made:

1. Create a collection like "Thai Cooking"
2. Save Thai recipes from Discover or the web
3. Add them to the Thai Cooking collection
4. Check them off as you try them

Using Collections with Selection Mode

You can add multiple recipes to a collection at once using Selection Mode:

1. From your recipe list, tap the ellipsis menu
2. Select "Select" to enter Selection Mode
3. Tap recipes to select them
4. Tap the ellipsis button in the bottom toolbar
5. Choose an option to add them to a collection (not yet implemented in the current UI, but you can do this one at a time)

Current limitation: Bulk adding to collections isn't available yet, but you can select and organize recipes individually.

Collections vs. Tags

Q: Does ClipDish support tags? A: Not yet. Collections serve a similar purpose—you can assign recipes to multiple collections just like you would with tags. If you need more granular organization, create multiple collections (e.g., "Vegetarian," "Quick," "Meal Prep") and assign recipes to several at once.

Common Questions

Q: Can I put one recipe in multiple collections? A: Yes! A recipe can be in as many collections as you want. Adding it to multiple collections doesn't create duplicates.

Q: What happens to my collections if I delete a recipe? A: If you delete a recipe from your All Recipes view, it's removed from every collection it was in.

Q: How many collections can I create? A: There's no hard limit. Create as many as you need.

Q: Can I share a collection with someone? A: Not yet. You can only share individual recipes, not entire collections. See Sharing Recipes for what's planned.

Q: Why can't I rename or delete Favorites? A: Favorites is a built-in collection that ClipDish uses as a default. It's always available so you have a quick way to mark recipes you love.

Q: Can I reorder collections in the sidebar? A: Collections are sorted alphabetically (with Favorites always at the top). You can't manually reorder them, but you can rename them to change their alphabetical position (e.g., "1 - Breakfast" to force it to the top).

Q: Do collections sync across devices? A: Yes, if you're using iCloud sync. Your collections and their recipes will appear on all your devices signed in with the same iCloud account.

For more collection questions, see the FAQ.

Tips for Organizing with Collections

Start simple Don't create dozens of collections right away. Start with a few broad categories (e.g., "Breakfast," "Dinner," "Desserts") and add more as you need them.

Use descriptive names "Italian" is clearer than "Recipes 1." Future-you will thank you.

Combine collections for planning Create a "Meal Prep Sunday" collection with recipes you batch-cook weekly, or a "Date Night" collection for special occasion dishes.

Review and prune Every few months, check your collections. Delete ones you're not using or merge similar ones.

Leverage Favorites Use Favorites for recipes you make all the time. It's the fastest way to find your go-to dishes.

What's Next?

Now that you know how to organize with collections:

• Working with Recipes - Learn to browse and cook from your recipes
• Editing Recipes - Customize and fix saved recipes
• Ask Chef: Your AI Cooking Assistant - Get help from Chef Beverly while you cook

Happy organizing!