Persistent Reservation Threads: LocalStorage Implementation

Hey there! Let's talk about making your reservation threads stick around even when you close your browser or refresh the page. Currently, in the Synvya AI Concierge system, reservation threads live only in the temporary memory of your browser – React state. This means if you close the tab or refresh, poof, they're gone! While the reservation messages themselves are safely stored on Nostr relays (which is great for persistence), the local UI state isn’t. We're going to fix that by implementing localStorage persistence.

The Problem: Vanishing Reservations

Right now, here's what happens:

• You send a reservation – shows up perfectly in your Reservations tab. ✅
• You close the browser or refresh the page – Reservations tab is empty. ❌
• The reservation data is lost from the UI, even though it still exists on the Nostr relays.

This isn't ideal. Nobody wants to lose their reservation history every time they revisit the app. It's like having to re-enter all your chats every time you open a messaging app. Very annoying, right? We're aiming for a better user experience, where your reservation history is always available.

We need to make it so your reservation threads stay put, no matter what. Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how we're going to solve this, and make sure that those reservation threads stick around! We want that smooth, consistent experience.

The Solution: localStorage to the Rescue

The good news is, we can solve this with a relatively simple technique using localStorage. This will allow us to store the reservation threads directly in your browser's local storage. Here's the plan:

1. Load from Cache on Mount: When the reservation context is initialized, we'll check localStorage for any previously saved reservation threads. If found, we'll load them to get you up and running as quickly as possible.
2. Save on Changes: Every time your reservation threads change – a new message arrives, or you create a new reservation – we'll update the localStorage to reflect these changes.
3. Merge with Incoming Data: When new messages or threads come in from the Nostr relays, we'll merge them with the data already stored in localStorage. This ensures we always have the most up-to-date information, combining both locally stored and remotely fetched data.

This approach gives us the best of both worlds: quick access to your history and persistence across sessions, even if there are intermittent network issues. It's all about making the user experience seamless.

Technical Deep Dive

Let’s dive into the technical details. We'll be modifying the frontend/src/contexts/ReservationContext.tsx file to implement this persistence. Here's a snippet of the code we'll use:

// Initialize state from localStorage
const [threads, setThreads] = useState<ReservationThread[]>(() => {
  try {
    const cached = localStorage.getItem('reservation_threads');
    return cached ? JSON.parse(cached) : [];
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to load cached reservations:', error);
    return [];
  }
});

// Save to localStorage whenever threads change
useEffect(() => {
  try {
    localStorage.setItem('reservation_threads', JSON.stringify(threads));
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to cache reservations:', error);
  }
}, [threads]);

• Initialization: The useState hook is initialized by trying to load data from localStorage. We use a try...catch block to gracefully handle potential errors, such as localStorage being unavailable. If there's an error, we simply initialize the state as an empty array.
• Saving Changes: The useEffect hook ensures that whenever the threads state changes, we attempt to save the updated data to localStorage. Again, we use a try...catch block to handle potential errors during the saving process.
• Storage Key: We’ll use the key reservation_threads to store the data in localStorage. This makes it easy to identify and retrieve the reservation threads later.

This implementation is designed to be both efficient and robust. It's a pragmatic solution that leverages the browser's built-in capabilities to enhance the user experience. This means that users can pick up exactly where they left off, without any delay.

Benefits: Why This Matters

This simple change brings some serious benefits:

• ✅ Immediate UX Improvement: Users will no longer lose their reservation history when they refresh or close the browser. This is a huge win for user experience.
• ✅ Works Across Page Refreshes: Your reservations will persist across page refreshes, ensuring continuous access to your information.
• ✅ No Backend Changes Required: This solution focuses purely on the frontend, so no changes are needed on the server-side. It's a quick win.
• ✅ Simple Implementation: The code is concise and easy to understand. It takes only a few lines, making maintenance a breeze.
• ✅ Graceful Fallback: If localStorage is unavailable for any reason (e.g., user's browser settings), the app will still function without it. It's a graceful fallback.

We're creating a more reliable and user-friendly experience. It's about providing a more seamless and intuitive interaction with the reservation system.

Future Enhancements: Beyond localStorage

While localStorage provides an immediate improvement, this is just the first step. Our long-term goal is to fetch historical events directly from Nostr relays, which is a more decentralized and robust solution. Think of localStorage as a temporary fix, giving us immediate persistence while we work on the more decentralized approach. The next step is to get the history directly from the relays, and then have the data that is stored locally to be only cached. This will give you the most up-to-date information, and will protect against a user deleting the local data.

Acceptance Criteria: What Success Looks Like

To ensure this implementation is a success, we'll need to meet the following criteria:

• ✅ Reservation threads persist after browser refresh: Your reservations stay put when you refresh the page.
• ✅ Reservation threads persist after closing and reopening the browser: Your reservation history is available whenever you return.
• ✅ Error handling for localStorage quota/unavailability: The system handles cases where localStorage might be unavailable or full.
• ✅ No breaking changes to existing reservation flow: The current reservation process remains untouched, and there are no regressions.
• ✅ Tested with multiple reservations across sessions: We'll test with multiple reservations over several browser sessions to confirm persistence.

By ensuring we meet these criteria, we guarantee a robust and reliable implementation. This means a better experience for the users.

So, there you have it! A straightforward approach to enhancing the user experience of the Synvya AI Concierge system. By implementing localStorage persistence, we can ensure that reservation threads are always available, making the app more user-friendly and intuitive.

For further reading, check out the documentation on Web Storage API.