Shopping List

The Shopping List Generator is a categorized to-buy list. Pick a category, type an item, click 'Add', and it appears under that category; tick it off when you've bought it. The list is saved automatically in your current browser, so it's still there next time, and no account is needed. It's a simple single-person list: no sharing between people, no syncing across devices, no quantity or price totals, and no export or print button. It suits everyday errands and quick notes before a trip to the store.

How to use

1. Choose a category from the drop-down on the left of the input row. There are five: 'Fresh Produce', 'Meat, Eggs & Dairy', 'Grains, Oil & Seasoning', 'Household Items' and 'Other'.
2. Type what you need to buy, such as 'tomatoes' or 'eggs x12', then click the 'Add' button or press Enter. Clicking with an empty box does nothing.
3. The item appears under its category heading, in the order you added things. The order of category headings is fixed, and categories with no items are hidden.
4. At the store, tick the box next to an item once it's in your basket. The text turns gray with a strikethrough; tick again to undo.
5. Click the trash icon at the right of a row to delete just that item. There's no confirmation.
6. Whenever at least one item is ticked, a 'Clear purchased items (n)' button appears above the list, and clicking it removes all ticked items at once.

Getting the most out of it

There's no quantity field, so put the amount in the name when it matters, for example 'milk, 2 cartons' or 'rice 5kg'. If you want something to stand out, add the most important items first. In the store, you can follow the category order against the aisles: produce first, then meat and dairy, then household goods, ticking as you go. After a trip, click 'Clear purchased items' and whatever is left unticked stays on the list for next time.

Supported range and known limits

• Five fixed categories. You can't add, rename or reorder them.
• You can't edit an item's name or move it to another category after adding it; delete it and add it again.
• No quantity, price, note or due-date fields. Identical items can be added more than once; there's no duplicate check.
• No export, print, copy-all or share function. To send the list to someone, copy it by hand or take a screenshot.
• Data is stored in this browser's local storage on this device and doesn't sync to your phone or another computer. A different browser or device starts with its own empty list.
• If you clear your browser's site data or cache, or use a private window, the list may be lost or not saved. If writing fails in a private window, the page shows no warning, and the content is gone once the window closes.
• With several tabs of this page open in the same browser, they don't stay in sync live. Whichever tab saves last wins and can overwrite changes made in another tab.
• There's no item limit in the tool, but browser storage space is finite; an ordinary text list won't come near it.
• Ticked items stay where they are and are not automatically moved to the bottom.

FAQ: Can I lose my list?

Normally you can close the page or shut down your computer and the list will still be there. The cases where it disappears are mainly three: you cleared the browser's site data, you used a private or incognito window, or you switched browser or device. If the list matters, also take a screenshot or paste it into your phone's notes app.

FAQ: Can I share one list between my phone and my computer?

No. The tool has no accounts or server, so the data lives only in the browser you used. The list on your phone and the list on your computer are separate.

FAQ: Why does nothing happen when I click Add?

An item is only added if the input contains something other than whitespace. Leading and trailing spaces are trimmed, so a box containing only spaces is treated as empty.

FAQ: I ticked or deleted something by mistake.

A wrong tick can be undone by clicking again. Deletion takes effect immediately with no undo, so just add the item again if needed. 'Clear purchased items' also removes all ticked items at once, so check that everything ticked is really meant to go.

Privacy and processing

The list is kept on your own device through the browser's localStorage under the key toolbox-shopping-list. The code makes no network requests, item names are never uploaded, and this site can't see your list. If you use a public or shared computer, other people using the same browser could see your list, so empty it and clear site data when you're finished.