In this Wix Studio tutorial, we delve into an exciting topic: adding a favorite icon feature to Wix Studio with real-time updates. This feature allows users to mark items as favorites, providing them with a personalized experience on your website. Let's walk through the steps of implementing this feature and explore the code behind it.

Setting Up the Environment

To begin, we set up our environment by creating a collection to store our items. These items will be displayed using a repeater on our website. We then integrate heart icons from Flaticon and then download and upload to your Wix Media Manager and copy the URL to serve as the favorite icons.

Implementing the Feature

We utilize Velo (Wix's coding platform) along with the Wix Realtime API to implement the favorite icon feature with real-time updates. Here's a breakdown of what the code does:

1. Initializing Variables: We start by initializing variables, including the member's information and whether they are logged in. We also define a channel named 'heartChannel' for real-time communication.

2. Subscribing to Real-Time Updates: We subscribe to the 'heartChannel' to receive real-time updates when a user favorites or unfavorites an item. This ensures that the UI reflects changes instantly for all users.

3. Handling User Interactions: When a user clicks on the heart icon, we first check if they are logged in. If they are, we update the UI based on whether the item is already favorited by the user. If not, we prompt the user to log in.

4. Updating Data: We update the database with the user's favorite status for the item. If the user favorites the item, their ID is added to the 'members' field in the database. If they unfavorite it, their ID is removed. We then trigger a real-time update by publishing a message to the 'heartChannel'.

Backend Implementation

On the backend, we use data hooks to automatically update the 'heartCount' field in the database whenever an item is inserted or updated. This ensures that the heart count reflects the number of users who have favorited the item.

Conclusion

By following this tutorial, you can add a favorite icon feature to your Wix Studio website with real-time updates, enhancing user engagement and personalization. Real-time updates ensure that users see changes instantly, providing a seamless browsing experience. Experiment with different UI elements and functionalities to tailor the feature to your website's needs and delight your users.

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